Dog Obedience Training: The 5 Hottest Benefits

by Barry Crewse

Dog Obedience training is undeniably the most important factor in the relationship you have with your dog.

The question I get asked the most is what exactly is dog obedience training and is it really all that important in the relationship you have with your dog.

In a nut shell, dog obedience training is very loose term used to describe what can be accomplished with a variety of different dog training techniques.

There are a wide variety of dog training techniques available which I believe is cause for some of the confusion. Your dog can be trained in everything from puppy house training and dog housebreaking tips to guard dog training and behavioral modification just to name a few.

What ever training technique you decide to pursue first whether training your dog at home or at an appropriate dog training school, you should accomplish the following benefits.

1. The benefits of strong healthy bonding between your pet and you are best created by the use of some form of dog obedience training methods.

2. Basic dog training opens up the communication factor between you and your dog. This helps give you the basic idea’s of what you want from your dog and helps your dog to understand and respect what it is you are teaching him.

3. Giving your dog the proper obedience training he needs will give him the knowledge about the boundaries you wish to create for him. These boundaries will help him to become a responsible, well mannered dog to not only you and your family but to other dogs, animals and people as well.

4. By training your dog, you set up the all important ground work your dog requires to prevent the development of some really bad habits. Some bad habits can include chewing, biting, jumping, peeing in the house, barking and a host of others.

5. One major problem when getting a new puppy or dog is the confusion that first takes place. By beginning a training program quickly, you will eliminate the confusion and your dog will learn what it is he needs to be doing and life for all of you gets a whole lot easier!

6. One final BONUS benefit: By properly training your dog you will find that it is not only fun and rewarding for both of you but the confidence you find in being able to take your dog and trust him in any situation is a major stress reliever in and of itself.

I have barely scratched the surface in name just a few of the benefits you will discover by properly training your dog.

Unfortunately, I see all to often many dogs neglected, disobedient and a royal pain in the butt for owners, neighbors and even themselves.

Most dogs do feel frustrated by not know the rules of the road and it really is the responsibility of every dog owner to teach them the basics.

There are a variety of methods in which to teach your dog the proper way online if you know where to look.

Please remember, it really isn’t about force or cruelty or dominance in teaching your dog.

You can train your dog in ways in which you can accomplish your goals in a fraction of the time by doing it the right way.

Done right, your puppy will look forward to each and every training session once the lines of communication are established and you will find that training your dog will become a ton of fun for you and your whole family with benefits that will last a lifetime.

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Train Your Dog Well

by John Savage

Training your dog is no easy task; any pet owner can tell you that. While many dogs are very eager to please their owners, the bottom line is that they really don’t always understand what it is that you are saying and they have very, very short attention spans. These factors can make things difficult for even the most patient of owners, but before you are tempted to throw in the towel, let us consider some simple and basic dog training aids that you can use to help you along the way.

One of the best dog training aids that you can employ is to emphasize rewarding your dog for what he or she does right rather than simply punishing your dog when he or she does something wrong. Dogs crave attention and approval from their owners and will do just about anything to get it. If you want your dog to learn potty training, reward her when she goes in the right spot in the yard just as much as you scold her for going anywhere else. Many people neglect to include this positive reinforcement as part of their dog training aids arsenal, but that approval and affection can go a long way toward getting your dog to do what you want her to do!

Now there are some training aids on the market which you can buy, some quite frankly being much better than others. Expert dog trainers are now turning away from choke collars and chains saying that they are quite ineffective for the task, as well as being harmful. What is still held in high esteem however is a good strong collar and lead, one which you can give a gentle tug to and get your dogs attention without causing any discomfort. A dog needs to be reminded of what they can and cannot do, and a good lead will help with this. Some people like to use a muzzle in order to try and control barking both when out, and when at home, but we shopuld never forget that barking is something that comes naturally to a dog.

Another weapon in your arsenal of dog traing aids is the good old fashioned grooming brush. Most dogs just love the time when they are groomed, and they also love having a toy to play with. Give them a chewy top and you will keep them happy for hours, and they won’t be looking to chew the furniture or get up to mischief. Another basic aid is you, yes, your playing with your dog is not only great fun for both of you, but it will make sure that he or she has little energy left to get into trouble. It does not cost anything to play, so make sure you do.

