Once you understand how to communicate with your dog, you'll find that it's really very easy to train your dog to respond to your commands happily.
Your dog wants nothing more than your attention and your affection.
By teaching him that he gets what he wants only after he's done the things you command, then you'll be able to train your dog to be a well-behaved, happy pet for life.
There are many methods and ideas about the right way to train your dog, but the most effective of them all is the praise and reward method, coupled with the right form of 'penalty'.
Penalties are never punishments, because punishing a dog simply does not work.
They don't understand scolding and they will not respond well to smacking or hitting.
In fact, a display of aggression is confusing to a dog and they may retaliate because they don't understand it the way we do.
When you're working on ways to train your dog, always remember that they are seeking your approval.
This is what matters most to them.
So it works in your favor to learn ways to show your approval whenever your dog responds to a command you've given.
You can train your dog positively using praise and rewards as long as you remember that dogs don't understand your words.
They understand body language and vocal tones.
They understand food rewards and affection from you.
This means using a happy, high-pitched voice to convey that you're happy and always giving an affectionate pat when they do well.
Give them a food reward only after they've behaved well and encourage them to repeat these actions by using these reward methods.
If your dog is naughty and starts to show negative behavior that you don't want, like going to the toilet inside or barking uncontrollably or chewing things that aren't his, don't yell or scold him and never hit or smack a dog.
You can effectively train your dog to understand what a penalty is without even touching him.
Remember, your dog craves your attention and approval.
Turn your back on him if he's jumping and look away.
This is a severe penalty in dog language.
You're unhappy and he'll know it without you saying a word.
When he sits down to try and figure out why you're not looking at him, instantly praise him for sitting down.
He'll get the message very quickly and you'll train your dog to stop jumping.
If your dog begins chewing things that don't belong to him, never scold him.
He'll see you coming up to him and mistake it for receiving attention.
Simply take away the item he's chewing silently and walk away from it.
Then turn back and replace it with one of his own toys.
Praise him happily for chewing his own toy and lavish attention on him whenever he picks up his own things voluntarily to play.
You can train your dog to chew only the things you allow him to have.
Reinforce that you're happiest when he goes to the toilet outside.
Praise him for going in the right spot and give a low warning growl if you catch him thinking of going in the house.
You can even train your dog to stop barking when you give the command for him to be quiet by using the same praise and reward methods.
If your dog is barking, then distract him with a treat held just above his nose.
When the barking stops, use the command you want him to understand.
Say 'Quiet' and when he stops, praise him well and give him the treat.
All you'll ever need to train your dog is love, attention, praise and rewards and you'll have a well-behaved, happy dog.