The Three Main Principles of Dog Obedience Training

by Sam Nichols

Dogs will always need obedience training, at least at a basic level. This is true even if the breed is well designed to fit the needs that humans have. You need a minimum level of obedience training because you can't expect them to learn what you want on their own. There are some principles behind obedience training that insure that you get the results that you're going after.

Principle One: YOU SHOULD BE CONSISTENT

Consistency is an important part of obedience training, probably the most important. You should be consistent in the actions that you use together with commands or words, and you should also use a consistent tone and words when you talk with him. When you start the obedience training, you should decide what parameters you are going to use and what do you want the dog to learn.

Just saying a command, like "come" doesn't mean that the dog will understand it. Obviously, a dog can't understand out language or thing in the same way that people do. Using the same command on a regular basis and consistently, makes sure that in time he will associate the meaning with the word you're using for it.

In the example I gave before, for the "come" command, everyone in the house should use the word in its singular form. He needs to understand that "come" means that he needs to approach the person that gives him the command. When you give him the command "come", you should not be doing anything that will confuse him in regards to its meaning.

If he doesn't obey the command, you shouldn't force him to do it, and then punish him for coming to you. This way, the dog will associate the punishment with the command. Since he thinks that this command will bring him a punishment, the dog will not obey it in the future.

That's why it's important that everyone that deals with the dog uses the same form of the command. A good example that you see in everyday life is the substitution of the "come" command with words like "come here boy" or "here".

Principle Two: YOU SHOULD KEEP IT SHORT

You should keep both the command words and the training sessions short. Dogs don't have the biggest attention span in the world, and training sessions aren't exactly activities that can keep them interested for very long. In the case of puppies, a stimulus that will keep them interested is a moving toy car that they can follow, and once they lose interest in it they would do something else.

The interest they had in the beginning isn't the same as it will be a few minutes later, so they get bored quite easily. 10-15 minutes of training should be enough for each obedience training session.

Principle Three: YOU SHOULDN’T PUNISH YOUR DOG

If you want to train a dog to listen to you, punishment isn't an option. Forcing a dog to obey the commands you give him if he isn't prepared is also not an option.

During training, don't push the dog too far. Since he thinks he's playing, he's not prone to learning things right then, just by hearing a command only once. He will only see that you're upset at him, but he will not understand that you want a faster progress.

Negative reinforcement is a much better choice for training, since force will not bring your point across as it should. Praise him when he does something you want, and don't do it when a command isn't followed.

Dog Obedience Tips – How To Effectively Train Your Dog

by jason bb han

Regardless of the age and breed of your dog, it is important that you make sure it goes through proper training. You want your dog to become a valuable member of your family and a pet that your family will be proud of. And proper training is necessary in order for that to happen.

So dog owners probably feel that dog training is not necessary. But that is just not true. Without the proper training, your dog is only going to pick up undesirable behavior and it will be much harder to correct it as time goes by.

When you are trying to train your dog, here are a few points you will want to take note.

1) When it comes to training your dog, it is always better to start early than to start late. The sooner you start, the better. The most ideal case is to start training your dog when it is still a cute and adorable puppy.

2) When you are training your pet, it is very important that you be consistent in what you are doing. If not, you will simply confuse your pet. For example, if you do not want your dog to sit on the sofa, you should not allow him to sit on it even once. Or else, your dog will get very confused and will not know what the right thing to do is.

3) Reward your dog when it is doing what you want. This is a form of positive reinforcement and positive reinforcements are important when it comes to effective dog training.

Dog Obedience Training: Stay Command

by Shawn Almgren

A dog that has mastered the "stay" is always a well mannered and safe dog. This command can come in handy in many situations, and isn't as hard as you might think to teach your dog. Before you attempt to begin this training, ensure that your dog already responds to his name and also knows the " sit command " or " down command ", this is very important and those are the foundations for any kind of obedience training. Some may consider sit and stay to be almost the same or unnecessary, because they assume by administering the sit command should be enough to have your dog stay. This isn't so because with most commands you will be around until you allow your dog to go free. Once left alone its the dogs natural instinct to follow their leader.

Have your dog assume the "sit" or "down" position, showing or even letting him smell his/her favorite treat

Begin to place the treat on the ground, (Your dog will move as he/she sees you putting the treat down) as your dog begins to get up, administer the verbal correction " Stay " and pull the treat away.

Tell your dog to sit again then place the treat on the ground. If he attempts to move again, administer the verbal correction and pull the treat away. Your dog will begin to understand that moving denies him the treat.

Once your dog does not move, quickly pick up the treat and reward him by giving it to him. Now he will begin to understand that he is being rewarded for not moving. As you dog gets better you can do this for longer and from further away.

A Few notes to remember

Do this training when your dog isn't all wound up, its difficult to do this while your dog is hyper. After a Jog or walk is perfect

Ensure the training environment is free from distractions.

Don't overwhelm your dog. training should last for a few minutes.

Practice training in different locations, remember minimal distractions.

Have patience, consistency is key to training your dog. don't expect him to understand everything on the first day.

Dog Obedience Training Sit Command

by Shawn Almgren

Training your dog the sit command is usually the best place to start off with your obedience training, Its simple, relatively easy to teach and is on that dogs tend to retain quickly. The Sit command is good for many reasons it will increase your dogs confidence in his ability to understand you and is a great help when dealing with behavioral issues. The Sit command is also useful when your dog is meeting new people, preventing him from walking around and smelling them, or when people come over - stoppping him from darting outside or to the front door and jumping up on them. The sit command is one that you can start at anytime during your dog ownership (recommended at the beginning) just be sure that you and your do have a good relationship and that he is comfortable around you.

stand in front of your Dog

Have one of his favorite treats

Allow him to smell it

Bring the tread over his head, he will smell the food and follow it with his nose, this action will cause him to sit or back-up but preferably sit. (also don't hold too high above heat, this may cause you pet to jump)

The second your dog sits, respond with the word "good" (or whatever word or phrase you will consistently use for praising your dogs actions) and give him the treat.

Repeat 5-7 times.

Once your dog learns the sit command gradually eliminate the treats, but continue to praise.

Practice the "sit" command in different situations, locations and scenarios to help to improve the dog's training. It's vital that the dog will obey the "sit" command even if distractions are present.

A Few Notes to remember

Always have you treats or rewards ready, Never have to fumble to get them when required. This negatively affects your session.

Timing is important, ten minutes per session is enough. do not overwhelm you dog to the point where he is bored.

Dogs pick up on emotions, don't be impatient or angry. Your dog wont want to train with you unless its fun.

avoid having to physically push your dog into a "sit" position. You don't want him to associate this with the command

Dog Obedience Training: Who’s the Alpha Dog in Your Pack?

by Jim Navary

One of life’s genuine joys is the companionship of a dog. However, if your dog exhibits major behavior problems, that joy may be compromised. Destroying household items, piddling on the carpet, excessive barking, aggression, and other unacceptable behaviors can usually be eliminated through effective obedience training.

As pack animals, dogs are most content when they know their place in the social hierarchy of the pack, be it as a leader or as a subordinate.

If your dog perceives that you are not a strong leader, he will probably assume the role of leader of the pack. Inappropriate behavior will worsen since, as the “alpha dog”, he will assume that he can do as he pleases without regard to your pleadings.

Until you establish yourself as the alpha member of the pack your efforts to teach proper behavior to your pooch are destined to fail. By providing high quality obedience training you will teach your dog that you are the leader and that he must follow comply with your wishes.

When you begin obedience training try to make the activity fun for your dog. Be sure to reward your dog when follows your commands. Rewards can take the form of yummy treats, petting, giving him a favorite toy to play with or vigorous praise.

