Basic Dog Training
Though the dog-human relationship goes back thousands of years, communication between the two is still peppered with misunderstanding. The human half of the pair is usually the smarter party, but watching the usual training sessions one can have reason to wonder.
Dogs have the ability to understand and respond at roughly the mental level of a human two-year-old. However their senses operate very differently - their colour vision has a different response pattern to reds and greens, for example, and their noses are infinitely more sensitive than ours. Even the way their minds process information is different from us. Anyone looking to train a dog has to take this into account in order to avoid human frustration and canine misbehaviour.
Dogs are by nature pack animals. Descendant from wolves - where even the 'lone wolf' is an anomaly - they're very social and function best with active interplay and within a strict hierarchy. Hence the reason they fit so well in human families - but only if they at least understand some basic rules.
So, set aside half-an-hour per day, an hour would be better, for at least the first few months of training. Start as young as possible. Four weeks is not too early with some breeds as long as you keep the training session short and simple.
If you feel yourself getting annoyed by your dog's inability to grasp a command take a 'fun' break from the training. Your dog will pick on your frustration and may easily become worried and confused. You don't want to put your dog off from learning at this early stage.
Without establishing who's the pack leader you won't get far so establish dominance early on. Dogs have a hierarchy - there are alpha dogs, beta dogs, and on down to the omega. For a sane household, and a well-adjusted dog, the human (whether male or female) must always be the alpha male of the pack.
This establishing of a hierarchy will be easier or more difficult depending on breed and even with individual dogs. Like humans, some are simply more assertive than others. Others are more than happy to be at the bottom of the pack.
Leashes, collars, commands and other training aids are all highly useful but most important is attitude. Never let your dog be the boss as they'll take full advantage of their dominant position. You don't won't to find your dog growling at you to get off 'his' sofa!
That guideline doesn't imply you must enforce your dominance with physical force. Sometimes, used appropriately, minor physical force may be necessary. Usually, simply being firm and willing to wait for compliance will be enough.
Many dogs respond well to being placed on their backs when young and having a firm hand placed in the middle of the chest until they lower their paws - a sign of submission - when they persist in naughty behaviour. With some, reinforcing this by putting your face close to theirs, emulating dominant dog behavior, can help.
Start on a short leash to restrain the dog's natural tendency to run about all over the place. Allow plenty of time for free running behaviour, essential to dog health, but that's before or after training, not during. At least, not at first.
Basic training should start simply by choosing short, clear commands that sound distinctly different: sit, stay, down, come. Use a firm, but not harsh voice. You're in charge, but not angry. Don't use double-word commands like 'sit down' or 'stay down'. These sound too much alike and can confuse the dog.
Accompany each verbal command with the same tone, look and hand gesture. Eventually the dog will understand that sit is sit whatever the tone of voice, but at first it's essential to provide the simplest, most consistent form of communication.
Just like two-year old humans, dogs have limited capacity for grasping the subtleties of language. Assist their understanding by rigid consistency. Don't use a single command word to mean more than one thing. 'Down' can mean 'don't jump on me or anyone else', or it can mean 'get on your stomach', but it has to mean one thing only.