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: How To Make Dog Training A Family Affair 2

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Making dog training a family affair is a fun and rewarding experience for everyone. To start, you must commit to declaring the rules that will govern your dog’s behavior, and let everyone know that these rules must be followed by everyone – because family-wide consistency is essential to achieve good results from training.

Establishing The Rules

Make sure everyone knows and follows the same rules with your dog, or your best-laid dog training plans will unravel. If one person allows the dog to jump on them or play rough games, for example, your dog will try these behaviors with other people. And when your family isn’t consistent about keeping the rules, don’t expect your dog to either!

The best time to establish rules is before  you bring your puppy or adult dog home. That way, everyone can be consistent right from the start. Chances are pretty good, however, that if you’re reading this article now, you probably already have your dog at home with you. So the best thing to do is to start right away – establish your “good dog rules” today, make sure the whole family knows what they are, and have everyone agree to follow them, starting immediately.

Family Meeting Time

Call the whole family together to create a list of the important rules regarding the dog. Encourage each person, including the children, to offer ideas and describe how they’d like the dog to behave so everyone will feel included.

Discuss reasons for each rule you decide to implement so its importance is understood. Big rules – such as not feeding from the table or the types of play that will be allowed – must be the same for everyone.

Write down your list of agreed-upon rules and let the children illustrate the page by drawing pictures of your dog being good. The more personal involvement each family member has with the list of dog rules, the more likely everyone will be to abide by them. When your list is finished and illustrated, post it in a central location, such as the refrigerator, so no one forgets the rules (or pretends to).

I cannot stress enough just how important it is for your children (and everyone else in the house) to all have the same mindset and understanding of how you want your dog handled during training.

In the next article we will discuss how to teach the rules, how to initiate training games, and how to keep dog training consistent – all of which will fail if you do not set the entire family on the same path.

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Click Here Now to watch Chet’s Free Dog Training Video.

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Leash Training: Your Leash Training Questions Answered

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Leash training is hugely underestimated by new dog owners. The process of getting your puppy or adult dog used to being on leash is fairly simple and just takes a little bit of your time. Trust me, this small investment of properly training your dog to walk politely on his leash will pay high dividends in the near future, especially if your puppy will grow up weighing 50 or more pounds.

Leash Training Questions

I get at least a dozen or more questions each week from new dog owners that ask me about leash training. They want to know what type of leash is best, what type to avoid, how long they should walk their dog,  how to get the dog to stop pulling, etc.

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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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Below I have listed a few of these common leash training questions for your benefit.  Remember, there is no one best way to do anything so when it comes to dog training, whether it involves leash training or other lesson, it is okay to mix in your own training ideas so long as you keep it 100% positive.  Negative dog training is not recommended and highly discouraged.

Having said that, here are a few basic leash training questions:

1. How much room should I allow the leash to extend when walking my dog? According to most dog trainers, your puppy or adult dog does not need anymore than 5 to 6 feet of distance to roam when you are walking him. This is plenty of room for you to keep control of the situation, while at the same time giving your dog a chance to sniff out small areas along the way.

2. What type of material should my leash be made of? If you walk into any pet-specific store you’ll find that the majority of leashes for sale are made of nylon.  Nylon is easy to wash and comes in all kinds of pretty colors.  However, they will burn your hand if the dog suddenly pulls and the leash moves through your fingers.

My recommendation is to use a leather leash. In fact, a 6 foot leash made of leather is the perfect size and material. It will last a long time and you will not experience any type of burning sensation if it is pulled. The grip is firm and your control is increased.

3. What about using chain leashes? Chain leashes are practically indestructible and will last a very long time, but just like nylon material, a chain leash can hurt your hands if the dog yanks hard and your grip slips.  In fact, the injury could be much more severe than a nylon burn.

4. How wide should the leash be? This answer is very simple. A leash that is approximately ½ inches to ¾ inches  is ideal. Try to avoid heavy, bulky leashes, when leash training.

Dog Training – Use The Right Body Language So Your Dog Understands

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Dogs are highly intelligent creatures and many  owners do not give them enough credit when it comes to dog training and how they can read and understand our body language.

Some people have no idea that the body language that we display has a major impact on how well a dog will listen to us and obey our commands. Using the correct form of body language can also quickly stop your dog from displaying an improper behavior.

Let’s use a very common example, such as the overexcited dog who likes to jump on every guest that comes to your door.  We all go through this with our puppy or adult dog at some point in time.  As soon as the guests arrive your dog is overwhelmed with happiness and excitement about who is at the door and whether or not they are going to play with him.

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Click Here Now to watch Chet’s Free Dog Training Video.

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Do they have dog treats? What do they smell like? Do they want to play? How about I just jump all over them and see? This is exactly what your dog is thinking if we were to decipher his emotional behavior.

And meanwhile, you are giving every command possible to get your dog to stop being so excited and jumping on everyone.  You try shouting but it only makes him more excited.  You try giving harsh and loud “Off” commands but it’s not working.  Eventually, you are so stressed with yelling and trying to pull your dog off that it turns into one big chaotic party.

