One of the most important things to remember when training your dog is that it is a lifelong process. Many owners think that once their pet has the basics down, the training process is over. Dogs, much like people, learn throughout their lives, and consistent training will help them to be well-behaved and friendly.

Reward your dog for obeying you, but only occasionally. Rewards like treats and excessive praise can be useful tools when training your dog. Just be careful that you do not condition them to expect this every time they do as they are are told. Reward them for following instruction, but do so randomly.

Be sure that your canine is consuming a healthy diet. If your dog isn't getting what he needs from his diet, he will have a hard time concentrating during training. It is damaging to their health as well as making them more prone to bad behaviors. With the right healthy diet, your dog will be more energetic and eager to please during training sessions.

To train a dog to stop barking you must first train him to bark on command. When the dog barks on command instead of when he chooses to bark, it is easier to teach him to stop barking during the training session. Once he learns the command for "stop barking" he will follow it outside of training.

If you want to help your dog succeed in his training program, take a moment to try and think like he does. Understanding how your pet views the world can help you make better training decisions for him. The better suited your program is to your dog's personality, the more success you will have while training.

To achieve the best results when housebreaking a pet, be aware of the food and water he consumes. Make sure that you feed your dog at least three times per day with good food. This ensures your dog won't have accidents as you'll know when to expect a trip outside.

Stay with the training, so that he doesn't forget the lessons that he learned. Keep him in practice. Do not assume that your dog will remember his training all his life. You can encourage your dog to adopt good habits. That is why it is vital to ensure your dog maintains a strict rule system.

Learn to read how your dog is feeling. By studying your pet's body language, you'll be able to guess whether it is feeling nervous, agitated, aggressive, or calm. If you can predict when a dog is about to behave badly, you can remove it from a bad situation before a problem develops.

If your dog barks and growls at strangers in your home, do this: leash your dog, make him sit, wait until his attention is on you, and hand the leash, in full view of the dog, to your guest. Then wait until the dog is calm again, with the guest giving commands as needed. This teaches the dog that your guest ranks above him in "the pack" and he must accept them. When the dog starts to react again, repeat the exercise.

Every owner owes it to their dog to know the basics of dog training. And the good news is that, even if you know little about canine behavior, there are simple and very easy steps you can take to develop a more positive and healthy relationship with your dog.