Dog Obedience Training Tips

Everyone wants their dog to listen and obey commands. But many people struggle with this, thinking: "I do everything I can and have tried multiple dog training methods, but he still won't listen!"

There may be a reason for this. Your dog may think HE is the leader of the pack!

Dogs are instinctively pack animals. In a pack, there's a pecking order to the group, with the alpha dog being at the top. The alpha is the strongest of the pack; he sets all of the rules and maintains the order of the pack.

When you introduce a dog to your family, to him - it becomes his new pack. Whether you know it or not, he will be feeling out his role is the hierarchy. If he is a dominant dog, you might find yourself in stiff competition to establish who is alpha.

The pecking order is like a ladder, where the alpha is at the top, followed by a second in command and so on. If you're at the bottom, then you're not in charge of anybody, and your dog will seize the opportunity to be in control of the situation.

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You don't want your dog to think he's above anybody in the family. So it would be a good idea to make sure your entire family understands this concept and follows it.

Here are some steps you can take to establish yourself as the leader of your pack:

Don't let your dog sleep with you! We all want our dogs to sleep with us, but if he sleeps with you, he'll consider himself apart of the litter and equal or above you. The alpha dog always sleeps alone, in the most comfortable spot.

Walk through doorways first before your dog. The alpha always enters the den first, and has control over the room. So tell your dog who runs the show when entering a room, especially the front door.

Always feed your dog after you eat. Make sure the whole table is clean and some time has passed, then it's OK to feed him. If you feed him about two hours before you eat, this should be all right as well.

The alpha dog is never indecisive; he makes decisions and sticks to them. If you reprimand your dog or give him a command, make sure you follow through with it.

If he is completely disobeying and being unruly, gently place him on his back, hold him firmly and look him in the eyes. Keep him there until he relaxes. This means he's submitted to you physically. Dogs fight, and when you do this you show him who's the boss and who calls the shots.

Under no circumstances should any of these methods ever be too rough or harsh. You don't want your dog to fear you; you want him to respect you.

There is never a reason to mistreat your dog to show him you're in control. Choose a dog training guide that teaches a method you're comfortable with and expand on these ideas.

Dog training is a long-term skill you want to master, but here are two short, simple ways to get started:

Make Your Dog Stay

For some breeds, teaching the stay command is a breeze, but for breeds with short attention spans - it can be a headache.

However, this is an important command for the safety of your dog. When you take him on walks in busy areas, you'll want to be in control of him and have him stay until you say it's OK for him to move.

When you are teaching your dog to stay, have him in the sit position, but don't give him the treat this time. As soon as he sits, tell him "stay" in a firm voice and give him a hand signal, like a flat palm facing his nose.

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Take a step away from him and say "stay", again with the hand signal. After he has stayed for a few seconds give him the treat. Keep doing this and lengthen the time to stay until you have him staying as long as you want!

The Down Command

This is a very important element to training your dog, as it is the foundation for many other commands and helps establish you as the leader of the pack.

First, put your dog in a sitting position. Place a treat right in front of his nose, and bring it down slowly to the ground. Your dog should follow it down.

As soon as his belly hits the ground, praise him emphatically and give him the treat. When he starts to get it, add the verbal command "down" and say it just before you start moving the treat to the ground.

After plenty of repetition he should do it from a standing position as well. After he starts to respond well to the command, mix it up for him. Try it around other people and dogs.

When you can get him to obey at this stage, you'll know he has a solid grasp of the "down" command. Look for more dog training guides online and find a method that works wonders for your dog-owner relationship!

What to do until your puppy is trained? Help is here.

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