• The dog must understand that It is being rewarded;
• The dog must understand why it is being rewarded.

This would seem to be a natural conclusion, but in practice it does not seem to be so obvious. How often is a dog rewarded with only a mumbled "Good boy" and a nonchalant pat on the head? Or a morsel is thrown at it without a word being wasted?

You can tell from the dog’s reaction whether this is experienced as a reward. Its entire body and expression should radiate joy. You can achieve this by rewarding your dog lavishly with a high voice and a sincere hug. When it does something good, it is the best dog in the world and you must let it know this too!

Many people find this difficult, especially when other people are around. Don’t be shy about this, because with a clear reward your dog will learn faster.

The moment of rewarding must be well-timed. You do not reward before your dog has obeyed a command and neither do you do it afterward. If, for example, you want your dog to lie down, do not reward it at the moment it starts to obey, but only when it is actually lying down.

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Bringing a second adult male dog into your home can be tricky, especially in some of the more aggressive breeds. Two entire male dogs (i.e., dogs that have not been neutered) in the same household will always bear watching. Problems between two females are usually less likely, but not entirely unheard of. Introductions should always be handled with care and consideration, with benefit of the doubt given to the resident. An adult dog with seniority may mistake a new puppy’s exuberance for aggression and react accordingly.

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And yet, it is useful to know a little basic dog training theory. Why? Because your dog is unique. No trainer has ever worked with your dog. No writer has ever written a book about your dog. Understanding the basic dog training heories can help you come up with creative ideas and solutions, even when your dog’s behavior doesn’t quite fit anyone else’s experience.

So take the time to learn a little behavioral theory. Then, if your dog does something that seems really strange, you’ll be better prepared to understand it, why it happened, and how you should respond.

Basic Dog Training Tips - Understanding Body Language

It’s also helpful to learn how to read a dog’s body language. We like to think we know our dogs, and that we can empathize with our dogs. But the fact is, we can’t really get into a dog’s brain and experience what a dog experiences.

But we can observe dogs. And we can come to reasonable conclusions about their general states, such as whether they are relaxed or aroused. These observations, in turn, can help make us better trainers. They can help us understand how our training is going.

For example, if my dog becomes too aroused, she’s more difficult to train. It can be hard for me to even get her attention. By watching her body language, I can adjust my expectations and avoid setting her up for training failures.

Dogs who are aroused may have raised hackles. Their ears will be pricked. They may hold their tails erect.

A dog who is anxious may hold his tail between his legs. He may crouch or "slink" along the floor. He may turn his head away from whatever is making him anxious. Every dog is different. The better we become at reading our dog’s responses to our basic dog training methods, and to the environment, the better trainers we become.

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Getting Ready for the New Arrival

Before your dog conies home, you may want to take at least a couple of days off to sleep in (especially if you’re getting a puppy) and gather supplies. It’s so much easier to have them before you need them, rather than wait until the dog is in the house to realize what you need but don’t have.

You may also want to plan your dog’s arrival around a vacation so you can adjust to your new routine without worrying about keeping a tight schedule. You should stick as closely to your normal schedule as possible, including the times when your puppy will be crated when you go back to your normal activities.

Before you get your dog, you will want to have a safe way to transport your dog to his new home. A crate is the safest option for any age dog, but a puppy or small dog can be held on the lap of someone in the back seat for a short trip (have towels handy in case of accidents on the way home). Seat belts are available for the restraint of larger dogs. For the safety of the dog and everyone else on the road, the dog should not ride on the driver’s tap.

You should also plan on having at least several days’ worth of whatever food your new dog is currently eating on hand to avoid adding digestive upsets to what will already be a stressful time.

Home at Last!

When you first get home, give your dog a few quiet minutes to relieve herself before bringing her in the house to meet her new family. Let her explore the immediate area and meet each family member on her own time without everybody grabbing at her. Everyone is bound to be excited, but try not to overwhelm her with everyone in the neighborhood coming over to meet her the day you bring her home. Give her a few days to settle in while you both adjust to your new routines.

Expect a few sleepless nights. This is a whole new life for your dog, with none of the things that are familiar to her to give her comfort. Crating her in your bedroom at night is a good idea. Letting her out of her crate to sleep in your bed because she’s crying isn’t. Grit your teeth and Hang in there. Some dogs are soothed by a wind-up clock ticking right outside the crate, and it wouldn’t hurt to give her a couple of big fluffy toys to cuddle up with.

It helps to make sure she’s tired out and recently pottied before you put her in the crate for the night. If you do have to take her out in the middle of the night to relieve herself - chances are you will for a few weeks - don’t play with her or give her treats. Give her a few minutes to do what she needs to do, and then put her right back in the crate. Don’t forget to take lots of pictures so you don’t forget her first days home.

