Dog Training Practices

 Basic Dog Training

“How does your dog sit when you tell him to and mine doesn’t?", “How can your dog heel to you like that?",  “Wow! He comes when you tell him to”  - Sounds familiar? If it does, you need to invest some time into a little bit of basic dog training. Starting to train your dog from a young age is crucial as the first few months of his life is when you will have the greatest influence on him; this is where he is shaped into the dog he is going to be when he is all grown up.

The most basic of dog training is to get your dog to sit and come. Teaching him those commands are essential for him to learn. These commands are used for various different reasons, if you are in competition, if your dog jumps making him sit will immediately get him off and "come" is the all important one. If you take your dog for a walk, you let him of the leash and you expect him to come back to you, not run around the park with you chasing after him shouting at him to “get here right this instance”. That would be just down right embarrassing!

To teach your dog how to come requires only the most basic of techniques but a lot of repetition. The simplest way to get him to come is have a toy in one hand and a treat in the other, when you are in the house simply walk away from him, hold out the toy and excitingly call him to you, when he comes over give him a treat, always use the command for come that you are going to use in the future. Doing this several times a day is a great way to teach him, but remember to have lots of long breaks so he doesn’t get bored and stop enjoying it, and don’t forget the treats!

Getting him to sit could be a slight bit harder but again only requires basic dog training. When you have mastered the come command call him to you, place your hand on the end of his back and say "sit" while gently pushing down on his backside, when he sits his bottom down give him a treat and a lot of praise. If you want him to sit longer just delay giving him the treat and the praise, get him to sit but take your time bending down to him and feeding him his titbit.

Basic dog training is simple and very effective. It should also be fun for you and your dog, it doesn’t have to be hours and hours each day just may be 5 minutes or so. Don’t forget to reward your dog and yourself for all the “hard” work though!!

Dog Behaviour Training

Bad behaviour in dogs can consist of many problems. Does he bark all night long and keeps you from sleeping? Are you afraid he is going to keep biting? Does he chew everything except his toys? If the answer to any of these questions are yes you need to invest some time into a little bit of dog behaviour training. A little training will go a long way.

Dogs that bark can be extremely irritating but the main thing is not to loose your cool, if you shout at him he will try to shout louder than you. Try and find out the cause of his barking. Is he barking because he is afraid? Is he happy? Is there someone out there? If you can’t find the reason for the barking then he is doing it because he doesn’t know it is wrong to bark all the time. This is where dog behaviour training comes in. There are lots of products available to help dogs with constant barking, there are special collars which gives them the tiniest of electric shocks so they know that it isn’t good to bark.

A biting dog is maybe one of the more serious behaviour problems, especially now that the laws are tightened and any dog that bites someone is more than likely to get put down. Teaching your dog not to bite is one of the most important teachings you can give him. This is where you have to be firm and stick to your guns. When playing with a young dog they will automatically nip and gnaw at your hand this is because when dogs play together they play with their mouths. When teaching your dog not to bite stroke him with one hand while offering something which is acceptable to be bitten with the other hand, something like a chew toy or a raw hide treat. Your dog will soon realise that hands aren’t there for biting. This process has to be done repeatedly for it to take effect.

Dog behaviour training is simple enough for the experienced dog lover but when it comes to beginners all the help available is needed. Accept help from friends and family and maybe even enroll in a dog behaviour training class, this will help you to meet other people, having the same problems with their dogs that you are with yours. You are not alone when it comes to having trouble with dog behaviour problems. Every dog will get them, it's just a matter of how you fix them.

Dog Training Aids

You may think that dog training aids are out there for you to spend money and not actually reap any benefits from. That is not the case. Dog training aids are there to help you succeed in teaching your dog, this could be teaching him obedience, agility or any other type of teaching you want to do. There are many aids available but only a certain few will work with your dog and his temperament.

I find the best training aid to be treats, small pieces of human food chopped up and given to him when he has done something good has always worked wonders, that is unless your dog doesn’t really have an interest in treats. This is a really cheap method of a training aid but if you want to blow some cash there are hundreds of options available for you.

