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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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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Training A Sled Dog

Information about sled dogs and how they are trained.

Sled dogs are a group of dogs that are used to pull a vehicle that has no wheels but is set on runners over terrains of ice and snow. Sled dogs are attached to these vehicles by harnesses and lines. It is said that the origins of sled dogs can be traced back to Siberia as the people that live there have a long history of nomadic travel due to rather harsh winters.

There are certain breeds of dogs that are synonymous with being sled dogs. These dogs being Huskies and Malamutes although just about any medium sized dog would be suitable to be a sled dog.

Dogs that are selected to be sled dogs need to exhibit three main qualities. First of all they need to be in peak physical condition and be able to pull a sled, they need to have the endurance to be able to pull a sled over sometimes great distances and they need to have the speed in order to do the task of pulling the sled quickly. There are many teams of sled dogs that have been able to travel over one hundred miles in a twenty four hour period of time.

Teams of sled dogs can range from three dogs to a team of two dozen dogs. Sled dog teams not only pull several different types of sleds for racing and other transporting purposes they have also been known to pull skiers when there is little to no snow.

Pups that are being trained to be sled dogs are weaned from their mother as soon as possible in order to shift their attentions to their musher. They are at about six weeks old shifted from their mother into their own pen in order to accomplish this.

When pups that are being trained to be sled dogs are around five months old they are already running around with the lope that is characteristic of a sled dog and is also the time when they are first introduced to a harness.

There are many methods in which pups learn to be sled dogs. A very common method is to harness up to a dozen pups behind a pair of experienced older sled dogs and control the speed that they go with the use of an atv. The speed that the older dogs are allowed to go is gradually increased as the pups’ endurance and strength continues to increase.

People are amazed that sled dogs are so excited to be able to pull a sled over long periods of time and generally over very rough terrain. Mushers can attribute this to the very early interactions that they have with the pups that builds such a strong relationship between themselves and the dogs so very early in their lives.

Published At: Isnare Free Articles Directory http://www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=170977&ca=Pets

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Training A Sled Dog

Information about sled dogs and how they are trained.

Sled dogs are a group of dogs that are used to pull a vehicle that has no wheels but is set on runners over terrains of ice and snow. Sled dogs are attached to these vehicles by harnesses and lines. It is said that the origins of sled dogs can be traced back to Siberia as the people that live there have a long history of nomadic travel due to rather harsh winters.

There are certain breeds of dogs that are synonymous with being sled dogs. These dogs being Huskies and Malamutes although just about any medium sized dog would be suitable to be a sled dog.

Dogs that are selected to be sled dogs need to exhibit three main qualities. First of all they need to be in peak physical condition and be able to pull a sled, they need to have the endurance to be able to pull a sled over sometimes great distances and they need to have the speed in order to do the task of pulling the sled quickly. There are many teams of sled dogs that have been able to travel over one hundred miles in a twenty four hour period of time.

Teams of sled dogs can range from three dogs to a team of two dozen dogs. Sled dog teams not only pull several different types of sleds for racing and other transporting purposes they have also been known to pull skiers when there is little to no snow.

Pups that are being trained to be sled dogs are weaned from their mother as soon as possible in order to shift their attentions to their musher. They are at about six weeks old shifted from their mother into their own pen in order to accomplish this.

When pups that are being trained to be sled dogs are around five months old they are already running around with the lope that is characteristic of a sled dog and is also the time when they are first introduced to a harness.

There are many methods in which pups learn to be sled dogs. A very common method is to harness up to a dozen pups behind a pair of experienced older sled dogs and control the speed that they go with the use of an atv. The speed that the older dogs are allowed to go is gradually increased as the pups’ endurance and strength continues to increase.

People are amazed that sled dogs are so excited to be able to pull a sled over long periods of time and generally over very rough terrain. Mushers can attribute this to the very early interactions that they have with the pups that builds such a strong relationship between themselves and the dogs so very early in their lives.

Published At: Isnare Free Articles Directory http://www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=170977&ca=Pets

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Home Training for Dogs - Dog Obedience Training to Solve Dogs Behavior Problems

Dog’s behavior could put you in great humiliation especially if your dog starts to annoy other people and other dogs. How your dog behaves is a reflection of your relationship with your dog. A home training for dogs can help you solve the behavior problems of your dog.

Although dogs are wild by nature and aggressiveness is their normal behavior, you still need to conduct a home training for dogs to teach dogs how to handle their natural behavior and behave properly in domestic environment. Dogs are intelligent creatures and they are capable of learning new behavior and habits.

Most behavior problems of dogs can be solved by proper home training for dogs. Dog obedience training is a commitment for the owner and the dog itself. You have to learn how to engage your dog to participate in a proper home training for dogs and you need a lot of patience during the training period.

To be successful in a home training for dogs, you have to equip yourself with the right training tools and techniques. Conducting a home training for dogs using ineffective and hard to follow techniques will only waste your time and may put your relationship with your dog at great risk. Your dog’s behavior can be transformed using existing effective techniques that will give you immediate results.

As a dog owner it is your responsibility to teach your dog to live in harmony with the people around him. In the end you will be rewarded with a good canine companion who listens to you wherever you go. You will be regarded as someone who takes great care of your dog.

SitStayFetch is the easiest system for learning how to train your dog and change its behavior. Put an end to the stress and annoyance of your dog behavior problems and slash your dog obedience training time in half by using techniques that give you immediate results. Get your free 6 day course visit Dogs' Corner

To know more about pets visit All About Pets

Gerry Restrivera writes informative articles on various subjects Home Training for Dogs: Dog Obedience Training to Solve Dogs Behavior Problems. You are allowed to publish this article in its entirety provided that author’s name, bio and website links must remain intact and included with every reproduction.

