If you are thinking about adding a pet to your family, or have recently adopted a new family pet, you are probably interested in obedience training for dogs.
Both adding a pet and making sure that your pet has a good start with obedience training are great decisions on your part.
Dogs can bring so much joy to our lives, it makes sense for us to repay them by taking the time to give them structured and formal obedience training.
When I say formal, that does not necessarily mean training provided by someone other than your family.
It means you should put your pet on a structured training program.
This ensures he knows what is expected of him.
This also makes sure you will learn how to help your best friend be the good dog he and you want him to be, and you will be able to do it quickly and effectively.
Your dog's behavior will reflect on you and your family, and your dog will only be as good as you teach him to be.
You have probably heard the old say that there are no bad dogs, only bad owners.
Now that doesn't mean you aren't a good person and don't have your dog's best interest in mind.
It simply means that with just a small amount of time, energy and patience spent with your dog when he is young or new to your family, in return you will be rewarded with a happy and obedient dog.
You will feel secure and have confidence in him because you will know what to anticipate in terms of your dog's behavior.
You know that you will be able to trust him completely when you need to leave him home alone.
First of all you must be consistent in your training methods or your dog will only become frustrated and be confused.
Make sure you give lots of praise and a lot of physical affection while your dog is learning.
Dogs are intelligent, but they don't reason, so repetition and consistency are key.
Be sure to be patient.
This is especially crucial if you are working with a puppy.
Remember that puppies are basically dog babies with their brains still actively developing.
If you get frustrated with your puppy, it will only confuse him and possibly traumatize him.
Short, frequent bursts of training are best.
We must not do anything to impair that high-spirited nature that we love so much in our dogs.
Rewarding your dog is essential during the training process.
It is not only simple but, simply put, it works.
It will also build a stronger bond with your dog as you reward and encourage that good behavior you want to see.
Always have healthy food rewards available, one which are specially formulated to be training treats.
This is in addition to lots and lots of praise and belly rubs.
Last but not least, set realistic goals.
Your dog is not going to get your newspaper and slippers at the end of day one of your training program.
At first, just focus on simple, basic commands, a few at a time.
Frequent short training sessions interspersed with playtime will get you the best results in the least amount of time.