Dogs are natually attentive to the body language and voice of their owners. By observing us, a dog learns to anticipate our intent. By consistently associating a certain word or phrase with a dog's specific action, you can communicate with your dog.
Obedience commands allow you to teach a dog desirable behavior in any given situation. Practicing obedience skills with your dog is also good exercise for your dog and provides it with mental stimulation. Inaddition, your dog enjoys constructive social interaction, for which it is reqarded with your praise.
Obedience training allows you to instill appropriate behavior in your dog and with regular prictice, ensures good habits for life. Your dog can learn how to reliably gain your attention with desirable behavior and earn praise for doing so, without resorting to undesirable behavior.
Obedience training is not punishmnet but an enjoyable interaction for both owner and dog. There is no difference in training small and large dogs. Various obedience commands should be practived during training sessions, and applier throughout the routine activity of each day and over the course of a dog's lifetime.
The best time to begin obedience training is the moment you acquire your pet. As soon as a puppy begins exploring its environment, it begins to learn what types of behavior are acceptable and not acceptable.
Behavior learned early, desirable or not, is te basis fo r all future patterns as an adult. This doen not mean that adult dogs are untrainable; however, appropriate habits should be installed from the start, regardless of your pet's age.
Five basic commands can be applied to set the limits for acceptable behavior in an endless variety of situations. The 5 (five) basic commands are sit, down, come, heel and stay.
Issue the command the same way each time to avoid confusion. this is particulary important when your dog is first learning to connect your command with an expected action. Always say "come", not "come over here" or "come here." Use the command alone, rather than including it in the middle of a sentence. Say "come" not "you had better hurry up and come over here or I will not take you for a ride in the car."
Precede each command by saying the dog's name in a firm but gentle tone. For example, "Heidi, come." This will get your dog's attention and keep it alert in anticipation of your next command. If the command word is not preceded by the dog's name, the animal may not realize that you are addressing it.
Say any commands in a firm and low tone You need not shout to make yourself understood or to make your dog understand that you are in charge. In fact, raisisng your voice may only frighten the dog or raise its level of excitement, which will make the animal more difficult to control.
Exhibit a calm but controlled attitude, conveying authority without anger. There is, however, one exception. The command to "come" should be said in a light and happy tone of voice. Your dog must never anticipate any problem when you call it to come to you. If it learns to associate punishment with this command, it will not respond and could learn to avoid you.
Inform all family members or other frequent visitors of your rules. Everyone's consistent commands will avoid confusion when interacting with your dog. Review the command words and their significance with other people. Practicing obedience training with your dog and vistors can be an enjoyable activity for all.
Consistent use of a gesture in conjunction with a verbal command can be a useful addition to basic training. Hand signals may be used under special circumstances when verbal communication might be undesirable or as an extra challenge to both pet and owner. In hearing-impaired and genitally deaf dogs, this form of training may replace verbal commands.
Once your dog has consistently demonstrated mastery of the basic commands, you may teach additional ones of your own choosing. It is important, however, to learn the basics first.
Teach your dog the command to "jump" (or "up," if you prefer) and "off," for example, so that you can control the dog if it jumps onto furniture or into bed. This training also helps prevent inappropriate dominance in your dog.
While your dog urinates or defecated outdoors, say "hurry" or "do it" and always give abundant praise. This teaches it to void on command so that you won't freee unnecessarily on a cold winter night while the dog seeks just the right spot. During play, teach your dog to relinquish objects by saying "drop it," or not to touch an object by saying "leave it." This can help prevent undesirable guarding.
Make sure that new commands are distinct from eath other and consistent in form so that your dog will not become confused. It is often useful to introduce a command that releases a dog from some other activity or command.
Release commands let your dog know when it is acceptable to be at ease. Every dog should be taught to sit camly before it is fed. the dog should not touch its food dish until you release it from "sit/stay," for example, with the command "okay." when you walk your dog on a lease, it should "heel" on a short lead at your left side. If you choose to let the dog investigate something along the way, say "okay" ot release it from the "heel."
At your dog's first sign of obedience to your command, offer immediate and generous praise.Do not wait until after your pet has complied. Praise the dog as it begins to obey your command, even before its response is complete, so as to help the dog associate your command with that action. If you delay, or worse, don;t offer praise, your dog may not understand what is expected of it.
Praise may be verbal, such as softly saying "good dog." Your tone of voice should be soothing. If you excitedly praise your dog for a successful "sit/stay,' your dog will respond to your excitement and break out of its position to jump at you. You can also praise your dog using an affectionate gesture,such as a caress or pat on the head.
A food treat can help increase a dog's motivation to cooperate but should not be continually used, particularly for pups. If you are retraining a misbehaving dog or a recently acquired adult dog, its cooperation may be better motivated by supplementing your praise with a small food treat. A food reward, unlike other forms of praise, need not be given at every command, and may be given at intermittent intervals.
Your dog can learn which behavior is acceptable and which is inappropriate, depending on your response. For example, when a yound god hears a noise in the yard, its first reaction might be to jump at the windowsill and bark. This behavior may be acceptable to many dog owners. If you respond to this by saying "good dog" and pat it on the head, chances are that your dog will bark the next time it hears a noise outside your home. Some owners, however, may be irritated by excessive barking and potential damage to the windowsill.
If you say nothing, the barking will likely continue. If you respond by sternly saying "bad dog," your dog may momentarily be interrupted from barking. After a pause, it is likely to resume barking. If you respond to undesired barking by saying "no" and follow this immediately with an alternative and appropriate command, such as "sit," your pet will learn not only what you disapprove of, but also what behavior is acceptable.