Dog Obedience Training
Three Principles on Dog Obedience Training
Dogs, even when their breeding is maximized and well-adapted to human needs, will always need some basic obedience training as they would never figure this out on their own. To be successful in obedience training you need to understand the differences between effective and non-effective training techniques. Principles to Learn:
First Principle: CONSISTANCY
Consistency is the first basic rule in effective dog training. You need to be consistent in the words you use, the tone they are spoken in and the actions that accompany them. During the beginning of the training, the trainer or the dog owner must decide what should be the parameters of training, such as what and how you are going to teach the dog.
For example saying the word “come”, does not make any sense to a dog. He does not understand things the way humans think and he does not understand the language we use. It is important to make the training effective, by being very consistent in attaching the same voice tone, body movement or hand jester with every command that is given to your dog.
Another example would be, if you are using the command “come”, make sure that everyone in the household use it in a same type of manner. The command “Come” specifically means that the dog should approach the giver of the command. So if you are using this command make it a point not to do actions that would make the command confusing for the dog.
Don’t be deterred in your training efforts if the dog does not come to your right away, be patient and don’t force or scold him. If you punish the dog over and over after giving the command they will begin to associate the word with the punishment. The dog will not want to follow the same command because in his mind it leads to punishment.
Being consistent in your dog commands is to be followed by anyone who works with the dog. For example, if you are using the command “come”, other people in the household should not replace it with words like “here” or, “come here boy”.
Second Principle: Keep It Short
Both the amount of time you spend training and the words you use as commands should be kept short. Keep in mind that the attention span of dogs is very short and that getting them engrossed with a specific activity can be very hard, if not impossible. Puppies usually react to a specific stimulus, but not for a very long time, they may begin to chase a moving toy, and quickly lose interest, then move on to the next thing.
They can quickly loose interest in an activity sometimes within just moments after beginning, and will need something else to stimulate their senses. The same thing happens in training therefore, it should be limited only to 10 minutes to 15 minutes of regular training.
Third Principle: No Punishment or Force Allowed
Never hurt the dog if you want him to be acceptable to being trained. Also, never force the dog to follow the command if he is not prepared for, or punish a dog for something he did during training that he did not understand.
Make sure not to over do it when training your dog. A good trainer realizes dogs do not learn things instantly and so they are very patient and show understanding towards the animal they are working with. All he knows is that you are mad.
You must avoid negative experiences related to training so you should not force your dog to obey your commands. By praising a dog for good behavior and obeying commands he will learn exactly what pleases you and what is expected from him.
Related Posts: