Kate and Gin Training
Basic principles for Training your dog
Dogs learn form a variety of sources and in a number of ways but its important to realise dogs enjoy learning and it helps keep them active in both mind and body. Also it is an opportunity for your dog to spend one to one time with you and receive your undivided attention, which dogs crave for.
To successfully train your dog you need to build a strong bond with your dog through everyday activities such as feeding, exercising and grooming. Also teaching your dog to play and interact with you and others is important as your dog associates play as a happy experience, therefore it can be incorporated into training sessions and play has a long term benefit of creating and strengthening the bond between you and your dog.
There are a few factors that you need to keep in mind when training your dog.
Consistency If you make a rule with your dog today then don’t break the rule tomorrow such as allowing your dog to jump up at visitors when you don’t normally allow it.
Timing Is important so you reward your dog at the right time so the dog knows what behaviour it is being rewarded for such as if you tell your dog to sit and the dog sits then you reach for a treat and your dog goes into a down and you give your dog the treat after this you have rewarded your dog for lying down.
Length of training sessions Training should be kept short and sweet when first starting to train your dog such as five or ten minutes in length as your dog will not have a long attention span at first and training session s should be finished on a positive note while your dog is still eager.
Repetition Is key as by constantly praising and rewarding the completion of a task your dog will begin to perform them naturally and purely for there pleasure and to get your attention.
Rewards Different dogs respond to different rewards such as playing with a toy, food, or being fussed or a mixture of all three it is important to find what motivates your dog the best to get the most out of your training sessions
Your Attitude Patience is necessary when training your dog if you feel your dog is not learning a command as fast as you thought they might. Review what you are actually doing are you giving your dog mixed signals, which means your dog thinks you are wanting another behaviour or maybe there is a method better suited for your dog to learn that particular behaviour .
It is also important to socialise your dog so they feel at ease to give you there undivided attention in new surroundings rather than your dog being worried by what is going on round you both.
