Easy Dog Training Techniques

Dogs are known as man's best friend, and more often than not they are. Dogs make fantastic pets, giving loving and loyal companionship and protectionto the whole family. However, people sometimes underestimate the importance of training their dog properly in order to get the best out of them. It is important not just for the owners but also the dog to make sure they are well trained and know what is expected of them and how to behave. This can be achieved using just a few simple dog training techniques.

If you are getting a puppy, it is important to train it from the day it sets foot in your house. This may seem a little unecessary as puppies are so cute and playful etc. but remember, they are also learning every second of the day.  If they get away with things it stays in their mind and they will do it over and over. Puppies (and dogs for that matter) think nothing of pushing their luck as far as they can, and as long as they are getting away with things they will continue to do them and push even futher. You have to establish yourself as the leader, the Alpha dog if you like, and they will do exactly what you say. Now, dogs don't understand "human speak" until we teach them what it means, and it is important to remember this through every stage of their training. They will associate the sound of words with actions and the reward or punishment that follows.  It is because of this that it is so important to make sure that positive association is used, there is no way your dog will respond correctly to "come" if it thinks bad things are going to happen when it does.

There are basic commands that all dogs should be taught. Sit, stay, come, no, down are probably the most important. Teaching your dog to sit is the best foundation command for training, as once you can get your dog to sit you have it's full attention and you can teach it other things.  Use treats to start off with to reward your dog for good behaviour or correct obeying of a command. Teaching your dog to sit should be fairly easy, beginning with getting the dogs attention, then telling it to sit. Now of course, we already know that they don't understand what we are saying, so at this point putting firm but gentle pressure on its back near the tail to make it sit down will give the dog an understanding of what you want, repeating the word sit once it is in this position reinforces it futher.  Get the dog to stand up again, then repeat. You may find that the dog picks it up in one or two goes, or it may take longer, but repetition is the key. Rewarding with treats when your dog is sitting gives it the correlation between "sit" and it's bum being on the floor and a treat coming it's way.  This is a sure fire way to get your dog to understand what you want from it. 

This simple dog training technique can be used across all the commands, such as stay, no, come. Reward based training is a great way to teach yo dog, and after time the rewards can be withdrawn as they are no longer needed.