Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

Dog Training: Basic Equipment Needed To Train Your Family Dog

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Dog Training Basics

You will need three specific pieces of equipment for proper dog training: a training collar, a leather training leash, and a 15-foot length clothesline rope.

If you’re already thinking that your dog’s present leather collar will work, and that his 4-foot chain leash will suffice, you may as well stop reading this article and save yourself and your dog weeks of discomfort and hardship.  There simply is no substitute for the right training equipment. A training collar is a slip-chain type made of metal. Don’t substitute one that’s made of nylon.

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Dog Training Tips To Get Your Dog To Obey!

If you’d love to discover EXACTLY how to get your dog to stop urinating on your carpet and actually ring a bell when he needs to potty. . .

Train puppies to NEVER chew on furniture or expensive rugs – even when you aren’t there to supervise. . .

Learn simple techniques for getting any dog to stop barking at strangers or from begging you to let him back inside –

Plus a TON more step-by-step dog obedience strategies THOUSANDS of regular people are already using, check out –

The Hands Off Dog Training Method

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One of the many things your dog is going to learn is to have confidence in you. But he will never develop that feeling of confidence if you substitute improper training equipment that will not be effective. Where there’s no confidence there can be no respect, and no respect means no desire to please. No desire to please means no willingness to learn. Add them all up and you have an uncontrollable dog that will never achieve his rightful place in human world.

The Proper Leash For Dog Trainng

Your leash should be of the regular five to six foot leather type with a hand loop at one end.

Training collars and leather training leashes are available at pet shops and via online catalogs. Training collars are sometimes called choke-chains, which is incorrect.

While it’s true that a training collar can choke, if it’s worn on the dog correctly and used properly, there’s no way it can be a choke-chain and cause harm to your pet.

The Right Collar For Dog Training

The collar should be large enough to slide over the dog’s head comfortably, but not so large as to fall over the ears if the dog should lower his head.

A good rule of thumb to follow is to place the collar on the dog and cinch it up tight for a moment and observe whether you have three inches of chain left over.

If so, you have a fairly good fit. It is better to have a training collar that’s slightly too large than one slightly too small.

Final Dog Training Necessities That You Cannot Find In A Store

The remaining equipment that you’ll need cannot be purchased at any store, but without them, you cannot successfully execute dog training.

You must love and care for your dog! You must have patience and exercise patience while your dog is learning. A shallow patience mixed with a short temper will ensure complete and utter failure.

To lose your cool and blow up means the end of dog training, so here’s a little tip that might help you keep your cool:

It takes 4 to 5 days for an average dog to learn the average thing. Do not expect your dog to perform like a professional the first few days of teaching him something new. It just doesn’t happen that way. If you lose control of yourself, you have lost control of the situation. When this happens while dog training, your dog loses confidence in you.

Dog Training – Teaching Your Dog “Come Here”

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Dog training does not have to be complicated, nor does it take enormous amounts of time to teach your pet the basics.

Speaking of basics, we all want our dogs to come to us when called. There are many ways to go about this dog training procedure, below is perhaps the easiest way.

The following instructions will have your dog responding to your “come” command in no time.

This easy technique revolves around luring your dog and then rewarding him. Please note that this will be a lot easier if your dog is hungry before beginning training. Also, have handy small dog treats that you will use as a training aid.

————————————————————–

Dog Training Tips To Get Your Dog To Obey!

If you’d love to discover EXACTLY how to get your dog to stop urinating on your carpet and actually ring a bell when he needs to potty. . .

Train puppies to NEVER chew on furniture or expensive rugs – even when you aren’t there to supervise. . .

Learn simple techniques for getting any dog to stop barking at strangers or from begging you to let him back inside –

Plus a TON more step-by-step dog obedience strategies THOUSANDS of regular people are already using, check out –

The Hands Off Dog Training Method

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1. For this dog training exercise, first stand in front of your dog and hold a dog treat in between your thumb and index finger so it can easily be seen. Your arm should be in front of you but resting on your leg.

2. Now simply get the atmosphere exciting to your dog by putting on a great big smile and with a sweet and fun tone of voice, say “Sparky, Come!”  Do not overdo the come command with too much excitement, just enough to get him to notice you and realize that you are happy.

3. Your puppy should start running towards you, especially at the sight of the dog treat in your hand. Most dogs come running at the first hint of food, but your puppy may need a little more motivation. If after a moment he does not respond, your next move is to squat down and reach out with the treat just slightly, while calling his name again and getting the “come” command.

