Thursday, 17 July 2008

Dog Obedience Training Tips: by Garry Neale

Obedience training is probably the best thing you can ever do for yourself and your dog. It should be noted that dog obedience training will not resolve all dog behavior problems. However, it's a very useful foundation for resolving most of the dog behavior problems you'll encounter.
Dog obedience training comes in several flavors. The most popular type is basic obedience, where you teach your dog how to sit, stay, fetch and lay down. There is also a more advanced training that can be used for purebred dog on how to behave during a dog show. The basic type of training also has several different methods that are currently popular. Many owners use rewards to get their dogs to behave or listen to commands. Others prefer the clicker method in order to condition their dogs to obey.
Most dog behavior problems can be addressed with proper home training. Obedience training is a commitment by the owner and the dog. You'll need a lot of patience if you want to be successful at home obedience training. Most dogs behavior problems show-up because the owner fails to set and enforce the rules. Dog obedience training serves to make you the pack leader and teaches your dog to follow your instructions. Once this relationship is established, you and your dog will both enjoy a fruitful partnership.
It's important to start basic obedience training when your dog is still a puppy. If you don't train your puppy, you will have a much harder time once all the bad habits have set in. Basic dog obedience is the responsibility of the owner and should probably start with potty training as the first objective. Once that objective is accomplished, you'll be well on your way to having a happy obedient dog.
Does your dog have a problem with excessive barking, biting and whining? Is your dog overly aggressive? While it's always best to start training them as a puppy, the good news is it's never too late to train your dog. If your dog is uncontrollable, then this is going to continue to get even worse. Obedience training can fix your dog's behavior problems and teach your dog to substitute acceptable behaviors for unacceptable behaviors. Dogs are extremely intelligent and they can learn very quickly.
Once you understand how your dog learns, you can train him to follow basic obedience commands. The primary reason some training sessions fail is because the owner expects his dog to think like a human. These owners try screaming at their dog and doing all kinds of weird behaviors just hoping the dog will eventually listen. Obedience training will allow you to communicate to your dog exactly what your want them to do.
Many dog owners today get so frustrated that they end up hiring a dog trainer. But that's only partially effective. There are some things your dog just can't learn from a trainer. That's because most obedience training actually takes place at home in your day to day dealings with your pet. However, with the proper tools, anyone can have a happy well-behaved pet.

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