Basic Dog Training

Dog training is all about consistency. If a dog should not be doing something one day then they should not be doing it the next day whereas if it is ok for them to do something to day you should try to recreate that acceptance tomorrow as well. Without this consistency your dog will never know what is correct behavior and what is incorrect or undesirable behavior.

One common mistake when training a dog is to reprimand them after the event. Imagine you have come home after a day at work to find that your puppy has soiled the floor. Shouting at them when you walk in the door will not help to beat the toileting problem and doing it regularly will make your dog associate you coming home with being reprimanded. If you do come home and find your puppy has soiled the floor, calmly put the leash on your puppy and walk him near the poo. Then reprimand the poo, pick it up in a tissue and take it out to the desired area. Then congratulate the poo on doing well. You might want to make sure your neighbors aren’t watching but the puppy will notice what is happening and next time will think twice for fear of getting reprimanded like that.

You should try to learn why a dog is doing something before you simply stop them. For instance, licking your hand is a sign that they love you and is actually very submissive. This submission is a good thing and shows that you are in control. Reprimanding them or pushing them away regularly can make a dog believe it is wrong to be submissive. In extreme circumstances this will lead to a reversal of power where your dog believes they are in charge and you should be submissive.

However, it isn’t always pleasant to have your dog licking your hand but you should try to avoid reprimanding them sometimes and not other times. Teach them to lick your hand on request and not to lick your hand using two specific commands that are different. ‘Lick’ and ‘No Lick’ will suffice. Alternatively pepper sauce on your hand will quite quickly stop your dog from licking your hand but wash it off quite soon and try not to lick your own hands in the meantime. This will stop your dog from licking your hand without them feeling like they have done wrong in being submissive to you.

Choosing a Responsible Breeder

It is an exciting time when you get to bring home a new puppy.  He quickly becomes part of your family and you create a bond with lots of cuddling, trips outside and walks in the park.  If buying from a breeder, you will want to be sure you choose a responsible breeder versus a backyard breeder (those who are only breeding for financial benefits).

When shopping for your new dog, there are things you need to expect from your breeder as well as some things the breeder will expect from you.  If you have found a responsible breeder—which can be done through references—he or she may come across as a very nosey person.  This is okay, considering that the nosier breeder, the better!

From a responsible breeder you can expect to be asked such things as your work schedule, who lives in the house with you, what your yard layout is like and the kind of friends you have that may be visiting you in your home.  Although these seem like personal questions, the breeder cares what kind of home their puppy may be going to. A breeder who asks no questions and is just looking for the sale won’t be able to offer you the same quality and breed of puppies as the responsible breeder will.

Another perk to buying a puppy from a responsible breeder is that you will be told the lineage that the puppy came from.  In other words, you’ll be privy to the father’s as well as the mother’s heritage, and will be given the papers to prove it.  This can be an important aspect of buying a puppy because personalities, as well as health issues, are generally hereditary, and it’s nice to be certain that your puppy is from good stock.  Most of the time, a backyard breeder or pet store simply won’t offer this type of information.  In addition, pet store puppies usually come from a puppy mill—a relative breeding farm—and they are sold on a first come, first serve basis.  Questions aren’t asked of the buyer and no attention is paid to the puppy’s welfare.

A responsible breeder will also expect the buyer to have questions and concerns of their own.  A buyer should not be afraid to ask questions about this new life you will be taking into your home.  Here are a few things you should ask your breeder about as well as some expectations that you should have:

  • Is there a signed veterinary health certificate, plus a written health guarantee from the breeder, including one against congenital defects?
  • Are ACVO eye screening and OFA or Penn Hip certificates completed, to avoid any future problems with the puppies?
  • Does the breeder have a written contract available for you to sign, specifying the rights of the seller and also the breeder’s rights?
  • Is all health information available and up to date?
  • Can the breeder provide AKC or CKC registration papers on the puppy?
  • What is the lineage of the puppies?  A responsible breeder should be able to tell you lineage from generations back, as well as giving you a family tree of the puppy.

Responsible breeders will be able to help you find the puppy that is right for you and will be happy to give you tips on raising and caring for your new bundle of joy.  As long as you find a responsible breeder, it’s a sure thing that you’ll find the perfect puppy.

