Top 8 Things You Should Know Before Engaging to Dog Obedience Training ~ We Care for Dogs

As a new dog owner, one of the hardest things you have to accomplish is making your dog learn basic obedience skills. Aside from time and energy, you also must invest much patience to ensure you bring out a well-mannered and polite dog everyone will love.

Although the actual process is challenging, dog obedience training can help make your relationship with your dog more manageable in the long run. To get started, here’s a list of essential things you have to consider:

1. Know how your dogs learn

Know how your dogs learn - dog obedience training

Some dogs are quick to learn, but some breeds require more patience when mastering commands. Before fully engaging with dog training, it’s best if you can do your research first.

Dogs also learn differently from humans. They can only assimilate and associate things that are currently happening. If you find gnawed parts of your furniture that were clearly done a few hours ago, your dog will not understand what he did wrong no matter what consequences you lay out. To help your dog learn, you should catch and reprimand him while he’s on his bad behavior.

2. Take violence off of the equation

Take violence off of the equation - Dog Obedience Training

No matter how frustrated or stressed out you get, you should avoid using violence. It can only make him fearful, anxious, and bottled up. Once these emotions aren’t addressed properly, it won’t be too long before your dog shows aggressiveness. He may snap and bite out of fear.

3. Be consistent

Consistency means implementing the same rules regardless of who issues the command. It involves having everyone at home comply with what’s expected of your dog.

If you train your dog not to bark or jump at you, but your children encourage him to do so, it will create confusion about the consequences of his behavior. He may avoid barking and jumping around you, but he may continue doing them when around others.

Aside from this, it would help if you were consistent about your rewards and consequences until they can be slowly dissociated from the commands. Consistency helps make retention more feasible with dogs.

4. Keep training sessions short

Keep training sessions short - dog obedience training

Dogs, particularly puppies, have a short attention span. Instead of spending two hours engaging him to learn a new trick, try limiting the session to around 5 to 10 minutes. The key to successful dog training is not how long you train but how frequently you practice. Exhausted and bored dogs aren’t likely to respond positively to commands.

5. Begin with basic skills

Begin with basic skills - dog obedience training

Starting with the basic skills can help you and your dog. As much as it’s tempting to continue advancing the tricks, it’s best if you can wait for your dog to master one task at a time. You can start with a more complex skill if you see consistency in his response. However, if you see him flubbing, you may need to repeat the process at a much slower pace.

6. Understand the use of rewards and consequences

Understand the use of rewards and consequences - dog obedience training

There are two things dogs like to receive from their owners- treats and affection. You can use these two to encourage good behaviors and limit the bad ones. Responding correctly to a command, for example, earns him a piece of biscuit and a belly rub. If he starts jumping on you, turn around and leave your dog for a moment. This action will tell your dog that such behavior will not earn him anything.

7. Understand that dogs are dogs

Setting realistic expectations is essential, particularly when training your dogs. Yelling and scolding him for not being able to follow a simple task will not make training any more uncomplicated. These things can only make training sessions stressful for you and your dog.

8. Be a good leader

be a good leader - dog obedience training

Your dog sees you as his pack leader. If he feels you’re not competent enough for the role, he will likely assume the alpha position. The consequences and rewards you impose on the tasks are essential in training your dog. However, your energy while delivering the commands also speaks volumes of your leadership capability.

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