Dog Training Tips

There is a difference between a dog that is well trained and a dog that is well balanced. Just because your dog knows some commands, it won’t necessarily be a well behaved dog. That being said, teaching your dog some commands can be useful in solving issues with behavior.

 

A common question heard in many new dog owners: how do I start obedience training for my dog? Well, every dog is different, so it’s about finding the best approach that will work with their personality. You could enroll in a class or you could train your dog yourself. If done within the right environment, it can be a lot of fun and rewarding for both you and your dog.

 

Dog training, why do it?

As written above, this can be a very rewarding process for both yourself and your pet. To be honest, training your dog needs to be at the very top of your priorities when you first get your pet. It’s almost compulsory for your dog to understand what is right and wrong and to fit within the wider community.

The classic saying, ‘old dogs can’t learn new tricks’, is actually not true at all. There are training classes available for all types of dogs, young, old pedigree, cross and rescue as well. You just have to be extremely patient and be willing to learn as well. If you follow this process, you will find yourself bonding closer and closer with your dog.

Another point of training your dog is socialisation. You have to get it used to being around other people, other dogs, and being in strange environments. The more comfortable it is with the more people and places, the less chance it will have of becoming stressed and scared. If it becomes stressed or scared, there’s a high probability that some natural instincts will emerge, breaking any ground rules you may have set.

Whilst it is recommended if you can to try out a dog training class, plenty of people do it themselves. If you want to have a go at training your dog yourself, below are 5 of the most important commands for your dog to know.

5 commands all dogs should know

Sit

Usually the first obedience command that a dog gets taught, because it’s one of the easier ones to learn. Getting your dog to sit is vital for keeping it under control and is the basis for more advanced commands.

  • Take a dog treat and hold it near to the nose of your dog
  • Move your hand slowly upwards, so that your dog’s head follows the treat. This should make your dog’s bottom lower to the floor
  • When the sitting position is reached, say the command ‘Sit’, and give your dog the treat, alongside more positive reinforcement and affection.

You should keep this process up multiple times a day until your dog has it learnt. From here, you can get your dog to sit on command. Ideally it situations where it should be calm, for instance before a walk and before mealtime.

Come

This one is another extremely important command for your dog to know. It can keep them from danger and also prevents them from getting lost.

  • Put your dog on the lead
  • Squatting down to your dogs level, say the command, ‘Come’ and lightly pull the lead towards you
  • When your dog reaches your side, positively reinforce the action with affection and treats

From there you need to practice this in a safe location where you know your dog wont run away. Take the lead off and repeat the process.

Down

Compared to the previous two commands, this one can be more challenging. It’s actually a submissive position for the dog to take, which means a lot of dogs might struggle to adopt it. However, by creating a friendly, positive training environment, you can help to overcome this issue.

  • Take a favourite treat of your dog and hold it in a closed hand.
  • Take the closed hand to the nose of your dog.  When your dog goes to smell it, slowly move your hand to the floor, so it is followed
  • Once at the floor, carefully move your hand away from him. This should make the body follow the head
  • If your dog reaches the down position, issue the command, ‘down’, and positively reinforce the action with encouragement and the treat.

This is a command that needs to be repeated every day for your dog to get it. Calmly and patiently encourage it with every right action that happens. Do not push your dog into the position and if your dog lurches towards the treat or sits up, say, ‘no’, and start again.

Stay

 

This command needs to be taught after your dog has learnt to sit when asked. To teach it follow the below steps:

  • Get your dog to sit
  • Issue the command, ‘stay’, whilst you open your hand in front of you, palm facing your dog
  • Begin to move backwards away from your dog. Positively reinforce your dogs behaviour if it stays in place
  • Over time, increase the distance between yourself and your dog before rewarding the treat
  • To make sure your dog enjoys the process, always rewards them, particularly a puppy. Even if it was just a momentary stay.

This command really tests your dog’s self-control. This being the case, it could take a long time for your dog to understand what is needed of it. This can take an even longer time for puppies and dogs with a lot of energy.

