Trained Dogs Rock
Making a Better Dog, is about Distraction Training
Training a dog is an essential period in the development of any dog’s life. It requires a good relationship with the owner. Various dog obedience classes can be used to help your furry friend learn how to conduct themselves in a way that no longer causes embarrassment for you, whether it is through solving behavior issues or just teaching basic dog obedience. A good obedience school based on positive reward based training for dogs, will ensure that your dog no longer does disagreeable things such as jumping at your visitors, running over your flower garden, or chewing your sofa into bits and pieces. Most dogs have a number of negative behaviors that cause them to act this way, and that’s why it’s a good idea to begin dog obedience training classes as easily as possible in order to increase the chances of eliminating bad habits permanently. It is much easier to teach a new behavior then to try and stop and re-train an old one.
Dog Obedience Training Guidelines
First and foremost, let’s discuss distractions. Obedience is most valuable and needed during times of distraction. Getting Sport to hold a sit/stay in the living room with no one home is nice, but getting Sport to hold his sit/stay when someone is at the door, explains the essence and value of training. This kind of behavior can only happen with concentrated work on your part.
Here is how to start: Don’t start distractions until he is well grounded and knows his basic commands. The big five; “come,” “sit,” “stay,” “down,” and “heel.” The next step in training is to take him to new places that he is less familiar with and spend some time training those commands with him in that place. Start slow with limited distractions. How about a friend’s back yard? Then possibly a little grassy out of the way spot, like a parking lot very early in the morning before any one is there. Put on your thinking cap and come up with some places in your area. The important thing is that everything is done in slow, easy steps. Don’t start at the dog park with tons of dogs running around within his sight. When things seem to be going in the wrong direction with positive motivation, you can just guide him back gently. The point is that you gently communicate with him (by virtue of positive reinforcements/rewards) that he is to focus on you for what he’s permitted and disallowed to do outside of the home environment. An easy way to do this is with practicing his basic commands. Just keep building one small slice at a time on a foundation of attentiveness by slowly raising the bar on his distractions. I can without fear of contradiction, say that eventually you will know the wonderful feeling of confidence and pride, knowing that you were the instrument that created this wonderful, attentive, obedient, working dog.
