Posts Tagged ‘basic dog training’

Dog Training Simplified

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Young dogs should begin training at an early age to help develop good behaviors, but even older dogs can learn to avoid bad habits. Before training starts it is best to research the dog’s breed(s) to get an idea of its personality ingrained traits or any specific quarks the breed(s) may have when it comes to training.

Humane training is a necessity if you want to maintain a good relationship with your dog. This means that during the training phase you reward good behaviors and ignore and/or correct bad ones. Strong physical reprimands and devices such as choke chains can cause much more harm than good in the long run. Over time this can cause the dog to become skittish around people or lose the drive to please its owner. Humane corrections include using a stern voice, withholding rewards or physically moving the dog where it should go without hurting it.

Common commands such as sit, heel, stay, and come are generally easiest to teach through reward-based training early in life. This early learning can be important, since otherwise a dog might develop bad habits that will be significantly harder to unlearn later on. A dog with a strongly developed sense of independence is less likely to learn since he’s become used to getting his own way too often. Because of this it can be more difficult to train older dogs on these basic commands.

Dogs are eager and ready to learn animals. With a little patience and a lot of consistency, it’s not that hard to teach dogs what behaviors you like and what definitely isn’t allowed. Working from a position of confident leadership you will quickly establish yourself as the leader of the pack and have a well behaved, happy dog to show for it.

Taylor also writes on articles on dog bed selection such as large dog beds.

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Dog Training Rules Of Basic Dog Training

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

puppy training

Before you start any dog or puppy training program, concentrate on the end result you’re after, instead of the behavior you want to avoid. As you get ready for each new class or training day, create a picture in your minds eye of the goal you’re aiming for, and concentrate on that. Never give a second thought to what it is that you don’t want to happen.

If you don’t have a destination in mind, how are you ever going to arrive there? This is so true with everything in life, particularly when it comes to dog house training as well

It’s a natural emotion to concentrate on the things we don’t want in our lives. And it seems to be a wide spread phenomenon with dog training too. We sure don’t want the dog to urinate on the furniture, or start chewing slippers, or run away when we call, or bark like a guard dog when older members of the family come to the house.

But think about it. Suppose you’re about to adopt a puppy. Do you really want to spend the next ten, twelve, or fourteen years reprimanding your dog for things you didn’t want him to do? Don’t you think it’s a better idea to coach your dog to be obedient and socially acceptable?

So rather than worrying about, “The dog had better not chew my shoes, or furniture,” try, “My dog will chew and play with his own squeezy toys.” Instead of, “I don’t want my dog to jump up on my guests,” change it to, “My dog should greet and welcome my guests controlled and quietly.”

Simply by wording your aims in a positive manner, you’ll have a clear destination in mind. That’s a great way to start your training journey.

Reward Good Behavior

Probably the best thing that has happened in puppy house training over the last few years is the shift from emphasizing correction, or penalties, and moving towards rewarding good behavior.

The practice of rewarding your dog’s good behavior is a smart one, especially for potty train puppies. A fundamental reason for using rewards is that whenever you scald you dog for making a mistake, the outcome may be irreversible. If your dog is of a particular temperament, he might respond with aggression to being overly punished. Other dogs shut down. They simply lose their bounce and energy. They may seem broken-spirited.

You also get a better sense of accomplishment and enlightenment when using reward training techniques. It’s a great feeling to be the bearer of rewards and praise for a well behaved pet.

But regardless of how good it makes you feel, rewards based training actually works. Simply because using rewards helps build your dogs self esteem and strengthens your relationship. When he learns that a particular behavior gets rewarded, your pet will want to repeat he behavior as often as possible. By practicing with your dog how to apply that simple rule, you can use rewards to reach virtually any training goal.

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