Leave it

Another indispensable command for your dog’s safety. Sometimes, smell just isn’t enough and your dog will want to eat something it shouldn’t. What you’re trying to teach your dog here is that by leaving what they are curious about, they will be rewarded with something even better. To teach your dog how to do this, follow the below steps:

  • Put a treat in each of your hands
  • Show your dog one of your hands with a treat in it. Say the command, ‘leave it’
  • Ignore all attempts of your dog to get the treat within the closed fist
  • When your dog eventually stops, reward with the treat from the other hand
  • Keep doing this until your dog has learnt to move from the first fist when you say, ‘leave it’
  • The stage after this, reward the treat only once your dog has moved from the first fist and then look up at you

This is the first stage of the process completed. Moving on from here, the next stage is to use two different rewards for your dog. One that is ok and another that it loves.

  • Issue the command, ‘leave it’, and put the not so nice treat on the floor. Then cover it with your hand
  • With patience, wait until your dog no longer wants the treat and looks towards you.
  • Take that treat from the ground and reward with the nicer treat, alongside positive reinforcement
  • After this has been learnt gradually expose more and more of the less tasty treat to your dog, testing the will power
  • Eventually you should be able to stand up away from the treat

Stay patient with your dog throughout this process, it’s a very trying experience for them. But with time, it will learn to follow your commands.

Taking the time to teach your dog these 5 important commands will keep both of you safer and make you grow closer. It will take a long time to get, but eventually it will all be worth it when you know you can trust your dog to follow this vital commands. Remember to only initiate a training session if you’re in the correct mode, that means able to be patient, positive, and calm with your dog.

Sometimes training your dog on your own just doesn’t work out or both you and your dog could use a bit of extra guidance. If that’s the case, then you might want to find a dog trainer or a dog training club.

 

How do I find the right dog training club?

With so many dog owners out there, there are a lot of different types of training classes you could participate in. If you are in America, one of the steps you to finding  good class is looking for one that has been approved by the Kennel Club. The actual format of the classes will still vary but this means that the training has to follow a code of conduct.

 

In the UK the biggest dog training programme is the Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme. If you live in the UK, this would be a good place to start your search for a training class. This organisation covers every part of owning a dog. It will begin by giving your puppy a strong grounding with the Puppy Foundation Courses, these then progress onto Bronze, Silver and Gold level awards.

One of the most surprising things dog owners learn when they attend a dog training class is that it is just as much about what they learn. The purpose of these classes is to make you understand how to control and train your dog. This is because training has to be committed to regularly, throughout the day. You can’t rely on one class to teach your dog everything it needs to know. Part of what you will learn is to recognize and stay away from any potential problems alongside overcoming any issues with your dogs current behavior.

A good idea before you commit to a club is to ask if you can view a class on your own, without your dog. After this, it will be clearer if its the correct atmosphere for both you and your pet. Some popular classes will have a waiting list, so it’s a good idea to contact them early.

 

How do i know if it’s a good dog training club?

You will have to make a decision based on asking the people in the class, the trainers and how you feel watching it. Below are some questions to consider to help you come to a decision.

  • Are the people running it friendly and make you feel comfortable?
  • Are the dogs and owners having fun and enjoying themselves?
  • Are the dogs attentive and concentrated on what their owner says?
  • How are the instructors running the class? Are they encouraging and providing lots of information? Are they helping to identify and fix problems?
  • Is it a safe environment?
  • Does everybody in the class get a similar amount of attention?

Tips for a successful training session:

  • If you have a question, don’t be afraid to ask it
  • Don’t be made to do something you’re not happy with or don’t understand
  • Keep a consistency to your actions, it will help your dog to not be confused
  • Set clear rules from the very beginning for both yourself and your dog. This way everyone knows where they stand
  • Whilst it is tempting to think that dogs understand every word we say, they pick up just as much on tone of your voice and body movements. Remember they are key to communicating with your dog.
  • Patience is key. If you ever feel frustrated, take some time to relax. Come back to training again once you can approach it with a clear, calm head
  • Keep training short and regular. This will prevent boredom and get the commands into your dog faster
  • Take the time to learn your dog’s personality, what it likes and what it doesn’t like. This will help you preempt situations – good and bad
  • Play is important for dogs, it gives an an additional quality to their day to day and can be used to treat them when they’ve done well.
  • Don’t give up. Every dog is unique with its own special talents, appreciate them for what they are. Remember that well trained dogs that are great to live with are also happy dogs.