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For instance, just the sound of a link-chain collar when it is jerked will let your dog know he is doing something wrong. When you decide how far you want to take your training, you can invest in the proper dog training aids and equipment.

Toys

Do dogs need toys? Yes! Do they need one of every toy that is offered for sale? An emphatic no! Toys actually make pretty good dog training aids, and puppies and new dogs do need several toys of different kinds to keep them occupied, exercised, and out of mischief. However, don’t give your dog so many toys that the dog begins to think everything that exists is a toy to chew on.

The toys and similar dog training aids you do choose can be anything that is appropriate for the size and the age of the dog - just be sure the toys are safe and do not have buttons or strings that can be chewed off or swallowed. Also, avoid balls made of soft material that can be chewed apart and hard plastic toys that can splinter easily.

Make sure any toys and other dog training aids you give a puppy or even grown dog are too large to become lodged in the mouth or caught in the throat. Bones can be instrumental in keeping your dog’s jaw and teeth occupied and your belongings safe, especially with teething puppies.

Large knuckle bones may not seem like dog training aids (or toys for that matter), but your dog will undoubtedly think otherwise. A dog can spend the best part of an afternoon gnawing  away on the same bone! It helps keep him calm and relaxed, and therefore he’ll be more responsive when it comes training time.

Teddy bears or stuffed animals that are not made specifically for dogs are not a good idea. Most of them have plastic or glass buttons for eyes that can be swallowed. Even with those removed, they are risky. Ears can be torn off and swallowed or the stuffing ripped out and ingested.

Some dogs treat stuffed animals and other soft types of dog training aids with great love and affection for weeks and months, and then suddenly, as punishment for some offense of which we have no knowledge, a dog decides to totally dismantle and swallow Mr. Teddy’s innards. You and your dog may have to spend some very unpleasant and costly time at the veterinarian’s office when this happens.

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People often wonder about the importance of dog training. They feel this is pointless and dogs should be left to do what they want. What people fail to realize is that dogs are animals and if left to behave how they want they will behave exactly like animals. Dogs that have not been trained in any way are more likely to bite, bark excessively, chew household items and dig holes. Training your dog to behave properly teaches the animal when it is appropriate and inappropriate to do these things. The dog should learn that it is wrong to use that bathroom in the house and that this is to be done outside. However, this is not something that dogs will instinctively know and they need to be taught.

It has also been found that dogs that have no formal dog training tend to control the house. They learn quickly that they can be the "alpha" dog in the household and it sometimes hard to change this before. Therefore it is important to teach the dog who is charge from day one. When doing this is important that you do not attempt to become the alpha dog yourself but instead you should work to show your dog that you are the owner of the house and that the dog must listen to you and follow the rules of the house. When you establish this relationship with your dog through proper training there will be less occurrences of acting out and misbehaving from your new puppy.

If you are getting a dog that is no longer a puppy and one that has never been formally trained in any way, don’t be discouraged. It is never too late to train your dog. However, in these cases your dog may require more formal training that is offered through your local pet store. Often new dog owners are overwhelmed and not sure how to tackle the chore of training their dog. If you are looking to enroll your dog in obedience training classes you can contact your local pet store to see what is available. There are also people to offer one-on-one training services where they will come to your home and take care of the training for you. This is a great idea for people who have never had experience in training dogs before. There are a multitude of resources out there for training your dog and you should take advantage of them all.

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Imagine the scene - you’re late for work. It’s raining, snowing, or brutally hot (take your pick). You don’t want to wait half an hour for your dog to potty; you want him to go, and go now.

As far as dog house training goes, teaching your dog to eliminate on command is a way for you to make your life with your dog a little easier to say the least. House training dogs in this manner is not necessarily something I would use all the time, but if your dog understands it, it can come in very handy.

Going to the Potty on Command

Before you start training and using this dog house training technique, decide what command(s) you’re going to use. You can use one command for both, or teach separate commands. "Hurry up," "Do your business," and "Get busy" are popular choices, but as always, the words you use aren’t important. Using them consistently is. Plan on taking two to four weeks of consistent reinforcement to teach your dog his new command.

When your house training your dog, take him to his potty area, and be nothing more than an observant post. Don’t talk to him, or your neighbor, or let your dog entice you into taking him for a walk before he potties. The moment you see your dog assume the position, repeat your command several times, calmly and quietly (you don’t want to distract him from his task) "Hurry up, Gooood. Hurry up, Hurry up."