Never punish your dog while teaching obedience as it will make him associate training with negative feelings. When you need to correct your dog’s behavior make it a penalty rather than punishment. A penalty can be anything from a quick tug on his leash, a “time out” by simply stopping an enjoyable activity, or simply ignoring him.

For training purposes you should keep in mind that rewards are more effective than penalties. Find out what your dog really enjoys and use it when training. The old “using a carrot or a stick” adage should be forgotten. Instead, try to use many different types of “carrots” and throw away the stick.

Professional dog trainers use a wide variety of training techniques. If you are not sure about specific tactics to use, you may benefit from their advice. There are several wonderful guide books and training courses available online that you may find quite helpful in your quest for a well behaved best friend.

Choosing The Right Dog Obedience Trainer For Your Pit Bull Terrier

by Tim Amherst

Many pet owners enjoy the challenge of training their dogs. If the dog is the type that seems to enjoy being trained, it can be a very rewarding experience for both owner and pet. Pit Bulls have the reputation for being stubborn, and few will say it's not true. To say that the stubborn streak makes the dog untrainable however is completely false.

Take a Pit Bull and owner who have a good trusting relationship with one another and you'll see a dog who is not only willing to learn, but also learns quickly. If a person who has never trained a dog wants to have his Pit Bull trained, he has two choices. The owner can either train their Pit Bull themselves, or hire a dog trainer to do it for them.

If you have no practical experience training dogs, but still want to try it yourself, then you will need to study up on the various training methods used by top trainers. Heading off to the local library is one way to do this at no cost, as well as researching the subject on the internet. If you have a dog that you feel may be a problem to train, skip the do it yourself and go straight for the trainer.

It will do you well to remember that a person does not need a license to be a dog trainer. Anyone who wishes can set up shop when they want and start accepting clients. It's for this reason you'll want to check out any individual who provides dog training before you leave your Pit Bull in their care.

Choosing the right trainer may seem like a daunting task, but it is necessary to have a trainer who has enough experience and knowledge so that the trainer doesn't create more problems than he fixes. Find out how many years the trainer has been in business of trainer other people's dogs. Get at least three references that you can call to ask what type of experiences they have had with their trainer.

Certain dogs, such as Pit Bulls, may have an independent streak when it comes to training. Ask the trainer how they handle dogs which may be harder to train. This is important even if your dog does well with you, he may do otherwise with a stranger. If your dog exhibits stubborn behavior, you'll want to know how the trainer will handle it. You certainly don't want your Pit Bull mistreated by a short tempered trainer.

Dog Obedience: A Quick And Easy Way To Train Your Dog To Obey The Wait Command!

by Caroline Kent

How many times have you tried to teach your dog or puppy to obey the WAIT command, only to discover that your dog doesn't want to WAIT?

Training your dog to WAIT can be very challenging because most dogs are easily distracted. Dogs are also naturally energetic and inattentive. Your dog may have difficulty comprehending the WAIT command because it necessitates inactivity.

As we all know, it doesn't take long for a dog to become restless and bored! That is why the WAIT command is so difficult to teach! Here is an easy way to train your dog to obey the WAIT command:

1. Put your dog on a short leash and walk him to the front door.

Using a leash will allow you to control your dog better when he doesn't respond to the WAIT command at first.

Open the door just enough for you to squeeze through and go outside, leaving your dog on the inside. Now your dog will be one side with you on the other and the leash hanging in between.

You might try giving your dog the SIT command at first. A dog that is in a sitting position will tend to be still a bit longer than if he were standing up.

2. Slowly open the door just a small amount.

Hold up the palm of your hand in a STOP position and say WAIT!

Don't be disappointed if your dog tries to shove open the door and come rushing toward you! Your dog, not knowing this command, is probably going to scramble to push through the door.

3. Shut the door quickly as soon as your dog starts to move toward you.

This will halt the dog in his tracks.

Okay, now repeat step two. Now watch your dog closely. The first time that he doesn't try to rush through the door may only last a mere second!

When your dog finally comprehends the WAIT command and pauses, lavish him with praise and give him a release command (OKAY!) to let him comethrough the door.

4. Practice, practice, practice!

Keep repeating the steps described above. Your dog will eventually learn that when he mellows out and WAITS that you will allow him to pass through the front door.

5. Once your dog learns to obey the WAIT command from the SIT position, try teaching him the command while he is standing up.

This is a much harder position for your dog to master the WAIT command from. He is going to want to move around or even SIT.

Be consistent with your training and practice this routine at every opportunity. Be sure to give your dog lots of praise and positive reinforcement. Soon, your dog will understand what you want and will easily respond to the WAIT command!

Training your dog to obey the WAIT command takes time, patience and practice. But the end result will be worth it! Eventually, you will be rewarded with a dog that no longer bolts out the door every time you open it!

Dog Obedience Training - How To Train A Dog To Fetch

by Tobias Charles

It's certainly the case that for some dogs and particular breeds learn to fetch allot faster than other breeds. If you wan to teach any dog to fetch then follow these steps and it shouldn't be a problem.

Tip 1 - Stage 1

Make sure you use something that your dog has familiarity with and enjoys. I taught my first dog to fetch by using his favorite furry teddy (with a squeak). I used this because my dog already enjoyed playing with this toy so it made the training process easier right from the start.
The reason that I used a squeaky toy was it instantly focused his attention when I threw it.
Although ropes and tug toys maybe one of your dog's favorite toys -don't use it when training to fetch as your dog is more accustomed to tug-of-war, and will want to play this with you instead of learning to fetch.

Tip 2 - Stage 2

In this stage you need to place your dog on a leash.
You need to use a relatively long leash, something about 10 foot or slightly longer is perfect. The reason behind using a leash is that you don't want to be chasing after your dog and trying to retrieve him.
The longer the leash the better as it will enable your dog to run to fetch his toy but with you still having an element of control.

Tip 3 - Stage 3

I always use treats when I am training any dog to fetch - this keep and holds their attention.
This stage is possibly the most difficult as you want to keep your dog your dog's attention on the toy, the treats and on you.
If you are starting the fetch training with a puppy - do the fetch training over a period of about a week - keep practicing this stage by trying to hold your puppies attention.
When fetch training a puppy - make sure you end the training before he loses his attention - this will keep your puppy interested every time you restart the fetch training process.

Tip 4 - Stage 4 - Fetch

Right here we go...

Now you have your dog on a leash, a toy, your dog's undivided attention, and a treat - You are now ready to to start the fetch training process.
Hold your dog/puppy quite tightly on the leash and keeping his attention - wave the toy in front of him and the throw it away - only a few feet - you want it to be in your dog's eye line.
As you throw it say in a firm voice 'fetch' and let your dog run after the toy.
When your dog has got the toy in his mouth gently draw the dog back in with your leash.
When he is within reach, offer the treat and say 'give' and take the toy from your dog's mouth.
Make sure you aren't pulling and tugging for the toy-this isn't a game and your dog needs to understand that.
Now it's time to praise your dog - make a really big deal of it make your dog realize that you are thrilled. Repeat 'good dog' and pat and pet him.
Continue to repeat stages 4 and 5 until you feel he is getting bored or losing his attention

Puppy and Dog Obedience Training

by John Hashon

All dogs are going to have to learn some kind of dog training. They need to learn to be obedient to you.

It's never too early or too late to train a dog. If you have just brought a puppy, then puppy training is great, the younger the better! But whatever the age of your dog, you can teach him to obey your command.

Don't waste your time and gas taking your dog to the obedience school. There are web sites available on the internet that can give you quick and easy steps on how to train your dog. Besides training this should be a play time with your dog. Both you and your best friend should enjoy it to the fullest. While you are getting rid of your dogs bad habits, such as barking, chewing, jumping.

