Engaging Your Dog in Basic Obedience Classes

Are you the kind of person that can't take his dog anywhere? Are you afraid that you will end up chasing your dog all over, because he will run off the moment you let him lose? Yet you wonder how other people seem to control their dog with no difficulty whatsoever. Well, the difference between you and them is simply some dog obedience training.

Training your dog to sit, stay put and approach you when asked are the most rudimentary commands in dog obedience. By teaching your dog to obey these three basic instructions you will be preparing the grounds for further training. The pet owner will require some patience and tenacity. Training your dog can become monotonous and tiresome, thus the owner needs to be prepared to spend some quality time with their dog in order to succeed.

If you feel you are not up to it, and may require some help, do not be afraid to seek it. Your veterinarian will be the best person to ask for information regarding dog obedience classes in your area. Training your dog within a group can have added benefits. It will be less work for you, as everybody will be helping each other out. Plus, your dog will gain some social skills by interacting with other people and other animals as well. Remember the mind of your dog is like that of a child, which needs to be shown right from wrong, patiently, and in repeated occasions in order to come through.

The reward method of training has consistently been regarded as the most effective and appropriate method of training by pet owners. This simple method only requires that you have some kind of snack on hand when your dog obeys your instructions. At such time you will praise him with your hand and feed him the snack. He will slowly come to understand that doing whatever it is he just did is a good thing, and he will be encouraged to do it again. As opposed to torturing your dog for mischief, which in the end will only produce negative results, like a broken relationship between you and your dog based on fear.

In preparation to training, start by selecting an appropriate spot away from anything that can be distracting to your dog. When teaching him to sit, for example, ask him in a gentle voice to sit, with your chosen word for the sit command. Gently tap his back with your hand a couple times, and maybe push it down softly, just so he understands what you are trying to convey. Once he does, feed him a snack and praise him thoroughly. The dog will begin to associate the word for sit, with praise and food, meaning a good thing. After a few repetitions take away the food, and you would have completed training.

Other instructions can be learned pretty much the same way. Remember you are not only teaching your dog to obey, you are building a relationship with him well.

Dog Owners Guide : German Shepherd Aggression

While German Shepherds may not inspire the ill placed fear of such breeds as Rottweilers and Pit Bulls, they do land on many banned breed lists.

In fact, it is more of a reputation of being aggressive that German Shepherds have acquired. Owners of these dogs will mostly deny that German Shepherd aggression is a concern, but, unfortunately, the number of incidents of these dogs attacking people and other dogs can t be ignored. However, whilst genetics are a factor, the biggest problem is mis training, or even no training, by their owners.

It would be wrong to think that this trait of inappropriate aggressive behavior is displayed by all, or even most, German Shepherds.It is wholly unfair to let the misdemeanours of the minority result in the entire breed being labeled as dangerous or aggressive .That being said, it is vital for owners to learn to recognize the signs of German Shepherd aggression, so that they can immediately begin to work to bring them under control.

Aggression can take many forms.Some German Shepherds only act aggressively towards other dogs. Some will display aggression only if they are approached whilst they are chewing a bone or eating. Others are aggressive toward strangers, and others even show aggression to some human members of the household in which they live.

Don t discount even minor forms of aggression, say to a cat or the postman, because these could easily escalate into something more serious. If you do notice signs of aggression in your dog, proper training and handling can turn the behavior around and, potentially, save your dog s life.

Some owners make the mistake of yelling at or hitting their German Shepherd when he displays aggressive behavior.For the most part, this makes the overall situation worse, as the dog becomes less trusting of humans.By doing so, you are also placing yourself and those around you at immediate risk it is quite possible that your dog will fight back on being hit and will starting biting and leaping at those nearest to it.

Obedience training is a much better solution for dealing with German shepherd aggression. The best results are seen with younger dogs, but don t let the age of your dog put you off from trying it at any time. Even old dogs can learn to be obedient, it just takes a little more time.

You can learn a lot about obedience training through online resources. They will tell you how to read the signals that dogs give off and how to get them to obey your voice commands. You will be able to find general information on the topic, and also specifics for each breed. It s also increasing common to be able to find videos on obedience dog training too, which can really help your understanding of it.

So, online information and videos are the best place to start, and these might be enough in themselves; however, there is also the option of taking your dog to professional dog obedience classes. This are fairly widespread, so you should be able to find one near to you.