Basic Dog Training

People who want a dog usually fall into two of several categories, they are people who have either owned or been around dogs all their lives, and are well aware of the pluses and minuses of dog ownership. The second category are people who have never owned a dog before in their lives, and have no clue about dog ownership and how to provide the dog with the fundamentals of basic dog training.

For those newbies to dog ownership, the honeymoon period and their love and patience for their new four legged addition to the family may rapidly diminish unless a training program is developed and adhered to as rigidly as possible.

New dog owners are probably unaware that a dog that is untrained is also unhappy, and is liable to do consider damage to its surroundings until this situation is rectified.

Once a puppy reaches eight weeks, his training program should be mapped out and should gradually begin. The major rules of thumb in dog training, and especially around young dogs, are based around two things: tremendous patience and unwavering consistency.

A lot of the training that will be laid out for the dog should be determined also on two factors. What breed the dog is and what do you expect of the dog.

If the dog will be bound to be large, then you will have to train it accordingly. Certain dogs have innate personality traits that you will be either unable to train them out of or will not want to. If you want your dog to live outdoors, then there will be less of an emphasis on house training. If your dog is destined to spend its life in or around the house them the early you get down to house training the better it will be for all concerned. Of course, dogs are pack animals and want to be with their owners as much as possible. (A pack will punish by isolating, so be mindful of leaving a dog alone outside).

Simultaneously with the need for house training, you can begin to train your dog on some of the basic requirements of being a domestic pet. This entails being a member of dog society as well being a sort of honorary member of the family.

The dogs training will succeed only if it is a disciplined exercise. Lots of patience is required from the outset, and maybe an hour or two a day will need to be set aside to get you through. The good news is that it doesn't have to be continuous and experienced dog trainers will tell you that it is much better if the training is spread out over three of four sessions a day.

Dog's memories are not the greatest, so they may well have to go over the same procedure several times before it sinks in, and they may well have forgotten by the time the next session comes around. They are inclined to become confused also if the order of training is not strictly adhered to. Dogs love and need consistency, and will absorb new maneuvers so much better if they are taught them according to a set pattern. You will soon have your dog understanding the four basic commands "Stay, sit, come and down." Especially for larger breeds, you need to start with "off" which means off the furniture as well as no jumping on people. It is so much easier to instill this in a dog from the beginning rather than let them jump on people when they are so little they do no damage and then be alarmed when they do it when they are bigger. They will learn what we teach, for good or bad! Once you have these basic commands understood, you will be able to move on to more sophisticated commands as "Fetch, paw or roll over." If you find that you and your new friend have a real knack for training, you can even go as far as training you dog to bring your slippers or the morning paper, but that may take a while. There are agility classes and obedience training for competition available as well, but it all starts with these basic commands.

If things go according to plan, within 2-3 weeks you should see you and your dog's hard work begin to show fruit. It shouldn't be too long after that your dog will be trotting along by your side, a credit to your diligent training and to your family.