Tips and tricks for proper dog training

Positive dog training methods

Everyone’s been around a poorly trained dog at least once in their life. The anxiety, tendencies to bite, and destructive natures of canines who have had improper, or a complete lack of, training makes it almost impossible to have them as the close companions that we so desperately want them to be. So if you’ve got a young pup anxiously awaiting your instructions, or you’re simply trying to teach a dog some appropriate and necessary training, then consider these positive reinforcement training methods below!

Reward with treats and praise

Before you begin attempting to teach your dog any sort of trick, you will want to have a small handful of dog treats available. Dogs rely on positive reinforcement to know that they should continue doing some action, and when they make the connection between praise and a treat with that action, they’ll keep repeating it! Let’s face it, who doesn’t like a reward for doing something good?

Be consistent 

Another way to positive train your dog is to use the same consistent commands all of the time and reward them. If you mix up the commands, or are inconsistent from person to person, you’re going to end up confusing your dog and leading to a much lengthier training process. Also be consistent with the punishments and rewarding techniques. When your dog knows what to expect at all times, they will conform to your training much faster!

Time your training properly

Always give your animal the praise and reward directly after they’ve done the trick or performed the action that you want. Additionally, also punish your dog in the same manner – within seconds of the bad behavior. Your dog will not associate a punishment given when you get home from work for a mess they made hours earlier – all they are learning is confusion and doubt as well as fear when you get home!

Positive training techniques

- A clicker – a small noise making device that is hand operated and is excellent for training dogs and getting their attention.

- Clicking the tongue/whistling – getting your dog’s attention without a clicker can be done by clicking your tongue or calling their name.

- Treats – these are an absolutely essential part of the training, especially in the beginning. You can wean dogs off of treats as they learn the trick or proper behavior later on.

Why Positive training over alpha dog training?

Granted, your dog should look at you as the alpha and should defer to you at all times, but when it comes to training your canine, you should always use positive reinforcement. Some alpha dog training techniques involve taking your dog and putting it on the floor so it’s on its back, others involve kneeing the dog in the chest if/when it jumps; the idea that asserting yourself as the dominant animal shouldn’t be done during the training, but instead through your position in the house.

If you want to become the alpha, make sure that you lead the dog through the door, rather than letting the dog out first. Additionally, don’t let the dog up on the couch or bed with you, instead keep them on the floor. Being physically aggressive with a canine in any way to show it that you’re the alpha can lead to increased aggression from the dog towards you or other humans!