Why Is training No1 For A Cocker Spaniels ?
It may surprise you to know that when caring for Cocker Spaniels training is the most important thing you need to do.
From the first day you bring it home until the end of its life unless you train it and continue to reinforce training you will never get the most enjoyment out of your dog. Your dog too will be a much happier and more relaxed pet when he knows exactly what is expected of him in every situation.
Training is definitely harder to achieve than keeping your dog in good health. While diet, exercise and grooming must be done, training is still the most vital element of good caring.
Training is definitely not about getting your dog to “do tricks”. You see dogs are pack animals by nature and pack animals exist in a hierarchy. Their security and safety comes from knowing where in the pack hierarchy they belong.
It is so important that right from the beginning of your relationship with your dog you make it clear that you are the leader of this new pack. You do this by training your dog and understanding how a dog thinks.
If you don’t establish yourself as the “pack leader” your dog will feel he has to be. This leads to all sorts of difficult behaviors and a lot of stress for the dog. Many dogs with behavior problems are just stressed dogs who think they have to be in charge.
What do you need to do to become the “pack leader”?
The first step is to be prepared before you get your puppy or dog home. Make decisions about where the puppy will be allowed both inside and outside of your house. You will need to establish “no go” areas. Outside it may be the vegetable garden and inside there will be furniture you don’t want jumped on or objects in certain rooms you don’t want chewed.
Whatever you decide make it easy for both you and the dog by confining the puppy or dog so he can’t access these “no go” areas. Otherwise shut doors and fence off outside areas like gardens.
Cocker Spaniels just adore their owners and want to please them and this helps to make them easy to train. But rules must be made and always reinforced if you are going to be the one in charge.
Another important area of decisions to make is the command language you are going to use. Dogs don’t speak our language and tone of voice using simple one and two syllable words works best. Don’t speak in sentences when giving commands. “Come on Charlie come here” isn’t nearly as effective as “come”.
Consider a simple one or two syllable word when choosing a name for your dog too. When you have to call your dog from a distance or quickly for safety reasons a short clear name helps.
Formal training really grows from simple beginnings like calling the puppy’s name and clapping your hands so it will run to you. Soon it knows its name and is learning to come when called.
Making sure when you call your dog to you is always a positive experience for the dog is a secret of good dog training. Many owners make the mistake of calling their dog only to chastise it when it comes. Don’t ever make this mistake!
Training should develop and grow until your dog always looks to you for cues as to how it is to behave. You need to be able to control your dog in every type of situation instantly. This happens with good training and keeps your dog both safe and feeling confident and secure.
Do you want to always be proud to take your Cocker Spaniels anywhere? Then you need a good training guide.Discover more about one here.
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