At Fitdog, we believe that daily activities and socialization helps your dog become the best they can be. We offer three unique programs to help you the most of your dog’s time, when your not there.
fitdog home
  • Asset 4 fitdog club
    • Services
    • Pricing
    • Assessment
    • Login
  • Asset 5 fitdog sports
    • Classes
    • Leaders
    • Sign Up
    • Login
  • Asset 3 fitdog training
    • Programs
    • Trainers
    • Get started
About
Blog: Off the Leash
Questions? Let’s Talk!
contact@fitdog.com (310) 828 - 3647
Follow us on Social Media:
Login to Club
Login to Sports
  • Club
  • Sports
  • Training
  • About
  • Blog
(310) 828 - 3647

Dog Training 101

Collapse
More from

Off The Leash:

5 tips to re-socializing your dog after COVID-19
February 26, 2021
5 Animal Non-Profits to Donate to This Holiday Season
December 18, 2020
7 Dog-Friendly Thanksgiving Foods
November 26, 2020
10 Best Dog Photography Tips
October 27, 2020
Importance of Developmental Based Dog Training
October 21, 2020
Dog Allergies: Understanding allergy treatments for dogs
September 15, 2020
Overweight Dogs: COVID-19 Made My Dog Fat!
August 19, 2020
Best Pet Tech Products 2020
August 15, 2020
Best Backyard Activities for your Dog
July 30, 2020
Foxtails in dogs: A hidden danger on your hiking trail
July 23, 2020
7 Tips to Teach Your Dog How to Swim
July 15, 2020
How to modify your home for an elderly pet
July 09, 2020
Frozen Dog Treats for Summer: 4 Pupsicle Recipes to Treat your Dog
July 03, 2020
Dog scared of fireworks? Prepare your dog for 4th of July fireworks before …
June 26, 2020
Puppy Proofing: Using stuffables as an easy solution to naughty behaviors
June 17, 2020
Socializing Your Dog After COVID-19
June 14, 2020
Dog-Friendly Camping: 8 Pet Friendly Campgrounds in California
June 09, 2020
7 Best Easy DIY Dog Treat Recipes
May 26, 2020
Train and Play Philosophy
May 18, 2020
Puppy Socialization: Why your dog needs it
January 25, 2021
5 Puppy Massage Techniques to Relax Your Dog
May 02, 2020
At-Home Dog Grooming Guide
April 18, 2020
Four Ways You Can Help Shelters & Rescues During COVID-19
April 08, 2020
COVID-19: Fitdog Updates
March 19, 2020
Four indoor exercises your dog needs right now
March 28, 2020
Meet the Women of Fitdog!
March 08, 2020
Fitdog 2020 Valentines to Benefit Guidry’s Guardian Foundation
February 03, 2020
Why You Should Never Fake Having a Service Dog
January 23, 2020
Our Favorite Overheard Posts About Dogs
December 27, 2019
Thanks for joining our Ugly Sweater Pawty!
November 22, 2019
Help us collect 2020 lbs. during our pet food drive!
November 11, 2019
Andrea Servadio
Andrea Servadio
November 04, 2014

Whether you are bringing home a new dog or training your existing dog, we put together our top obedience tips every dog should know:

1. Make your training sessions short and sweet

Dogs tend to have a low level of concentration so keep training sessions short.

Twenty minutes is a good time frame to introduce a trick or command and then follow it up with either a 20-minute session later that day or the following day. If your dog is starting to lose focus (even if it’s only been 5 or 10 minutes), wrap it up and start again tomorrow. You will not gain anything by forcing the training.

Once your dog understands the steps of learning a new trick or command, they will be able to learn new tricks faster (sometimes in the first try).

2. Make dog training fun and rewarding

Dogs respond to positive reinforcement and stimulation. To make your training more effective, use rewards that your dog loves: a special toy, high-value treats (like chicken vs. kibble), belly rubs or walks. Whatever it is that your dog goes nuts for, use that.

