Simple Dog Training Techniques For Any Dog Breed

Sit and down are two great basic obedience behaviors. They come fairly naturally to dogs (dogs sit and lie down all the time), and they are behaviors you can easily train indoors, which is an ideal environment for using your dog training techniques due to your home's low distraction levels. Punishment has very little to do with teaching your dog proper canine behavior and everything to do with you venting your anger. Trying to correct a dog for an 'accident' in the house you find even a couple minutes later must be avoided.

What many people fail to realize, however, is that solutions to even some of the most bizarre dog problems often lie in misunderstanding basic dog behavior. There is no shortage of material about dog training and resolving dog behavior problems available on the web and at your local library. Identifying and correcting your dogs problem behavior while your dog is still a puppy is the easiest and best time to train your dog. Sure, problem behavior can be cute when your dog is still a puppy, but when Fido grows up, the cuteness is gone and the behavior can be annoying or dangerous. Eliminating problem behavior early on is the key to preventing future behavioral issues.

Negative reinforcement is the process that strengthens a behavior because an unpleasant situation is stopped or avoided as a consequence of that particular behavior. For instance, pushing on your dog's shoulders will provoke an unpleasant situation for him. Negative reinforcement lets the dog know the good parts and bad parts of their behavior. Watching the dogs' behavior with a critical eye during play, walks and other interactions is the best way to determine the dog's natural pack order.

Before you invest in a private dog trainer it is important to make an accurate assessment of your dog training methods. Often times a dog that is not following directions is the result of the poor dog training by the dog's owner.

Ultimately, positive reinforcement training is the dog training technique that makes sense for me and has worked the best over the years with my many breeds of dogs. It works, it is simple, and dogs enjoy it. Above all, avoid abusive training methods and don't confuse negative reinforcement with abusing your dog. You can hire a professional to train your dog pretty much any way that suits your fancy and it's all legal.