Training

Dog Training Tips

3 Important Training Tips For Every Dog Owner

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.

Dog Training Tips

Training Your Dog

Consistency & Persistence Pays Off When Training Your Dog

If the rules change from day to day, the dog becomes confused. He needs to know how to consistently earn reward and avoid punishment or he will give up responding. The good trainer is consistent and always uses the same command for the same behavior. Most dog owners teach the dog that the command “down” means to be in a prone position.

Unfortunately, many dog owners use the same command to mean, lie down, remove thyself from the couch or bed, or stop jumping on people. When a command has many different meanings, the word ceases to have an important message.

Give each behavior its own command. The command “off” can be used to mean paws on the floor, and “down” may remain to define the prone position. After you decide on consistent commands, the next step is to be persistent in using them. Dogs are naturally good at persistent behavior, and even better if rewarded for it.

Many a dog owner has given up trying to correct the dog that barks all day or jumps on people. Dog owners drop out of obedience classes all the time because they are worn down by their dogs’ seemingly persistent behaviors, and they give up trying to teach their dogs new behaviors. The key is that the owners gave up, and the dogs learned that persistence pays off.

When an owner gives in, the dog’s persistent behavior is strengthened and reinforced. Any determined dog owner can wear the dog down. Therefore, it is extremely important that you be more persistent than the dog about continuing the training process until the dog performs the desired behavior.

The dog must learn that the energy he spends engaging in undesirable behavior is not worth the effort, because you will persist. If you correct him for jumping up the first four times and don’t correct him for the fifth jump up you simply teach him to jump up five times for the payoff.

Similarly, if you correct the dog for barking at the moon sometimes and not at other times, you teach him that sometimes barking is acceptable and sometimes it is not. The dog will continue to bark to determine when barking is acceptable and when it is not acceptable.

Consequently, correcting barking sometimes actually encourages even more barking. If you don’t correct the dog for barking in the backyard because you are not at home, he will learn that barking is acceptable when you’re away.

If you sneak out of the house so as not to cue him that it is acceptable to bark, he only needs to bark twice with no correction to figure out that you are not at home. A behavior will be extinguished or changed only if you persist in correcting the dog every time he misbehaves.

Training Your Dog

Battered Dog

Helping A Battered Dog Gain Confidence By Using Nonphysical Methods

A dog that has been over-punished lacks self-confidence. Therefore, such dogs should be allowed to succeed. This is fortunately a simple process with dogs. They are dramatically quick to learn from people when taught by nonphysical methods. Even a simple 3-part exercise, performed daily, can bring about a behavior change in a few days.

All that is needed is to crouch down, say “Rover, come,” and heartily praise when it responds, even if it only looks at the owner. If the pet urinates on the way, the praise must be continued. The wetting usually disappears as confidence improves. When the dog comes all the way, it should be petted, preferably on the throat and chest to eliminate fear responses that may be caused by hands over or on top of its head. Most shy dogs usually come readily to a crouching figure.

The “Sit” command is simple, once the pet comes dependably. A hand is held up over the dog’s rump as the words “Rover, sit” are spoken. The dog usually looks upward, and should be praised by happily saying “Good, sit,” but without bending down or petting. If this is patiently repeated a few times, most dogs will sit down.

The spoken praise should be followed by petting. It is important not to bend over from the waist to pet shy dogs, as this movement often signals possible punishment. Crouching avoids bending over, and is friendly and reassuring. Pushing down on its rump, holding, or otherwise manipulating the pet must be avoided.

Physical force is at the root of most submissive behavior and interferes with effective learning.

The second part of therapy requires that owners avoid punishing the pet. If other behavior problems exist, these must be resolved using nonphysical methods and as light as possible. Self-control is a major challenge to most dog owners; however, after they see the progress usually achieved in a few days, their feelings that the pet “needs to be told it has done wrong” usually crop up.

Any backsliding on the owner’s part is quickly reflected by regression in the dog. This feedback provides an effective control mechanism to which most owners are highly sensitive.

A third step in correction is used for dogs that respond submissively to persons outside the family. If a few friends are gathered to reinforce the owner’s teachings, the dog usually responds satisfactorily. Correction in most cases requires only a few minutes on 2 or 3 occasions.

