You can't properly live with a dog unless you give it some
basic training. An untrained dog is a recipe for disaster.
And you can't blame the dog for its bad behavior! If you
come home, and your dog about knocks you over in its
exuberance to greet you, that's nobody's fault but your
own. If you haven't taught him to sit and stay, too bad
for you!

Lucky for you, dogs are not that difficult to train. So with
a few basic lessons from you, your dog should be listening to
you in no time!

Before you can get into teaching your dog the five basic
obedience commands such as sit, stay, heel, down and come,
you need to show your dog what actions are acceptable, and
what actions are not.

You achieve this by constantly reinforcing good behavior by
praise and correcting bad behavior in a mild and nonviolent
way.

For example, if after throwing a tennis ball, your dog happens
to return it to you without you having to chase him around and
prying it from his mouth, this is good behavior, and should be
rewarded accordingly.

Most dogs need nothing more than a simple "Good Dog!" offered
in your most supportive, warm voice. Others might appreciate a
pat on the head, or maybe a little treat. But start off with n
ice, simple vocal praise.

However, if you throw the tennis ball, and your dog thinks
it's funny to watch your chase him around the yard trying
to retrieve the ball from him, a simple "No!" in a loud,
firm tone will work. Don't sound angry, panicky, or annoyed,
this will only baffle the dog.

When your dog finally drops the tennis ball at your feet,
praise him to let him know you approve of this behavior.
Quickly, your dog will learn he will be corrected for
doing something wrong, and praised for doing something
right.

So in short, correct when wrong, praise when right.

If your dog does something wrong, like getting in the trash
while you are at work and stringing garbage all though your
kitchen, you can't correct him AFTER THE FACT! You can only
correct a dog if you catch him in the act of doing wrong. A
dog will forget the "bad" event just a few minutes after the
event has happened. So scolding him at 5:30 p.m. for something
he did at 8:30 a.m. will do no good (if the trash thing has
ever happened to you, I suggest putting your trash inside
cabinets, under sinks, and out of site!). Don't hold a grudge
against your dog, it's destructive.

Don't ever hit, or threaten to hit your dog. This means with
your hand, a stick, a rolled up newspaper, or anything else.
This will only result in a dog who is afraid of all human
hands.

So what have we learned again? If your dog does something
right, praise him. If he does something wrong, and you
catch him in the act, correct him and then praise him when
he stops the bad behavior.

If you are looking for more information on dog training, go
to our labrador dog article directory. The site is dedicated
to Labrador Retrievers, but can be utilized for any dog breed.

Article written by Cherie Stirewalt.