by: Amy Howells
Training your dog can be time consuming and
frustrating at times, but it's well worth it. Here are several
tips that should help things go much smoother and faster... plus reduce the
frustration both you and your
dog feel! Conduct "play training" where by the training tasks are made into fun
games and your dog's play
drive is used as motivation. There are a lot of really good books available on
this type of training.
Intelligent dogs can also be stubborn, so you may have to outwit them! While
training your dog, you have
to make him want to do what you want him to. You can't make him do stuff unless
it is fun. Otherwise you
are wasting both your time and his. Try to make your dog's training so fun that
it becomes his or her favorite
activity. This will make learning much easier and more enjoyable. Most dogs love
to play! You can make your
dog the happiest just by spending some time with them, giving your undivided
attention each day. Without
this, your dog will feel ignored, bored, or think they're in trouble. When this
happens they're more likely to
chew, tear things up, and not listen to you.
Here are some tried and true tactics you can
use to make your dogs listen to you more: When playing with
your puppy, play at his level. If play is encouraged at ground level, this
builds your role as the dominant, or
"top dog", when you are standing and training your puppy. If the puppy is
allowed to jump up and initiate play,
then this can lead to unwanted jumping up as your dog gets older. From the very
beginning, make sure your
dogs know you are the master. This is usually accomplished with simple tasks
such as teaching the dog to
raise it's paw for a handshake; kissing your hand; or rolling over on command to
show submission. There is no
need for extreme measures to prove you are the boss. Obedience training should
be both fun and rewarding for
you and your dog. Make sure your dog always eats after you do. This is one of
the easiest ways to show your
dog who is the boss. This is especially important if you share your food with
your dog, because if you let them
eat while you are, they could develop the habit of taking food right off your -
or someone else's - plate. You
may need to train your family to follow this rule too... and that could be
harder than training the dog ;)
Very active young dogs have short attention
span, and some breeds are worse than others. So it's best to have
several short 5-10 minute training lessons instead of one long one. Start the
training at quiet places familiar to
your dog, and be sure there are very few things and people around to distract
him. Gradually move the training to
places with more and more distractions so he will learn to obey your commands
despite those distractions. Speak
to your dog strongly but not in an angry voice. Be kind but be firm while
training and never give in to what they want.
It seems cruel but in the long run you will have a much better relationship with
you dog. Celebrate after every
training session for a good job done. Have a big play by running and throwing
his favorite toys. If you give them a
lot of playtime with yourself they'll listen to you more. Don't confuse your dog
by trying to use different words for
one command. One word commands work best, and they should always be consistent.
For example, when your dog
gets on the lounge with you, say "sit" and he should sit. Then if you want him
to lay down, say "lay" and he should
do so.
Also note how well your dog seems to understand
your command words. Some dogs may not be able to distinquish
between two words that sound the same. For instance: "lay" and "stay" sound very
similar. With one of my own dogs,
I've had to use the word "sleep" in place of lay, in order for him to understand
me fully. To keep your dog from
charging the front door each time it opens, try putting up a door or gate that
he can't see through or hop over. Have
him wait until people enter and come up the stairs. Then give him a treat for
waiting. In closing: no matter how well
trained you think your dog is, he usually has an attention span of seconds. So
be careful not to let him run away,
because some dogs will simply keep going and going as they find new things to
chase. Always keep your dog leashed
securely when they're outdoors, unless you have a secure fence. Beware though:
Some dogs can actually jump fences,
even when you think they're high enough, and some even climb trees too. And most
dogs run much faster than any
human can so if your dog gets loose, it could be quite dangerous for him.
About The Author
Amy Howells
For more information about training your dog visit: http://www.dog-owner.net.