If you want to train your dog to behave properly and obey all your commands, you’re in for a real task ahead. Some dog are easy to train while others can give you a hard time. Either way, this task requires a lot of patience and effort on your part.
To train your dog for obedience, you should follow these general tips:
1. Use kind, loving words.
Dogs are intelligent animals. They can understand most commands if delivered the right way. Shouting at your dog and apprehending it sternly is not the right way to train it. Avoid lashing at your dog, no matter how frustrated you are.
2. Give your dog some treats.
Dogs would enjoy the training more if you have some treats to throw whenever it was able to do a command or two. Dogs associate good deeds with your rewards. So you surely want to keep them coming if only to motivate your dog.
3. Be firm.
When you give out a command, don’t budge until your dog gets the idea. Being firm with your words would show your pet that you’re serious. In due time, he would recognize your words and heed it from then on.
Barking is a natural behavior for dogs. Since they can’t speak, they use the sound they make to communicate with humans. You can’t ask your dog never to bark. That is like asking them not to act like dogs at all. But you can very well make them bark minimally and only when necessary.
To address excessive barking in dogs, you should:
1. Show your pet some attention.
Dogs that bark the loudest are dogs that are desperate for attention. If your dog barks excessively, then he might want something. Attend to its needs. Know what the problem is. Sometimes, a loving tap in the head is everything that your dog wants from you.
2. Give your dog some treats.
Treats are the best tools a dog trainer has. If you want your dog to be quiet, tell him to stop barking. If he does stop, wave the treat in his nose and give it to him after several seconds of not barking at all. This would teach your dog that it has to minimize making sounds if he wants more goodies.
3. Distract your dog.
Some dogs bark because they see something or someone they are not familiar with. If this is the case, distract your dog’s attention and tell him to be quiet. You can throw his favorite toy, give him some biscuit, or ask him to fetch. Doing so would make your dog forget about what it is that forces him to bark for the time being.