10 Top Dog Training Tips

Dog training is the process of teaching a dog to display certain desired behaviors in particular circumstances. This includes teaching a dog to do tricks, rudimentary obedience commands, helping a dog to perform instinctive behaviours at the right time, and even aiding the blind. In the wild as animals, dogs have natural instincts that favour dog training. These instincts are manifested when the dog lives with people as a desire to delight a handler, as a dog would please older members in a pack in the wild.

Basic dog training can start as early as 8 to 12 weeks of age in terms of learning tricks and commands. Formal classes usually begin at 3-6 months. Dog training is predominantly about communication that centres around reward, no reward, bridge & punishment markers.

10 Top Tips For Training Your Dog:
1. When walking your dog, keep the leash loose. A tight leash can teach your dog to pull ( not recommended )
2. Food should reinforce a behaviour. Do not use food to control a behaviour.
3. Do not call your dog to you and then punish it.
4. Don't give your dog more than one command at any one time.
5. Dogs don't know the difference between good and bad. They just know that certain behaviours have certain consequences.
6. Don't train your dog just after it has eaten. Dogs should not train on a full stomach.
7. Train one behaviour at a time before moving to the next.
8. Name a behaviour in order to have some control over it.
9. Reward will increase a behaviour.
10. All the people in the house should be handling and training your dog the same way.

Article by Jane Ashcroft of http://www.dog-training-infozone.com ( The information resource for training your dog )