Do you think it’s possible to have a well behaved dog? The answer is yes. However, obedient dogs aren’t born, they are trained. You need to brace yourself for this. Many homeowners feel angered and frustrated with their pets because they cannot control their behavior. And because they are not familiar with dog training they end up using ineffective methods that leave them emotionally, physically and mentally exhausted.
Here’s the thing, before you even consider raising a dog for a pet, you have to understand that training your dog is your responsibility. If you don’t have time to train your dog then at least seek help from professional dog trainers.
Dogs are just like kids. They are fun but they can also behave like toddlers and throw tantrums and this part isn’t fun at all because it tests your patience. Kids are challenging to train but they are not as difficult as dogs. The level of complexity of training is different because you’re not dealing with humans, you’re dealing with animals. They don’t share the same language as humans do. Effective dog training has to be learned and when you are able to master the techniques that’s the time you can relay them to your pet.
Let’s start off with the basic dog training methods.
Sit
Does your dog sit when you tell him to? Probably not. Dogs that aren’t trained won’t be able to know what “sit “means even if you make your voice loud enough for them to hear. Teaching your dog to sit is one of the fundamentals of dog training. Here’s how to do it:
Let your dog stand right in front of you.
Get a treat and put it in your hand. Make sure your dog sees the treat.
Move the hand with the treat slowly over your dog’s head and lead the treat towards the tail and then say the command word “sit”.
By this time, your dog’s head should go up as he tries to get the treat. The bottom part of his body should go down into the desired position.
When your dog is in the sitting position, give him the treat and praise your dog for doing a good job.
Repeat until your dog is able to master this command.
One of the mistakes pet owners make is pushing their dogs toward the ground to make them sit. Not only is this method ineffective but it may also hurt your dog’s back by forcefully pushing him down. When you use this command make sure you are consistent with the word you use. If you say “sit” do it all the time when you’re training your dog because if you use “down” or “sit down” it might confuse them.
Down
Another helpful command is “down”. Here’s how you can teach your dog this command:
Before you can teach your dog the “down” command he must first master the “sit” command.
Command your dog to sit. Once your dog is in a sitting position, show your dog the treat.
When your dog’s eyes are on the treat, move your hand with the treat in front of him towards the ground. Place it closer to his feet. When you say “down” he should use his nose to follow the treat and lay down.
That is the position you want him to master. Once he is in the correct position, give your dog the treat and don’t forget to praise your dog for a job well done.
If you are having difficulty in getting your dog to lie down, you can place an object on a chair between your dog and you and do it again. This is effective because your dog will try to get underneath the obstruction to get the treat. Again, don’t push your dog as this could hurt him.
Takeaway
Dog training isn’t as bad as it looks. You just have to have the patience and the willingness to learn how it’s done. Sooner or later, your dog will get the hang of it.
