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Posts Tagged ‘dog obedience training’

Dog Behavior Video

When you get a puppy, you might not think immediately about dog training, but you really should. Having a well trained dog can mean the difference between a alm and settled household and a chaotic one.

Dog behavior is directly impacted by how much training he has. He needs to have structure and limits in his life. If you don’t provide this, he will, and that can create significant behavior problems in your dog.

Why Train Your Dog?

No matter what your dog’s breed is, he is descended from wolves and his instinct is to be part of a pack. In the dog pack, there is a hierarchy, with clear dominant roles and submissive roles. If you don’t become the leader of the pack, your dog will make himself that leader. That’s not good and creates all kinds of dog problems.

Training reinforces and establishes the hierarchy concept for a dog. It teaches him that someone in the household is in control and that he must submit to that person.

Although some people say they prefer to not provide any dog obedience training, that’s a mistake. Puppy training – it’s best to start them young – can do much for your young dog, and will only help him as he gets older.

Where to Get Training?

You have a few choices:

1. You can hire a professional trainer to come to your house
2. You can attend dog obedience training classes
3. You can buy an online ebook and CD or DVD (the cheapest and preferred option)

Whatever you do, it’s important that your dog’s first (and future) experience with training is successful.

Crate Training.

When most of us think about dog training, we think first and foremost about dog obedience training. Dog obedience training is really about the basics of training and includes learning commands like “sit,” “stay,” and “heel.”

Even if your dog only learns the most basic of dog training commands, his knowledge of just a few basic commands is immensely useful to you as the dog sowner.

A dog that’s received some dog obedience training is also much more pleasant to strangers and other dogs. You can control his behavior when necessary and he will also develop the inner discipline that will help him make right decisions even when you’re not around.

Dog House Training

Dog house training is something you can do yourself. You don’t need the experts for this, though a little advice from a dog training expert certainly can’t hurt.

Your dog should be house trained so that he can understand the basics of his needs. That is, he should understand, through some consistent dog house training efforts on your part, that there are certain needs he has that must be met appropriately.

If you have never done any puppy training before with potty issues, you might look in the following places:

* Books, online ebooks and CD or DVD
* You Tube videos
* Friends with more experience than you
* Dog training experts

Crate Training

The concept of crate training is lost on many dog owners, but it’s a concept and a behavior that should be encouraged.

Crate training dogs gives them a sense of safety and security. While initially, many dog owners will use crate training as a puppy training method, the older dog benefits greatly from using a crate as well.

Crate training can be used to reinforce house training, or it can be used as a tool to teach a dog to sleep in a particular place at night, to keep the dog away from strangers, or transport the dog in the car.

There are so many essential uses for crate training, in fact, that dogs suffer from not having this kind of dog obedience training in their lives.

Basic Dog Obedience Training

Dog training tips run the gamut from “be sure you use a firm voice” to “let your dog lead the way.” The reality is what works for you might not work for someone else and a different dog might respond differently to training.

Find your own path with your new dog. Keeping in mind that:

* He needs structure and discipline and dog obedience training gives him that
* He will respond to firm direction from you that’s given lovingly and consistently
* Both you and he will be happier in your relationship if your dog has even the most rudimentary of dog obedience training.

Dog training is an essential part of owning a dog. It’s worth whatever effort you are willing to give it.

Dog psychology is a fascinating subject and one we will explore today. When you understand why your dog thinks and behaves the way he does, it can go a long way to helping in the process of training your dog.

When we learn to understand why a dog behaves and acts the way that he does , then we are essentially learning dog psychology. The way the dog-a descendant of the wolf- has adapted to human social organization is truly fascinating.

Dogs have learned to live with and obey humans through successful training. When you and your dog build a trusting bond, there is a cooperation that is established: the dog behaves well and he will be rewarded.

To understand dog psychology we need to understand how wolves live. Wolves live in the wild in packs of two or more. They use a strictly defined dictatorship system of males and females.

The leader or “alpha leader” of this system is almost always the biggest male in the pack.All of the other wolves in the pack folllow the alpha leader eagerly and with the utmost respect.

Wolves were able to adapt domestically with man thousands of years ago because of the similar social organization and instinctive mental or pyschological structure. Wolves divide duties like feeding:one wolf tracks, one stands guard, and one makes the attack.The alpha leader allows the other members of the pack to finish his “leftovers” when he has fed first and is satisfied.

Your dog sees the family as a pack and all the members as part of the hierarchal system when he is introduced to your household.Your dog will be watching everyone closely until he can figure out who the alpha leader is and exactly where he fits into this new system.

