Friday, 19 March 2010

How to Train Your Dogs - Some Basics in Dog Training

One very important aspect of owning and having pet dogs is learning how to train your dogs - from toilet training to some basic obedience training. Of course, it is a great thing for pet owners to have a well-behaved dog that does not cause havoc in your home and in your neighborhood as well.

If you decide to bring home a pet dog, one of the important things you have to keep in mind is to potty train your dog even before he starts to make a mess in your living room. Of course, dogs can become great family members, and they are not just good buddies. They will also become loyal to you and to your family where they will eventually belong. All you have to do is train your dogs to make them live harmoniously with the family and the community as well.

To start with your training, here are some basic things that you may want to keep in mind on how to train your dogs.

- Routine is one of the best ways on how to train your dogs. Dogs can be easily trained by establishing a routine that they can follow, thus make sure you commit to making a schedule for them. Stick to the same time of day that you lead your dog outside to potty, if you are potty training him - after waking up, after meals, after a nap and before bedtime, make sure that you have established a routine for him to make him learn easily. It is important that you have to commit to these routines if you want to succeed in training your dogs. A few repetitions and your pet will eventually learn some basic tasks.

- Be consistent. Whether you are potty training or doing some obedience training for your dog, or you want to teach him tricks, it is important to be consistent with your commands. It is also important to brief other family members to use the same commands to your dog whenever they want him to do something. Being consistent will help a lot in making the training easy for your dog to follow.

- Use positive reinforcement in training. One of the best ways to train dogs is to use positive reinforcement or giving rewards for every command or skill that they accomplish. This way, your dog associates doing that specific task to something that is favorable or pleasant. Although it is inevitable that your dog may commit some mistakes during training, it is not good to punish him or hurt him as this can make him more aggressive, and of course, hurting him does not make everything easy and simple. A firm 'No' can be a way to make him realize a misbehavior though.

- Don't train your dog to exhaustion. The attention span of animals varies a lot from humans as they may have shorter attention spans especially the young ones or the puppies. With this, it is important to keep a schedule in mind and don't train them until they are exhausted to let them absorb all your teachings. Stick to one command or skill at a time and don't forget to repeat it the next time around.

Remember these tips on how to train your dogs and you will have a good start in trying to make them well-behaved members of the family. It can also help a lot to get yourself a good guide in dog training especially for specific trainings such as potty training or obedience training.

Carolyn Anderson is a dog lover who trained her dog by herself. To do the same, visit Dog Owners Membership Site, where you can learn dog training from other dog owners. Also check out German Shepherd Handbook, where you can find valuable ideas in taking care of German Shepherds.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carolyn_Anderson

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