Basic rules of dog training

There are certain rules that your dog needs to master in his everyday living with humans. Ideally, you should start training him as early as possible. Be patient but consistent. Do not ask too much of your dog during a workout. It is much better to practice several times a day than in a single, lengthy session. During breaks from training, you should allow your dog to do whatever he fancies, whether that be sniffing around, running, swimming or just sleeping.

When you begin training your dog, make sure that you give clear signals so that your dog can differentiate between different commands and always knows what you expect of him. Where possible, combine audible signals with visual ones. By the time that your dog gets older and his hearing starts to fail, he will thank you for it!

When you begin introducing something new to your dog, you should ensure that you carry out the training in quiet surroundings until he knows precisely what you want. Condition him in a positive way and reward him for performing an action correctly. Once he has mastered the new command, gradually increase the number of distractions. Be consistent and insist that your command be performed correctly. Most importantly, do not forget to praise him afterwards!

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