Attack Dog Training

Attack dog training courses are offered at many facilities worldwide. Depending on the specific attack dog training facility you chose, the training may include your dog being boarded at the facility for the entire duration of the attack dog training course. The following paragraphs will discuss some aspects of attack dog training including:

• objectives of attack dog training
• benefits of owning an attack dog
• qualities to look for in a potential attack dog

One of the main objectives of attack dog training is to develop courage in your dog, and to establish in the potential attack dog, a lifetime passion to protect. Attack dog training is a training program where the dogs are trained to attack on command, to protect their master, not because the dog himself is scared. After successfully completing an attack dog training course, it will do nothing other than please your dog to protect and attack upon command.

The benefits of owning an attack dog are great, but one of the bests benefits of attack dog training, and owning an attack dog, is the security you will have. Not only will you have a new family member, but this new family member will have the passion to protect his family, and attack on command. Sometimes attacking is not even necessary, as an effective attack dog can often deter intruders without an attack.

Finally, there are some qualities you should look for in a dog when you are considering putting the dog in an attack dog training course including:

• size
• health
• breed

The size of the dog you choose for attack dog training is important for one main reason. While a smaller dog may be able to warn you when an intruder is near, it is not likely the smaller dog will be able to take a man down on command. For this reason alone, it is best to choose a medium to large sized dog for attack dog training.

The health of the dog you select for attack dog training is as equally important. It is always a good idea to have the potential attack dog examined by a veterinarian. Hip x-rays may be done at this time, as well as a regular physical check-up of the dog.

While most medium to large breeds of dogs can be successful with the right attack dog training, some recommended breeds for attack dogs are:

• Chow
• Doberman
• German Sheppard

Adopting a Dog

There are lots of ways that people choose a new family dog.  Some may search the newspaper for advertisements from breeders who are selling new puppies; others find breeders via listings on the internet, while still more may simply purchase a puppy from a local pet store.  Perhaps the best method, however, in terms of being helpful to society in general is to adopt a dog from a local animal shelter.

Adopting a dog brings a new friend into your life.  It also helps to reduce the number of unwanted and homeless dogs in your area.  Unless the shelter is a “no kill” facility (and these are sadly few and far between), it will also save a dog’s life.  Animal lovers everywhere champion the adoption of dogs from shelters as opposed to any other method of bringing home a new pet for this reason alone, but there are other reasons to choose the adoption option.

  • Adopted pets have had their shots
  • Shelters often have information about a dog’s tsemperament
  • Adopting a pet frees space in the shelter for more dogs 

When you adopt a dog you can be sure that the staff at the shelter has had the dog examined by a vet for diseases and parasites and that the dog has had its shots.  This is not always true of dogs acquired by other means such as kids giving away “free puppies” from a box in front of the local grocery store or PetsMart.

The dogs at a shelter are not just strays and often are turned in to the shelter by former owners for various reasons.  When this happens, the shelter collects as much information about the dog as possible, including whether its good with children, how much it barks, how playful or obedient it is, whether its housebroken, and other important details.  While it’s true that this information is only as good as the honesty of the former owner, most of the time it is fairly accurate.

Animal shelters provide a valuable service to the community that they serve by keeping the streets as free of stray animals as possible.  Because many of them do this with little or no public funding or governmental support, they are very limited in the number of dogs they can have in the shelter at any given time.  The only way that they can bring in more stray animals is if they remove the ones they currently have.  This is done through adoption or euthanasia.  Obviously they would prefer to have the dogs adopted rather than killed.  Adopting a dog could very well save its life and allows the shelter to bring in another dog in its place.  

Dog Behaviour Training

Dog behavior training is all about consistency. If a dog should not be doing something one day then they should not be doing it the next day whereas if it is ok for them to do something to day you should try to recreate that acceptance tomorrow as well. Without this consistency your dog will never know what is correct behavior and what is incorrect or undesirable behavior.

One common mistake when behavior training a dog is to reprimand them after the event. Imagine you have come home after a day at work to find that your puppy has soiled the floor. Shouting at them when you walk in the door will not help to beat the toileting problem and doing it regularly will make your dog associate you coming home with being reprimanded. If you do come home and find your puppy has soiled the floor, calmly put the leash on your puppy and walk him near the poo. Then reprimand the poo, pick it up in a tissue and take it out to the desired area. Then congratulate the poo on doing well. You might want to make sure your neighbors aren’t watching but the puppy will notice what is happening and next time will think twice for fear of getting reprimanded like that.