For dog agility training aids that are available are e.g. anti bark collars. Many dogs have a problem when they do dog agility. They start barking constantly basically because of the hype involved. Anti bark collars do one of two things or sometimes both, they give a small electric charge when your dog barks and spray some water up into their face. People may think this is cruel but it is completely harmless. It just lets your dog know that barking is not acceptable. These collars are available at pet shops and on the internet and are not too expensive.

For dog obedience some dog training aids that are available are dog clickers, the newest craze out on the market which allows owners instead of associating sit with a word they use a click instead and reward with treats, no punishment allowed. Another aid available is a harness; this gets fitted around your dog’s upper body so when you are teaching him to heel a slight tug on the harness pulls him back completely. The harness is a widely used obedience aid and is greatly used for bigger dogs such as German shepherds and Rottweilers.

There are also dog training aids available for around the home. These are simple and effective. Many people turn to dog training aids when nothing else has worked but they don’t have to be the last thing you try, with aids so cheap these days there is no reason why you can't invest in something that will make your dogs learning process a lot more exciting!

Dog Training equipment

To train your dog you need some good equipment to do it! It's easy enough to find places that sell dog training equipment these days. You can find stores in your local phonebook or on the internet. The internet has everything these days and is usually a lot less expensive. So I suggest having a look there first. Dog training equipment comes in all shapes, sizes and colours so there is something to suit everyone.

Dog training equipment can be used anywhere, at home, at a friend’s house or even in a field in the middle of nowhere. The equipment is usually lightweight and portable and very easy to pack so you should have no problems carting it around. Not only can you get dog training equipment for dog agility but you can also purchase items for dog obedience.

Dog obedience items are simple things like clickers, treat balls (which are amazing), extendable leashes and other similar items. They are a lot easier to get than agility items. When you decided you want to compete with your dog you usually pick one or the other, dog agility or dog obedience. For dog obedience you only concentrate on dog obedience, for dog agility you need your dog to be obedient so there is a little bit more training involved.

Dog training equipment can be funky or old fashioned, bright or dull it’s up to you. Many stores cater for individual needs so you can specify what you would like your equipment to be like. Dog training equipment is sometimes needed for obedience when you have a stubborn dog, and for dog agility training equipment is essential.

Dog training equipment needn’t only be for competition purposes. You can get equipment for fun training to. When you want to teach your dog to come, sit and stay and some other commands toys are always a great help. You and your dog need to enjoy special moments together to make a bond with each other, why not make a bond and train at the same time? The better the bond the more fun it will be!

Dog Training Tip

When it comes to dog training there are no secrets.  Every dog training tip is different but it has been used before and if they say its new, it means adapted.  The simplest of tasks for an experienced dog master could be the hardest of tasks for the beginner.  There are no magic potions, or miracle sayings that can make your dog do what you want.  You have to spend time with him, loving him and training him.

Many people seem to “have a way with dogs” in the sense that they can ask your dog to do anything and your dog will adhere to their command straight away, you try it five minutes later and your dog just stares at you blankly.  It is true that some people have more of a chance getting dogs to do what they say, not because of some aura around them but because of experience and tone of voice.  

One great dog training tip is your tone of voice.  Your dog needs to know that you mean business but he has to know that you’re not angry at him.  The handler must find a tone of voice that shows dominance but compassion.  If you are constantly shouting at your dog he is going to get used to it, he will not know when he is doing something wrong because he doesn’t know when he is doing something good.

A lot of praise and attention is another great dog training tip.  Dogs wont learn the difference between good and bad unless they get treated differently.  When your dog does something bad don’t roar at him, strictly tell him he was bad and not to do it again.  Then when he does it right shower him with cuddles, treats and praise.  Dogs come to learn that when they do something that they are told they will get rewarded for it and then after a while it just becomes second nature to them, of course praise is still needed!

All dog training tips are different and one dog is not identical to the next, so try them.  It won’t hurt to keep trying.  The most influence on your dog’s life is when they are 3-16 weeks; this is the time that moulds them into the kind of dog they are going to be when they grow bigger.  When you train your dog in these weeks this is what he will be doing for the rest of his life.  Make sure you try a variety of the dog training tips available to you, some may work some may not but at least your giving your dog the best start in life.

Home Dog Training

There are special services available which do home dog training. For a fee you can hire someone to come to your home to teach your dog every day. You choose how long you want the programme to last then they will end out a specialised handler who will determine what is the most effective training method for your dog then carry it out and of course you have to join in to.

