Proper Training Methods

Dog Rewards

If you want a good dog, you need the proper training methods to have one. When you begin to train your dog into becoming that angel you always wanted it to be, you have to take into consideration a few things. But first, you have to know the reason you are training your dog (or puppy). You could do “general dog training” as some people like to call it. Why would you want to though? You could be training your dog to sit or stay, when it really needs a lesson in begging.

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Basic dog training is a good way to go though and many people seem to take this route. Lots of owners would like their dog to be able to lay down, retrieve a frisbee, heel on command and so on and so forth. Obedience classes seem to be becoming more crowded these days, for a number of reasons including more dogs and more owners to own those dogs. Wouldn’t it be great if you could train your dog on your own without having to worry about heading in to class and paying those enormous fees?

Knowledge is your first step towards self training your pet, and you can seek that knowledge here or in the forum, where you can discuss events and training with other members. Over the years people have tried to train their dogs with little to no success and those owners have come to the conclusion that making your dog behave is simply not a feasible goal. Is this a true statement? I certainly do not think so.

One of the biggest things I have found is that whoever is doing the training, does not give nearly enough praise as they should be doing. Praise, treats, and dog rewards, whatever you want to call it, must be used precisely and in large numbers. You see, dogs love to hear and see that what they did for you is pleasing to you. This is true for us as well. Wouldn’t you like it if you got 10 bucks and a pat on the buck every time you did something right? So with lots of praise (when used correctly), you will start to see a dog that is “getting it” when it comes to training.

You also cannot train like a madman or like a lazy bugger either. You have to find a happy balance and medium to your daily routine. You also cannot expect to the train the dog in a span of 4 days. Too many owners have rushed into this ordeal thinking that their pooch was going to come out a golden saint within a matter of a couple weeks. Your dog just might as well come out like a golden saint, if you train that one particular habit it is misbehaving on. In general though, you need to take your time, space out the training sessions, and do it while being relaxed. If your dog is starting to become bored with your methods or even worse, stressed out, you have lost the true meaning of dog training. -- Special Dog Traits