Dog Training Tips For First-Time Dog Owners

If you’ve decided to bring a dog into your home, you have a lot to look forward to. Being a dog owner can be very rewarding. Dogs are referred to as man’s best friend for a reason! In time, your pet will feel like an indispensable part of your household. With that said, it’s important to learn how to train your pet. Keep these essential tips in mind as you get started.

Teach Your Dog Essential Commands

While you don’t have to teach your pet tricks right away, you should focus on teaching them a few basic commands. These commands will help you to keep your dog safe in a variety of situations, and they will also make it easier for you to correct common behavior issues.

The most important commands to teach your dog are sit, stay, and come. Being able to tell your dog to sit can help them to settle down when they’re overly excited. If your pet responds to the stay command, you’ll be able to keep them from running off towards something that catches their interest, even when they’re off-leash. When your dog knows the come command, you’ll be able to bring them back to you if they’re about to get into trouble.

Focus on teaching your dog one command at a time. Repetition is key. If you continue to repeat the same commands and provide your dog with a reward when they respond in a certain way, you’ll be able to teach them what each of those words means. These three commands are essential if you want a well-trained dog.

Stay Positive

Training a dog can be frustrating. It’s easy to become discouraged. You may want to release some of your frustrations by snapping at your dog. However, maintaining a positive attitude is important. Dogs are sensitive, and they can pick up on changes in your mood. If your dog sees you being positive and encouraging, they’ll want to work harder to please you.

Keep Training Sessions Short

No one wants to share a home with an untrained dog. Because of this, you might want to spend hours training your dog each day. However, your training sessions will be far more effective if you work to keep each session short.

Try to train your dog in small increments throughout the day. This will give you an opportunity to repeat the commands while you’re trying to train your dog. It will also keep both you and your dog from getting warn out.

Train Your Dog Every Day

You won’t want to train your dog all day long, but you will want to train them on a daily basis. Try to make training a part of your everyday routine. If your dog is hearing the same commands day-in and day-out, they’ll be able to remember the commands and learn them.

Dogs don’t understand what we’re saying, and teaching a dog a new command can take time. You’ll need to be both patient and vigilant if you want your dog to learn these kinds of commands. You’ll also want to make sure you’re training your pet in an environment that is quiet and free of distractions.

Consistency Is Key

One of the biggest problems new pet owners run into when they’re trying to train their dogs is a lack of consistency. For example, if you’re trying to teach your pet not to sit on your furniture, you can’t allow them to sit on your furniture sometimes. You need to make sure you uphold the same rules time and time again.

It’s easy to forget that our pets can’t really understand us or read our minds. Your dog won’t be able to understand what your rules are unless you enforce those rules consistently.

Consider Working With A Professional

If you don’t feel like you have enough time to properly train your dog, you may want to seek professional help. Working with a trainer or a behavioral consultant can be incredibly helpful, especially if your pet has serious behavior issues. Training your dog is something you can do on your own, but you shouldn’t be afraid to get help if you need it.

Your dog isn’t going to be trained overnight. However, if you follow these tips, you’ll eventually have a well-trained pet on your hands. Both you and your dog will be happier if your pet is properly trained.