In the second part of this article on dog training courses and dog obedience training, we will have a look at some basic principles that will help you to be successful with your dog’s training:

1. Timing: If your dog shows an inappropriate behaviour, you have to react on the spot. Your dog will not understand you and get confused if you try to correct bad behaviour that occurred a while ago.

2. Rewards: If your dog shows desired behaviour, praise and reward him. This will motivate your dog to repeat this behaviour in the future. On the other hand, if he does not do what he is supposed to do upon a certain command or if he behaves badly, you have to correct him in an appropriate manner.

3. Consistency: Once you set rules, stick to them. If you change them, or if you mark a certain behaviour as unwanted in one case, but as acceptable in the next, you are sending your dog mixed and unclear messages. Dogs are content with black and white rules, make it easy for them. The same applies for the commands you use. Again, using different commands for the same action will confuse your dog.

4. Repetition: Your dog will not learn a new command the first time you teach him. Start slowly with an easy command until he masters it and progress from there. Practise constantly and repeat until your dog is confident to perform the desired task, then practise in a different environment and under variant circumstances and situations.

5. Motivation: Generally speaking, rewards are a good means of motivating your dog. However, every dog is different and responds best to different kinds of rewards. These may include favourite foods, play or petting. You should find out what works best for your dog and use this knowledge as a valuable training aid.

6. Fun: Try to make the training sessions varied and fun. Adapt the duration of the session to your dog’s attention span, which as a rule is short, and with puppies even shorter. You should not exceed 15 minutes, but you can organize various sessions per day, or integrate short playing breaks into a longer session. Also, it is a good idea to link them to daily routines. For example, you can practise the command “sit” immediately before meal time. As mentioned above, rewards will help you make your dog enjoy the sessions and to retain learnt desired behaviour.

Remember to get some guidance from one of the many dog training courses available if you are not confident or lack experience, or to attend lessons at a dog training school or hire a qualified dog trainer. Keep in mind that the training is both for the dog and the dog owner! One way or the other, dog obedience training is crucial for a healthy and enjoyable human-dog-relationship.

For more information on dog training courses and related topics, click here.

If you acquire a dog, you want him to obey you, so it comes as no surprise that dog obedience training is a fundamental part of dog training courses. But there are other reasons why dog obedience training is a necessary task for every dog owner that should not be neglected.

The first part of this article addresses some common questions about dog obedience training, whereas in the second part we will have a look at some basic principles for a successful dog obedience training.

What is Dog Obedience Training for?

1. As with relationships between humans, communication is an essential part of a human-dog-relationship. Proper training will establish a clear and precise form of communication between dog owner and dog. This will lead to a close and rewarding relationship, because both human and dog will respect and know what to expect from each other.
2. By training your dog, you will have to set rules and limits for acceptable and desired behaviour. This will help your dog to learn how to behave in different situations and with different people or animals. Also, obedience training allows you to nip unacceptable behaviour in the bud, especially if your dog is still a puppy.
3. Dogs are pack animals. They are used to live in a hierarchy. Dog obedience training is an excellent way to establish yourself as the pack leader and thereby secure confidence and respect from your dog.

What happens if you do not train your dog?
A dog that does not behave well and refuses to take orders can be an annoyance. By constantly questioning your authority, tension rises: Instead of bonding, dog owner and dog grow apart. In some cases, dogs can bully family members or, in the worst case, become aggressive. It is a sad but not surprising fact that most of the dogs that can be found in animal shelters were never trained.

Who should do the training?
Of course there is the option to charge a professional dog trainer with your dog’s obedience training. Also, you could attend classes in a dog training school. In both cases, the important thing is that the training is both for your dog and yourself. Remember that it is you who should be the pack leader, which means that your dog has to learn to take orders from you. Whether you opt for a dog obedience school or a qualified trainer, both may result expensive. If you are confident that you are capable of doing the training yourself, there is no reason why you should not. There are many good dog training courses available that will guide you through the process and provide you with first rate information.

In the second part of the article the basic principles of dog obedience training will be explained.

In the meantime, if you want to find out more about dog training courses and related information, click here.