Every pet parent hopes their dog will be well-behaved. But what many people don’t realize is this: dogs aren’t born obedient—it’s something they learn through proper training.
Some might say training a dog is hard work. But in reality, it’s one of the best ways to build a strong emotional bond between you and your furry friend. On the one hand, training boosts your dog’s confidence, helping them become more outgoing and courageous—especially for working breeds, where “completing a task” is part of their natural instinct. On the other hand, training also makes giving treats more meaningful, which can make your dog love you even more.
The biggest benefit of having a well-trained dog is safety. If your dog runs off, eats something dangerous, or gets into a fight with another dog, following your commands can quickly get them out of harm’s way.
Dog training isn’t as hard as it seems. With just a few smart techniques, you can achieve better results with less effort.
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Start Training As Early As Possible
The best time to start training your dog is right now.
Puppyhood is the perfect stage to set boundaries and establish good habits. Behaviors learned early in life often stick with your dog for a lifetime.
Of course, adult dogs can be trained too. But if you’ve just adopted a dog, it’s best to give them some time to adjust to their new home before starting any formal training. This helps prevent your dog from forming negative associations with their new environment.
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Always Use Rewards
A dog’s obedience to commands comes from building conditioned responses—and that starts with positive reinforcement.
So when you’re training your dog, make sure to reward them immediately when they do something right. This helps them form a positive association with the command.
Most dogs are highly food-motivated and love getting treats as rewards. But some dogs might respond even better to a belly rub, a cheerful “good boy!”, or a quick play session with their favorite toy.
It’s also a good idea to use reward levels. Match the reward to the difficulty of the command. For example, simple commands like “sit” or “shake” can be rewarded with a small piece of jerky. For more complex tasks, offer something more exciting—like a larger, longer-lasting chew treat.
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Choose the Right Time and Environment
When it comes to dog training, timing and setting matter a lot. Most training sessions work best when your dog is full of energy and in a relaxed mood. The environment should also be as quiet and distraction-free as possible—training at home is usually ideal for beginners.
Once your dog has mastered the commands in a calm setting, you can gradually move training sessions to more distracting environments, like the outdoors. Some commands—such as “come” or “leave it”—are especially important in real-world outdoor situations, and practicing them outside makes them much more effective.
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Be Consistent with Commands
When giving your dog commands, consistency is key. To a dog, commands are based on sound, not meaning. For example, your dog doesn’t naturally understand that “drop it” and “open your mouth” mean the same thing—they only respond to the sound they’ve been trained to recognize.
That’s why you should always use the exact same word for the same action. Don’t say “sit” today and “squat” tomorrow—they’ll sound like two different commands to your dog.
Likewise, avoid using the same word for different actions, as this can confuse your dog and slow down their progress.
It’s also a good idea to avoid commands that sound too similar to each other—or to your dog’s name—as this can easily lead to misunderstanding or distraction during training.
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Avoid Punishment
When training your dog, it’s important to use positive reinforcement—help your dog associate following commands with good things and happy experiences.
Punishment doesn’t do much to improve training. In fact, if used incorrectly, it can make your dog feel scared or anxious, which damages trust and lowers their motivation to learn.
And one final reminder: patience is essential. As a dog parent, think of yourself as your dog’s teacher—and your dog as the student. If the “student” doesn’t understand, it might not be because they’re slow, but because the “teaching method” needs adjusting.