Dogs make wonderful pets and superb companions. They have always been known as “man’s best friend”. But in order to be a respectable household pet and a decent doggy resident they need to be trained. They also need to be trained to be protected and contented members of your family.
You must start off training your puppy for obedience as soon as he arrives at your residence. The training will be ongoing until he is about a year old and then while he may be considered “fully trained”, you will still want to work with him to keep his skills razor-sharp for the rest of his existence. A well-trained dog is a pleasure to own and a pleasure to be around.
The number one directive of dog training is that you must be the “alpha dog”. Some people may not like that term but the fact is that dogs are pack animals and they expect to have a leader. You must be the leader and all of the human being members of your family unit must outrank your dog in the pack order. Dogs will do everything for the leader of the pack so that must be you.
Never permit your dog to demonstrate domination. He must wait for his food until you are done eating. This is a subtle but necessary thing. You must also never let him jump on you or other people either.
Never allow your puppy to do stuff that would not be okay for an mature dog. This includes nipping and jumping at you and others. Consistency is one of the most imperative things when it comes to training your dog. A dog does not think logically like a human and if you don’t want your dog to jump on you when you are wearing your business suit then don’t let him jump on your when you are in your play clothes. Consistency is vital.
A crate will make all of your training easier. Dogs truly want a restful and cozy place that is their own and they feel safe and secure in a crate. At the beginning your puppy may complain but you will need to just leave him there and he will adjust. A crate will make housetraining and obedience training both much easier.
It is very important for your dog’s protection that he knows how to sit and stay. You must be able to have power over your dog at specific times and he must be obedient with your orders in order to avoid troubles like running off and jumping all over the visitors that come to your house.
Walking on a leash and heeling are also part of the basic training that your dog needs. After that you can move on to fun things like fetching. Well-trained dogs are the most pleasurable to own and to be around so do not slack on your pet-owner tasks.