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Dog Training Career - How to Become a Dog Trainer

Do you love dogs? Do you like working with people? Do you have a lot of patience?

If you answer yes to all the questions, then a professional career in dog training can be tremendously rewarding for you.

However, at the same time, a career in dog training can also be very challenging and it is going to take you a great deal of time, patience and determination to become a successful dog trainer.

Therefore, let's first examine your motives and ask yourself a few questions before you go enroll yourself to become a dog trainer.

• Do you love all dogs regardless of age, breed or temperament? Can you really work with them even if the dogs are behaving badly, stubborn and aggressive? Dog trainers must be kind and patient teachers since most dogs cannot be trained in a couple of minutes. Many hours of dedication and patience will be required to work with the animals to achieve the desired results.
• Are you respectful and comfortable working with people? A dog trainer job is not just about training dogs. It is also about training people, specifically the dog owners themselves on how to handle their animals more effectively.
• Are you willing to put in a lot of time and effort to become a successful dog trainer? In your dog training career, you will come across many different types of behavior problems with different breed of dogs therefore you will need to be committed to keep your dog training knowledge up-to-date by attending seminars, workshops and conferences. By understanding a wide variety of dog behavior, communication, conditioning, training techniques can help you become a well-qualified, knowledgeable and skilled dog trainer.

Let's say that you have decided that you are truly passionate about dogs and committed to make handling dogs a successful career, the next big question is how to do you start your dog training career?

A career in dog training can begin in a number of ways:

• By volunteering at one of your local rescue centers or animal shelters, you can pick up lots of great hands-on and observational experience. Often dog shelters will also have some form of training program for their volunteers or you may also be assigned to help one of the trainers. As your experience progresses, you will be given more responsibilities to help out in the training.
• While expensive and quite a time commitment, attending a professional dog training school or a K9 academy can give you a more formalized and complete education as a canine trainer. To get started, check with your local pet stores or veterinary hospitals for reference and recommendations.
• You can also contact local breeders and dog trainers in your area and become an apprentice to take lessons from them directly. Alternatively, some guide dogs training centers offer apprenticeship programs for anyone interested in becoming instructors for the school.
• Another way to start your dog training career is through self study. Read as many training books as possible and attend lots of seminars, workshops and conferences to learn about dog training and behavior modification. In addition, you may also want to volunteer to train your friends or neighbor's dogs to get some hands-on experience and improve your training skills with dogs.

While there are also some mail and internet correspondence courses that claim to "certify" you as a "professional" in the field of dog training and behavior, you would do well to avoid any of them. Most correspondence courses at most can only offer you basic information on dog handling skills and you probably will learn as much from reading books on dog training.

As you make the transition from trainee to dog trainer, you can start your professional career in dog training working full or part time.

According to a recent survey, there are approximately 63,000,000 owned dogs in the United States. And as more dogs take on active roles in security, law enforcement, rescue operations and human assistance projects, employment opportunities for dog trainers are expected to rise more than 15% through 2012 - that means more and more opportunities for dog trainers.

As a professional canine trainer, the income that you could earn can be attractive. The salaries for full-time dog trainers are around $150 or more per hour depending on experience, reputation and location - and for part-time trainers $15 to $20 per hour.

As mentioned before, a career in dog training can be extremely satisfying and rewarding. If you truly care about dogs and can work with both dogs and humans on a daily basis, then becoming a dog trainer would be an excellent and fulfilling career choice for you.

If you would like to have more information about a career in dog training and how to avoid the costly mistakes that 90% aspiring dog trainers will make, check out Dog Trainer Handbook by Sheily B - The premier pet dog trainer education guide and among the best resources for learning more about how to become a dog trainer.

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Using Dog Training Collars to Train More Than One Dog

Many dog trainers are used to training more than one dog at a time. If you are training dogs for a living or if you have more than one dog to train, you can use a dog training collar that will allow you to train up to three dogs at a time. This can save you a lot of time and get all of the dogs working together in harmony.

The purpose of the dog training collar is to get dogs trained as quickly as possible in the most humane way. Dogs have a short attention span and a short memory as well. You cannot yell at a dog for something that he did 10 minutes ago as he will have no idea why you are upset.

Up until a few years ago, there weren’t too many ways to communicate with dogs. Dog whistles were considered to be the most effective tool to use when training dogs, especially multiple dogs. It was confusing at first, however, for the dogs, as they were inclined to react on all the whistle calls. Gradually, they began to learn that a certain whistle call was for them. It took some time for them to actually understand this process.

Shock collars, years ago, were effective, but were considered to be inhumane. They delivered an electric pulse to the dog which could not be varied. Many dog trainers did not like using them, especially since they did not differentiate between a minor infraction and something major. However, in recent years, electronic dog collars have made tremendous strides. No longer are they referred to as “shock collars” as they deliver a wide range of stimulation that is meant to correct and not punish the dog.

Some electronic collars can train up to three dogs at a time. They work by transmission signals. You hold the transmitter in your hand and the three dogs each wear a collar that has a different signal. Many dog trainers will tie bandanas over the collars or mark them in some way so that they do not get mixed up when they are training more than one dog in this manner. The trainer can then use the transmitter to send stimulation to the dog that does something that warrants a correction right when he does it. In this way, you are correcting the dog the minute that he makes an error, so that he understands. And because the levels can be adjusted when it comes to the electronic stimulation, you are giving the dog only a bit of a nudge that he needs to stop bad behavior in his tracks.

When you are training three dogs at one time, the electronic collar is the best way to go. You should still use a whistle so that the dog associates the pitch with the instruction, but by using the electronic dog collar, you are allowing him to make the association a lot quicker.

Electronic dog collars are the most effective way to train more than one dog at a time and work to the advantage of both the dogs as well as the trainer.

