How To Train

Your Dog Like A

PROFeSsIONAL TRaINEr
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How To Train Your Dog
Like A Professional Trainer!
DOG TRAI NI NG FOR BEGI NNERS
Chapter 1 Introducton
Chapter 2 Dog Learning and Communicaton
Chapter 3 Build a Relatonship with Your Dog
Chapter 4 Training Treats and Equipment
Part 2:
Chapter 5 Basic Obedience Exercises
Chapter 6 Crate and Poty Training
Chapter 7 Trick Training
Chapter 8 Problems with Training and Behavior
Chapter 9 Playing with Your Dog
Chapter 10 Being a Canine Good Citzen
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CONTENTS
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Chapter
1
Introduction
A well mannered dog is a pleasure to own. You can take him
anywhere and know he will behave nicely. You can relax
when he is around other people and dogs, and he can go
on vacaton with you and not destroy the holiday home. He
will be more involved with your family, and you will develop
a closer bond with him.
You can have more fun and create beter memories
together!
Untrained dogs have very few freedoms. You will have to
lock him away when you have visitors to protect them from
his over-exuberant welcome. While you are eatng, he is lef
outside because he is a nuisance at the table. He may even
steal food. You cant take him to the of-leash park because
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when it is tme to go, he wont come back when he is called.
Even going for a walk along the sidewalk is hard work, as he
drags you along behind him.
Your dog will live on average 12 years. Do you really want to
have to tolerate this bad behavior for that long?
If you simply invest a litle tme in teaching him good
manners now, you will be able to enjoy a beter relatonship
with him for the remainder of his life.
Lets Get Started
When you are getng ready to start a new project, you do
not just jump in feet frst with no preparaton or planning.
This is exactly what you would be doing if you decided to
start training your dog without the right knowledge and
equipment.
Your dog training program is that new project you need
to plan what you want to achieve and work out what you
need to do it. From there, you must work out how you are
going to complete the project successfully.
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You will make mistakes. That is inevitable. You will also
feel frustrated at tmes, as your dog doesnt seem to be
progressing. This is normal, because all dogs learn at
diferent rates and respond beter to diferent training
methods.
Its important that you understand your dog and his natural
instncts. Also, learn about his breed and what he was bred
to do. Your Beagle has a well-developed nose. Dont be
surprised if you are in the middle of a training session and
he is distracted by an unusual scent. If you take these breed
characteristcs into account, youll be less frustrated by the
behavior.
Program Overview
Some of the helpful things youll learn from this guide
include:
What equipment you need to start training your
dog
How to interpret your dogs body language and
posture
How dogs think and learn
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How to recognize your dogs personality
How to understand dogs pack behavior.
Simple and efectve ways to teach your dog to sit,
drop, stay and come.
How to tell if your dog is stressed
Fun ways you can play with your dog
How to improve your relatonship with your dog
How to teach your dog not to bite
The advantages of crate training your dog
There are two parts to dog training:
1.
Firstly, you need to teach your dog to do something
that you want him to do. Lets use the sit behavior
as an example. You need him to sit when you tell
him to, so you have to train him to sit on command.
2.
Secondly, you need to teach him to stop doing a
behavior you dont like. For example, if your dog
likes to run away and play, you need to train him to
come back to you when you call him.
The best way to train your dog is to use positve reinforcement
to reward him for doing what you want. This makes it more
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likely hell do it again. However, there may be tmes where
you need to stop him doing something. This doesnt mean
you must punish him. Ofen a squirt with a spray of water is
all it takes to stop him in his tracks.
The whole point of training your dog is to have him obey
you when tell him what to do. This guide will help you
achieve that.
Teamwork
Your dog may already have had several months or years of
doing what he wants, and he may be very good at it. Also,
he may have trained you to let him.
Yes, your dog is very capable of training you.
What do you do when he bumps your elbow for a cuddle
while you are typing? Do you pat him? He has trained you
to give him afecton when he nudges you.
Thats not a problem, it is just one way in which he can
communicate with you, but there may be tmes when you
just shouldnt do as he asks you.
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If your dog is on the couch and you try to move him to make
space for you, does he growl? Do you back of? In this case,
he has taught you that he is in charge, and he wont do as
you want.
