Dog Obedience Tips: Patience Is Key

One of the most frustrating aspects of bringing a new dog home is teaching obedience. Obedience training can include a wide variety of skills including housebreaking, not biting, listening and responding to your commands, and more.

While the variety of commands you may desire to teach may differ, teaching obedience will ensure a well-behaved dog who understands basic commands and what is expected from it. Using these dog obedience tips will help get your relationship with your pup off on the right paw.

Know Your Dog’s Limits

When embarking upon a journey to train your dog, it is important that you know the limits of your dog. A young dog is unable to comprehend the skills that an adult dog may pick up on; likewise, a senior dog may be a little slower in catching on. The individual nature of your dog also comes in to play when you decide to teach your dog obedience. If you have a dog that is easily distracted it may take them much longer to pick up a command than a dog that is a dog that is eager to please. In general, dogs that are praise or food motivated are more easily trained, and dogs that have a history of being mistreated or abused can be much more difficult to train.

You Play A Large Part In Your Dogs’ Obedience Training

Your dog is not the only factor to take into consideration when you are training in basic obedience; you also play a huge part in your dog’s training process. If you are considerably impatient or easily frustrated, then you are going to want to approach teaching your dog obedience in short lessons that focus on one command at a time. You can also benefit from enrolling in a small obedience class that will allow you a reprieve if you are feeling overwhelmed.

Learn Basic Obedience Commands

Enroll In An Obedience Class

Taking part in an obedience class with other pet parents can also be helpful in that you will have someone to commiserate with as well as measure your progress against. If obedience classes are not for you, never fear, you can always begin to teach your dog at home yourself or hire a one on one trainer to teach you and your dog obedience in private lessons.

For some dogs that have considerable behavioral problems, there is also a “boot camp” scenario where your dog is taken in by a one on one trainer for approximately a month. In the “boot camp” scenario it is important that you meet with your dog and its trainer periodically to also learn the commands that your dog is learning so that you can take an active role in teaching and practicing obedience with your dog.

Learn about an Online Dog Training Option

Time And Patience Are Of The Essence

The training process with your dog is a process that takes both time and patience and a willingness to learn for both of you. Your dog is just as reliant on your ability to teach its commands as you are reliant upon your dog to learn its commands. The most important factor for you as an obedience trainer is to make sure that you show your dog exactly what you expect from it. Showing your dog what you expect is sometimes a matter of positioning your dog into the position you are asking him to assume and sometimes it is a matter of rewarding the correct position when it happens.

Find the Best Dog Training Treats

Housebreaking Your Dog

The first and most important obedience lesson for many dog owners is housebreaking. Puppies should begin housebreaking at approximately 7 ½ to 8 ½ weeks old. Ideally, puppies should not be separated from their mothers until at least 8 weeks of age so you should not be faced with a puppy younger than this anyway. Sometimes older dogs need to be housetrained too when they are rescued from a shelter or rescue organization, housebreaking an older dog involves the same process as housebreaking a younger dog.

Old Dog vs. Young Dog

You may find that an older dog latches on to housebreaking at a faster pace than a younger puppy. Housebreaking is most efficiently taught by taking your new puppy outside at any point at which you believe he or she needs to use the bathroom. Most frequently puppies will need to go after waking up, after playing, after eating, after drinking, as well as first thing in the morning and first thing at night. Larger dogs will need to go to the bathroom considerably less than puppies throughout the day, but when housetraining they should be taken outside after sleeping and after eating as well as first thing in the morning and first thing at night.

Reward Good Behavior

If you can stay at home with your puppy taking your puppy outside every two hours and feeding your dog a treat when it uses the bathroom outside will quickly housetrain your dog. One of the most important aspects of housetraining is rewarding the appropriate behavior.

If you are not able to stay at home with your puppy, you should make every effort to return home to take your puppy out to the bathroom every few hours or hire a dog walker who can do this for you. When you are not home, you should crate your puppy to prevent accidents throughout the house. As a general rule, any dog will be reluctant to relieve itself in the area where it sleeps, but this should not be used as an excuse to make your puppy hold it. The bladder of an 8-week old puppy is large enough to “hold it” for only three hours at a time.

Read more details on How to Housebreak Your Dog

Training A Dog Not To Bite

No biting is more of an action taken to discourage puppy biting than it is an actual obedience training command. Puppies have a habit of biting anything and everything and this behavior should be discouraged from the beginning. Discouraging biting can be done with a variety of ways. One of the most used methods of discouraging biting is to firmly say “no” and replace the hand or fingers that are being bitten with a toy that it is acceptable to bite.

