Set and Focus on Realistic Goals
You need to get the basics taken care of first. Sure, we’d all like for our dogs to be able to open doors and fetch the mail for us, but these should be focused on after the basics. The first things you should be working on are; establishing yourself as the pack leader, toilet training, and basic verbal commands (sit, heel, bed, lay-down etc). Focus on these basics initially, then move on once you, and your pet, have achieved these essential goals.
The Power of Positivity
You don’t need to be angry and negative to show your dog who’s in control.
More than any other stimuli, dogs respond best to positive reinforcement. Rewarding positive and friendly behaviour is one of the best ways to illicit these type of responses in the future. Although it may be tempting to scold or tell your dog off in certain situations (and sometimes necessary), this is not a good way to approach dog training. The best thing to do is to ignore negative behaviour, and reward positive behaviour – always focus on the positive!
Slow and Easy Wins the Race
If you’re going to be successful with dog training, you’re going to need to be patient. Your dog is not going to pick up all of it’s training right away, it takes time. You need to patient and appreciate that every now and then your dog is going to need a break from training. Don’t be afraid to take a ‘time out’ and play. Dogs love to play, and playtimes are a very important factor in their character building, and mental development.
Be consistent
This is VERY important.
If you don’t establish early on which words, gestures and hand signals you’re going to use, things can get confusing (for you and your dog). Take the time to right down a list of commands, signals and gestures before you start, this way you’ll ensure that your communication is concise and consistent at all times.