Three Principles on Dog Obedience Training
Three Principles on Dog Obedience Training
Even dogs with some of the best well breeding or dogs that are well adapted to humans still need some basic obedience training, because these skills are not something they pick up on their own. To be successful in obedience training you need to understand the differences between effective and non-effective training techniques. They are the following:
Principle One: CONSISTENCY
Consistency is the first basic rule in effective dog training. This covers the use of words, tone, and the actions that accompany the word or command. Before you begin training you will need to come to an agreement with the dog owner on what it is they are wanting the dog to learn and how to accomplish it.
For example saying the word “come”, does not make any sense to a dog. He does not understand things the way humans think and he does not understand the language we use. It is important to make the training effective, by being very consistent in attaching the same voice tone, body movement or hand jester with every command that is given to your dog.
Another example would be, if you are using the command “come”, make sure that everyone in the household use it in a same type of manner. When using the word command, “Come”, you should work with the dog to understand this means to approach the giver of the command. So if you are using this command make it a point not to do actions that would make the command confusing for the dog.
Don’t be deterred in your training efforts if the dog does not come to your right away, be patient and don’t force or scold him. Otherwise, this would make him attribute the command with the punishment. The dog will not want to follow the same command because in his mind it leads to punishment.
Being consistent in your dog commands is to be followed by anyone who works with the dog. For example, if you are using the command “come”, other people in the household should not replace it with words like “here” or, “come here boy”.
Principle Two: KEEP IT SHORT
The hours devoted to training and the words used as command should be kept short. Keep in mind that the attention span of dogs is very short and that getting them engrossed with a specific activity can be very hard, if not impossible. Puppies usually react to a specific stimulus, but not for a very long time, they may begin to chase a moving toy, and quickly lose interest, then move on to the next thing.
They simply don’t possess the same amount of interest they had when they started the activity and they become easily bored. The same thing happens in training therefore, it should be limited only to 10 minutes to 15 minutes of regular training.
Third Principle: No Punishment or Force Allowed
Never hurt the dog if you want him to be acceptable to being trained. You should absolutely never punish a dog just because he did not do something he wasn’t prepared for, nor force a dog to do something he does not understand.
Make sure not to over do it when training your dog. A good trainer realizes dogs do not learn things instantly and so they are very patient and show understanding towards the animal they are working with. If you are angry the dogs can sense it but does not know why.
You must avoid negative experiences related to training so you should not force your dog to obey your commands. If he knows that he is praised when he does something right, he should not be praised when he does not follow a command.
