How to Train Your Dog With Love

By John Ingrisano

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

Dog treats (I personally recommend Charlie Bears)
Patience
Kindness. A beaten dog is not what you want (though a good smack with a newspaper is not out of line once in a while).

Step 1:
Do not train your dog with fear. You may get obedience, but a cowering dog is not what you probably want.
Step 2:
Reward positive behavior. I trained my dogs with little treats (mostly Charlie Bears, but it does not matter). They know that whenever they come in the house, they will get a treat. Same on numerous other occasions, but always and only when they do what is expected of them.
Step 3:
When they misbehave or do not obey, I (you'll love this) growl at them and order them to come. Their basic commands, btw, are "go," which means they can take off into the nearest field, and "come," which means show up right away and heel.
Step 4:
Never hit your dog. They always respond better to positive feedback.
Step 5:
When my dogs behaved, they got treats. When they didn't listen, they did get yanked around with a choke collar occasionally. Still, overall, I found that even a stubborn boxer responded best to patience and treats (though firm growl from me worked wonders when warranted).
Step 6:
If you must strike your dog (such as when he or she runs across a busy street and there is no time for patient second-chances training, yell loud and hit the dog with a leash or newspaper, never your hand.
Step 7:
Train consistently and often. I walk my nine-year-old Golden Retriever and four-year-old Boxer twice a day, for two miles morning and night. We take the same route, use no leashes, and they consistently respond to voice commands or just circumstances. (For example, we walk in the country, and when they see a car coming, they both look at me and then fall into heel position, my Boxer on the left and my Goldie on the right. Keep in mind that this has taken years to achieve, but the key has always been consistency.

More Puppy Pages

How to Train a Golden Retriever

Instructions Step 1: Collect whatever information you can about the dog's parents and previous home life. Knowing that your dog's mother was hyperactive or his father was timid can help you better understand why your dog acts the way he does. On the same...

Instructions Step 1: Begin training at seven weeks, but formal obedience training should begin at 4 – 6 months. Be sure to use positive training methods that rely on praise and treats as motivators, rather than pain. Step 2: Use proper technique...

Instructions Things You’ll Need: Toys Treats Regular collar or harness Leash Step 1: To better understand your puggle, learn about both beagles and pugs. Beagles are small hounds and often find "following their nose" more interesting than what you...

How to Break a Shetland Sheepdog's Bad Habits

Instructions Step 1: Provide basic obedience training for your dog. The sit, stay and down commands are crucial for the Shetland. If he begins chasing a car, a sit and stay command could save his life. Obedience training strengthens your relationship...

Instructions Things You’ll Need: Your Husky dog Small treats or a clicker A long lead - 10 or 15 feet at least An clear and safe area to do dog training Lots of love and patience! Gaining Control Step 1: Get control over your dog, first. This doesn...