You should try to learn why a dog is doing something before you simply stop them. For instance, licking your hand is a sign that they love you and is actually very submissive. This submission is a good thing and shows that you are in control. Reprimanding them or pushing them away regularly can make a dog believe it is wrong to be submissive. In extreme circumstances this will lead to a reversal of power where your dog believes they are in charge and you should be submissive.

However, it isn’t always pleasant to have your dog licking your hand but you should try to avoid reprimanding them sometimes and not other times. Teach them to lick your hand on request and not to lick your hand using two specific commands that are different. ‘Lick’ and ‘No Lick’ will suffice. Alternatively pepper sauce on your hand will quite quickly stop your dog from licking your hand but wash it off quite soon and try not to lick your own hands in the meantime. This will stop your dog from licking your hand without them feeling like they have done wrong in being submissive to you.

Dog Collar

The humble dog collar is much more than just a fashion accessory or somewhere to hang the little embossed bone with your phone number on. A dog collar helps you walk your dog and is also there in case of any emergency where you might need to grab them quickly. Before micro-chipping animals was introduced, the dog collar was the only means of identification. By putting a simple name tag with some basic details you could usually be assured that if your beloved family pet went missing it should not be long before they were returned to your loving arms once again.

It is important that you fit a dog collar properly. This doesn’t just mean that you should make sure the buckle is done up properly, you should also make sure you have the right size of collar and one that is adequate to your needs. There are a wide variety available but presuming that you have a well behaved dog who is good on the lead and doesn’t pull too much you should be able to take your pick. Choker chains are not necessary for dogs unless they are particularly badly behaved when walking on the lead.

A choker chain is a series of metal loops that attach around the dog’s neck and tighten when they pull. The action of the chain tightening will usually be enough to stop any pulling. However, some dogs do not react well to choker chains. The metal links banging together can make a particularly harsh noise that some dogs will find disturbing. This will not only stop them pulling but could also lead to them dreading walk time, instead of looking forward to the exercise and fresh air.

Find a dog collar that sits snugly around your dog’s neck without being too tight. You want to prevent them from slipping the collar but you don’t want to strangle them in the process. Buying an ill fitting dog collar will inevitably mean that you will struggle to get it to fit properly and in turn this will lead to problems when walking and potentially much greater problems in the long run.

Specialist dog collars are also available that help with difficult dogs. A harness should only be used while walking your dog and if you have a dog who pulls a lot then a harness or a halter will prevent too much pulling. Again, this should be fitted properly otherwise you may be causing more problems than you are actually remedying.

Dog House Training

Potty training a new puppy may seem like an uphill struggle but by sticking to a strict schedule it should take you no more than two weeks to fully house train a young puppy. The difficulty can lie when older dogs have developed this habit. The act of dog house training older dogs is very similar to that of training a puppy. If you have adopted a dog or your older dog suddenly begins using the house a toilet then the first thing you should do is see the vet in case there are medical reasons, but failing this then a strict training regime will do the job.

Older dogs can wait much longer than puppies once they are trained but there are still certain times of the day when they are more likely to need to go that other times. The best way to train any dog is to help them do the right thing and then praise them for it. It is very likely that there will still be the occasional accident but this is to be expected. If you catch them in the act or immediately after they’ve finished then you should verbally reprimand him with a firm ‘NO’ and then take him outside. If he’s still in the act then don’t wait for him to finish.

Once outside let him finish and then give him lots of praise for being a good boy. Once he gets used to being reprimanded for going inside and praised for going outside he will be much more likely to behave properly for you in the future. Dogs generally need to go about half an hour after meal times, early in the morning and last thing at night. Make sure you let them out or walk them during this time.

If you find that they are going more frequently than you expected and are regularly making mistakes in the house then you need to take them out much more often. While it is possible to leave them four hours or more, if they need to go more regularly then you need to let them out more regularly. If you need to leave your dog while you go to work out go out and you do not think they are trusted enough to manage this amount of time then you can place them in a confined area that is easy to clean and much easier to survey when you return.

Dog Obedience

The best way to start your puppy with obedience training is to visit a training school. Not only will puppy become well versed in the required commands and actions, but you will also learn what is required from both of you. If you have never obedience trained a dog before it is unlikely you will instantly and automatically know what to do. Another advantage of training school is the social aspect. Meeting other dogs and other people at an early age can prevent your puppy from becoming frightened and possibly aggressive in the future.

Once you have attended a few classes, you should continue the work at home. You may want to continue with dog obedience training classes for the social aspect but either way it will be necessary for you to continue with the training when you are at home otherwise puppy will never learn anything.

