Nine tips to help you train your adult dog
Need to train an adult dog? Here are nine tips to help you get started.
It can be a serious problem when your adult dog demonstrates behaviors such as destructive chewing, anxiety and potty accidents, especially when you never know when the behavior will happen. It can make it difficult to take your dog out in public, to invite people around to your home when your dog is there, and even to live with your dog.
There are many reasons why your dog may behave badly. Your adult dog’s bad behavior could have resulted from boredom, depression, or an attempt to get your attention. Dogs can also suffer from emotional problems, just like humans.
If your dog shows signs of bad behavior, you may want to consider adult dog training for them. If so, here are nine tips to help you with your adult dog training.
1) Prepare treats for your dog’s training
Every dog has its preferred treats, and nothing is a greater incentive than earning one. So when making preparations to start training your dog, stock up on their favorite snacks, and use these treats to reward your dog whenever it behaves well.
But watch how many treats you feed it during training, especially if they’re fattening! Give your dog treats in small portions if you are worried about them getting fat.
2) Choose a calm environment with fewer distractions to train your adult dog
When starting your training, choose a calm environment for your adult dog. Make sure there are no other dogs there, and no toys to distract them; this will make it easier for your dog to concentrate on their training.
Ensure your dog is on their leash during training to prevent them from wandering off, too. After they are used to following commands like sit, stand, and eat, you can move to places with more distractions, like your local park, to continue their training.
3) Keep your dog’s training sessions short
When training your adult dog, try not to spend longer than 30 minutes on each training session. This is because some dogs aren’t able to maintain their concentration levels for longer periods.
Some dogs like German Shepherds are more easily trainable and have more concentration as they were originally hunting dogs. When training them, reinforce commands by asking your dog to sit for meals or ask them to stay.
4) Be patient with your dog while it’s in training
When training your adult dog, try to be patient, and don’t try to hurry it up, or get cross if your dog doesn’t catch on as quickly as you’d hoped – especially if it’s not a puppy.
It is possible to teach an old dog new tricks, but it will take time to adapt to the new tricks. So don’t lose hope if your adult dog seems to make slow progress. Instead, stay focused as the trainer and give your dog the time it needs to learn new skills.
5) Decide well on the best methods to use to train your dog
There are many different types of training methods you can use on your adult dog. So find one that works for you both, so you can both enjoy the process.
An approach that encourages your dog to correct its bad behavior is the best method to use. Do not use punishments to train your dog. Instead, think of your dog as your beloved family member who needs to obey the house rules for everyone’s benefit.
Rewarding your dog after it shows good behavior by giving it its favorite treat will encourage your dog to repeat the actions you want in order to get a reward. This approach will naturally help to stop bad behaviors, as a result of being awarded for good ones.
Never use a choke chain in your training, as it can cause damage to your dog’s neck, and even lead to death. The use of a choke chain is a bad training method.
Research more on safe training methods for your dog. You can find information online or in books from your local library. As well as reading up on dog training methods, learn as much as you can about dog psychology and behavior, which will aid you in your dog training.
6) Avoid shouting at or hitting your dog
When training your adult dog, shouting at them or scolding them isn’t wise, as it will just make them fear you. Scolding your dog won’t make it correct whatever mistake it made, but rather it will simply destroy your relationship, as your dog will mistrust you.
If you are not happy with your dog’s behavior, use facial expressions to show them that the behavour was wrong, rather than hitting or shouting at them.
Physical violence creates fear in your dog. If you make a habit of hitting your dog, it can become afraid of hands and maybe even develop a habit of biting people if they try to touch them.
If you want to correct your dog’s bad behavior, you can take something good away or stop a pleasurable moment. Be patient and change your dog’s behavior using positive methods that preserve your relationship with them, and build you dog’s confidence.
7) Train your dog to go to the bathroom outside your house
If your adult dog is not well trained, then it’s a good deja to start the training immediately. Retrain your dog as you would train a puppy, and take it outside so as to relieve itself.
Then reward your dog after it finishes relieving itself. Do this first thing every morning, and last night at night, and they will get used to it as they will see it as an easy way to get a reward.
8) Teach your dog basic dog commands
Teaching your dog to obey your commands will help you to remain in control of various different situations. For example, you can stop your dog from barking at your visitors and controlling its behavior.
You can start by training your dog for great exercise on basic dog commands like sit and stay. Teach your dog how to sit when giving them their meals. To encourage the behavior you want, you can reward your dog with a treat if they sit after your command to sit.
Your dog will adapt to obey your commands, thinking they will get a reward. Over time, you can reduce giving them the treats after obeying your commands.
You can teach your dog also to stay in a room without following you by telling them to stay. If they obey, give them a treat and they’ll soon adapt to staying behind after a treat.
When your dog has learned how to follow the commands in a small room, you can try to practice it in the yard. Do not unleash your dog in the park if you are not sure it will obey your command.
9) Take special conditions into consideration
When training your adult dog, you need to know the best training methods for them. Not all training methods will be a good fit for your particular dog, so you need to spend some time choosing the best training method for your adult dog.
Take your dog to a veterinarian to determine if it has any medical conditions first. If your dog is sick, it could be a reason why it does not obey your commands. For instance, a sick dog with painful hips will not follow your order to sit.
Also, a dog refusing to obey your command might result from having hearing impairments and, therefore, simply not hearing your orders. If this is the case, you can adapt to using hand signals instead of verbal commands.
Ready to start training your dog?
Whatever age your dog, it’s never to late to start training them. Training helps your dog to be well behaved, and gives you more freedom when taking them out. It can also build your dog’s confidence.
Training your adult dog is a great way to create a bond between you and your dog. It also helps your dog understand you are the one in charge, and be able to follow your commands.
Training your depressed dog can distract them and ease their pain as they enjoy moments with their owner. Be patient with your adult dog during training as it may be slow to learn new tricks. Make your dog training a fun activity for you and your dog.
