50 Dog Training Tips

50 Dog Training Tips

1. Be committed.

Do not get a puppy or a dog for a pet if you are not fully committed in caring for it. Without commitment,

you can never train your pet effectively. By being committed, as well as by loving your pet, you would

have the necessary drive to do what needs to be done, in order to train him well.

2. Never give up.

Whether you are trying to train a dog or a puppy, you need to be aware that it requires time and a lot of

patience, in order to get your pet to perform the things you want him to do. In other words, you need to be

patient about it. Aside from that, you should never give up, so that he would be able to understand what

you want and do it.

3. Be positive.

Be positive at all times when it comes to training your dog. A positive attitude will mean a lot for your pet,

since he can feel when you become frustrated or angry. Being positive means that you have to praise him

whenever he does something good. Aside from that, you should also believe that your pet can do it, so as

to encourage a more positive atmosphere.

4. Prepare treats.

Dogs love treats like dog biscuits, and such. Prior to taking the steps in training your pet, you should

prepare treats as rewards for your pet, whenever your dog is able to follow your command. Make sure

that the kind of treats you have prepared is something that he really likes much, so that he would really

know that he has done something right.

5. Do not forget about your dog’s health.

Before training your dog, you have to make sure that he is in top condition. This is because, a dog that is

not feeling a hundred percent well would not have the focus that you want him to have. He should be a

happy and healthy dog to begin with, which is why you should make sure that he eats nutritious foods,

and he should be taken to a veterinarian for his regular checkups.

6. Take your dog for a walk.

Walking your dog can make him happy. It can also ensure that he gets enough exercise, which would

promote his health. Doing this on a regular basis would make your dog see it as a routine; and, this would

make positive results in your training program, especially if you do it on a regular basis as well.

7. Play with your dog.

Dog training should just be one of the things that you do in a particular day. In other words, do not do it for

all the time that you spend with your dog. Play with him whenever you can, so that he can feel that being

with you is not just all about learning new things, but having fun as well.

8. Train your dog in a place free from distractions.

You have to take note that dogs can get easily distracted. In other words, if you want his full attention on

the trick or task that you need him to perform, then you should make sure that you are doing it in a place

free from distractions. Keep in mind that your other pets can distract him, as well as other people in your

household.

9. Get to know your dog better.

There are certain times of the day when your dog is more active. For example, some dogs like to take

naps during the afternoon; and, if that is the case with your pet, then you may want to train him in the

morning or after his afternoon nap. It is best to train your dog when he is full of energy, so that you can

pay attention to you more.

10. Time your training sessions.

Always take note that in most cases, dogs can put their full attention to their masters for a period of 15

minutes only. Thus, there is no point if you are going to go beyond that time period in training your pet,

since he may already lose his focus. With that, it is best to schedule short training sessions within the day,

to make it more effective.

11. Be the leader.

Dogs naturally follow a leader in a pack. Thus, you have to establish being a leader, so that your pet

would follow your commands. Establishing your dominance does not mean that you have to hurt your pet.

One example of it is to show him that you are the one to eat first, before giving him his food.

12. Reward your dog’s good behavior.

Giving rewards to your dog should not be limited to whenever he follows your command. Whenever you

see that he has done something good on his own, you should reward him to encourage that behavior. By

doing this, your dog would be able to know that he has done something good, and would do it again and

again.

13. Use your pet’s name.

Use your pet’s name whenever you need to get his attention. If you have just gotten him home, then you

should use it as often as you can, to get him oriented to it. Thus, whenever you are giving him his food,

you should call him by his name, as well as whenever you want to play with him or take him for a walk.

14. Be serious in giving a command.

Whenever you want to give a command to your pet dog, you have to be serious about it. In other words,

you should not let him ignore it, since that could become habit that would cause problems in the future. If

you are not ready to enforce your command, then you should give it at another time.

15. Timing is the key.

Always remember that dogs have short term memory. In other words, if you are going to reward him for

something good that he has done 15 minutes ago, then he would not be able to connect it. The same

goes for punishing him for doing something wrong. Thus, you should make sure to reward or punish him

on a real time basis, so that he would understand it well.

16. Never reinforce undesirable behavior.

There are times when your puppy does something bad, but funny at the same time, which may make you

forget about punishing him for it. Although funny bad habits can make you laugh, you should still make

your dog aware that it is not good. If you let him do it without punishing him, then that would be the same

as reinforcing it. Never reinforce negative behavior, since that can be hard to get rid of in the future.

17. Do not punish desirable behavior.

Punishing desirable behavior can be confusing to your pet, which is why it should not be practiced. Keep

in mind that you may be doing it, even without your intension. For example, if you want your puppy to

eliminate outside the house, then you should be with him until he does it. Leaving him alone outside may

make him feel that he is being punished, especially if he wants to be with you.