Geoffrey A. English is the Founder of GundogsOnline.com, the internet's premiere online magazine dedicated to bird dogs. Their site has a great variety of dog training collars, inlcuding brands such as Dogtra and SportDOG.

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Things to Consider Before You Go For a Dog Training Career

While a lot of people will become dog training careers because it's something that a lot of people do, there are others who actually do it because they love dogs and feel that this is a career that they want to pursue.

Are you one of those people that go for a dog training career because they heard someone saying that it's a good career, or are you someone that actually loves dogs and wants to be around them more?

Basic principles to follow

Loving dogs isn't the only motivation you should have to pursue dog training; you will also need the skills and knowledge to discipline dogs, to handle them and to understand what motivates their behavior. In most cases, people that become dog trainers have previous experience with dogs, and an understanding on how they usually handle pets.

What is your "canine division"?

If you want a career that revolves around dogs, there are two options at your disposal: dog training or pet service training. They're both highly looked after jobs, but a pet dog training career can bring you more opportunities.

Pet training is usually done on pet dogs, just like the name suggests. Its purpose is to help dogs become better companions for humans, both at house and in outdoor activities. Basic training includes agility training, obedience training, potty training and even training to prevent the dog from biting or barking.

If we're talking about service training, you should know that it's made specifically to prepare a dog for helping someone that has a disability or is going through some form of therapy. Other service dogs are trained to sniff bombs, drugs or to chase criminals, hunt or rescue people.

This type of training is very intensive, and the trainer needs to be well prepared in teaching the dog how to do his functions.

Canine psychology understanding

What do you want to know about a dog? How they behave, think or how they react to outside stimulus? What training actually does is making a dog modify his behavior, so they respond in certain ways. Associative conditioning is one of the fundamentals of dog training, so you should know this as well.

What about dog training education?

Like any other career, canine training needs you to have some basic skills, in this case in the area of handling and dog training. But, this isn't a career that you can learn at a university or college, so a degree is out of the question. There are schools however, and some academies, which you can go to in order to learn dog training. In most cases though, dog trainers have a natural inclination for their job.

While some have a natural feeling on how to train dogs, other have been apprentices with great dog trainers. And if you want some extra information, you should contact a dog training organization, which can offer it to you.

Comparison of working attitude with people and canines

When you train dogs you also have to teach the dog handlers how to use them. Besides training dogs, if you plan to make a career out of it, you will also need to have some people skills, to teach the handlers.

Some dog owners don't have the patience to wait for their dogs to learn, expecting for it to be a fast and simple process. You need to be able to deal with this type of dog owners, and to let them know how the process works. That's why you need people skills as well, not just experience with dogs.

Miscellaneous

Besides the normal aspects of training, other things you need to know are nutrition, canine hygiene and grooming.

Other fields of interest include accessories, competitions and training ads. You should also learn about the differences between dog breeds, as each one behaves differently.

You can be a great trainer without being a guru. You only need a number of skills that will teach you how to handle canines.

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How Effective Dog Training Deals With Aggression

Behavior modification trainings are necessary not only for individuals but also for canine species. The more aggressive a dog is, the more important a behavior training will be. An aggressive dog needs to be tamed and calmed down to avoid troubles and problems. For your dog to be a responsible member of the canine society, you have to teach your pet discipline, obedience, respect and proper behavior. Destructing, violent and aggressive actions such as snarling, barking and teeth gnarling should be discontinued. These aggressive actions may spell harm not only for you but also for other people. These could also be a threat to the safety of people around.

The best way to train dogs with intimidating, hostile and violent behaviors is to have them subjected into dealing with aggression using effective dog training. Hostile and violent behaviors of dogs also include barking, snarling, teeth gnarling and biting humans and other dogs. Thus, even fellow dogs would be afraid and threatened to be surrounded by these intimidating, hostile and violent canines.

A dog's aggression can be attributed to several factors. The dog owner plays a crucial role on the type of dog your pet will grow up to be. The behavior, attitude and approach of the dog owner will influence what behaviors the dog will be able to emulate. If the dog owner uses physical violence in the training, the dog will also replicate the same aggressive personality. Other negative behaviors of dog owner that may also be modeled by the pet include harassment, constant reprimands and ignoring.

Dog owners are also discouraged against keeping the dog inside a dog or imprisoning the pet because such behaviors will just trigger and stimulate hostility, rebellion and negative disposition in your pet. Punishment should also be kept at a reasonable pace and intensity. Excessive punishment will just be harmful to your pet and to you as a dog owner as well. Make sure you also feed your pet well because they usually become hostile when they are hungry. Aside from the personality and behavior of the dog owner, with effective dog training its essential to remember that the environment also influences the behavior that the dog will learn. If your pet is surrounded by dogs that usually bark and snarl, there is a high probability that your dog will also learn such hostile and aggressive behaviors. If the dogs surrounding your pet always show physical attacks, that negative behavior will certainly be imitated by your pet. So you have to be careful with the environment you expose your pet to.

Most aggressive and violent behaviors of a dog can also be explained in a survival perspective. Most dogs usually get violent and aggressive when they feel or see a threat to their safety and to their surroundings. In certain situations, aggression and hostility may be necessary for a dog to avoid getting killed or imprisoned. A dog may need to attack another dog or a human in order to defend or protect its own safety.

The breed may also place some dogs in a higher probability of displaying threatening behaviors. Breeds such as Rottweilers, St. Bernards, Dobermans and Pit Bulls seem to be naturally wired to be aggressive and hostile. They also have the size often associated with bravery, arrogance and dominance. In addition, some breeds are also cognitively wired to react aggressively and violently when they are faced with an unfamiliar stimulus or situation even though there is no direct threat to their safety or survival. Thus, you should expect a relatively hostile behavior when a pet dog is surrounded by other dogs, strangers or children. In general, aggressive and violent behaviors of dogs indicate an unfamiliar stimulus, previous negative or traumatic experience or being reinforced and rewarded for aggressive behaviors. So, you should think twice before approaching or going near or even touching an unknown dog.

