The term ‘professional’ has a good ring to the ears. When it says professional, it seems trustworthy and has a clear-cut quality in it. Anyone who just started as a dog parent would want professional training for their dog who was just brought home.
This comes into the mind of any dog parent especially if they just got their puppy home. This is where dog training becomes important, and a proper dog training is a must.
The good thing is anyone can do training like how a professional do in the comfort of their home. Just remember these four secrets on how to do professional training.
Four Secrets To Professional Dog Training
1. Establishing The Alpha
It is natural for dogs to travel in packs. It is ingrained in their DNA, which is still evident even after they were domesticated for many years. The leader of a pack is called the alpha, and the alpha ensures the safety and security of the pack.
The key to establishing alpha is that the dog has to understand that the dog parent is the alpha. Communication with the dog while exerting leadership is the main step in making yourself the alpha.
Various steps can be performed like rewarding the finishing of a training course by taking the dog on a walk. Another step that can help is by controlling the food. The dog parent who feeds the dog usually is the one who is usually considered as the alpha of the group. Maintain as the top dog to stay as an alpha in the pack for a longer time.
2. Maintained Consistency
Almost every experienced dog trainer will tell that when dogs don’t learn their commands successfully, it is the fault of the humans. This is because dogs learn specifically.
Words that might mean the same thing to humans can mean two different things to a dog. This is why it is always advised to be consistent with the command words and the tone of the signal words.
If there are a lot of people in your home, it is advisable to make them use the same signal word that you have used for executing the commands.
Also, the consistency should be maintained when it comes to the frequency and schedule of the training.
If the dog trainer is aiming for a potty-trained dog, then potty training should always be done early in the morning and late in the afternoon. If the training is focused on properly fetching specific things, then it should be consistently done during a play catch routine.
Dogs learn very well by routine and repetition. This means that if anyone is consistent enough to proceed with a routine training for dogs, any dog will be able to be trained properly without any hitches.
Some professionals even keep a training journal so it might help if the training individual can keep one too even if they are still new to training.
3. Giving Respect Mutually Can Lead To Obedience
Any owner or trainer should be bonding with their canine companions. It is recommended to have a healthy human – dog relationship in order to make sure that the training goes on without any problems.
Additionally, this bond is based on mutual respect that can be reinforced little by little. As an alpha of the pack, respecting the members and their needs should be established.
Once this respect is mutual, it can be helping to make the dog obedient to the trainer itself. Although it was mentioned that doggie treats may help, the truth is different.
Doggie treats, no matter how delicious it is, do not give birth to respect and obedience between the trainer and the dog. Thinking otherwise is also wrong. Excessive rewarding can also break the respect, while excessive sternness can lead to erratic behavior of the dog. Proper praise and correction methods will lead to respect.
If the dog sees someone as the absolute leader of the pack with respect to the trainer and to the position, training rate will move up sky high. Mutual respect can make the dog work for you in his own motivation and discretion.
If the dog is fearful of the trainer, proper training will not bear fruit, since the canine companion will most likely be afraid of the potential consequences during training.
4. Good Timing Is Everything
Looking for the perfect timing is not a skill that not anyone already has. This timing is about the timing of the reward or praise whenever needed. This is very important, especially when it comes to training.
This whole training is based on positive reinforcement, which uses something positive like a treat or a reward in order to encourage good behavior in dogs. Thus, the timing for any reward has to be perfect, especially if the dog knows what he is being rewarded for.
Making a dog sit but not rewarding him will make him think that the trainer wants him to leave after sitting. This will not click as a positive behavior in his brain, which hijacks the training.
Basically, the perfect timing to reward that dog after a command is as soon as he does the behavior. In this way, the canine companion will be able to learn quickly.
There are some people who use distinct sounds like a clicker to help mark good behavior. The routine is command, click, then reward. Timing is also about ensuring that the training is within the attention span of the dog.
Short 10- or 15-minute training sessions are better than a full blown one-hour drill routine. Dogs have very short attention spans, which means that a trainer has a very little window to keep his focus on the training.
With these, dog trainings should not be a chore, but can be an enjoyable routine to the both trainer and the dog. If it helps, any dog parent can ask for a professional advice from any local dog trainers in their area. This will help ensure the success of the training for their canine companions.
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