This is a reasonably common scenario, and if your dog is
growling at you, you need professional help. However, it is
a good example of how your dog can get you to do what he
wants.
Training Methods
Most dog trainers describe three general methods of
training dogs.
The compulsion method: Your dog is corrected or
punished for doing the wrong thing. One example
is electric training collars that are used to train dogs
remotely.
If a dog is corrected for doing something wrong, and
doesnt get any informaton on what you do want
him to do, he will become stressed. Depending on
his temperament, he may just give up trying. This
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isnt a good opton for an inexperienced dog trainer
because they can do more harm than good.
The positve method: If your dog is rewarded
for doing a partcular behavior, it increases the
likelihood of him doing it again. This is the theory
behind positve dog training methods. Rewards
can include food, afecton and toys. The important
thing is that you choose a reward that is extremely
valuable to your dog. This method works well, and
if you get it wrong, the worst you do is give your
dog a free reward.
The mixed method: This method is part compulsion,
part positve. A good example is when you teach
your dog to heel using a check chain. When he is
out of positon he receives a check on the neck,
and then he is praised when he is back by your side.
Many people use this method with good results,
but again, its best used by experienced trainers.
If you are going to correct or punish your dog, the
tming is critcal. Otherwise it wont have any efect
except to hurt your dog.
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None of these methods are a quick-fx way of training your
dog. It will take tme and efort on your part to teach him
good behavior.
Rules for Dog Training
Building Trust
Imagine your dog running down the sidewalk chasing a cat.
Hes having a great tme, but you are terrifed he will get
hurt. When he eventually gets home, you are so relieved
but angry, and you yell at him for taking of like that. Thats
an understandable reacton, right?
Now look at it from your dogs perspectve. He had a great
tme trying to catch up with the speeding cat. When it
disappeared out of sight, he decided to come home for
dinner. When he arrived, his beloved owner yelled at him,
which scared him and made him cower.
One of the most difcult parts of dog training is seeing
everything from your dogs point of view, especially when
you are cross or frustrated.
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You were trying to teach your dog not to run away, but
instead you showed him that coming home to you is scary.
If you call him to you and then yell at him or, even worse, hit
him, he loses trust in you and it damages your relatonship
with him. Although it is difcult, dont ever get angry at
your dog for coming to you.
Consistency
Consistency is imperatve when you are training your
dog. He can learn what you do and dont want him to do.
However, its confusing when hes allowed to do something
sometmes, and not at other tmes.
For example, you allow him to jump up for a cuddle when
youre wearing your old clothes but become angry when
he does the same when youre dressed for work. He wont
understand the diferent situatons, and the confusion will
be stressful for him.
If you constantly enjoy a tussle and tumble with Baxter,
hell be bafed when youre angry when he wrestles with
your toddler. Afer all, thats the way he was taught to play
with you.
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If you are teaching your dog not to do something, one way
of doing it is to teach him he can only do it on command.
Lets take the jumping up as an example. Teach your dog
that he is not allowed to jump up at all, unless you tell him
to jump. Hes quite capable of learning that. Then you can
have him jump up for a cuddle on weekends, and keep his
muddy paws of your expensive work clothes.
Persistence
Can you stck with something even though its challenging?
Dogs are intelligent and learn quickly but there will be tmes
where he takes a litle longer to master a skill. Be patent,
try not to get frustrated, and keep practcing. Dogs learn
best with repetton, and it will take tme.
Use a Do Command
Instead of just saying no to your dog, give him a command
that he does understand, and he can do. Instead of telling
him no when he jumps up on you, ask him to sit and
praise him for doing it.
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This means you actually have to think about what you are
teaching your dog. Its not easy when your frst instnct is to
yell no, but if you can do this, he will learn quicker and be
happier while you train him.
Whenever possible, use this method to stop your dog doing
the wrong thing. This gives you the opportunity to reward
him instead of punishing or reprimanding him.
If you want to learn how to train any dog on-screen, from
video lessons, I suggest you click here to get professional
video dog training lessons.
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Chapter
2
Dog Learning and
Communication
Your Dogs Thought Processes
There are tmes that it seems that your dog can actually
read your mind. For example, he goes to the door within
moments of you even thinking about taking him for a walk.
In fact, he cant read your mind, but he is very good at
identfying paterns of behavior.
