Animals Evolved

When you bring your furry friend home for the first time, chances are you will not be thinking of obedience training. You are more likely concerned about how cute little Rover is, and where he will sleep. Though it may not be the first thing you think of when deciding to get a puppy, or adopt a dog, obedience training is a necessity if you want a well-behaved, friendly pet and companion.

Depending on the age of your dog, beginning obedience training will differ. For instance, if you bring home a 6 week old puppy, you will need to deal with sleeping and house training habits. If the dog is an adult, and you want to take the next steps in obedience training, you may want to consider taking him to an obedience class at a local school or pet store. Always start small and work your way into more complicated training. It takes time for a dog to become obedience trained.

When you start training, be sure you start with the basics. Sit, come, and shake are good commands to start with. Your voice should be firm when speaking the command, and joyful when encouraging your dog when he has done it correctly. Limit training sessions to short, ten minute sessions a few times a day so you don’t lose his attention. Young puppies have an especially short attention span. In the beginning stages of training, you will want to have small tidbits of food for rewards along with words of praise. Once you have established a routine, you can substitute words of praise and lessen the food rewards.

For more advanced training, different steps will need to be taken. For example, once you have the basic commands down, you will want to move on to more complicated intermediate commands such as “stay” or “roll-over.” These commands are a little more difficult to master for dogs, so you will need to spend more time on them. Again, be sure you do not have long hours of training, because your dog will tire quickly. For as much training as you do, have adequate play time where there is nothing expected of the dog except for fun. This will make him more willing to concentrate in training sessions.

Dogs are highly intelligent and are capable of becoming extremely obedient no matter what the circumstances. Once your dog has mastered simple and intermediate commands, you can begin focusing on harder commands. Be sure not to start too early, as it can confuse your dog and make it harder to learn the simpler commands. If you work long enough with your dog, he will be able to follow your commands with just the motion of your hand, even in a crowded atmosphere.

The most important thing when training your dog is patience. Just like when you are training a child, you have to be patient and loving, and not just scolding during obedience training. Be sure to reward even the smallest bit of progress. This will make the dog want to obey you because he wants your approval. When a dog is disobedient, correct him, but do not dwell on all of his mistakes, especially if he is just learning. If you are willing to put the time and effort into molding your dog into the well-behaved companion he can be, you are sure to be rewarded with a friend for the remainder of his life.