Medical conditions may also explain the aggressive nature of some dogs. For humans, aggression is triggered when someone is in pain. The same holds true for dogs as well. They easily get irritated when they feel pain. That irritation can lead to aggression and violence. Thus, it is advisable to bring your new pet to a veterinarian for a medical check-up so you will already be prepared if your dog has existing medical conditions that stimulate aggression and hostility.

The best short-term strategy used in effective dog training is to stop a dog from being aggressive or violent towards another dog or a human is to distract its attention. You should cut the eye contact from your pet to the other dog or to the human by making your pet turn its head in the opposite direction. You can run in the opposite direction so your pet will also run after you. You can also throw a treat or a toy towards the opposite direction so your dog will chase after it. Since it may not be advisable to remove the stimulus that triggers the hostility in your dog, you have to take your dog away from that situation.

As soon as you start handling your dog, make sure your pet know who is the boss. Make sure you assert your authority and dominance so your pet will learn to obey and respect you. Once the dog has been imbibed with obedience and discipline, it will be easy for your pet to follow your commands. Some dogs tend to behave aggressively because they think they are the alpha leader in the pack. As a dog owner, you have to make your life easier so you have to straighten out the rules and the roles in the pack.

In dealing with a hostile and aggressive dog, you have to be firm. You have to take control over the training. Do not look or sound lenient. When you make rules, stick to them. Do not allow your pet to manipulate you. Always remember that you are implementing effective dog training for your dog to change to a more positive behavior. However, you also have to recognize and deal with the natural aggressive tendencies of dogs. By nature, dogs will always bite and bark.

These actions are their ways of releasing and expressing their feelings of discomfort, fear and pain. What you have to be careful for is that there are no warning signals that indicate that your pet is about to be aggressive. They usually just bark and bite without any warning or sign at all. As a dog owner, you also have to be sensitive to other actions that may just be a cover-up for aggression and hostility such as prolonged stares, whining, panting, pinning of ears to the head, yawning and even freezing in its position. When your pet starts showing these behaviors, try to calm your dog down.

Never punish your dog while it is acting aggressively. Punishment will just intensify the emotions. When you behave aggressively towards your pet after the dog may just condition your pet to act more aggressively and violently. With effective dog training You should also never yelling at your pet. Attacking aggression with aggression will just bring threats and danger to people and dogs surrounding your pet. Never aggravate your pet's fear and discomfort by making your dog even more afraid of you.

If you think your pet's aggression and hostility has gone way beyond your threshold, you can always call for assistance from a professional dog trainer on how to mellow down your dog's temper. It is advisable to deal with aggression and hostility issues and problems as soon as possible to avoid further troubles and major problems. Two of the most common strategies used by dog trainers and dog owners are the time out and counter conditioning. In counter conditioning, you can change the way your dog sees other dogs. Instead of harm and threat, the sight of other dogs can already elicit positive emotions.

The time out strategy is usually used after a dog has been reprimanded. The dog is usually left inside a room for 30 seconds to internalize the rationale of the negative attention from the dog owner. Aside from controlling your dog's negative behavior, you should also spend a considerable amount of time to develop positive behaviors in your dog- this will improve your effective dog training.

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From Simple Dogs to Guard Dogs - How Guard Dog Training is Done?

Guard dogs, as the name implies are canines that guard and protect a person, objects or properties. Their being a guard dog can be by instinct or through training; they can be protective to companions but they are not intended to be companions. These dogs are also trained not to obey commands from strangers but only to his master.

Guard dog training is not as easy as teaching or training your dog simple obedience commands. It is a very complicated matter and you may want to enroll your dog in a dog training school where the professionals handle the training.
Before your dog can be accepted in the program they will be properly evaluated whether they have the potential to be guard dogs or not based on the temperament of the dog. It will dictate whether the dog is suitable to be a guard dog or not.

Once accepted, the dog training school may require that your dog reside at the training facility for the duration of the guard dog training program. Taking the dog home everyday after the training can hinder the intensive training process.

The dogs will be trained first in basic obedience. Though you have considered your dog to be obedient when he executes a given command on the second or third time, still it is not considered successful because guard dogs should obey immediately each and every command that you give. So, even if your dog has undergone basic obedience training or you already trained your dog for basic obedience it will still be reviewed by the trainer to ensure that the dog can respond appropriately to all the commands given to him.

The duties of a guard dog will be taught to the dogs under training. They are trained not to accept treats from anyone or obey commands from anyone except for their owner or handler. This training will be ineffective if the dog obeys even a simple command given by a stranger such as sit and stay or if the dog accepts treats from a stranger.

The dog will be trained under the guard dog depending on your specific needs. If you want to be alerted for a trespassing in your property your dog will be trained to bark and then return to you to alert you for the presence of strangers in your property. Until the owner acknowledges and understands the dog the process may be repeated several times. The dog will not stop unless he thinks he has completed his job successfully.

Guard dogs that are trained to protect the owner are trained to attack the intruder when a legitimate threat is present or on the owner's command. Guard dogs that have undergone this training, for this reason, should not be left unattended with visitors as they may attack when they sense a threatening motion or action coming from the visitors.

Dogs are also desensitized to loud noises to ensure that the dog will not be dissuaded by gestures or noises used by the intruder to prevent the dog from attacking him.

Finally, trainers also teach guard dogs respect to interact harmoniously with the other members of the family as well as other family pets.

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Basic Bird Dog Training Commands and Tips

It often surprises us when we see well trained bird dogs in action. Obeying the commands of their owners, bird dogs do their work in an exemplary manner. We often wonder how bird dog training can produce such results, getting the dogs to be so cooperative.