Upping the ante with high value rewards improves motivation and produces faster results. Conversely, not praising or rewarding your dog or only using verbal praise will reduce the effectiveness and lengthen the timeline of your training.
iStock_000009613946Small

3. Teach effective recall

For safety and practicality, recall is the most important command that you will teach your dog. However, there are two common mistakes people make when teaching recall:

The first is that people become frustrated when their dog is not listening to them, so they may grit their teeth and in a deeper, sterner voice, say “COME HERE NOW.” And your dog still does not come. That’s for the simple reason that dogs are smart. Why on earth would anyone go to a person that is angry? Kids don’t do it. Neither do dogs. Be sure to always convey a happy, positive voice when calling your dog’s name or recall command.

The second mistake is that people inadvertently scold their dog when they should be rewarding their dog. It’s crucial that your dog perceives you to be more important than other dogs, toys, treats and even squirrels. You accomplish this by always rewarding your dog when they come. That means even if your dog does not come for the first five “come here” attempts, when she finally does come, you reward her with praise, scratches and treats – not scold her. That’s because she has already forgotten that she didn’t come those first five times. If you scold her instead, she will perceive that coming to you was incorrect and definitely not come to you the next time you call her.

4. Set boundaries early on

Boundaries need to be clear and consistent. If you have a puppy, behaviors that might seem cute now, can be problematic when your dog is older (and much bigger). There are a few examples of boundaries that are important to teach early on:

• No jumping on people (including you)
• No biting or rough playing
• No sitting on furniture (this is usually a good one for larger dogs or dogs that frequently play outside)
• Do not give into attention seeking behavior
• Do not feed from the table
• Limit space when you leave home (like in a crate or to a room)

Boundaries are difficult to reinforce because we like to make exceptions for our own benefit (like snuggle time with your dog in front of the TV). But bending the rules only diminishes your authority and weakens your relationship with your dog (i.e. they will stop listening to you).

5. Be consistent

The key to successful dog training is consistency. When we’re not consistent, we’re confusing our dogs. Remember for a dog, a no that is always a no will never be contested. A no that is sometimes a yes is always a yes.

For example, let’s use boundaries as an example. You don’t mind when your dog sleeps on the sofa, but when you’re eating on the sofa, you don’t want him on the sofa, you want him to sit on the floor.

This is confusing for most dogs. Your dog is thinking, you allow me to sit on the sofa all day, so why can’t I sit on it now? And so when you tell him “Off,” he will jump off and then jump back on. He did what you commanded, but he doesn’t understand why so he returns to his seat.

When you create a boundary or use a command, do it with consistency and recognize that your dog is not going to understand or interpret the nuances of situations. It needs to be the same message each time. Here are examples:

• “Come to me and I will reward you.” Not “Come to me, and sometimes I might scold you.”
• “No jumping.” Not “You can jump on me when I come home from work, but at no other time.”
• “No begging at the table.” Not “You can get scraps when you look really cute.”
• “No biting.” Not “We can rough play with toys, but you can’t nip at my clothes.”
• “No pottying inside.” Not “No pottying inside except when I’m really tired you can use a
wee-wee pad.”

By reading the statements above, it’s easy to see how mixed messages can derail your best training intentions and even undo professional training. In addition, mixed messages can cause dogs to be insecure because they don’t know when they are doing something right or wrong.

Whether you already have a dog or are getting a new dog, you now have the essential tools you need to train your dog properly.


This article was originally published by the Huffington Post on 10/29/14. Twitter: @huffingtonpost

Categories:
  • Fitdog Five
  • Press
  • Training
What’s next?
How will your alpha dog fit in at dog daycare?

Want to know if your alpha dog likes daycare? Alphas have particular personalities that sometimes intimidate other dogs. Meaning that sometimes, daycare is not the best activity for them. But in other cases, alpha dogs can lead the...

read more
More from Off The Leash:
5 tips to re-socializing your dog after COVID-19
February 26, 2021
5 Animal Non-Profits to Donate to This Holiday Season
December 18, 2020
7 Dog-Friendly Thanksgiving Foods
November 26, 2020
More Fitdog
Fitdog Home
FAQ
Contact
Fitdog Club
  • Services
  • Pricing
  • Join the Club
Fitdog Sports
  • Classes
  • Leaders
  • Sign Up
Fitdog Training
  • Programs
  • Trainers
  • Get Started
Blog
  • Off The Leash
  • Resources
  • About
  • Become a Trainer
  • Employment Opportunities
contact@fitdog.com
(310) 828 - 3647
1712 21st Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions
© 2018 Fitdog. All Rights Reserved.
Designed and Developed by