Dogs are one of the most loved creatures, mainly because they are cute and cuddly and they reciprocate the love shown by their owners. Dogs that live in the homes as pets protect the home as it is their territories and dogs have been proven to be quite territorial. Nonetheless, as adorable as dogs can be, they can be equally dangerous and more, causing fatal injuries to intruders and even their owners. Herein, training comes in. training your dog is one of the most effective ways having the most home-suitable pets, as the dogs can serve as protectors, workers, law enforcers, show dogs, etc.
Most people will agree that there are many methods for training dogs, and that is not a bad thing as training is a very critical aspect of a dog’s life and is crucial to their overall development because it will make them much better rounded. However, training a dog is no easy feat, it is not rocket science, but is not easy either as dog training can seem overwhelming, especially if it is one’s first dog, but, with careful step by step process, the task will be far less daunting. Here are some of the ways you could train your dog;
- In the process of training your dog, patience and persistence will be required on your side, persistence is particularly required in teaching your dog new tricks or commands, dogs are smart, but can only learn so much within a given time, be patient and persistent.
- As aforementioned, training a dog requires patience, thus knowledge that dogs are not alike humans and can make mistakes helps you as the trainer gain progress with the training. Perfection on a first trial should not be expected; correct mistakes immediate it happens as fixing it later might be too late.
- It is a well-known fact that dogs are pack animals; knowledge of this gives you an advantage towards training your dog. Let your dog recognize you as the alpha, rub its belly as this is a sign of submission to you, the dog seeing you as the alpha makes it easier for it to follow your commands.
- Dog owners and lovers would realize that dogs have short attention spans, thus, long hours of training would not work with dogs, instead, cut trainings to 15 minute intervals in an half hour to learn a command, also, they should be spread out through the day and week.
- Reward positive behaviours. Even humans like to be rewarded after they try something for the first time and get it. The same principles apply to dogs, have treats and give to them as reward for their progress in the trainings; this will cause them to uphold the positive behaviour because they know there is a reward and ultimately enable them to learn the required command.
- Learn to read the behavioral pattern of your dog, some dogs might be exhausted after training or might just not be in the mood, do not yell or get angry, instead, cut the session shorter for the day and try to do things your dog enjoys doing and do not make it forced as this can attract negative behavior.
- Finally, have fun with your dog. This is very important, the point of having a pet is to have fun when you want, have a companion. If you and your dog are not having fun, the training sessions will not be enjoyed, and if the dog grows to hate the sessions, it could be disastrous.
