howtotrainmydog

Image via WikipediaYou need to understand how to train your dog so that you can remind him who’s boss. If you don’t have the time or patience to do this yourself, you could find a professional trainer to train your dog for you. However whether you train your dog yourself or get someone to do it for you, you do need to find a good dog training collar first.

Collars are classified according to their purpose; fancy ones are just for looks, however others have different uses:

Choke collars

Also known as a slip collar, these cannot actually choke the dog unless you pull too hard on the leash. There is no adjustment and therefore no limit to how much you can tighten it around the dog’s neck.

These should fit behind the dog’s ears, high up. They are not safe to leave on a dog if he is not supervised, because there is nothing to stop them from constricting to far. For this reason they are less used nowadays for training.

Prong Training Collars

Also known as pinch collars, these have open ended chains with open ends which operate like spikes which press into the dog’s loose neck skin when tightened. These do have a certain amount of adjustment possible, and this also limits the pinching effect. The ’spikes’ are blunt and therefore unlikely to pierce the dog’s skin.

Many people prefer to place rubber tips on the spikes when they train a dog. Some use a second collar, usually a flat one with a buckle, because it is possible for dogs to slip out of the prong ones, which fit like a choke collar.

These collars are cruel and their use should be avoided.

Martingale Training Collars

These are often used on sight hounds, whose heads are smaller in proportion to their necks than other dogs, and the collars are both comfortable and safe. There are two loops, a large one round the dog’s neck and a smaller one which has the D ring on it. When the leash tightens the loops constrict so that the dog cannot slip out.

Electronic Training Collars

Also known as remote or shock collars, these collars give either a citrus spray or electrical impulse if a dog misbehaves, and hence helps you to train your dog out of unwanted behavior. This is especially useful if you don’t have enough time to train your dog adequately yourself.

Dog training collars are excellent tools for helping you to train your dog to behave the way you want, and to limit their natural tendencies to be aggressive, to bark, or to wander away from home. If you are wondering how to train your dog, then you should start with a good training collar.

You can have a lot of fun training your dog, though most people do it not for this reason but in the interests of discipline. Dogs operate according to their basic nature and instincts, but these instincts can be altered in order to fit in with the needs of human beings, if you understand how to train them properly.

Some behavior problems which people cannot put up with are common to many dogs, and below are some tips for how to train your dog out of these.

1. Unwanted barking.

Barking is the main way in which dogs communicate, but some of them do this too much. If so you can train your dog as follows:

a) You should not train your dog by just saying ‘no’, because dogs don’t understand. If you keep repeating the word the dog might think you are barking too, and just become excited.

b) Be consistent, using just the one command for stopping barking.

c) Don’t get angry; instead work patiently to encourage the desired behavior.

d) If he does the right thing when you give him your command, reward him. Don’t allow good behavior to go unrewarded.

2. Chewing

Puppies’ nature is to chew, because it practices using their jaws, but they will chew out of boredom, playfulness, curiosity or because they are teething. They use their mouths to explore their environment, just like children.

If you want to know how to train your dog out of excessive chewing, here are some things to try:

a) Confine your puppy to a crate, which stops him being able to get to things which he might chew.

b) If you don’t like this idea then you will need to watch him carefully, so that he does not rip up your expensive furniture.

c) Puppies can’t tell the difference between old slippers and new ones, so don’t give him slippers or shoes at all. Instead give him some toys (not soft toys) which he is allowed to chew.

d) Buy special dog chew toys, because puppies need to chew something, and chew toys are a cheaper investment than new furniture.

e) Exercise your puppy well, because chewing can be a way to get rid of excess energy. He might chew less if he is tired out.

3. Digging.

Digging is also a basic instinct for dogs, but it can be due to boredom, or trying to get out, or looking for a cool spot, or hiding a bone. It can be destructive, however, so if you want to know how to train your dog not to dig, here are some ideas:

a) Give him a special digging spot, so that he doesn’t dig where he shouldn’t. Punish him if he tries to dig elsewhere, but reward him for digging in his digging spot.

b) Put diluted ammonia or pepper, in small amounts, on places where you don’t want him to dig.

You can train your dog out of unwanted behaviors and into desired ones if you use the best training practices.

Training should be a fun activity. A dog is not likely to want to do an activity if it is hard for him, so be sure to include fun in the activities you use to train your dog, without the fun detracting from the purpose of the exercise.

Dogs want to please their owners, so you also need to acknowledge the effort he is making, so that he can see that this is happening.

