Dog training is an exciting activity, an activity that will allow you to make a dog behave exactly as you want, avoiding all kinds of problems such as misbehavior and other problems.
Dogs are quite good animals, which usually behave quite well with human beings, that is, they are animals that respond very well to commands and other impulses. However, if they are not educated correctly, the pet could become somewhat rebellious at your orders, something that will lead to bad behavior in the long term.
Actually a dog is like a tree, which must be straightened while it is still young, because if you try to do it when the tree is trunk, it can no longer be straightened. In the case of dogs, this is exactly what happens, since if you try to do it when it is still a puppy; it is much easier to educate it correctly than if you do it when it is an adult.
Actually dog training is an activity that to a lesser extent can be done without too much difficulty; however, to achieve optimal results and specialized training, you should put yourself in the hands of a specialist in these matters, such as a canine trainer of quality with years of experience and accredited titles in the sector.
Among the great benefits of training a dog and dog training in general, we have that your dog will behave better, it will learn that it must behave in the face of certain behaviors and it will also know that it has to obey your commands. It will also create a bond between you and the dog, as the dog will develop love for you by doing the correct training.
Today we are going to teach you everything you need to know about dog training, so that you can educate your dog, so that you can take it to the best possible trainer and that you know what you have and do not have to do to train a dog correctly.
Instructions for Dog Training and training Dogs
- Ideal age: The first thing we should know when training a dog is to know what the ideal age of the dog is to be trained, since training a puppy is not the same as training an adult. As we have explained recently, a dog that is a puppy is easier to train than an adult. The age at which a dog is considered an adult is approximately one and a half years old, something that is shortened to one year in some cases and in others it is extended to two years of puppyhood. It is really convenient to train the dog at the beginning, since the smaller it is, the fewer hobbies it will pick up and the greater bond it will create. However, with a little skill, an adult can also be trained, as long as he does not have very bad habits and is a good dog.
- Basic operation of training: The training of dogs is usually based on two things, on neurolinguistic programming anchors and in action reward. We are going to try to get the dog to associate a movement with an action and we are also going to try to get the dog to receive a reward in exchange for doing this action. Reminiscent of the famous whistle dogs, they salivated every time they heard the whistle, which they associated with food. In the same way, we can associate a gesture or word with food, making the dog do what we want. For example, if we make an upward hand movement and make the dog sit, then we will have to give him food so that he associates the action of sitting with food and the action of the hand with sitting. Dog sits without having to give him food, when he is already trained.
Things to reinforce:
In dog training, positive things must be reinforced, since, as with children, dogs learn better with positive reinforcement than with violence. What’s more, what we want is for the dog to love us and create a bond, not for it to be afraid of us. For this reason, I present the three best ways that exist to improve and reinforce dog training.
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- The reward: The dog is not stupid, that is, it will want to do things when there is something in return. Therefore, you should have treats ready to give the dog in case everything goes well. Thanks to this, you will be able to create a positive reinforcement, favor the creation of the bond with the animal and in this way, and be able to greatly improve the training you are doing.
- Repetition: The second thing we must do is repeat and repeat the exercise, always with a reward of course. In this way, the dog will be able to associate the stimulus with the action more quickly. Once the dog can quickly do the action without relying on food, you’re done.
- The variety: It also gives variety to the matter, since the dog needs variety to feel happy. If you always do the same exercise to him, he will think that he is a carnival monkey and you will not create positive reinforcement. It also prepares different rewards for each exercise, so that the dog is more motivated when doing it.
Things to Avoid:
In dog training, there are not only various behaviors to be reinforced, but there are other behaviors that should be avoided at all costs. These behaviors will only create a bad energy between you and the dog, because although you may get them to obey you that way, they will make them afraid, something that no dog lover would want. Avoid these three actions as much as possible.
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- Violence: Many people have trained their dog to beat them, punishing their bad actions and not rewarding the good ones. In the end the dog obeys, but he does it out of fear, something that nobody wants. In addition, we reject violence and animal abuse, so try to avoid this way of doing things, since the animal will also take a grudge against you and will not be happy.
- Impatience: You should also give the dog time, especially if it is already close to being an adult. He thinks that the dog has a hard time learning a new action, especially if he is not used to it. Therefore, he keeps practicing and be very patient to be able to do it correctly, you will see how in the end the dog learns to do things well.
- The lack of rewards: Another thing that we must avoid is the lack of rewards, since the dog will eventually get tired if we do not give him a reward. Although if he is already trained, rewards are no longer needed, he continues to give it from time to time, because otherwise in the end he will stop doing it seeing that he does not receive anything in return.
- Little things that we can teach the dog: Although there are things that have to be taught by a dog trainer, we can teach our dog a few little things, to try to improve our behavior. We are going to teach our dog to sit, something that we will do using the word sit, since it is short and easy to understand, while we raise our hand up. We are going to say sit out loud and raise our hand, and then gently push the dog’s hips so that it sits. If he sits down, give him a treat and praise him for his action. The first few times he will not pay attention to you, but you must continue until he finally learns it, something he will do when he sees that he likes the rewards and associates the reward with that action.
- The role of the dog trainer: Once we have taught him little things, we can now move on to a professional dog trainer, who knows all the dog’s behaviors by heart and knows how to teach him everything he needs to know to be able to perform his functions correctly. The canine trainer takes into account the different types of dogs, their behavior and acts as a trainer and animal psychologist at the same time. It is really worth enrolling our dog in a course of this type, since it will not only teach our animal to sit down and do cute things, but it will also teach him discipline, good behavior and other actions that are always respectable. Worth every euro we pay for their services.
- Specialized training: In addition to standard training, there is also a more specialized type of training, for example for personal defense and rescue of people. Before doing this type of training, it is important that your dog already knows the basics, such as sitting, lying down and that bond already exists. Then, depending on the type of dog and its instincts, it can be taught other types of things, such as self-defense, tracking substances such as drugs, and searching for lost objects. Who knows if one day your dog, who was recently a rebel, will end up becoming a faithful police dog?
- Usefulness of training: Dog training is useful for many things, its main use being the taming of rebellious dogs... A trained dog is calmer, he knows whose boss and he’s never going to mess up at home. For example, a dog with whom you have a good bond will know that he has to do what you say, since he will also love you more than before and will be much fonder of you than he was before you do the trainer course. In addition to this, you will be able to understand your dog, since they will teach you some animal psychology, you will prevent your dog from having fights with other dogs on the street and you will also learn to value this nice dog more 4- legged animal, which is considered man’s best friend. Finally, if you take the specialized courses, the dog will be very useful to you, being able to be trained for many functions as a guide dog, police dog or lifeguard dog.
- Studies to be a trainer: If you like this world and want to learn to train, you have to go to an academy specialized in this world of dog training. In these academies, they will give you practical and theoretical classes on everything you need to know about the world of dog training, so that you can train the rest of the dogs in the world apart from your own. Undoubtedly an exciting and well-paid profession, since you can charge up to 500 euros for a training session for a person if you are good, so it can be your future profession if you like the subject of animal training a lot.