Crucial Training Tips For Dogs

By Royce Hoover

Dogs can be outstanding companions and excellent family pets. We have called them "man's best friend" forever because of that. But in order to be a good doggy resident and a dependable family pet you must teach your dog well.

As soon as your puppy arrives home you need to initiate training him for obedience. You can expect your puppy to be more or less "fully trained" at about a year of age, nevertheless you will need to work with him to keep his skills sharp for the remainder of his life. A well-trained dog is enjoyable to own and a joy for persons to be around.

The number one rule of dog training is that you must be the "alpha dog". Some people may not like that expression but the reality is that dogs are pack animals and they expect to have a leader. You must be the leader and all of the human members of your family must outrank your dog in the pack order. Dogs will do anything for the leader of the pack so that must be you.

Never allow your dog to show dominance. He must wait for his food until you are done eating. This is a understated but critical thing. You must also never permit him jump on you or other people either.

Do not ever permit your puppy to do stuff that you will not permit him to do as an grown dog. This includes jumping and nipping at you. One of the most important things in training a dog is consistency. A dog cannot reason like a human and he will not recognize that it is tolerable to jump on you in your play clothes but not in your business suit. He also won't understand why he could do something as a puppy but he can't continue to do it as an adult dog. Be consistent.

If you get a crate all of your teaching will be easier. Dogs actually feel safe and secure in a comfortable and warm place that they feel is their own. Your puppy may whimper when he goes into the crate at the beginning but you need to just leave him there. He will adjust and he will truly grow to like it very soon. A crate will make housetraining and obedience training easier.

It is vital for your dog's own wellbeing to sit and stay. You must be able to get your dog to stop and stay if necessary. It is imperative to be able to control your dog at times and you will need to make sure that he is accommodating with your commands in order to avoid troubles like running off or jumping all over the visitors to your home.

Teaching your dog to walk on a leash and to heel is also an vital lesson. And after the basics you will probably want to teach your dog some fun things like fetching. A well-trained dog makes the best pet so do not slack on your duties as a accountable pet-owner. - 31845

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