|
General Basic Training Advice:
Bringing home your first puppy or dog can be a great experience. It can also be kind of overwhelming because if this is your first dog nothing can prepare you for the amount of attention and care your new friend will need. When it comes to training your dog there are few secrets out there. Most of the techniques being used today are built on training ideas that have been around for many years. This is where an experienced trainer can make it look easy while the beginning dog trainer may struggle with the simplest of training methods. The thing any dog training beginner needs to remember is that most dogs want to please their owner and the more quality time you spend training and playing with your dog the stronger the bond between you will be.
Many new dog owners struggle with actually getting their dog to do what they command. They become even more frustrated when a professional trainer or someone "who has a way with dogs" can get that same dog who ignores them to do whatever they want in a matter of minutes. Then you try the exact same commands and your dog just stares at you with a dumb look on his face. People who have experience training dogs don't posses special skills, they just understand dog behavior and how their tone of voice can get a dog to do what they want. This is something that beginner dog trainers will learn with a little practice.
Your tone of voice will set the stage for whether your dog listens or not. Your tone must be firm but non-threatening when you give a command. You are establishing who has dominance in the relationship and if you don't have it you will never be able to train your dog. You cannot establish dominance by yelling or threatening your dog because that will just make him fear you. A dog trained through fear has a hard time understanding when they are doing something wrong and when they do something right.
Praising your dog and giving him positive attention during training sessions is the most effective way to train your dog. Dogs can distinguish between right and wrong but without positive reinforcement and feedback from their owner they will have a hard time understanding the difference. By using changes in the tone of your voice when they do something right and when they do not obey they will learn to distinguish between what is acceptable behavior and what is not. Because dogs naturally want to please their owners your dog will soon learn to do the things that you ask for the reward of your praise that is to follow.
You can find hundreds of dog training tips on the internet today, including some wonderful beginner dog agility guide books. The important thing to remember is that because every dog is different in temperament and intelligence what works for your neighbor's dog may not work for you. Just because the method you are using doesn't seem to be working doesn't mean that your dog may not respond better to a different type of training.
There is one other quick tip when it comes to dog training. When your dog is between the age of 3 to 16 weeks is the best time to start training them. This is when the bond between dog and owner will take hold. If you earn his respect as his master now training him in the future will be much easier. | 
