Sometimes it may feel as though you brought home Cujo instead of Lassie! Fortunately for you, it only takes a little fundamental training to shape up your dog's behavior in the near future.
Always reward good, calm behavior. Give your dog a treat after they properly respond to your commands, but only if they are nice and calm. While you may be overjoyed with headway you are making, showing excitement causes the dog to become excited and makes you lose control. Maintain a calm atmosphere and provide an appropriate reward.
Dogs will focus on something and ignore all else unless something breaks that attention. Repetition and practice will result in your dog waiting to take cues from you rather than being distracted by other things.
Repetition is key to teaching your dog new commands. It is not uncommon for it to take between 25 to 50 repetitions of the same command for your dog to learn it. Firmly and steadily repeat the command. Remain patient and eventually the command will be learned.
Your dog must respect you in order for training to work. Your dog must understand that you're in control, so that he knows to obey and respect you. In practice, this means that you should walk ahead when walking your dog, for instance, rather than allowing him or her to take the lead.
As your dog responds to his training, you can begin to allow him more freedom. The balance between freedom and obedience is a rewarding one. Just make sure your dog is properly trained before giving him so much slack.
Approach any unfamiliar dog with care. Walk slowly toward him and allow the dog to sniff your hand before trying to pet the dog. Doing so builds up trust with the dog. When the dog knows your scent, he is better able to trust you and follow given commands.
Teaching a dog to walk correctly while on its leash is important. Not only is this safer for the dog and easier on your body, such a frequent activity mandates good self-control and reinforcement of the chain of command from training.
Dog barking can be stopped by removing the cause. This can be things like sounds, smells, or proximity to other creatures. Your dog will eventually come to realize that barking is unnecessary in reaction to these triggers.
It's very important to never try to quickly stop a bad behavior by provide a reward. This method will only result in the dog learning to do what it pleases. For example, this occurs when you give a dog a treat every time it makes loud noises.
It is not uncommon for dog owners to express surprise at the simplicity of weaving canine training efforts into daily life, and how fast they achieve great outcomes. If your dog is testing your patience a bit, try using a few of these tips.