One last thing to say and that is about bathing. If you start this when they are quite young then it can be an enjoyable activity for both of you. Make sure you only use proper dog shampoo, and follow up he bathing with dog conditioner as this make it easier to comb your dog later on. Use a good size towel for drying them, and be prepared to get a bit wet yourself!

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Horse Training An Exciting Career

by Heidi Edris

Before you decide on signing up for horse training classes, ask yourself the following questions to determine whether this is the right track for you.

1. Are you interested in horse training? 2. Do you participate in horse shows and watch horse rases? 3. Are you willing to acquire knowledge about the kinds of horse feeds on the market, as well as the required dietary allowance for each type of horse? 4. Are you okay to groom horses day in and day out? 5. Will you not feel silly when you are called for to talk to them? This is necessary because studies show that horses obey more through human contact, especially the human voice. 6. Are you encouraging? 7. Are you a leader? 8. Can you put tacks or harnesses on the horse in order for them to be habitual to the equipment? 9. Will you be willing to ride the horses and to observe their behavior with each temperament required of you? 10. Do you have the patience to train them?

These are the ten basic questions that are often asked by horse training instructors to those who wish to be around horses. Being around horses can be very dangerous. Due to that reason alone, it is only fair that the aspiring horse trainer is there because of his free will.

Horse training as a career is no different to any other job. There are some expectations from each horse trainer. The owners hope that the trainer they assign for their beloved horses can retrain them from kicking, resisting grooming and bolting the very minute their reins aren’t secured.

A job as a horse trainer needs a lot of patience and dedication. That is why when answering the ten questions, answer them honestly so that you have a better idea what horse training career is all about. As a horse trainer you are the one teaching the riding, driving and racing techniques to the horse. You are doing your job well as a horse trainer well if you can bestow the horse the knowledge, the plan training as well as the techniques. However, the owners are free to pay independent operators or have their horses put at a training school. Whatever they decide to do, horse trainers are in demand.

Some horse trainers pair up a stallion to a mare, depending on the horse type, in order to come up with a good breed of foal, this is done by horse trainers who are knowledgeable about the mating of horses. Of course it is a good investment because the finer the breed of the horse, the more expensive they are. Everyone knows how much a horse costs.

If horse training as a career is what you love then it can be a good choice that will give you good returns.

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How To Train A Dog To Sit In 8 Easy Steps

by Lee Dobbins

The first step in dog training is teaching your dog to sit. To begin this process, it is important to start when the dog is just a puppy, or as soon as it gets settled into its new home. Why do I need to train a puppy to sit? you might ask. After all, doesn’t a dog already know how to sit? If you keep reading, you’ll learn why this early training is important, as well as exactly how to train a dog to sit.

1. The first step is to get your puppy to sit on his own. Be observant and whenever you see him about to sit, say the word ’sit’; eventually he will come to associate the word with his action. This method is also useful in other areas of training.

2. Now comes the training part. Take his favorite treat and hold it in your hand. Make sure that it is small enough that the puppy can swallow it fast.

3. Get down to your puppies level. You will appear less threatening to the dog if you are on his level. More importantly, you can reward him faster if you’re sitting on the floor.

4. Move the treat over your puppies head, from front to back, slowly. The idea is for the puppy to smell the treat (he will) and follow it with his nose. He has the option of either backing while still standing or sitting down. It’s a lot easier to sit down, so he’ll probably do that.

5. It is important in training that a correct response be followed immediately by a reward. As the dog begins to sit, say the word ’sit’, and quickly give him his treat.

6. More than a treat, your dog looks for your approval so you should also reward him with that. Your approval for a job well done should be apparent in both the tone of your voice, and body language.

7. Repeat these steps not more than 5 times in a row, but you can repeat the steps multiple times each day.

8. During the next stage, you should try the following steps while standing. Check to see if your dog responds to the word ’sit’ without a treat, or a hand motion. If he does, praise him. If not, don’t worry about it. Never show your lack of confidence in the dog while training it just simply wait patiently for him to sit, then dole out the rewards.

You need to keep practicing this so that your dog your dog will learn to sit when you tell him to no matter what’s happening around him. This is something you’ll have to keep working at for the rest of his life. He will constantly be faced with new situations, strange people, other dogs, and different environments, and you can use each new experience as a way to challenge him to reach greater heights.

Learning how to train a dog to sit will reward you in many ways. When you begin training, the puppy learns to respond to his name and becomes accustomed to training and your commands. You earn the puppy’s respect as his or her master, and in turn your pet will feel safe and secure. At the end of the day, you will both know you’re a great match!

