Turn Your Dog From A Lazy Lump To A Trick Performing Superstar!
We’ve all seen those videos of TV talent shows where someone walks on with an adorable dog who then proceeds to seemingly do things that no dog should be able to do. Sure, once you’ve seen one dog tap dance on its hind legs, you’ve pretty much seen them all, but that doesn’t it make it any less impressive just how well trained these animals really are. Of course, watching these kinds of videos can make most of us turn to our own faithful friends and feel a little bit inferior. How is it that they’ve been able to make their dog do the Macarena while yours can barely even roll over on command? Well, as much as you might want to blame it on things like breeds and genetics, the truth is that they’ve probably just put a lot more effort into training their dog than you have. Now, not every dog needs to be able to pull off weird or amazing tricks, but if you want your pooch to be a little more impressive, here are just a few things that you can do to improve their training.
Use positive reinforcement
There are a lot of different schools of thought when it comes to training. However, there’s no denying that some are a little more… aggressive than others. Sure, things like choke chains might be effective tools for teaching dogs to obey but being aggressive and harsh with your dog is going to make their lives a whole lot less pleasant. Not only that but it’s not even the most effective method that you can use. Fear might be a good motivator, but it’s nowhere near as effective as positive reinforcement. If you can teach your dog to associate performing a certain action with getting a reward, then they’re going to much more likely to perform that action every single time. Stock up on things like Betsy Farms dog treats so that you always have something to reward your dog with anytime they follow instructions properly. After a while, they might even start following instructions without the treats, but hey, why wouldn’t you want to give them a reward for a job well done?
Be consistent
It can be tempting to move from one thing to another to try and teach them as many things as possible but, while dogs might be fantastic at a great many things, multitasking really isn’t one of them. The best thing that you can do is to be as consistent and focused in your training as possible. This means not only focusing on specific tricks and instructions but also on the way in which you teach them to your dog. If you switch up your training style every other day, then your dog is just going to end up confused with absolutely no idea what’s going on or what you’re actually asking of them. Pick a style, choose a trick, and then stick to it until your dog has perfected it, then you can move onto something else.
Start simple
You might want to see if you can get your dog doing those incredible tricks that you see on TV but it’s incredibly important that you remember that those tricks probably didn’t happen overnight. The reality is that, while a tap-dancing dog might be impressive, you’re not seeing all of the little pieces of training that went into it. Not only will that dog need to have been trained to stand on its hind legs, but it will probably have been trained to follow certain movements of its trainer as well. By breaking down those kinds of tricks into the little parts that make them up, you’re going to be able to see how simple the dog’s training probably was at the beginning. If you have a trick that you want your dog to be able to do, make sure that you start right at the beginning. Incredibly simple things like being able to follow where you walk or to get up on their hind legs on command are the essential building blocks of many of the most impressive dog tricks in the world.
Be patient
The reality of training any dog is that it can often be as much of an exercise in frustration as anything else. It’s okay that there’s a part of you that wants your dog to start being able to do those incredible tricks right away, however, that’s simply not going to happen. If you put too much pressure on your dog right at the start, they’re going to be stressed out, you’re going to be stressed out, and nothing productive is going to get done at all. The reality is that if you’re not willing to put in the kind of patience required to teach your dog each trick bit by bit, then you can’t expect them to do the same. Training is about give and take and getting frustrated with your dog isn’t going to make them learn any faster. It’s just going to make them tense, afraid, and much less likely to pay attention anyway. If it feels like you’re not getting anywhere and that you’re both feeling kind of tense, there’s nothing wrong with calling it a day and just playing together for a little while. After all, even if your dog isn’t able to perform tricks perfectly, you still love them, and they still deserve a great big cuddle!
Of course, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with not needing your dog to do any of those amazing tricks that you see on TV. Heck, plenty of people have dogs that are little more than lumps who just love to eat and play and cuddle and that’s great! These training techniques aren’t just great for teaching dogs tricks, but for helping them learn the essential commands that are going to make everyone’s lives much, much easier. Training can sometimes be tough and a little frustrating, but the key is to stick to it and don’t get discouraged. Give it time and things will eventually fall into place.
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