Dog obedience training is important for every dog owner who wants to own, live and enjoy the company of an obedience dog. Obedience training not only allows your dog to listen and behave in the manner that is expected of him, it creates a bond that bring your communication and relationship to new heights.

Do train your dog early and a good time to begin training your dog is when he is about 8 to 10 weeks old. This is the period where they learn best and is a vital time for influencing your dog's future behavior. It's always easier to train a young puppy than an older dog. Nevertheless, it's still possible to train older dogs, you just have to correct his bad habits first and then teach him the proper ones.

There are many incidents where owners abandon their dogs at shelters because they cannot understand what their dog is up to. Dogs will start to display annoying behaviors such as chewing, barking and potty when and where they like, the worse case would be to display aggressive behavior towards the owners.

These incidents can be avoided if obedience training is implemented. Obedience training is a fundamental platform from which your dog and you will learn to effectively communicate with each other.

In addition, obedience training is also an alternative dog owners can turn to when their dogs are behaving badly. It is one way of incorporating discipline in the dog's behavior. Obedience training makes the dog realize that certain behaviors are not allowed and that he should not act that way. Done correctly, obedience training can regulate your dog's behavior and he will be able to respond properly with the right behavior that is expected of him.

There are many dog owners who ask if it is advisable to enroll their dogs into obedience training school. It is generally easier to train your dog with the help of a professional dog trainer or school. Nevertheless, if the dog owner feels that he is up to the job and has the ability to follow simple instructions, there is no special incentives or need to enroll into a dog training school. A good dog training book is usually more than sufficient.

No matter where you choose to train your dog, at home or in a school, there are some universal dog training principles that never change and all dog owners should follow them strictly:

1. Fun and Reward - Effective obedience training is not about imposing strict rules and punishments. Your dog does not understand why he should listen to your commands in the first place. Therefore, in order for your dog to act and behave to what you want, the training session must be fun and rewarding for him.

Your dog will soon learn to do as he is commanded whenever he gets rewards or praises and he will find it an enjoyable experience as well.

2. Consistency - It is important to have consistency in the course of training especially when correcting unwanted behaviors. Always use the same "command" for a specific task you require of your dog. Don't confuse him by using different commands for the same task.

Once you've establish some house rules such as - keeping the cooking area or sofa out of bounds to your dog, enforce them constantly. If the dog learns that he can get away with breaking these rules now and then, your previous efforts will go down the drain.

Simple rules and regulations set earlier on should be followed religiously. It is critical to teach the dog exactly what he is allowed to do and be consistent about it. Confusion will only make matters worse. Last but not least, you have to communicate and make sure the whole family knows and enforce the house rules on your dog consistently.

3. Timing - Timing is critical to successful training. Praise your dog whenever he is doing something right. Giving him a small treat he likes will work wonders for most dogs.

Do take him to task immediately whenever he does not respond to your command or behaves inappropriately. Delayed reprimands and praises will have no effect after the teachable moment has passed.

There are 2 main approaches when it comes to correcting your dog's undesirable behaviors. The first approach is the "Direct Approach". It simply requires you to reprimand your dog on the spot whenever he misbehaves – chewing, barking, digging and biting. This is a more tangible and straight forward approach to training your dog and is easy to understand for most trainers.

The second one is the "Endurance Approach" as it'll require you to ignore your dog when he misbehaves. Using the cause and effect to your advantage, this approach requires you to ignore the dog, especially when he behaves in a certain manner to seek attention.

This approach requires you to pay attention to your dog only when he's a good boy. The rationale for this is that dogs desire attention and will be encouraged by attention. Dogs do not differentiate between positive and negative reinforcement. They see things in a simple way. If a certain action gets reaction and attention, you'll bet they repeat it over and over again - cause and effect.

Sorry to say, most dog owners tend to give negative attention to our dogs. For example: Do you let him out of his crate when he groans or do you give him more attention when he jumps onto you excitedly whenever you comes home? These are considered to be giving him negative attention, and only seek to motivate your dog to continue with his bad behavior.

Fortunately, the opposite is true if you pay enough attention to your dog when he behaves himself. The moment your dog sees that good behavior brings about attention, he will want to continue repeating the positive actions.

What you should do is to focus your attention on your dog only when he is behaving; praise him or give him a treat, let him know that he's getting the attention. If this technique is used correctly, he'll be a well-behaved dog for a long time to come.

4. Training Session - You should be in a calm and correct frame of mind when training your dog. Don't train your dog when you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs or if you've had a bad day and not in the best of moods.

It's recommended to locate and train at a place where there is little distraction around him so that he can concentrate on training. You should take it slowly when you first begin training, this is especially true for young pups. You should not train a young puppy continuously for more than five minutes and limit the training session for older dogs to less than fifteen minutes. They will not have the mental stamina to concentrate on training. It's recommended to pause for short breaks in between training session.

Whenever possible, you should plan the training session to your benefit. One of the best time to start training your dog is before meal time when he is hungry; he will be mentally more alert and response better to treat rewards.

Dog obedience training is not rocket science, once you get the basics right, it will come naturally to you. Every dog owner has the right to enjoy the companionship of their dogs – Start training your dog now.