Dog Training - How To Train Your Puppy Dog To Listen
Training a puppy is usually frustrating if you do not know how to make the little one listen. As owners, most people think that there is something amiss in the dog's attitude if they do not listen to them especially if they invested much time and effort in the training. It is even disappointing for many when they think that their dogs have something interesting to do rather than listening to their owners trying to train them for their own good.
So what does training your puppy dog to listen require you to do? Before answering this question, it is important to remember that dogs do what works for them, so your task as dog owner is to teach them how to listen by showing them how listening to you will be to their benefit.
The common mistake in training your puppy dog to listen is repeating commands over and over again especially when your dog does not get it the first time you try commanding him. By doing this, you are implying to your dog that they can respond to your command only when they want to or that the command you are trying them to learn is meaningless.
The first step in training your puppy dog to listen is to train quietly. Dogs are known to have a very powerful sense of training and their ears are very sensitive to the tiniest whispers so you have to make sure that when commanding your dog, you use the clearest possible tone of voice to make the dog pick up the sound signals. You should not shout during training because the dog might get used to it and will only follow commands if they are executed in a shouted manner.
Training a dog to listen carefully will lead them to pay attention to whatever you, as trainer, are saying. Effective communication is also important in training your puppy dog to listen and this can be achieved through quality and clarity. Small talk during training is acceptable but remember dogs don't speak our language so keeping small talk at a minimum is advisable. If your dog does not respond to your cue, you might consider looking around for the possible distractions that may affect your dog's performance. Assuming that indeed there are many distractions that causes your dog to lose focus, just transfer to another place where you can train quietly or if you can, remove the distractions.
Another way to make your puppy listen is to reward and reinforce him every time he does something good. Always have a positive tone when training your dog since this will prep him up for success. When success is just around the corner, you must always reinforce the dog's behavior with meaningful rewards.
Training too long is a bad idea because your dog will be too tired and will lose interest in the whole training process. Instead shorten the training time, yet train more often. Training should also be treated as a game for it to be fun for you and your dog.
Lastly, make sure that, as mentioned, you will make the dog learn to listen to you by making them see that it is worthy to do so. Earn some respect from your dog and make him feel that he can trust you as trainer and owner.
Have a great "dog training" day,
Dr. Alfonso