And yes, the term “party” is a great way to explain it because to your dog you are just joining in on the fun and excitement that he is feeling. Can you see now how your body language and the way you are communicating with her voice comes across to your dog? You are only adding to the situation as opposed to changing our dog’s behavior.

Communicate better with your dog by using the following body language tips

In the above example of the overexcited dog who can’t seem to stop jumping all over the house guests, you understand now that your body language and excitability only made your dog feel more enthused about what it is he was doing. Therefore, you must take a different approach to the situation, regardless of what action you are trying to communicate with your dog.  Below are a few basic body language tips that you can use:

1. When you’re angry at your puppy or adult dog, do not chase him around the house.  You may be upset with them, but to your puppy, he thinks you’re playing a game and he will run around forever.

2. When you give your dog a command, display a very bold and upright body position.  Stand up, chest forward, and head back. Your dog will have more respect and a slight bit of intimidation, which can help with training him.

3. If your dog is extremely excited then do not add to the problem by getting feisty.  Instead, move slowly and talk in a soothing tone of voice.  Display the same behavior you wish him to use.

Doing so will calm him down and it will be much easier to change his behavior. during your dog training

Dog Training – How To Train Your Dog To Shut Doors

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When dog training, teaching you dog to begin shutting doors requires the “Touch” command.

It’s best to use a clicker or some other device when dog training.

1. Hold out a greeting card or an index card to your dog and say “Touch.” Click, treat, and praise.

2. Move around the room, holding the card in various locations, giving the “Touch” command.

3. Tape the card to a cupboard door and open the door slightly. When you tape the card, position it at your dog’s chin level. Nothing too high, nothing too low.

4. Command “Touch” and reward the slightest effort, even if your dog doesn’t shut the cupboard completely.

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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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As your dog catches on, open the door and command “Shut It” as you point to the cupboard door. Reward only those touches that snap the cupboard tightly closed.

Puppy Training – How To Teach Your Puppy “Down”

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As you start your puppy training session, put your puppy in the Sit position.

Hold a motivator to your puppy’s nose and let her smell it.

When she is really interested with what you have by licking or pawing at your hand, slowly lower your hand to the ground. Aim your fist between her front paws.

When your hand is on the ground and your puppy’s nose is also to the ground, her body will collapse to the ground.

Her chest must be touching the floor.

————————————————————–

Puppy 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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Once she is in the down position, say “Down,” and give her the motivator while she stays in this position.

Puppies are smart – they will learn it is to their advantage to get into the down position to get the reward.

If your dog resists the Down command during puppy training and stands back up, put her back in the Sit position and again work the Down command.

Initially when puppy training, it is far easier for pups to go into a down from a sit position rather than from a stand position.

Proper Clicker Training Means Using Perfect Timing

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With clicker training, timing is everything. You must capture the exact moment your dog is doing something right. Also start thinking in terms of stage-by-stage training.

Let’s say I want to use clicker training to teach my dog to make a left circle. I sit with my dog and click when my dog takes one step to the left.

That’s stage one. Then I hold out my click for two steps, then three,  then a full circle.

Training this way definitely takes longer than pulling my dog in a circle, but once my dog figures out the sequence, he’s doing a circle with far more zest and enthusiasm than if I tugged him around and around.

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Click Here Now to watch Chet’s Free Dog Training Video.

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The second secret of clicker training: Don’t attach a spoken command to behavior until your dog has figured out what is making the clicker work.

To explain, think of the behavior Sit. Each time your dog sits, click and reward.

After your dog is sitting, quickly start saying “Good, Sit” when feeding your dog his reward. Next say it simultaneous to the time your dog is sitting.

Next say “Sit” before a reward is offered and click good behavior. Yes! Soon you’ll be able to say “Sit” away from clicker training exercises, and your dog will be spot on.

Here’s an easy one, teaching your dog to lick your hand on cue. Spread a dab of peanut butter on your hand; offer it to your dog.

Click the second your dog licks you, then quickly offer his favorite reward. Timing is everything with clicker training, as your dog will know the sound soon after you introduce him to it.

Click the very moment your dog does what you want. Keep your clicker and treats with you and click each time your dog offers a kiss.

Once it becomes apparent that your dog has got the message, add the cue word “Kisses.”

No clicks go unrewarded. If you click, you must reward. One click, one reward. Treats should be small and easy to swallow so that your dog can wolf them down and not fill up.

Don’t treat your dog when he’s not having lessons or getting a reward won’t seem as exciting.

You can use the clicker to reinforce each step of your dog’s trick progression. Here are just a few more examples of how to reinforce everyday behaviors – basic stuff your dog probably already knows but exercises to help you understand how the clicker works.

House-training: When your dog eliminates in the right area, click and reward. After your dog associates the sequence, say “Get Busy!” When he’s eliminating, click the instant he finishes, treat, and praise.

Jumping: When your dog jumps on you, look away. Click, treat, and pet your dog once all four paws are on the ground. “Four on the Floor” can be commanded once the sequence is understood.

Chewing: Anytime your dog is chewing an appropriate object, click, treat, and praise warmly. Put the words “Bone” or “Toy” on the behavior once the clicker training sequence is understood.

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