Dog Training Tips for Beginners
Do you need help with training your dog? You should go over the following article to learn more about efficient dog training methods.
Keep in mind that no matter how cute your new puppy is, you cannot treat it like a teddy bear. It is important to bond with your puppy and pet it often, but do not carry the dog in your arms all the time or sleep with it. If you get your dog used to being so close to you, it will suffer from separation anxiety when you are away. Dogs do not deal well with anxiety and will often damage furniture or anything else they can find. Try leaving your puppy alone in a room or let your puppy go play in your yard while you stay inside. Your dog should not be afraid to be alone if you want to avoid damages to your home while you are at work.
You need to start working on eliminating bad behaviors right away. It is important you do not let your dog jump on you or bite you. If you allow your dog to do this, you are not taking your place as a master. Play fighting with your puppy can be fun but your dog will consider you as another animal as if you allow biting. Do not lay down on the floor with your dog or encourage your dog to jump or place its front paws on you to stand up. If your dog tries any of these things, you should say ‘no’ in a firm voice, push your dog away and ignore it for a few minutes to show you are not happy with this behavior.
The best way to train your dog is to use positive reinforcement. Reward your dog with a treat and praise it in a friendly voice every time it does something right. Spend up to an hour a day divided in short fifteen minute sessions to train your puppy. You should focus on one order for each sessions. Repeat the order while getting the dog to perform the action you are expecting. You could for instance push gently on your dog’s back to get it to sit or lay down or hold a treat above its head to get it to sit. Eventually, your dog will associate the word with the action.
Do not send mixed signals to your dog. You need to be clear about the behaviors you do not want to see and the ones you encourage. Reward your dog when it does what you expect, and punish it when it misbehave. However, keep in mind that your dog will not remember chewing on the furniture a few hours earlier. You can only punish your dog if you catch it. Say ‘no’ in a firm voice and give your dog some time out and ignoring it. Be careful not to encourage bad behaviors by giving your dog what it wants, for instance by acknowledging your dog when it is barking.
These dog training tips will help you connect with your dog while establishing yourself as a master. Get help from a professional if you are having a hard time with your dog.
