Dog obedience training is more than just getting your dog to do fancy tricks. Getting your dog to understand and follow commands will help keep your dog safe. For most pet parents, this can be quite tricky. However, some simple tricks can make dog obedience training a lot easier. At The Ultimate Leash, we wanted to provide some tips to help improve your dog’s obedience training. Read on to learn more and shop our collection of leashes and collars!
Start Training Early
Obedience training should begin as soon as you bring your new dog home and they begin to settle in. If your dog is a puppy, begin training as soon as you can. And if it’s an adopted adult dog, you should carefully evaluate the dog to determine the commands it is already familiar with and how you can further improve their knowledge. It is possible to teach an old dog new tricks, it may just take some patience. Early training will ensure that these new skills are imprinted on your dog’s mind as soon as possible.
Find the Perfect Treat
Positive reinforcement involves using rewards to reinforce desired behavior in your dog. This is a tricky part of obedience training because not every dog will work for food. While some dogs like treats, some would prefer grooming, playtime, or toys as rewards. Even dogs that love treats will prefer certain treats over others. You will have to figure out that million-dollar treat that your dog considers a high-value reward. You can also have different treats for different levels of rewards. Finding what motivates your dog can help make training much simpler.
Be Consistent
When training your dog, you should use cues that even you will find easy to remember and use consistently. Using different cues each time you give your dog instructions will only leave the pooch confused. Also, don’t use the same cue for more than one command, this is equally confusing. Simple commands paired with hand gestures are a great way to train your dog and will allow you to use either the word or the gesture to get your dog to do what you want them to do.
Walking Your Dog
Walking your dog is one of the ways to develop a strong bond with your beloved pup. It is a simple activity that makes a big difference as it requires gently and subtly getting your dog to follow your lead which is quite a big deal. Not only does walking your dog allow you to bond but it also helps stimulate their mind, which can allow them to focus more when you are working on their training.
When walking your dog, make sure you use a comfortable and safe collar like the Martingale dog collar. Martingale collars are safer compared to regular prong collars or choke collars. It gives your dog cues to stop by tightening when he pulls on it and loosening when the dog stops pulling. This gives you greater control and helps them learn to follow your control as well.
Dogs are smart pets. With the right motivation, your dog can learn all the behaviors you want them to learn and follow your instructions. You just need to know how to nudge them in the right direction. Start by getting the best dog collar and leash for your pup from The Ultimate Leash. This will make walking and training much easier.