If you put a lot of work in it, it can be done.

There are a number of dog breeds that are well suited for becoming great bird dogs. A good start would be teaching them to obey your commands. Before dogs can understand what people are telling them, they need to learn the language first. In this basic variant of training, dogs need to understand the three main commands: “come!”, “whoa!” and “heel!”. These commands need to be mastered by the owner as well.

The “Whoa!” Command

The “whoa!” command is the first thing bird dogs need to learn. By learning this, they can understand when they're being told to stop, without moving again unless he's being ordered to do it. Obeying this command shows that the dog respects his master and that he is obedient. If you want to test whether a dog is completely obedient, you should try giving the “whoa!” order at larger distances. This way you're sure that he will listen to you even when the command is not enforced by the immediate presence of the master.

You can also use the “whoa!” command to control dogs that get out of hand, trying to flush a bird on their own or play with it. If their master wants the dog to stop what he's doing, he can use this command to make him stop. Ideally, the command and the obedience should be rewarded by the master.

The “Come!” Command

The purpose of the “come!” command is to make the dog come to the owner when they hear it. It's quite easy to use this command. In the case of a bird dog, it's much easier to make him come to you with the thing he retrieved, if he understands this command. A lot of dogs are more independent and go do their own thing. Using the “come!” command you can keep him at a good distance from you.

The “Heel!” Command

When you want to make sure that your dog will walk by your side, and not wander away, the “heel!” command can be used to get this effect. You can teach him an additional command, like "go" or "okay" to let him know that he is released, and can return to hunting with you.

Whenever the dog performed well, never fail to give him a tap, a treat or a praise to acknowledge his performance. Fine dogs are born with the instinct to please their owners. If you can let your dog see that he is pleasing you with his performance and you want him to repeat it, the best thing you can do is to reward him. Overtime, he will learn to repeat the same desirable action so long as you allow him to.

Each time the dog does what you ask of him, make sure you reward him either with a treat, a tap or a praise, to let him know that he did well. The best dogs are those that have an instinct when it comes to pleasing their masters. You should let the dog know that you are pleased with what he's doing, and that he should do the same in the future. The best way you can let him know is by rewarding him.

Doing bird dog training is quite hard. If it was easy, you would see a lot more bird dogs around. Still, if you want to make a good bird hunter out of your dog, make sure you invest the patience and the time needed to teach him the three commands that stand at the basis of bird dog training.

About the Author

Visit DoggyBehave.Com for more dog behavior training articles and dog training books. Read also our review of Dove Cresswell'sdog training book.

Article Directory: http://www.articlerich.com

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From Simple Dogs to Guard Dogs - How Guard Dog Training is Done?

Guard dogs, as the name implies are canines that guard and protect a person, objects or properties. Their being a guard dog can be by instinct or through training; they can be protective to companions but they are not intended to be companions. These dogs are also trained not to obey commands from strangers but only to his master.

Guard dog training is not as easy as teaching or training your dog simple obedience commands. It is a very complicated matter and you may want to enroll your dog in a dog training school where the professionals handle the training.

Before your dog can be accepted in the program they will be properly evaluated whether they have the potential to be guard dogs or not based on the temperament of the dog. It will dictate whether the dog is suitable to be a guard dog or not.

Once accepted, the dog training school may require that your dog reside at the training facility for the duration of the guard dog training program. Taking the dog home everyday after the training can hinder the intensive training process.

The dogs will be trained first in basic obedience. Though you have considered your dog to be obedient when he executes a given command on the second or third time, still it is not considered successful because guard dogs should obey immediately each and every command that you give. So, even if your dog has undergone basic obedience training or you already trained your dog for basic obedience it will still be reviewed by the trainer to ensure that the dog can respond appropriately to all the commands given to him.

The duties of a guard dog will be taught to the dogs under training. They are trained not to accept treats from anyone or obey commands from anyone except for their owner or handler. This training will be ineffective if the dog obeys even a simple command given by a stranger such as sit and stay or if the dog accepts treats from a stranger.

The dog will be trained under the guard dog training depending on your specific needs. If you want to be alerted for a trespassing in your property your dog will be trained to bark and then return to you to alert you for the presence of strangers in your property. Until the owner acknowledges and understands the dog the process may be repeated several times. The dog will not stop unless he thinks he has completed his job successfully.

Guard dogs that are trained to protect the owner are trained to attack the intruder when a legitimate threat is present or on the owner's command. Guard dogs that have undergone this training, for this reason, should not be left unattended with visitors as they may attack when they sense a threatening motion or action coming from the visitors.

Dogs are also desensitized to loud noises to ensure that the dog will not be dissuaded by gestures or noises used by the intruder to prevent the dog from attacking him.

Finally, trainers also teach guard dogs respect to interact harmoniously with the other members of the family as well as other family pets.

[ ... ]

Dog Training Clubs - A Great Way to Help Train and Socialize Your Dog

Dog training clubs are a great way to get help with obedience training and continued socialization of your puppy or dog. There are many different dog training clubs, and with a little research you can find one close to your home.

The people you will meet who are involved in the Club are people like you, who are very fond and proud of their own dogs, and also want to make sure their pets are trained well enough to be sociable and well behaved in any situation-even among crowds of other people and their dogs.

Each club will have scheduled weekly or bi-weekly classes, and you should choose the class you want to sign up to, according to the level of training your dog has (or has not) already received. The trainers in the course will have lots of helpful advice and should be experienced themselves.

Many clubs are affiliated with the National Dog Owner's association. The N.D.O.A. has occasional meetings and get together-which also offer a week of training qualification courses for dog owners who are interested in qualifying as obedience trainers.