After he finishes, give him praise and a treat, then give him some playtime or take him for a walk. Repeat this dog house training technique for at least a week every time you take him to his potty area before you test your command. To test it, take him to his potty area and give him his command once.

If he starts looking for a spot and produces right away, give him praise and a treat like he’s the best dog in the world (well, he is, isn’t he?). If he doesn’t start looking for a spot, just continue as you were for another week before testing again.

Why Not Take a Walk to Potty?

One of my other dog house training tips is concerned with walking and pottying together. If the object of your walk is for your dog to potty, rather than to exercise and spend quality time with her, then you’ll probably end the walk as soon as she goes. This teaches her to hold it so she can prolong the walk. The longer she can hold it, the longer walk she’ll get.

Let’s say you walk her until you’re tired, whether she’s gone or not, and head for home. By the time you’re back in house, she either has no reason to, or can’t, hold it anymore and does exactly what you were trying to prevent. By making the walk part of the reward for pottying, you can encourage her to potty quickly and in the right place.

As you’ll see, dog house training is all about getting inside your dogs head, and understanding how she sees things.

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Looks Aren’t Everything

Choosing your dog based primarily on how she looks makes about as much sense as choosing your spouse that way. Let go of any preconceived notions you have about training a dog, and about certain breeds that you’ve gotten from movies or TV, and be honest with yourself.

If your idea of a perfect weekend is spending two days under the covers watching old movies (and not spending much time playing with and training your dog), then an energetic and active dog isn’t an ideal match. Work all day, stay out late, and sleep in? A puppy probably isn’t a good idea at this point in your life.

The Tough Questions

Before you start searching for your new dog, ask yourself some tough questions:

• Why do I want a dog now?
• How many hours will the dog be alone each day?
• Am I active or sedentary?
• How much time can I realistically devote to daily basic care like training, exercising, and brushing my dog?
• How much living space do I have?
• Are there children prominently in my life?
• Can I afford the costs involved with owning a dog?
• Who will end up as primary caretaker of the dog, and does that person want a dog?

Now that you’re thinking about how your lifestyle affects your choice of dog, and how much time you need to devote to training a dog, you’re ready to start doing research to find the right dog for you. You may have even decided that this isn’t the right time to add a dog to your life.

If you’re not sure, do a little research project for a month. Most people who own dogs are more than happy to talk about them. Ask people you meet with a dog how the dog is to live with - how much money, time, and energy they spend taking care of the dog, and what they like most and least about dog ownership. Take notes and re-evaluate your decision.

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Manage distractions

Distractions - that is, anything that competes for your dog’s attention - can complicate your training regimen. So it’s important that you manage them.

For example, take a behavior like sitting. You might think that a sit is a sit whether you expect it in your kitchen, at the park, or on a crowded street.

But it’s not the same. Some environments have a lot of distractions. Some have few. Some distractions are … very distracting. How to train a dog the right way requires you to know and understand the difference - especially for your dog’s sake.

Maybe your dog sits beautifully whenever you are in your living room and you say, "Sit." Maybe he’ll even sit beautifully for you when you are outside in your backyard. That doesn’t mean he’ll sit when you ask him to just as a squirrel runs by.

So here’s the thing. When you start training your dog to learn a new behavior, pick a place that doesn’t have many distractions. Think boring. Later, as your dog becomes more fluent in the behavior, you can try it in situations where there are more distractions.

By managing the distractions as part of your training routine, your dog’s behaviors will have a solid foundation. When you do introduce distractions, he’ll be better prepared to handle them.

Observe your dog

Learning how to train a dog is also about observing your dogs reactions. Every dog is different. To figure out how to train your dog, you have to become a good observer. Is your dog relaxed? Aroused? Is it easy to get his attention, or hard? What rewards get him jazzed?

The more closely you watch your dog, the more information you have about whether your training is working. You’ll be better able to adjust your training so that it fits your dog. Learning how to train a dog is an ongoing process - never stop teaching him new tricks, and never stop noticing how he responds.

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Keep sessions short

Generally speaking, more frequent, shorter training sessions are more effective than less frequent, longer sessions.

How short is short? This depends, in part, on your dog. If you notice your dog starting to lose interest, the training session has already lasted too long.

A good rule of thumb is to work on something for three to five repetitions at a time. Then take a break. Play with your dog, or do something else for a while - then come back later for another (short) session.

Be patient

One of the biggest challenges with training a dog is expecting perfection-especially when you expect it right away. We often have a mental image of how a well-trained dog behaves. But training dogs takes time, so be patient. You and your dog wilt be together for a number of years, if you don’t reach all of your training goals the first couple of weeks, that’s okay. You’ll get there.

