You thought you were bringing home Lassie from the pound, but some days it feels more like you might have brought home Cujo! The good news is that, with just a bit of basic training, your dog can become better behaved within just a short amount of time. Now that's news to bark at! When training your dog, use the dog's name when you want their attention. This ensures that you will have good verbal control when you go outside your home, and good verbal control is absolutely vital to responsible pet ownership. Never call your dog to you in order to dish out punishment, as this will create a negative connection. Teach everyone in your family to use the same commands to train your dog. If your dog jumps on the couch and you say "get off," but your husband uses "down boy", it will confuse your dog. If all family members are consistent in using the same commands, you will have more success in training your dog. Walking your dog is one of the most important aspects of dog training. It is during these walks that you establish dominance. It is essential that you are in command of the walk and not the dog. This means that you should always be in the lead, with your dog walking beside, not in front of, you. In order to train a well-mannered dog you should aim to begin training your dog in its first four months of life. These first four months are its primitive years of development and growth. If you begin training during this period, you will have a better chance of raising a good dog. Most owners are amazed at how easy it is to incorporate basic dog training into their life and how quickly they start to notice results. So if your relationship with your pooch is feeling a bit strained, try out some of these tips. We think you'll be impressed with the results!
