Dog Obedience Tip: Decide What You Want!

Before you start any dog training you need to decide exactly what you want your dog to do. Ask yourself…

• What exactly do I want to train my dog to do?

• What is the most direct and simple route to teach this to my dog?

• Do I have everything I need to teach my dog what I want from the start?

Figure out exactly what you want your dog to do before you try to train it and then take the shortest route to get there. You dog basically wants to be accepted in the pack (your family) and wants to please you. It has to figure out what you want. The easier you make that for your dog the quicker you will see the desired results. The trick is to not confuse your dog.

If you are having a dog training session or just enjoying everyday life it is easy to unknowingly reward your dog for unwanted behaviors. Whenever your dog tries to get you to do something and you do it, your dog is training you. Be sure to reward your dog only for behaviors that you want.

Practicing positive reinforcement dog training can be very effective and is based on the simple principle: Reward your dog for behavior you wish to see repeated and ignore behavior that you don’t.

Give your dog every opportunity to be successful and your dog just might surprise you.