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.

3 Important Training Tips For Every Dog Owner

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1. Be fair with corrections. Make sure your dog understands what you want before you correct him for not doing it. And let the punishment fit the crime. A correction should not be a release of anger, a clearing out of pent-up feelings by unloading them on the apparent cause of the problem, your dog. Instead, a correction is another way to communicate with your dog, to foster in him a clear understanding of his place in your human pack. As such, a proper correction is another way to strengthen the bond between you and your pet. At its mildest level, a correction is the absence of praise. Remember to always ask yourself if you’re being fair before you give in to the knee-jerk reaction to leash-jerk.

2. Be positive. This tip refers to having the right attitude, of course, but it’s more than that. Praise that’s well timed and appropriate is essential to your dog’s learning process. If all you ever do is tell your dog “no,” your relationship isn’t going to be a very good one. How would you like to work with a boss like that?

Praise is cheap and free – so use it, lots! Use praise when your dog tries to get it right. Use it more when your dog succeeds. Use it when your dog just pays attention to you, because that’s the first step in the training. You don’t have to be some gushing goof, but you do need to let your dog know when you’re proud of her.

3. When training your dog, be on the same team. Don’t think of training your dog as a you versus your dog endeavor. Think instead about the two of you being on the same team, albeit in different positions. Consider yourself the quarterback, if you like: You call the plays. Winning is a team effort. Of course, your dog has to learn the plays first, and you’re the one to teach him. And this relationship is still not an adversarial one. You show your dog the things he needs to learn, and you do so with love and respect, which your dog will return in kind.

To bring your dog onto your team and show him the plays you’ll be calling, you need to spend time with him. Bring him into your life. Let him sleep in a crate in your bedroom, practice his “sits” in the kitchen. The more opportunities for interaction and practice you have, the faster and more reliably your dog performs.

The First Step To Successful Dog Training

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As a dog owner, what do you really need to know to train your dog? Gathering information and preparing to train your dog follows some reasonable steps. The first phase is the most often skipped and is the most crucial. A mirror test of sorts. How good is your relationship with your dog? The idea is that it’s better to have a good owner-dog bond first before you let your dog undergo obedience training.

The point is, if you already have a good bond, that bond will be even stronger after the training. And maybe the training will be easier since you may not undergo a lot of frustrations compared to owners who aren’t bonded with their dogs.

The thing is, if you have not established an attachment with your own dog, training him to obey is not going to be as smooth compared to if you had a good bond. You could get annoyed easily when your dog fails to accomplish tasks. You may not be as easily annoyed if you and your dog had been through a lot. That dog might not even want to cooperate. To address this noncompliance, try breaking the tasks into small and more manageable tasks.

This way, despite the absence of that owner-dog bond, the chances of your dog accomplishing the smaller tasks will be easier. Suppose you want you dog to stop barking on command. You can do this and silence him at will. When you can do this you can even make him bark on your order. This means you need to start with a small objective in the beginning, and start with easy commands.

The most common complaint against pets, dogs in particular, is that they chew up on the furniture, bite into and drag objects, and munch into them as though they were baby tethers. To address this behavior, you could purchase for your dog some toys he can play with, so his attention will be on those toys instead of things to bite in your household. You need to limit these toys to four or five. More toys will just distract him and he’ll lose interest. To start training, you can test if you can make you dog bite and pick up his chewing toys on your orders. Ask him to bring it to you. Throw it far again. Ask him to bring it back.

But if you just got your dog, chances are you don’t know his behavior much. That’s the first thing, to observe his behavior, especially those that will be problematic for you. List those behaviors that pose problems and try to address them one at a time. If your dog loves munching on household things, you have to and you can change this. If your dog barks incessantly, you can change this. But you really have to allot some time to observe his behavior and bond with him. If he bonds with you, he’ll be motivated to please you, and you’ll have more patience in training him.

Increase the happy years of your dog by checking out my free e-book. In it I reveal all the secrets I’ve used to develop a happy, healthier dog. Visit Dr. Alfonso’s dog training blog right now…

Article Source: ArticleSpan

Dog Training – Leash/Collar Training

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There are many different styles of dog training, and finding the one that works best for you is important for creating a dog that is a talented, loyal and faithful member of the family. All successful methods of dog training work to reinforce the relationship between dog and handler, and the foundation of any successful training program is getting the respect of the dog. Fortunately, dogs are wired by nature to seek out leaders, and to follow the direction of those leaders.

This article focuses on one of the most popular methods of dog training – the so called leash/collar style of training. Other articles will focus on the other popular style of training dogs, often called reward training or positive reinforcement.

Both leash/collar training and reward training have been around for a very long time, and they have proven their effectiveness over time. The type of training that works best will vary from dog to dog, and from breed to breed. It is important to remember that each breed of dog has its own unique qualities, reinforced by hundreds of years of selective breeding.

Of course personalities of individual dogs vary quite a bit, even within established breeds. You, as the owner of the dog, know better than anyone which style of dog training will work best, so it is important to work with the trainer you choose to achieve your goal of a willing, obedient and friendly dog.

Leash and collar training is the best way to accomplish many types of dog training, particularly in situations where the dog must have a high level of reliability. For instance, dogs that have an important job to do, such as rescue dogs, police dogs and guard dogs, generally benefit from leash and collar training.

In leash and collar training, varying degrees of force can be used, ranging from slight prompts with the lead to very harsh corrections. The amount of correction used should be appropriate to the situation, since using too much correction, or too little, will be ineffective.

In a collar and leash based dog training program, first the dog is taught a particular behavior, generally with the leash. After the dog has demonstrated that it understands the command, the leash is then used to correct the dog if it disobeys, or when it makes a mistake. The leash is the main form of controlling and communicating with the dog in leash and collar training.

When using leash and collar training, the dog must be trained to trust the handler and accept his or her directions without question. In order for the dog to be fully trained, the handler must demonstrate the ability to place the dog into a posture or position he or she does not want to take. This does not mean using force, but it does generally require some level of physical manipulation. This manipulation is most easily and safely done using the main tool of leash and collar training – the leash.

It is important for every would be dog trainer to understand that the leash is simply a tool. While the leash is an important tool in this form of training, it is important for the dog trainer to be able to eventually achieve the same results using whatever tools are at hand.

Even when the only tools at hand are the owner’s body and skill, the dog should be willing to obey. Creating a leader/follower relationship between handler and dog is still very important, and it is important to use the leash as a tool and not a crutch. A properly trained dog should be willing to obey whether the leash is present or not.

Anthony Stai owns and operates the #4 (Google) site for As Seen On TV products and has loved animals all his life. Please visit his Pet Trainer page for unique pet training product that works with both dogs and cats.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

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