Basic Training Tips For Your Puppy Or Adult Dog
It’s an exciting time when a puppy joins your family. Puppies are so adorable and playful and fun that it is sometimes difficult to imagine that they will grow up to be adult dogs. If you want your puppy to grow up to be a well-behaved and responsible adult dog you need to start their training right away while they are still puppies.
Housetraining is likely the most crucial training you need to complete and it is often given the most attention. However, in order to grow up to be a well-behaved adult dog you will also need to complete training on leash training, training to come, sit, stay and lie down. A well-behaved adult dog will be able to do all of these also.
When you are training your dog there are some things that are consistent and work every time. All dogs and other animals, including people, react better to love and positive reinforcement than to negative reinforcement. Dogs mostly want to please their masters but if you react in a negative manner he may develop fear and he will be less likely to respond to what you want.
When you train your dog make sure that you reinforce the wanted behaviors with treats, affection, verbal praise and more. Most often you should use verbal praise. Praise your dog almost every time but only give him treats once occasionally. If he gets a treat every time his behavior will diminish and too many treats can affect his health and your pocketbook.
Also if you recall anything about classical conditioning and Pavlov’s dogs from your high school science classes you will remember that intermittent reinforcement was a better method of implementing a behavior than consistent reinforcements. If your dog gets a treat every time he loses interest and will get to a point where he may not respond as well. But if he gets a treat only once in awhile he will respond every time in hopes of the possible reward.
When you train your dog use hand signals with voice commands. After awhile teach him to respond to just one or the other. This can come in very helpful in different situations.
At the very least you will want to teach your dog to sit, come, lie down and stay and to walk nicely beside you on a leash. Extra behavior training may also be a good idea if your dog is frequently out in public with you or if he happens to be somewhat high strung and rambunctious. Well-trained and well-behaved dogs are a pleasure to own and they will bring you many days of fun and joy throughout their lives.
Training your dog will deepen the bond between the two of you and both you and your dog will enjoy that advantage for many years to come.
Tags: dog, dog training, family, pets, puppy, tips, training
dog training | Mike Jones | 11 May 2009 |
