During the migration to all things Canines and Cosmetics I managed to delete an old post of mine that I rather liked - Top Tips For Training Your Dog. I took this as a sign that I should re-write it as almost a year on I feel like I have lots more experience to offer you all.
Now don't get me wrong, I don't claim to be an expert of any kind but having so many four legged pets in my life means that I have picked up a few tips and tricks here and there, which I just want to share.
1. Patience Is Key
I think this is the most obvious tip but you have to have patience. Your pets will always respond better when you take their time. Try to never forget that all they want in life is to make you, their owner and ultimately master happy. They are trying their best and you have to accept that.
2. Repetition Is a Must
Repeating yourself quite a lot is something which will be come normal when training your dog. Dogs find it a lot easier to pick up what you want when you go over it a million and one times. I find that randomly throughout the day I will click my fingers at Bentley, expecting him to sit. He now knows this perfectly and that only came from doing this over and over again until it became natural.
3. Treats Can Help
If you use treats as part of a balanced diet they can really help with teaching your dog what you would like them to do. For some dogs food is the perfect treat. For a bundle of energy like my Molly simply giving her a toy to play with usually does the trick.
4. Teach One Thing At a Time
Pick one thing that you want to teach them and stick with it until they have it. If you practice everyday then it won't take long for them to pick it up. I know that with Bentley he had mastered sit in a week and he had never known what a command was in his wee life before. If you take it one day at a time and one individual trick or command at a time they will have a wide knowledge of lots of things in no time.
5. Only Reward Correct Behaviour
Trust me I know how hard this one can be but it really is a must. Dogs don't really know what it is to do something wrong. As easy as it is to shout when they do something wrong, this really isn't the best way to go. Simply ignoring the bad behaviour and really rewarding the good your furbaby should pick up what you want from them in no time.
6. Stick To A Clear Set of Rules
If your pet is lucky to live with not just you but multiple people then you will have to devise a clear set of rules for everyone to stick by. It makes life so much easier if everyone is 'singing off the same hymn sheet' - as it were. Your pet will respond much better to one clear set of concise rules.
7. Find What Works Best For You & Your Best Friend
At the end of the day there are hundreds of techniques for training out there and trust me they aren't all suited to everyone. The best way is to find the one that suits you and your pet best. My lot respond well to clicker training as for them when they hear a click they know it's a command. Take some time to do research and decide what will suit your pets needs best. That way you are bound to get the best results.
If you use treats as part of a balanced diet they can really help with teaching your dog what you would like them to do. For some dogs food is the perfect treat. For a bundle of energy like my Molly simply giving her a toy to play with usually does the trick.
4. Teach One Thing At a Time
Pick one thing that you want to teach them and stick with it until they have it. If you practice everyday then it won't take long for them to pick it up. I know that with Bentley he had mastered sit in a week and he had never known what a command was in his wee life before. If you take it one day at a time and one individual trick or command at a time they will have a wide knowledge of lots of things in no time.
5. Only Reward Correct Behaviour
Trust me I know how hard this one can be but it really is a must. Dogs don't really know what it is to do something wrong. As easy as it is to shout when they do something wrong, this really isn't the best way to go. Simply ignoring the bad behaviour and really rewarding the good your furbaby should pick up what you want from them in no time.
6. Stick To A Clear Set of Rules
If your pet is lucky to live with not just you but multiple people then you will have to devise a clear set of rules for everyone to stick by. It makes life so much easier if everyone is 'singing off the same hymn sheet' - as it were. Your pet will respond much better to one clear set of concise rules.
7. Find What Works Best For You & Your Best Friend
At the end of the day there are hundreds of techniques for training out there and trust me they aren't all suited to everyone. The best way is to find the one that suits you and your pet best. My lot respond well to clicker training as for them when they hear a click they know it's a command. Take some time to do research and decide what will suit your pets needs best. That way you are bound to get the best results.
So there we have it, my top 7 tips for training your furbaby.
What are your top tips?
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