18. Never punish your dog after calling him.

Calling your dog and punishing him is not a good practice, since he has just followed your command. This

can make him have second thoughts of approaching you whenever you call him. Thus, only punish your

dog, whenever he does something bad. Aside from that, punish him on the instance of showing his

undesirable behavior, so that he would know what it is all about.

19. Do not blame your dog for misbehaving if he is not well.

You should be able to know signs that can tell you whether your dog is sick or not. This is because, there

may be times when he does not behave as well as you want him to be, due to a certain ailment. With that,

you should not punish him, but instead, get a veterinarian to check on his condition.

20. Training your dog with a leash and a collar.

Some dogs may become uncomfortable whenever you put collar and leash on them. Thus, you should do

it while your pet is still a puppy, so that he can get used to it early on. Walk your dog around the house

with a leash first, before taking him outside, so that you can train him properly.

21. Positive social interaction.

Having positive social interaction is one of the basic needs of dogs, which you need to fulfill, prior to

training him. With that, you have to make sure that you would greet him whenever you meet inside or

outside the house. Aside from that, you should also let other members of the family socialize with him, so

that he would feel that he belongs.

22. Let your dog feel secure and safe.

Before you can even get your pet’s attention for training, you have to make sure that he feels secured and

safe whenever he is with you. Thus, if you have just gotten a puppy, you should consider the fact that you

have just separated him from his mother. With that, you have to comfort him and situate him in a place

where he won’t get hurt, so that he would feel secure.

23. Provide proper food and water.

Providing healthy foods for your pet would not just ensure that he is in good shape at all times. It would

also make his senses sharper, which would greatly help when it comes to training him. Thus, make sure

to give him nutritious foods, and fresh water at all times, so that you would be happy with the results of

the training.

24. Give proper shelter.

Having the right kind of shelter is one of the needs of a dog that you have to provide. Giving him proper

shelter would not just make him feel happy with you, but also make him feel safe. Thus, if your dog is not

going to be sleeping inside your house, then you should build a sturdy shelter for him in good size, so that

he would be ready to follow your commands.

25. Give your dog proper exercise.

Walking your dog and playing with him are just some of the examples of activities that you can do, in

order to give him enough exercise. Exercising your dog would not just improve his physical condition. It

would also make him feel that you really care for him, which would encourage desirable behavior. On top

of that, it would also make him reciprocate by following your commands.

26. Training your dog is a day to day activity.

Aside from doing your training sessions each day, you should also keep in mind that your dog learns

something new, each time he interacts with you. Thus, you need to make sure that whenever he is with

you, you should focus in shaping his good behavior. Inform other members of your family about it, so that

they can all help in shaping up your dog’s behavior.

27. Making corrections.

Whenever you need to make corrections on your dog’s actions, you should make it as clear as possible.

Aside from that, it should also be short and well defined. By doing it this way, you would be preventing

your dog from getting confused. Aside from that, it would also make him remember the corrections better.

28. Use one syllable word commands at the beginning.

If you have just started training your dog, you should see to it that you are giving commands that have

one syllable only. For example, instead of using sit down, you should use sit, so that it would be easier to

understand and remember for him. Do it this way, so that your dog won’t have difficulties in following what

you want.

29. Rewards encourages behavior.

Always remember that whenever you are giving rewards, you would be encouraging a particular behavior

more. Thus, you need to be mindful of the times when you reward your pet, since you may accidentally

reward him for misbehaving. Aside from that, keep in mind that rewards are not limited to giving treats or

foods. Dogs can also see a pat in the back, or simply the absence of a punishment a reward.

30. Punishing your dog.

Whenever you see your dog misbehaving, you should punish him immediately, to put a stop to it.

Punishing is not done by hurting your dog. One example of it is to just say “No”, or to stop playing with

him, if he gets too physical. Aside from that, you can also leave him by himself, to make him feel that you

didn’t like what he has done.

31. Punishment suppresses a behavior.

When you punish your dog for misbehaving, you need to keep in mind that it only suppresses it. In other

words, it does not eliminate the behavior entirely. Thus, you need to take note that it is still very possible

for him to repeat his bad habit again. Monitor his actions all the time, so that you can remind him that

misbehaving is not good.

32. Training drills.

Learn training drills from expert dog trainers or by simply buying a book about it. Letting your dog go

through training drills can help a lot, since such drills can make him acquire new skills. Learn about the

different training drills, and practice them one at a time, so that you can make your dog a skillful one.

33. Having a single goal on each training session.

Focusing on a lot of training goals in a single training session would not help much. You should focus only

on one goal in one session, since dogs have short attention spans. In other words, if you focus on too

many goals, then you may not be able to achieve any one of it even in two sessions for a day.

