Dog obedience tips are crucial to the process of training your dog. With these little bits of advice on how to handle any situation, your dog will be well-behaved in no time!
Establish Dominance – Dog Obedience Tips
Train the dog yourself if you can. After all, the dog will spend a lot of time in your hands. Professional training is not ruled out here. In fact, you are highly encouraged to consult a professional trainer if you don’t know what you’re doing. However, be involved in the training process of your dog. It’s a good way for the human and the dog to get to know each other’s behavioral patterns. Training your own dog will also make it easier to establish dominance.
Dogs, no matter what breed, thrive in a pack culture. They’re social animals and prefer to be around other dogs and humans. A pack of dogs always has an alpha figure that controls the whole pack. They always look up to the alpha figure for dominance. A human that knows how to conduct him or herself will earn the respect of the dog because the dog will consider the human its alpha figure.
However, if the dog senses a lack of dominance and strength of personality in humans, the dog will become belligerent and defiant towards the human. Training your own dog is an advantage because the training process will also be an opportunity to establish to your dog that you are the master.
Consistency and Patience – Dog Obedience Tips
The reasoning behind consistency and patience is simple – dogs are not humans and humans are not dogs. It’s going to take a while for another species to recognize the way humans communicate. Think of operant conditioning when it comes to dogs. The dog will eventually get the idea that every time he does something, he gets a reward or a treat. You can assert positive reinforcement to increase a desirable behavior (feeding treats after executing a command) and punishment to decrease occurrence of undesirable behavior (tugging the leash firmly but gently when dog disobeys).
Positive Reinforcement – Dog Obedience Tips
Positive reinforcement is always a must in dog training. Never neglect to reward your dog after it obeys your command. The dog will realize that it will get a treat when it hears the words sit, stay, and other commands.
Be careful when the dog disobeys. Avoid corporal punishment because the last thing you want to happen is the dog losing trust in you. Apply a little pressure by pulling the leash when the dog defies. Never spank, kick, or gravely hurt your dog. This kind of punishment will just open new doors for the development of worse behavior.
These dog obedience tips will help you get your dog under control in no time!