Correction should not inflict pain on your dog. Correction can be as simple as a frown or a reprimand. Time-out is also effective with dogs. Dogs crave your attention. When you withdraw your attention by walking away and focusing on something else your dog will pick up on your displeasure. Since most dogs naturally want to be with you and want to please you the most effective training is to focus on the positive and reward your dog for good behavior. Your dog will repeat behavior that is reinforced positively.

Remember, dogs live in the moment. Rewarding or correcting your dog for something they did five minutes ago or even two minutes ago will not work. The reward or correction must immediately follow the behavior. Small treats can be a good reward as well as praise. Praise with a proper tone of voice and your dog will do almost anything for you.

Remember dogs, like humans are not born knowing spoken language. Dogs have relied on body language, barks, scent, and howls as communication for centuries. It is your job to teach them what verbal commands mean. Dogs learn the spoken word quickly when we avoid giving mixed signals. For instance, you will send a confusing signal to your dog if you call the dog to come and he is slow in coming so when he gets there you reprimand him. This tells your dog that you did not want them to come after all.

Be very clear in your commands to a dog. You should use the same commands every time and when teaching your dog. Always get their attention by using their name and then speak the command. The fewer words you use in your commands the quicker your dog will pick up on them. "Rover, sit!" "Rover, Come!" "Rover, down!" "Rover, no!" "Rover, leave it!" If you want your dog to "Stay" you may want to skip using their name first since this would encourage them to come to you rather than to stay. "Stay!" Reward behavior that you want to see more often.

It is easy to get frustrated or upset in the training process. It is perfectly OK to take time away if you feel frustration rising. If you are harsh or angry when you work with your dog it can upset them to the point that they get confused and are no longer learning. A confused dog will not be able to do what you are asking, so always be sure that you are in a good frame of mind when working with your dog.

A well behaved dog is a joy for a lifetime! Take the time now and reap the rewards for years to come.