Dog obedience training requires the use of some principles which differentiate effective training from training without results. Most dog training and dog behavior schools use these rules. These are:
Principle One: The first rule in obedience training is to be consistent. You must be consistent in the use of words, the tone of your voice and your actions, that go with your command. During the beginning of the training, the trainer or the dog owner must decide what should be the parameters of training- what you are trying to teach the dog and how to do it. Words do not make sense to a dog. Your dog does not understand our language, nor does he understand or think, the way we do.
For the training to be understandable, the command must be used in a consistent manner so he can recognize the meaning to the word and tone. For example, if you are using the command ‘come’, make sure that everyone in the household use it in a singular manner. If you are using this command make it a point that you would not do actions that would make the command confusing for the dog. If your dog does not come to you instantly, do not punish him when he does. This would make him attribute the command with the punishment.
What could you expect next?-If the command leads to punishment he will not follow it next time. The same command used, by all people, must be consistent. For example, if you are using the command ‘come’, other people in the household should not replace it with words like ‘here’ or ‘come here boy’.
Principle Two: Keep training sessions short. Remember that the attention span of dogs is extremely short so it is almost impossible to keep them engaged in the one activity. Combining children with your puppy obedience training is an example of keeping your training sessions short as they would lose interest very quickly.
Your dog becomes easily bored and their interest at the beginning soon fades. 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 to hurt your dog when training. Also, never force the dog to follow the command if he is not prepared for it or punish a dog for something he did. Don’t push the animal too hard while training.
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 use negative reinforcement. If he knows that he is praised when he does something right, then he should not feel praised when he does not follow a command.
You have to be understanding and patient, especially during your dog obedience training sessions. The result will be a very obedient and well trained dog.