Dog Training Basics

When training your dog it's important to always be patient and consistent. Remember your dog is a dog! He doesn't understand things the same way that you do. He will not understand if you yell directions at him. He will only become frightened of you if you do this. This is not a good way for him to learn and will almost certainly cause other behavior problems to occur.

Dogs are very habitual. Their lives rotate around ritual and their internal physical structure clock and routine. They expect your return from work at a certain time. They expect their meals at a certain time.

Because of the habitual nature of domestic dogs it's important that you be extremely consistent in your training. Do not change things up on your dog! This will only confuse him. You should go through your training routine with him the exact same way every time. When you ask your dog to sit down you need to make sure that he does in fact sit down before going on to the next command. This body will assist your dog training tries be more effective.

Perhaps the most important point with dog training is to maintain a level head. You cannot permit yourself to become angry or to yell at or hit your dog. Not only for the obvious moral reasons that you wouldn't want to treat your dog in this way but also because this kind of behavior will do more harm than good and will make it more difficult to teach your dog.  He will become frightened of you and will not be able to learn the way he should.

Another important point of dog training is to be sure you praise your dog for a good behavior or for doing a fast command in the correct way. This is important because it strengthens your human relationship with your dog and lets him know you are pleased with his good behavior.  You will earn his trust and his respect. Like with all facets of dog training you must be consistent with rewarding your dog.

Of course, good behavior does not mean you give your dog a nutrient treat every time they do something right because that would not be good for them and would also get very expensive. You don't need to give your dog the same "treat" every time - just some kind of treat whether it's letting them play with their favorite toy, giving them a friendly rap on the head with encouraging words in a friendly voice, or giving them a nutrient treat.