Training your dog is one of the most rewarding experiences that a pet owner can ever have with their furry friend. While it is not always an easy road to navigate, even when doing so with dedication and love. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that you cannot achieve desirable results. 

The good news is that with these four basic dog training rules, you will be more likely to see success sooner or later in your journey…

1) Stay focused. If you do, your pet will too.

Success is possible when you stay focused and that will, in turn, help your pet to stay focused too. One of the easiest ways to derail your training is to fail to complete a task and leave your pet wondering what the heck just happened.

When you fail to follow through with a command, this typically leads to confusion. Many times, when a pet comes off as though they are not listening or are being disobedient, they are simply confused and following your lead. To help avoid this confusion and to increase your chances of success, ensure that each time you give your dog a command that you both follow through with it.

If you become distracted, your dog will become distracted too. For instance, if you are asking your dog to roll over, be sure that you see it through to the end. Don’t tug on your pet’s leash, give up or start scrolling through your phone because this training thing is not as exciting as you hoped. Always finish the first command before moving to another. If you do, your dog will catch on much faster.

2) Rewards and punishments should never be overdone.

Consistent trainers are successful trainers. Many owners cannot wait to give their dogs praise and many others are far too quick to give punishments. Being too overly impressed and/or too harsh can have adverse effects on your efforts.

Do not overdo rewards and, likewise, do not be quick to punish. (And, of course, never give violent punishment!) A “good boy” will be enough to recognize that your pet is doing a great job and a simple, single pulling of the check cord is enough when your dog does not follow a command.

3) Always end positively at each training session.

No matter how great or how horrible your training session went, you want your dog to be eager to greet training again on another day with open paws. Because of this, always end your session on a positive note.

Consider it like this… if you were to take an English class but at the end of every lesson the teacher told you how terrible you did on the quiz, how awful your poems were or how many questions you got wrong… would you be eager to go back to class?

Probably not.

Giving your pet a reason to come back for more is what it is all about. You want your pet to fall in love with learning and he will if you keep it positive.

4) Don’t lose your patience. Ever!

Pets are much like people and our reactions towards them can have a BIG impact on them. Dogs are pack animals and they look to you as their leader for approval and comfort. Because of this, it is so important that you keep your patience and an even temper. Losing either one of these attributes can derail their training and your relationship with your pet.

Training your pet can be equal parts difficult and rewarding. If you feel that you cannot keep your cool or that you are having too much trouble getting the job done, a dog training class or instructor can help out a lot.

In case you didn’t see it:  Here’s an online dog training program that can STOP your dog unwanted behaviors!

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