4. Once your puppy does arrive at the treat and in front of you, try to lure him into the sitting position by stroking his neck and upper back with one hand and applying pressure on his hind for him to sit, while slowly moving the treat to his mouth with your other hand. Now is the perfect time to start praising him in a loving voice and creating a positive feeling that he will want to experience again when you call his name and ask them to come to you.

5. Eventually drop the dog treats altogether when dog training and repeat the above steps, but offering praise instead of food when your dog comes to you.

Dog Training – Why You Should Never Shout At Your Dog

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If you have a new puppy in the house and are unclear about whether or not you should use yelling as a way to get him to stop doing something wrong or barking too much, then this dog training article should clear up your confusion about proper dog training.  If anything, you should learn the simple fact that yelling at your dog it does nothing to fix a problem, stop what he’s doing, or induce any type of positive reinforcement.

Yes your dog may stop doing a certain activity temporarily after yelling at him, but he will only return to whatever behavior he was displaying which made you angry in the first place. Why? Because when you shout at your dog it does nothing to fix the issue, yelling only works as a temporary solution.

Most puppies think of their owners as other dogs. And when you start yelling at your pet, it only increases how excited he is about the situation. You also cause your dog to create a negative association between yelling and how he feels around you.  He will soon start to connect yelling with the idea that he is disliked or unwanted, and will not have the ability to know that he is actually breaking a rule that you are trying to establish.

Not All Loud Dog Training Voice Commands Are Bad

Even though yelling at your dog is considered to be of poor communication skills, there are definitely times when dog training you need to firm up the tone of your voice and change the way you come across to him.  There are three general forms of communication in terms of the way you speak to your dog that you can apply:

1. The soothing tone of voice. A soothing and delightful tone of voice should be used whenever you want to give praise to your dog. When you communicate this way, you should be able to relax and soothe him as opposed to creating excitability. Speaking to your puppy in a soothing tone of voice makes him feel secure and proud knowing that you are happy with him.

2. The second tone of voice used when communicating with your dog is more of a direct tone. A direct tone would be the same way you give commands to your puppy when you want to get his attention. It should be short, firm, and authoritative.

3. The third general tone of voice you can use with your dog is more of a disciplinary tone. However, you must learn when dog training to draw a fine line between a disciplinary tone and a yelling tone.  Remember, you do not want to yell your dog but there are certainly times when you need to get across to him to back away from something quickly or to stop doing something immediately, all without actually scaring him off with shouting. Personally,when dog training, I like to use two syllables such as “DOWN BOY” or “SPARKY NO”.

Dog Training: How To Make Dog Training A Family Affair (4)

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A successful form of dog training is to play family-oriented games to help your dog master good manners and basic commands. And please be sure to supervise all play that involves children.

“Thank You, Take It”

This game will teach your dog to willingly release objects from its mouth when asked. Any object you start teaching this with should be large enough for your dog to hold one end while you hold the other. A length of heavy, soft knotted rope or a large, sturdy stuffed plush toy works well.

Start by wiggling the toy to make it interesting. In a playful voice, say “take it” and let your pup grab on. Praise and allow the dog to chew and play with the toy while you hold the other end. After a few moments, say “thank you” and offer your dog a treat from your other hand, holding it about six inches away from the side of his mouth. The dog will see and smell the treat and will let go of the toy to get the treat.

Don’t pull the toy away, just continue holding it. As soon as your dog eats the treat, offer the toy back, saying “take it”. Praise him for taking hold and let it play for a few moments before again saying, “thank you”, and trading it for another treat.

Repeat this sequence until your dog quickly releases the toy when you say “thank you”. Your dog will learn that it doesn’t lose the object by giving it to you. Then tray saying “thank you” without showing the dog a treat-swap.

Most dogs will release right away, expecting a treat. When it does, praise and immediately hand back the toy with a playful flourish, saying “take it”. The toy itself and the fun of grabbing and playing with it becomes a reward.

Ping-Pong Recall

This game teaches the dog to come when family members call it. Start by teaching your dog to come for a treat reward. When it’s doing this well, start adding family members to the game one at a time. Give each player several dog treats to use as rewards. Deliver one treat reward to the dog each time it comes when called.

Start with two people, standing about ten feet apart. First, one person calls the dog and rewards it with a treat, then the other takes a turn and does the same. More players can be added as soon as the dog seems to understand the game.

When the dog is eagerly racing each person who calls it, start increasing the distance between players. As your dog gains skill and enthusiasm for this game, try playing in more stimulating environments, like the beach or the dog park.

