Dog Obedience: 3 basics you never want to forget

Title: Dog Obedience: 3 basics you never want to forget
Author: Paul Easton

Dog Obedience: 3 basics you never want to forget
Teaching basic obedience skills to a dog can be exciting as
well as challenging. Having problems on where to begin?

The first lesson in obedience is to get your dog to pay
attention to the commands. You want to start by calling his
name and then using a keyword like "watch" or "look"
afterwards. This way, he will associate the words to a
command. Once you've got his attention, the lessons can
begin.

You want your dog to be able to pay attention for a short
length of time. Try keeping his attention by doing
attention exercises. One example would be to hold a toy or
dog treat in near your mouth and then give him the keyword
command.

Each time he takes the time to watch, praise him. The more
you do this exercise, the more time he should be able to
pay attention to you. Try getting him to watch for at least
a minute. Let him know that he is doing a good job by
rewarding him. Dogs learn best this way.

Because dogs have such short attention spans, they get
distracted pretty easily. Training sessions should only
last approximately 30 minutes tops.

If your dog isn't learning very quickly, you may become
frustrated. Don't take that frustration out on your dog. A
few things to remember before starting your obedience
lessons:

1) Never cause pain to your dog (this will cause him to shy
away or become aggressive to you.)

2) If he begins to become distracted, change the tone of
your voice (not raising it)

3) Consistency can not be stressed enough (animals are like
children, if you're not consistent, they will become
confused)

Teaching your dog basic obedience commands will make for a
more obedient and more pleasant dog to be around.

The first command to start off with would be to sit. You
must use the word sit while teaching him so that he can
relate the word with the action. Start by gently pushing
his backside down and saying the word "sit." Eventually he
will catch on to the concept.

The second command is "down." Dogs can become pretty
hyperactive when they get excited. Jumping up on their
owner's lap is usually how they express their excitement.

When they jump up, tell them "down." Do not pet them or act
excited to see them while they are on you. Continue to tell
them "down," and even place their legs down if you have to.

Next is the command of "stay." This command is a good one
to know especially if you have a rambunctious hyper dog.
You can teach him stay, for example, by putting a treat or
something desirable on the ground. As he moves toward it,
tell him "Stay."

Another good idea would be to put your hand up while saying
the word "stay." When he begins to become obedient in this
area, you can move further away from him. This will cause
him to become more daring and he will probably take a step
forward to see how much he can get away with.

When he does this, continue to put your hand out and tell
him "stay." He has to know that even though you are moving
away, you can still see what he's doing and expect him to
continue to obey.

After you've mastered the stay command, you will move on to
the come command. Once your dog has learned to sit and
stay, he will need a command to know when it's ok to get up
and approach you.

They may be a bit confused at first, but with a change in
the tone of your voice, he will soon understand. Put a
little excitement in your voice when saying the word "come".

He will pick up on it. You might also want to pat your leg
when you say come.

Stand is the last command to achieve. This is where your
dog is allowed to get a little excited but not in a
pouncing kind of way. When teaching your dog to stand, pat
your hands on your chest and, once again, put a little
excitement in your voice, so that he knows he's aloud,
under certain circumstances. He will begin to know the
difference.

Teaching your dog basic obedience, if possible, should be
taught as soon as you and your dog are ready. Remember be
consistent don't forget to have fun!

About the Author:

Paul Easton is The owner of http://www.JustDogclothes.com
Dog Clothes, Clothing, T-shirts jackets - 2500 designs with
the best possible prices

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