If you walk towards the box where you keep his leash
every tme you go for a walk, hell learn to recognize what
you are doing, and get excited at the thought of an outng
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with you. Again, dogs learn best by repetton and positve
reinforcement.
Similarly, if you consistently pop your dog in his crate when
you give him his dinner, he is likely to start to go in there of
his own accord when he sees you pick up his food bowl.
He has watched your behavior for long enough and because
of that, he can antcipate what you are going to do next.
This means that you too can learn to identfy what your
dog is likely to do next by watching him closely. If you own
a male dog, he probably enjoys peeing on things to mark
them as his.
Watch him and youll notce he will snif the item, and sidle
up to it, then swing his but towards it and start to lif his
leg. If he is going to pee on something you really dont want
soiled, you can interrupt this behavior patern with a clap
or a whistle, and direct him to where you do want him to
pee.
Dogs live in the moment. Theres no point in punishing him
afer he has done the wrong thing. He is unlikely to associate
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the punishment with the deed, and instead will become
afraid of you. If you catch your dog doing something wrong,
you can correct him right at that moment with a no,or an
ah ah.
There is a word: anthropomorphism. This means atributng
human characteristcs and the ability to reason to an animal.
Dogs dont reason like we do, and they dont feel guilt. That
may be hard to believe when you come home and fnd your
shoes chewed, and your dog slinks away nervously. Hes
not feeling guilty, hes reactng to your angry posture and
facial expression.
If you dont believe this, throw a towel on the foor then
call your dog into the room. Point to it and say to him in
an angry tone of voice, Naughty dog!!. Hell look nervous
and yes, guilty, even though he has no idea what youre
talking about.
Reasoning
Reasoning is defned by the Webster dictonary as
comprehending, inferring, or thinking especially in orderly
ratonal ways. When you read that, you can see that dogs
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are indeed capable of reasoning.
Wild canids have to hunt prey to survive. They have to decide
which individual in a herd is small enough for them to take
down. They then need to work out how fast it is going, and
whether or not they are able to catch it. Our domestc dogs
are not too diferent from their wild ancestors. However,
the ability to reason can vary between breeds, because of
breeders selecton for characteristcs including personality
and temperament.
Dogs cannot reason in the same sense that we can. However,
they do have their ways of problem solving. You can see
this in acton when they are trying to get into the cupboard
where the dog treats are stashed!
There are many dog games that require your dog to use
reasoning to get a treat, and its fun to watch them work
things out.
How Dogs Learn
Dogs do something for one reason and one reason only
theres something in it for them. Whether its to gain a
reward or to avoid a punishment or correcton, their primary
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motvaton is self-interest. This means that its not fair to
expect your dog to do something just because he loves you.
Afer all, do you go to work every day just because you love
your boss? No, you do it for the paycheck.
You can take advantage of this when you are training your
dog.
If a partcular behavior results in something nice, hes very
likely to repeat that behavior. If he gets a piece of diced
barbecue chicken when he sits, you can bet hell be very
keen to sit again.
Food is rewarding to most dogs, and it is efectve even
in very young puppies. Diced chicken, slices of hot dog
or pieces of dried liver are favorites of most dogs, and
are small enough to allow you to train for 15-20 minutes
without your dog getng full or losing interest.
If your dog isnt thrilled by these treats, he is certainly in the
minority, but you can stll reward him. What does he like
to do most? Instead of a treat, you can throw his favorite
ball each tme he does what you ask him to. Many agility
trainers reward their dog with a vigorous game of tug with
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a rope toy. You should be able to fnd something that will
have your dog dancing with excitement, and that should be
his reward.
Repetton
Repetton is critcal to your dogs learning. It is how he
associates the reward with the behavior that triggered
the reward. Ideally, spend ten minutes a day teaching a
behavior, then repeat the next day.
Ten minutes a day is much more efectve than a longer
session once a week because your dogs atenton may
wander towards the end, and your training is less efectve.
Always end your training session on a positve note. Finish
before your dog has lost interest, and make sure his last
atempt at a behavior is successful, and he earns a reward.
Resist the temptaton to try for just one more, because it
doesnt always work.
Punishment
Punishment shouldnt be a part of dog training. Afer all,
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you are trying to encourage him to learn, and this shouldnt
be frightening or stressful for him. Punishment teaches
your dog that there really isnt anything positve for him in
a training session, and hes not as likely to try for you.