When selecting the web site for the training of your dog there are few thing that you need to consider:

1 Find Reliable Sources

The internet is full of ebooks. As with any other type of media, some of them are good and some are not so good. The best way to find the right crate training ebooks to use with your canine training is to look in reliable places.

2 How easy is to use the site

Make sure that site is easy to use and to navigate through. At the same time make sure that instructions are easy to understand. You can check the user rating and it will give you review from current members.

3 Excellent Customer Service Support

Make sure that they offer good support in case you have questions, need help, asking for advise.

Depending on what you are looking for, and what you are interested in you may be able to find sites that have e-book and a few additional features and bonuses. This may be enough if you just want to teach your dog basics. On the other hand, if your dog has already developed a few bad habits, I would recommend the site with little more than just basics.

10-week Basic Dog Obedience Training Formula

by Joanne Kok

Learning new things can be stressful for your dog especially in the beginning when concepts and teaching methods are new. If your dog refused to eat during the early stages of training, stop the program and have a play session or calm your dog until it is relaxed and begins to accept treats again. This process may require 3 to 4 sessions but it is worth going through it to develop your dog’s positive attitude towards obedience.

Conduct 3 training sessions a day, each session lasting approximately 20 minutes while allowing at least 1 hour rest in-between sessions. In a 2-week period, there should be a total of 30 sessions.

Week 1 And Week 2

1) Teach your dog the “heel” command. Repeat a series of 3 to 5 circles and perform 5 series of 4-step “heels” per session.
2) Teach the “sit” and “release” command. Command your dog to “sit”, let it stay in the sit position for a moment then give the “release” command to release your dog from the “sit”. Repeat this series 5 times per session.
3) For each session, work on a series of 1 exercise and move to another exercise (i.e., work on one series of 4-step “heel”, then a series of “sit” and “break”, and finally a series of 4-step “heels”’).

Although dogs need repetition to learn a skill, you need a variety of exercises to keep them interested as they bore easily.

Week 3 And Week 4

1) Reinforce the “heel” command. Test the “heel” command from lessons learned from week 1 and week 2.
2) Reinforcing the “sit” and “release” command. Begin training your dog to hold the “sit” position starting from 5 seconds and gradually stretching the time to 10 seconds.
3) Begin teaching your dog the “down” command (use treats to lure your dog to teach it the command). Repeat the series 2 times per session in week 3 and 3 times per session in week 4.

Week 5 And Week 6

1) Continue to reinforce and test the “heel”, “sit” and “release” commands. Begin to include distractions when training “heel” and “sit” to train your dog to continue focusing on you even there are distractions.
2) Extend the concept of holding position to build patience by extending the “sit” from 5 – 10 seconds to 30 seconds – 1 minute before releasing the “sit” command.

When you test your dog, you should repeat each test until it passes the test 3 consecutive times.

3) Start to reinforce the “down” command in week 5 by removing the treat and shoulder help. During week 6, begin reinforcing without any bodily assistance. You can reintroduce treats as the reward but do not tempt your dog. Only reward your dog after it has successfully completed the “down” command.

Training sessions may become more stressful for both you and your dog as you progress from the teaching phase and enter into the more difficult reinforcing phase. If you find a particular test too tough for both of you; stop the exercise and continue to practice the skills individually, you can repeat that particular test a few days later.

While the length and regularity of the sessions remain unchanged since the first week, the sessions are becoming less predictable and require varieties to make them as interesting and effective as they can be.

Week 7 And Week 8

1) While continuing to reinforce and test the “heel”, “sit” and “release” commands, don’t forget to reinforce the “down” command as well. In 1 of every 3 sessions, add distractions to your basic commands. Improve “down from a stand” exercise with the “down” command.
2) Extend the time-span of the holding position and begin teaching the “stay” command.
3) Begin combining the different commands when training. Teach “sit” and “down” from your front and testing motion “down” and motion “sit”.
4) Start teaching the “come” command. Put your dog on “sit/stay” position, while walking backwards monitor the position holding skills. Body language plays an important role in teaching this command and sending the wrong signals sometimes causes your dog not to hold the position.

Week 9, Week 10 And After

1) Reinforce “stay” and “come” command. Always practice a short leash recall to reinforce the final finish position. Repeat at least 10 times per session. “Come” is the most important command but the least practiced of all the other commands.
2) Conduct test and reinforce all obedience commands. Practice all commands equally, working on each command as little as 1 or as many as 5 repetitions per series though you should avoid creating patterns.

Make exercises targeted towards your practical obedience application. Include distraction training in at least 1 out of every 3 obedience practice sessions.

Dog Obedience Training - Professional Or DIY?

by Rebecca Prescott

Having a new puppy as an addition to the household can be very exciting. Although it is easy to get caught up with this excitement, it is important as a responsible dog owner to ensure that your dog receives proper socialization and obedience training.

Dog's are not humans, and whilst this statement may seem obvious, it can be suprising how much we unconsciously expect them to behave or learn as we might. No matter how much a part of the family they may seem, they communicate in a different way to humans, and this is why obedience training is so important. The right obedience training can help to make your life easier in terms of relating to your pet, and it can even help keep your dog safe when there are hazard around. A good example of this is being able to make him stop if he escapes the leash and heads for the road during his daily walk.

Getting the right obedience training

There are a number of options available when it comes to obedience training, but do bear in mind that training - particularly for the novice dog owner - may not be easy. Each dog will respond differently to obedience training methods. Some dogs tend to be very responsive to training, whereas others can be stubborn, strong willed, and determined, which can make training difficult. However, you are not alone, as there are plenty of resources and help out there.

For those that intend to undertake obedience training without going to a class, there are a number of resources available, including books, DVDs, and Internet advice. However, it is important to remember that many dogs will assume leadership unless you have the confidence and assertiveness to show him who is the boss. The way you do this is important too - it should be done using positive methods and reinforcement, and not by shouting and screaming at him, as the latter can result in fear and even aggression in your dog.

If you are not confident about taking on obedience training yourself then there is help available. Properly trained and experience trainers can prove the ideal solution for your dog's obedience training needs, and can help to teach your dog the basic commands as well as more advanced obedience training. The older your new dog is, the more difficult the training is likely to be Thus, those with adult dogs, or a new young adult, should consider using a professional trainer.

With professional training you can select from non-residential training, which involves going with your dog and helping with in the training process with the supervision of the professionals, or a residential course. In a residential course, your dog goes to 'boot camp' for a specified time and receives obedience training from the experts. Many owners prefer the former method, as it enables them to get assistance with obedience training whilst still enabling them to form a close bond with their pet. Plus, it helps them learn how to handle their dogs in an environment where good feedback is possible.

The Importance of Dog Obedience Training

by Marc Lindsay

In many ways, dog training offers as much of a learning curve for the owner as it does for the dog. When you first sit down to try and teach your new puppy that using the floor is bad and they should be going outside you may feel completely overwhelmed by the entire process. However, the first step of any training is obedience training. Instead of teaching your dog specific actions, obedience training will teach them that you are in command and it will also teach you the same thing.

The best time to begin obedience training is when your dog is a puppy. Some may believe this to be cruel but when you take on the responsibility of owning a puppy you are taking the mantle of its mother. When a puppy misbehaves it gets a warning from mum and when it does well it would normally get rewarded. Because you are now the mother of the relationship it is important that you take on this role and you do so as soon as possible.

The best way to learn the very basics of obedience training is by using a local training school. This will not only arm you with the appropriate exercises to use when at home but it will also begin the important step of socializing your dog with other dogs and with other people. If you want a happy and friendly dog then socializing is absolutely essential.

