Three Principles on Dog Obedience Training

Simple Principles in Dog Obedience Training

Even dogs with some of the best well breeding or dogs that are well adapted to humans still need some basic obedience training, because these skills are not something they pick up on their own. Obedience training requires the use of some principles which differentiate effective training, from training without results. Principles to Learn:

Principle One: CONSISTENCY

The first rule in obedience training is to be consistent. You need to be consistent in the words you use, the tone they are spoken in and the actions that accompany them. Before you begin training you will need to come to an agreement with the dog owner on what it is they are wanting the dog to learn and how to accomplish it.

For example saying the word "come", does not make any sense to a dog. It is only reasonable to conclude if he does not understand the way humans are, then he does not understand our language. It is important to make the training effective, by being very consistent in attaching the same voice tone, body movement or hand jester with every command that is given to your dog.

Another example would be, if you are using the command "come", make sure that everyone in the household use it in a same type of manner. When using the word command, "Come", you should work with the dog to understand this means to approach the giver of the command. When you are using this command be sure not to use any signals or body movements that would be confusing to the dog.

Don’t be deterred in your training efforts if the dog does not come to your right away, be patient and don’t force or scold him. If you punish the dog over and over after giving the command they will begin to associate the word with the punishment. The dog will not want to follow the same command because in his mind it leads to punishment.

Consistency also covers the use of the same dog commands by all people. For example, if you are using the command "come", other people in the household should not replace it with words like "here" or, "come here boy".

Second Principle: Keep It Short

Both the amount of time you spend training and the words you use as commands should be kept short. Keep in mind that the attention span of dogs is very short and that getting them engrossed with a specific activity can be very hard, if not impossible. Puppies usually react to a specific stimulus, but not for a very long time, they may begin to chase a moving toy, and quickly lose interest, then move on to the next thing.

They simply don’t possess the same amount of interest they had when they started the activity and they become easily bored. The same thing happens in training therefore, it should be limited only to 10 minutes to 15 minutes of regular training.

Third Principle: No Punishment or Force Allowed

A trainer should never hurt the dog in any way, you should make it a goal to have the training be a positive experience for all involved. Also, never force the dog to follow the command if he is not prepared for, or punish a dog for something he did during training that he did not understand.

Don’t push the animal too hard while dog training. A good trainer realizes dogs do not learn things instantly and so they are very patient and show understanding towards the animal they are working with. All he knows is that you are mad.

So do not use force as this does not communicate your meaning properly, instead gives a negative reinforcement. If he knows that he is praised when he does something right, he should not be praised when he does not follow a command.