Training a dog is less about being in charge and more about making the right behaviour easy, clear and worth repeating for the dog. At the core are three things that work together from day one: good timing, consistency in what you ask for, and rewarding the behaviour you want to see again. Get those three things to align, and the dog quickly learns what pays off - and you avoid the misunderstandings that otherwise leave both you and the dog frustrated. The rest is patience and repetition.
Whether you have just brought home a puppy or you have an adult dog that needs to learn new routines, the principle is the same. You shape behaviour by showing the dog what works, rather than punishing what does not. Below we go through how to get started, which routines carry the training, and what you would do well to avoid.
Positive reinforcement is the foundation of all dog training
Positive reinforcement quite simply means that you reward the behaviour you want more of. If the dog sits when you ask, the reward comes immediately - a treat, praise or a few seconds of play. The dog links the reward to the action and happily repeats it. It sounds obvious, but this is exactly where most people go wrong: the reward comes too late, or it fails to appear when the dog finally does the right thing.
Timing is everything. The reward must arrive the moment the dog performs the desired behaviour, not three seconds later, when it may have moved on to something else. Many people therefore use a sound signal, for example a short "yes" or a clicker, to mark the exact second the dog does the right thing. The signal tells the dog: that thing you just did was correct - the treat is on its way. That makes it far easier for the dog to understand what you are actually asking for.
For the training itself you need treats the dog really wants to work for, and that are small enough that you can do many repetitions without overfeeding. Soft, easy-to-eat bites work best, because the dog can swallow them quickly and be ready for the next exercise right away. MOTIVATION DELIGHTS are designed precisely for those situations where you need a reward the dog will make an effort for. If you want to put together a broader selection for training, you will find relevant products with training in mind in the training treat bundle, and if you have a dog that easily puts on weight, you can look towards treats low in fat.
How the dog learns the first commands
Start with a few useful commands and build from there. "Sit", "stay", recall and walking nicely on a lead cover most of everyday life. Take one thing at a time, and keep the sessions short - two to five minutes several times a day beats a single long session, because the dog keeps its concentration better and finishes while it is still fun.
Take "sit" as an example. Hold a treat close above the dog's nose and move it slowly back over its head. When the dog follows along and lowers its rear to the floor, you mark with your sound signal and reward. After a handful of repetitions the dog begins to understand the movement, and only then do you add the word "sit", just before it sits down. The order matters: the dog must be able to perform the action before the word makes sense. Add the word too early, and it becomes just a sound with no meaning.
Use the same words every time, and agree within the household which commands you use. If one person says "come" and another says "here" for the same thing, the dog gets confused. The more consistent you are, the faster the dog learns. And remember to train in easy surroundings first - the living room at home, where not much is going on - before you move the exercises out to where there are smells, people and other dogs to compete with.
Fixed routines make training easier for you both
Dogs thrive on predictability. Fixed times for meals, walks, rest and play give the dog a framework it can lean on, and that makes all other learning easier. A dog that knows when it will go out, when it will eat, and when there is quiet time is less stressed and more receptive to learning new things.
Routines are also at the heart of house training. A puppy needs to go out shortly after meals, after sleep and after play, and the more systematically you get ahead of it, the faster things fall into place. Praise the dog warmly the very second it does its business in the right place - that is positive reinforcement in practice again. Accidents indoors, on the other hand, should simply be wiped up without drama; telling the dog off rarely teaches it anything other than to be nervous of you.
Meals deserve a place in the routine beyond the food itself. Fixed feeding times help the dog's digestion and make it clear when the day has its fixed points. If you are unsure how to put together everyday dog meals for exactly your dog's life stage and needs, ESSENTIAL FOODS' nutrition advisers are ready by phone, chat and email to help you further.
Socialisation in puppyhood shapes the dog for life
The first months are worth their weight in gold. During puppyhood the dog is especially open to new impressions, and the experiences it has now stay with it for the rest of its life. Let the puppy meet different people, other friendly dogs, sounds, surfaces and situations at a calm pace and always with positive experiences attached. A puppy that has met stairs, cars, bicycles and busy streets in a safe way rarely becomes an adult dog that is frightened of them.
It is not about overwhelming the puppy, but about giving it many small, good experiences. If it becomes uneasy, then ease off and let it observe from a distance before you get closer. Do combine new situations with treats, so the puppy learns that the unknown is something good. Soft puppy treats are well suited here, because they are adapted to the smallest dogs. If you are unsure what the puppy may be rewarded with along the way, the guide what puppies can have as treats gives a good overview.
If you have just got a puppy, there is much more to keep track of than commands alone - feeding, growth and everyday routines all play together. In ESSENTIAL FOODS' puppy universe you will find a well-thought-out place where the advice comes directly from us, so you can give the puppy the finest start to both training and nutrition.
Can you train an adult dog?
Yes. The widespread notion that an old dog cannot learn new tricks does not hold up in practice. An adult dog learns new things perfectly well - it may just have habits that need adjusting, and it takes a little more patience to replace an established behaviour than to build a new one from scratch. The method is the same as with the puppy: show the dog what you want, reward it, and repeat.
With an adult dog it is often an advantage to work out what motivates that particular dog. Some dogs work for food, others for play or praise. If you have taken on a dog with an unknown background, then build trust at a calm pace and keep the exercises simple to begin with. Consistency here means that you and the rest of the household agree on the rules - is the dog allowed on the sofa or not, does it greet guests at the door or not. Changing rules are what confuse a dog most, regardless of age.
Mental stimulation is part of a well-trained dog
Much unwanted behaviour - chewing on furniture, whining, restlessness - stems from a dog that is bored. Training a dog is therefore not only about commands, but also about giving it something sensible to use its head on. A dog that is mentally challenged every day is far easier to deal with and more balanced in its behaviour.
Scent exercises, where the dog has to find hidden treats, activity toys and small problem-solving tasks tire the dog out in the good way. A THE LICKING MAT can, for example, provide calm and focus while the dog concentrates on licking off the food. If you want more ideas for making everyday life more enriching, 5 brilliant enrichment ideas gives concrete inspiration. Adapt the amount of stimulation to the dog - a dog with a high activity level needs more than a dog with a more moderate everyday life.
The most common mistakes in dog training
The most common mistake is a lack of consistency. If you reward a begging dog at the table just once, you have taught it that persisting pays off. The dog cannot distinguish between "sometimes" and "always" - for it, a reward now and then simply means it is worth trying every time. Decide on the rules, and stick to them.
Another classic is expecting too much too quickly. Learning takes time, and a dog has both good and bad days. Ease off the difficulty if an exercise does not succeed, rather than pushing on - it is better to finish on a success than to run a session into the ground. Also avoid long, boring training sessions and telling the dog off after the fact; the dog does not associate a telling-off with something it did several minutes ago. Finally, it is a mistake to use treats without a plan. If you want to make training easy for yourself, you can gather it all in one place with the training box, so you always have suitable rewards ready when the opportunity to reinforce good behaviour presents itself.
Training is not a phase that ends when the dog has learned to sit. It is an ongoing conversation between you, where you continually reward what you want to see more of, and build on what the dog already knows. Keep the sessions short and positive, be patient with setbacks, and remember that a secure dog with fixed routines and plenty of good experiences almost trains itself along the way. If at some point you become concerned about your dog's wellbeing or behaviour in a way that seems health-related, it is always a vet you should turn to.