Do's and Dont's with your dog

If you talk to dog trainers that have been doing this long enough they will have a list of what to do and what not to do. Each list will vary from trainer to trainer, but here are a few of the main points. These are mainly directed toward puppy training because I see most of the problems stem from an incident in puppyhood.

What to do:

• Do let the dog have some freedom and be a puppy. Too many rules too early will make the dog nervous. Supervised play time helps a puppy develop drive and social skills.

• Do have consistent communication.

• Do take baby steps and celebrate little victories.

• Do make training fun for both you and the dog.

• Do contact a professional if you are having problems.

What not to do:

• Don’t take the puppy to a shooting range to gun break them. This will make the dog gun shy.

• Don’t give a command unless you can reinforce the command.

• Don’t try to dominate your dog or “be the alpha”. Become a team.

• Don’t expect too much too early. Take your time and be patient.

• Don’t correct a dog out of anger. If your dog doesn’t understand the correction, he will become confused.