Train Your Dog In Less Time With These Dog Training Techniques

In order to communicate with your dog for effective and successful training, you’ll need to arm yourself with some basic dog training techniques. Interaction between dogs and humans has been around for thousands of years, but sometimes it’s still a baffling process. While we all like to think that we are more intelligent, sometimes training sessions can leave a bit of confusion about who is really in charge.

A dog’s understanding can be compared to that of a two year old human child. However, a dog’s senses are not like ours. Not only do they perceive shades of red and green differently than humans, but their noses are extremely sensitive in comparison. A dog’s mind also processes information in an entirely different manner. In order to limit a trainer’s frustration and misbehavior on the dog’s part, it is critical to remember these differences.

Dogs are naturally pack animals. They are descendants of the wolf which is a social animal and functions best with interactive play and a strict hierarchy. The idea of the ‘lone wolf’ seems out of character based on the social habits of the wolf.

Dedicate at least 30 minutes per day (one hour would be ideal) for the first few months of training. Begin when your dog is still a puppy. You can start as early as four weeks with some breeds, as long as you remember the age of your dog and accept his limitations.

There are some basic dog training techniques or guidelines that all types of training utilizes.

When training your dog, you want to make it clear that you are the dominant one as early as possible. Dogs are pack animals by nature, and every pack has a natural pecking order. The top dog is the alpha. It is followed by the beta dog and so on. If you want sanity in your household and you want a happy dog who knows where he stands, you need to step up and be the alpha of his pack.

Depending on the breed of the dog, or sometimes the individual dog, the training technique that is used will be either more difficult or possibly easier. Some dogs are more outgoing, similar to humans. Attitude is what counts the most, though training tools like collars and leashes, and commands are also useful. Your dog should never be allowed to think he is in charge.

You shouldn’t have to use physical force to project your dominance. There are times when this may be necessary, though, it must be properly used. On a normal basis, patience and firmness are all that is needed to properly train your dog.

When training a young dog, it can be effective to lay the dog on their back and place a firm hand in the middle of their chest. Hold this position until the dog lowers his paws, demonstrating submission. Often it is necessary to reinforce this behavior by putting your face close to theirs which simulates dominance.

Begin by using a short leash which will hinder the dog’s natural tendency to run and play. It is essential to allow some free time for the dog to run in order to promote good health however. Initially, this time should be scheduled before or after training but not during.

The first step is to choose a series of short and sweet commands, like sit, stay, down, and come. Each should sound distinctly different to avoid confusion between them. Your voice should be firm but not punitive. Make sure that you communicate that you’re the boss, but not that you are mad at the dog. Stay away from using two-worded commands like ’sit down’ because they tend to confuse the dog.

When you give a verbal command, make sure your facial expression and tone of voice are consistent and use the same hand signals. Ultimately you can separate these from one another, but initially simplicity and consistency are key.

Remember that dogs have a word understanding roughly equal to a toddler so you need to keep your meanings simplistic. For example, don’t use the verbal command “Down” to mean lay down as well as to indicate not to jump. This will just confuse your dog - stick to 1 meaning per word.

These dog training techniques combined with your patience and persistence will pay off in spades with a dog that is obedient and a fun to be around. Using these techniques will give you a better sense of understanding for your pet and will become a base of communication for a lifetime of friendship.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Tags:
 Print This Post Posted in Dog Training