Dog, Cat, Other Pets

Is your new dog having trouble adapting to your home? If you look through local newspapers and shopping guides, you will see numerous advertisements for dog obedience schools. Are you able to pick the best one out of this group for you and your dog?

Today, several methods of training dogs are used, they include calm, positive reinforcement techniques, “alpha” dominance, and cruel punishment.

There still remain many schools of thought when it comes to dog training, and a great many veteran trainers will use a specific system that suits them as well as their customers. The current trend is a move towards more of a rewards based method.

When considering the appropriate training technique, you must consider the dog. Where did you get him? How old was he when you got him? Did you rescue him, so he may have issues? What are the goals of training: pet, speed, shows, hunting, tracking, or do you plan to enter your dog into the various dog sports?

After giving thought to your dog’s personality and what you want out of training, peruse your newspaper and make a list of the local dog obedience schools. Find their contact information and visit their websites. Talk to other dog owners and ask where they have had success training their dog. Local kennel clubs and vets may also have trainer recommendations.

When reviewing trainer choices, use referrals and references for the best results. Then, attend one of your choice’s beginner classes to see his techniques. Positive methods are best. If he’s dragging a dog around by the collar, move on! Before asking for training at your home, remember that socialization skills are important for your dog, so it may be best to train elsewhere.

For socialization, it is important that puppies be put into kindergarten or playgroup program, at the earliest age possible. Although, if you have a rescue dog that is aggressive, it may be necessary to go to an animal behaviorist instead of a trainer. Aggression in dogs isn’t something to ignore!

Some trainers use tools like collars for training. “Gentle Leader” head collars are just about the most-effective collar available; contrary to the belief of many, pinch collars only work on a limited number of dogs.

It is not unusual for you to attend your first session without your dog accompanying you. This is a good indication that the trainer is a pro. Clicker training, a form of non punishment type training, necessitates a ‘train the trainer’ session so that you can learn the tools you will need to work with your dog successfully, without the distraction of your pet’s attendance.

These are some ways to tell if the program is a positive training class:

1. The schools tone will be happy and upbeat.

2. Training is based on rewards for a desired behavior, as opposed to punishment for unwanted behavior.

3. A slight whisper or shush noise is the only thing necessary to distract the dog and get the message across that his behavior is unacceptable. There isn’t much punishment, and unwanted actions will be stopped.

4. An inappropriate behavior is usually halted by requiring a different behavior that causes the animal to alter his actions, for example, ‘lay down’ will prevent the dog from jumping on someone.

5. Patience to let the dog give the desired response is a key part of training.

In addition to local dog obedience schools, there are a large quantity of great books as well as quality websites dedicated to the topic of dog training. To find out more about one of the most effective animal training methods, try performing a quick online search on the term “clicker training.” This is the method Hollywood dog trainers use to train dogs to perform on television and film. Now, your dog can learn some of these fancy tricks as well.

Source: Dog Training