Congratulate on getting your very first dog. Now is the time to focus on training. I would share with you some free online dog training tips that you can easily make use to start your dog’s training journey. Certainly your goal is to make sure that you and your dog can cohabitate in harmony.
The first thing you need to consider when training your dog is that he needs lots of love and patience. Puppies aren’t born knowing how to interact with people. They don’t know how to sit or stay or how to behave them. It’s important for you to understand that this is your first “go” on the training, and you may need to try a few approaches along the way.
The great news is that dogs aren’t nearly as hard to train as they appear to be. Spend lots of time rewarding your pup for his success and kindness, stay patient with your furry little friend and ensure that you’re not too strict. If you are, you’ll only frustrate and confuse your lovely pet.
Dogs are pack animals in nature, so it is important to let him know that you are his pack leader. He depends on you for guidance and security. That is why obedience training, such as teaching your dog to “sit” and “stay,” is an important activity that you should undertake with him. Be his pack leader will help him understand what behavior is expected and appropriate.
If you do not establish yourself as the pack leader, you may confuse your dog by your lack of direction. A dog that is confused about his role may bite or snap at people who try to discipline him. It is that defensive and sensitive nature of dogs that makes them good guard dogs, so it is important that they understand their purpose and what is expected of them.
It’s important to provide guidance and correction in a calm, controlled and gentle manner. Your dog needs to respect you, which will make it easier for you to train him. Before you start any type of training, be sure to gain your dog’s trust and respect. This is a critical piece of any dog training plan.
A dog that exhibits threatening behavior, however, may not have the character for being a viable family pet. He may be too aggressive for a family with small children, and he may not be trustworthy with other people who are too playful.
If you are trying to train your dog, you may want to address these character traits. Here are examples of behaviors in dogs that suggest he may not be right for a family:
– Biting. Some dogs bite when they are nipped during play or when he is startled (when a hand reaches out to him).
– Barking when alone or startled.
– Aggressive toward other animals or people.
– Shaking or trembling.
– Disobedience or lack of attention.
Often, good communication with your dog comes down to obedience training. If your dog understands that he gets a treat for coming when he is called, he has made the connection between the “come” command and the treat. Of course, when starting, your dog wouldn’t be able to associate the command with reward. This step will take many sessions of patient and gentle repetition.
So when you call him to come and he does, always be sure that he gets his treat, as this is the point of this exercise (positive reinforcement). Work on only one simple command at a time and only proceed to next when he had mastered this one. Your dog will get confused if you teaches him multiple commands at one go.
Some of the basic commands that you should teach your dog are – “sit”, “stay” and “come”. Teaching your dog to “sit” is perhaps the most common command that all dog owners will teach their pets. On the other hand, “stay” is a command that you will use during the training sessions and can be useful in keeping your dog out of any harms.
Before you can get your dog to “sit”, you will need to build the association of the command with the action through repetitions. For instance, if you want him to “sit’, place your hand on his backside and gently push him down while repeating the “sit” command. Remember the most important task, which is to “reward” him for a good job done!
You should never resort to scary tactics to train your dog, but if your pup refuses to comply, try to gain his attention through another command or another game. Distractions are a great way to make sure your canine friend does follow through with what you need him to do.
A second distraction would be a treat (eg. dog biscuit) that you serve for your dog following his command. The more you make him work for the treat, the more this will motivate your canine friend to comply with the command.
Training should not involve yelling or shouting at your dog. You are going to complicated things if you confuse your dog with punishment. You do not want your dog to become afraid, confused and fearful of YOU!
Spend lots of time with your dog when you are bonding. That doesn’t mean, of course, always with him, but let him know that you love him and want to spend time with him.
In fact, it’s so important for your dog to learn to trust that you will spend time with him daily, takes him for a walk, paying attention to his little eyes and loving him through your cutest little kisses. This will make your little buddy learns that he can trust you. Trust makes for a successful training day!