Sunday, July 1, 2012

Simple Dog Training Pointers for New Owners

By Marinda Albarado


Every dog owner wants their four legged friend to listen to their commands and behave appropriately. Having Fido follow a sit, wait or heel command is a pretty amazing feat in and of itself. Just about every dog owner is capable of carrying out basic dog obedience training. The key to success is to remain patient and go about each session with the utmost confidence.

Make no mistake, those well behaved dogs you envy did not learn those commands overnight. It takes practice, patience and some discipline from both you and your dog.

Whether you've just acquired a new furry friend, or you're looking to teach an old dog new tricks, there are some important things you need to know. I'm going to share 10 simple dog training tips that will help you achieve your goals.

Keep a Positive Attitude Dogs can pick up on fear, anxiety and frustration. Keep that in mind during your training sessions. If you begin feeling frustrated or stressed, you may want to give it a go at another time. It's okay to cut a session short and pick it up later. Creating a positive environment will yield better results. Otherwise, you may wind up inadvertently instilling fear in your dog.

Be Confident and Take Charge Remember, dogs naturally live in packs. A pack needs a leader who is confident and is not afraid to take charge. Make sure you're the one filling this role and your dog will feel more secure. Find out more on how to be a great leader in this ezine article.

Treat Your Dog Each time your dog performs a command correctly, you should reward him or her with a treat. This is what will motivate your dog to carry out this action each and every time you ask them to. Not surprisingly, this is the most successful dog training technique and has been used for quite a long time. Be sure to pick a treat that your dog really enjoys to maximize success.

Training is a Lifelong Process It's easy to assume that once you've taught your dog the basics that the work is done. Much like you have forgotten a lot of the things you learned in the fourth grade, your dog will also forget those basic commands if they are not reminded of them from time to time. Be sure to continue practicing the basics and even teaching your dog new, advanced tricks along the way. It will keep your relationship strong and your dog young.

Brief Sessions Are More Effective It's important that you keep your training sessions short. Dogs have short attention spans and will lose interest in the activity if dragged on for too long. Fifteen to twenty minutes per day is all you need. To make things run smoothly, try setting a goal for what you want your dog to learn during each lesson.

Be patient and keep going! Be as stubborn as your dog when it comes to training. As with anything in life, success takes time and work to see results. Start with the basic commands of "sit," "stay," "heel," "lay down," etc. They are easy for your pup to pick up on and will give you the confidence boost you'll need to continue on.




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