The two important aspects of obedience training a puppy are reward and reprimand. Note that the reprimand you give should never be physical. A verbal command or a noise of some sort will be more than enough but it is also important that you do not use your dog's name as a reprimand. It may be difficult to get to grips with this at first because if he or she misbehaves your natural instinct is to shout their name. If you do this, the dog will become confused and when you try to call them back to you they may believe they are being shouted at.

Some obedience training professionals suggest using a barking sound like ‘BAAHH'. You may feel silly using this in the street but it is effective in the long run. If you do not feel comfortable with this then you need to settle on one word that you will always use. A word like ‘stop' should do the trick perfectly adequately. When you first start training, you may want to use edible rewards combined with a verbal reward as well such as ‘good boy'. In the end you will move on to just use the verbal reward and that will be enough for your dog.

Dog Obedience Training - The Down Command

by Chris Smith

The down command is the next lesson to teach in your dog obedience training schedule. It should be taught as soon as you and your dog have mastered the sit command. The down command is a fundamental ingredient of your overall dog obedience training program. It provides the foundation for many other advanced commands/skills and establishes you as the leader in the relationship you share with your dog. The reason for this is that the laying down position is a submissive and somewhat vulnerable position for your dog to be in, especially when you are standing tall over the top of your dog.

The down command is a very handy tool you will come to rely on in many situations. Popping your dog down into the lying down position is great for times when you need to go into a shop or for occassions when there are small children around. It can take a bit of practice to reach this level, but it is worth the effort.
Learning The Down Obedience Command

When you are in the learning phase of teaching the down command, start out by making it simple for your dog, then slowly turn up the difficulty level.

- Move your training sessions to a public place.
- Increase the time you keep your dog in the down position.
- Bounce a ball around your dog when he is in the lying position, or scatter some food around him.

The idea is that your "down" command will be so strong in your dogs mind, that none of these other distractions matter. He can only get up to chase the ball or eat the treats when you release him from the down command.

What you are trying to achieve with the down command is to have your dog quickly get down into the laying position, belly touching the ground and his front legs extended out in front.

In a familiar environment to your dog with no distractions, lets get started!

Down Command Technique 1 - Off Leash

- Put your dog into a sitting position.
- Grab your dogs favorite tasty treat and hold it a couple of centimetres in front of his/her nose. Move your hand straight down to the ground.

Your dog should follow it down (you can praise and encourage him down). As soon as his belly hits the ground, with his legs out in front, lavish him with praise and give the treat.

- Repeat this action over and over in short sharp training sessions.
- When your dog is "getting it" and going down right away, you can add the verbal part of the command.

I use "down" other people use "lay" or "drop", just choose the one you are comfortable with and stick to it (make it a one word command only). Add your command just before you start to move the treat towards the ground. This step is all about building an association in your dogs mind between the verbal "down" command and the act of him laying down.

- The idea is that eventually, after plenty of repetition and praise your dog will only require your verbal command, and not the treat in your hand to lure him down. Also, in time you will be able to start the command not only from the sitting position but from standing and in any situation you and your dog are in.

- When your dog is responding well to your verbal command, introduce some other variables which make the down command a little more challenging. Try the command as you go about your daily business, around other people or dogs and increase the duration of the command.

Down Command Technique 2 - On Leash

- Put your preferred collar and leash on your dog - I just use a nice leather buckle collar when teaching the down command.
- Place your dog into the sitting position and stand or kneel right next to him.
- Basically you are trying to guide or coax your dog into the down position. How you do this depends on the size and co-operation level of your dog.
- Always say your "down" command first, then immediately guide your dog down into the lying position. Grab hold of the leash and gently pull your dogs head down, at the same time guide him down by pressing down between his shoulder blades with the palm of your hand.

You can also lift up your dogs front legs and extend them out in front of him, find the method which works best for you. Praise and encourage your dog all the way down. Then of course as soon as he's in the down position make it clear to him that you are happy with him and that he has done a good job.

- After lots of repetition your dog will respond to your verbal command only. Then try the command when your dog is in the standing position and in other settings. Make the command a little more challenging by adding some distractions and increasing the time he is required to stay in the down position.

Whichever method you choose to teach your dog the down command be consistent and keep at it.

When you are happy with your dog getting into the down position you will probably want to add a release command to it. This means that when you issue your down command, your dog goes straight down and is not permitted to get up until you issue another command. You can use "away" or "off you go" for this purpose.

Dog Obedience Training For Pets

by Jerry Mace

A dog is a man's best friend. However, true this might be, the fact always remains that dogs are after all wild animals, and training your beast in to a civilized pet is a very important task that you cannot ignore as a responsible dog owner. Dog training apparently might sound a very easy ‘do it yourself' task, however, there comes a limitation on how well you can train your dog all by yourself. There are many dog obedience training professionals that can do this job for you, at a small cost.

You might be able to train your dog for routine tasks like following you, toilet training, playing games, etc, but living in a city will require more than this basic training. Formal dog training is quite important, for instance if you are taking your dog for a walk on the street, it needs to know how walk in a straight line with a leash around. You don't want your dog scurrying around dragging you all over the park while scaring other commuters.

The other important aspect of dog training is the age of your pet. The age of a dog has a direct bearing on how much adaptive and receptive the dog remains to the training efforts and for his ‘trained-memory'. A young pup is considerably easier to train compared to an adult dog that is over a year or two. In case of adult dogs it might be almost impossible to train him on your own, and this is where professional dog obedience training will come in helpful.

Finding professional dog training has now become quite effortless with the internet. There are a number of dog training course websites that provide a complete package of different solutions for dog obedience training. No matter what city you are located, Harrisburg, York, Lancaster, or Dover Pa., you can easily find a dog training professional help right in your locality.

If you visit one of these dog training websites you will be amazed at the amount of informative resources you have at your disposal, and at no expense at all. You can find more information about the particular breed of your dog, its peculiarities, food habits, and all other such stuff that will come in handy when you maintain a pet in your house.

Typically, different training course are offered on these websites that are aimed at meeting different owner and pet dog requirements. For instance, training techniques and courses significantly are different for dogs of different breeds and age groups. The best part is that you can also do corrective behavioral changes for your dog using these training courses no matter how much you have spoiled your pet.

Discover The Basic Dog Obedience Training Tips

by Ranju Kumar

Dogs are social animals and they become wild, if they are not trained properly. They're pack animals - like most humans, they thrive as part of a group. They're loyal and playful and just fun to be around. By providing Dog obedience training you can improve your dog's behavior, as it mends your dog with a good mental exercise by enabling healthier and happier dog with more freedom. Is your dog destroying your household things or making your house dirty by urinating everywhere or disturbing your neighbors? Then, it's time for your dog to undergo Dog obedience training. This training may not put an end to all the bad behavior of your dog, but can solve most of them.

Effective communication is the important skill required for training in order to make your dog obey your commands, such as

1.Sit - Training a dog to sit when instructed is an important part of the training process.

2.No - Teaching a dog the NO command let's the dog know instantly what it should not do.

3.Stay- By training the dog to follow the Stay command helps the owner to take control of the dog.

In the process of training, you always need to praise your dog instead of punishing it. Usually they respond excellently to positive dog training than negative. Keeping all these in mind you will be able to teach your dog all the three basic and best commands.

Once your dog is done with this part of the training, then you can teach the command come. Tell your dog to come once it has stayed for some time at the same place. Have a happy voice and pat your knee as you say Come. After receiving response from your dog for this particular command,you may reward it immediately.

