Basic Training Commands

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Your New Puppy: Basic Training

So you brought your new Puppy home and obviously you are hoping that the puppy will be an obedient and faithful dog. Well trained dogs are happy dogs, and less likely to get in trouble with other humans or dogs. Training your dog well will insure that it will be a better family companion, specially if there are children around. Studies show that proper dog training has a significant impact related to behavior problems encountered by dog owners.

There are some basic commands that should be mastered in order for you to consider your dog trained:

· Stay – A well trained dog should remain where it is when this command is issued. Stay is a very important command.

· Sit – Your dog should learn to sit when this command is issued.

· Heel – Well trained dogs should be able to walk beside their owner on a loose lead, neither pulling ahead or lagging behind.

· No – Perhaps the most important command that the dog should learn. Teaching your dog this command right away will keep both of you out of trouble.

· Down – Teaching your down to lay down on command is much more than just a cute trick. It is an important component of your training program.

Training your dog properly accomplishes much more than creating an obedient companion, it actually helps to strengthen the bond that exists between the dog and the owner. As a pack animal, they tend to look to their pack leader to tell them what to do and not to do. They key is to make sure the dog understands that you are the pack leader.

Your behavior as a pack leader is very important in determining the kind of relationship that you will have with your dog. There is only one leader in every pack of dogs, and the owner has to establish him or herself as the dominant animal. Failure to accomplish this will result in behavioral problems.

If you have properly trained your dog, it will respond to all your commands, and will not display any displeasure or confusion. A well executed training program should focus on allowing the dog to learn what is expected of it, and will use positive reinforcement to reward the desired results.

You should also make sure that your dog has a job to do. Dogs were originally bred by humans to do important work, such as herding sheep, guarding property and protecting humans and other animals. Many dogs today have no assigned responsibilities which lead to boredom and behavior problems. When your dog goes and brings the newspaper to you or brings the ball back to you that you have thrown down, it is accomplishing a responsibility that makes him/her feel good. Basic obedience training, and ongoing sessions, provide the dog with an important job to do. This is almost essential for high energy breeds. Training sessions are a great way for them to use the energy and enjoy themselves.

You should incorporate playtime into your dog training sessions thus preventing your dog from becoming bored. Playing with your dog helps strengthen the bond between your puppy and its pack leader: Yourself.