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So You Bought a New Puppy… Now What?

by Tony Bueler

First of all - Congratulations, this will be an exciting time for you and your family - especially the kids. The magic in your children’s eyes when they see their brand new puppy will be hard to match. Just think of the hours of enjoyment they will bring to each other!

But those first couple of months can be a bit of a challenge. Some training issues that you will need to deal with. These will be no problem, but the earlier you can train your little puppy, the more you will be able to enjoy him/her later on.

For example, those little puppy teeth can be sharp! When puppies play together, they naturally and uninhibitedly bite and mouth each other. This is not a big problem for them since their skin is relatively thick and it causes no discomfort whatsoever.

But when you are training them to socialize with humans, this is not the kind of behavior that is acceptable. And although this kind of biting is cute when the dog is just a few pounds, it ceases to be cute when they are 25 pounds or more. Controlling this ‘biting reflex’ is an important first step in training the little puppy.

Have the puppy socialize with other puppies if at all possible. Puppies will bite each other as they roll and play, but this playing happens to be the best way to train the puppy out of their biting habit - especially if they are playing with already socialized pups. The already socialized puppies will mildly punish the puppy that becomes to aggressive while playing and teach them to suppress their biting habit.

The socialization they get with other dogs also teaches the puppy not to be afraid of other dogs and it helps them drain off their excessive energy. Puppies that do not get the chance to socialize with other dogs also tend to be more hyperactive as they develop fearful and aggressive habits. A dog will tend to react aggressively in a new and unfamiliar environment if they had never been socialized.

A puppy should also be socialized with adults so that in order to become a member of the household and neighborhood. Introduce your puppy to both children and adults and help them to make the distinction between those who are their owners as well as other people.

The best time to train your puppy to be socialized is when they are 3 months old or younger- this is when they catch on very fast. This is even more important when dealing with breeds that are typically less passive.

A key way of training your puppy not to bite is to get them to put their trust in you. Never hit your puppy as this will not help them to trust and respect you, It will simply cause them to fear you - which is not what you want. The confused little puppy won’t really understand why you did this and it will be not be very productive to their training.

And last but not least, enjoy your puppy! He/she will bring endless enjoyment to you and your family.

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Tried And True Methods For Training Your Dog Not To Bite

by Lee Dobbins

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) revealed that more than 4.7 million people a year are bitten by dogs. These high incidents of dog bites result to various medical bills, law suits, and sometimes euthanasia for the dog. These cases might be avoidable if dog owners take safety precautions such as training their dogs not to bite.

There are common techniques that have been proven to be effective in suppressing biting behavior of dogs. However, the degree of difficulty of dog training varies with the breed of dog, age and individual temperament.

Like with any other training you should start training dogs not to bite while they are young. Puppies naturally nip and bite but this behavior should be discouraged by you from day 1. Owners that let their puppies bite because they think it is cute often end up with grown dogs who don’t understand why this behavior is suddenly not allowed.

Once your dog is about four weeks old, you can start to teach him simple commands. If he tries to bite, tell him ‘No!’ in a calm but serious voice, and accompany it with a gentle squeeze of the muzzle.

It is important not to squeeze the muzzle too hard or too high up. Doing so can cause the puppy to bite its tongue or damage the delicate odor receptors that are high up in the snout. A dog’s ability to smell is one of its most important assets!

Squeezine your dogs muzzle will help him associate the verbal command with the discomfort of the squeeze. Since most dogs are uncomfortable with having their muzzles squeezed, this will help him think twice about biting.

Another dog training technique that might help eliminate biting is to socialize your dog since dogs that are not used to people or other dogs do tend to bite. You want to socialize your dog eat an early age to develop his calmness and confidence. Your dog will be more friendly to your guests, other animals and even strangers if socialized properly.

While still young, socialize your dog with other dogs preferably those that are non-aggressive. Being exposed to other dog breeds will help him cope up with territorial behavior.

While it is natural for a dog to nip and bite, the know enough not to do this too hard to their littermates. They will nip each other while playing, but they learn early on not to press too hard. This natural instinct can be used in training dogs not to bite by teaching them to extend the scope of the pack to include family members, frequent visitors and other pets.

When introducing your dog to other household pets, restrain both your dog and your other pets. They will learn to gradually approach each other naturally.