Fear will get in the way of his learning and he may even shut
down and withdraw from you. In extreme cases, he may
feel the need to defend himself, and become aggressive.
Most importantly, the last thing you want is your relatonship
with your dog based on fear. You dont want your four
legged best friend to be afraid of you. Dont take the chance
of damaging your relatonship with your dog by punishing
him when he doesnt get things right straight away. Afer
all, there are two partners to this training game, and it may
just be your fault if youre not teaching him well enough.
How Dogs Communicate
It has been said that dogs can learn to understand several
hundred words, which makes it easier for us to tell him
what we need from him. Thats no help when it comes to
him trying to communicate with us.
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Your dog will have learned how to use and interpret body
language when he was just a puppy. He would have been
able to identfy what his mom and liter mates were trying
to tell him, and he too could speak to them with his eyes,
ears and tail, as well as his stance.
This is why a dog that is removed from his liter mates too
early can have difculty relatng to other dogs. He just
hasnt learned the language, and cant understand what
other dogs are trying to communicate to him.
He may interpret a friendly approach from another dog as a
threat, and react defensively. He also doesnt know how to
interact with other dogs, and can get into trouble because
he has no social manners at the dog park.
Its important that pups stay with their mom and liter mates
untl they are 8 weeks old, to give them the best chance of
learning how to communicate.
Lets have a closer look at how dogs communicate, with
both you and each other.
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Body Language
The Mouth
Its easy to tell when your dog is relaxed. His mouth will be
open and his tongue will loll. His lips will be drawn back and
hell look like he is smiling.
An alert dog will have tense lips, with the corners held
forward. He will ofen have his mouth closed. Hes watching
whats going on around him. Although this isnt necessarily
an indicaton that hell bite, its worth keeping an eye on
him. Hes aroused, and its important that you be aware
of how you approach him. No sudden moves, and dont
startle him with a touch.
Its easy to understand what a dog means when his teeth
are bared and his lips curl back. Hes feeling aggressive, and
if you push the point, you could be hurt.
Your dog can also tell you when hes feeling nervous or
stressed. Youll notce him licking his lips, and yawning.
Yes, yawning doesnt always mean hes tred, he may be
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anxious. Its important that you can recognize that so you
can do something to relieve his anxiety.
The Eyes
It is said that the eyes are the window to the soul, and this
is certainly the case with your dog.
A confdent dog will look you right in the eyes, but wont
press the point. A dominant dog wont look away, and will
try to stare you down. If you contnue to stare at him, hell
perceive that as a challenge. He may react to that challenge
and become aggressive, so be careful. Dont ever eyeball a
very dominant dog, as you could end up getng biten.
Subordinate dogs, or those that arent feeling very
confdent, will usually glance away when you look at them.
The Ears
Your dogs ears are also useful for giving you an idea of how
he is feeling. Depending on breed, ears can be foppy or
erect but this is not important. Watch the base of his ears,
and look at where he is holding them on his head.
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An alert dog will hold the base of his ears forward, to show
he is interested in whats happening. They may even move
from front to back, or from side to side as he listens to
whats going on around him.
Ears held fat, and towards the back of his head usually mean
that your dog is feeling nervous or anxious. It can also be an
indicator that he is submissive. However, it can also mean
that your dog is feeling threatened and defensive, and may
in fact bite. Be careful.
Body Posture
The way your dog holds his body gives you a lot of
informaton, if you know what to look for.
Its easy to tell if your dog is submissive hell shrink down
and cower, making his body as small as possible. If hes
extremely submissive, he will lie on his back and expose
his throat to a more dominant animal. He may also urinate.
You may have seen your dog react to you in that way when
you were angry.
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A confdent dog is exactly the opposite. He will stand tall
with straight legs. If hes feeling aggressive, he will ofen
lean forward, and hold his body stfy. The hair on his back
also may stand erect.
The Tail
Were all familiar with the wagging tail of a happy dog.
However, the tail can tell us more about our dogs mood
and feelings.
A tail tucked tghtly between the hind legs is a sign of
submission and fear. Similarly, a tail held high is indicatve
of a confdent, assertve animal. Even if your dogs tail is
docked, you can stll get worthwhile informaton from the
way he holds the base of his tail. However, it may not be as
easy for other dogs to recognize his intent from a distance.