Tug of “Peace”

Offer your dog a toy and pull lightly to start the tug game. Be gentle – rough tugging can hurt a young pup’s jaws and neck. An adult dog can handle stronger tugging. After a moment of tug play, say “thank you”, cueing the pup to release. Praise and hand back the toy with an exciting “take it”.

Play as many rounds of tug as you like, but remember – you, not the pup – should always initiate and end this game. Tug should never be a competition between you and your dog. It’s much better to make it a cooperative game that doesn’t have a winner or loser, hence the reason it is called tug of “peace”; dog training has never seemed easier.

Dog Training: How To Make Dog Training A Family Affair (3)

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Dog’s do not come into the world knowing polite manners, so don’t expect your own family pet to abide by rules that it doesn’t know yet. Dog training is a process that takes time and repetition. Both management and training will be necessary to keep your dog out of trouble while it’s learning how to behave properly.

While teaching your dog good manners, you’ll also need to find ways to prevent it from engaging in undesirable behaviors that might turn into bad habits.

If you let your untrained dog have free run of the house it will potty in all the wrong places, chew your belongings, steal unwatched food from tables and counters, pull curtains down, dig holes in the flower garden, and maybe run into the road. Dogs don’t know any better than to do these things – until they’re taught more appropriate actions.

Begin by limiting your dog’s access to places where it might secretly misbehave. Don’t allow him to have the full run of your home until it’s completely housetrained and has learned what’s appropriate to chew and what isn’t. Keep the dog in the same room you’re in, so you can watch it carefully and prevent messy, dangerous, costly mistakes.

One Labrador owner that I know came from a successful day of fishing, dropped a dozen mackerel she’d caught on the counter, then fed her young Lab and left the room to change her clothes. She returned five minutes later to discover that not only had her dog finished its kibble, it had also gobbled down all 12 fish!

A proactive approach will give your dog the opportunity to get used to your general household routine and to practice the good behaviors you are teaching it. If the dog tries to slip away when you get distracted, either block the room’s doorways with baby gates or leash your dog to your belt to keep it with you. During times when no one is available to keep an eye on the dog, confine it in an enclosed puppy-proofed area either indoors or outdoors.

Keep Training Consistent

Training can be fun and fulfilling for the entire family or it can be fraught with frustration. Which way it goes depends upon how consistently you and your family keep the dog on track. The best way to be consistent is to decide on a set of rules everyone in the family can follow and get the family positively involved in your dog’s training.

Raising a great canine family companion isn’t a job for just one person. Dog training takes a village – or at least a cooperative family – to raise and train a well-behaved dog.

Dog Training: How To Make Dog Training A Family Affair

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Teaching good manners while dog training is not just something to be left up to the adults of the house. Although mom and dad will usually bear the most responsibility for the family dog’s training, including children in the process is important, too.

Your needs to know that it must respond and behave politely for all members of the family. Plus, giving the kids the opportunity to really help with their dog’s education can be a wonderful learning experience for them. Being involved in training a dog can teach children patience and compassion – and succeeding at the task will promote positive self-esteem.

Dog’s don’t generally view children as authority figures so any training techniques that rely on physical corrections tend to backfire when kids try to pursue them. Children are usually more successful using reward-based training techniques such as lure-and-reward or clicker training methods. This works better for everyone, because most dogs tend to work hard to earn treats, toys, and other enjoyable rewards.

Any family member can take part in training, feeding, and grooming your dog – just make sure they’re up to the job. Most children younger than ten (and some older kids, as well) need ongoing supervision and parental support to keep them on track.

Don’t expect more involvement than your child is mature enough to give, and remember to check daily that their jobs have been done – your pet’s safety and comfort are at stake. Yes, children need to learn responsibility – but this should never come at the expense of an animals welfare.

It’s usually best for an adult to start the dog on any new lesson before adding young co-trainers. That way the dog has a general idea of what to do and the children won’t be starting from scratch. Training will go more smoothly this way and the kids will experience less frustration and greater success.

To get kids involved in your dog’s training, first let them watch you working with the dog, then show them how to do it themselves. Stand by, at least in the beginning, to coach and support – and to get the lesson back on track, if necessary.

Some children actually turn out to be better trainers than many adults. If your child is one of these marvels, celebrate this success by allowing him or her to take on more of the training and teach the dog new tricks and tasks. Many positive dog trainers now encourage children to fully participate in their obedience classes so check around – there may be one that you, your dog, and your kids can attend together; this is crucial for the success of dog training.

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