Keep an eye out for uncomfortable body language, growling, ears that stand up straight or other signs of possible anger. Have the dog sit down, rub it’s back area, and extend your hand to the second animal, and then convey the second animal’s scent to your pet. Allow them to get to know each other slowly.

Many dogs can be trained to curb thier urge to bite by the time they are four and a half months old, but it may take your dog longer than that. It varies by breed, and each individual dog within a breed is different. And you know that saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”? It’s not exactly true, but training an older dog to stop biting is much more difficult than it is to teach a puppy.

Some dogs are not fully trained to not to bite other people and animals. In this case, the owners need to take special care to insure the dog is never put in a situation where it can harm another person or animal.

Persistent long term use of these dog training techniques will likely result in a more stable and fun pet, not to mention that it could prevent an unwanted situation where your dog could get hurt or hurt someone else.

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3 Tips That Make Training Your Dog Easier

by Teresa Lin

Show a Positive Attitude

As a dog owner, you should convey to your dog a positive attitude. Thing about your dog like your child. Don’t be so controlling. If your dog is only taking orders, then do you think your relationship will blossom?

Let you’re dog know how happy and proud your are. Positive verbal affirmations are good for dogs, as they are for humans. Remember, telling your dog how proud you are is free. All you have to do is put in the effort when using praise.

Correct Your Dog With Care

I’m sure you remember a time when you were either scolded or told not to do something. I’m not sure about you, but my parents were pretty strict. What happens when is child is told not to do something. They do the opposite. That’s just a part of human nature, as well as dog nature.

I’m sure that you don’t enjoy being “told” what to do. In many cases, people don’t like people to yell at them and give them angry facial expressions. Unfortunately, those experiences are common habits that people do when taking care of their dogs. So if you try to correct your dog’s behavior, think of how you would treat your own child.

Emotionally Align With Your Dog

Think about your dog like another person. When you’re shown the right attitude and care, you will benefit from the enhanced relationship. This is like a matter of respect. If you think about dog training like an obstacle, you’ll be putting an obstacle in front of you.

So how do you align with your dog? Allow your dog to be part of your activities. Treat your dog like another member of the family. Once you allow your dog to be part of your life, your dog will treat you and respect you more as your relationship builds.

In Conclusion

So many times, we read advice in magazines or maybe on the internet. All that you have read is pure information. However, reading information is not enough. Knowledge only has power if you execute it. So read, and re-read these tips again. Once you understand them, put them into action. Doing so will help build the relationship between you and your dog.

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Start With These Basic Dog Training Techniques

by Lee Dobbins

In order to communicate with your dog for effective and successful training, you’ll need to arm yourself with some basic dog training techniques. Interaction between dogs and humans has been around for thousands of years, but sometimes it’s still a baffling process. While we all like to think that we are more intelligent, sometimes training sessions can leave a bit of confusion about who is really in charge.

Dogs interact with the world differently than humans do. While they understand and respond to people about the same way a two-year-old would there are major differences in how they experience reality. The sensory differences include a highly sensitive sense of smell as well as the differences in responding to the visual stimulus of reds and greens. An understanding of these differences will help reduce human frustration and misbehavior by the dog.

Dogs have descended from the wolf, and as a result have a pack mentality. The expression “lone wolf” is a misnomer, as wolves and dogs are by nature social creatures, who do a lot of interaction with each other, and are ruled by a strict hierarchical structure.

Dedicate at least 30 minutes per day (one hour would be ideal) for the first few months of training. Begin when your dog is still a puppy. You can start as early as four weeks with some breeds, as long as you remember the age of your dog and accept his limitations.

While housebreaking your dog is a bit more complicated (and we will discuss this in another article), there are a few basic dog training techniques that all training should follow.

One of the first things to do would be to let your dog know that you are the dominant one. There is a hierarchy to dog packs, starting with alpha dogs, then beta dogs, and then down to the omega dog. The human, whether it is a man or woman, needs to always be the alpha male if you want your household to remain calm and your dog to be well-adjusted.

Techniques for dog training actually depends on the breed and the individual dogs itself. Just like human beings some dogs are more assertive than others. Attitude is the most important thing but you should also employ the aid of leashes, collars and commands. Always be sure that you are the one in control - not your dog.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that you have to use physical force to assert that you’re in charge. Occasionally you’ll need to use proper physical restraint, but being firm and confident will usually be sufficient for training your dog.

