A dog training program is not something to jump into lightly. Dogs require firm and consistent guidance to learn the behaviors their owners want to teach them. It is therefore important to plan out your training regimen thoroughly before you begin. This article will provide you with some points to consider in your planning.

Focus on your body language when training. Dogs respond much easier to non-verbal cues. Pay attention to how they respond to different actions and facial expressions that you make to learn what affect they have on them. Keep your words short and too the point and reinforce it with bodily actions.

Try to command dogs with one word or a small phrase rather than a lengthy phrase. Smaller commands are easier to remember and recognize from other people, whereas longer phrases can be confusing to a dog. Make sure everyone uses the same phrase to command a dog to avoid confusion.

Make sure your yard is free from burrowing wild animals to keep your dog from digging. Some dogs, especially hunting breeds, will dig when looking for prey. Finding humane ways to rid your yard of other animals can help to stop this troublesome behavior. Wild animals can be deterred or relocated for the sake of both your yard and your pet.

If you don't want your dog watching you while you are eating or making dinner, try teaching him to stay behind an invisible line during mealtimes. Make an invisible barrier at the entrance of the kitchen and block your dog back into that spot every time he moves while you're doing things in the kitchen and reinforce him staying and being good. He will quickly learn that staying out of the kitchen during mealtimes is the appropriate thing to do.

One tip to keep in mind when training your dog is to ensure that you make it absolutely clear to your dog what it is that your are disciplining it for. This is important to avoid confusion and to teach the dog what is desired and what is undesired behavior. An example of what to avoid is hitting your dog hours past and in a different room from where it shredded your couch.

Don't punish good behavior. Many dog owners make a big mistake during training for recall by having the dog come for reprimanding. This will only teach your dog that responding to his name is a negative event, and will discourage such behavior in the future. Make sure your punishments never incorporate desirable commands.

While training your dog, it is important to maintain a calm voice, even if you feel frustrated. If you get angry, your pet is not going to enjoy learning and will not respond well to your commands. Your dog should enjoy the training process rather than dread it.

Establish where your dog's resting and eating areas are, and don't let him take control of your home. Prevent him from getting in the habit of sleeping in high traffic areas and confiscating sofas and comfy chairs, by redirecting him to his own resting area whenever you find him in the way. Don't make a big production number of this. Just move him along.

Get your dog used to being touched everywhere by petting and touching all his body parts. Make sure to include the toes, feet, stomach, inside the mouth, ears, snout and even the tail. Desensitizing your dog to being touched everywhere, helps train him to not attack a visitor who touches him in an area he is not used to being touched.

The way you train your dog depends on your own goals and your pet's temperament, of course. Certain methods and strategies can be effectively applied with any training program. If you choose the methods presented in this article that suit your needs and your canine companion's attitude, you will be able to get your dog jumping through hoops - maybe literally - in no time.