Tips For Fun And Effective Dog Obedience Training

A dog is always a joy to have as a loving, loyal companion but if you want to live with one, some compromises have to be made. Dogs aren't "little people" or "people with fur," regardless of how much we want to treat them as such. They "think" differently and do things differently and are creatures of instinct. They can, however, be conditioned to do things in a certain way and this is where good dog obedience training comes in.

When to start training

Start training once your dog reaches 2 months old, when his curiosity now extends to the environment beyond his kennel, his siblings or his mom. It's also a good idea to start training a puppy you just acquired or even an adult dog. Dog obedience training works for dogs of all ages and the myth about old dogs not learning new tricks isn't true at all.

To make sure you start your dog on the right training path, allocate your first 2 to 3 weeks together for constant and consistent training. This will help you establish the grounds on which you can both relate to and communicate with each other.

Styles of dog obedience training

There are basically two main types of obedience training for dogs - the "hard" or leash style and the "soft" or reward style. Which one you choose will depend largely on the type of dog you have, its temperament and the purpose of training. Leash training, for example, works best for dogs who have to be trained for reliability, particularly in situations where they could easily get distracted. This is why police K9 dogs are trained using this method because not only do they have to be extremely focused but they also have to resist the motivation to fight.

When using the leash style of obedience training, keep in mind that this is only a tool with which to communicate with a dog and thus must be used carefully in order to teach, correct and reinforce good behavior. Make sure the use of the leash is consistent with the training. If it confuses your dog, it will be ineffective and a waste of both of your time.

The reward style of training reinforces the desired behavior with rewards such as praise and/or treats such as food or toys. It is an excellent option to teach dogs different types of skills from the most basic actions to more complicated ones such as performing tricks, tracking, apprehending criminals and detecting scents. The reward style is preferred by some dog owners and trainers because it allows the dog to perform a certain action voluntarily and doesn't require any physical nudging or manipulation by the trainer.

When training a dog for obedience, always remember to reinforce good behavior and correct bad behavior right away. Train with love, compassion and understanding so you and your pet will both reap the rewards of your combined efforts.

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