Older dogs with a persistent problem may require longer training periods. This approach to correct overly submissive behavior in shy dogs assumes the pet is healthy, so that no possible organic influence interferes with the learning capabilities of the animal. Total rehabilitation can be expected in 6 weeks when the process is carried out daily.

Battered Dog

Dog Training Methods

Choosing Dog Training Methods

Before choosing a particular training method, carefully examine the technique to ensure that it will communicate proper associations. Certain methods may not communicate what you intend. A dog-aggressive Akita was enrolled in a training program that his owner thought was reputable.

The trainer convinced the owner that the only way to break the Akita of aggression toward other dogs was to let a more dominant dog put him in his place. The trainer’s dog displayed dominance toward other dogs, so she placed him in a room with the Akita and left the two dogs to work things out.

When the trainer heard a window crashing, she opened the door to find that her dog was injured, and the Akita had been richly rewarded for his aggressive behavior with a nice victory under his collar.

If this method does not make sense to you, it probably won’t make sense to the dog, either. One trainer sent around a flyer giving free advice to the general public on how to stop dogs from digging. The trainer suggested filling the newly dug hole with water and taking the dog over to the hole by the scruff of the neck to dunk his head in the water filled-hole.

The next sentence on this flyer cautioned the owner that the dunking probably would not stop the dog from digging; instead, forcing the dog down to the water by the scruff of the neck was a demonstration of dominance, a root cure-all for problem behavior. The trainer thought through the method far enough to figure out that the water would have no effect on future digging.

Unfortunately, he did not explain that the dog would learn to mistrust his owner for trying to drown him. Shortly after this flyer was distributed, another trainer was indicted for animal abuse for employing this very correction technique.

Occasionally, even thinking through a method does not result in a clear understanding of how it works. One day a fellow drove up to class in a pickup with his dog in the back. The dog trainer explained to him that it was very dangerous to have the dog in the back of an open pickup.

He went through the normal lecture on how the dog’s nose and eyes could be damaged from debris in the air, the danger of the dog being thrown out of the truck in an accident, etc. The fellow proudly said, “I fixed the dog from jumping out of the truck. He was jumping out and I would throw him back in.

We did this for five or six times when I finally got really mad and threw him in the truck for the seventh time and stuffed a piece of horse manure in his mouth for good measure. After that the dog never jumped out again, and the next time he does something bad, I am going to use that manure trick again.”

It was really hard to determine if the dog stopped jumping out of the truck because he got tired of being thrown back in, or if he was grateful for the gourmet horse manure treat. If you are not sure about exactly how or why a method works, it is probably best to avoid the technique altogether.

Even the most popular methods use techniques that may not be suited for every breed or temperament of dog. A trainer who evaluates each method based on the efficacy of the associations and motivators will be better equipped to match the appropriate obedience method with the dog’s individual temperament.

Dog Training Methods

Down Command Training

Training the “Down” Command To A Dominant Dog

A dominant dog is one who becomes unsure when made to change his mood. Since his response to resistance is straightforward, he is compelled to assert himself. He’ll push back when he feels the left hand on his shoulder blade and will probably growl. Since he’s stressed, he won’t show any interest in the food, so any type of ingestion other than a snap at your hand or the lead isn’t possible.

This dog is very much misunderstood. Since he’s active and direct by nature, he’s run into a lot of emotional dead ends in his dealings with people, and so he interprets all change as bad, relative to humans.

Profound hunger is definitely advisable in the early stages of training. When the dog is hungry enough, he will go on the down position smoothly. Improving the contact training is important because the resistance between the dog and the owner or handler is the central issue in this dog’s temperament. You want to relax your dog about the status issue and have him learn that flexibility to change is actually good.

Address the problem more directly, because sooner or later you will have to work the dog without food. But first he must learn suppleness to the touch, just as if he was a puppy. Then, when it’s time to train without food, put your left foot on the lead while you hold on to it with your right hand. From here you will patiently wait. As long as the dog doesn’t overload or panic, slowly increase the pressure downward on his neck.

