Dog Training Basics

Author: Andrew Mills

Training Your Dog Mar 15 2006

Guides to Dog Breeds, Training

by Andrew Mills

Dog training does much more than just create an obedient, willing companion.

Training your dog properly actually strengthens the bond that already exists

between dog and handler. Dogs are pack animals, and they look to their pack

leader to tell them what to do. The key to successful dog training is to set

yourself up as that pack leader.

Establishing yourself as pack leader is a very important concept for any

potential dog trainer to understand. There is only one leader in every pack of

dogs, and the owner must establish him or herself as the dominant animal.

Failure to do so leads to all manner of behavior problems. Dog training does

much more than just create an obedient, willing companion. Training your dog

properly actually strengthens the bond that already exists between dog and

handler. Dogs are pack animals, and they look to their pack leader to tell them

what to do. The key to successful dog training is to set yourself up as that

pack leader.

Establishing yourself as pack leader is a very important concept for any

potential dog trainer to understand. There is only one leader in every pack of

dogs, and the owner must establish him or herself as the dominant animal.

Failure to do so leads to all manner of behavior problems.

dog training basics

When planning a dog training program, it is important to know that dogs are pack

animals. In wild dog societies, packs are formed, and each member of the pack

quickly learns his or her place in the pecking order. Except in the event of

death or injury to the alpha dog, the hierarchy never changes once it has been

established. The lower dogs know not to challenge the alpha dog, and the alpha

dog understand his place as leader of the pack. All the other dogs in the pack

look to the alpha dog for leadership, in important survival issues like finding

food and avoiding larger predators. In order to properly train your dog and gain

its respect, it is important for you to become the alpha dog. That is because a

dog that sees its owner as a superior leader will follow the commands the owner

gives without question. Getting the respect of the dog is the most important

step to proper dog training, and it will form the basis of all subsequent

training. The reasons for training a dog properly are many, especially in

today's world. A well mannered, obedient dog is a joy to be around, both for the

owner and his or her family, and for people in the community at large. In

addition, seeing a well mannered dog sets people's mind at ease, especially with

breeds of dog thought to be dangerous, such as Dobermans, rottweilers and pit

bulls. When training dogs and dealing with unwanted dog behaviors, it is

important to understand the motivating factors behind those behaviors. For

example, many dogs exhibit unwanted behaviors such as chewing and destroying

furniture due to separation anxiety. Dealing with the sources of problem

behaviors is an important first step toward eliminating those problem behaviors.

Many dogs exhibit unwanted behaviors as a result of stress in the animal's life,

and its inability to cope with that stress. The goal of a good dog training

program is to allow the dog to tolerate greater levels of stress without

becoming a problem animal. Training a dog with a head collar has a number of

advantages over training with a traditional or training collar. For one thing,

head collars are often easier to use for beginning dog trainers than are

training collars. Head collars are also quite effective at preventing dogs from

pulling, or controlling and retraining dogs that tend to pull.

Head collars can also be quite effective at controlling dogs in difficult

situations, such as controlling a dog that wants to be with other dogs. Most

owners know of some situations in which their dogs are difficult to control, and

head collars can be quite effective at controlling these volatile situations.

Head collars can be excellent for controlling dogs that are very strong, or for

working with a dog in an area that contains a great many distractions. For

instance, head collars are great for when your dog is on an outing, or in an

area where there will be other dogs and other distractions.

Even though a head collar can be a great tool, it should not be used as a

replacement for effective dog training. A head collar is most effective when it

is used in combination with strong and sensible dog training methods, such as

reward training and other forms of positive reinforcement.

Disadvantages of head collars

Even though head collars have many advantages, they have some distinct

disadvantages as well. For one thing, head collars tend to make many dogs

dependent on the equipment, and they quickly learn the difference between their

regular collar and the head collar, and adjust their behavior accordingly.

In addition, some dogs, particularly those not accustomed to wearing a head

collar, dislike wearing it and paw at it, try to rub it off or pull excessively.

If your dog exhibits this behavior, the best strategy is to keep it moving until

it learns to accept the collar. A good alternative is to have the dog sit by

pulling up on the dog's head.

Basic obedience training, and ongoing training sessions, provide the dog with an

important job to do. This is especially important for high energy breeds like

German shepherds and border collies. Training sessions are a great way for these

high energy dogs to use up their extra energy and simply to enjoy themselves. In

addition to making the dog a good member of the community, obedience training is

a great way to fulfill some of the dog's own needs, including the need for

exercise, the security that comes with knowing what is expected of it, a feeling

of accomplishment and a good working relationship with its handler. Dog training

gives the dog an important job to do, and an important goal to reach.

Incorporating playtime into your dog training sessions is a great way to prevent

both yourself and your dog from becoming bored. Playing with your dog helps to

strengthen the all important bond between you - the pack leader - and your dog.

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About the Author

This Dog Training article written by: Andrew Mills

webmaster of doggypost.com

http://www.doggypost.com

About the author: Webmaster of Doggypost.com