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Start With These Basic Dog Training Techniques

by: LeeDobbins
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In order to communicate with your dog for effective and successful training, you'll need to arm yourself with some basic dog training techniques. Interaction between dogs and humans has been around for thousands of years, but sometimes it's still a baffling process. While we all like to think that we are more intelligent, sometimes training sessions can leave a bit of confusion about who is really in charge.

A dog's understanding can be compared to that of a two year old human child. However, a dog's senses are not like ours. Not only do they perceive shades of red and green differently than humans, but their noses are extremely sensitive in comparison. A dog's mind also processes information in an entirely different manner. In order to limit a trainer's frustration and misbehavior on the dog's part, it is critical to remember these differences.

Dogs have descended from the wolf, and as a result have a pack mentality. The expression "lone wolf" is a misnomer, as wolves and dogs are by nature social creatures, who do a lot of interaction with each other, and are ruled by a strict hierarchical structure.

Training can start as early as possible. For some breeds, four weeks is a good time to start. For the first several months, you should allocate at least thirty minutes per day, though a full hour is preferred, for training.

All training has similar guidelines or dog training techniques that should be followed, although housebreaking is a bit different, however we will leave the specifics of that to a different article.

One of the first things to do would be to let your dog know that you are the dominant one. There is a hierarchy to dog packs, starting with alpha dogs, then beta dogs, and then down to the omega dog. The human, whether it is a man or woman, needs to always be the alpha male if you want your household to remain calm and your dog to be well-adjusted.

The ease with which this is done depends largely on the breed of your dog, as well as the individual temperament of your dog. Just like people, some dogs act more assertively than others. Tools like leashes, collars, commands, and other training material are nice to have but the thing that influences successful training is your dog's attitude. Don't allow him to take charge of you.

You shouldn't have to use physical force to project your dominance. There are times when this may be necessary, though, it must be properly used. On a normal basis, patience and firmness are all that is needed to properly train your dog.

When training a young dog, it can be effective to lay the dog on their back and place a firm hand in the middle of their chest. Hold this position until the dog lowers his paws, demonstrating submission. Often it is necessary to reinforce this behavior by putting your face close to theirs which simulates dominance.

Begin with a short leash so you can keep the dog from pulling you all over the place. Let the dog have lots of time to run off his energy outside of training, but don't tolerate that kind of behavior or hyperactivity during training sessions.

Start by using short, clear commands which sound distinctly different such as sit, stay, down or come. Use a firm tone of voice but do not be harsh. Stay in charge of the situation but do not show anger. Avoid double word commands such as 'sit down' or 'stay down' because they sound too similar and can easily confuse the dog.

A constant tone, look and hand sign should be included with every verbal command. Later we can separate them, but initially it is important to offer simplest and most stable type of communication.

Dogs don't have the necessary resources to understand the subtle use of language, much like a toddler. Help their cognitive skill by being consistent. Do not use one phrase for more than one meaning. 'Down' should only mean 'don't jump on others or me', or 'lay on your stomach', but not both things.

These dog training techniques combined with your patience and persistence will pay off in spades with a dog that is obedient and a fun to be around. Using these techniques will give you a better sense of understanding for your pet and will become a base of communication for a lifetime of friendship.

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Training your dog to be the perfect pet all boils down to using the right dog training techniques - find out what those are at http://www.positivedogtrainingtechniques.com/.

Start With These Basic Dog Training Techniques

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