Man’s best friend can sometimes be a little difficult to control. Before you find yourself stuck with a loud and destructive Fido, you may want to consider looking into Dog Training VA. You can find a multitude of great options to help you teach your dog some new behaviors before it’s too late. If you’d like to avoid having to take your pooch to a professional facility, here are some essentials of dog training:
1. First off, communication is key. As in any good relationship, you need to listen. If your dog seems uncomfortable in any situation, you need to respect this. This will help to avoid small issues becoming larger ones through forcing your pup to go too far out of his comfort zone.
2. Secondly, you need to show the love! If you only ever punish a child and forget to praise her, you are failing her as a parent. Likewise, it can be all too easy to reprimand your pet when she does something wrong, and forget to be generous with your affection. Dogs may learn more through positive reinforcement (and develop a better relationship with you) that negative reinforcement. In fact, maybe you can avoid needing Dog Training VA through remembering to shower your pooch with love!
3. Don’t “just say no.” Telling a dog “no” isn’t as effective as telling him what you want him to do instead. If he jumps up on a guest, try telling him to sit instead of just saying this two letter word. This can help him from getting too confused.
4. Be realistic. Your dog is, after all, an animal. Some of his most base instincts, such as digging, jumping, and barking can be the most difficult to change or control. Knowing this when you go in to train him is essential to keeping your patience level. While it is never too late to teach an old dog new tricks (or behaviors), it can be harder the longer you wait to address a problem.
We all want to have a healthy and happy relationship with our furry companions. By following some of these tips, or using a professional training facility, you can be sure that your dog will be on his best behavior.
