Negative Dog Training Style - How to Fail in Training Your Dog
While slight variations occur, training styles usually fall into clear categories. Many non professional trainers fall into the following areas in their training style. The Too-Easily Frustrated
Other than raising a child, no other activity comes close to needing the patience required in training a dog desired behaviors. Along with dog training, self-training is normally needed, as most individuals don't naturally possess a high level of patience. An hour or more needs to be invested daily to successfully achieve the desired behavior in your companion. If you feel you’ve reached your patience limit, even if it’s at the 10 minute mark, finish the session and begin again once you’ve had a chance to ‘cool’ off. Try to increase the amount of time it takes to hit ‘boiling point’ a little every day. Remind yourself you are dealing with a dog, and not a human. The comprehension level of even the most easily trained breeds or individuals is roughly that of an average two-year old human. Of course, occasionally there are exceptions. The Too-Ready To Surrender
By nature, dogs are pack animals that develop in a hierarchical social structure. There are alphas (leaders) and omegas (passive, sometimes fearful) and those in the middle. It's vital that the human (male or female) be the alpha male of the pack for any training program to succeed. While it can at times feel like the reverse, you are training the dog. Be firm, but not harsh. You need to have not only the patience to avoid anger cued by frustration at failure to obey, but the will to persist. Don't surrender your authority. Training a dog to obey isn't for the purpose of ego-gratification or feeling superior. Increased safety for your dog, your children and neighbors are all benefits of a training program, as is a well-adjusted companion. Some dogs are natural alphas so it won't always be easy. However, when the more assertive individual insists on taking it, the role of alpha can and does change among individuals, even in the wild. With patience, repetition and persistence your dog will follow your instructions. The Unreasonable
No dog, not even the best-trained, will always do what you want when you want. It’s a formula for frustration expecting a dog to instantaneously understand a new command or unfailingly remember a previously learned one. Take the time to learn your dog’s individual capacities and limitations and remember that a dogs' memory works very differently from a humans. People tend to forget that they’re animals, and not people. Every individual varies, though some breeds are inherently more easily trained. Some are more naturally energetic (terriers, retrievers, dalmatians) and some more low-key (basset hounds, collies). Age obviously makes a difference. Less attention will be paid by a ten-week old puppy when compared to a three-year old dog. With any training, you are trying to create trust, so that it will be instinctive for the dog to follow you, as alpha. Yelling, harsh tones, physical punishment or abuse are all detrimental. To achieve success, work with your dog's nature, not against it, and build upon the dog’s strengths. Further productive styles are discussed in the next article. More Basic Dog Training Commands Articles: | 