subject: Can't Afford A Trainer? With These Tips You Can Train Your Dog At Home! [print this page] Responsible dog owners understand that a trained dog is a good dog. From basic obedience to advanced techniques, proper socialization and instruction is not only necessary to having your dog be a good canine citizen, but it will help keep your dog safe and happy. Here are some tips to help you train your dog or find a trainer.
Make training fun for you and your dog. Choose treats that your dog loves, and give lots of excited praise for good results and even good efforts. Keep sessions short and lively. Give your dog plenty of chances to succeed by practicing commands that he or she knows well, but also add variations and new lessons to keep training interesting.
To stop a dog from digging in your yard you will need to figure out the cause. Some breeds are just natural diggers. But other dogs dig because they're bored, lonely or want a cool place to lay down when it's hot. If you leave your dog in the backyard for hours with little attention, interactive exercise or no cool place to stay out of the sun, you may be contributing to the problem.
Food is one of the best positive reinforcement tools available to the owner in the dog training process. Feeding a dog after it has behaved acceptably is a powerful message that any dog will understand. Of course, dogs should not be starved! But associating feeding time with success will encourage a dog to work harder to live up to its owner's expectations.
If your dog has specific triggers for bad behavior, keep him busy as you pass temptation. In other words, if your dog does not like other dogs, you should keep him busy and entertained as you pass other dogs on your walks. This should help him establish a relationship between seeing that stimuli and good things happening.
While deciding to train your dog, make sure that you have patience towards your pet. All dogs are unique and learn at different paces. To be effective in training your pooch, make sure you have the patience to see it through. Treat your dog with kindness even if he or she may try your patience.
When training your dog to stay, take baby steps. First tell her to sit or lie down. When she has held that position for a couple of seconds, tell her to stay. If she stays longer, give her a treat. Allow her to move again, and repeat the process, rewarding her after she stays a bit longer with each repetition.
Recall training with your dog should always begin in a safe, enclosed space. A fenced backyard or other outdoor enclosure is the perfect place to start. This will allow you to keep your dog safe while you practice the recall command until the dog is 100% trustworthy, while still challenging him with outdoor distractions.
We hope these tips will help you -- and other people the two of you encounter -- enjoy your dog to the fullest. Proper training makes dog ownership more rewarding and less stressful. Whether you decide to take on the challenge of training your dog yourself or you want to find a pro, training will help you enjoy many happy years with your dog.