There are several types of dog training clubs, but most of them offer a variety of classes ranging from the beginning obedience training class (teaching your pet to sit, stay, lay down, etc) on through intermediate training classes and finally to more advanced types of dog training. The more advanced courses may teach your dog how to do dog show competitions, protection training or tracking training, to name a few.

You can practice the exercises you and your dog learned during the previous lesson at home during the rest of the week-your puppy or dog's homework-and be prepared to learn the next step the following lesson. In addition to learning obedience training, the socializing that your pet gets from being trained in a group setting, along with the interaction with other people and their pets, is a terrific way to keep your dog friendly. Often dogs that turn out aggressive are dogs that have had no chance to interact with other people or dogs and learn how much fun it can be to have canine as well as human friends to play with.

While the dog training clubs do have members who are interested in show dog competition, many of the members just enjoy having a well behaved pet, and the social aspects of the dog training clubs. For those interested in the dog show competitions, they should check with the American Kennel Club for dog show events schedules. The AKC dog shows are for pure bred dogs only, with each breed of dog competing with other dogs of breeds with similar characteristics.

If you have a special breed of dog, such as a German shepherd, often there may be a club of fellow German shepherd (or Labrador, etc.) enthusiasts near you. However, any well run dog training club will offer training course suitable for any breed of dog you may have. Any type of dog will respond favorably to correctly applied positive training techniques. It is a good idea to try to get some feedback from a friend or fellow dog owner about the particular club you are interested in joining in order to make sure it is right for you and your pet.

For dog owners who want to really push the limits of dog training, there are Schutzhund training clubs for dog owner's of very specially trained dogs, usually( but not limited to) German shepherd dogs, that are trained to perform tracking, obedience, and protection trials in order to attain at rating of Schutzhund I, II, or III, depending on the level of difficulty of the trial. This is the highest level of dog training, and is not part of a regular dog training club's itinerary. These dogs are suitably qualified to be police dogs or search and rescue dogs.

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Therapy Dog Training – The Benefits of a Visiting Dog

In some cases, people need a lot more attention, love and support than normal. This happens especially when they are sick. But, the unfortunate truth is that people generally don't have the patience or time to help these sick people. This is where dog therapy training comes in play, teaching dogs how to help these people and keep them company, giving them the emotional support that they need.

Besides normal dog training, these dogs also need specialized teaching. They will learn how to behave around people that are going through therapy and how to provide them with comfort. If they need to provide this help to ill people, these dogs need much more than just a basic training. They will need to be able to do a number of things while being good companions.

Older people and kids are usually those that get therapy dogs to help them deal with their stay in hospitals. Both the dog and the handler will help the patient go through this hard period, by offering him activities and attention that will help.

Hospitals aren't the only places that can benefit from using therapy dogs on their patients. They can also provide great value in retirement homes, schools, nursing homes or mental institutions.

The training that is done on dogs that will be used for therapy derives from other types of trainings and modified, to make them fit the situations that can happen in a hospital. They will be taught to be nice with strangers and to enjoy sitting in their presence. In most cases, these therapy dogs will learn performances and tricks that most people will enjoy seeing.

You could use almost any breed to make a therapy dog, but in most cases breeds with higher temperance are chosen, due to their constant work with people they don't know.

There isn't one single method of training these dogs, but usually they will need to be certified before being allowed to get near patients to help them. Training and certification can be received from animal shelters or therapy dog training classes. Once the certification is received, you can start training the dog for therapy.

With a therapy training, the dog will learn to ignore noise, people that don't need therapy or any kind of hospital equipment. They also learn to do a few basic things or to help the patients do it. They are not service dogs though, so they can't do the same things.

These dogs are trained to help people by visiting them and giving them some company and joy. They are not trained to stay with them and help them with their tasks, so there is a major difference between therapy and service dogs.

People often need some therapy to recover, which can prove boring and repetitive. A therapy dog can provide some excitement in their daily routine that will improve their situation. It's been known to make people less lonely or depressed as well. It can distract them from darker thoughts that they might have.

A therapy dog can also make patients be more responsive, getting them out of their routine, making them less passive. Try to put yourself in the place of a bored patient, that suffers from pain, and imagine what a joy would a dog bring you, if he came to interrupt your boring routine.

There isn't a huge demand for therapy dog training, but it's been used for quite some time now in the treatment of patients.

About The Author:
Visit DoggyBehave.Com for more dog training tips and dog training guides.

http://www.articleclick.com

[ ... ]

Therapy Dog Training – The Benefits of a Visiting Dog

In some cases, people need a lot more attention, love and support than normal. This happens especially when they are sick. But, the unfortunate truth is that people generally don't have the patience or time to help these sick people. This is where dog therapy training comes in play, teaching dogs how to help these people and keep them company, giving them the emotional support that they need.

Besides normal dog training, these dogs also need specialized teaching. They will learn how to behave around people that are going through therapy and how to provide them with comfort. If they need to provide this help to ill people, these dogs need much more than just a basic training. They will need to be able to do a number of things while being good companions.

Older people and kids are usually those that get therapy dogs to help them deal with their stay in hospitals. Both the dog and the handler will help the patient go through this hard period, by offering him activities and attention that will help.

Hospitals aren't the only places that can benefit from using therapy dogs on their patients. They can also provide great value in retirement homes, schools, nursing homes or mental institutions.

The training that is done on dogs that will be used for therapy derives from other types of trainings and modified, to make them fit the situations that can happen in a hospital. They will be taught to be nice with strangers and to enjoy sitting in their presence. In most cases, these therapy dogs will learn performances and tricks that most people will enjoy seeing.

You could use almost any breed to make a therapy dog, but in most cases breeds with higher temperance are chosen, due to their constant work with people they don't know.

There isn't one single method of training these dogs, but usually they will need to be certified before being allowed to get near patients to help them. Training and certification can be received from animal shelters or therapy dog training classes. Once the certification is received, you can start training the dog for therapy.

