Successful dog whisper training depends as much on your dogs breed, feeding habits, excercise routine, sleep patterns and health as it does on your consistency and skill as a dog obedience trainer.
1. Make A Training Plan
Consistent dog obedience training is not only the reinforcement of appropriate behavior but also the schedule and environment for practicing with your dog. You can make the practice sessions more meaningful and efficient by gathering all the tools and toys you will need before beginning. Prepare the environment by removing any distractions including toys and food that are not part of the training.
2. Decide What Behavior To Work On
Dog whispering training is a method to teach your dog appropriate behavior, it is not about teaching him what not to do. Without a clear understanding of what behavior you are teaching your dog will not be able to understand what you want. For instance if your dog has the bad habit of chewing carpet or furniture you want to teach him what is ok to chew - like his toys.Use your dog whisperer training skills to teach the behaviors you want.
3. Use Consistent Commands
Develop the habit of using the same command for each obedience you want to reinforce. Select short, crisp, one word commands when possible. For example, 'stay', 'sit' and 'down'. Don't make the learning or your dog whispering technique any more difficult then it needs to be. The message should be consistent and clear so you don't cause confusion. All family members should be using the same signals and commands.
4. Set Realistic Expectations
Young puppies can't be expected to do what older dogs can and really old dogs may not be able to physically do what 'teenage' dogs can do. Tailor your dog obedience training to the capability and learning level of your dog.
5. Be Positive And Have Fun
Never us physical punishment. Those are not dog obedience or dog whisperer training methods and do not foster safety, patience, kindness and compassion. If you find yourself getting angry or frustrated, stop the training session and try again later. Positive training methods are far less stressful for you and your dog. If it is not fun for you, then it is not fun for your dog.
6. Train In Context
You won't have much success with dog whispering or dog obedience training if the environment and conditions aren't condusive to training. Don't try to to teach a dog to sit while at the local dog park where there are other dogs running freely. Don't teach the stay command in your house where the children might be playing. Make sure that you provide opportunity for your dog to be successful and properly rewarded for appropriate behavior.
7. Keep Training Sessions Brief
Several 2-3 minute sessions a day are better than 1-2 that are too lengthy. By keeping each session reasonably short and on task you will have a highly motivated 'student'.
8. Reinforce Appropriate Behavior
Many dog obedience training opportunities will arise while not doing formal training sessions. You should reward your dog whenever they are doing something you like. Your dog will quickly learn how to behave in order to get praise and treat rewards.
9. Give Your Dog A Task
Giving your dog tasks is important because it instills a sense of purpose and stimulates your dog to respond to commands. The objective of giving your dog a job is to establish you as the alpha leader. When you are the task master you are dictacting how, when and where to exhibit appropriate behavior.
10. Request Help When Necessary
Last but not least, ask for help if you can’t figure out how to train your dog, especially if you don’t know how to solve a problem. Aggression problems always call for a qualified professional trainer. Get referrals from your veterinarian, your friends, or from www.apdt.com and www.nadoi.org. All trainers say they are positive and have lots of experience, but I suggest you interview each one and ask specific questions about the methods they use. Do they ever jerk? Or use choke chains or shock collars? Or pin dogs on their back? If you hire someone and he or she suddenly starts yelling at your dog or using any of the aforementioned techniques, ask yourself if this is how you want your best friend treated.
Successful dog training is rooted in good old common sense, and learning to anticipate problems before they happen. Train with love, affection and consistency and, above all, keep yourself and your dog safe.
