It is never too early to start obedience training your puppy or dog!
From basic dog obedience to socialization to good K9 manners, consistent dog training will create and nurture the foundation for effective communication along with a strong bond of trust and respect between you and your dog.
Dog Obedience Training Creates a Foundation
There is nothing more important than creating a strong training foundation with your brand-new puppy or newly adopted dog. This basic training will not only affect the relationship with your dog for the rest of their lives but also create a foundation to build upon with advanced canine skills. Also, dog training is a mental workout your dog needs just as much as physical exercise!
K9 Obedience Training: A Partnership
When training basic dog obedience, it is not about having your dog act and react like a stiff robot to your commands. Basic obedience is an evolving partnership between the dog and his handler. It also teaches a dog how to live in their human’s world with:
- Great socialization skills with other people, children, animals and pets in all kinds of situations and settings.
- Basic obedience skills.
- Good K9 manners.
Basic Dog Obedience Behaviors
Training basic K9 obedience behaviors create a channel of communication between you and your dog and let him know what you want him to do. Basic dog obedience should include the 7 core behaviors below:
- Look at Me (Focus)
- Come (Recall)
- Sit
- Stay and Wait
- Down
- Leave It
- Heel and Leash Skills
8 Tips for Basic Dog Obedience Training
- Stack the odds in your favor by beginning all training in a quiet, indoor area. Once your dog has consistently mastered the skills inside, you can begin training outside where there are more distractions.
- NEVER force your dog to learn; or punish your dog when he gets it wrong.
- Use lots of patience, praise and appropriate rewards to reinforce his good behavior!
- Remember, you dog wants to please you as his leader. So, keep all dog training FUN! A happy and engaged dog will learn faster (just like their humans!).
- Always use the reward which motivates your dog to act. Food or even a favorite toy can be used depending on your dog and their preferences.
- Always use the same behavior cues and release (words and/or hand signals). Consistency and clarity will help your dog learn faster.
- Keep all dog obedience training sessions short and fun (especially with puppies).
- Gradually increase the difficulty as your dog masters each level.
When to Ask for Professional Help!
If you are having difficulty training basic dog obedience skills or find you are not consistent with regular training, reach out to a local force-free and fear-free trainer to help as soon as possible!
Set your dog up for success with effective and ongoing dog obedience training either one-on-one or in structured classes. Never assume your dog will just figure it out!
The longer you wait to train your puppy or adopted dog, the greater the chance they will create bad, unwanted behaviors and even develop issues like anxiety, fears and potentially aggressive behaviors which become more challenging to reshape and eliminate as they grow older.
Set yourself and your dog up for success by starting early with dog obedience training!
ARKANSAS BEAR CREEK GOLDENS AND DOODLES
We are a small family breeder located in the heart of the Ozarks in Northern Arkansas. We strive to raise healthy, happy, well-socialized, quality Golden Retriever, Goldendoodle, Labradoodle, Mini Labradoodle, and Aussiedoodle puppies.
All our puppies come with a health guarantee for their first 12 months of age.
Please text or call us at 870-404-0127 or 870-404-1189 or use our Contact Form here for more information about upcoming litters.
