Giving your dog proper and successful training is part of the ownership. It also creates a strong and lasting relationship between you two. Whether it’s a puppy or an old dog, making it learn basic commands like sit, down, stay, and leave can go a long way in impacting manners into your little friend. This article will walk you through effective dog training techniques whether you are a beginner or senior dog owner.
Table of Contents
● Use positive reinforcement techniques
Almost all veterinarians agreed that positive reinforcement is an effective training method for dogs. This coaching focuses on rewarding your pet for good behavior rather than punishing it for bad behavior. Whenever your pet does something good, for instance it responds positively to your command, reward it. Rewarding it will reinforce the link between good behaviors and good things.
Also, it’s essential to ensure that you are not rewarding unwanted behavior. For instance, if your dog barks at someone or jumps up to say hello, don’t acknowledge that attitude or give in because this will reinforce bad behavior, instead wait for it to calm down and give it attention. This will prevent future scenarios where perhaps you want to do something important then your pets want to pay.
● Find the right reward
Don’t just give random things to your dog. Provide something meaningful. For example, some dogs are food motivated so they respond enthusiastically when they are given any kind of edible treat as reward. Others are pickier, meaning, instead of soft, chewy treats, they prefer hard and crunchy ones.
Some dogs aren’t interested in food items, they just want to play, try experimenting with different rewards to know which is your dog’s favorite. Use toys, affection, food, or anything that is animal friendly.
● Consistency is key
Consistency in coaching is highly crucial. This includes using the same words all the time and using the same intonation when giving it commands. It’s also equally important if you are living with people to be on the same page. Dogs are intelligent too and learn new habits, so for instance if you allow your pet to sit on the couch while your partner doesn’t, your pup will just be confused at the end.
● Train little and often
Use short training sessions that you will repeat throughout the day and avoid longer ones. Keep your session to five to ten min at maximum because any longer, the dog may become distracted or frustrated. Dogs in particular sometimes struggle to generalize commands to other places or situations. Meaning, they might not understand that sitting at home is the same as sitting on a busy street. So, it’s crucial to repeat your coaching in different places and scenarios, with different people and distractions so it will learn to respond to the same command all the time.
● Buildup in stages
Start small especially when dealing with more complex behaviors such has stay, or in cases where you want to get rid of unwanted behavior. Break behaviors down into small parts. For instance, if you are coaching come, reward it even if it takes only one step towards you, it’s easy to add more steps and build up the behavior once your pet starts understanding that command.
● Make it fun
Training session should be half serious and half fun, this will make it enjoyable and positive for both of us. Mix up the session with things that interest your pup like incorporating short play time into the coaching in between repetitions.
Read more on interesting games to play with your dog https://www.purina.com/articles/dog/behavior/play/games-to-play-with-your-dog.
Aside from regular obedience training, consider training your dog to do tricks. Most times, we tend to get interested and respond to a dog rolling over than when we were a plain old sit. Your dong will pick up that attitude and love to perform tricks for you. While you are caught up with the training, remember to shower your pet with praise for any small achievement.
● Praise the small things
Remember to always praise your dog for any improvement, no matter how small. It’s easy to get caught up in the end goal of training, but celebrating the little wins is just as important, and will help keep both you and your dog motivated.
● Work training into daily life
Make training part of your pup’s usual life routine, this will make it easy to fit in small sessions. For example, ask your Fong to sit or respond to comms before giving it dinner, take it out for a walk or play with it. This will help them understand the importance of that command.
● Use your hands
As much as you want to always speak to your dog, remember they are also like humans. Just as some people understand hand signals more than verbal commands, some songs also respond to hand signals better than verbal commands. Combine the two or begin with a hand signal then add a verbal command later to know which one is more effective.
● Consult a dog trainer or attend a training class
If you are struggling with the training, maybe due to hectic schedule or inexpensive, contact a professional dog trainer or join a training class. Working with professionals in Minneapolis is among the fastest ways to obtain the best results since they have many years of experience dealing with all kinds of dog species, they have ideas on how to address any issue. Before choosing a trainer, take time to do research, ensure the one you want to choose, use all the above-mentioned techniques and more, read plenty of reviews or get references if possible.
Conclusion
Dogs are amazing companions, after obtaining one, the next thing you want to do is train it so it will properly become the companion and friend you want. When it comes to effective training methods, one model that all vets agreed with is using positive reinforcement, giving dogs the right reward at the right time, making the training session fun, and building up in stages. If you think the whole process is overwhelming, you can work with professionals who are experienced in handling all kinds of dog breeds.