Better Training for Your Dog

Every dog owner knows that a poorly trained dog is going to not only cause them a headache but be a general pain for anyone who has to deal with the dog. Every dog owner should also know that, like children, dogs must learn how to properly behave at a young age. If an owner does not properly instruct their dog at a young age how to properly behave, they run the risk of not only having a dog that chronically misbehaves, but is totally uncontrollable. The first thing a dog owner has to decide is how they're going to go about training their dog. There are several different methods to choose from depending on anything from discipline to how old the dog is and even the individual dog's breed. The first thing an owner has to do is determine what method of teaching is best for them.

To determine what method of training is best for teaching a dog, the owner must first define for themselves what the goal of training actually is and what they hope to get out of it. For the most part, the concept of training can be individually defined but for the most part it can be generally defined as improving the dog's behavior. Owners ca also train their pets to perform certain tricks but before any of that can be accomplished one must first be concerned with training their dog to behave properly. There are two primary elements of training a pet: positive reinforcement and discipline. Positive reinforcement's primary goal is to reinforce good behavior with something positive. An example of positive reinforcement would be giving the dog a treat when it comes to the owner when called. An example of discipline is making the dog go to its crate when it misbehaves. Both of these are vital tools at the dog owner's disposal and they should be utilized to their fullest extent.

Positive reinforcement is definitely a tool that any dog owner should utilize. If the owner is against striking their dog, they're almost certainly going to want to make sure that they really reinforce their pet's good behavior. The two best ways to do this would be to either vocally or with a treat. A vocal reinforcement would be an owner exclaiming to their pet in an uplifting, positive tone that the pet is doing well and has made the correct decision. The second method of positive reinforcement, giving the dog a treat, is both fast and effective. The treat can be something the owner has bought in a store, has made themselves or it can even be “people food”. Often times, using a treat either bought in a store or made from a dog-treat specific recipe is the best way to go because food meant for humans may have an ill-effect on dogs. Chocolate for example is something that dogs cannot have in a large quantity because it can be fatal.

Discipline is also something necessary in the training of any dog. This is the part of training that neither the dog nor the owner like but if not done properly it will be of no use. To properly discipline a dog, the owner must be sure the dog knows what it did and know that it was wrong in doing so. Two ways to achieve this is to either confine the dog in a “timeout” in their cage or through light physical contact. For a person against hitting their dog, a timeout is the best way to go but may not fully convey the gravity of the situation. So long as the hit is not overly hard and not for a small crime, it is okay. Using personal judgment is often the best way to avoid abuse. Also remembering that if it feels like abuse, it most definitely is! Properly training a dog can avoid a lot of trouble down the road. Not only will the owner get a better trained dog out of it, but both the dog and the owner will bond over the experience. If the training is conducted in a proper manner and the owner knows what they're doing, it can be a very rewarding experience for both parties involved.