You must be very cautious about how, when and where you reprimand your dog if they have failed to obey you.

Despite what many people say dogs do have long memories. That being said it is very important no to confuse your dog when it comes to telling them off as it will only make the ongoing training more difficult.

A classic scenario that you will need to think through carefully is when you are training your dog off the leash.

You have let your dog off the leash for a bit of freedom or to perhaps retrieve a ball or a stick that you have thrown. Your dog picks up the ball, at which point you call or whistle your back to you – but no response. You try a second time but still no response.

If your dog fails to come back after two attempts at calling them – then stop calling them – drop the leash exactly where you stand and walk or run out to where your dog is disobeying you. At that point you can reprimand your dog.

Then with your hand firmly on their collar or on the loose fur on the top of their neck you can guide your dog back to where you left the leash, get them to sit down beside you.  Then – and only then – can you make a fuss of them.

If you had persisted with calling your dog back to you and eventually they did come back – when it suits them – then you have a problem.

If you were to reprimand your dog once it was back then they could be very confused.  In their mind they have now obeyed you and what they are expecting is praise and a fuss being made of them.

It is important to get out to the point where the dog is being disobedient – get your message across – take them back and let them know that they will get your affection when they are beside you.

Moving on to a point that I believe is very important to make is that it is not necessary to reward your dog with food treats every time they obey a command or learn a new piece of information.

All that is needed is for you to show them the one thing that they need – your friendship and your affection.

Get down beside them when they have performed well and obeyed – get down to their level and show them some affection – make a fuss of them.  Stroke their head, tickle their tummy whatever it is that you know they will enjoy and let them know that you are pleased with them.

Another approach but something that is not always easy for a man training a dog but is definitely easy for the lady trainers is to change the pitch of your voice for different situations.

When your dog has done well and you are pleased with them then talk in an excited high pitch voice – don’t be embarrassed – at the same time as stroking and patting them.

But when they have been disobedient then change to a deep stern voice.  You can emphasize your voice by grabbing the loose fur each side of the neck and gentle shake them as you speak to them – this way of holding the fur is similar to the action they would have received from their mother when they were in the litter.

If you can be consistent with this technique then it can be very effective and your dog will immediately know where they stand just from you voice.

There is no need to hit your dog – you can achieve all the control that you need with these simple techniques.

In closing we will go back to the statement made earlier about of food treats for rewarding your dog.  With many dogs the biggest challenge is controlling their weight.  It is not going to be helped by carrying a pocketful of nibbles that are handed out for ever little piece of good behavior by your dog.  Avoid it if you can it really isn’t necessary.

Whenever possible make time to study the principles of obedience training for dogs before you buy or at least before you get your new dog home.  It is always helpful to do this because then know what to expect and also what is expected of you so there are no surprises.  Also you can start to build a plan to get the best from your new friend.

Obedience training of your dog should be an enjoyable process and is always helpful if you can keep it simple.  It’s all about you building a relationship with your dog.

There are two aspects of this relationship building that you are aiming for…..

• First you need to let the dog know that you want to be their friend

• Second you need to let them know that they are your friend.

Keep in mind the fact that although your dog is a social animal, they are also a pack animal and in order to achieve your training goals you will need to put yourself in the position of the leader of the pack – this one aspect will ensure your training sessions are successful.

So where does it all begin?

First is important that you are aware that training your dog is not just a commitment for few weeks and then the whole job is done and sorted.  On the contrary effective dog training is a lifetime process and you need to be sure that you are prepared to make the necessary time available to get your dog trained properly.

Ongoing training throughout your dog’s life – not just as a puppy – may well be necessary in order to prevent some if your dog’s inherent traits – possibly undesirable traits – rising to the surface and undoing all you early work. So keep it up.

It is a well accepted fact that the training of your dog should be the responsibility of one person.  Certainly in the early years when the groundwork is being laid for the good behavior of your dog then the last thing you want to do is confuse them with different approaches and standards from different individuals.

Which brings us neatly on to the problem of confusion in the dog’s mind of what is right and wrong?  Often the biggest challenge to obedience training is ensuring that you don’t confuse your dog with regard to your commands and expectations. Your communication must be plain and consistent. Always use the same word or sound together with a command and your dog will ultimately respond to that sound.

It is slightly irrelevant the words or noises you use to achieve the result as your dog only relates to a sound linked to a command.  A good example is when you want your dog to walk beside you – the variations that you may come across are – here, heel, come by, by.  They will all have the same result you just decide on the words and sounds that you are comfortable with.

Remember that dogs have many characteristics in them – some which will endear them to you and some that will frustrate you. One minute they can destroy your house and the next they can snuggle up to you leg and show real understanding of how you are feeling.

Your role is to control the bad, unacceptable habits and work to control and develop the good and acceptable habits. The role is to modify your dog’s natural behaviors and make your dog into a socially accepted pet or a competent working dog.

Points to keep in mind when setting about training……..

You must be in the right frame of mind if not forget it.

If you have had a bad day at the office the last thing you want to do is take your dog out for a training session and then take your frustrations out on the dog because of what you see as its short comings.  When really the problem it is nothing to do with the dog.

If frustration creeps in then call an end to the session and make you way home – ensuring that you make friends with your dog before you arrive home.

Obviously you don’t want to reward your dog in the same way as you would if the session has gone well but at the same time you do not want to end on a totally sour note as that will mean that you are running a risk of difficulties next time out.

I fact if you can just relax yourself and get your dog to do something simple – that you know they are capable of – to end out the session that gives you the opportunity to make friends and genuinely make a fuss of them.

Just the same as it is with human beings it is always good to put you dog to bed each night on a high as they will then look forward to seeing you the next day and will only want to please.