The old cliché, a dog is man’s best friend, is a timeless line but time and time again it has proven to be a true adage. Puppies and dogs are similar to humans in they have basic social needs which makes them very desirous to be one of the pack. In the human household the dog will need to have proper training to make sure they are able to conform to human standards. Otherwise, the puppy or dog will not make a suitable household member and there will be ongoing conflict in your household. Read on to learn more about how to properly train your dog to become a lifelong friend and fantastic family member.

Discipline Done Right

Discipline in training a dog does not revolve around punishment for bad or undesirable behaviors. Dogs don’t reason and if you don’t immediately catch them in the act of behaving badly any punishment will not be associated with the bad behavior. For example, if your dog has a tendency to roam from home, scolding him when he returns will only confuse him and make him think you are angry all the time. He will then begin to shrink away from you. Only if you catch your dog directly in the act should you scold him. Never use pain as a punishment and make any discipline very short. Better yet reward your dog for desired behaviors to make him associate good things with good behavior. Yelling at them to lay on their orthopedic dog beds does not work either.

Consistent Behavior on Your Part

Training a dog properly will take loads of patience, consistency and time. A well-behaved dog does not happen overnight; instead it will take a lot of work both on your part and your dog’s part. Consistency means using consistent commands and outcomes. For example when you are training your dog to come to you use one or two word commands and use the same command each training session. You can use words/phrases such as Come, Here, or To Me but make sure you stick to one word or phrase. Each and every time your dog obeys (or even partially obeys at the beginning) give your dog praise and a small food reward. If your dog becomes overly excited, stop the training session and control the excited dog without inflicting pain.

Training Session Length

Just like a toddler or young child puppies have very short attention spans. As they mature, this span will lengthen but never expect to spend hours training your dog. For pups a training session of 10 minutes two or three times a day will be sufficient and not tire your pet. As they get older this time can be extended somewhat depending on your dogs desire to train with you. Mix things up a bit as well with play interspersed with the training session.

Following these basic steps in training will send you and your dog well on your way to making a well-behaved dog. Here are a few more hints to help with your dog’s training. After each training period be sure to end the session with praise, but do not overdo the praise or it may confuse and excite your dog. By ending the session on a positive note he will associate the training session with good things. You may also want to consider a professional trainer if you don’t have the temperament or time to devote to proper training. This will help you when you play with fetch dog toys in the future.