Three Principles on 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. To be successful in obedience training you need to understand the differences between effective and non-effective training techniques. Principles to Learn:
First Principle: CONSISTANCY
Consistency is the first basic rule in effective dog training. You need to be consistent in the words you use, the tone they are spoken in and the actions that accompany them. During the beginning of the training, the trainer or the dog owner must decide what should be the parameters of training, such as what and how you are going to teach the dog.
For example saying the word “come”, does not make any sense to a dog. He does not understand things the way humans think and he does not understand the language we use. 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. The command “Come” specifically means that the dog should 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. He will not follow the same command since in his mind, he remembers it will lead to punishment.
Being consistent in your dog commands is to be followed by anyone who works with the dog. For instance if you are teaching the word “come”, others should not use the words, ’come here boy’ or ’here’, because this will only confuse the dog.
Principle Two: KEEP IT SHORT
Both the amount of time you spend training and the words you use as commands should be kept short. Dogs tend to have a short attention span, it is best to limit the training so they keep the interest level to it’s peak during the days lesson. 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 can quickly loose interest in an activity sometimes within just moments after beginning, and will need something else to stimulate their senses. The same thing happens in training therefore, it should be limited only to 10 minutes to 15 minutes of regular training.
Principle Three: DO NOT USE FORCE and PUNISHMENT
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.
Make sure not to over do it when training your dog. The dog does not understand that he should learn things “instantly” and he does not realize that you are becoming impatient with the speed he is picking up the training. 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.
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