Use both positive and negative reinforcement, but use them appropriately and consistently, so the dog does not get confused. Positive reinforcement means things like dog treats and praise, whereas negative reinforcement depends on you, but could include refusing a treat, or something harsher.

You should choose a training area where there are no distractions, because dogs can be easily distracted by things which have nothing to do with the training process. Controlling the surroundings will help the dog to focus on the one activity. Good ideas include a large empty room or an empty back yard. These are both examples of a good place to train a dog.

Make sure that your dog completes whatever task you have asked him to do, or he will learn that he does not need to follow your commands. For example, if you have commanded him to ‘come’, make sure that he comes all the way to you.

Be gentle, but firm when you train your dog. Use a lower tone of voice, because your dog could confuse a higher pitched one with another dog barking.

Wherever possible you should avoid using excess force or cruel measures such as yanking on the collar if he does the wrong thing. These actions could cause the dog to lose confidence.

Training sessions should be short - ‘bite sized’ is good. Dogs do not have a long attention span, and have a low capacity for retention, so short lessons are good for a dog’s learning.

Do not flood your dog’s brain with too much learning, instead train your dog by conditioning the desired responses.

We are inclined to want dogs to learn faster than they actually are capable of, so be patient. Being impatient can in fact slow the process down. Rushing never works; you simply need to help your dog to learn at his own speed.

It is much easier to train a puppy than it is to train a dog when he is old, because puppies learn more easily. The ideal age to train a dog is starting at 6 to 8 weeks old. The older the dog gets the more difficult the training is, and the more likely that he will have developed some undesirable habits.

Image via WikipediaWhilst most dogs are friendly, we need to remember that they are animals which, if not trained properly, can be dangerous to people, and therefore training is very important. A dog training harness will be of great help to you to in training your dog.

Walking your dog is an excellent bonding activity which also allows both you and your dog to get some fresh air and exercise. Most people use a collar on their dog for this, and have done for a long time. This could however be dangerous to the dog.

Because the collar fits around the dog’s neck there is a possibility of choking if you or the dog pulls on the leash. Your dog may also have trouble barking if the collar irritates the neck. A harness, however, places pressure on the dog’s ribcage and shoulder area, not on the neck.

Even so you need to know how to handle the harness if you want to avoid the possibility of hurting the dog. The packaging which the harness comes in should have instructions on care and handling, and you can also find information in dog training manuals and guides. In particular, you should be familiar with your dog’s personality and behaviors, so you can handle him appropriately.

When selecting a harness you should take into account your and your dog’s comfort. The dog should be able to move without the harness causing him any hurt, and you need to be able to control him with only light pressure.

You also need to consider the dog’s size, because a larger dog will need a harness made of thicker, stronger material, so that it does not break or tear under pressure, because they can pull harder than smaller dogs.

Harnesses which are intended for walking or tracking are the most common type, and these come in various types of materials and designs, so that the harness can be fashionable as well as practical. For larger dogs you can use tough leather harnesses, whereas smaller dogs can use a softer leather one. Most harnesses are padded for extra comfort for your dog.

The no-jump harness is another type which is intended to provide extra control so that you can train your dog not to jump up at people.

There are lots of types and styles of harness to choose from, so you should be able to find one which will suit you and help you to control and train your dog.

If you are wondering where to find a dog harness, check out your local pet store or have a search on the internet, and see the many varieties there are to choose from.

There are lots of dog training schools around, though not all of them will meet your expectations. Below are some things to think about when you are choosing a school to help train your dog.

Reputation

Reputation could mean popularity to you, high recommendations, or production of results by whatever means, however a good guideline to go in is a combination of popularity and how well you like their training methods. A school’s reputation demonstrates how well people trust them.

So if you are looking into a school’s reputation search the internet or ask around the people you know. Veterinarians are often a good source of information, as are dog breeders and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; you should be able to source some references or a list of registered schools. Those listed by the ASPCA will be ones whose methods are humane.

Training Methods

A good school will use appropriate methods to train a dog, and treat your dog as well as they would one of their own. Avoid schools whose training methods are old fashioned, such as yelling at or punishing the dogs. These schools do exist.
Good schools use humane methods which use positive reinforcement and avoid negative techniques. Positive reinforcement mans praise (including dog treats) when the dog behaves in the desired manner. Negative techniques punish the dog for undesired behavior, and these techniques include choking, yelling and alpha rolling.

Knowledgeability

A good training school will have knowledge about training methods from the oldest techniques to the very latest ones. This means that the trainers will have at their fingertips all the techniques which your dog might respond well to.

