Train Your Dog Following These Easy Steps

Train Your Dog Following These Easy Steps

You thought you were bringing home Lassie from the pound, but some days it feels more like you might have brought home Cujo! Luckily, it just takes some elementary dog training to help your dog understand what sort of behavior is expected. Put yourself in your dog's proverbial shoes, or paws, rather. A lot of owners get frustrated when their dog is not understanding a basic command. Do not give up! Switch things up by thinking like a dog. Looking at things with this fresh mindset can help you to find new and effective ways to train your dog. Crate training your new puppy is most effective when you take small steps. When they've settled down with the gate open, slowly shut it and pass treats through the gate. Start small, like at 10 seconds per approach, and then gradually increase the times. If the dog becomes overwhelmed, it means that you are moving too quickly for them. Choose a crate that fits your dog properly and use it to crate train them. As your dog gets older, he will probably grow larger. Choose a crate that is sure to be the right proportions for the adult dog you will eventually have. Your dog should be able to make itself comfortable in a crate big enough for it to toss and turn. Avoid restraining two dogs too closely together. The dogs could get wrapped up and they may be injured. If dogs get tangled up too severely, one can get wrapped up so badly it could close off the airway, and he could die. Your dog must realize that you are the leader of the pack. Put yourself in an authoritative position, so that your dog knows to obey you. Always walk ahead of your dog when you go on walks, as this establishes that you hold a position of leadership. Teaching any dog how to roll over can be pretty easy. Make sure you've got a few tasty treats handy before beginning. Begin by getting the dog to lay down. Next, hold the treat close to the floor on one side of the dog's head, and slowly bringing it upwards and over to the dog's other side. He'll follow your hand and roll over completely. Say "roll over" as you perform the maneuver. Put your frustration aside and he'll be performing this trick all over the place in no time. When giving a command to your dog, you should always use the exact same kind of voice and the same volume. The tone should be firm, so your dog understands that you are issuing a command, not a suggestion. The dog will also know the difference when you give them discipline as opposed to a command. Train your dog in a positive manner. Reward your pet using petting, small treats and positive vocal cues. Under no circumstances should you be violent or aggressive with your dog in response to negative behaviors. Doing this will cause your dog to act out even more and lose respect for you. Stick to the plan and maintain a positive attitude for great results. Do not spend too much time in any one training session with your dog. Remember that a dog has a short attention span and cannot focus on one thing for too long. Only spend 10 minutes during the first couple of sessions. Start by teaching your puppy his name. Use his name frequently, and train him to come to you when called. These are the first words your puppy should learn. Spend plenty of quality time with them, so that they know that they can trust you. When you set this trust early on, the puppy will be more open to the next steps in training. Whenever your dog jumps onto you, grab their paw and gentle squeeze to make sure they understand that jumping is not good behavior. Do something that makes them uncomfortable so that they can associate their action with something negative. In time, they will cease jumping on humans, as they will have the negative association with the squeezing. People are often amazed about how easy it can be to train your dog and how quick they see changes. Try some of the tips above if you feel a strain on the relationship between you and your dog. Your training sessons should be kept short. When your dog doesn't get bored, they'll be a better training partner. If you want to do anymore training, let the dog have a play break for stretching and relaxing before continuing with their training.