Important Training tips’ – doggy ‘do’s and doggy ‘don’t’s

Do
•  Practice in your home and garden first, before trying commands in public areas
•  Start training with your new dog or puppy as soon as possible
•  Keep sessions short (15 mins. max.) and fun
•  Train him when he is hungry – before his dinner time he will try harder for his treats
•  Reward or treat him on a random basis, once the new command has been learnt
•  Try to use hand signals with verbal commands, as some dogs may find it easier to recognise
these
•  Keep commands clear and consistent
•  Take your time and be patient
•  Stick to one command per training session at first to avoid confusing your dog
•  Consider going to a good local training class
•  Try to finish on a high note – your dog is more likely to want to train again next time!

Don’t
•  Let your dog get bored – stop immediately if you see this happening
•  Tell him off if he gets it wrong
•  Shout or physically punish him – it will make him scared of you and may cause him to become
aggressive

•  Train him if he is tired
•  Chase him when you want him to come – he’ll think it is a great game and will run away even
more
•  Try to train him in an area with lots of distractions, such as other dogs, people, noises, smells.
•  Expect too much too soon
•  Expect him to understand a command until you have taught him what it means