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| Choosing The Best Dog Obedience Schools For Your Pet |
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| Written by Lee Dobbins |
| Thursday, 24 July 2008 22:10 |
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A search in your local shoppers guide or newspapers will yield dozens of ads for dog obedience schools that will help your new canine family member fit in with the other animals and people in the house. So how do you choose the one that is right for you? The methods for training your dog are almost too numerous to count, and they range from physical punishment-based methods to methods based on gentle reminders and positive reinforcement. There still remain many schools of thought when it comes to dog training, and a great many veteran trainers will use a specific system that suits them as well as their customers. The current trend is a move towards more of a rewards based method. Another factor is your dog, and it's background. Is it a puppy, or a rescue dog with their inherent concerns? What is your desired outcome from training--basic obedience, as a pet for the family, show, tracking, or any other dog activities? After giving thought to your dog's personality and what you want out of training, peruse your newspaper and make a list of the local dog obedience schools. Find their contact information and visit their websites. Talk to other dog owners and ask where they have had success training their dog. Local kennel clubs and vets may also have trainer recommendations. When reviewing trainer choices, use referrals and references for the best results. Then, attend one of your choice's beginner classes to see his techniques. Positive methods are best. If he's dragging a dog around by the collar, move on! Before asking for training at your home, remember that socialization skills are important for your dog, so it may be best to train elsewhere. For socialization, it is important that puppies be put into kindergarten or playgroup program, at the earliest age possible. Although, if you have a rescue dog that is aggressive, it may be necessary to go to an animal behaviorist instead of a trainer. Aggression in dogs isn't something to ignore! In some cases training collars may be appropriate for some dogs. Training instruments like pinch collars may work with a few dogs, but a "Gentle Leader" head collar is far more likely to be productive with most. Don't let it come as a shock to you if you find that the instructions for the first class state you shouldn't bring your dog. This is a good thing! Good training, and especially training with a clicker, require "train the trainer" sessions to inform you how to communicate well with your dog, and instructions on utilizing tools for this purpose. These are some ways to tell if the program is a positive training class: 1. The all-around atmosphere of the of the whole school will be upbeat and positive. 2. Training is based on offering your dog rewards during training is the key to reaching your desired goals, which along with praise, may include his favorite toy and doggie treats. 3. A slight whisper or shush noise is the only thing necessary to distract the dog and get the message across that his behavior is unacceptable. There isn't much punishment, and unwanted actions will be stopped. 4. An inappropriate behavior is usually halted by requiring a different behavior that causes the animal to alter his actions, for example, 'lay down' will prevent the dog from jumping on someone. 5. Patience to let the dog give the desired response is a key part of training. There are other methods to training your dog that you can use in addition to local dog obedience schools. Hollywood canines get their talent by way of "clicker training", a very effective and efficient means of training dogs. If you want to review other methods, there are plenty of credible websites and training books available also. About the Author: Is your dog a bad boy? Find out how training him can be as easy as 123 with the dog training techniques you'll learn about at http://www.positivedogtrainingtechniques.com/. Kindly provided by MoneyHunter.org You are welcome to use this article on your own website, if you include the link just before this text. |
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