10 Tips to Remember When Training Your Dog
10 Tips to Remember When Training Your Dog
Repetition is so important when it comes to training your dog. The more you practice and proof your dog's training, the better he'll become!
Training your dog should be fun for both of you. Find whatever your dog enjoys and use it in your training to make sessions more enjoyable. Toys and treats are the most common rewards we give our dogs during training sessions. If your dog loves learning and working with you, training will come much easier to both of you.
Keep your training sessions short and sweet. Learning new things can be mentally exhausting for dogs, so keep sessions to about 10-15 minutes long. Keeping sessions shorter also helps keep the energy up!
Try to make each session better than the last. We want to see some improvement every time we work our dogs, even if it's very small! Always end on a positive note, a victory for the dog.
Patience! Dog training requires a good amount of patience. Dogs learn at different paces just like humans! Breaking bad behaviors often takes a lot of repetition, consistency, and patience.
Exercise is another really important part of training your dog. Exercise has many benefits both physically and mentally. Many behavior problems stem originally from a lack of exercise. Taking your dog on a structured walk can help tremendously! And for those bad weather days, treadmill training is a great solution!
Taking your dog for walks has other benefits besides expending excess energy. Walking with your dog is also a great training opportunity and can create a better bond between the two of you.
Don't forget to praise! Even as we move further into our training program, we always want to reward our dog when they do what we want, even if the reward is just praise. By praising your dog when he does the right thing and correcting him when he does the wrong thing, you're helping to make everything very black and white for him. The easier for him to understand, the faster he'll learn.
There's no need to hit or yell at your dog. Both of these things can only make you look like an unstable leader. Dogs tend to follow stable, calm leadership from us.
Reward your dog after a good training session with something he really loves. A game of fetch or tug or a long walk. You know you're dog better than anyone! Figure out what he enjoys and use it your advantage.
Happy Training!
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