Most new dog owners decide pretty quickly that, unless they have a well house trained dog, they will need to undertake some kind of formal dog training.
The main benefits of dog training are that you get a pet that responds to your commands and knows its place in your home. But the benefits go further than that, a mutual respect develops between you and your dog that provides a lifetime bond between the two of you.

That is the kind of respect that makes for a fulfilling and enjoyable time with your new pet that will hopefully last for many years to come. A relationship built on trust.

Each breed of dog responds differently to the various training methods and it is here that the advice of an experienced trainer will be invaluable. Dog breeds vary but so do the characters of the individual dog.

For instance many dogs have had certain traits built into them through years of specific breeding. Take pit bulls as an example, these are bred for fighting and this will always be part of their make up but given experienced handling they can be made to become more docile in time.

Toilet Training

Toilet training is something that needs to begin the first moment your dog steps into your house. You can make it as simple as leaving your dog in its basket and when it shows signs of needing to go to the toilet, take it to the same, specific location outdoors to do its business.

Make sure this is a repetitive exercise to avoid confusing the dog. Failure to get this right will result in messy 'accidents' to clean up.

Dog Training Needs To Be Consistent

When you are giving commands to your dog try to be as consistent as possible in the strength and tone of your voice. This makes it easier for the dog to know what action to repeat according to your demands.

As an example, if you say the word NO firmly when a dogs misbehaves and accompany it by a light tap on the head then it should only take the dog two or three goes to understand your meaning.

If you are tempted to place the responsibility of dog training into the hands of a professional be aware that you cannot just do this and walk away.

The dog needs to respond to your voice and so, it will be essential for you to take part in the dog training sessions on a frequent basis.

About the Author
Tom Shadow has owned dogs all of his life and has experienced difficult to handle dogs as well as dogs that pose few problems.

Visit Tom's dog training site for more free hints and tips.