Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Training Your Dog In A Nutshell

By Kirk McGee


Your hunting dog can determine the difference between a good day of hunting and a terrible day. This article will go into depth with different training techniques that you can use in order to be sure that both you and your dog are ready for the next big hunting trip.

When you are potty training a young puppy, continue training even at night. A midnight potty run might not be convenient, but it can save your favorite rug. Puppies have very small bladders and need to eliminate often. Since they are not capable of holding it, those midnight potty runs are essential.

Never treat your dog as a person. Many pet owners coddle their dogs as if they were children, and this only confuses your pet. Training a dog is completely different than teaching a child. Dogs need to be taught to behave as a dog and expect you to behave as a dog as well when it is necessary.

Keep training sessions short. Dogs have a short attention span, and keeping the training sessions short and sweet prevents them from becoming a boring chore your dog dreads. If you wish to do more training, give your dog a play break to stretch their legs and relax before resuming their training.

To help you begin training your dog you should understand that having patience is very important. All dogs are different and do not learn at the same pace. Some learn quickly while others at a slower pace. Having patience is a key first step as you set out to train your dog.

Be sure to reward good behavior when your dog acts like you want them to. If you take the time to teach them the important things for them to know and help them build their confidence that a good dog needs, you are sure to develop a strong and healthy relationship with them.

As a dog owner, your body language happens to be one of the most influential training tools available. Show your dog who is in charge by standing up straight and firm. If you crouch down, this invites your dog to play. Even facial expressions can communicate to your dog what kind of mood you're in. When you make eye contact with your dog this tells him you mean business. Smiling tells your dog you are happy.

Teach your dog the command "drop it" to get things out of his mouth. This is very important because it could help save your belongings if your dog grabs it, and it could even save your dog's life if he grabs something dangerous. The trick is to offer him something even better in exchange for the item he picked up. Practice this with your dog and you'll be able to retrieve anything from his mouth - he might even start offering it to you!

Don't forget that dog training takes a bit of knowledge and even skill to get right. If you aren't giving it all you got, you are lessening the effect that you could have on your dog's obedience. Regardless if your pet is new or old, you could start training your dog today with these tips in mind.




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