Home dog training is relatively new on the dog marketing scene and is quite a hit especially in America. It's not because people are lazy so they are hiring professionals. It's because they need someone with a lot of experience to help them train their dog, maybe their dog is giving them a hard time.

One of the largest home dog training services are Bark Busters, they are a globally known home dog training service and have achieved results all over the world. There are hundreds of testimonials and reviews available so read one for yourself. They have sites in all parts of the globe. They offer a lifetime guarantee as well; you should visit their website to read more about them and the services they offer, also to see if you live close to a visiting dog trainer.

There is another large home dog training service located in the UK only, they are called "Dog Training UK". One feature with them is that they don’t actually train your dog at your home. They take them away to a place kind of like kennels for three weeks and train them there, so when your dog is returned to you he can do all the things that you have been trying to teach him for months! They can only accept dogs which are up to date with their vaccinations and cannot train very aggressive dogs.

Many people are turning to home dog training as it is convenient and helpful especially if you haven’t had experiences training a dog before. A lot of people get tense and irritated when their dog doesn’t do what they say but that doesn’t help. Training a dog can be a very stressful time and home dog training just makes it that much easier. I say if it's there for the taking, why not?!

Training an Aggressive Dog

When it comes to aggressiveness in a dog this is a very serious problem. There are new laws that state dog’s owner can be charged and the dog put down if the dog bites someone. Of course with some serious dog training our dog can learn to enjoy people not turn on them.

There are lots of reasons why dogs are or become aggressive. Maybe the dog feels his territory is being compromised, or he feels threatened. A lot of aggression comes from lack of confidence and insecurity. Simple obedience will not solve your dog’s aggressive problems only some serious dog training will do the trick. Aggressiveness doesn’t just mean biting; it means barking and lunging at people as well. This type of behaviour needs to be addressed as soon as possible to prevent anything serious from happening to someone or another dog.

Your vet can recommend you how to go about finding someone who can work with aggressive dogs. Training aggressive dogs is a speciality and unfortunately could cost you a fair amount of money, but the end result is well worth it and you don’t have to worry about losing your dog. Most obedience and training schools wont take aggressive dogs as most of the places run classes with other members and won't let them be endangered. The best thing you can do is to take him to a proper dog school. Look in your yellow pages for one.

Always check the techniques used by schools on how they train aggressive dogs as training an aggressive dog can be dangerous some places may use out of date methods which could be harmful to your dog, although this isn’t always the case it is always better to be safe than sorry. I wish I could say it was easy to train your do not to be aggressive but it isn’t.

At the end of the day what counts is that your dog stops attacking and he starts loving. An aggressive dog can halter the relationship that you have with him therefore you and your dog aren’t having the best time together as you are always worried about him biting you, other people or other dogs. I recommend that you do what it takes to get the problem sorted!

Training Older Dog

They say that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, are they right? They are partly right. An older dog will take a heck of a lot more training and dedication from its handler than a younger dog will, basically because an older dogs mind is a lot more “set” in its ways. An older dog will have passed that crucial period in its life that influences what the dog will behave like when it is older, therefore it already thinks it knows how to behave and trying to teach him other ways to behave can take a lot of time and effort.

It is not impossible but you can’t train an old dog like you train a puppy. You have to be a little bit stricter on an older dog because they have a lot more intelligence than a puppy and know how to drive you round the bend. An older dog will more likely do something if he thinks its his idea rather than yours, for example if he goes to sit , say sit and then praise him, he will think it was his idea and if you keep on repeating this process sooner or later you will have him sitting on command. This process will work for many of the commands, like fetch, come, stay and heel.

In saying that you may find that your older dog is particularly easy to train, some dogs have a streak of stubbornness which means they do not train as easily as others but some are a lot more susceptible to training methods. Training an older dog will of course be difficult but bad habits need to be broken and long term habits need to be stopped. Your dog will thank you for it in the end and the end result will be well worth the trouble.

Training an older dog can be a gruelling task but try making it fun by joining a class (they are not just for people with puppies) or try to get some support from family or friends, invest in some training products like toys and treats, or even go as far as a training school, but one thing is for sure once you’ve taught your dog what he needs to know the bond between you will grow and you will become inseparable.