Home Dog Training - Can You Do It On Your Own?

By Adrian Logan

Last time before obedience classes were popular, nearly every dog owner relied on home dog training to get their dog to perform tricks and obey.

Pet owners who wanted a well behaved dog really had no choice but to spend time teaching Fido at home, and had to have the patience, willpower, and desire to do so. Many people learned how to train their dogs from their parents who had owned dogs, while others used instructions found in dog training books.

You can either train your dog through dog obedience classes or conduct home dog training just as your ancestors did. If you are low in budget, conducting home training is a better choice.

Dogs are easy to train. You just need to use a mixture of consistency, praise, and treats. Give them enough of those, and they'll be doing whatever you want in no time. They will obey you and perform nice tricks to impress your friends.

The most successful way to train your dog at home is to model the behavior you want from him. For example, if you want him to sit on command, then gently place him in a sitting position and say "sit" very firmly, while looking him in the eyes.

Keep repeating this. Soon, you only need to say 'sit' and you will see him do that. When he does it correctly, give him a treat and praise your dog. If your dog did not do it correct, continue to model the sitting position and the command. Your dog will get it eventually.

Different dogs pick up the skills differently. Some require a longer time but some can pick up quite quickly. But sooner or later he will get it.

Be sure to keep praising and giving treats for the first several times your dog does the right thing on command. This is important. After a while, you can forego the treats but continue to praise your dog. Your dog need to know whether are you happy with him. - 29953

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