Is Obedience Training Working With Your Dog? The Fault May Be With You

You might fail to see any tangible results from obedience training with your dog, even after a while of doing so. Whilst it's important to keep in mind that the particular breed of your dog might have some impact on this (some dog breeds are less receptive to obedience training than others, for example), one of the reasons might be down to mixed signals you're giving off. In the following article, I'll run through some of the main faults that occur in obedience training and strategies you can enact to resolve these.

Consistency

The fundamental rule of obedience training is consistency. A consistent message will eventually get through to the dog, but inconsistency just leads to confusion and frustration. Always make sure you're sending the message you want to. So avoid giving treats for things not praiseworthy, reserve them only for things your dog does right. This way, they remain an effective reward for good behaviour and hence promote it.

Conflicting Signals

Related to being consistent, giving out conflicting signals will leave your dog as unaware as to what you really want than when you first started dog training. Always use the same gestures and verbal commands, and don't interchange between them. Similarly, if you're training your dog to walk by your side, ensure that they are always kept to one side and that they don't deviate away from it.

Patience

If you're particularly stressed or tired after coming back from a day at the office, trying to perform obedience training might well not be the best decision. It might be best to reserve obedience training therefore to the weekends, or at least to nights where you are able to impart with the patience and understanding that your dog deserves and the training demands.


In conclusion then, I hope I've shed light on issues with obedience training that might have affected you. From my own experience with my Westie, it takes a long time to get right if you are a first time Dog owner, but the results at the end of it are more than worth it. The loyalty and bond created with your dog will last a lifetime, so it's important to get it right in the early stages.