Remember that if you reward your dog for its good behavior the learning will be faster. It is equally important to admire your dog. Obedience training sessions should always be short and constant as a dog's mind is not stable and it changes from time to time, so constant training is always a best idea.

It is necessary to learn more about basic dog training, dog breeds, dog psychology, ageing dog care, dog nutrition, dog parasites and dog diseases, so that it helps you to take care of your dog. If you follow this simple guidance, you will soon have a more obedient dog that is worth everyone's praise!

Dog Obedience School: Finding The Best One In Your Area

by R. Bird

Are you searching for a dog obedience school in your area? If so, you are putting your dog on the right path to leading a great life. The fact of the matter is that a dog obedience school can do a lot for both you and your pooch. But before you consider enrolling in just any dog obedience school, you will want to make sure that you search your area to ensure that you are getting the best of the best. After all, a dog obedience school is just like anything else. Some of them are better than others, and the prices charged will vary across the board.

To find the best dog obedience school in your area you must first get information from each one. Once you have details of each school you will then be able to compare what they have to offer. Make sure that you look at everything from the cost of attending to the training methods. As mentioned above, each dog obedience school has a different way of doing things. You will want to sign your dog up with the one that is going to be most beneficial.

Once you decide on a couple of dog obedience schools that may do the trick, the final step is to call them up and ask a few questions. This will allow you to get a good feel for who you are dealing with, if they are qualified to help your dog, and much more. Getting this type of first hand interaction is very important to say the least. All in all, finding the best dog obedience school in your area is not hard to do. After you make a list of the schools that are available, the only thing left is to check them all out and make a final decision.

Dog Obedience: 3 Basics you Never Want to Forget

by Paul Easton

Teaching basic obedience skills to a dog can be exciting as well as challenging. Having problems on where to begin?

The first lesson in obedience is to get your dog to pay attention to the commands. You want to start by calling his name and then using a keyword like "watch" or "look" afterwards. This way, he will associate the words to a command. Once you've got his attention, the lessons can begin.

You want your dog to be able to pay attention for a short length of time. Try keeping his attention by doing attention exercises. One example would be to hold a toy or dog treat in near your mouth and then give him the keyword command.

Each time he takes the time to watch, praise him. The more you do this exercise, the more time he should be able to pay attention to you. Try getting him to watch for at least a minute. Let him know that he is doing a good job by rewarding him. Dogs learn best this way.

Because dogs have such short attention spans, they get distracted pretty easily. Training sessions should only last approximately 30 minutes tops.If your dog isn't learning very quickly, you may become frustrated. Don't take that frustration out on your dog. A few things to remember before starting your obedience lessons:

1) Never cause pain to your dog (this will cause him to shy away or become aggressive to you.)

2) If he begins to become distracted, change the tone of your voice (not raising it)

3) Consistency can not be stressed enough (animals are like children, if you're not consistent, they will become confused)

Teaching your dog basic obedience commands will make for a more obedient and more pleasant dog to be around.

The first command to start off with would be to sit. You must use the word sit while teaching him so that he can relate the word with the action. Start by gently pushing his backside down and saying the word "sit." Eventually he will catch on to the concept.

The second command is "down." Dogs can become pretty hyperactive when they get excited. Jumping up on their owner's lap is usually how they express their excitement.

When they jump up, tell them "down." Do not pet them or act excited to see them while they are on you. Continue to tell them "down," and even place their legs down if you have to.

Next is the command of "stay." This command is a good one to know especially if you have a rambunctious hyper dog. You can teach him stay, for example, by putting a treat or something desirable on the ground. As he moves toward it, tell him "Stay."

Another good idea would be to put your hand up while saying the word "stay." When he begins to become obedient in this area, you can move further away from him. This will cause him to become more daring and he will probably take a step forward to see how much he can get away with.

When he does this, continue to put your hand out and tell him "stay." He has to know that even though you are moving away, you can still see what he's doing and expect him to continue to obey.

After you've mastered the stay command, you will move on to the come command. Once your dog has learned to sit and stay, he will need a command to know when it's ok to get up and approach you.

They may be a bit confused at first, but with a change in the tone of your voice, he will soon understand. Put a little excitement in your voice when saying the word "come".

He will pick up on it. You might also want to pat your leg when you say come.

Stand is the last command to achieve. This is where your dog is allowed to get a little excited but not in a pouncing kind of way. When teaching your dog to stand, pat your hands on your chest and, once again, put a little excitement in your voice, so that he knows he's aloud, under certain circumstances. He will begin to know the difference.

Teaching your dog basic obedience, if possible, should be taught as soon as you and your dog are ready. Remember be consistent don't forget to have fun!

Dog Obedience Training Online – A Brief Review

by jason bb han

When you are trying to train your dog by yourself, you need to ensure that you know what you are doing. Obviously, it will be best if you can invest in a quality dog training guide that provides you with very clear instructions on how to train your dog.

Dove Cresswell’s Dog Obedience training is one such program that comes with a total of 7 easy to follow lessons. What makes this program unique from the rest of the dog training products is the background of the product creator.

The fact is Dove Cresswell is not only a dog trainer, she also trains other animals ranging from juvenile cougars, rodents, birds, large reptiles to even cockroaches. You might think that it is a bit crazy, but that just goes to show how experienced Dove Cresswell is, when it comes to training animals.

She also happens to be a professional Hollywood North Dog Trainer and has worked with celebrity dogs featured in movies such as Cougar Crossing, Behind the Camera: Charlie’s Angels, Romeo etc.

On her website itself, she has also provided a free lesson as well as some useful tips like how to avoid common dog training mistakes, the ideal length of each training session, when is the best time to start training your dog, etc.

There are also a total of 8 bonuses included. They are:

1) Be In Touch With Dove Directly
2) Teach Your Dog To Fetch
3) Train Your Dog To Play Soccer
4) Teach Your Dog To Play Hide And Seek
5) Information on Dog Sports Dog
6) Choosing The Right Toys For Your Dog
7) Earning Your Dog’s Respect
8) Choose The Right Dog Food and Treats

By following those lessons closely, you will be able to have a well behaved and obedient dog in no time.

Dog Behavior Training – How Much Does Professional Dog Training Cost?

by John Williams

Dogs can be very difficult animals to deal with from time to time, some breeds and types can be especially difficult to train and control. No mater how much time and effort you seem to be putting in, your efforts give no results.

Don’t worry too much about persistently training you dog, it might not be your fault your dog is disobedient, people in different circumstances may be failing to train their dog for very simple reasons, whether it be your tone of voice, not having enough time to give your dog due to other commitments like work or hobbies, or your children throwing all the basic dog training rules out the window. Here we will try to educate you on the difference a professional dog trainer could have on your dog’s obedience, and how much it will cost.

The options available for dog training

Group dog training sessions locally - four to eight weekly 1 hour sessions for around $40 - $130 (£20 - £70).

Private dog trainers visiting your home or work place to give personal training to your dog for around $25 - $110 (£13 - £55) per hour.

Dog boarding kennel where your dog lives with the trainer for around 2 – 4 weeks getting many hours of professional dog behaviour training a day for around $1000 – $2,500(£550 – £1,300).

What you get for your money

So what do you get for your money? Many dog trainers concentrate on different areas of your dog’s obedience and you will usually get a much better service for the more money you pay. Standard training classes and trainers will concentrate on addressing the chewing, barking, biting and digging aspects of your dog’s behavior. Hand signals may also be covered in dog obedience classes along with showing you, the owner how to handle trickier situations that can only be over come at home like housetraining.

General guidelines for hiring a dog trainer are to always research the dog trainer well, find out qualifications the dog trainer has in his area of expertise and seek advice and information for other dog owners who have had their dogs trained previously. Get to know your trainer well before handing your dog over to him/her and make sure you are comfortable in the methods he/she uses.