Break behaviors into manageable pieces

Many behaviors are actually made up of more than one action or position: they are several behaviors, combined. For example, paying attention is a foundation behavior for recall (coming when called). For a dog to come when called, she has to notice that you’ve called her. So the first "piece" of the recall behavior is getting your dog to pay attention to you.

If you want your dog to retrieve a ball or toy when you toss it, one part of the behavior you need to train is give - she has to let you take the ball from her mouth.

Sit is a component of the sit/stay behavior.

Sometimes we need to invest time in mastering pieces of a more complex behavior before we can move on to the behavior itself. Start with the basic dog training approach, then start to use several new tasks together.

Think of training your dog as a kind of dance. First you learn the steps. Then you put them together into the final routine. By breaking the behavior into its smaller steps, your training will be more successful. It will also be easier to notice how much progress you’re making.

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So don’t think you need to use store-bought dog cookies or other treats for your training. I use tiny bits of kibble-the kind made for toy breed dogs - for much of my training needs. If you do buy or make larger treats, break them into pea-sized pieces for training.

You should also feed your dog less on days when you give a lot of training treats. Just make sure that the combination of treats and regular meals you’re providing add up to a balanced diet. (Check with your vet on this if you’re not sure!)

While you can use people food as training treats, some foods are known or suspected to be toxic to dogs-including chocolate, grapes, raisins, and onions. Check with your vet if you’re not sure about what training treats are safe.

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Start immediately

Get started on housetraining the first few minutes a new dog comes into your home. One of the secrets of good pottying behavior is to establish habits. If you don’t start reinforcing good pottying habits with your dog right away - the very first day she comes to your home - you’re making the job harder than it should be. The last thing you want is to let your dog get into the habit of pottying where she shouldn’t.

Prevent "Accidents"

The better you are at preventing accidents, the more quickly your dog  will become housetrained.

So how do you prevent housetraining accidents? First, make sure you give your dog frequent bathroom breaks. (If he’s a very young puppy, this may mean taking him outside every couple of hours at first.)

Second, pay attention to your dog’s behavior. Many dogs act a certain way when they need to relieve themselves. They may whine, go to the door, or circle around the floor sniffing. Puppies often need a bathroom break right after playing, eating, or napping.

And finally, consider a crate for those times when you can’t directly supervise your dog. In most cases, confining your dog to his sleeping area trains him to wait to relieve himself.

Use a crate

Crates are a great housetraining tool. Healthy dogs don’t usually soil their own beds. So confining your dog to her bed when you can’t directly supervise her is a great way to prevent housetraining accidents.

Of course, it’s important to introduce your puppy to the crate properly. Your dog should view her crate as a comfortable place where she wants to be when she’s resting or sleeping. Research crate training and other housetraining puppy tips to help you build a strong and loving relationship with your new pet.

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The equipment you use depends on what you want to tech your dog to do. If you want to teach it to retrieve, there are very colorful toys you can buy that the dog can easily see when you throw them. This by playing a game of fetch and using the word Retrieve, you c an train your dog to retrieve things both on land and in the water.

The clicker is a piece of equipment most often used by trainers. With this the trainer clicks the clicker as soon as the dog does what it is supposed to do. The trainer then rewards the dog with a treat. The dog learns to associate the click with a good experience and after a short time, it will intentionally repeat the behavior because it knows that this brings a reward. Then the trainer can start using the word associated with that behavior so the dog will learn to associate the command with the action.

The Bark Collar is another item used in training dogs. This collar contains a sensor that will give the dog a slight shock every time it barks. Instead of positive reinforcement, as in using a clicker, this equipment uses negative reinforcement to teach the dog what it is not supposed to do. There are many varieties of these collars on the market with the latest ones having an LED screen that will tell you how many times the dog barked since you put the collar on. The collars are very lightweight and have several levels of stimulation that is activated by the sound of the barking.

If you are interested in training your dog for entry into dog shows, there is a wide variety of equipment available for teaching the dog to do all kinds of ability jumps. The same applies to training hunting dogs in the many whistles and other equipment trainers can purchase and use. Dogs that are used by the police, search and rescue or as seeing-eye blinds need specialized training and specialized equipment that the ordinary pet owner would not have any need for.

Whatever equipment you decide to use, it is important for you to know the importance of having a well trained dog. If the dog is well behaved there is no reason why it can’t remain in the room when you have company. You won’t have to fear that it will jump up on anyone or become aggressive with children if you have trained to respond to certain commands. Training allows you to have more control over your dog’s behavior for its own protection and the protection of others. You won’t have to put a Beware of Dog sign in your window to warn visitors.

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