Many dogs are placed in shelters since they didn't behave the way their owners wanted. Often, this can be avoided. Any dog can be trained to become well-behaved, healthy and happy. It's not difficult to train your dog once you know how. Use the tips below to get started.
You need to establish predictable feeding practices with any dog. If your dog has a schedule for his feeding, he will learn when to expect his meals. This will ensure he eats it all quickly instead of doddling or grazing all day.
When house training a dog, keep in mind that whatever they take in, they must eventually eliminate. Feed your dog a high-quality diet three times a day. This will help you figure out when the best time is to take your dog out and avoid accidents.
Be careful not to reward bad behaviors without realizing it. Thus, you must not reward the dog if it does something you are working to stop. For instance, if your dog does not sit when commanded, do not rub his head affectionately unless he actually sits.
Approach an unfamiliar dog slowly, offering only the backside of your hand for his inspection. This allows the dog to get used to your scent and makes him much more likely to trust you. Once the dog recognizes your scent, he will not be afraid of you and will be more likely to follow your commands.
Do not spend too much time in any one training session with your dog. Spending too much time just on one aspect of training will bore your dog and waste your efforts. Early on, your training sessions should be limited to less than 10 minutes.
Make sure training periods are short in duration. The attention span of a dog is pretty short, so it is important to keep them interested in training by keeping the training short. If you want to engage in additional training, allow the dog to have a break in order to get some exercise.
If you are going to be doing any training you need to know how to enforce the rules. The dog has a reward they love given when they are good. You can use food or a nice belly rub as primary reinforcements. Your dog will learn well from this.
It is not outside the realms of possibilities to be the proud owner of a well-adjusted and perfectly trained dog. Proper training and showing your dog lots of affection and kindness are important to making this happen. The provided steps can help you do this and give you a lovable dog that you will be proud to have.