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

by Gerry Restrivera

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.

Professional Dog Obedience Training - Dog Training in Harrisburg

by Jerry Mace

A dog is a man's best friend. However, true this might be, the fact always remains that dogs are after all wild animals, and training your beast in to a civilized pet is a very important task that you cannot ignore as a responsible dog owner. Dog training apparently might sound a very easy ‘do it yourself' task, however, there comes a limitation on how well you can train your dog all by yourself. There are many dog obedience training professionals that can do this job for you, at a small cost.

You might be able to train your dog for routine tasks like following you, toilet training, playing games, etc, but living in a city will require more than this basic training. Formal dog training is quite important, for instance if you are taking your dog for a walk on the street, it needs to know how walk in a straight line with a leash around. You don't want your dog scurrying around dragging you all over the park while scaring other commuters.

The other important aspect of dog training is the age of your pet. The age of a dog has a direct bearing on how much adaptive and receptive the dog remains to the training efforts and for his ‘trained-memory'. A young pup is considerably easier to train compared to an adult dog that is over a year or two. In case of adult dogs it might be almost impossible to train him on your own, and this is where professional dog obedience training will come in helpful.

Finding professional dog training has now become quite effortless with the internet. There are a number of dog training course websites that provide a complete package of different solutions for dog obedience training. No matter what city you are located, Harrisburg, York, Lancaster, or Dover Pa., you can easily find a dog training professional help right in your locality.

If you visit one of these dog training websites you will be amazed at the amount of informative resources you have at your disposal, and at no expense at all. You can find more information about the particular breed of your dog, its peculiarities, food habits, and all other such stuff that will come in handy when you maintain a pet in your house.

Typically, different training course are offered on these websites that are aimed at meeting different owner and pet dog requirements. For instance, training techniques and courses significantly are different for dogs of different breeds and age groups. The best part is that you can also do corrective behavioral changes for your dog using these training courses no matter how much you have spoiled your pet.

Three Principles of Dog Obedience Training

by Joey Steen

Dogs have their natural temper, behavior and sometimes even attitude. But under no circumstances that you should expect proper manners and good conduct from a dog. After all it is still an animal. However, there are ways to curb their natural instincts. One of the most popular is Dog Obedience Training. In this article, we would look into three basic principles that must be observed when training your dog to be obedient, they are as follows:

First Principle, BE CONSISTENT.

The very first rule in dog obedience training, in fact in all kinds of animal training, is consistency. The command word, for example, must be uniform regardless of who is giving the command. In order to maintain consistency, you as the trainer, must formulate some personal guidelines and rules that you intend to follow beforehand. Say, training sessions will be limited to 15 minutes only. Five minutes will be used for the review of previous lesson and the other 10 is for the introduction of the new lesson.

Further, commands must be uniformed. If you started using the word "come" when requesting for the dog to approach you, you must not, at any point, use another word or make it into a phrase like "come here". Family members who are interacting with the dg under training should also follow this rule.

When it comes to the use of praise and treats, it is best to always use them right after the desired behavior. Consistency of usage will help your dog associate the nice word or the nice treat with the recent appropriate behavior. Sure, the dog does not understand what the praise means but keep in mind that any positive response from you signals that the dog is being liked. As much as possible, refrain from punishment. Dogs respond very well to positive reinforcement but not as much with the use of force and brute. Punish the dog ONLY when the situation calls for it.

Second principle, KEEP THE TRAINING SHORT AND EASY.

Dogs get easily bored especially when the task becomes repetitive. Anything longer than 20 minutes may elicit unfavorable response from the dog such as unwillingness to perform the behavior being asked. So even if you are overly excited with the new cute trick, avoid pushing your dog to the edge of his interest because once he gets bored, it would be harder for you to continue obedience training.

Further, don't exhaust your dog with overly complicated tasks. Start with much simpler task then move toward more complex ones. The key is to keep your dog interested so don't try giving him tasks that he could not easily understand or perform.

Third principle, SHOW HIM LOTS OF LOVE.

Hurting the dog will not encourage him to respond to your training. Sure, dogs don't always remember any bad thing you did to him but he might learn to associate a certain good response to a certain punishment. If you can't help it and you need to punish the dog, just use negative reinforcement or enforce a time out from all positive reinforces. Dog obedience could be hard but with patience and resolve thrown into your set of rules and guidelines, it would prove to be rewarding and fun.

Dog Obedience Training Opens Communication With Owner

by Roland Jefferson

When a dog misbehaves it is not because they are bad, it is usually because they are dogs and they are simply acting like the animals they are. They will eat the furniture and everything else that strikes their fancy, jump up on things and people and even bite the hands that feed them. While dog obedience training may not solve every issue of behavior you have with your dog, it is a way of helping the dog understand what your expectations are.

In most cases, the dog will want to please its owner, once it understands just which of you is the boss, and once established will mostly do as directed. However, before the new dog will give itself over to dog obedience training, the social pecking order has to be understood. This by no means hints that harsh steps are needed to make the dog submissive to the owner. Simple commands such as sit, kiss or stay can be taught with an even, stern, not necessarily loud voice, can make the animal understand who is in charge.

By recognizing the dog’s submissive behavior with praise, the animal will become open for additional dog obedience training and additional steps can be taken. Certain breeds, however will only acknowledge one “big dog” in the house and the owner’s spouse or children may be ignored if they attempt to give the animal a command.

It Is Never Too Late To Begin Training

The old saying that it is not possible to teach an old dog new tricks is not valid as dogs can and will be open to dog obedience training, provided it is done in the right fashion. Beginning dog obedience training should start as soon as the dog arrives at its new home, regardless of the animal’s age, as it has learned behaviors that you may want it to “unlearn” before it begins to learn new ways of doing things.

Once a relationship and order has been established between you and the dog, it will be ready to start learning expected behaviors from you. Understand, however that some old behaviors may creep back into the animal’s daily routine and you must show the dog through your dog obedience training that you understand he is a creature of habit, but that the actions are unacceptable.

If you have never trained a dog before, it may be good to take you and the animal to a dog obedience class to learn the basics and then continue with dog obedience training at your home. Remember to be consistent with the training or the dog may become confused about what is expected.

Tired of Dog Behavior Problems? Employ Dog Obedience Training.

by Kevin Bauer

Dog obedience training is the process of establishing a firm relation between your dog and you - the dog owner. In a way, it creates a common language for your dog to know the needed response in cases of maladaptive behaviors.

Your dog's ill disposition may be due to its inability to respond properly on the stress it encounters and its insufficient understanding of such. Once a dog is trained, its threshold to stress may be raised to another level more apt with what his environment may require.

What that really means is that sometimes your dog hasn't a clue about what to do and that creates confusion and sometimes behavior you don't like. So you have to help him understand what's ok and then get him to realise that is what you expect.

Dog obedience training is in general, an education to cultivate dogs to become well-disposed. Normally, in the process of educating or training the dogs their tendency for aggressiveness and over reaction may be diminished to the least possible level. It is one of the methods to cope the dogs with the real world. Instead of a cycle of empty rituals, it is far more worthwhile to enroll your dog for formal dog obedience training.

Dog obedience training is defined as controlling the environmental and social variables to achieve more desirable actions from a dog, or on the contrary, to decrease the undesirable dog behaviors. At any rate, it may employ the use of several dog obedience training theories and procedures like operant conditioning and other traditional dog obedience training procedures.

Moreover, dog obedience training may be used to carry out many of your dog's fundamental needs like exercise, feeling of accomplishment, the security of understanding what's expected from him, and to adapt him for social interaction.

