Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Useful Tips For Training Your Dog Successfully

By Lauren Miller

It is common to see dogs that can do not just tricks but also chores. Some dogs can fetch things in the house, some can open doors, and others can do addition by their barks or even run errands for their owners. It is no wonder there exists a special relationship between humans and dogs.

Dog owners who do not have skills to teach their dog to do anything can try to do so as early as possible while their dog is young. The younger the dog, the easier they are to be taught basic obedience.

The first thing any owner would teach their dog is how to sit. Just like any other command, the sit command cannot be taught overnight. You need to have a lot of patience (and a lot of treats) until the dog finally masters it.

When you start training, you could give your dog treats for successful commands. However, as you progress, wean him off the treats so that the dog will follow your command because you told him so and not because he wants to get a treat.

As you slowly take out treats from your training process, make sure that you give positive recognition for every command that your dog follows. Dogs associate high-pitched voices, much like baby talk, as a positive reinforcement.

If your dog does not follow you, do not shout and hit him! Instead, correct him with "No" but make sure you say it in a deeper voice to show the dog that you mean business. As soon as he stops, repeat the process again.

As mentioned earlier, a dog cannot learn a trick or to obey a command in a day; therefore, exercise patience and be consistent with your training as dogs vary in their ability to obey or to learn a trick.

Remember that you do not need to be a professional dog trainer in order to teach your dog to obey a command. A bit of research, diligence, and patience can make it possible for you to train your dog.

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