Dog Training Tips

Training tips for people and their dogs

This page contains excerpts taken from my book “Puppy Training For You and Your Dog” by Andrew Ledford ©copyright 1998 and my dog training pamphlets. These were the early versions of my current book “Puppy Guide to Potty Training and Dog Care” that you can check out for free on Kindle if you have Amazon Prime. All trademarks and copyright items may not – under any circumstances – be reproduced or used without the written permission of Andrew Ledford.

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These are some important training tips to keep in mind when interacting with and/or training your dog or puppy.

  • Don’t let your dog ignore a command
  • Always enforce a given command
  • Don’t give a command you’re not prepared to enforce

Dog training can be used to help fulfill some of your pet’s basic needs, such as exercise and constructive social interaction. An additional advantage to training your dog is that it should reduce some of the stress both people and dogs feel from living a sedentary life.

Obedience training will give your pet a job to do and can be useful in redirecting the mental energy of an animal that was meant for work.

Dog Training tips for training with the leash and collar

  • Use the leash to control your pet
  • Keep the leash loose
  • Learn how to make a leash correction
Training Pit Bull with a loose leash
Leash training tip – When training your dog use a Loose Leash as much as possible.

Dog training – reward training tips

  • Use rewards as a lure
  • Use rewards to strengthen behavior
  • Reward your pet’s best response

Food reward training tip – use food to teach and then increase the strength of a behavior
Food reward training tip – use food to teach and then increase the strength of a behavio

Food reward training tip Luring dog into position.
Food reward training tip – use food to teach and then increase the strength of a behavior.

General Training tips

  1. Use your pet’s name to get its attention. You must be able to get a well defined orientation response from your dog to have control. Build attention by using your pet’s name to call it for food, walks, and play. Do this randomly 10 times a day. Never punish your dog for coming to you or by calling it.
  2. Always enforce commands that you give, and don’t constantly repeat commands. Don’t let your dog ignore a command. If you’re not serious about enforcing a command, don’t give it.
  3. In dog training timing is a form of communication. Timing is one of the key elements of animal training. It does not matter what training method you use, work at developing the proper timing for each technique.
  4. Reinforce desirable behavior.
  5. Do not reinforce undesired behavior.
  6. Do not punish desirable behavior. Such as having your puppy eliminate outside and then immediately leaving the pup. If the puppy wants to be with you, leaving punishes your puppy for doing the right behavior.

Final thoughts for the Dog training tips page.

Every dog possesses an individual personality and temperament along with inherited characteristics. Basic temperament and breed characteristics can’t be changed, but through training they can be redirected and channeled into desirable behaviors.

While training, you always want to keep the three P’s in mind: Practice, Praise, and Patience. Whenever you are interacting with your dog you are training. More than likely you are doing one of the following. Praise (reinforcement), Ignoring, or Correcting (PIC). Don’t ignore or correct good behavior. Do not attend only to bad behavior. Do not praise or reinforce bad behavior.

Your Dog Trainer Andrew Ledford

My Training System gives you the essential tools and the practical knowledge you need to realize your dog’s full potential.

If you need help with your puppy or dog’s behavior,
please call today and make an appointment with your
professional dog trainer
Andrew Ledford
Southern California Dog Training
714-827-4058