Free Dog Training Information

Although man's best friend is his dog, Fido doesn't always obey his master. Training should start immediately after you get your new puppy or dog. With consistency, you can have an obedient animal in no time!

Begin working with your dog on understanding what your negative and positive responses mean. If Fido does not understand "no" he will not realize he is exhibiting bad behavior. Once the animal understands what "no" and "yes" or "good boy" mean, play outside with him to supervise the behavior. When you catch the dog barking, tell him no and direct his attention to some other activity, such as playing fetch. If your dog barks at neighbors or sounds outside, he is indicating that the noise is unfamiliar or unwelcome. Take the dog outside to get used to sounds and introduce him to the neighbors and children in your area. Once he is familiar with them, barking should be reduced.

No one likes to find the dog under a table chewing up shoes or sitting on the sofa gnawing on the arm. The first thing you should do to alleviate this problem is buy her some chew toys. Your dog needs to know that it is all right to chew, but only on her toys. Just as with barking, your dog needs to know the rules of the house and what it means when you tell her no if she's chewing on furniture or shoes. Reinforce good behavior by praising her and giving her treats.

Put your dog in a sit position and praise him for staying for 2 to 5 seconds. Following the praise and a treat, let him know the behavior was acceptable and the exercise is over. Repeat the process and praise your dog for sitting longer and longer each time before praise and a treat. Next add verbal commands and hand signals to your training. Put your dog in a sit position. Say "stay" and hold your hand out in front of him. After he stays here for 2 to 5 seconds reward him with praise and a treat. Repeat this process as you did before adding the commands. Practice by making your dog stay when you are preparing his dinner. This training will also help keep him from running away if the door is open.

Potty training a new puppy takes time and patience. Start by selecting a location outside where you would like your puppy to go. Keep the puppy confined to a crate or gated area so she cannot run throughout the house. Take your puppy out once an hour to the designated location. Demonstrate the area to her and give a cue word indicating that this is where she is to go potty. If she goes, praise her and give her a treat. When you go back into the house, let her play freely for a short time, then put her back in the crate or pen. Repeat these steps every hour until she understands that she is not allowed to go inside the house. Keep her food on a schedule. Puppies need to go within 15 minutes of eating. Once the puppy gets older, she will let you know when she needs to go potty, so you won't have to take her out each hour.

The most important thing to remember when training a dog or puppy is to be consistent. You must give consistent commands and consistent rewards for the dog to learn the rules. If you allow your dog to break the rules some of the time, he will not be consistent in obeying. The dog knows that you let the rules slide this time, and you may later, so he will try it again. In the next instance, your dog may not understand why he is told "no" or is reprimanded.