Friday, August 10, 2012

Effective Strategies To Training Your Dog

By Kirk McGee


Training your dog is important for a wide variety of reasons, including safety and health concerns, among others. Whether you plan on training your dog yourself or taking the animal to a professional trainer, the following tips can help you to end up with an obedient, well-behaved pet.

Always use positive reinforcement to train your dog. Reward your dog with happy words, petting and an occasional very small treat when he pleases you. Never hit or shout at your dog. This is ineffective and will just convince your dog that you don't know what you are doing. Be firm, consistent and positive for the best results in dog training.

Crate-training is an excellent way to curb bad potty habits. Your puppy or dog will benefit from a sanctuary fitted to his size. Dogs are evolutionarily designed to stay away from where they 'go', so a crate uses this fact to your advantage. This also makes it more likely that your dog will hold it until you get home, however, never use the crate as a form of punishment.

If you want to train your dog, you should wait until it is at least six weeks old. A younger dog will not understand what you are expecting, and not be able to control itself enough to obey your commands. The first weeks of your puppy's life should be about creating a bond with you.

To augment the training you've done with your dog, make sure if you are going to be leaving the house to leave your dog plenty of toys to play with. Many dogs go through separation anxiety when their owners leave. Having plenty of toys will help them fight this by replacing it with a squeaking raccoon toy.

One of the first things most people teach their dogs is the sit command. This is very basic but is handy for your dog to know, especially when you want to get his attention. One way to teach your dog to sit is to take a piece of dog treat and hold it about six inches from his nose. Slowly raise the treat straight up and say "Fido, sit". You may have to use your hand to help him into the position until he realizes what you want.

As was discussed in the beginning of this article, proper training will help you and your new puppy, live a much happier life. If you understand the right way to train your dog, it will make it easier much later on to correct any mistakes. Apply the helpful advice from this article and your new best friend will love you forever.




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