We all want the best for our pets, especially when it comes to health and behavior. In fact, if you have a dog for a pet, you just might be considering getting into dog training, to ensure your pet is well behaved.
There is no need to take any dog training classes or to have any background in dog training. All you need is the will power to teach your dog tricks and some free time, as well as good spirit. Training your dog should be fun for both you and your dog.
When wanting to train your dog, you probably want to teach him/her the basic commands such as sit, stay, heel, and jump. When starting to teach them one of these commands, consistency plays an important role in teaching them to learn the trick.
As just stated, consistency is key when teaching your dog these simple commands. One way to keep it simple and consistent is to remember to use practically the same sentence and words when teaching your dog a trick. Repetition of the same words can help the dog understand what it is you want them to do when spoken these words.
In order to learn a new trick, your dog must be fully attentive when being taught. Make sure to have your dog’s attention before starting your dog training activity. This is usually achieved just by calling out your dog’s name. Whenever your dog seems to lose attention, call out his/her name to get it back.
Dogs may get confused if you try to teach them too many tricks or commands at one time. Be patient and teach your dog only one command at a time. This will prove to be the best approach in teaching your dog numerous commands.
When training your dog, be sure to teach your dog in short spurts. Your dog needs time to process the information and it may turn out to be less useful for your dog to learn a trick if taught through long tiring training sessions.
Ideally, sessions should last between 10-5 minutes. The key here is slowly but surely. This may take more time and effort from the dog training, but it’ll be worth it in the end. Dogs attention spans are short and if they have long training sessions, it may just turn out to be a waste of time as your dog won’t be paying attention to you anyway.
Treats are the biggest driving force for a dog. Treats in the form of doggy treats, a pat on the head, or a scratch behind the ear motivates a dog to learn the new command and to do it when commanded too. If there is one thing to not forget to do, it is to give your dog some sort of positive reinforcement when they accomplish a good act.