Guiding Principles Of Basic Dog Training

If you’re new to dog training or this is just the first dog you’ve tried to train on your own, it can be very difficult. It can be very frustrating trying to figure it all out for yourself. Luckily, there are really only a few guiding principles you need to learn in order to get a hang of everything else that the training process entails…

Consistency, Consistency

You simply cannot do one thing one day and another thing the next. If stealing food off the table gets a whap on the nose, it has to always, always, always get a whap on the nose. The only exception is when you don’t catch them doing it. Doing a trick should always result in a treat or a scratch behind the ears. It’s all about consistency. You need to treat them the same day in, day out.

Reinforcement, Positive and Negative

It can’t just be punishment, or just rewards. You need both to raise an intelligent, obedient dog. Without punishment, rewards and consistency, you wind up with a dog who just won’t listen to you no matter what. So make sure to run a balanced training regiment, don’t just punish or just reward your dog, do both, and make sure to do both with complete consistency (or at least as consistently as possible).

Show Your Dog Love

Your job is more to be your doggy’s mom or dad, not their drill sergeant. Yes you need to be a disciplinarian, but take some time to just play and have fun. Don’t just make it ALL about training. Make sure they’re well behaved, but take some time to just let them curl up at your feet while you scratch them behind the ears. Raising a dog is one half discipline and one half affection.

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