Teaching Commands to your dog!

Way before you can even think about teaching your dog complex tricks, there are a few basics every dog and owner should accomplice. They really do help create a successful relationship between human and dog.

You should avoid talking to your dog in forms of questions. Rather, everything should be a command.

You can begin these basic training commands at a very young age, the sooner the better.

Before you begin any training session with your puppy/dog there are several things you should consider:

1. Your Mood: Only initiate a training session when you are in a GOOD mood. Never try training when you are feeling tired, ill or just irritated! Even if you are on a time scale, training when you are not fully focused will only serve to have a negative effect on your dog. Only begin training when are happy and 100% focused.
2. Clear Your Schedule: Do not try to have a training session when you know you have to be somewhere in 10 minutes. This will only lead to you (and your dog) becoming frustrated when things don’t move as quickly as you would have liked. Have enough time to ‘go with the flow’.
3. 5 Minutes is Better Than 1 Hour: You will find much more success in your training session if you keep them short. 2-5 minutes should be effective enough for your dog to learn but also stop him from becoming bored and losing interest. Try several 2-5 minute training sessions in a week.
4. Exercise: Although you obviously do not want a tired dog, you are best to train after your dog has had some form of exercise. If you try training before your pet has had his walk his energy levels will be much higher meaning he may become very excitable and much less focused.
5. Learn What Your Dog Finds Rewarding: Your dog must have a strong interest in his reward. There is no use training with a treat that he usually can take or leave. Find something he REALLY LOVES!