A Dog is a Man's Best Friend

A lot of dog owners want to train their dogs either for housebreaking or competition purposes. There are many advantages to training your dog. Well trained dogs are easier to take care of. And you can also use the pet for several purposes other than merely making it your best friend.

If you train your dog right, you will be able to use your pet as a guard dog, a helper, or even a sled runner, if you must.

Here are tips when training your dog:

1. Establish a good dog-owner relationship with your pet.

You have to establish trust with your pet. Only through this you will be able to teach your dog some tricks. Don't worry. Dogs are naturally trusting animals, especially if their masters are good to them. It is quite easy to establish trust with your pet. You just have to feed it right, give it treats, and play with it from time to time.

2. Build confidence and control.

Control is very important. Control means directing your dog to do the things it is supposed to do and make it stop doing things it shouldn't. You can control your dog with the use of strict words. Strict doesn't mean harsh. Know the difference between the two. When you give commands to your pet, be sure that you're firm enough and stand by it.

3. Make your dog happy and outgoing.

A happy dog is a lot easier to train. It is the same with people. If you're in a good mood, you are more likely to do things right. The disposition is the same with your pet. Strive to keep your dog happy so that any day becomes a good day for training. An outgoing dog is a free-spirited dog. These are the dogs that can be ideally trained.

4. Know your dog's natural drives.

Your dog has its own natural pleasure and drives. Make sure that you know what these are so you can use it to your advantage. Dogs can easily be trained if you use their natural instincts. With the right motivation, the entire dog training process can be a jiffy.

5. Don't use cruelty when training.

Cruelty doesn't work well with pets. Never use harsh punishments or cruelty when teaching your dog anything. Dogs would trust you less if you hurt it. This won't help you at all. It is best that you use firm but doting words instead. Dogs would easily be trained if it is not subjected to harsh elements.

Training your dog is quite a job. Keep in mind that everything can't be achieved overnight. It can't even be done in a week either. You have to be very patient. This means that you have to know your dog's limit. This way, you'll be able to groom and train your pet in the right manner. There would be trial and errors in the whole process. Be sure that you are mentally and physically fit for the challenge.

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Visit DoggyBehave.Com for more puppy training tips and dog training articles. Read also our article on basic dog obedience commands.