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.

Is A Professional Dog Obedience Training Necessary?

May 28, 2010 by admin 1 Comment

Obedience training for your dog is an important part of responsible pet ownership.

While common puppy behavior problems and housebreaking are discussed in many books and publications, here we’ll discuss your options for basic obedience training and whether you want train your dog yourself or hire a trainer.

Training can begin as early as three to four months if yon train the dog yourself. Most trainers believe puppies aren’t mentally or socially developed enough to benefit from group obedience class until they are six months old.

Any sincerely interested dog owner can train his or her own dog, provided your dog hasn’t already acquired a lot of bad habits.
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You and your dog may want to attend a couple of lessons at a good training club. You may also want to arm yourself with a good dog training book.

Wait until your dog is six months old before taking him to a group obedience class, which is a popular option for many dog owners. Obedience groups not only provide an excellent
source of training, but also helps socialize your pet with other dogs.

When you first visit an obedience training class, make sure the instructors treat their pupils kindly – no punishment or yelling should be taking place or be permitted by those in charge. Your local parks department or school district may sponsor an obedience group.

If you’re having trouble finding one, ask your veterinarian.

Professional training is a good option for some larger breeds or for dogs that have acquired bad habits. If you are looking for a professional obedience trainer, find one who favors working with your dog in your own home.

No matter how appealing it may seem to send a problem dog away to be trained, the reality is that this often is a waste of time and money.

The dog may behave perfectly with the trainer and then ignore you once it arrives home. A professional obedience trainer will
equip you with the knowledge and confidence you need to train your dog.

The best way to find a good professional trainer is through a veterinarian or breeder’s recommendation.

Also, if you have any family or friends that can refer you to a reputable trainer then this would be the most ideal option. Arrange for an exploratory meeting with the potential trainer, you, and your dog.

Then, make your decision.

Training takes time and patience and a capable trainer will stress this fact. Length of training depends not only on your dog’s intelligence, temperament, and age, but also on how many bad habits he has acquired.

Obedience training requires you to take the lead, both as teacher and enforcer. After your dog has been trained you must not let him drift back into bad behavior patterns.

Filed Under: Dog Training Tagged With: Bad Habits, Basic Obedience Training, Behavior Problems, Bree, Carpet, Dog Obedience, Dog Obedience Training, Dog Owner, Dog Owners, Dog Training, Dogs, Four Months, Group Obedience, Housebreaking, Obedience Class, Professional Dog Trainer, Professional Trainer, Professional Training, Pupils, Puppies, Puppy Behavior, Responsible Pet Ownership, Rugs, Six Months, Time And Money, Urinating, Veterinarian, Waste Of Time

Teaching Your Puppy To “Leave It”

May 6, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

There is one command your puppy needs to learn for his own protection, and that is the safety command of “Leave it.”

You are out for a walk and puppy comes upon a roadkill or carelessly discarded garbage. For the sake of his health, you command, “Leave it!” and you will need to enforce it with a gentle snap-and-release of the leash.

If he does not hear (or understand) the “Leave it” command, get his attention followed by “Leave it.”

This one is so important that at four to six months of age you can even use an entrapment as a teaching tool.

When the puppy cannot see you do it, plant a piece of trash, maybe an empty cereal box, on the floor and stick around until the pup goes to investigate.

As he goes to sniff it, shout “Leave it!” and as he retreats at the force of your voice, say “Good dog.”

It is an extremely versatile and useful Puppy training command. It also has an amusing side effect.

Many young puppies respond to the extreme urgency in your voice and not only “Leave it” but do an instant Down flat on the ground!

Filed Under: Puppy Training Tagged With: Amusing Side, Cereal Box, Empty Cereal, Entrapment, Extreme Urgency, Garbage, Health, Pup, Puppies, Puppy Training, Retreats, Roadkill, Sake, Six Months, Snap, Teaching Tool, Trash

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