Dog obedience training begins with the owner. There are several tips to keep in mind before starting any dog obedience training. First of all, understand that dogs have an attention span of no more than ten minutes. Training routines, therefore, should be limited to this time frame. Secondly, all training should be positive. Reward your dog for correct behavior and always end your obedience training sessions on a positive note.

Training for a dog is similar to going to work for a human; if you do not get anything good out of it, you will stop working. Having fun is a big plus! Third, remember to be consistent. For example, if you feed your dog from your plate, don't expect him not to beg when company arrives.

Work with him each day reinforcing basic skills and behaviors. Use the same commands and hand signals each time. When his behaviors slip, look at how you may be responsible. Next, teach the action before labeling it with a command. For example, before you say, "Fido, sit," show him with the technique below what a sit is. Then, reward him saying "good sit" when he is in a sit. After a while, you will be able to say "sit," and he will know what that means.

Finally, remember that you will get more cooperation when you are positive and patient. Instead of forcing your dog into a sit position, bring a tasty treat above and then back over his head until he sits back to get it. Reward him not only with the treat, but with lots of praise. These general rules will help any dog owner apply the basic dog obedience training command with success.

Let's look at these basic dog obedience training commands. We just learned sit. From a sitting position, lower a treat straight down under the dog's neck, when the dog bends down to accept the treat pull it slowly out so that the dog can comfortably lie down. In the beginning, you may have to hold his butt down to let him know that you do not want him to get out of the sitting position. Gentle guidance during the first stages is okay. Reward when your dog has all four elbows on the floor.

It is important that your dog have a releasing command such as "Okay." When you open doors, give him food, or let him in/out of the car, use this releasing command to signal permission. After a weak of hearing this word, practice his wait at a door, not allowing the dog to pass without hearing the releasing command.

Come is also an important dog obedience training command. Using a long lead, let Fido wander off and then call his name and begin reeling in. When he gets close to you, say "Come." Try this repeatedly until Fido loves the command "Come" and you are no longer having to reel.

Kelley Blackston

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Dog Obedience Training