With a therapy training, the dog will learn to ignore noise, people that don't need therapy or any kind of hospital equipment. They also learn to do a few basic things or to help the patients do it. They are not service dogs though, so they can't do the same things.

These dogs are trained to help people by visiting them and giving them some company and joy. They are not trained to stay with them and help them with their tasks, so there is a major difference between therapy and service dogs.

People often need some therapy to recover, which can prove boring and repetitive. A therapy dog can provide some excitement in their daily routine that will improve their situation. It's been known to make people less lonely or depressed as well. It can distract them from darker thoughts that they might have.

A therapy dog can also make patients be more responsive, getting them out of their routine, making them less passive. Try to put yourself in the place of a bored patient, that suffers from pain, and imagine what a joy would a dog bring you, if he came to interrupt your boring routine.

There isn't a huge demand for therapy dog training, but it's been used for quite some time now in the treatment of patients.

by Sam Nichols
http://www.articleclick.com/

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Dog Training Problems - How to Eliminate Them and Get Good Results Training Your Dog

There are probably as many dog training problems as there are dogs and trainers. That is because most of us don't have a clue about the right way to teach our dogs. Avoiding dog training problems means using the correct dog training methods right from the start when training your dog. Almost all of us make the same mistakes when training our dogs, and end up with various problems getting the results we expect with our training efforts. These problems then show up when our dogs don't listen to us-or only listen when they feel like it.

These training mistakes occur primarily because people try to communicate and train their dogs as if the dogs were human, instead of canines. We also tend to spoil our pets. Just like children, dogs need guidance to learn their place in the family and how to behave appropriately. If you haven't learned how to properly go about training your dog, it is only natural that you will have a variety of dog training problems.

Dogs have their own world view and communicate in their own type of way. Dogs use vocalizations as well as distinct body languages in order to express themselves to other dogs. By following a good dog training program that teaches you about dog psychology and about how dog's communicate with each other, you will be able to avoid the pitfalls of training a dog without the right methods, and resolve many dog training problems before they even start. That is the best way to go about training your dog.

If you have already made mistakes while attempting to train your dog, or have adopted another dog that has its share of behavior issues, you can still solve those dog training problems by learning the right way to retrain your dog.There are several good dog training programs on-line that teach you step by step the correct ways to train your dog. Every good program that I have reviewed always features positive training techniques. These methods all rely on positive reinforcement -praise and rewards from the trainer (you) when the dog correctly performs the command it is being taught.

The best training programs always emphasize the need for the trainer to be in charge of the dog, to become the "Alpha dog". You will be taught how to use your vocal tones and confident body language to present the right image to the dog being trained.. You must learn how to become the "Alpha dog" in order to earn your dog's respect, confidence and trust. Once you have learned how to communicate to your dog the right way, and become the Alpha dog, you will find your dog is very eager to follow your lead and to do as you command. Becoming the Alpha leader doesn't mean you have to intimidate or yell or be mean to your pet. Being the Alpha dog is mostly about having and projecting the right attitude to your dog. It is your dog's nature to want to please its alpha leader. If you can establish your self as the leader, you will have no trouble avoiding dog training problems.

You can easily see the dog training problems that are the result of incorrect training or from neglected training. Such problems as a dog's aggression towards other dogs or people, jumping up on people, barking excessively, running away, not coming when called, and many other common dog misbehavior's can be corrected. By making a consistent effort. and using the right techniques you can correct these problems. For good training results, frequent short sessions done on a daily basis are necessary -especially when trying to correct a pre-existing dog behavior problem. These problems did not just occur overnight, so it will take some time and effort on your behalf to train them to behave as you want.

The good news is you can solve these dog training problems as soon as you know how, and are willing to make the commitment it takes to retrain your dog. Of course if you are training a new puppy you have a great opportunity to avoid problems in the first place. Either way, it is imperative for your successful training that you do use a great training program. You will avoid dog training problems and have a dog that learns much more quickly and consistently to do as he is asked, and always behave himself. This is the kind of pet that will be a joy to have.

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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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Dog Training Fundamentals - 5 Key Dog Behaviour Factors That Affect Training

Whether you already have experience of dog ownership, are a new dog owner or are about to be a dog owner, then training your dog is one of the most important aspects you need to consider. Likewise if you currently have a dog with behaviour problems, then dog training is essential.

However, knowing you need to train your dog and actually training your dog are two entirely different things. Just where do you start?

To successfully train your dog, you need to consider and understand some key facets of dog behaviour. Knowing and understanding these 5 facets will greatly improve your dog training.

1. The origins of dogs. Dogs are in essence descended from modern day wolves. While domestication has dampened or eliminated many traits, some key natural instincts still remain. Like wolves, dogs are pack animals. What does this mean?

Well, there are several traits that derive from being a pack animal. The important ones when it comes to training are dogs are naturally sociable, they are used to routine and they are used to a social structure (i.e. the famed alpha male).

As sociable animals dogs thrive on the interaction with other dogs. A dog does not consider you as a human but rather a funny looking dog. Therefore, dogs thrive on the interaction with you. Just like a wild wolf, rejected by the pack, if you starve a dog of this interaction, they will become unhappy and very agitated.

When it comes to training, you can use this to reward or punish your dog. Interacting with your dog (e.g. patting, encouraging/excited talk, etc) can be as much of a reward as treats of food. Similarly, ignoring your dog (e.g. turning your back, stern talk, putting them in another room, etc) can be a harsh punishment for a dog. Its definitely better than smacking them.

As with all animals (including humans), dogs thrive on routine. If they know what and when they are likely to be doing certain things, then they are relaxed and comfortable. They know what to expect and are not confused by ever changing circumstances.