34. Start with the basics first.

You need to start with the most basic commands first, in order to proceed to more complicated ones. This

is because, basic commands can help you gain more control over your dog. For example, if you have

already taught him to “sit”, then you can always use that command, in order to get his attention in doing

other tricks.

35. Be aware of your dog’s feelings.

There are times when your dog may not feel like following your commands, since he did not have a good

night’s rest, or he is in a bad mood. You should know how to tell your dog’s feelings, so that you can use

it to decide whether to proceed with a training session or not. If he is not in the mood for it, then you can

simply play with him, or sit down while watching the sunset.

36. Awareness of your actions is important.

Being aware of your actions is important when it comes to training your dog. You should be aware of how

you waive your hand or the tone of your voice, since it can affect your dog’s attention. For example, if you

are waiving your hand too much, then instead of listening to your voice, your dog may be looking at it.

37. Practice self-control.

You cannot expect to achieve success in dog training, if you cannot control yourself. With that, you need

to practice self-control, in order to control your dog. Dog training requires a lot of self-control, since it can

take a lot of effort and time, to get your dog to follow your commands.

38. What to do when you feel frustrated.

In training your dog, you need to be aware that there would be times when you would feel frustrated about

it. Whenever you feel angry at your dog though, you should not proceed with the training session. Instead,

let your dog do what he wants to do, and come back when you have already calmed down.

39. Do not punish your dog whenever he fails to follow your command.

There may be times when you feel that your dog is testing your patience by not following your command

during a training session. However, you need to remember that dogs always want to please their masters.

In other words, you simply need to spend more time in teaching him about the command, for him to follow

it. Do not punish him, since it would just confuse him more.

40. Walking the dog.

Whenever you are walking your dog on a leash, do not tighten the leash, since it can hurt your dog. Aside

from that, it can also make him pull you as a counter response, which is not good. Keep his leash loose,

so that he can enjoy the walk more, and would look forward to it day by day.

41. Groom your dog.

Grooming your dog would ensure that he always feel comfortable, which would have positive results in

your training sessions. Thus, it is best that you do it regularly. Make sure to do the grooming yourself,

since it is also an activity, which would bring you closer to each other.

42. Focus on one command at a time.

Always remember that dogs can have a hard time in distinguishing two commands, especially if they are

conflicting. Thus, it is always best to focus on one command at a time. Do not make your pet’s life

confusing, so that he would have a better time in following your orders.

43. Use the words “Good” and “No” on a daily basis.

Learning the meaning of the words Good and No should be one of the basic things that you need to teach

to your dog. This is because, you would be using these words on a daily basis whenever you interact with

him. Your dog should know that whenever you say Good, it means that he has done something right. On

the other hand, whenever you say No, he should know that he has done something wrong.

44. Nagging your dog should not be practiced.

Nagging your dog is not something that should be done, since it would not bring any kind of positive

results. If you do it to your dog, it can only mean two things to him, it would mean nothing since he does

not understand what you are saying or it can mean something negative, due to the tone of your voice. In

any case, it should not be done, since it would not be beneficial for both of you.

45. Only one person should give a command at a time.

Your dog would have a hard time telling which person to follow, if two people would give him conflicting

commands at a time. Even if the command is the same, it is still best for only one person to give it at a

time. This way, your dog would be able to pinpoint which person and command to follow, instead of

getting confused.

46. Consistency is key.

Being consistent is very important in training your dog. Practicing consistency means that you need to use

the same word for a certain behavior all the time. Aside from that, you should also be consistent

punishing him for his bad practices, so that he would be able to put it in his mind.

47. Preventing aggression problems.

It is very important to prevent aggression problems as early as possible, since it can hamper your training

program. Thus, you should make sure that the moment your dog or puppy sets foot into your house,

necessary things should be done to make him happy, secure, and contented. By doing this, it would make

him easier to train, aside from preventing behavioral problems.

48. Do not get a dog if your family is not at the same page as you are.

If you are getting a pet dog, make sure that your whole family agrees with your decision. Aside from that,

they should also share the same passion as you have for your pet. This is because, your family would

also be interacting with your dog on a daily basis. Thus, they can all affect his behavior and development,

which are some of the factors that determine the success of your training program.

49. Make your new puppy relax in his new environment.

In bringing home a new puppy, you have to consider that he would be looking for his mother as well as

the other puppies that he has been with. Making him relax in his new environment would help him

respond to your training positively. To achieve that, you can place a warm hot water bottle beside his bed

and a ticking clock inside the room, so that he would feel similar things as he did when he was still in his

litter.

50. Be with your puppy as much as you can.

When your puppy is left by himself for long periods of time, it may lead to practicing destructive behavior,

especially when he gets bored. Thus, you should spend as much time with your puppy as you can on a

regular basis. Have a healthy playtime, such as playing fetch would help a lot not just in establishing your

connection with him, but also in preventing boredom.