Training your dog without the right tools is ‘ruff.’
Don’t worry –– we’re here to equip you with the right tool belt so you can have fun with your faithful fur friend.
Training your dog isn’t just about teaching obedience. Training teaches your dog fundamental (and often life-saving) skills, builds communication and trust between you, and provides the mental stimulation your dog needs to be happy and healthy.
If you’ve never trained a dog before, the process may seem intimidating. If you don’t know where to start, here are five essential tips to successfully train your dog.
5 Top Training Tips for Your Dog
1. Understand Dog Body Language
The key to successful training is excellent communication with your dog. While dogs can’t speak the human language, they communicate with us uniquely, primarily through body language.
Before you dive into training, take some time to research dog body language, so you have a better understanding of which of your dog’s postures and facial expressions mean stress and which mean excitement.
2. Reward Good Behaviors
Focus on rewarding their good behavior rather than punishing their bad behavior.
Dogs will repeat behaviors that you reinforce, so make sure you always reward good behaviors when they happen.
Every time your dog comes to you, make it an exciting event and give training treats if possible. This will reinforce their recall. You can also reward your dog when you see them relaxing to reinforce their calm.
3. Use High-Value Dog Training Treats
If you want your dog to be motivated and excited to train, you must use the right reward. What’s high-value to another dog might not be high-value to your dog, so you’ll need to experiment to figure out what motivates your dog the most.
Food is a popular motivator for most dogs, so a great place to start is with strongly scented training treats made with real ingredients that hold your dog’s attention, like our nutritional dog training treats.
4. Provide Appropriate Exercise
Play first, work second.
If your dog hasn’t gotten any exercise or mental stimulation before a training session starts, it can be hard for them to focus on learning.
Spend time playing with your dog before you train to burn off some of their excess energy. Playtime is also a great time to build communication skills and trust with your dog, which will help during a training session.
5. End Every Training Session on a Positive Note
Training should be fun for your dog, so make sure you keep your sessions positive, especially at the end.
If they’ve been learning a tough trick or are frustrated by a particular skill, go back to something they can do easily at the end of the training session. This creates a positive association with the training sessions, so they’ll be excited for the next time.
Nutritional Training Treats to Make Training a Breeze
Our dog training treats are the perfect motivator for your dog’s next training session. They’re made with real ingredients — no fillers, added chemicals, or preservatives — and are low in calories to fit your dog’s diet needs.
Available in two delicious flavors, Peanut Butter & Banana and Chicken & Sweet Potato, our dog training treats are small, soft pieces that are easy for your dog to chew without interrupting your training cycle. Shop our dog treats today for a training reward that is sure to make training terrific (and tasty).