Starting to train your dog from a young age is crucial, as the first few months of his life is when you will have the greatest influence on him; this is where he is shaped into the dog he is going to be when he is all grown up.
“How does your dog sit when you tell him to and mine doesn't?" “How can your dog heel to you like that?" “Wow! He comes when you tell him to.”- Sound familiar? If it does, you need to invest some time into a little bit of basic dog training.
The most basic steps of dog training is to get your dog to sit and come and it is essential to teach him these commands first. These commands are used for various reasons, if you are in competition and your dog jumps, making him sit will immediately get him off and "come" is the all important one.
If you take your dog for a walk and let him of the leash to run then you need him to come back to you when you call him, not run around the park with you chasing after him shouting at him to “get here right this instance”. That would be just down right embarrassing and pretty fruitless!
To teach your dog how to come requires only the most basic of techniques but a lot of repetition. The simplest way to get him to come is have a toy in one hand and a treat in the other, when you are in the house simply walk away from him, hold out the toy and excitingly call him to you, when he comes over give him a treat, always use the command for come that you are going to use in the future.
Doing this several times a day is a great way to teach him, but remember to have lots of long breaks so he doesn't get bored and stop enjoying it, and don't forget the treats!
Getting him to sit could be a slight bit harder but again only requires basic dog training. When you have mastered the come command call him to you, place your hand on the end of his back and say "sit" while gently pushing down on his backside, when he sits his bottom down give him a treat and a lot of praise.
If you want him to sit longer just delay giving him the treat and the praise, get him to sit but take your time bending down to him and feeding him his titbit.
Basic dog training is simple and very effective. It should also be fun for you and your dog, it doesn't have to be hours and hours each day just may be 5 minutes or so. Don’t forget to reward your dog and yourself for all the hard work though!
Dog training can bge as simple or complex as you want to make it. No dog owner should allow there dog just to run free. This implies that the person does not care about their dog. My suggestion is that you show your dog that he is a guest in your house with a expectation of certain duties. First there is never a reason that someone has not taught their dog that flooring is not an appropriate place to be going potty. Every dog from German Shepheard to Zigostt should be taught that going potty outside is the right thing to do. Second, your dog should be taught that jumping up on people is bad. This is not only impolite of the dog but also impolite of you to allow your dog to jump on people. Many people have fears of dogs and allowing your dog to jump on people is the equivalent of pulling a gun on them and then expecting them not to be fearful for their lives. Third you should teach your dog that there is a appropriate time to bark and a time when barking is not allowed. My neighbor has two dogs that he keeps in his chained back yard all day and all night. Aside from being cruel (I often wonder how he would feel if he was the one being kept in the back yard) these dogs bard over and over and over. They bark at people, they bark at butterflys and they bark at the wind. The City Ordinance about Dogs forbids such behavior but apparently the dog can't read and the human dog owner is to stupid to follow the law or to care about it.
Remember dogs are not like owning chairs, tables or other such objects but rather animals have emotions and feelings and should be treated with kindness and respect.
Copyright 2006 All
Rights Reserved Basic Dog Training