Set a time every day to complete the training and work on several different areas of obedience. By giving this variety to your puppy you are still teaching him or her some of the commands and actions but they won’t become bored and let their attention wander.

As with all forms of dog training it is vital that you use reprimands and rewards in appropriate quantities. When you are first starting out, bear in mind that your puppy does not yet know what is right and what is wrong. They will not know without you telling them. This essentially means that you aren’t reprimanding you are informing. You do need to use a reprimand though, even in the very early stages but the reprimand should only ever be a vocal one. Do not use a physical reprimand because this not only scares your puppy but also can lead to aggressive traits when they grow up.

Teaching your dog some simple tricks is an excellent way to teach obedience training. Sit down, shake paw and similar tricks are not only cute and effective as a party piece but they also show that your puppy is submissive towards you. It certainly isn’t necessary to teach them extreme submissive tricks such as the submissive roll. Puppies love to do tricks and they love to get heaps of praise for doing something well and this is the most effective way that they will learn anything so make the most of every single action they do that is correct but try not to dwell on the mistakes for too long.

Dog Trainer

If you are looking to get your first puppy or your first dog or if you have a dog that has a particular problem then you may want to look at using the services of a professional dog trainer. A trained dog trainer will have a great many tricks under his or her sleeve that can help in even the most difficult of circumstances.

For the first time dog owner, a dog trainer will not simply train your dog to perform the actions you want because it will be you who will take on this mantle when you return home. For this reason, a good dog trainer will teach you to how to train your dog. However, there are a number of dog trainers available who can help with training you and your pet. You will want to find the best available and the first decision you should make is whether to have one on one dog training or group sessions.

As with many forms of training, one on one training offers the most direct and the most precise results. You will be able to concentrate on the things you want to and go at a pace that suits you, your dog and the trainer. One on one training sessions can usually be conducted either on the trainer’s premises or in your own home. Training within your own house means your dog will not be affected by the surroundings and should find it easier to concentrate.

Group sessions may not be geared directly towards you and your dog specifically but they do offer you an excellent opportunity to socialize your dog. By letting him meet other dogs and other people he may find it difficult to concentrate at first on the activities you need him to perform but eventually he will get used to the added distractions and this will make it much easier walking him in the long run.

Regardless of the type of dog trainer you use, it is vital that you continue what you have learnt when you return home as well as simply when you are at training lessons. By reinforcing everything you have learnt in this way the training will be much more effective. Set aside a time every single day to practice specific things but always maintain the techniques on a regular basis in everyday life. It might not really matter to you if your dog doesn’t do as told when you are at home on your own but letting him do something one time and then reprimanding him for it the next will inevitably confuse him.

Dog Training Certification

Until the creation of the Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers in 2001, there was no nationally available certification process for dog trainers. The CCPDT’s certification program is the first national certification for dog trainers. Many schools teach dog trainers and offer certification for their specific programs. These certificates, therefore, reflect the teachings and quality of a specific school. Other organizations offer take-home tests for “certification.” These tests are not monitored, nor are the testing processes standardized.

Candidates who pass the exam earn the title Certified Pet Dog Trainer and may use the designation, “CPDT,” after their names. As creators of the examination, the task force members have also earned the use of the CPDT designation. All certified trainers must earn continuing education credits to maintain their designations. They must also adhere to a strict Code of Ethics in their dog training practices.

Why would you as a dog owner care about dog training certification? You care about your dog. You want a positive experience for both you and your four-footed friend. Whether you are looking for a training class or private training, you are looking for a high-quality, safe, and effective training experience.

When you choose a Certified Pet Dog Trainer, you can be confident that you are working with a professional who has the knowledge and expertise to make your investment in dog training safe, effective, and even fun! Certified Pet Dog Trainers have dog training skills as well as instructor skills to enhance the experience and success for you and your pet dog.

Certified Pet Dog Trainers have earned this credential by demonstrating their knowledge and experience in dog training. A Certified Pet Dog Trainer stays informed of current knowledge in the field and is familiar with the latest, most effective training techniques and equipment. A Certified Pet Dog Trainer adheres to a strict Code of Ethics.

The Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers is committed to maintaining rigorous testing and recertification systems to provide dog owners with information to help them make an informed choice when selecting a dog trainer.

So the next time you need a dog trainer, look for a professional with the Certified Pet Dog Trainer credential. Your dog will thank you!