The Play Bow
Have you ever notced your dog lie down on his elbows
with his rump in the air and his tail wagging? He may also
have what looks like a smile on his face. This is known as
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the play bow and is your dogs way of invitng you to start
a game with him.
Verbal Communicaton
Your dog can use sound to communicate with each other,
and with you. He has a range of noises that indicate many
diferent things.
If he is distressed or frightened, he may bark with a high
pitched tone, and bark over and over again. As he becomes
more upset, the sound will become higher and sharper.
Weve all been told to take care around a growling dog,
and there is good reason for this. It can indicate that he is
aggressive. However, it may be the only way your dog can
tell you that he really doesnt like whats being done to him.
Pay atenton to whats happening when your dog growls
and youll be able to tell if hes threatening, or just annoyed
and saying, Stop.
There is nothing more irritatng than a whining dog. Your
dog will whine when he wants something, for example food
or atenton. He may whine to get outside to go to the toilet,
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which isnt a bad thing at all! If you give in to whining, your
dog wont stop, and he may even get worse!
Whimpering and yelping usually mean your dog is hurtng.
That may be a physical pain, but it may also be emotonal
pain such as loneliness.
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Chapter
3
Build a
Relationship
With Your Dog
Professional dog trainers ofen tell their clients, You get the
dog you deserve. This means that your dog is ultmately
a refecton of you, and the tme and efort you put into
raising him.
If you want to be successful at training your dog, you need
to have a good relatonship with him. You need to be the
leader, and he needs to respect you in that positon. He
will know his place in his pack, and this will make him feel
secure.
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Its vital that your dog never learns to be afraid of you.
This will interfere with his training, and it will be difcult
to overcome. This is why so many training methods these
days are reward based instead of relying on punishment to
teach a dog to behave.
Here are some suggestons on how you can have the best
possible rapport with your dog.
1.
Feed him. Remember that in the dog pack, the
alpha dog is responsible for controlling access to
resources, including food. If you are the source of
your dogs daily dinner, hell look up to you and
respect you.
2.
Train him. Use food rewards to teach him what you
want him to do, and how you want him to behave.
This too will cement your place as his pack leader. It
will also make him more pleasant to be around and
to take places. Youll spend more tme together,
which will increase your connecton with him.
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3.
Speak to him calmly. Imagine how your face looks
when you are angry. Your knit your brows, curl your
lips and roar. This expression isnt all that diferent
to that of an aggressive dog, and your dog will
be scared. Apart from being afraid of you, he will
also feel insecure. Leaders arent supposed to lose
control, and if he cant rely on you to be in charge,
hell be nervous. This isnt good for any relatonship,
and it will damage your relatonship with your dog.
4.
Groom him regularly. Although bath tme may not
be popular, most dogs enjoy being brushed. If you
can learn how to massage him, hell love it even
more. There is a lot you can communicate through
touch.
5.
Play games with him. Theres nothing your dog will
enjoy more than a good game of ball or tug with
you. When you have fun together, it builds a strong
bond that will make training easier.
6.
Never ever strike your dog with your hand, foot or
anything else. That sort of treatment will terrify
him and hell be very reluctant to get close to you.
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He may shrink away when you approach him, and
roll submissively on his back. You can appreciate
how this would really damage your relatonship,
and make it much harder to train him.
Think for a moment about your best friend. How do you
treat them? You dont yell or scream at them, or hit them.
You enjoy sharing fun actvites with them, and ofen go
out for cofee together. You can use the same relatonship
building techniques with your dog.
A very important part of having a great relatonship with
your dog is being a frm but fair leader. This means you
need to understand about the structure of a dog pack, and
where you need to ft in.
Understanding Dog Pack Behaviour
Dogs are pack animals. Their social structure consists of
one pack leader, or alpha dog, and the remaining are below
him in status. Each member of the pack has his own place
in the hierarchy, just like steps on a stepladder.
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The pack leader controls how and when the other dogs
have access to all the good things in life.
They are the one who can:
1.
Have his meal frst, before any of the other pack
members.
2.
Choose where he wants to sit or lie down
3.
Walk in front of the other pack members
4.
