Training any dog of any age or breed can be frustrating if you don't have the right strategies and techniques in mind. There is a true secret to dog training, and it is in the knowledge that you have and the understanding of the dog you are training. You need to know their behavior and the way they learn best. These tips can get you off to a great start.
Don't ever ignore good behavior from your dog. If they do something good, even if you didn't ask them to do it, make sure that you reward them for it in some way. If you start to ignore them when they have done something desirable, then they will see no reason to keep doing it.
When training your dog, keep your goals and expectations for your dog reasonable. Just like when you try to learn something new, your dog isn't going to learn new tricks the first time you teach them. Different breeds and even different dogs within the same breed, will have different levels of receptivity towards training.
While training your dog, it is important to maintain a calm voice, even if you feel frustrated. If you get angry, your pet is not going to enjoy learning and will not respond well to your commands. Your dog should enjoy the training process rather than dread it.
When you train your dog, you should only give your dog food treats when it behaves exactly according to your wishes. The link between good behavior and rewards should be consistent and unvaried. Inconsistent rewards will send mixed signals to your pet and reduce the effectiveness of the positive reinforcement treats should offer.
Training your dog is a daily, on-going process. Ask your dog to sit before being petted, fed, or taken outside. By constantly reinforcing lessons, your dog will learn that all commands are applicable in all situations. If you train only in specific locations at specific times, you may end up with a dog that only "sits" in the living room at 6 p.m.!
Training a dog involves mainly correcting bad behaviors as they happen. You cannot train a dog when it is not doing something that needs to be corrected. By training a dog not to do something as soon as it acts out, the dog can learn quickly when it is doing something wrong.
One tip to keep in mind when training your dog, is to use its name properly. This is important because control over your pet is the number one priority in training and discipline. Say it's name often, but only for direct orders. Never call your dog to you if you plan on inflicting punishment on it.
If you want to get started in dog training, you have to start with a great deal of information so you can best understand what your dog is going to respond to. All dogs are different, and all can be a bit difficult to train if you aren't using the right tips, such as these found in this article.