When you get a new dog you will have to learn about dog behavior and socializing this includes obedience training, and housetraining. While this may seem like a lot to know when getting a dog, you will want a well behaved pet that you feel comfortable taking places and when people come to visit they are comfortable around your pet. With proper behavior training, both you and your dog would be able to understand each other better and have a better relationship between you. But what exactly is dog obedience training, and why is it so important for you and your dog?

Obedience training can range from very basic training, such as teaching the dog to respond to basic commands such as sit, stay, come, and down, to more advance training for your dog. This is a  general term which can be achieved through the many various dog training techniques such as clicker training, positive reinforcement, collar and leash, rewarding positive behavior and more.  Although some people say they prefer to not provide any dog obedience training, this will make for an unruly and dangerous animal.  

Crate training is one way to help your dog become better behaved, and keep them safe when you are not at home or asleep. There are so many essential uses for crate training, in fact, that dogs suffer from not having this kind of dog obedience training in their lives.

Without this aspect of dog training, your pet will continue with a pack mentality and try to do as it pleases while forcing you to adjust to his behavior.  If you are having trouble with dog, you will likely find that seeking the help of a professional dog trainer not only provides some great tips and suggestions, and will provide information and  fun for you and your dog. Dog services may include at home obedience classes, and can be a help with more serious problems like aggressive behavior and separation anxiety.

You will want to make sure that your pet is well behaved so that you can be in control of them at all times. Your dog is never too old to be trained and to learn new tricks.

Your dog wants to be trained to be a well-behaved and well-mannered pooch. He will be much happier and much more content the better trained that he is. You will also enjoy him more. Dogs are pack animals and they receive pleasure from following the leader of the pack. You just need to make sure that the leader or the “alpha dog” is you.

A dog that is untrained tends to be more nervous and rambunctious, mostly because he is unsure what it expected of him. A dog is much happier when he can follow your orders and he knows exactly what is expected of him. Training your dog will keep your dog safer and happier too.

You can take advantage of many ways to train your dog. There are many books and videos out there and you can also find some great online courses. Almost every city also has professional dog trainers and dog obedience classes that you can attend also.

Even if your dog is older you should begin training him immediately when he arrives at your home. If you have heard that “you can’t teach an old dog, new tricks” you should know that it is a myth. A dog of any age will respond to a good leader and positive reinforcement. There are no excuses for not training your pet.

You will often have the most success in dog training when you make it fun and teach during “playtime”. You will still be teaching serious lessons but both of you will enjoy it more if you don’t try to force things but just enjoy the process. Your dog may learn some things quickly and other things may take longer but either way just enjoy the process and he will be trained to do whatever you want in no time at all.

It is crucial to use positive reinforcement with either praise or treats to acknowledge when your dog does something right. You need to do it immediately so that he will associate the good feeling of the reinforcement to the correct behavior. The same thing goes for any kind of reprimand. It must always be done immediately.

A dog cannot reason and he can only associate positive or negative reinforcement with what is happening at the moment. If you scold your dog now for something that he did an hour ago, it is completely useless and it will only serve to scare him needlessly because he won’t comprehend your reasoning.

The absolute most important thing that you need to remember when it comes to dog training and even dog ownership is that you need to be the leader of the pack or the “alpha dog”. One way to establish this hierarchy rather quickly is by rubbing their belly as soon as they roll over. They will have to submit to you to allow you to do this and it will confirm you as the leader of the pack in their mind. If you are established as the leader and you make it fun for your dog, all of then your training will be much easier and faster.