For puppies, try placing them into a position of submission when they are still young. Roll them onto their backs, and put your hand firmly in the middle of the chest. When they lower their paws, this signals a sigh of submission. You can go further by placing your face directly in front of theirs, emulating dominant dog behavior.

Begin by using a short leash which will hinder the dog’s natural tendency to run and play. It is essential to allow some free time for the dog to run in order to promote good health however. Initially, this time should be scheduled before or after training but not during.

Start by using short, clear commands which sound distinctly different such as sit, stay, down or come. Use a firm tone of voice but do not be harsh. Stay in charge of the situation but do not show anger. Avoid double word commands such as ’sit down’ or ’stay down’ because they sound too similar and can easily confuse the dog.

A constant tone, look and hand sign should be included with every verbal command. Later we can separate them, but initially it is important to offer simplest and most stable type of communication.

Don’t expect much more from a two-year-old dog than you would a two-year-old human. Neither of them can be expected to understand subtle hints or inconsistent speech. Be persistent and do it the same way, every time. Don’t let the same command have more than one meaning. It really doesn’t matter if you use the command ‘down’ to mean ‘lie down’ or ’stop jumping up on people,’ as long as you don’t try to use the same word for both.

Using these basic dog training techniques, along with a firm hand, some patience and a lot of love will help you have a happy and obedient pet for life!

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Puppy’s Potty Training

by Marian

Potty training is different for every dog. Some dogs are easy going and will not have a problem potty training. No matter what type of dog you have it is important that you begin their house training immediately.

We had an American Eskimo puppy. Each time my brother came home the puppy would get wound up and pee on the carpet. This had to stop. We decided to take the dog out an hour before he came home. It did not work so it was decided to make it a half an hour before he came in. It was decided to use the crate method. We had a winner.

Kathy told me about her poodle that she had when she was a kid. The poodle was very smart. It knew when no one was watching and he would go to the bathroom in the house. They had to decide how to stop this from happening. They decided to use the kiddie pool that they had to contain the puppy while no one was watching him. It was a comfortable fit. He could not get out or so they thought. He tugged on the inflation stem and the pool deflated. It became necessary to put the puppy in a room withput carpeting.

For many years there has been different methods used to potty train your dog. Some of these methods are very good while others not. Yelling at a dog after he has done the deed and moved on is not a recomended method. The dog does not make the connection between being yelled at and the accident. If you catch them going potty you can clap your hands and say no. This will usually stop them from going. Then move them to the spot you want them to use and praise when they use it.

Physical punishment is never recommended. It causes fear and anxiousness. You will not have a bond with your dog if this happens.

Sometimes many years ago the dog owner would do an adversion therapy to stop the dog from soiling the house. They would stick their nose in the mess. It was suppose to prevent them from going potty there again. It will not work because the dog does not understand.

Modern methods of potty training and being kind and having patience will help in the sucess of potty training your puppy.

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Obedience Training:Pass The Biscuits , I’ll Take Ten

by Marian

Obedience training is very important for you and your dog, it helps to create a bond and trust between you and your pet. Puppy training and dog training is not as difficult as people think. As a matter of fact anyone can do it, even a dog train a cat.

My Grandma, who was called Nana by all the grandchildren really loved animals. Most of the time she had several, both cats and dogs. If she had no pets she adopted all the animals in the neighborhood. At the time of this story she had a red cat named Buddy Boy and a poodle dog named Peggy. She loved red cats. To her there were cats and then there were RED cats. Each one was Buddy something or something Buddy.

For a while she could not figure out why there were little piles of dog biscuits piled up around the four legs of the dining room table. How was this possible, she wondered for weeks on end. Each time she found the stash of dog biscuits she would put them back in the box, only to find them reappear around the table legs.

She thought the kids were playing a joke on her. She waited behind the kitchen door the discover the truth. No one fell into her trap.

One day the crooks were exposed. My Grandmother was doing the dishes. Everyone knew the dog biscuits could be found under the sink. Quietly advancing to the sink was buddy Boy, the big red cat. He reached in and removed a biscuit from the box and delivered it to Peggy.

Buddy Boy was well trained. If a dog and a cat can train each other. You should have no difficulty training your dog.

Obedience training has many methods that can be tried. The training method that works best will depend on the individual dog or puppy.

I have found that using food when training your dog is a good method for a dog that values food. Other dogs prefer playtime or affection.

Which ever method of obedience training you decide on can be successful as long as you are patient and stick with the program.

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