Bad Dog Training Tricks - Obedience Training for Dogs

Training a dog in obedience is not a simple task when the dog's owner has not received proper training himself. The majority of dog owners do not know how to train their dog and expect the animal to think like humans, which lead to quite a lot of disappointment. There are simple methods that can be learned by reading obedience training books or watching dog training DVDs in addition to attending dog training classes with a qualified dog trainer, dog and owner together.

The key to training a dog is to use adequate simple communication that the dog is taught to understand and obey. There are 5 basic commands accepted as standard in English, that all dogs should respond to: sit, down, stay, heel and come. The command words used are not important but consistency in their use is. The same words in Spanish will be understood by a dog that has been trained in the corresponding language.

The purpose of training a dog is to have the animal behave properly when around members of the family, invited strangers and other pets. It is advised to start training as soon as the puppy arrives to its new home in order to correct bad dog behavior and teach discipline. Basic training classes with a professional trainer start with puppies of a least 3 to 6 months old, and before that time, the owner should prepare himself and read a few books on the subject.

Training a dog is all about good communication between the dog and the owner. The dog has to understand and obey basic commands while the owner has to recognize the dog's signals when it is confused, nervous, excited or happy. Obedience training is to teach the dog, from the perspective of the owner, what behaviors are correct and which are incorrect.

There are four signals used by dog trainers to communicate with the dog:

- The reward signal for correct behavior, letting the dog know it has earned a reward.
- The keep going signal for correct behavior, to tell the dog it has to continue in order to earn a reward.
- The no reward signal for incorrect behavior, to tell the dog to try something new.
- The punishment signal for incorrect behavior, letting the dog know it has earned a punishment.

These signals can be given verbally or with the help of a small mechanical device called a clicker.

Obedience training is usually a short 6 to 10 weeks course when the owner is taught how to communicate and train his dog with a few simple commands. Breeds like the Doberman Pinscher or the German Shepherd are easier to train than others with a minimum amount of time but all dogs can be trained, even the most challenging.

Michel Gerard is a freelance author based in Asia. His expertise is wide and varied in a number of topics. Visit the Bad Dog Training Tricks website and learn how to stop your bad dog behavior right now => http://www.baddogtrainingtricks.com