Obedience Training for Dogs

Dog Training Tips and Tricks

Many dog owners complain about their dog's behavior problems, but the majority of those problems can be cleared up with dog obedience training.

Some dog owners enroll their dog in obedience sessions with the goal of entering them in an obedience trial, although the majority of them simple want their dog to become more obedient.

 

 

Whatever the reason, any dog owner can benefit greatly from doing this type of training with their dog.

 

The Benefits of Obedience Dog Training

Among the benefits of dog obedience training are:

• Bonding – This is a unique opportunity to spend quality time with your dog. Dogs tend to be very social creatures that just want attention, and obedience training is a very positive type of attention that's also constructive.
   
• Teaching him the rules – Every home has rules, and it's not natural for dogs to understand the rule set by people. However, most breeds want to make their owners happy, so all you have to do is teach him the rules.
   
• Stamping out behavior problems – Few dog owners really need to get rid of their furry friend because of behavior problems because these issues can almost always be trained out through obedience training.
   
• Teach the chain of command – Dogs are pack animals, and in order to be obedient to you, they need to understand who is in control. Every breed of dog can benefit greatly from obedience training-even and especially toy breeds, which tend toward "small dog syndrome" because they start to get the idea that they are in charge.

 

Reward Training vs. Leash Training

The idea behind dog obedience training is to get your pet to become more compliant with your demands. Dogs respond well to clicker training or commands given in short words in a tone of voice that marks specifically the type of response you are looking for.

Although there are several types of obedience training, the two most commonly used are reward training and leash training. All dogs respond well to reward training, although not every dog may appreciate the same type of reward. Some prefer treats, while others prefer praise. The basic idea is to give a command and then offer a reward when the desired behavior is attained. This is a gradual process because your dog won't know immediately what commands like "sit" or "roll-over" actually mean. You'll start out by showing the dog what you want and rewarding partial compliance at first, working your way toward total compliance.

For example, to teach the "sit" command, put your hand under the dog's chin and raise it up, which will naturally bring him to a sitting position. Reward when his bottom is on the ground until you no longer have to raise his chin up to get him to sit.

Dog obedience training with leash/collar is a bit more difficult for beginners, but it is still achievable. Use it in conjunction with reward training to teach your dog how to walk on a leash without pulling on it. If you don't want to use rewards at all, start by introducing your dog to the leash. Then walk together while giving him just enough leash to walk next to you. You'll be able to gradually work your way up to more and more leash.

 

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