1. Reward good behavior, dont ignore it. If your dog does something good be sure to reward them. The only way your dog knows if they have done anything right is if you reward them. The reward could be in the form of a treat or praise.
2. Develop good timing. This is probably the most important tip. If your dog is going to associate the behavior with the reward you need to reward the dog immediately. The same thing goes with punishment. People often want to punish their dog for a certain behavior well after the fact from when the event actually occurred.
3. Pattern interruption. This is another behavior modification cornerstone. If you want to change a bad behavior you have to stop it when you immediately see it beginning. All you have to do is interrupt a pattern often enough and it will go away. This is also true for human beings with bad habits like smoking.
4. Begin with the end in mind. Each training session should have a specific goal. By having a goal with each training session you steadily move your dog forward through their training.
5. Dont get angry. If you start to get angry or lose your temper with your dog stop the training session immediately. You as the trainer need to stay calm; if you get frustrated your dog will know this and also get frustrated.
6. Be Consistent. This cannot be stressed enough, you need to be consistent. Nothing will slow your dogs training worse than being inconsistent. Regular scheduled training sessions and the same rewards for the same desired behaviors.
7. Watch for family. Different people can also slow your dogs training. Training of the dog should be limited to a few people. Often times your hard work can be for nothing if one family member gives your dog rewards for undesired behavior.
By staying consistent in your dog training program you can see great improvement in your dogs behavior in a short amount of time. Having a well trained dog makes everyones life easier and happier; especially your dogs when they know what is expected of them.
Visit my website for more free dog training tips.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Suckow
