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Knowing Basic Dog Training Techniques Makes For Easier Training

Author: LeeDobbins.
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In order to communicate with your dog for effective and successful training, you'll need to arm yourself with some basic dog training techniques. Interaction between dogs and humans has been around for thousands of years, but sometimes it's still a baffling process. While we all like to think that we are more intelligent, sometimes training sessions can leave a bit of confusion about who is really in charge.

A dog's understanding can be compared to that of a two year old human child. However, a dog's senses are not like ours. Not only do they perceive shades of red and green differently than humans, but their noses are extremely sensitive in comparison. A dog's mind also processes information in an entirely different manner. In order to limit a trainer's frustration and misbehavior on the dog's part, it is critical to remember these differences.

Dogs are naturally pack animals. They are descendants of the wolf which is a social animal and functions best with interactive play and a strict hierarchy. The idea of the 'lone wolf' seems out of character based on the social habits of the wolf.

Dedicate at least 30 minutes per day (one hour would be ideal) for the first few months of training. Begin when your dog is still a puppy. You can start as early as four weeks with some breeds, as long as you remember the age of your dog and accept his limitations.

While housebreaking your dog is a bit more complicated (and we will discuss this in another article), there are a few basic dog training techniques that all training should follow.

When training your dog, you want to make it clear that you are the dominant one as early as possible. Dogs are pack animals by nature, and every pack has a natural pecking order. The top dog is the alpha. It is followed by the beta dog and so on. If you want sanity in your household and you want a happy dog who knows where he stands, you need to step up and be the alpha of his pack.

Depending on the breed of the dog, or sometimes the individual dog, the training technique that is used will be either more difficult or possibly easier. Some dogs are more outgoing, similar to humans. Attitude is what counts the most, though training tools like collars and leashes, and commands are also useful. Your dog should never be allowed to think he is in charge.

This does not mean that you need to be dominating by using your physical strength, although you may need to when it is appropriate. Most of the time a firm hand and patience to wait for the dog to comply is all that is needed.

For puppies, try placing them into a position of submission when they are still young. Roll them onto their backs, and put your hand firmly in the middle of the chest. When they lower their paws, this signals a sigh of submission. You can go further by placing your face directly in front of theirs, emulating dominant dog behavior.

In the beginning it is best to keep the dog on a short leash to help curb the dog's inherent desire to run and scamper. Time to run freely is an important component of a dog's health and well-being, but, at the outset, this should only be allowed prior to or after the training, instead of during the session.

The first step is to choose a series of short and sweet commands, like sit, stay, down, and come. Each should sound distinctly different to avoid confusion between them. Your voice should be firm but not punitive. Make sure that you communicate that you're the boss, but not that you are mad at the dog. Stay away from using two-worded commands like 'sit down' because they tend to confuse the dog.

A constant tone, look and hand sign should be included with every verbal command. Later we can separate them, but initially it is important to offer simplest and most stable type of communication.

Remember that dogs have a word understanding roughly equal to a toddler so you need to keep your meanings simplistic. For example, don't use the verbal command "Down" to mean lay down as well as to indicate not to jump. This will just confuse your dog - stick to 1 meaning per word.

These dog training techniques combined with your patience and persistence will pay off in spades with a dog that is obedient and a fun to be around. Using these techniques will give you a better sense of understanding for your pet and will become a base of communication for a lifetime of friendship.

About the Author

Training your dog to be the perfect pet all boils down to using the right dog training techniques - find out what those are at http://www.positivedogtrainingtechniques.com/.