Correctly training your newly acquired pet dog requires a knowledge of dog training basics. And understanding how dog communication works is paramount to successful dog training. The most important part of getting a dog to understand your commands and to learn new things involves making sure he understands what you are trying to get him to do. He must first understand that you are his master, someone whom he wishes to please. But when teaching your dog that you are his master, you don’t get that respect from him by mistreating him or by punishing him incorrectly. To do either of these only confuses him.

Dogs understand communication through your tone of voice and through body language. Using simple one syllable words like “No” or “Bad” in a depreciating tone of voice without further unnecessary explanation to the dog will go much farther in communicating what you want it to understand than trying to give your dog a lecture he can’t understand. He can understand when you point at some mess he’s created and say “No!” that you are displeased with his behavior. What he can’t understand, for instance, is you rubbing his nose in the mess and then lecturing him about what it was that he shouldn’t have done. Punishing your dog in this manner without him understanding why will only frustrate him and may stunt his learning, making it more difficult to understand the obedience training.

Another mistake owners often make in dog training basics is calling their dog after the fact in order to discipline or correct him for something he’s done wrong. As owner, you should never use the recall word “come” (or whatever word you use) to call your dog after discovering a mess he has made or for any negative reason. Bad deeds must be caught in the act in order to be corrected. If you want to show your dog the mess he’s made, then firmly go get him and bring him back to the mess. Just don’t allow him to associate his recall command with, “Huh-oh, I’m in trouble and about to get punished.” Because that’s very likely just how he’s going to associate the term after you scold and punish him.

Remember, dogs know only “dog language,” and you have to remain consistent in your use of the language you’ve already taught your dog, which means positive associations with the positive words you’ve taught him. If you start to allow him to associate negative situations with the positive words, over time he’ll become wary of the meaning and not obey. If your dog learns that “come” means “angry owner I’m in trouble now. Better scram!” then he’s unlearning what you’ve already taught him. You want your dog to learn that “come” means “Get your buns over here as fast as possible” period! Your dog needs to understand that “come” means something positive always not that something negative is about to happen.

The dog training basics of communicating with your dog are to keep the communications simple and directly related to the present moment so he will learn what is acceptable behavior and what is not. He’ll begin to learn quickly when you can relate your communication to actions and deeds which have just occurred. You cannot talk to your dog as though he were a human being who can remember what he did wrong yesterday. Keeping this simple idea in mind when disciplining your dog will go a long way toward helping him to learn the things you want him to learn.

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