Training should also stick to a routine. Decide when the best time of the day is best for you to train your dog and stick by that time as rigidly as possible. Your dog will soon get into a routine of expecting to be trained at say 3pm every day and will be prepared for when training time comes. If your dog is ready and expecting to be trained, then it goes without saying that they will actually train better.

Within a pack there is always the alpha male. The dog that leads the pack, protects the pack and ultimately ensures the pack is fed and survives. As mentioned, a dog sees you as a funny looking dog and not a human. To be a good dog owner you absolutely need to be the alpha male. How many nature programs have you seen where the alpha male is being challenged by one of the other would be alpha males? Likewise, your dog will be challenging you to be the alpha male - this is a natural instinct for them.

You must establish yourself as the alpha male from the beginning. Providing food, interaction, punishing bad behaviour, body and vocal language all go towards asserting yourself as the alpha male. If your dog does not consider you as the alpha male, then they will not listen or act on your training instructions.

2. A dog's memory. We all know that goldfish have short memories. However, you may be surprised to know that dogs also have short retention memories. If you could tell your dog something, it is likely that by the next day or a few hours later, they will have forgotten. On the other had (or paw) dogs do have incredibly good associated memory. This basically means that if your dog can associated something with what you tell it then it will likely remember what you told it for years to come.

For example if you told your dog (assuming you could speak doggy language) that the chocolate biscuits were in the cupboard your dog would probably forget this within a few hours. However, if you showed your dog where the chocolate biscuits were, repeating the words 'chocolate biscuits', every time you said 'chocolate biscuits' it would probably go straight to the cupboard. It may also search the cupboard every few hours for the rest of its life looking for the chocolate biscuits but that's not the point.

Therefore, when training your dog you need to associate the training topic with something. For example: if you are teaching your dog to sit. If you associate the word 'sit' by getting your dog to physically sit and then giving them a reward. Repeat this a few times and soon your dog will associate your command 'sit' with it physically sitting and then getting a reward. The difficult bit is disassociating the reward - ask yourself why almost every dog will naturally sit when you have food in your hand?

3. Doggy language. Despite comments above, we cannot speak doggy language and dogs cannot speak our language. This is important when it comes to training. You have to choose words for commands that both you and your dog will remember. Be careful not to choose very common words or else your dog will be easily confused when this word keeps appearing within the middle of a sentence. A common word often used in training dogs is 'come'. For this example, it may be better to use a slang version or combine 'come here' into a single short word.

The important thing is that when you decide on a word for a command to stick with it and be consistent, otherwise your dog will become confused.

I know it can be difficult, especially if you come home to your new TV pulled off the cabinet, to always use pre-selected words when talking to your dog. Your dog does not speak human language and will only know what those few words you have trained it with are (and the tone you have used). So if you start using other words or different tones your dog will not understand.

For example: imagine someone speaking to you in a foreign language asking for directions to the city hall. You can't understand a word they are saying yet they get more and more frustrated, talking in a louder and quicker language. Is it your fault you can't understand them? Why are they getting angrier when you have no idea what they are saying? What is their problem? What will I do? Similarly, if you haven't trained your dog to understand what 'sit' is and you start shouting 'sit', 'down on back legs', 'down', etc is it your dog's fault it is looking at you confused and increasingly scared.

4. Puppy behaviour. Just like babies, puppies do not know how the world works or how they are supposed to behave within that world. They need to be taught and learn what is good, bad, right or wrong.

A healthy and happy puppy will be a bundle of energy, desperate to explore as much as they can as quickly as they can. Dogs do not have good eyes that can see things or hands that can feel the intricacies of objects. Instead they have noses that can smell things and mouths that can chew objects.

While this can come through training and general maturing, the importance of this is that you must be patient and understand where your dog is coming from and why it does what it does.

5. Structure and enjoyment. While I have in a round about way touched on these two above, no dog training information would be complete without mentioning these two aspects on their own.

However you decide to train your dog, as with routine, you must have a structure to your training. If you have never trained a dog before, how do you know when your dog can start learning to sit, stay, etc and when it can run down to the local shop and pick the paper up for you?

You need to know what it is you actually want to train your dog to ultimately be able to do and what steps you need to take to get to that point. Personnel dog trainers, dog training classes and dog training guides can all do this. Personally, I prefer to train my own dogs and believe that in the end you develop a much stronger bond with your dog. Also, your dog is more obedient to you rather than the trainer. However, at the very least, and particularly if you have never trained a dog before, I would recommend purchasing a dog training guide.

The small amount of money for a dog training guide, compared to the time you would waste searching for free online tips that will be a mix match of training and will not provide the structure, is just not worth it. More than that, the time saved in training and the end result of a properly trained dog for the rest of its life (around 15 years) is worth many times more than the cost of even the most basic training guide.

If you, and more importantly your dog, do not enjoy training then you will never properly train your dog. Training will take longer and be much harder. When you start training your dog remember they are most likely to be a puppy and at that age all they want to do is run and explore their new world. Be flexible with the time you plan to spend training. Try and keep training short but if your dog appears to be really enjoying it then be prepared to train for longer. Likewise if your dog will just not focus, then maybe leave it for a bit before going back to it. With a routine and structure to your training, your dog will soon learn that when it comes to training they need to focus for a short length of time and will be better able to do so.

I hope the above has been helpful in your desire to train your dog. By knowing why and how your dog does what it does, you should be able to understand it's behaviour much better. By using this understanding you can better bond with your dog and train your dog. A good training routine and structure as well as plenty of patience and eventually you will have a well trained dog. Always always always make sure training is enjoyable for both you and especially your dog.

If you found this dog training advice article helpful, please feel free to visit my website for more information. As well as dog training guidance such as the best dog training book you will also find lots of information on being a good dog owner and how to keep your dog healthy.

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