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Obedience training is one of the best things you can do for your dog
or puppy and yourself. Obedience training doesn't solve all behavior
problems, but it is the foundation for solving just about any problem.
Training opens up a line of communication between you and your dog.
Effective communication is necessary to instruct your dog about what
you want her to do. You can teach her anything from 'stay' (don't
bolt out the door) to 'sit' (don't jump up on the visitors) to 'off'
(don't chew the furniture).
Dogs are social animals and without proper training, they will
behave like animals. They will soil your house, destroy your belongings,
bark excessively, dig holes in your yard, fight other dogs and even
bite you. Nearly all behavior problems are perfectly normal canine
activities that occur at the wrong time or place or are directed
at the wrong thing. For example, the dog will eliminate on the carpet
instead of outside; the dog will bark all night long instead of
just when a stranger is prowling around outside; or the dog will
chew furniture instead of his own toys. The key to preventing or
treating behavior problems is learning to teach the dog to redirect
his natural behavior to outlets that are acceptable in the domestic
setting.
Obedience training is also an easy way to establish the social
hierarchy. When your dog obeys a simple request of 'come here, sit,'
she is showing compliance and respect for you. It is NOT necessary
to establish yourself as top dog or leader of the pack by using
extreme measures such as the so-called alpha roll-over. You CAN
teach your dog her subordinate role by teaching her to show submission
to you in a paw raise (shake hands), roll over or hand lick (give
a kiss). Most dogs love performing these tricks (obedience commands)
for you which also pleasantly acknowledge that you are in charge.
Obedience training should be fun and rewarding for you and your
dog. It can enrich your relationship and make living together more
enjoyable. A well-trained dog is more confident and can more safely
be allowed a greater amount of freedom than an untrained one. A
trained dog will come when called.
Some people debate whether or not it is possible to train puppies,
and others ask whether it is possible to teach an old dog new tricks.
The answer to both questions is an unequivocal YES. Whatever the
age of your dog, the right time to begin training is right now!
The most important time in your dog's life is right now. Your dog's
behavior is constantly changing. A dog that is well-behaved today
will not necessarily remain that way forever. New problems can always
develop. Existing problems can always get worse.
Enroll in a local dog obedience training class to learn the basics.
Then most teaching and training can and should be done in your home.
It is best to begin training in an area that is familiar to your
dog and with the least amount of distractions as possible. When
you feel both you and your dog are skilled at several obedience
commands, then take these commands to different areas. Introducing
distractions may seem like starting all over again, but it's worth
the effort. In reality, who cares if your dog will sit stay when
no one is around? What you need is a dog who will sit-stay when
company is at the door. Who cares if your dog heels beautifully
in your own back yard? But you need to start there if you eventually
want a dog who will heel beautifully when walking down Union Street.
If you want your dog to be obedient in your car, guess where you
have to practice? If you suddenly want your dog to down-stay while
you are trying to move over 3 lanes to make an exit, you had better
find time to practice those obedience commands in the car long before
you need them. Don't drive and practice at the same time. Practice
while the car is parked or while someone else is driving.
Keep the obedience training sessions short and sweet. It is dull
and boring to schedule tedious and lengthy training sessions. Instead,
integrate training into your daily routine. Make obedience training
interesting and meaningful to your dog. If Puppy insists on following
you from room to room while you are getting ready for the day, then
insist he have something to do too. "Roll over" for your
wake-up greeting. "Heel" from the bedroom to the bathroom.
"Down-stay" while you're brushing your teeth. "Heel"
from the bathroom to the kitchen. "Sit-stay" while grinding
the coffee beans. "Go find the ball" while you get dressed.
Now "go get the leash" so you can go for a walk. "Sit"
when the door is opened, "sit" again when the door is
closed. And so on. Be sure that obedience training infiltrates your
dog's favorite activities and that your dog's favorite activities
infiltrates training. Your dog's favorite activities should become
training, so that training becomes the dog's favorite activity.
Rewards While Training
The single most important aspect of training is rewarding your
dog for good behavior. The more times the dog is rewarded, the quicker
he will learn. Therefore, it's essential that you set up situations
repeatedly in order for your dog to get plenty of practice at doing
the right thing. It's equally as important that you always praise
your dog for good behavior instead of taking it for granted. It's
easy to forget to praise good behavior because it goes unnoticed.
But the very nature of misbehavior gets our attention. We don't
notice when our dog is lying quietly, but excessive barking gets
our attention. How many of us take notice and praise our dogs when
they chew their own toys? But we all go berserk when we notice our
favorite pair of shoes chewed up! Praise and reward are the most
important part of maintaining good behavior and preventing problems
from arising.
Reprimands While Training
Some dogs feel they are constantly bombarded with, 'NO, Stop that,
get off, Bad dog!' They tend to get used to it and so the reprimands
become meaningless and are ignored. If most of our interaction with
the dog is praise for good behavior, then reprimands will take on
much more meaning. Whenever you find the need to reprimand your
dog, immediately show him what you want him to do, then reward him
for getting it right. If you catch him chewing the furniture, tell
him, 'Off!' Then immediately direct him to his own toys, enthusiastically
entice him to chew on them and praise him for doing so.
If done correctly, your voice alone is sufficient for reprimand.
A correct reprimand is short, sharp and immediate. Don't continue
to nag the dog and never reprimand him unless you catch him in the
act. Never hit, kick, slap or spank your dog. This type of inappropriate
punishment always creates more problems and usually makes existing
problems worse. Not only will you have a barking, chewing dog, but
one that is leery, hand-shy, fearful or aggressive.
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