Dog training isn't hard, despite what people usually believe. To train a dog to do tricks, all you have to do is to apply two principles: reinforcement and punishment. Training dogs is as simple as that. In this article, I will tell you only how to train your dog to sit, but the principles of reinforcement and punishment are useful in any circumstance.
First of all and before any misunderstanding; punishment is not to beat the dog when he doesn't respond correctly. The worst punishment to a dog it the lack of your attention. When the dog doesn't respond to the training, just ignore him. If you ignore the dog, he will know that something is wrong. The more the he disobeys you in dog training, the colder you must be with him. The opposite works too. If the dog obeys you, be nice and tender to him.
To start dog training you will need two simple items: dog snacks and a clacker. A clacker is a dog training device that produces a clicking sound that you will use when the dog obeys you. If you don't want to buy a clacker, do what I did. I used an old small stapler that produced the clicking sound when I pressed it.
The Command “Sit”
Stand in front of the dog and say in a firm voice “Sit”. You will have the clacker and the dog snack with you. Of course the dog won't care about what you said or your feeble attempt to train him, and will smell the snack and jump on you. That's when you must raise the snack high above the dog's head. He will jump for a while, but after sometime, he will sit. When he sits, you must immediately press the clacker and give him the snack. Pet the dog for a while, showing that it was the correct response.
The dog training for sitting consists mainly in repeating this same process over and over. When the dog starts to sit every time you raise the snack, it's time to train him to do it when you don't raise it. Put the snack behind your back and repeat the training. The dog will be a little confused for a while but he will understand sooner or later, and you will do the same: Command, Clack, Snack and Pet.
After you are absolute positive that the dog will always obey while you have a snack behind your back during the dog training, it's time to start removing the snack part. The dog training will be basically the same, but you will give him the snack only each three times he obeys. You will keep training the dog to respond to the clack and will pet him always, but the snack must be gradually removed. When you are sure that the dog will always respond, you will continue the training without having a snack with you, and after a while, voilá. Your dog is trained to sit. Congratulations.
Remember to give the dog a snack every once in a while, but not many. Snacks are not good for dogs. The clacker, on the other hand, is a powerful tool in dog training and you must always use it. The click sound is a fast and easy way for the dog to understand that he is doing right. Dogs respond well to hierarchy, because they are pack animals. They feel safe when obeying someone who takes care of them. Always remember: in dog training, the best reinforcement is love, and the worst punishment is lack of attention.
That's Sushi, my Shi-Tzu, when he was only a baby dog. He learned the command “sit” in a couple hours in two afternoons.
