Learn How To Train Your Dog With Help From These Tips

An often overlooked component of good dog training is to evaluate and improve the dog's diet. The old adage that you are what you eat definitely applies to dogs. A lot of medical and behavioral problems can be traced back to a dog's diet. Make sure you are doing all you can to give your dog the very best food it can get.

When training your dog for specific commands, be sure to use the exact same wording during everyday life as you do during training sessions. If you select "down" for "lie down", use "down" every time you want the dog to lie down. Changing up the terminology can confuse your dog and interfere with training.

Training a dog involves mainly correcting bad behaviors as they happen. You cannot train a dog when it is not doing something that needs to be corrected. By training a dog not to do something as soon as it acts out, the dog can learn quickly when it is doing something wrong.

Most dogs respond better to positive reinforcement rather than negative punishment. If you're trying to train your dog, reward him for good behavior and only scold him if absolutely necessary. Your dog will remember the reward for good behavior more distinctly than the punishment for bad behavior, making rewarding more effective.

One of the easiest ways for you to begin to train your dog(s) is to research the types of training classes available in your area. Consider checking out the classes and the venues before committing to one so that you can make sure both you and your pet feel comfortable before beginning the training process.

Start training your dog as early in its life as possible, but not younger than about seven weeks. This helps build an early bond between you as the owner and trainer and the dog. However, starting too early will simply overstress the dog; a very young puppy won't learn anything from training sessions.

If you are serious about training your dog, remember to be a dog during training. Dogs establish control and behavior through physical commands and less through spoken command. When you want your dog to exhibit a certain behavior, use nudges or posture adjustments physically along with your verbal commands. These are traits your dog expects and will respond accordingly.

When giving commands to your dog, do not repeat the command over and over before getting a response. By giving the command one time and waiting for the dog to respond, you will teach him that you are expectant of a behavior. If the command is not obeyed at first, show your pet what you expect before saying the command again.

Exercise is an important element of training a dog. A dog that does not have enough exercise will have greater amounts of energy. This energy can come out as chewing on things, playing with people, running around the house, or other unwanted activities. Exercise will help one have a manageable dog to work with.

When it is time to leash train your new dog or puppy, you must let him know that you are boss. Punishment does nothing but make him afraid of you and it doesn't actually correct the behavior. One thing that you should do, is make a short leash so that he has to stay right by your side. Do not let him lead you. You are the leader, not him.

As was discussed in the beginning of this article, puppy chewing is a problem only if you do not give him something else to focus on. Apply the advice from this article on the proper way to train your puppy not to chew up your home, and soon you will see your dog finding non-destructive ways to occupy his or her time.

The author is still in the field of dogs and cats and into puppy costumes for years and made a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-tsVEqPSEM where you can find solutions to your important questions.