Cocker Spaniel Obedience Training
Cocker Spaniels are naturally obedient because of their origin as hunting dogs. Therefore, you should not have a difficult time with your Cocker Spaniel obedience training. Here are a few techniques that will help you achieve results fast and relatively effortlessly with your Cocker Spaniel obedience training.
Understand Your Cocker Spaniel
It is essential that you take the time to understand how your Cocker Spaniel thinks and reacts to certain commands and training, as depending on his age and gender he or she will react differently. For example, a bitch will learn relatively faster then a male, not because they are not capable, but because males get distracted faster then the females, especially as puppies.
Cocker Spaniel obedience training should start between the ages of 3 to 5 months old, as anytime before that your puppy will be confused with what you are asking of him or her. Start gradually and never overdo the training sessions. As soon as you observe your dog getting tired or bored, try to take a break and then continue or start again the next day.
Teach Your Dog to Recognize and Respect Training
Dogs will recognize the training sessions, and may want to walk out of them by acting tired and/or bored. So, you need to let your dog know to respect and enjoy the training sessions by making then fun but at the same time being stern about your instructions.
In order to teach your Cocker Spaniel obedience training efficiently, you need to also reward your dog when he or she performs as desired. For example, get some of your dog’s favorite treats and keep them where your dog can see and smell them, then ask them to perform an instruction precisely. Upon completion, show your appreciation by patting and offering your dog his favorite treat.
Make the Commands Short and Sharp
It is important your dog understands you are asking something of him or her. That is the reason Cocker Spaniel obedience training commands are always short and sharp. For example, say “Sit” or “Fetch,” especially in the beginning of training when your dog may just start to realize those are training sessions.
Speak clearly and slowly in order for your dog to realize you are asking something of him or her. Have patience and be kind, as it is possible your dog did not understand the command in the first place,and that is why he or she is hesitating. Repeat the command calmly and don’t forget the reward.
It is important you repeat your Cocker Spaniel’s training daily, if possible. This is especially important at the beginning, or else your dog may forget and you will have to start all over again if you only train him or her once a week.
Professional Help
It is rare that people have problems with Cocker Spaniels as far as training is concerned. f If you do have trouble with such things as Cocker Spaniel potty training, you can always appeal to professional help even, if it may be just for a few sessions to make your dog get into the pattern and understanding of what training is all about.
