Top 10 Dog Training Tips
Are you hoping to have a well-behaved pooch? If so, read on to learn the top ten dog training tips.
So you brought your new dog home and everything is great. You know by now that a few accidents are to be expected in the beginning. After all, both you and your new companion are getting used to a new, exciting life.
But before long, you should start thinking about dog training. It’s a good idea to start your pup on a training routine as soon as possible because they learn so much easier when they’re young. However, that’s not to say that the new pal you just brought home from the rescue won’t take to training too. It might take a little more work.
If you’re new to dog training, keep reading. We’ll give you our top ten dog training tips to help get you started on this fun new part of your life.
1. Keep Their Name Short and Sweet
There’s nothing quite like giving a new member of your family a name. You want it to fit them perfectly. It’s important that you love the name, for sure, but you also want to consider how you can best use their name to help them learn and train.
It’s a good idea to keep a dog’s name short. It’ll be easy for them to recognize it’s their name if it’s something crisp and one syllable. Dogs also respond better to names that have a hard sound at the end of them.
Think about names like “Jack” with that hard “k” sound at the end.
2. Stick to the Rules Early
Before you bring your furry friend home, you need to have a good idea of what the house rules are. If Fido isn’t allowed on the couch, make sure he stays off the couch from the beginning.
The same goes for all house rules. Make sure everyone in the home is consistent with the rules and that they’re followed on a consistent basis from the start. Even if you feel bad for your furry companion at dinner time when they beg at the table, don’t give in and feed him table scraps unless you’re willing to deal with that behavior forever.
3. Give Them a Space of Their Own
Dogs, much like people, prefer to have their own space. Not many of us have the ability to give our pets an entire room in the house, but that’s alright, their crate or pen will do. Make this area a calm, quiet area where only your dog is allowed to go.
Soon, they’ll know that is their safe space to retreat to when the goings-on inside the home become overwhelming to them.
4. Use Positive Reinforcement
Training a puppy is hard work, but you should never resort to hitting or spanking your dog. Instead, work on reinforcing their good behaviors in a positive way and learn to properly punish the behaviors you don’t want.
For example, if you have a dog that loves to jump up, don’t swat them away. Instead, seek out training videos to help you punish, or correct the behavior. You won’t stop an unwanted behavior with treats.
5. Take the Training to Them
While it’s a good idea to establish your alpha status and to get your dog to come to you when called, it’s okay to take your training to them. This means that training never ends when you’ve got a pet.
Dogs are always learning. Make sure you’re there to correct naughty behavior and reinforce good behavior at any time of the day, not only when it’s training time.
6. All Hands on Deck
While dogs are great with verbal commands, you might have more luck if you include your hands in the training regimen.
For example, if you’re teaching your dog to sit, say the verbal command “sit” while making a distinct hand movement (like pointing a finger down or snapping to get their attention.) After enough practice, you won’t even have to say the command to get your dog to sit. They should be able to recognize the cue from your hands alone.
7. Be the Leader
We mentioned it before, but you have to be the leader in this situation. Think of it like raising kids, they need to know who has all the answers. If they think you’ll be lenient with them, they’ll take that inch and make it a mile. They’re opportunistic animals.
8. Be Quick and Move Past It
It’s not going to be a seamless transition between puppy behavior and good dog behavior. There will be times when you need to correct an issue.
Make sure you’re quick about it. Dogs forget things seconds after they happen, so if you come home from a long day at work and find an accident, any punishment you might have for them is worthless. They’ve already forgotten that they’ve done something wrong.
So make sure you correct bad behavior as soon as possible after it happens. Then move on! Don’t be angry or hold a grudge.
9. Tell Don’t Ask
This is an important one and it goes hand in hand with a previous tip. We mentioned that you have to always be the one who’s in charge. You can start this process off by making sure that you speak a command, not a question.
“Jack, can you sit for me?” isn’t as effective as “Jack, sit.”
10. Make Use of the Lead
One great way to give your new friend the cue that it’s time for serious training is to put their lead on them. Even if you’re in the house, make use of the lead by using it to keep your dog’s attention.
Dog Training Tips for Young and Old
We hope these dog training tips have given you a good idea of how to start making your new friend a great part of the family. Training a dog is not an easy task and you shouldn’t take it lightly. However, with a lot of consistency (and treats, lots and lots of treats) your four-legged friend will learn to drop the pesky puppy behaviors and pick up the ones that warm your heart.
If you think you need some assistance training your new friend, we can help. Check out our list of services today!