Do not position your head close to this type of dog. That will intensify his problem and increase his need to resist. As he start to tire or think about lying down to get more comfortable, talk sweetly to him. This weakens resistance. Amplify the softening sensation by starting to scratch his top-line and his ribs.

You want him to sense that by lying down he becomes the focus of the group. You aren’t trying to make yourself dominant, that would only reinforce his unsureness and reconfirm his negative assessment of humans who make him change his mood. You want instead for him to learn that becoming subordinate leads to his highest experience of flow.

When he lies down, rub his belly. It’s Ok for him to roll over because he’s getting the experience of flow and you want to energize him in this moment so that his top-line is positively affected. His back is absorbing positive contact with the ground, and he’s associating you with such a positive drive flow; you are doing a lot to teach him that “Down” is a peaceful pathway. If his top-line becomes supple, each repetition will see him go down faster and with less resistance.

With dominant dogs, the problem is not that they’re dominant but that they’re brittle, yet at the same time they have a strong sense of themselves. They don’t adapt well and usually like to avoid new things. Because they’re brittle and change slowly due to a strong sense of place, they appear to be tough dogs, which leads to their being misinterpreted. Consequently, in training they are pushed too fast and too hard. Since they have a strong sense of their place, they inevitably have to learn to push back.

Down Command Training

Five Ways to Keep Your Puppy Busy

All of the games and skills discussed below are designed to contribute to both the fun and the positive upbringing of your puppy. These energy-producing exercises act as building blocks that make advanced training easier and enhance the bond between owner and puppy.

Grooming Practice: Starting grooming procedures at an early age teaches the puppy acceptance of hands-on treatment over all parts of his body and emphasizes relaxed “stays.” Grooming also assures the owner of dominance as nails are cut and teeth are cleaned, as the puppy learns to be quiet and tolerate-these “house-cleaning” techniques.

Hide & Seek: Hide and seek is fun for owners and puppies alike and helps teach your puppy how to come.

1. Put your puppy on a sit-stay or have someone else hold his leash.
2. Hide behind a nearby tree or, if inside, a piece of furniture.
3. Wait five seconds, then call him excitedly.
4. When he “finds” you, praise him with lots of love and a tidbit or ball.
5. Make each hiding place a little harder and a little farther away. Sometimes return to your puppy and end the game at that point so he will not think he always has to leave to get you near him.

Find The Toy: Find The Toy teaches early discrimination by smell.

1. Tie your puppy to a chair or have someone hold his leash.
2. Let him watch you put several objects on the floor: a can, bottle, box, telephone. Use a glove or just barely touch these articles when placing them on the floor.
3. Go back to your puppy, take his favorite toy and hold it in your hands for several seconds, and let him watch as you throw it in with the other objects.
4. Release him and tell him “Fetch!”
5. When he does, praise him lavishly.
6. As he gets good at selecting his toy, use one of your well-scented gloves or socks and put it with similar objects that are unscented. Pretty soon scent discrimination will be an understood part of his life from your viewpoint, not just from his viewpoint.

High Jump: At first, try just walking over the jump with the puppy at your side. If that works, fine; if not, put your puppy on one side of the jump and get on the other side. Use a piece of food to coax him over. If you have a leash on the puppy be sure to keep it loose when he jumps. You never pull a puppy (or a dog) over a jump.

Bar Jump: Same as above, except start with the bar on the ground. Slowly raise it after each successful jump.

Two Great Dog Games

One of the most popular games dogs play with each other is the game of “catch-me”. They delight in being either the chaser or the chasee. Most dogs are more comfortable in the role of chasee when playing with people. Some trainers caution against play-chasing your dog for fear the dog will learn she can evade you. But most dogs already know you are as slow as a slug.

Before playing this game, you should teach your dog to come when called and you should use distinctive words to signal the beginning and end of the catch-me game. Begin the game with “I’m gonna get you!” and stalk your dog, pouncing at him. Give chase as best you can, but if he leaves you in the dust, either crouch down and wait for him to do a fly-by (when you can pounce at him once again) or turn around and run full blast the opposite way – a sure-fire way to get him headed back in your direction.