Use Positive Reinforcement

The dog’s snout should never be smacked to discourage biting, aside from the fact that negative reinforcement is not an effective training mechanism; smacking the dog’s snout can even encourage a firmer grip. Puppies chew to ease their teething discomfort and replacing the item being bitten with an item that is acceptable is the best way to discourage a negative biting behavior. One other method that is recommended by some trainers is to take your thumb and place it over your dog’s tongue gently holding the bottom jaw with your other four fingers. While holding the tongue, tell your dog “no” firmly and then let go. Repeat this process if biting continues.

Learn what to do if your dog bites someone

Options For Teaching Dog Obedience

There are a handful of options to choose from when it comes to teaching your dog obedience.

Obedience Classes

Regardless of the age of your dog, obedience classes could be a good way for you to teach your dog obedience. These types of classes are offered at multiple locations and are often offered in veterinary clinics. These classes involve a single teacher who works with a group of dog owners and their dogs in teaching obedience. These classes are group oriented much like children’s classrooms. Owners are taught obedience commands and how to encourage their dogs to obey. One at a time after being practiced, each owner will exhibit their dog’s ability to perform the task at hand.

Group obedience classes have a number of pros and cons.

Pros

• Group obedience classes are affordable
• These classes allow for socialization and exposure to other people
• Often these classes also provide new pet parents with human friends who can share their experiences with them as their dog ages.

Cons

• Group obedience classes can result in less one on one time for problem behavior
• These classes don’t always focus on everything pet owners want to know simply because they have so many dogs to focus on at one time.

One-On-One Obedience Training

One-on-one obedience training is significantly more expensive than group obedience classes, however; they ensure that your dog receives all of the attention. These classes can take place in the home as well as in other locations and are ideal for older dogs, dogs with problem behaviors or dogs that are not friendly with other dogs.

Pros

• One-on-one classes allows a trainer to focus on your individual dog’s needs.
• These classes allow for more practice of obedience commands than a group class.
• Dogs that have aggression issues with other animals can receive obedience instruction via this method of teaching. Learn more about dog aggression towards other dogs.
• One on one training allows for owners to build a bond with their obedience trainer.

Cons

• Dogs that do not have socialization trouble will not receive exposure to other dogs and people through this type of class.
• These classes are considerably more expensive than group classes.

Boot Camp Obedience Training

Boot camp is a little more unconventional when it comes to teaching dog obedience. However, it is also a very effective method. Boot camp situations involve a trainer taking the dog to their home or training facility for a specified period of time and working with the dog one on one. Many people argue that this type of training is troublesome because it relies on someone else commanding the dog; however, in some instances, it can be very successful. Some boot camp settings involve owners paying daily visits to practice commands with their dog. These types of training situations are particularly successful for dogs that have significant obstacles to overcome such as aggressive tendencies or fear responses.

Pros

• Boot camp classes are often offered by only the most educated and experienced in canine obedience.
• Boot camp allows for a trainer to directly address individual dog’s dispositions and difficulties.
• Regardless of any obstacle a dog experiences it can still receive obedience training while also focusing on overcoming these obstacles.
• Boot camp type training allows for much faster progression through obedience training.

Cons

• Boot camp obedience is the most expensive method of obedience training.
• Owners miss out on a significant portion of their dog’s education.

Understanding What Type Of Obedience Is Best For Your Dog

Every dog and every owner is different, and that means that no “one” type of obedience training is best for everyone. Understanding what type of training is right for you and your dog is a personal decision based on what you both need and expect from the training experience. There are some factors that you will want to consider when choosing a method of teaching obedience to your dog.

• Is your dog aggressive against other dogs or people? If so then you cannot responsibly take your dog to a group obedience class.
• Does your dog have specific concerns that cannot be addressed in a larger class such as extreme fear issues? If so, then you will need to be aware that these issues cannot be addressed in a traditional obedience class and need to be handled before class. In these cases, it is best to enroll in a fearful Fido’s class or bring in a specialty trainer to conquer these concerns before enrolling in a large obedience class.
• Are finances a concern for you? Instead of skipping over obedience training opt for a more affordable group obedience class to begin your dog on the road to obedience and socialization.
• Are you limited on time? We all experience limited time as a result of work schedules and other factors, and sometimes these can affect our availability to attend training classes. If this is a concern for you, investigate private trainers who can work with your schedule or boot camp options.

Ultimately finding the right obedience training solution for you and your dog involves weighing out what you need, what you can afford and how your dog will react to a specific training solution. If you are unsure how to address your dogs training needs because they are a newer addition to your family, ask your vet for their advice. Often your vet will be able to assess just what your dog needs based on their experience with other dogs with similar behavior patterns.

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