Even if you have some experience of dog ownership, or are a new dog owner, or are in the process of becoming one, training your dog is one of the most important things you should consider. Similarly, if you currently have a dog with behavioral problems, then dog training is an absolute must.
However, knowing that you need to train your dog and actually training him are two completely different things. Where do you start?
To train your dog successfully, you need to consider and understand some key aspects of dog behavior. Knowing and understanding these 5 facets will greatly enhance your dog's training.
1. The origins of dogs: Dogs essentially descended from the wolves of today. Although domestication has reduced or eliminated many characteristics, some key natural instincts remain. Like wolves, dogs are pack animals. What does this mean?
Well, there are several characteristics that result from the fact that you are a pack animal. The most important in terms of training are that dogs are naturally social, used to routine and social structure.
As social animals, dogs develop through interaction with other dogs. A dog does not see you as a human, but rather as a funny looking dog. Therefore dogs develop by interacting with you. Just like a wild wolf that is rejected by the pack, a dog becomes unhappy and very restless if this interaction is withheld.
As for training, you can use it to reward or punish your dog. Interaction with your dog (petting, cheering, enthusiastic words, etc.) can be just as rewarding as the treats he receives. Similarly, ignoring your dog (e.g. turning your back on him, talking to him harshly, moving him to another room, etc.) can be very painful for him. It's definitely better than beating them.
Like all animals (including humans), dogs like staying on routine. If they know what and when they are likely to do certain things, they are relaxed and comfortable. They know what to expect and don't get confused by constantly changing circumstances.
Training must also follow a routine. Decide on the best time of day to train your dog and respect him as much as possible. Your dog will soon enter into a fixed routine of being trained every day at 4 pm and will remain ready for the training. If your dog is ready and waiting to be trained, it goes without saying that he will actually train better.
In a pack there is always the alpha male. He is the dog that leads the pack, protects the group and ensures that each one is fed and is able to survive. As mentioned above, a dog sees you as a funny looking creature and not the owner, so it is absolutely necessary to be the alpha male. How many nature shows have you experienced where the alpha male is challenged by one of the other alpha males? In the same way your dog will challenge you to be the alpha male, it is a natural instinct for them.
You need to establish yourself as the alpha male from the outset. The provision of food, interaction, punishment of misconduct, body and vocal language are all aimed at establishing you as the alpha male. If your dog does not see you as the alpha male, he will not listen to you and will not act according to your training instructions.
2. The memory of a dog: We all know that goldfishes have a short memory. However, you may be surprised to learn that dogs also have a short memory. If you could say something to your dog, he would probably forget it the next day or a few hours later. On the other hand, dogs have an incredibly good associative memory. That basically means: If your dog can associate something with what you say to him, he'll probably remember what you've said to him for years.
For example, if you tell your dog (assuming you speak dog language) that the chocolate biscuits are in the cupboard, your dog will probably forget this in a few hours. However, if you were to show your dog where the chocolate biscuits are by repeating the words "chocolate biscuits" each time you say "chocolate biscuits", he would probably go straight to the cupboard. You could also search the cupboard every few hours to find the chocolate chip cookies for the rest of your life, but that's not the point.
When you train your dog, you must therefore connect the subject of training with something. For example: teaching your dog to sit. If you associate the word "sitting" with asking your dog to sit physically and then giving him a reward, he will remember that. Repeat this several times and your dog will soon associate the word "sit" with the command to sit physically and then receive a reward. The hardest part is separating the reward. Just ask yourself why almost all dogs sit quietly when you have food in your hand.
3. The language of the dog: In spite of the above remarks, we cannot speak the language of dogs, and dogs cannot speak ours. This is important in training. You must choose words for commands that you and your dog will remember. Be careful not to choose very common words, otherwise your dog will easily get confused if this word always occurs in the middle of a sentence. The word "come" is often used in dog training. For this example, it may be better to use a version of the slang or combine "come here" in a short word.
It is important that when you choose a word for a command, you must stick to this word and be consistent, otherwise your dog will get confused.
I know that it can be difficult, especially when you come home from work, you should always use pre-selected words when talking to your dog. Your dog does not speak human language and will only know the few words you have trained him with (and the tone of voice you have used). So if you start using different words or different sounds, your dog will fail to understand.
For example: Imagine that someone speaks to you in a foreign language and asks you for the address of the town hall. He doesn’t understand a word you are saying, and so he will get more and more frustrated when you speak in a language that is getting louder and faster and yet not understandable. Is it your fault that you cannot understand them? So, they should also not get angry if you don’t understand them. If you have not trained your dog to understand "sitting" and you start shouting "sitting", "lying on your hind legs", "lying down", etc., it is not your dog's fault if he looks at you confused and increasingly fearful.
4. Puppy behavior: Just like babies, puppies do not know how the world works or how to behave in it. You have to teach them what is right, what is wrong, what is right and what is wrong.
A healthy, happy puppy will be a bundle of energy ready to explore as much as possible and as quickly as possible. Dogs do not have good eyes that can see things, nor good hands that can grasp the complexity of objects. Instead, they have a nose that can smell things and a mouth that can chew on things.
Although this may be the result of training and general maturation, it is important that you are patient and understand where your dog comes from and why he does what he does.
5. Structure and fun: Although I have addressed these two aspects in an overview above, no information about dog training would be complete without mentioning these two aspects alone.
No matter how you decide to train your dog, as with routine, you must have structure in your training. If you have never trained a dog before, how do you know when it can start to learn to sit, stay, etc., and when it can run to the local store and pick up the newspaper for you?
You need to know what you really want to train your dog so that he is finally able to do and what steps you need to take to achieve this. Dog trainers, dog training courses and dog training guides can do this. I personally prefer to train my own dogs and I believe that in the end you develop a much stronger bond with your dog. Furthermore, your dog will obey you better than his trainer. However, I recommend that you buy a dog trainer at least, and especially if you have never trained a dog before.
I hope the above post will help you to train your dog better. By knowing why and how your dog does, you should be able to understand why he behaves like this. By using this understanding you can develop a better relationship with your dog. A sound training routine along with oodles of patience will be needed if you want to have have a well-trained dog. Lastly, you should always ensure that the training is full of fun and pleasure both for you and your dog.