Dog Training Rules Or Dog Training Tips
When training your dog, concentrate on the end result you’re after, instead of the behavior you want to avoid. When you’re going through your training routines, you need to have a clear understanding of exactly what you want to happen, and to be able to picture it as having already happened. Don’t waste any time pondering over what it is that you don’t want to happen.
If you’re not sure what you want, how are you going to get a satisfactory result? This is so true with everything in life, and it’s true of dogs and house training.
Sometimes we fall into the habit of thinking mostly about what we don’t want. This happens a lot with dogs! We sure don’t want the dog to urinate on the furniture, to chew on the furniture, to disobey our commands or to bark like a guard dog when older members of the family come to your house.
Contemplate this for a minute. Lets imagine you’re about to pick up a new puppy. Could you picture the struggle of attempting to train your dog for ten or fifteen years of reprimanding your dog for the things you wouldn’t want your dog to do. Wouldn’t it be a better idea to coach your dog to be obedient and socially acceptable, using positive reinforcement?
For example, instead of thinking, “My dog had better not chew my shoes, or furniture,” try, “My dog will chew and play with his own squeezy toys.” Rather than, “I don’t want my dog to jump up on my guests,” how about, “I would like my dog to sit when I am greeting people.”
By concentrating on what it is you want to achieve, you will have a much clearer path to successfully training your dog. There is no better way to start your training program.
Let Him Know When He’s Been Good
One of the best methods to evolve in house training a puppy, over the last few years, is the shift from emphasizing correction or punishment, and moving towards rewarding good behavior.
Most trainers now favor the practice of rewarding a well behaved dog especially for potty training successes. A fundamental reason for using rewards is that when you punish your dog, the results can be pretty sad. If your dog is of a particular temperament, he may react to being punished by becoming aggressive or fearful. It’s always possible that he will withdraw completely and become very timid. They simply lose their bounce and energy. They may seem broken-spirited.
You also get a better sense of accomplishment and enlightenment when using reward training techniques. It’s a great feeling to be the bearer of rewards and praise for a well behaved pet.
The reward training approach to dog obedience training works extremely well because using rewards helps build your dogs self esteem and helps to strengthen your relationship with the dog. When your dog learns that a particular behavior gets rewarded, your pet will want to repeat that behavior as often as possible. With regular practice of this approach, you will be able to use this method for any training goal you want to achieve.