Partner with the most desirable member of the
opposite gender
In your home, this translates to you being in charge of food,
playtme and where your dog sleeps. You dont need to be
harsh or strict with your dog, you just need to be the boss.
If you have more than one dog, youll probably be able
to recognize which dog is the pack leader amongst them.
However, you need to make sure that ultmately you are
the alpha dog in the pack, and even the most dominant
amongst the dogs has to respect that. Dogs are actually
happier when they have a frm and fair pack leader they
can look up to for guidance.
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Becoming Pack Leader
You need to constantly reinforce your positon as alpha dog
so your dog doesnt get any ideas about becoming the boss.
Here is what you can do to keep your alpha positon:
1.
Train your dog to sit or drop on command, and
practce it regularly. Being lower in stature than
another is a submissive positon, and with you
standing above him, it reinforces your positon at
the top of the hierarchy.
2.
Ask your dog to sit and wait when you put his
dinner bowl down, and dont let him eat untl you
give him the command to do so. The pack leader
controls access to food, and by doing this you are
reminding your dog that you are in charge of what
he gets to eat.
3.
If your dog is lying in your way, for example in the
hallway or on the couch, dont maneuver around
him. He needs to move to make way for you. Theres
no need to be rough, but just ask him to get up and
get out of your way.
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Chapter
4
Training Treats
and Equipment
Its safe to say that you do need some equipment to train
your dog, but the good thing is that you may already have
enough to start with. As tme goes on, you can spend a few
dollars on gear that will make life easier for you, but for
now, start with what you have.
The basics you will need to start training are:
1.
A collar
2.
A leash
3.
Somewhere to keep your treats handy.
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Lets look at dog training equipment in more detail.
Collars
There are a variety of styles of collars available for dog
training. There are pros and cons to all.
Check Chains
Also known as choke chains, these are used to correct
your dog when he does the wrong thing, partcularly when
learning to walk nicely beside you. A quick jerk on the chain
gets his atenton prety quickly!
Many people use these and do have success. If your dog
gets a correcton when he is wandering too far away, hell
soon learn to avoid the correcton by staying close to you.
While this does work, it can take a while for your dog to fgure
it out. There is also potental for causing him injury with
these collars. You will get quicker results for rewarding your
dog when he is walking near you, because youre teaching
him what you do want him to do, rather than correctng
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him when he gets it wrong. Reward based training is also
much more pleasant for your four legged friend.
Prong collar
These collars are also made of chain, but also have a ring of
prongs that point inwards. When you jerk on the leash, the
prongs pinch the skin on your dogs neck. People who use
prong collars believe that they are less painful than a check
chain and it takes less physical efort on your part to correct
your dog. However, they have the same disadvantages
as the check chain: they dont give your dog any direct
indicaton of what you want him to do, and they may cause
injury. These collars are illegal in many parts of the world.
Remote Training Collar
Also known as an electronic training collar, these collars
give your dog a short, sharp electric shock when he needs
correcton. They have the advantage of being able to correct
your dog from a distance, so you dont need to be right
beside him, or have him on a leash.
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These too have the potental to cause harm, as dogs can
receive burns to the skin if the collar is used incorrectly.
They too dont give your dog any indicaton as to what you
do want.
Fixed Collars
These are your standard sof collars, with either a clip or a
buckle fastening. They dont tghten on your dogs neck so
they give no correcton. They can stll be pulled or jerked
though. These are all you need if you are using a positve
reward based training method with your dog.
To fnd the right size for your dog, measure the circumference
of your dogs neck directly behind his ears with a tape
measure. When it is worn, you should be able to ft two
fngers between the collar and your dogs neck.
There is one type of fxed collar that does tghten a litle,
and its called a martngale. Its a gentle alternatve to a
chain collar if youd prefer to have the opton to correct
your dog while you train him.
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Leashes
You have a number of optons when it comes to choosing a
leash for your dog. Diferent materials and diferent lengths
all serve diferent purposes.
Canvas and nylon leashes are available in pet stores and
through websites or catalogs. They come in an wide range
of colors, so youre sure to fnd one to match your dogs
collar.
Leather leashes are also popular, but they cost a bit more
than a canvas or nylon leash. This means theyre not a good
opton if your dog likes to chew their leash.
