5 Essential Tips for Effective Dog Training in North Houston

For North Houston dog owners, getting those pups trained is one of the tops things on everyone’s minds. Whether you have a puppy, an old soul dog, or anything in between, with the right tactics you can get them up to snuff in no time! Prestonwood Kennels has pulled together some intel and we’ve got 5 essential tips for effective dog training ready for your learning needs!

Rewards

This is one of the biggest things to remember about dog training: dogs (like people) are highly unlikely to work for free. Dogs train best on a reward system with positive reinforcement. Find out what types of rewards your dog enjoys the best, so that you can create a treat hierarchy for training difficulty. For easy trainings, things like carrots or a little word of encouragement can be good. For more challenging trainings, use rewards like unseasoned steak or a long play time!

Timing

Pups don’t usually have the longest attention span (they’re too cute for that), so create trainings that are shorter and remember to repeat them often. This will keep them from getting overwhelmed and help it sink in. You’ll also want to make sure you keep this training away from any sorts of distractions. Remember, attention span is not a dog’s strong suit.

Consistency

Another huge part of effective dog training is staying consistent with the things you’re teaching. This means using the commands you’re teaching them in context, making sure anyone interacting with them uses the same commands in the same situations.

Read more: 6 Tips to Keep in Mind about Dog Training

Full Body Project

Dog training is more than just saying the “magic words” and hoping that they work, and your dog does as asked. You have to put your whole body into training. You’ll need to use your hands, especially, to demonstrate and emphasize commands that you give. Dogs are very visual, and this will help them learn more quickly if you combine the verbal request and the and hand signs.

Consult a Pro

Last but certainly not least, why not let a professional help? If you’re not sure what you’re doing or just want an extra boost of help, you can look into attending training classes with your pet if you want to stay involved the whole way. If you want to take it another step, you could just get a professional trainer. The key with either of these options is keeping that consistency in play so that what they learn in class is happening at home!

Training your dog doesn’t need to be a challenge. In fact, it should be a fun process that both you and your pooch enjoy! That’s how you get the training to really stick. If you’re looking for some of the best trainers here in North Houston, then Prestonwood Kennel is going to be your number one stop! Whether you want to take part hands-on with training or let our pro staff take the lead, there’s no better place than Prestonwood.