Monday, May 23, 2011

Dog Behavior Training - Dog Training to Correct Behavior Problems

Have you ever wished that the secrets of dog behavior training were available to anyone who wished to take their dog obedience training to a new level? The truth is that proper dog training can be simple for anyone who is willing to educate themselves on the best way to communicate with man's best friend. In order to succeed at puppy training or adult dog training you must first understand why dogs do what they do. There are only two reasons why a dog performs any behavior:

1- To increase pleasure: Have you ever wondered why your dog pees on the floor, chews up your couch, and jumps on your guests? That's right, these activities produce pleasure for your dog. It's as simple as that. If these behaviors didn't produce a fun experience then your dog wouldn't do them. Any time you wish to correct behavior problems with your dog it is important to first realize that your dog is doing these things out of pure pleasure.

2- To avoid discomfort: Old school dog bejavior training prescribed a very harsh method of correcting behavior problems and fomented a dog obedience regimen that was very disciplinarian in it's root form. That type of dog training is unnecessary and will often do more harm than good.

Very skilled dog behavior training, though, should use humane corrections that merely provide an annoying deterrent to help correct behavior problems. Humane corrections can run the gamut from spray bottles to annoying noises all the way to training collars. Yes, used properly, a training collar can be a very valuable and humane tool for getting rid of unwanted behavior problems. It is recommended that you seek out the services of a qualified professional if you are going to use such a tool. These dog training collars are merely used to provide an annoying feeling and not a painful feeling.

In understanding these two concepts it is then much easier to formulate a training program that will fit your individual dog. With my own dogs or with the dogs of clients I always have a two-fold approach to training:

1- Obedience training must be mandatory. This is where the new school of dog trainers go wrong. The new school of dog obedience training uses lots of treats. The correction for an unwanted behavior is often a simple ignoring of said behavior. This style of dog training will never make obedience a mandatory endeavor for your dog. Think about it, if your dog has the option to come when called to get a treat or run wildly towards a busy street in the direction of a fleeing cat, which option do you think your dog will take? Likely he will head to the street and risk life and limb for the cat. This is because the owner never enforced their training efforts to the point where obedience is mandatory.

2- Obedience training must be fun. Just because something is mandatory doesn't mean it also shouldn't be fun. Dog behavior training is intrinsically fun for your dog because your dog gets to work side by side with you. Your dog is able to bond as he learns from you and learns a deep level of trust as you guide him along with his training. If you skip this step then you may have an obedient dog, but he sure won't enjoy it.

I have referenced old school and new school dog training practices. Old school training is harsh and rough. New school is all fun and games. To truly have the best trained dog you need to combine the best of both schools. From the old school we use corrections to get rid of unwanted behaviors. From the new school we use a great deal of motivation and fun. The end result is the best trained dog on the block.

When you understand dog behavior training and how your dog views his world you can truly accomplish amazing things with your canine companion. dog training can truly be made easy when you live these principles, rather than practice them at random intervals throughout the day. It's time to get to work!
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Saturday, May 14, 2011

Guard Dog Training Tips & Tricks Revealed

People buy a href="http://dog-training-class.blogspot.com/search?q=guard dog">guard dog because they want protection. These pets can be very valuable and a great asset to any family. Their training takes special measures and people need to be aware of the best way to train them properly. Here you will find a short guide revealing some of the main considerations needed when training guard dogs.

The first thing you want to do is teach the dog when to bark. It might be when something unusual takes place. When the dog barks at the proper time, you can call it to your side and offer a treat. You might also try to offer a chew toy. You want the dog to understand that when something unusual happens and the dog senses this, it's good to bark and go to a family member.

Some people like to use what is known as " clicker training" to get their dogs to perform properly. When the dog behaves correctly, you make a noise with tiny clicking apparatus that lets the dog know it has done a good job. Give it a treat at the same time. The dog will soon understand that the noise and the action will get it a treat. After the dog gets the hang of this, you can replace the clicker with a treat and a verbal order like "Bark."

At the same time, there are dogs that bark too much. Then you will have to teach them a "quiet" order. When you want them to be quiet you might have to shake a can full of coins or say "Quiet" and squirt their mouth with some water. The dog will quit barking in order to suck up the water. Follow this by letting the dog have a treat. Soon the dog will learn to respond to the word "Quiet" and you won't have to give it a treat or squirt it.

Guard dogs may get aggressive about protecting their territory. You may need to put up a "Beware of dog" sign. Good guard dogs don't need to scare people. They can be trained to be obedient to commands.

Although guard dog training can work well with older dogs, it's best for the dog to learn these skills while they are young. That's because you don't want them to get training that might interfere with the guard dog training. For instant, if you teach your dog not to jump up on people, the guard dog might be hesitant to jump up on a trainer that is supposed to be an intruder.

guard dog training is something you can do yourself or let a professional trainer do. There are a couple of fantastic guard dog training guides available which you can read about in more detail using the links at the bottom of this article. If you prefer to let a professional trainer train your dog, you should be able to find a one by asking at your local vet clinic or pet shop.

In a good training program, the guard dog will first learn some basic obedience lessons. Those lessons will be very rigid. guard dogs must learn to follow each and every command instantly. These dogs also get trained to only obey commands or take treats from owners and handlers. This is important because nobody wants an intruder to have power over the guard dog.