He will be watching for clues such as the physical size of each family member as well as the tone of voice that each person speaks with. He will also notice how everyone interacts with one another throughout the day.

Someone in the household, either yourself or another responsible adult in the household, will have to establish themself as the alpha leader.The sooner this is established, the fewer behavioral problems you will see.

You need not only establish yourself or someone else as the alpha, but you must also have a clear understanding that your dog is at the bottom of your family’s hierarchal system.

Without a hierarchal system in place, your dog will create one and put himself in charge. This is when a lot of dogs can become overly dominant and destructive. Including your children-your dog should be subordinate to everyone in the household-and that should be obvious to your dog.

It is sometimes difficult for a dog to understand that he is lower ranked than children, because of their small size and their dependency on adults. Dogs can sometimes become very aggressive towards children for this reason and might even bite on occasion.

Your dog will realize he is subordinate to every other family member through disciplined training.To help you in this process you need good quality dog training resources.

Remember, training does take time and effort, but it is definately worth it!

All the best with the process of training your dog.

Darcy Austin is editor in chief of Dog Obedience University, a comprehensive resource on dog obedience training.

No one argues that dog obedience training isn’t necessary. Of course it is. Dogs don’t just intuitively know what it is you want them to do. While breeders and professional dog trainers are obviously very aware of the different training approaches, they normally prefer one over another. Some dog owners go to dog obedience class and completely rely on what they learn there, but more and more, dog owners are educating themselves and taking on dog training at home beyond just the homework they get from puppy school.

Correction Based Training
Up until a number of years ago, the most popular method of dog training was based on correcting unwanted behavior. This approach emphasizes avoiding behaviors by associating those behaviors with something unpleasant.For instance, prong collars. When the dog pulls on the leash, the prongs dig into his neck, thus causing pain or at least an uncomfortable feeling. Correction based training is effective as long as it doesn’t become punishment training. Professional trainers often use these techniques very effectively. Dog owners don’t.

Positive Reinforcement Dog Training
In recent years, positive reinforcement dog training has become the biggest buzz word in the dog training world. The positive approach is designed to get your dog to associate a desired behavior with something good. When the dog delivers a wanted response, she is rewarded. She doesn’t get punished when she does something wrong – she gets rewarded when she does something right.

Some trainers claim that positive reinforcement by itself is never enough for some dogs and certainly not as efficient as a combination positive reinforcement and correction based exercises. Others preach that positive reinforcement by itself works as long as you teach your dog you are the alpha leader in her pack so her instincts tell her she has to do what you tell her – the only thing you have to do is teach her what you want her to do.

Clicker Training
And then there’s another group that swears by clicker training. Clicker training is based on positive reinforcement, but doesn’t rely on the idea that your dog wants to please you. It assumes that your dog will give a certain behaviour not because she strives to please you, but because she knows it means something good will come. The key difference is that all behaviour is given voluntarily (which means training is actually fun for your dog) and by using a conditioned reinforcer (the clicker), it is much easier to be exact in teaching your dog what it is that gets her the reward. Clicker training takes a bit longer when starting out, but more and more trainers and every day dog owners swear by it.

More and more, people are dog training at home and using online dog training products to educate themselves. There are numerous approaches to dog obedience training but it makes sense to be aware of all of them when choosing what’s right for you and your dog.

Is your dog driving you crazy with his bad behavior? Don’t just put it with it. It’s time to begin some consistent obedience training for your dog. This means you should be consistent and persistent with your training. However, make sure your training is always fun or your dog may get bored!

A Dog’s Basic Need

Your dog has to rely on you to provide for him. If you don’t fulfill your dog’s basic needs, it shouldn’t be a surprise if your dog behaves badly. What are the basic needs? Here are the main ones:

• water and food
• regular daily exercise
• company and social interaction
• a stimulating environment.

The main point in dog training is to adopt positive and negative reinforcement. When your dog does a behavior that you want to encourage, you should reward him with a treat or affection. It’s vital that the reward comes immediately after the desired action or the two things will not be connected by the dog.

It’s best to focus on positive reinforcement for wanted behaviors rather than negative reinforcement for undesired behaviors. This has been found to be a more effective way of training.

Physical punishment is not productive or humane way to train dogs and will only lead to your dog being neurotic and fearful. That’s not going to be a good relationship between man and dog. You can say a firm “No” in a growling tone of voice to stop him behaving badly. Ignoring your dog and turning away from him is the most productive thing for you to do when he behaves badly. Dogs want your attention and if you ignore him – that will be negative reinforcement in itself.

You should learn to see your dog as a dog, not a human being. It will help you to do this if you study dog communication and the dynamics of a dog pack. You should study what their body language means: the position of the tail, the mouth positions, the ear position and the sounds they make.