Some dogs like to see how close they can pass without hitting you. If you have one of these, stand perfectly still so you don’t run into the dog’s path. A high-speed collision with a dog is very dangerous for both of you. At the end of the game, give a game-over word such as “finished” and call the dog to you using his regular recall command. Give him a treat and take a break.

Bobbing-For-Treats

This game will give your dog the ability to pick up floating or sunken objects from water, plus it’s fun watch with other dogs that join the dog-party! It is basically the canine version of bobbing for apples. Since no self-respecting dog is going to get his muzzle wet for an apple, all you need to do is substitute dog biscuits, hot dog slices or other treats. Experiment to find some that float on top, some that float just below the surface and some that sink.

If you’re having a summer pool party, you can use a child’s wading pool and let each dog splash around after the treats. For more formal affairs you can use a large bowl or pot. There’s a reason you don’t just fill up your bathtub, though: One sight of it filled with water and all your doggy guests will head for the exit, sure you have a dreaded bath planned!

Fill your pool or bowl with lukewarm water. If you’re using a bowl or pot, change the water between contestants; if you’re using a pool just empty it after the entire contest. Let each dog
have a practice bob until he gets one treat. Then start the clock and see how many he can grab in two minutes. Can anyone get them all?

A variation on the theme for ball-crazy dogs is to fill a kiddie pool with tennis balls. See how many balls each dog can pick up and give to his person in one minute. The person is allowed to get in the pool and encourage the dog in any way, and she can take each ball from the dog as soon as the ball is totally out of the water. The person can even help by picking up balls herself – of course, using only her teeth.

Dog Games

Dalmatian Training

The key to having a good relationship with a Dalmatian, whether he is a member of the family as an older dog or comes as a puppy from a litter, is in the amount of attention and affection with which you establish boundaries of behavior. They are eagerly responsive to attention, games, praise and positive training.

However, they have a sharp memory for negative or harshly corrective actions. They will respond much more readily to rewards for approximating desired behavior than being forced into the position or posture you wish them to assume.

The difference between holding out a reward until they sit versus pushing down on their hindquarters while pulling up on their lead and commanding them to “sit!” lies in two critical areas. They will more readily and consistently respond to a “sit” command taught through play learning, and they will not start calculating how they can avoid you or avoid sitting, or get back at you for the “pushy” approach.

No dog is happily responsive to abusive training practices, but the Dalmatian has a peculiarly sharp memory for affronts. If they have had a bad experience learning how to sit, they are almost certain to resist other obedience lessons which take on the same manipulative tone.

Many people think that Dalmatians have nervous temperaments, excessive
energy and are hyper. This generalization is unfair to the breed, because good temperament has been a specific focus of breeders for the last twenty years. There is little question that in any planned breeding program, you can select for bad temperament just as you can select for good temperament.

Parentage, pedigrees and the variety of genetic possibilities force breeders to contend with that possibility. It is one of the conscious considerations in every breeding decision.

There is no question that Dalmatians get excited when someone comes on the property or to the door. They want to be the first one there to check out the visitor. Proper training will take care of any barking or control problems in this area, but guests who are greeted in this manner, especially those who have heard that Dalmatians are “hyper,” could easily confirm what they have heard by the excitement they first see.

Hopefully, they will stay long enough to see the excited greeting followed by the normal pattern, which usually includes acceptance followed by settling back down for a snooze under the table.

If Dalmatian puppies have been raised in a calm environment with their mother; if they have been touched, petted and handled regularly by the breeder; if they have been properly vaccinated and wormed; if they have been weaned to a good quality puppy food; if they were taken from their litter by their new owner no earlier than seven weeks of age; and if they were introduced to their new home life with kindness and thoughtfulness, then chances are good that you will not see any behavior abnormalities.

Dalmatian Training

Pitbull Training Tips

Training your Pitbull is easier than training other dog breeds. One of the reasons that this is so is because Pit Bulls are among the smartest and the most willing participants when it comes to dog training. Another reason is that they are very eager to please their owners. And since dog training techniques of today are easier and more effective than ever, there is no reason why your Pitbull cannot be the friendliest and the most intelligent dog on the block.

