Dog Behavior Questions - Training Behavior Understood

submitted: Jul 7th 2008 | by: LeeDobbins | Total views: 1 | Word Count: 578 | PDF View | Print Article

Contrary to popular belief there are not as many training styles as there are trainers and one of the most interesting dog behavior questions that arise is how the trainers attitude affects the training process. The despite an individual differences people handling dogs fall into clearly recognizable categories. And no matter your an individual style or that of your dog there remain certain truisms.

You must have patience when trying to develop good behavior in your dog just about as much as raising a child. For the most part we as humans don't have that much patients. So when trying to train your dog to behave you may need to train yourself.

When training your dog, keep in mind that daily sessions are needed to reinforce the desired behavior you want. Half an hour to an hour time slots will be most rewarding. Remember that no matter how much time has gone by, if you are starting to lose your control or your patience you must end your training session.

Your goal should be to increase the "time to boiling point" bit by bit every day. Don't forget that you and your dog are working together in this training and that your dog is only able to understand commands at the level of a two-year-old toddler. This is even true for breeds that are easily trained. There may be exceptions to this, but those are few and far between.

In nature, dogs live in a hierarchical social structure, and many dog behavior questions can be answered by this. In their society, there is typically 1 leader in the "pack" - the alpha dog. In your house, you are the leader of the back. You must remember this when training and not let the dog take a leadership role.

When training your dog to obey, you should not be doing it for yourself, but for your dog and the safety of others. YOU will be rewarded with a constant companion. Once you begin training you must stick with it and continually praise your dog for its efforts. Remain diligent through failures and do not punish your dog for them.

There are dogs who are naturally easy to train, but not all of them will be this way. You need to have patience and remember that your dog wants to please you. Keep up on it consistently and your dog will eventually follow your instructions.

No matter how well you train your dog, your dog still has a mind of its own and won't always follow the commands you issue. You and your dog will get frustrated if you expect him to learn a command with too few repetitions or to always perfectly follow one that you taught him before. Your dog does not have the same memory as a human. It is even different from very young humans. Get to know your dog. Acknowledge your dog's unique qualities, his learning capability, and any limitations he may have.

Remember when training your dog to take his breed into consideration along with his age. All dogs are unique and have their own personality. You need to work with your dogs traits whether he is naturally lazy, inattentive, or a youthful pup.

Working against your dog's nature is never a good idea. Treat your dog kindly, but firmly and work at building his trust and training will be a good experience for both of you!

About the Author

Lee Dobbins is an avid dog lover who has owned many different types of dogs from a 90 pound Shepherd mix to a pure bred Pomeranian. She shares her years of research and experience in an Ebook and newsletter which you can download for FREE at http://www.dogcareandtrainingtips.com.


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