When the owner wants a a href="http://dog-training-class.blogspot.com/search?q=dog">dog to alert them if an intruder enters the property, the dog must be trained to spot strangers. This is usually accomplished through barking and going back to the owner. Barking and returning to the owner's side can be repeated often, until the owner recognizes the stranger and the dog knows he successfully finished the job.

Sometimes the guard dog is actually trained to attack an intruder. This is done for protection purposes. After this kind of training, the dog shouldn't be left alone. The dog might perceive a movement by a visitor as a reason for attack. a href="http://dog-training-class.blogspot.com/search?q=dog trained">dog trained to protect owners are not as sensitive to noise or threatening movements. This is to help the dog respond properly to loud noises or strange gestures used by intruders.

The guard dog must be taught how to properly respond to all family members. The dog should know all the children in the family, as well as other family members. The dog should also be familiar with other household pets. This is how to make the guard dog an agreeable member of the family.

guard dogs make gentle and sweet companion dogs. They enjoy having company, but they will put up a fierce face when intruders arrive. Owners will feel secure having these dogs in the house. training them can the beginning of a fabulous relationship. Don't forget to praise them when they do a good job, and you will be rewarded with lots of love.

A couple of links are provided below which you can use to find out more information about dog training and in particular a href="http://dog-training-class.blogspot.com/search?q=guard dog training">guard dog training.
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Thursday, May 5, 2011

A Long Tradition of Dog Training

For as long as people have kept historical records, we can find accounts of a strong bond between people and dogs. In primitive times when hunting was man's only way to survive, people realized that using dogs could make the hunt more successful. This partnership was more than just people dominating animals because dogs and humans worked as partners with a goal benefit both species. Dogs and their human companions developed an unspoken ability to understand each other. So throughout history, when dog training was designed, it was focused on the working relationship between dogs and people.

Historians have evidence of art and documents from ancient civilizations. They discovered drawings depicting dogs serving as guides and companions as far back in time as we have records. No doubt our ancient grandparents knew that the relationship that they had with their dogs served the people and the dogs equally and that their trusted canine companions were prized and cherished part of their families much as they are today.

It isn't a stretch to say that as long as there have been human culture and civilization, dogs have been part of it. When society was agricultural, dogs were important in protecting livestock and herding sheep and cows. But as people began to realize how easy it was to train dogs, they began to be used in other agricultural chores as well as in military and police functions. Then dogs were bred and trained for the very purpose of serving people's working need: Hunting, herding, protection and pulling.

  • Turkish and British used the natural abilities of their local dogs for guarding and herding livestock.
  • Inuits and other Northern culture used their dogs for pulling sleigh across the snow
  • The Lasha Apso was bred to guard temples and palaces in Tibet
  • The ChowChow one of the oldest breed originated from Mongolia and was bred for hunting, pulling, guarding and herding.
  • The Roman Empire developed full battle ready battalions comprised entirely of dogs.
  • Later, during World War I and II, dogs were vital to the war effort delivering messages and protecting military encampments and guarding prisoners as well. Along with these duties, dogs also pitched by serving as scouts, finding mines, tracking the enemy and delivering important military messages during battles.
The ability of dogs to help the blind has been going on since the first century as has been proved with ancient artifacts of the time. 1788 see the first ever training facility to teach dogs to aid the blind atles " Quatre Vingts" in Paris, France. Even though modern medicine has advanced significantly, dogs have more jobs than ever helping patients recovering from therapy, assisting people with disabilities including epilepsy and autism and even making contributions in cancer detection.

In 1939, when WWII started, young servicemen were taught the military method of training service dogs, which used the choke chain and harsh training method. When the war ended there were a group of young ex-military trainers available to help civilians train their dogs. By now the original trainers and their method of training had pretty much disappeared.

It was in the 1970's thanks to TV that Barbara Woodhouse was able to bring her method of training to the masses. Choke chains became as popular to dog training as moon rocks had become to fish bowls. By this time the use of physical correction was widely accepted in dog training.

By the 1980's the buzz was dominance, not by the dog but by you over your dog. This method led to all kinds of pack leadership ideas. It was decided that if you didn't dominate your dog he would dominate you, and that there was simply no other way to train a dog than using the pack leader method.

And just like politics that swing back and forth like a pendulum, by the 1990's we had swung the other direction.

This was when animal behavior experts and psychologist started to understand dog's behavior and their body language. More interested by the overall well being of the dogs and how they communicate with each other, experts such as Turid Rugaas, Patricia McConnell, Karen Prior and Ian Dunbar opened a new door to dog training, behavior and psychology.

The focus became more about teaching owners how to understand their dogs better and enhance the positive natural abilities of the dog rather than dominance and other forceful methods.

As the population of dog lovers responded to these new techniques, more and more up to date dog training courses have become available. The number of dogs entering human homes continues to rise. It seems there are more and more dog owners looking for companionship in our four legged furry friends.

TV shows with popular Cesar Millan have create an awareness around dog training. Like him or not, now more than ever, people are taking their commitment to well trained dogs very seriously and more dogs than ever before are being trained because of the dog whisperers popularity.

It can seem a little bit strange to be able to train your dog at home in the comfort of your living room or backyard but when you think about it isn' t dog training about educating the human first?

From a partnership for survival to online courses, dog training has evolved with our society and technology.The number of dogs entering human homes continues to rise. It seems there are more and more dog owners looking for companionship in our four legged furry friends. No matter how the training is delivered, dogs are here to stay and always be an important part of our society.

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