Being pack leader or alpha dog is vital if you want your dog to behave well. If your dog is the alpha dog, you will be fighting a losing battle to get him to behave as you want. Why would he take notice of one of his pack member? Some pointers to set yourself up as pack leader:
-eat a biscuit or two in front of your dog just before you feed him. The alpha dog always eats first.
-don’t allow him to onto the bed or sofa. The alpha dog sleeps on higher ground.
-make sure you go through doors before your dog.

This is an introduction to some important points in obedience training for dogs. I recommend you look into the most systematic of training methods: dog clicker training.

When you first bring home your sweet little puppy you never think that one day it could be a dog that is one mistake away from being sent off. Aggressive dogs do not just happen over night. Dogs are not born aggressive or menacing towards people. Dogs that are properly trained and well cared for rarely become aggressive. If you received your dog as an adult from another household you will want to be specifically cautious to make sure that you are putting your pet through dog obedience training.

Making sure your dog knows who is the leader and who is the pet is critical in making housebreaking an easy job for you both. Dog and puppy training is vital for more than just ensuring that she no longer chews your favorite shoes to pieces. You must ensure that you do not let your dog turn into one of the multitude of aggressive dogs loose in the world. Dog growling and dog biting can lead to very bad situations. If you perform the correct dog training, neither of these would happen.

The Awful Consequences of Aggressive Dogs

* May cause injuries to family, friends, or neighbors
* Emotional distress to children
* Damaged personal property
* Previous situations that create lawsuits
* Being one of the many aggressive dogs that are put to sleep each year

If you are truly a loving and caring pet owner, you must take responsibility and ensure that your beloved animal does not join the legions of aggressive dogs. Looking for outside help is ideal if you think you can’t control the situation by yourself. With aggressive dogs, it can be wise to find a professional dog trainer who is specially trained in this area.

The best thing that you as an owner can do is educate yourself on all the training information that you can find on aggressive dogs. Learn that hitting a dog is not the way to train it. Violence will only breed violence so make sure that you are not taking part in the making of aggressive dogs. You may have luck with the books and videos out there but you will have a much better chance at solving the problem, or preventing one from ever happening, by bringing an expert into your home.

Getting More Help

It doesn’t matter if the trainer is free or if you have paid for their services, you must recognize that nothing is more important than understanding that you are responsible for your pet and its behavior. The people who own aggressive dogs are the ones who are responsible, so ensure that you won’t have to deal with these legal or moral situations.

You still have a little time if your dog hasn’t shown any of the aggressive dog signs yet. It is best to start immediately, especially if your dog has aggressive or rough tendencies.

You have been probably been hearing the request from your children “Please can we have a puppy?” Owning a dog is a big responsibility and it can be a perfect venue in which to teach your children. Before you adopt a new dog, there are a number of things to be considered. You and your family will have to come up with a game plan in advance and agree to what your new furry family member can and cannot do in your home.

First of all, you must make sure your house is dog-proofed.  A great way to do this is to crouch down and look for danger such as dangling electrical cords that would be great to chew; pick up toys and other small objects off the floor that could be harmful if swallowed; remove chemicals, paper sacks, plastic items and even plants away from the prying jaws of a pooch. Area rugs should be removed while your new pet is being house trained. You wouldn’t want him to think that this is a good place to pee!

If you are looking for an excellent guide to potty train your new puppy, visit Potty Training A Puppy.

You should buy a baby gate to restrict your dog’s access to those areas of your home where you don’t want him to go. This might also be used to separate off an area just for him. This is particularly helpful when it comes to housetraining. In addition, dogs (and particularly puppies) are curious creatures that love to look around. To prevent your dog from chewing your shoes and clothes, make sure that he can’t access them. Your closet or bedroom doors should be closed.

Getting some rawhide bones and chew toys will help to distract your dog from gnawing your possessions. Giving your puppy something safe to chew on while he is teething will stop him from chewing your possessions. As well, buy lots of toys to keep him amused. A dog that is bored may be destructive! Plush toys, tug ropes, rubber balls, and squeaky toys are particular favorites of dogs. As with human children, you should give your dog toys that are appropriate for his age. As well, make sure you purchase several different kinds of toys so your dog won’t get bored.

Prior to bringing your puppy home, you should make sure that the house rules are in place. Is he able to climb on the furniture? Will he be allowed in your bedroom? Where do you plan for him to sleep? You will want to know that in advance so that you can put his dog bed there. Are you willing to be adaptable and change your game plan somewhat? At times, dogs will latch on to a favorite spot in the house and if it is your bedroom, you will either have to teach him to sleep elsewhere, or allow him to sleep on his dog bed in there. As with people, dogs have their own unique personality traits. You will have to learn to adapt.

