Dog Training: What Beginners Should Look Out For?

A dog is a man's best friend. This is at least true if the animal is well trained and knows its limits. Without adequate training, living with a dog can quickly prove to be extremely stressful and cause many a nuisance.

In the following, we will give you important tips that will help you discipline your dog and explain what is particularly important when training your four-legged friend.

Dog training is not a matter of breed

Experience has shown that owners of small dogs often assume that their four-legged friend does not need any training due to their size and therefore let them get away with a lot.

In practice, however, this is not a good idea. Despite the size difference that cannot be overlooked, small breeds like Chihuahuas are just as much dogs as Great Danes.

Accordingly, mistakes or a lack of consistency in dog training will also have a negative impact on a small dog. The only difference is that in a large animal, possible aggression usually has more serious consequences.

Dog training from a young age

There is no doubt that you cannot be angry with a puppy for long and most new dog owners will therefore generously overlook some undesirable behaviors. That may be quite understandable, but it shouldn't stop you from starting training your dog as early as possible.

In this context, keep in mind that not only humans but also dogs find it harder to learn new things as they get older. Once your four-legged friend has internalised that a certain behaviour is acceptable, you will only be able to eliminate it with a great deal of effort.

Therefore, make sure that you set limits for your dog from day one and establish important rules for living together.

Dog training is only possible with consistency

There is no dog who learns everything and reliably follows every command within one day. Therefore, in order to train your dog, consistency is just as important as patience.

Don't let your four-legged friend break established rules just because it may be more convenient for you at that moment. Your dog will then very likely test how far it can go with you.

Apart from that, inconsistent dog training inevitably creates unnecessary uncertainty and can sometimes even result in aggressive behaviour in your dog.

Dogs can't be raised like children

For many owners, their dog is not just a pet, but an important member of the family. Nothing can be said against this in principle. However, dogs are nevertheless animals.

It is therefore a big mistake to try to train a dog like a child. You are doing neither yourself nor your four-legged friend a favour that way. Instead, just let your dog be a dog and train and treat it that way.

In this way you will not only make better progress with training, but also ensure that your four-legged friend feels comfortable with you.

Non-violent dog training is a must

It should go without saying that violence has no place in dog training. Nevertheless, there are unfortunately owners who are of the opinion that they have to discipline their dog physically in order to train it.

However, this approach is completely unnecessary cruelty to animals and sooner or later very often leads to behaviour problems and even aggression that is difficult to control.

Use clicker training in dog training

Clicker training is a popular way to reinforce desired behaviours in dogs. The so-called clicker generates an acoustic signal that is used in combination with a reward to teach dogs various commands or tricks. If you want to train your dog, it can be worthwhile to take a closer look at the topic of clicker training.

Obedience trials: advanced dog training

If your dog has mastered the basics and you want to go one step further in dog training, obedience trials can be a good choice for you and your four-legged friend.

Obedience is a dog sport that is about your dog reliably obeying various commands. This includes simple basic commands such as sit or down and also more demanding exercises that your four-legged friend has to master.

Obedience is suitable for every dog regardless of breed and age. Regular training helps to strengthen the bond between humans and animals and is accepted by many dogs as a welcome everyday activity.

Rewards support dog training

The best way to train your dog is to positively reinforce desirable behaviours. If the four-legged friend sits down on command, for example, it has earned your praise, a few pats or a small treat. This is how the dog learns that it is worth listening to you.

On the other hand, if the four-legged friend does not listen to you, temporarily withdraw your attention. In this way, the dog learns that it has done something wrong and must behave differently in the future in order to be rewarded by you.

Bellfor dog treats: healthy rewards for dog training

If you want to train your dog, small dog treats will be of great service to you. Of course, the snacks that you use as motivational aids during training should be of the highest possible quality and, just like the main food, consist of high-quality ingredients.

With Bellfor dog treats, such as our tasty soft snacks, you have come to the right place for this purpose. Bellfor soft snacks are grain-free and are characterised by their high meat content. In addition, they are the perfect size to reward your four-legged friend in dog training without interrupting the training for too long.

For nutrition sensitive dogs, our soft snacks are even available in a hypoallergenic version with sustainable insect protein, if required.

Get to know Bellfor Soft-Snacks in the Shop.

Dog training – our conclusion

As you can see, dog training is something that every owner has to deal with. Not every four-legged friend has to master the best tricks, but a certain amount of obedience is essential for a relaxed and safe everyday life with a dog.

The tips from this article give you some good pointers on what to look out for as a beginner when training your dog, and with Bellfor dog treats you will find healthy delicacies in our shop that you can use to motivate your four-legged friend during training.