Training Your Dog - The Basics

Article Title: Training Your Dog - The Basics
Author: Colin Pederson

Having a dog as part of your family unit brings a sense of
great joy and companionship. However, as a dog owner it is your
responsibility to ensure your dog is properly trained and
socialized to encourage healthy habits and behavior. Hence, it
is necessary to obedience train your dog. When looking to
obedience train your dog, there are a few basic aspects you
need to look at such as house breaking, training your dog to
'come' when instructed, and walking on a leash without
struggling.

Before and during the first stages of training your dog, use
the following guidelines.

- never instruct your dog to do anything that he can evade.
Frustrating your dog by being overly controlling or bossy
creates a negative training environment. Respect your dog's
personality and character and accommodate their behavior in the
initial stages.

- Provide rewards, treats, or hugs and praise when your dog
performs well and follows your instruction. This is an
important factor for any dog training, you must always praise
good behavior rather than punishing bad behavior. This boosts
your dog's attitude, and encourages positive behavior, this
also helps develop your relationship with your dog.

- NEVER punish or scold your dog during training. Punishment
adds negativity to the situation, making your dog feel
pressured, leading to frustration and failure.

- Penalizing your dog is ok. Penalize doesn't mean punish. A
penalty can be anything that to teach your dog that he/she is
doing something wrong. Ignoring him when he's on the leash, so
there's no walk or just ignoring him when he's trying to get
your attention. This would make him feel guilty and behave
properly.

- Remember that for training purposes, Rewards work better than
anything. Rewards can be anything from a verbal praise to
petting, giving food, a ball or anything that turns him on.

You need to understand your dog, understand his/her personality
and conduct your training accordingly. The small time investment
spent learning about what triggers your dog will be time well
spent.

Training your dog takes a lot of patience from you, the dog
trainer. A vital thing for you to do is to learn that it's
realistic to teach your dog what you want it to learn. Your dog
is always learning, just as we are. You have to learn how to
reward your dog so that it is inclined to do what you want it
to do.

Stipulate a particular portion of daily routine to train your
dog. Five or ten minutes at a time, two or three times a day is
more than sufficient. There are certain rules that you must
follow to stop destructive behavior of your dog.

- Put a ten foot rope on your dog and let him drag it around
the house; if your dog dashes out the front door. Just before
opening the door step on the rope, or, for your big dog, leave
a loop in the end and loop it over the inside door handle. So,
now you are left with a handle to jerk your door back in if the
dashes out the front door.

- Try providing two collars to your dog. One should be a buckle
collar and the other, training collar. The buckle collar must
have your dog's tags on it. Never tie your dog up with his
training collar or leave it on when he is alone.

Remember, you are training your dog to behave correctly around
you, your family, and visitors, and to become part of the
family. With this in mind, you need to ensure your training is
a positive, enjoyable bonding experience for both you and your
dog.

When you have determined the dog training program or method
that you will be using it is important to take some time and
get the dog training essentials that you need to start the
process. While it is not important to get the most expensive
items, it is important to get good quality products to avoid
having to replace broken items. Depending on the size of your
dog these basic essentials will change slightly, but the key
elements will remain the same no matter what the breed may be.

Collar and lead

For younger dogs, it's ideal to use a soft-woven collar with a
buckle attachment. The collar should fit around the neck with
enough room to comfortably slide two finger between the dog's
neck and the collar. Having the collar any tighter than this
will create an annoyance for your dog, any looser gives your
dog room to wriggle out of the collar. Let your dog get
comfortable with collars, but don't leave the collar on when
your puppy isn't supervised.

When your dog has grown up a bit, a nylon collar and leash is
best. Use the same method for sizing your dog's collar as you
did when he/she was a puppy. Allow room for 2 fingers between
dog and collar. Retractable leash's are a popular option,
giving you control, while allowing your dog the freedom to
roam. Leash's are generally fully adjustable, so you can keep
your dog closer in crowded or high traffic situations, and
lengthen when going for a walk, or out in the open. A regular
nylon lead works just as well and may be easier to train with
than the slightly more complex retractable leash.

Choker-chains should never be used when training younger dogs.
You should only ever use choker-chains as a last resort with
stubborn adult dogs that won't stop pulling. Incorrect use of a
choke collar can result in serious injury to the dog.

Smaller dogs are often controlled using harnesses instead of
leashes. The small breeds may have issues adjusting to a collar
and, so a harness tends to be a much more popular option.

An often over-looked aspect of dog training is learning about
grooming. You should have a soft slicker type brush and a metal
comb as basic tools. A good set of dog nail clippers is also
essential. Never use human clippers as they will shatter the
claw and can result in extreme discomfort and pain for your
dog. If your dog has long hair, you will need something to keep
the hair trimmed such as a set of clippers or scissors.

Most trainers and breeders encourage crate training for dogs,
especially if your dog will be spending the majority of it's
life inside the house or in a confined area. Your dog's crate
needs to be large enough for the puppy or dog to enter and to
rest in comfortably, taking into consideration claustrophobia
and hygiene issues. The breeder or a pet store chart should be
able to inform you what size crate you need for your puppy.
Crate training is idea for housetraining your puppy or dog, and
will also provide a space of his or her own for the dog. The
crate is not a punishment area, so the dog views it positively.

Dog treats are one of the best ways to let your dog know he's
done something right, and to encourage future behavior. Don't
use sweet or human treats, these can have huge affects on your
dog's health, instead offer small kibble or special dog
rewards. If you wish to be very healthy you can even make your
own at home, there are several recipes available for free on
the internet.

About The Author: Colin Pederson is a self-confessed 'Dog
Fanatic' residing in California with his wife and black Lab
Casey. Learn more about dog training, dog aggression, how to
stop dog biting, dog chewing, digging and more at
http://dogobedienceadvice.com/dog_aggression

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