Dog Training Tips - 5 Things To Avoid For Successful Training

By Adrian Fletcher


Proper behavior training is important for developing your relationship with your pet. A dog trained to understand how to behave will be safer to the wider society and a credit to you as the owner. Therefore all dogs should get some good behavioral training at some stage and many owners choose to do it themselves. This is understandable as many dog obedience lessons are too costly for many people. It is also a whole lot less commitment when you can choose to do the lessons when you have the time or motivation. However most people will fail in this process because the don't take the training seriously enough to stay the course or do adequate research in training methods. This article will cover 5 things you should avoid if you want to successfully obedience train your dog.

1. As I suggested at the start, most people fail because they are not committed. I guess this is nothing new as lack of commitment in anything you decide to do will lead to poor results. Remaining committed is a constant process of refocusing on what initially motivated you and then remaining disciplined.

Reinforce in your mind what prompted you to want to obedience train your dog. Think of the pleasure you will receive from a deeper relationship with your animal than, say, playing ball with him. Take heart from the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your dog is less of a danger to himself and the wider community as a whole.

Committed also includes having the energy to learn. Find out more about your breed of dog. Investigate new training methods and determine what works well for your dog. Never stop learning about your pet or the breed of your dog. This will improve your relationship with him and give you inspiration when it comes to training.

2.Being inconsistent. The main reason why this might occur is because you will get bored and want to move onto another command. Remember to go at your dog's pace of learning. Whether it is boring or otherwise you have to repeat the same command over and over until your dog understands. Start with the easy commands to begin with. Only teach one command at a time as shifting from one command to another will only confuse the dog. Having said this, your dog will also get bored from time to time so keep the sessions short.

3. Using negative reinforcement rather than positive reinforcement. Never hit or strike a dog if it fails to do a command as you liked or failing to understand what commanded. This is not only cruel but will confuse the animal. Pain will not motivate it to act in a natural way. Rather give it positive reinforcement through encouragement and even a reward. Soon your dog will want to be successful and this will make training easier in the long run.

4.Being closed to new ideas. Don't stick to one idea because it was recommended by so and so who is a professional dog trainer or a best selling dog training book. All tips and techniques are not gospel and are open to modification or amendment based on your real experiences. You see, dogs are just the same as humans in that they learn at different paces and pick up things differently. As you continue to work with your pet you will get a better idea of the best and most effective methods.

5. Strive to get a balance between keeping the training interesting but stay consistent. Avoid making the training too predictable and dull. Think of things that can spice it up from time to time. This will always depend on how your dog responds to new environments but why not try moving to different locations for the training. Maybe try a touch of playing before the lesson begins and then keep the lesson short. Mix the peripheral things up but try to keep the core one command per lesson consistent.

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