Training your dog is not difficult if you know what you are doing. Without an understanding of your dog, you and your dog might get frustrated. Following is a list of tips you should familiarize yourself with before embarking on dog training.

1) Dog should be given clear commands, and the commands should be consistent. What this means is if the command is “sit”, you expect the dog to sit, and the desired response must be clear to the dog. Same word must be consistently used to make the dog sit and not use other words, such as “down”. Otherwise, the dog can get confused.

2) Learn about your dog’s breed, natural drives, instincts and limitations by reading or by other means.

3) Positive Reinforcement helps build mutual trust and obedience. Build the relationship based on trust. Think of training as something necessary to build a relationship so that you won’t get frustrated when your dog doesn’t pay attention.

4) Reward the dog for expected behavior immediately. If it takes 10 seconds to pull the treat from your pocket, it is too late as dogs live in the present moment. If you are using a clicker - a sound making device, make sure to give a treat following a click.

5) Your commitment and patience to keep your dog happy and healthy are important.

6) Unacceptable behavior of your dog should not be rewarded. Negative Reinforcement could be in the form of you looking away or ignoring when your dog nudges for attention, a firm “No” or giving a timeout. Punishment by hitting the dog should be avoided. Again, training yourself to communicate in a way your dog can understand is important.

7) Training continues beyond puppy stage.

8) Train the dog after a walk or make sure the dog is not stressed out before training.

9) Training sessions should not last more than 5-10 minutes each as dog’s attention usually is limited. Your dog should either look at you or pay attention at all times. Repeat training after a break but don’t overdo it.

10) Start training with basic commands, such as “sit” and gradually add more commands with patience.

11) Your dog needs to be socialized. You want to make sure that your dog behaves well around other animals, children, your visitors and neighbors.

12) If your dog is around kids, kids need to be trained how to behave around the dog. No matter how friendly your dog, interactions between your dog and the kinds need to be supervised.

As indicated above if you can understand your dog and look to build a relationship, you and your dog are on the way to lifelong buddies.