Dog Training, Consistency, Kindness, and Positivity
We are constantly bombarded with dog training techniques and the internet is bursting at the seams with articles which promise to show you how to housetrain in a day or stop seperation anxiety overnight.
Wouldn’t it be good if they actually worked?
It would seem that everyone is an expert and that you are letting your pet down if you don’t sign up to the latest training course or invest in all the latest gadgets to train your dog. It’s easy to get confused with all the different training techniques and if you try to do a combination of all of them you will end up with one confused pooch.
The dog training method I use isn’t easy or foolproof. It can take months to get great results but it won’t cost you a single penny!
If you just learn to train your dogs using these three words, results will follow naturally.
The three words are:
Consistency, Kindness, and Positivity
It is a good idea to observe a female dog with her newborn pups and try to continue with that approach when you take over from the mother’s role. There is a ‘no-nonsense, firm but fair’ approach which quickly teaches the puppy manners and boundaries.
Consistency is key, no matter how sleep deprived you are in the first few weeks it is so important to set rules and stick to them. Your puppy will love and respect you for it in the long run.
Not all pups learn at the same pace. Just like children, some are more clever than others, some take a while but once they know it, it’s there for life.
One thing I have noticed with all puppies is how strong-willed they are, and it often feels like a battle to stay positive and kind when they know which buttons to press. However, a few months of consistency should see the puppy develop into a well-rounded adult dog for the rest of his life.
Older dogs or rescue dogs can be harder to train but by implementing the golden rules of kindness, consistency, and positivity, a relationship should form and once that respect develops the dog will naturally want to make his owner happy.
Treat your dog with kindness at all times. If you feel your patience slipping give yourself some time out and start again when you are calm and relaxed.
If the dog does as he is told, use positivity to get the message over to the dog that he did something good. Use a treat, lots of praise, clap, dance, do a cartwheel just get the dog to understand how happy he has made you!
Never punish a badly behaved dog by shouting or treating harshly. Your dog will connect his behaviour to being scared or even hurt. Simply let the dog know that unwanted behaviour doesn’t get such a huge reaction from you.
Dogs are uncomplicated souls, they don’t know how to play mind games or use emotional blackmail (even though it feels like they can sometimes!) They don’t have the mental capacity to be spiteful, revengeful or obstructive and that is why we love our dogs so much.
Victoria Stilwell Dog Training Book
These are my ‘go to’ training books which I have in my bookcase and still use regularly even though they are years old. If someone asks me to recommend an all-around training book with no frills, these are top of my list. The reason is that the training is based on positivity, consistency and kindness and I strongly believe that it is a dog’s natural instinct to want to please his or her owner. Jan Fennell and Victoria Stilwell have been dog training for many years and can be trusted to give good solid advice.
Additional Reading
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