Smart Tips for Dog Training

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4

Selecting A Dog Trainer
2007-12-28 16:46:00
Make your life and that of your dog a more pleasant journey together by taking time to train them to be good citizens in their environment. You don’t feel up to the task or don’t have time for trial and error? You are not alone. But you want a good mannered dog, so the next step is to find help in the form of a dog trainer. But how do you make sure that you are selecting the right trainer?Your puppy begins to learn from birth…first from her mother and litter mates then from the breeder (if you have selected a breeder carefully the pup will have invaluable training before she is in your hands) and finally, in short sessions, from you from the moment you bring her home. But when should the formal training begin?One of the first things to consider is at what age do you begin formal training? A puppy can begin a puppy training class between 9-12 weeks old. This is optimal time to socialize a pup. Prior to classes she should have her first series of vaccinations and Bordatella (ken...
More About: Trainer

Dog Training - Invisible Fences
2007-12-28 16:45:00
Many rural developments are springing up, developments, which are governed by "home owners' associations". Sometimes these groups insist on a ban of regular fencing because it will mar the beauty of their development. In such cases, some dog owners consider the installation of an invisible fence. Invisible fences consist of underground wires, which will carry a current when a dog wears a collar. The collar will buzz the animal when it gets too close to the fence. The theory is that this will stop the dog and deter him from going further. Sometimes this is effective and sometimes not.There are certain details, which a property owner should consider before installation of an invisible fence. For one thing, dogs who are long coated may need to have the coat around the neck area shaved so that the electric current can make enough contact with the skin for the dog to feel it. Also, dogs whose bodies are so constructed that they have loose folds of skin (called dewlap) beneath the chin m...
More About: Training

Dog Training - Teaching Command Words
2007-12-28 16:43:00
Command words:Make your command words have meaning. Dogs have the ability to learn a lot of language. It is important to know that when you begin your obedience program you save certain command words to be used only when the dog is on leash and when you are planning on backing up the command should it fail. The reason being is that you want these words to have a lot of meaning to your dog. If you tell your dog to come while they are off-leash somewhere (before they have been off-leash trained) and they do not come you have just destroyed the meaning of that word to your dog because they know you cannot catch them. You can of course use these command words off-leash after you have completed the obedience program and have a dog that is off-leash trained. But when your dog is just now learning the words they have to have a serious meaning to them.Bottom line is that if you want your dog to listen to that command you would have had to very consistently made that command have meaning. In...
More About: Training , Teaching , Words , Command

Dog Training - Avoiding Common Training Mistakes
2007-12-28 16:41:00
Dogs are man’s best friends. When you ultimately made that big decision to own a dog, you expected it to provide you companionship, be a pleasure to show off to your friends and just plainly be a joy to own. So off you go to the pet shop, choose a dog that catches your attention and bring him (or her) home.But then, the horror begins. The dog you brought home seems to be anything but the adorable creature you expected it to be. His (or her) behavior is terribly unpredictable and can even be downright embarrassing at times. The dog you brought home to provide you companionship just sits around at the corner of your home, seemingly bored at the things happening around him (or her).So you read all the books and even went to a dog training class to teach your dog a thing or two about obedience, but you still get no good results. This may lead you to think there is something inherently wrong with your dog. Is he (or she) just plain lazy, hardheaded or a little bit slow in the head?Have...
More About: Training , Common , Mista

How Do Dog Training Shock Collars Really Work?
2007-12-28 16:40:00
I had to train my chocolate lab because he is allowed to walk freely with me on my neighborhood walks. I decided to try shock collars. I started out with an inexpensive model that had a range of about 300 feet and had seven levels of sensitivity.The literature that came with the product describes the shock that is delivered as something like static electricity. I accidentally shocked myself one day and that is exactly what it is. The sensation you feel is just like the static electricity you get on a cold dry day. It is mildly unpleasant as you know if you have experience touching someone and receiving the shock from static electricity.I used this to train my dog to listen to me when I gave a command and it made the training much easier. I have since graduated to a model that had 15 levels of stimulation as well as a tone which only the dog can hear and delivers no stimulation. You can also set the tone to sound when you deliver the stimulation so the dog with the shock collar antic...
More About: Shock , Training , Work

Training The Trailing Search Dog
2007-12-28 16:38:00
When training a dog for a true trailing dog to be used in the area of search and rescue there must be a definite understanding that you are NOT training for an A.K.C. title. Often the attainment of an A.K.C. title has nothing to do with following human scent nearly as often as it has to do with following the requirements that the handler sets up for the dog. Also, the motivation usually is pieces of hot dog which are laid on the track by the person who "sets" or "lays" the track.A person training a dog for trailing must learn first the theory of scent and skin rafts; that a human being will constantly drop skin cells and that these cells form a "raft" which will drift with the wind and fall to the ground as the person moves. It is this trail of skin cells, which the trailing dog must be trained to follow. How and where the skin cells land on the surrounding vegetation or surface will determine how and where the trailing dog will locate the scent. The length of time that the scent ma...
More About: Training , Search

A Review of 'SitStayFetch' Dog Training Book
2007-12-28 16:33:00
I can feel your frustration! Your dog does his business on your new carpet. He rips your unread newspaper apart and then uses it as padding for his nap. You're outside with your dog. It's time to go in so you call to him and he just stands there with that 'you talking to me' look! You're afraid to be in public with him because you can't trust him around people. Oh yea, I can feel your frustration with these problems and more.I then came across this great dog and puppy training book SitStayFetcth. I was very impressed with the quantity and quality of the training methods in the book. Cutting-edge methods which are actually easy to learn and in short time you'll be training your dog like the professional trainers do. No more ripped newspapers and he'll come when you call him, and you'll be comfortable in public with him, etc. Plenty of photos to help you with these methods. There are also videos available.So what's your dog's problem? Too aggressive? Disobedient? It doesn'...
More About: Review , Training , Book

Dog Training Goals
2007-12-28 16:31:00
Easily learn to train your dog at home even if you know how important dog training is to your dog, you may not always feel like it is practical. The first part of dog training is to teach your dog to sit. The next part of dog training is to teach your dog to stay. The world of pet training is diverse and complex, and many different training methods exist. My am is to point you in the right direction and avoid my mistakes in dog training.The key to any goal is to just get started. Even if you’re wrong at least you’re starting to do something. Start out by keeping eye contact with the dog. Start a feeding and exercise schedule, and stick with it. If you are an inexperienced dog trainer, dog obedience may be a good start for you. I just didn’t have the schedule that allowed me to get dog training in. You can then go a step further and use hand signals to act as the commands. Keep looking and trying different dog training techniques until you find the one that works. The important...
More About: Training , Goals