Permanently Training Your Dog
Having a dog can be one of the most rewarding experiences you can ever have. It can also be one of the most frustrating experiences of your life. That adorable bundle of love can easily develop plenty of bad habits if you indulge him too much. All aspects of the dog’s life must be carefully planned beforehand, to establish sleeping, eating and play times etc.
Owning a well-trained dog will be a great experience, but the process won’t be a breeze. It’s rather clich, but the training is a journey you and your dog have to take together, in gradual steps. Firstly, you must ensure your family is involved in the training and plays an active part in the process.
Next, make sure that everybody agrees on exactly what the dog’s role is going to be. There are a few questions that need to be settled - where will the dog sleep, what are the places in the house the dog is not allowed in, when will the dog be fed, where will it be fed, who will take it for walks? For the dog to develop an attachment for everybody in the house, and the other way round, it is a good idea to involve everybody in these things.
Once all the details are worked out, stick to it and make a routine out of it all. Dogs are habitual creatures and when they know what’s to be expected, they are more secure and happy.
Feeding times are very important. Do not feed it outside those times, though the occasional treat is fine. The dog needs a fixed schedule it can depend on, regarding when it will be fed and when it will be let out or taken for walks. If this routine is broken, you cannot really blame the dog for making messes it is not supposed to make.
Once the essentials are taken care of, you can move on to simple commands. Here, nothing works as well as bribery - be lavish with praise, and fairly generous with treats, and you will be amazed at how quickly he learns.
Dogs love to be petted and shown love, so each time your dog does something right, let it know it did the correct thing by giving encouragement and lots of love.
A dog will make mistakes during the training period, but don’t lose your temper at that. You can’t train a gentle loving creature like a dog by putting in fear to it, so focus on treating it with love and respect and you’ll have a well-trained dog forever.
Last 5 posts by Stuart M.Russell
- Permanent Dog Training - June 12th, 2008
- Training Your Dog With Permanent Results - June 9th, 2008