Chain leashes are uncomfortable to hold. Imagine how
your hands would feel if youre holding a chain leash and
your dog runs of. Ouch! Theyre not recommended at all
for training dogs.
The most common leash length for basic obedience training
is 4 foot long. This length keeps your dog nearby, and isnt
too awkward or unwieldy to move from hand to hand.
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When you graduate to more distant work such as the sit-
stay and drop-stay, a longer leash is useful. Try a 6 foot
leash when your dog is learning these exercises.
Retractable leashes are not at all suitable for dog training,
as the handle is too cumbersome to work with.
Treat Storage
If youre going to reward your dog with treats as you train
him, youll need to keep them nearby.
The least expensive way of doing this is storing your treats
in a small plastc takeaway container, and keeping it nearby
as you train.
This works fne if you are at home, but its not convenient
if you want to contnue your training as you walk along the
sidewalk, or if you go to a dog club.
Pet stores and online retailers sell dedicated treat bags,
which clip onto your belt. These are another opton to
consider if youre looking to purchase something to keep
your rewards in.
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Whatever you choose to use, make sure it is easy to clean
so you dont have traces of spoiled food lef behind afer a
training session.
Head Collars
Head collars such as Gentle Leaders and Halts are a good
alternatve to a training collar, especially if your dog is big
and boisterous.
These collars allow you to gently maneuver your dogs head
so he goes in the directon you want him to. Its the same as
youd do if you were leading a horse on a head halter.
They are gentle on your dog, but it will take a litle while for
your dog to get used to wearing one. They stll have some
potental for injury if your jerk on your dogs head while he
is wearing one.
Harnesses
Harnesses are handy for walking your dog, especially if he
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has a sore neck, or for keeping him safe in the car. Because
your dog can pull with his shoulders while wearing a harness,
he may pull even harder. Theyre not recommended for dog
training because they dont allow you to direct your dogs
head, and keep his atenton on you.
Training Toys
If your dog doesnt like treats, or is on a diet, you may want
to play with him. Tug toys are partcularly good as a training
reward. Many people believe playing tug o with a dog
encourages aggression and dominance in dogs. This isnt
the case if it is done properly. There is more informaton on
how to play with your dog later in this program.
Training Treats?
Treats are basically a form of currency for your dog. Just as
you go to work and are paid for it, you can pay your dog
for doing the right thing with a tasty reward.
Weve already discussed how your dog is more likely to
repeat a behavior if he is rewarded for it, and a delicious
piece of diced chicken or sliced hot dog is the perfect salary
for him.
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Choosing Dog Treats
Its very important that you choose the right treat for your
dog, otherwise it wont work. A treat has to be special, so
dont even think about using your dogs regular kibble. He
wont be interested in that at all.
Every dog has a diferent favorite food, so experiment with
your training partner and see what he likes best. Try some
diced cooked chicken, sliced hot dog, dried liver and even
some small cubes of cheese to see what he prefers.
You may fnd he likes all of them; thats great, it means you
can add variety to your training.
Keep your treats small, so your dog can gobble them quickly.
This allows you to repeat the behavior several tmes during
a training session, to reinforce it beter.
He wont spend several minutes chewing and swallowing
before you can try again.
Keep in mind that your dog will be getng a lot of treats
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in the early stages of his training, so if possible, use treats
with nutritonal value.
How To Use Treats
There are two ways you can use treats.
1.
To reward a behavior that you like. Under these
circumstances, your dog shouldnt see the treat,
otherwise its a lure. Give him a command, and
when he obeys, then he gets the tasty snack.
Make sure you reward him at the exact tme he
is doing what you ask; that way he will recognize
what the reward is for, and is more likely to do it
again.
If you are teaching him to drop, and youre slow
to get his treat to him, you may fnd he thinks hes
getng the treat for getng up!
2.
As mentoned, the treat can be used to lure your
dog to do a partcular behavior. When he has got it
right, he then gets to eat the snack.
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End Part 1!
Part 2 will be sent to you soon!
If youre tired of reading, learn from these
excellent video lessons by clicking below:
http://DogLoversLetter.Com/Video-Lessons
Also see this guide to feeding your dog
well. You might be surprised at what is in
regular dog food:
http://DogLoversLetter.com/Food-Guide
And remember, never use fear or force!
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