Thursday, September 25, 2008

Dog Behaviour Training - Best Ways to Train Your Dog

By Rikard Ingvarsson

Training a new pet dog is very important, but the advice we mostly get on how it should be done is usually mixed and incorrect. This article will provide you with some useful insights on dog training from experts, so that you and your new pet can build that special bond of friendship.

The first rule of dog training is to become friends with your pet. All dog lovers will tell you that dogs are the most obedient animals of all, yet we also know they can be extremely fierce at times. Dogs are friendly and obedient towards people they do not feel threatened by. Therefore, before you embark upon your dog's training program, make sure your dog knows it is loved and being taken care of. Like human beings, dogs love to be pampered! You could start building your relationship with your dog by getting it a nice cushion in your own room so you can be around it more often. Also, try to rub its stomach and hug it as often as possible, and of course, give it its favorite treats: bones and dog biscuits!

Once you feel you are making progress with your dog with regards to friendship, training will become very easy. All you need to do is start your training by remaining within the boundaries of a fenced area so that in case your dog tries to get away, you can find it.

Dog training involves teaching your dog to follow five basic commands: sit, down, stay, come, close and heel. The underlying principle of dog training is communicating with your dog in a way it would understand. This is very easy. All you need to do is 'reward' correct behavior and ignore or correct incorrect behavior. You can reward your dog by giving it its favorite treat, but you have to remember that you should never use threatening gestures when you are trying to correct your dog for undesired or incorrect behavior. You could say "Bad dog" when your dog is not being obedient, and you could perhaps frown, but never hit your dog and never use force against it. This can not only make the dog feel agitated but it can also get aggressive enough to attack you back.

Start your training by getting a light collar for your dog and a leash that is about three to five feet in length. The collar should be loose enough so as to not make your dog choke, because that does sometimes happen, and it should be tight enough to not slip off. In short, it should be the right size for your dog. The leash should be long so that dog can walk at its own pace without making you tug or pull it or chase after it; dogs and humans both hate it when that happens!

When training your dog for a particular command, start by making a certain gesture that would remain exclusive for that command only. You could start by tapping your foot on the ground or by performing an action with your hands. This way, the dog will remember that every time you make this gesture, it means that the dog is required to act out a certain command.

Practice with your dog for about fifteen minutes every day, and then gradually increase the daily training time. If you feel agitated or frustrated any time during the training, do not take it out on your dog. Make it feel completely at ease and make sure it gets all the attention it needs.


Save yourself a lot of time as a dog owner and train your dog to be obedient. It gets so much easier for both you and your dog when you have trained your dog´s obedience. Click here to learn more about training your dog.

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