As well, you should should have a plan for your dog’s obedience training. A well-behaved dog is a great member of the family.  In addition, you will gain so much more out of the doggie-human relationship if you invest in dog obedience training. Do your research and decide if you can tackle the job yourself or if you want to find a training school to help.

Secrets to Dog Training is the best online dog training guide. To check it out visit, Secrets to Dog Training Review.

You also need to plan for the times when you are away from the home? What about a veterinarian? Would you employ a dog sitter or have him boarded in a kennel if you needed to travel? Do you have a decent yard for him to roam in? How about exercise? Will you be walking your dog to allow him to mix with other dogs? All of these are important matters to think about BEFORE adopting a family pooch.

Now that you have brought your new dog home it is time to start the housebreaking. One that can only lead to confusion for the dog later on is giving your new dog a little time to get to know the family and the house before laying down the law. Your dog will be confused if you have allowed it to run free with no discipline, then all of a sudden expect it to be well-behaved.

It Is Never Too Late

If you have already allowed your dog to run free without rules you can still correct the situation. Unlike a popular belief out there, it is never too late to start dog training with a dog. Whether your puppy is young or old you can still include housebreaking into his/her daily routine. It is important to pick out the behavior that concerns you the most,whether it is dog chewing, dog biting, or dog growling that you are dealing with. It is important to work on housebreaking these behaviors first, then move on to other things.

You have to start housebreaking as soon as possible to ensure that your puppy never develops into one of those aggressive dogs you hear about on the news. If your biggest problem at the moment, especially if you have a puppy, is where the dog is and is not allowed to go potty then you will need to start with that.

Tips For Housebreaking

* Restrict food and water to the appropriate meal times
* In the event that you are utilizing pee pads, choose a single spot and make sure to place the pads only there
* When your dog is good, praise them
* Never strike or slap the dog if it misses the pee pad
* After fifteen or twenty minutes of giving the puppy something to eat or drink, it needs to be taken to the pee pad

A lot of people leave water and food out for their dog all day long. While this is an okay routine for older dogs that can hold their bladder, it is not advisable for puppies. Even if they really wanted to, younger puppies just are not able to hold their bladder until they become a bit older. This can result in accidents in the home for which you cannot really blame your puppy. Making food and water constantly available can be counter-productive to your housebreaking goal.

If your puppy always misses the pee pad and continues to go to the bathroom in another part of the house, simply place the pee pad in that spot. At this point in housebreaking, you should really just be getting the puppy used to going to the bathroom on its puppy pad. Once they are used to it, you can continue with housebreaking by slowing moving the pee pad every few days towards the spot you eventually want the pads to reside at.

Even though housebreaking can take a long time, it is very important. You definitely do not want your dog “going” everywhere. You would also like an easy process of housebreaking for your dog to prevent it becoming disinterested. Seek outside help in puppy training if need be. No matter who is in charge of doing it, just know that housebreaking takes time.

Dog training is no simple process, and it can very easily push your patience to the limit. But keep in mind that the tough part does not last long. After a bit, your dog will be able to run about and play without you having to worry about accidents or misfortunes taking place. You will be able to relax and enjoy time with your dog after its obedience training is complete. It can be a bit stressful to complete the initial phase of dog training no matter how long it takes. This is why it is important to make sure that you get all of the help that you can.

Even though it may be frustrating and seem like a never ending process, housebreaking a dog and training it in commands is just one of those things you have to do. Giving up on training your pet could result in many unwanted consequences such as; destroyed furniture, accidents inside the house, biting, aggressive behavior and others.

To avoid these and other consequences, and to make sure you are giving your dog the best ability to have a happy, well-behaved life then it is important to maintain a strict parental relationship with your pet. Dog training is the process of teaching a dog right from wrong. Unfortunately, many people incorrectly believe that dogs innately know how to tell right from wrong. This reasoning is flawed, because dogs only know instinct without the proper dog training. The dog does not instinctively know the human rules about being allowed on furniture in a home.

Guiding our pets meticulously through the dog training is what we, as the teachers and protectors of the pets, need to do to teach them how we go about our days. Your dog is eager to please, but won’t know what to do until you teach it. Dog training will teach the dog the behavior you wait it to have. This will teach your dog the proper way to receive treats and affection.

