Having a large breed is cute and adorable when they’re puppies but without proper training can become overwhelming, when your once adorable pup becomes this huge dog! Here are 5 large dog training tips to ensure you and your pup don’t run into any issues!
5 Large Dog Training Tips
Tip 1. Start Young
When you get a large breed dog you want to start training them from puppyhood so that you can begin to teach your puppy the right habits and routines before your small pup is a big dog!
The reason you want to start training your dog at a young age is because puppies are essentially a “clean slate” meaning that aside from genetics you are ultimately molding your puppy into the adult dog that he/she will eventually become.
When you start training your pup at a young age you are slowly setting expectations for your puppy which brings us to our next tip set boundaries early.
Tip 2. Set Boundaries Early
Let’s face it if you own a large dog, not everybody will comfortable with a dog jumping and pushing upon them.
Thus comes the importance of setting boundaries early on in large dog training, whether you have a young puppy or a new older dog!
Many times what most dog owners tend to do when they have a new puppy or dog is choose comfort over respect first, allowing there puppy or dog to roam every inch of the house to ensure their dog is “comfortable.”
The issue with this is that when you allow your puppy or dog to have too much freedom early on without setting clear boundaries and rules your dog will do what he perceives appropriate, which means jumping, chewing and behaviors you may not like.
Instead, limit the amount of freedom you provide your pup and set boundaries early on to teach your large dog what is acceptable behavior and what isn’t.
The more your dog begins to understand the house rules the more freedom is given
For more info read our article on “How much freedom should a puppy have”.
Tip 3. Work On Impulse
Teaching your dog impulse control is crucial when it comes to large dog training because no one wants to be dragged down, overpowered, jumped on or lunged at!
impulse control is essentially teaching your big boy to control his urges.
Regardless if there is a squirrel your dog may wanna chase you have to teach your dog to control his desire to do something.
An easy drill to begin working on impulse control with your large dog is a leave it or having your pup wait to eat until you give the say so.
To begin teaching your dog to wait patiently until you give the say so, you want to have your dog food in his bowl.
Before you place his food on the ground tell your dog to “sit” or “wait”
Then place your dog’s food bowl on the ground, if your dog tries to get the food say “no” and pick up your dog’s food bowl.
Ask your dog to “wait” or “sit” again, when your dog successfully sits or waits without attempting to dart for the bowl you can say “ok” or “yes” letting your dog know he’s cleared to eat.
The reason you want to start with your dog’s food is because its something that you have control over and its a relatively low-level distraction when working on impulse.
Tip 4. Teach Appropriate Behaviors
Aside from working on impulse control, you want to teach your dog appropriate behaviors such as sitting when greeting people, not jumping on the table and following you on a leash.
You are always training your dog whether you realize it or not!
Dogs don’t understand what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior, as dog owners it’s our job to teach our dogs what is appropriate and inappropriate, the first step to this is rewarding behaviors that are appropriate like sitting when greeting people.
Some appropriate behaviors to teach you large dogs are, sit when greeting people, follow you on a leash and not pull, space and calmness around kids, waiting for you before walking through the door.
Of course, there is too much more you can teach your pup to remember that you are always training your pup
Tip 5. Be Consistent
The last tip but certainly not least is being 100% consistent. To have a dog that is reliable and consistent you as the owner have to consistently reliable with your dog’s training!
Dogs are ultimately a reflection of us if you are not consistent your dog will continue to test and see if they can “get away with something”
The easiest way to stop the “testing” phase is to be consistent with training the whole time so your dog understands “these are the rules”
Conclusion
Ultimately large dogs are big goofballs that we want to spend and enjoy more time with although for that to happen large dog training is crucial!
As dog owners we want our pups to have fun but always remember its all about balance, there are rules everyone has to follow even your pups!
By following these 5 tips you can set your large dog up for success and prevent issues from arising!
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