For the basic dog obedience training class- the curriculum for novices would typically comprise of the basic exercises like "sit", "stay", "heel, down" and "come" for these only reinforce their natural behavior; thus it would be easier for your pet to learn these inherent activities. Moreover, each of which may play a number of key roles with dog-human relationship. Additionally, puppies may also be accommodated on pre-novice classes or kindergarten.

If you are an inexperienced dog trainer, a dog obedience school through their expert dog trainers may help you with many fundamentals like: the timing for rewarding your dog when he responds correctly to your commands and your response if he does not listen. Also, your dog's performance may be greatly affected with the way you act in response with his actions, including your body posture and facial expressions. These things may have subtle influences on the dog's behavior; nonetheless they may affect your dog's performances later on.

In a number of classes, curriculum may involve training on dog's social behaviors and training-related topics often allowing a particular time to be devoted for exercises like jumping up or controlled walking.

It is essential that in dog obedience training, the trainer should not be moody or testy in attitude. In fact, the dog obedience training must be a pleasant experience both for the dog and the trainer as any unpleasant events that the dog may associate in a particular training may obstruct him from responding to other forms of dog obedience training.

To train your dog to "come" when being called, it must be understood that the foundation of training to achieve a reliable response is to make the compliance pleasant for the dog. Any disagreeable experience that the dog associates with non-compliance to the owner's request may tend it not to repeat the same action again.

Dog Obedience Training is Necessary

by Robert Buford

Obedience Training is a very important excersize for both you and your pet. It not only gives the pet owner peace of mind, but also helps to establish a strong bond between you and your pet.

It is best to do dog obedience training after you and your dog have had a chance to bond. Obedience training doesn't solve all behavior problems, but it is the foundation for solving just about any problem.

Training a dog to obey your commands can be an ongoing and lengthy process depending on the dog, the methods used, and the skill and understanding of both the pet and its owner.

Although dogs love us, and some of them are very smart for their breed, they don't have the brain capacity of humans. And as much we treat them as our children (yes I'm guilty), we have to tailor our training to a dog and not a person. The first thing to do is to choose one person to do the training, usually the master (or alpha leader in dog speak), this is the person (most probably you) who will train your best friend. If you're asking why, it's simply to avoid confusion and help your puppy or dog learn to recognize your commands, inflections, and instructions.

With time, dogs have become an important part of human households, where they are seldom treated as working mates. Unlike people of the 18th century, dog owners of today consider their pets as one of their family members and go out of their way to provide the latter with the best of training, diet, grooming and care.

Your dog provides you with love and companionship, but chances are he also provides you with some unpleasant surprises from time to time-a mess on the carpet or a slobbery pair of slippers, for example. While dogs seem to offer their people love and friendship almost immediately, learning how to live by the rules of a human household does not always come so easily.

Recognize that dogs, no matter how smart for their breed, are not as intelligent as humans. And while multitasking in today's environment is expected of homosapiens, such is not the case in the dog world. Teach them one thing (thing=command) at a time, otherwise your training session may be confusing and not achieve the results you're hoping for. Realize that even if you only teach one command at a time, it will very likely require multiple training sessions.

Solving your dog's behavior problems may take a renewed commitment on your part, but it can be done. And it's worth it. After all, research shows that most dogs and cats are relinquished to animal shelters-or otherwise given up-because of common behavior problems their families didn't know how to solve.

The Top Ten Dog Obedience Tips

by Lisa Nobles

A new puppy is a wonderful addition to any household. They provide love, and hours of enjoyment and happiness. However, they can often come with some early teething problems. There's barking, potty training, chewing, and many more hurdles to overcome.Be prepared, a new puppy does not come trained, so you will have to be the one to put your dog through some obedience training.

This article gives you the top 10 dog obedience tips on how to get your puppy trained and under control. Save yourself some time and frustration and read these tips. Put them to the test with your new puppy!

1. Use Praise and Correction effectively- If your new puppy does something right, give it praise- a pat or a snack. If your dog does something bad, make sure they know it. Don't abuse them though.

2. Repetition is needed- Your puppy is not going to learn something straight away. You need to exercise repetition of commands for each thing you want your puppy to be able to do.

3. Don't offer conflicting signals- You need to ensure that all people in your house offer the same signals for the same actions and treat your new puppy in the same way. Conflicting signals are only going to confuse your new dog.

4. Don't punish a dog if you haven't taught it something- Going on from the tip mentioned above, don't punish your dog if you haven't taught it how to do something. This is just confusing for the dog.

5. Have short training sessions- A puppy has a short attention span, so ensure that you keep any obedience training sessions short and sharp.

6. Take your obedience training slowly- Each dog will learn obedience at different speeds. Take your obedience training slowly and do not get frustrated. Your new puppy will pick up on your frustration.

7. Do obedience training with the dog yourself- Dogs are inherently pack animals and they look towards a leader. You need to make sure you are the leader they look towards.

8. Always practice obedience training- You could teach a dog obedience at all times. Teach them to fetch of a morning and sit before you feed them.

9. Only correct your dog if you see them doing something bad- Don't punish your dog if you think it has done something wrong. Only punish your dog is you see it do something wrong and immediately after you see it do something wrong. That way your dog will stop doing things that you don't want them to do.

10. Find out what motivates your dog- Is your dog motivated by doggie treats or is it more motivated by praise? Find out what motivates your dog and use that to help with obedience training.Dogs are fantastic companions. But, a well trained dog is always better. Use the 10 tips mentioned above and you will be well on your way to having a well trained dog by your side.

Dog Obedience Schools: How To Get Free Dog Training By Learning What They Teach At Obedience Classes

by Ty Brown

Have you ever wished you could train your dog the way they are trained in professional obedience schools that you see on television or in your neighborhood dog training obedience schools? Home dog training is very possible for even the average dog owner, and you don't necessarily need dog obedience classes to have a well trained dog. Pet obedience is within the reach of all dog owners if they just learn proper techniques.

While free dog training is very possible if you want to do-it-yourself you must first dispel many of the myths that surround dog training. Once you understand the truth behind dog behavior (the stuff they teach you at expensive obedience schools) you will be able to have the dog of your dreams.

These are all things I often hear about obedience training a dog. Some of them MAY have some truth but none of them are absolutely true:

1- You need to wait until a puppy is at least 4/6/8 months to start obedience training- Truth be told, you can start obedience training your puppy from the moment he gets home. Don't ask too much at eight weeks of age but get started right away.

2- You can't obedience train an older dog- I almost prefer an older dog when doing obedience training. Older dogs have developed bodies, developed minds, and developed nervous systems. What that means in relation to training is that you can ask for high level of obedience from an older dog.

3- Obedience training should be done only with treats- Treats are great tools for reward. When they are used as a basis for a training program they are most often ineffective versus big distractions. Think about it, if your dog is chasing after a cat going towards a busy street is he going to continue chasing the cat or return to you to get a little treat? Chances are he will continue chasing the cat towards disastrous results.

4- Obedience training should be done only with discipline. If you use only disciplinary measures in training a dog you may end up with a dog that is obedient. You will also end up with a dog that obeys out of fear.

5- Certain dogs can't be trained- I have never met a dog that could not be trained. The only dog that theoretically couldn't be trained at minimum to an adequate level would be a dog with a chemical imbalance in their brain. This type of dog is rare.

At pet obedience classes and your neighborhood dog obedience school you can find out how to dispel more myths about how to train a dog. If you are looking for FREE dog training, though, it is recommended that you search your library, the internet, and dozens of other resources to learn the best way to get your dog to be obedient without going to obedience classes.