Resources Used for Dog and Puppy Training:
A. A Class
B. A Book
C. A DVD
D. A Magazine

Even though you may find a lot of classes that can help inform you on how to teach your dog about housebreaking and biting, you must remember that these classes are merely for your information. These classes will not transform your puppy’s behavior overnight. The tough part does not begin until you and your dog arrive at your home. Anything you learn at the dog training sessions must be repeated at home to be effective.

You can always look into books, magazines, DVDs or videos to help you with your dog training plan. Ensure that you pay attention to all the advice you receive and apply it wisely. Depending on the breed of your dog, you could be looking at anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months of dedicated dog training. The dog training can pay off quickly with some consistent diligence from the owner.

dog behavior

There are some careers people are just born to do. There are other careers that may not cross a person’s mind unless it is brought to their attention. A certified dog trainer may be one of these careers. There is a great need by some who need help training their dog. Maybe they do not know how to handle their new pet’s dog aggression or they are losing the battle over puppy training. Either case, a certified trainer can help out by providing discipline, guidance and knowledge.

Becoming a certified dog trainer begins with a love of animals. It requires patience and a desire to interact with the animal. Dog obedience training takes knowledge and a compassionate nature in order for there to be success. Most people do not turn to a certified dog trainer until there is an obvious sign of dog aggression and then the battle begins. Dog training starts when the animal first comes home and continues throughout the life-time of the canine.

The training all begins with understanding the basic nature and structure of a dog. It is important to learn the different breeds in order to understand each dog’s particular traits and learning level. Some dog are more hyper than others and require a special sort of handling skills. The same goes for fetching or active breed lines that require special diets and more exercise.

Once the basics of dog behavior are down, then begin the specialized coursework designed to train a dog through a variety of methods. The instruction will teach how to use a variety of instruction in order to train the dog such as through a clicker or through positive reinforcement. Other steps include teaching safety to the owners as well as the dog. It is also important to learn how to deal with dogs that are more difficult to deal with due to a past history of violence or dog fighting.

Once the coursework is complete, the certified dog trainer is ready to begin. There are a variety of places to work such as pet supply stores, kennels or even opening up a business. One great example of a certified dog trainer is Cesar Millan who works with troubled dogs and their owners on his hit television show ‘The Dog Whisperer’ airing on cable.

A freelance trainer will not punch a clock or find them working day-in and day-out within the confines of an office building. There is the freedom of working outdoors and getting to play while being paid. If you decide to work for a company such as Pets Mart then you can get benefits as well. You may never be famous but you will be important to the people you help.

Every successful puppy or dog trainer follows clear principles to make their training effective. However, some do not succeed in training their puppy. I will now discuss the most common errors they make when training their puppy.

1. They don’t set themselves up as the alpha dog.

One effective method of dog training is based on our knowledge of the instinctive behavior of dogs within a pack. A rule the dog pack adheres to is dominance. There is a heirachy within the pack. At the head of this are the pack leaders, a male and a female.

They are the first to eat, they lead the hunt and when they sleep, they take the higher ground.

To be successful in dog training, we need to position ourselves as the leader of the dog pack. Don’t allow your puppy to be on a higher level than you, for example on your lap. Also before you give your puppy his food, take a token amount of your food so that he see you eat first.

A calm and assertive manner is important for successful training. It is important not to be anxious or indecisive.

2. They don’t take not of the concept of positive reinforcement.

We must clearly understand that we must reinforce desired behaviors in our dog by giving treats or attention the instant our dog engages in the behavior. We can link a verbal command with the behavior as it occurs and give a treat immediately after it.

Negative reinforcement such as shouting at a dog or punishing him in some way is nevertheless giving the dog attention and since he craves attention, the attention can act as a positive reinforcement rather than a negative one. It has been found to be ineffective. What is effective is to ignore the dog when it engages in an unwanted behavior. We may need to physically intervene if we need to stop some destruction going on, but we should keep the same calm and assertive manner and not interact any more than we have to.

3. They make dog obedience training sessions too long.

Sessions are best kept short so that your puppy’s energy and attention are good. It is best for puppy to learn in short stints. We should make the sessions only ten minutes for young puppies and up to twenty minutes for older ones.

4. They underestimate the amount of time and energy required to train a puppy.

Puppy training requires a commitment of time and energy in order to be successful. The owner will need to have great patience and to be persistent. He will also need to be very consistent.

5. They think that training only occurs during an organized training session.

Training is an ongoing process, not only in training sessions but all the time. The owner needs to ensure that everyone who comes into contact with the puppy always behave in a consistent manner i.e. always ignoring undesired behaviors and positively reinfornce desired behaviors.

It is important to keep training sessions fun and enjoyable for your puppy. They should never become a chore.

For more detailed information about training your puppy or dog, see my reviews of the best dog training guides.