Discover effective techniques to cultivate obedience in your beloved pets with these straightforward training methods. Enhance your bond with your pets while teaching them essential behaviors through simple, rewarding approaches.

Training is a great way to connect with your pets, especially cats and dogs, because they learn the meaning of several keywords through training. 

Learn More: Traveling with Multiple Pets.

I really love my furry companions. But I must say that not every moment is enjoyable when your pet isn’t trained to behave in a specific way. Pet training helps you avoid so many unwanted behaviors. Simple commands such as sit, lie down, stay, and come will make your job as a pet parent easier and make a life-saving difference in a dangerous situation. Once you’ve learned how to properly implement your dog’s obedience at home, it becomes a fun and useful activity for you and other family members. 

Methods of Training Pets

Pet obedience training has many different approaches. But in all cases, however, the most important step is positive reinforcement. Heartfelt praise and an edible reward will help them understand they have done what you wanted. One thing you must understand as a pet parent is that many pets (especially dogs) enjoy pleasing their owners, and nearly all types of dogs will work hard to earn a treat. Never yell at or punish your pet for non-compliance during training to avoid frustration, making it even harder for them to learn. 

There are two common methods of training a pet, namely: 

• Aversive-based method 
• Reward-based method 

Aversive-based or disciplined training

Aversive-based or disciplined training is when you use positive punishment and negative reinforcement techniques with your pet. This training method uses techniques like loud, unpleasant noises, physical corrections, and harsh scoldings to get your pet to act the way you want. This method applies to both cats and dogs.

Reward-based method

A reward-based method is one of the most effective methods of training your pets. This approach requires you to give them treats, praise, or affection. But you must note that the best reward to give them is the one they want the most. If they are food-motivated, you can give them treats instead of praise. But affection might be the best reward if they crave attention from you. 

How To Train Your Pets To Be Obedient

If you’re wondering how to train your cats and dogs to behave in a specific way, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we have outlined some effective tips for training your pets to be obedient. As I’ve already mentioned, the best way to get your pet in line is to consistently reward them for your desired behavior. Do not reward them for the behavior you don’t want.

Anytime you ask them to sit down, and you don’t give them a treat until they stand back up, they become confused. It becomes difficult for them to know which behavior you reward them for. 

Many techniques from different sources tell you the best ways to get your pets to be obedient. But these are some of the best methods, and you can use them. 

Keep the training sessions short. 

Ordinarily, dog training sessions can be fun, but other pets, like cats, are very difficult to keep when they are new to training. So it is important that you shorten the training sessions to keep them focused and prevent them from losing interest or getting frustrated. 

For dogs, I will recommend 10 to 15 minutes for a particular session, while other pets, like cats, can start with 3-5 minute sessions once or twice a day. Your training section should always be frequent and consistent. Short training sessions are way more effective than longer ones. 

Start with the basics. 

As a beginner, it’s important to start with the basics. As tempting as it may be to rush into training cats and dogs how to jump through tall obstacles, chances are that would end in frustration for both of you. So is better to start with something simple to show your pet that training is fun and easy. 

Teaching your pet that the “click” means they get a treat can be the first step. Once your pet understands the click, you can advance to teaching them how to sit. These foundational skills help you be well-prepared to progress onto more advanced behaviors. 

Eliminate any distractions. 

Your training sessions should always be in a quiet area of your home. Somewhere with as few distractions as possible. Attractive food, unnecessary movement of family members, and loud noises can be quite distracting, and your pet may not be able to focus. 

While there are strategies to train different types of dogs at once, it’s best to start off working with just one at a time to avoid distraction. Other pets should be closed off in another room of the house so you can focus only on one. 

Find the right reward. 

Since there is no magical, universal training treat for pets, it is important to know your pet’s preferences. Just as with humans, different pets have different treatment preferences. Some pets will prefer dry treats or kibble, especially dogs, while other pets, like cats, prefer wet food or squeezable treats. It’s good to have multiple treats that your pet will work for. 

Sometimes cats and dogs might be willing to perform easy behaviors for a particular type of treat, but they require a higher treat for more difficult behaviors. In this sense, a high-value treat does not necessarily mean a more expensive one. It is just a treat your pet sees as unusual or special. 

Involve others 

If you have other family members, including them in your pet’s training process is important. Especially if you’re working on training out any unwanted behaviors. Every family member should know the training method and goal so they can also correctly and consistently address bad behavior when it arises. Involving other family members in your training also helps to build your dog’s socialization skills. 

Conclusion

Note that whenever your pet sits naturally, always click and reward them. Soon you’ll notice your pet sitting to cue you when you bring the treats out. Also, add the word “sit” once you can predict their behavior. I hope you find this article interesting. Please leave a comment if you have any questions.