Here are six tips when it comes to Pit Bull dog training:

1. Remember that all dogs live in the present moment. Every time you reward or punish your Pitbull, he can only assume that it is for his behavior at the time of the reward or punishment. For example, if you happen to find a mess that he did a few hours ago, do not drag him to it from his nap and then start scolding him. He will only think that he is being scolded because of taking a nap.

2. You have to be consistent with your rules. If he was not allowed to sleep in your bed last night, then he should not be allowed to sleep in it tonight or or any other night for that matter, regardless of how much he begs. By giving in to his begging, he will only learn that begging sometimes pays off. This will then create a behavior pattern that is difficult to change.

3. Your Pitbull will repeat actions that bring him rewards, whether the rewards are intentional or otherwise. Letting him out of the cage to make him stop whining may temporarily work. However, in the long run you will end up with a Pitbull who continuously whines whenever he is placed in a cage. Be sure to only reward behaviors that you want to see repeated.

4. Keep in mind that your Pitbull is very eager to please you. All you have to do is to show him the way. Forcing your dog can distract and even intimidate him, thus slowing down his learning process.

5. It is not necessary to repeat a command over and over or to yell louder and louder. Doing so will not make your dog understand what you are trying to get across. Your Pitbull is not deaf, and if he behaves like he is, you just need to steer him toward the right direction. This will probably mean taking a step back in your training.

6. Above all, be patient. Although things may not go as smoothly as you hoped it would be, it is still possible to train your dog. You just need to be realistic, firm but gentle, consistent, and always maintain a good sense of humor with your pet.

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Pitbull Training

Teach Dog to Fetch and Retrieve

he “Retrieve” must be learned step by step. First, you should teach your dog to take a very light dumbbell and hold it. Even though a handler has never tried this with his dog he should be able to accomplish it in one lesson. If you are training a dog who refused to retrieve when some other method was used, and he has become stubborn or frightened, it might take two or three lessons. The length of time it takes will depend upon your skill in using your voice as you tighten his collar.

Teaching a dog to retrieve is one of persuasion, and your voice is your most important asset here. You must use your dog’s name repeatedly before each command and do so in a most persuasive tone of voice. Your voice should be kept low, firm, and pleasant, and you should talk to the dog continually as you urge him to take the dumbbell. When your dog takes it, you should immediately sound very pleased and praise him happily and excitedly as you pet him.

Never raise your voice in anger or impatience; if the dog appears to be stubborn, never shove the dumbbell in your dog’s mouth or against his gums, never jerk your dog’s collar, and don’t hit him over the head with the dumbbell. Be gentle but firm with him at all times.

Start your dog in a quiet corner and keep him on a leash for the first three steps. Place the dumbbell under, in front of, and close to, your dog’s upper lip, and as you tell him to “Get it,” put your third finger behind his canine tooth. This will open his mouth slightly and you can gently slide the dumbbell into his mouth. If you can’t use your right hand to open his mouth, use the index finger of your left hand. Quickly tell your dog to “Hold it,” as you stroke his nose on top, in one direction away from his nose, with your right hand, and you stroke him under the chin with your left hand. By stroking him this way you will keep the dumbbell in his mouth. You should be praising him as you do this. Keep the dumbbell in your dog’s mouth for two or three seconds at first so he can get the feel of it.

Most dogs accept the dumbbell gracefully and hold it firmly the first time. This is especially true of puppies who will actually reach out to take it and hold it for you. However, some dogs will put up a struggle, and you will have to hold their jaws closed gently with both hands around their muzzles as you command them firmly, but quietly, to “Hold it.” Generally speaking, the majority of dogs will hold the dumbbell if you are gentle with them and talk to them reassuringly. Be careful not to bang the dog’s teeth with the dumbbell.

After placing the dumbbell in your dog’s mouth two or three times to get his reaction to it, teach him to take it by himself. Slide your dogs medium link chain or heavy nylon choke collar up high on his neck, behind his ears and high under his chin, and hold it in your left hand. Your right hand will be holding the dumbbell. By pushing against the dead ring with your thumb you will be able to draw the collar into the palm of your hand very steadily and smoothly. Do not jerk the collar, just tighten it smoothly and quickly. When the dog takes the dumbbell you should let go of his collar immediately and praise him.

Dog Fetch Retrieve