Dog Obedience Training
While it may be difficult to believe at times, your dogs are not trying to get you to tear your hair out, they simply aren't aware of what behavior you want them to exhibit. In order to get them to display the behavior that you do want, the first thing you need to do is establish yourself as the alpha (leader). To obtain this role, you need to employ moderate but firm force, patience and consistency. Once established as alpha, dog obedience training becomes a much simpler task.
Many people treat their dogs as children, but it is important to remember that they are animals. This means that communication is sometimes misinterpreted by the dog, as they cannot process information the same way a child does. Obedience sessions can sometimes cause you to question which of you is the more intelligent, but it's important to keep at it. Dogs cannot be trained in a day, or even within a week. Consistency over the long term is the key.
Whether you've just gotten a puppy, or an older dog, it's best to try and set aside an hour a day for training, at least during the first few months. Puppies as young as four weeks can begin to be trained, though of course you will have to stick to one or two simple commands at a time.
Depending on the breed of dog you have, some will be more assertive – and thus more difficult to train than others. Some breeds train more easily, and take less time to master new commands. No matter what the character of your dog, your consistent attitude is important . Your dog should never be in charge. To ensure that you remain in control during obedience training, training aids such as leashes and collars can be used in conjunction to commands and hand gestures.
Where possible, use a dog's spontaneous behavior in your training. If they begin walking towards you, give the voice command ‘come', along with a hand gesture. If they begin to sit, give the voice command ‘sit', along with your chosen hand gesture.
When you are beginning obedience training, it is best to start with clear basic commands such as sit, come, stay and down. These can all be issued as sharp commands with distinctive hand gestures. Try to use a single word for commands whenever possible. To a dog, ‘sit down' and ‘stay down' sound similar and can lead to confusion.
Be sure to praise your dog when they carry out a command correctly. Ultimately, dogs want to please you. If you lavishly praising them after they have done something correctly, you will see them trying to carry out the behavior again. Treats can also be used, but be careful not to overuse them. The whole aim of obedience training is to be able to get your dog to behave a certain way by using a simple command.
Dog obedience training is important, as it ensures the safety of you, your family, your dog, and anyone who comes into contact with your dog. The success of any obedience training program rests mainly with you. If you put the effort in, even a stubborn dog will eventually begin to respond on command.