When you are checking out a school, you should look into their facilities, to make sure they are up-to-date, and the level of training of their trainers (recent seminars attended, and so on). You are going to be paying them well to train your dog, and you want to receive the best service in return.

Some schools claim to specialize in a particular area of dog training, whereas others claim to be knowledgeable in all types of training. You should base your decision mainly on the scope of the school’s knowledge.

Class Organization

Dog training classes are either held either as private or group lessons. Group lessons are good for training your dog to behave in the company of other dogs, and for socialization. The owner of the dog can also benefit by learning from the techniques and mistakes of other handlers.
Private lessons, however, do not offer these added benefits when you train your dog this way, and there is in fact a disadvantage that the dog may not learn obedience to anyone other than their own trainer.

Choosing the right school to help you train your dog can be a lengthy and difficult process, however it is an important decision.

There are a variety of ways in which to train a dog. If you want one which works, and is safe, then the use of dog treats (rather than harmful treatments) is recommended by professionals.

When you train your dog, and he produces the desired behavior, you should then give the dog a reward in the form of a treat. If the dog does the wrong thing, or does not do as you have commanded, then the punishment is refusing to give the dog a treat. The dog will learn to connect appropriate behavior with the receiving of treats.

Dog treats can be used to:

-making it easier to train your dog, when combined with praise

-show your dog that he succeeded in pleasing you

-encourage the dog to be obedient, and to enjoy training

-encourage the dog to do as he is commanded, knowing he will be rewarded

When to use dog treats.

Dogs should be given a treat immediately after they have produced the required behavior, so that they learn to connect the behavior with the reward. You should not use treats too much, however, because they will no longer be effective and just make the dog dependent on them.

For best results, you should only give your dog treats during training sessions. At other times, if you want to treat your dog, you should use some other kind of treat.

If, for example, you want to train your dog to respond to the command ‘down’, then say the word ‘down’ whilst the treat is right in front of his nose, moving it downwards. If he does as you want, then give him the treat, as well as a pat and words of praise (eg. “good boy”). Keep repeating this routine until he really understands.

When you are further along with the training, try praise without giving treats. You want the dog eventually to obey commands without always having a treat. Occasional treats are fine, but do not allow him to see the treat first.

Types of treat

Some treats are purely for reward, rather than any nutritional benefit, whereas others are good for the dog’s health, or help to clean his teeth.

Where can you buy treats?

You can buy dog treats in pet shops, online, and in grocery and specialty stores, for between $5 and $30. There are also discounts for buying in bulk, and some very expensive varieties too, in fact a huge variety of types to help you train your dog. You can even make them yourself using recipes which can be found in books or on the internet.

Different types of dog training equipment have different functions, but there are some which you must have if you want to be successful when you train your dog, and to make the process easier for you.

Collars

Most people when they train a dog will buy a collar and nothing else. There are various types of these with different purposes, the main ones being the chain or choke collar, spoke collar, electronic or shock collar and martingale collar.

The best known materials for collars are metal, leather, fabric and nylon.

Harness

A harness can be used to train a dog instead of a leash, or leash and collar. It acts to spread the pull on the dog and thereby prevent the likelihood of choking or of the dog being able to slip out.

These are usually used for service or assistance dog training rather than for domestic pet dogs.

Leash

A leash or lead is commonly made from rope or leather, and is fastened to the collar to aid control. Some types loop around the dog’s neck and therefore do not require the use of a collar. Leashes vary in length, from very short to extended webbing leash.

The different lengths allow you to train your dog in different circumstances, from close control to distance training.

Muzzle

These are used to help control or train a dog which barks or bites when the handler does not wish him to, and is a highly reliable control method. It is also used for dogs which are dangerous or aggressive, to prevent them being able to cause injury or damage.

The muzzle prevents the dog from being able to open his mouth, and they vary according to how much freedom you want to give the dog’s mouth. They also vary in shape and material. They are usually made of leather, nylon, wire or plastic.

Bait pouch

Dog handlers frequently carry dog treats in their pocket. The main problem with this idea is that it could take a little time for the handler to reach the treat, and the reward may be less effective if not immediate.

To help get around this problem you can buy a bait pouch, which is simply a canvas pouch which fits around your waist and makes it easy to reach the treats.

Halter

This is an alternative to a collar which fits on the dog’s head and provides easier control when tying up, training or guiding him. When the handler pulls on the leash, the muzzle acts to pull the head in the direction of the pull.

There are various types of equipment which can help you to train your dog, and there is no one piece which does everything you need. So consider your purpose before you buy.