Types Of Dog Obedience Training Available For Your Pit Bull Terrier

by Tim Amherst

More and more Pit Bull owners are realizing the benefits of training their dogs. There are several reasons why an owner would like to train their pet, other than just the obvious housebreaking which is mandatory. A pet which is well trained, no matter the breed, is a pet liked and admired by any and all that come in contact with him. All pets, and certainly the Pit Bull, can not only benefit themselves, but their entire breed by making a good showing around company.

Responsible Pit Bull owners are now seeing the light that the only way to combat the negative attack campaign the media has launched against our misunderstood breed is to make sure our pets make a good showing no matter where they go.

As a responsible Pit Bull owner, you have several training options available for your use. Which method you choose to use for training your Pit Bull is solely left up to your own discretion. It is highly recommended that before you train your Pit Bull that you are up to the task at hand, and fully understand the training method you choose to use.

Here are several popular training types being used by trainers today.

After The Fact Discipline: This type of training is not recommended because it is not effective. It has been used for correcting behavior after an act has happened, rather than focusing on the prevention of the act.

Clicker Training: This type of training is a method of teaching and reinforcing positive behaviors with a motivational style. The goal of clicker training is to teach the dog obedience while avoiding harmful punishments.

Eclectic Training Method: Combines several different training methods, while emphasizing the method which seems to deliver the best behavioral results. This method uses the different methods to reinforce each other.

Koehler Method: This method has been deemed a heavy handed style of dog training which to many is simply too harsh. This method combines physical correction with the after-the-fact training style.

Lure Training: Lure training is great for nearly all dogs. It uses something that the dog likes, such as a toy or a special treat to teach commands. Over time, the lure is slowly removed from the training. Lure training is great for puppies as well as timid or dogs which are difficult to train. This method of training often succeeds where other fail.

Play Training: Play training is a motivational training method which takes two of the dog's primary drives, play and prey, and combines it into a fun filled training session which the dogs love. You know your Pit Bull better than anyone, so it is up to you how you'd like to go about training him. By picking a method which you think would appeal to you both, you'll insure a successful experience in training your Pit Bull.

Dog Obedience Training - Puppy Behavior - 8 - 11 Weeks Old

by Tobias Charles

Puppy Behavior 8 - 11 weeks old.

Puppy behavior is important to be able to understand as when a puppy goes through certain stages in its development their behavior will also go through changes. We will look at the stages a puppy goes through between the ages of 8-11 weeks of age and how you can learn how to train a puppy during this stage.

Puppy Development 8-11 weeks old.

You have just purchased your adorable new puppy and have teaken him home. However, you must try not to get to caught up with the 'cute puppy' phase and should start puppy training as early as possible.

You should start basic training. Don't allow strangers to scare or intimidate your puppy as this can seriously affect how your puppy interacts with humans in adulthood. Some dog trainers argue that this phase is so important that if you want your puppy to be a detection dog and you have not taught him the basics of the 'fetch command' between 8-11 weeks then they will never be able to become a detection dog

Your puppy will want to explore his surroundings but will have a general fear of everything. Start socializing your puppy by introducing him to different objects.Use positive reinforcement to reward good behavior-give your puppy a treat and lots of praise. Do not be over protective with your puppy. If you give your puppy lots of attention when he becomes scared this will teach him that it is natural to be scared and when he shows fear he gets praise-never a good idea. Your puppy's personality will start to really develop so it is imporant to start puppy socialization with other humans and other animals.

Puppy parties are a good socialization tool-but don't start introducing your puppy to walks or other dogs until your vet says it is ok.As a new owner you should expect crying and house soiling in the night.

Your puppy will also cry when he is left alone-he is not used to being seperated and he is still a baby. Monitor fearful behavior as you don't want irrational fears to develop into adulthood Your puppy may start tugging and pulling on clothes and even jumping up.

Understand that puppy chewing may happen-but do not allow it.

A puppy soon grows so don't allow behavior such as jumping up to happen-if he does start ignore your puppy.

Remember that you are the pack leader so you need to be strong and set the House rulesTry not to let anything startle your puppy at this age-watch out for fire works partiesYou really need to start introducing your puppy to other dogs as this is how they learn to behave and respond to other dogs.Although Diarrhoea is common at this age due to changes in diet-if you have any worries at all you must consult your vet.

Yo can start basic puppy training as it is a great way to communicate with your puppy and to build a string relationship-remember these golden rules when puppy obedience training:Be patient-remember that a puppy has a limited attention span.Be consistent-set the rules and stick with them.Positive reinforcement-always heap lots of praise on a puppy that behaves well.Be rational with your puppy by understanding that you are also learning how to train a puppy so will make mistakesBe fair at all times with your puppy and accept that their will be accidents in the House.

Start Basic Puppy Obedience Training Keep pupy obedience training short and fun.Have lots of treats ready to give your puppy when he behaves well.Do not give commands in a harsh tone.Make sure the whole family use the same commands otherwise it will confuse your puppy.Practice training techniques everyday Puppy Behavior 8-11 weeks old - what to expect Fearful behaviorPlay biting and chewing Your puppy may chase other animals

Crying when seperated from you or the family Minor destructive behaviorJumping up If you found this article on puppy behavior and puppy development useful-you may find our more indepth puppy behavior tips useful or visit our site on Dog Obedience Training for more general dog and puppy training advice.

Doing Dog Obedience Training Professionally

by Rudy Silva

There is general consensus among animal psychologists and other professionals in the field of dog obedience training that positive reinforcement training is the best way to train your dog. Positive reinforcement training is all about providing rewards for good dog behavior. When rewards are consistent over a long period of time dog training will be accomplished.

Using positive training is the only way to train your dog with lasting effects. Your dog will remember what you taught him for a long time. Giving your dog pain to behave and learn new behaviors is now outdated.

The fact is that positive reinforcement works with dogs. Your dog wants to make you happy, meaning that positive reinforcement works better with dogs and is better remembered.

These are some ideas to use when you are training your dog. Remember be positive when you first start. Dogs can sense your mood and will react to it, so be positive not negative.

1. Do dog training with good rewards. While your dog does like being praised and getting a pat on the head, this will only go so far in training your dog to behave well. To really keep your dog’s attention, you need to use food rewards. These are what dog trainers call “primary incentives” – and every dog owner knows how food-motivated a dog can be!

2. When should a reward be given? The time to give a reward needs to be exact. In training your dog, a reward is given immediate after you tell your dog to do something and he does it. Give the reward right away. Don’t wait and give another command to do the same thing again. Give a reward each time your dog does what it was told.

Many people use a clicker for dog training. A clicker is a small metal device which makes a click-click sound. Click your clicker at the exact moment that your dog obeys a command, followed immediately by a treat. Your dog learns to associate the action, click and the treat.

You can also use your voice as a marker. Say “yes” in a friendly, excited tone of voice when your dog performs a desirable behavior. Follow this immediately with a treat and use the same verbal cue every single time. You have to be consistent in order to teach your dog to follow these desirable behavioral patterns.

When trying to get your dog to learn a new command, during your dog obedience training, decide beforehand which verbal cue you’ll be using when training your dog. Use this cue consistently throughout your training. For instance, if you want to teach your dog to quit jumping on you when you get home, always use a specific command, such as “no jump.” Keep to this command and never change it other phrases like “get off” get down” and so on.

No matter how smart your dog may be, they have a very limited capacity to understand human speech. They can learn, but you’ll need to use consistent repetition of the markers and rewards with the associated action in order to cement this positive behavior in your dogs’ mind.

As long as you can stick with the basics of dog obedience training and with the ideas of positive reinforcement training, your dog will learn and the both of you will come through the training process unscathed. You will have a dog that other people will like and, of course, will like you for having such a behaved dog.