You must be very cautious about how, when and where you reprimand your dog if they have failed to obey you.

Despite what many people say dogs do have long memories. That being said it is very important no to confuse your dog when it comes to telling them off as it will only make the ongoing training more difficult.

A classic scenario that you will need to think through carefully is when you are training your dog off the leash.

You have let your dog off the leash for a bit of freedom or to perhaps retrieve a ball or a stick that you have thrown. Your dog picks up the ball, at which point you call or whistle your back to you – but no response. You try a second time but still no response.

If your dog fails to come back after two attempts at calling them – then stop calling them – drop the leash exactly where you stand and walk or run out to where your dog is disobeying you. At that point you can reprimand your dog.

Then with your hand firmly on their collar or on the loose fur on the top of their neck you can guide your dog back to where you left the leash, get them to sit down beside you.  Then – and only then – can you make a fuss of them.

If you had persisted with calling your dog back to you and eventually they did come back – when it suits them – then you have a problem.

If you were to reprimand your dog once it was back then they could be very confused.  In their mind they have now obeyed you and what they are expecting is praise and a fuss being made of them.

It is important to get out to the point where the dog is being disobedient – get your message across – take them back and let them know that they will get your affection when they are beside you.

Moving on to a point that I believe is very important to make is that it is not necessary to reward your dog with food treats every time they obey a command or learn a new piece of information.

All that is needed is for you to show them the one thing that they need – your friendship and your affection.

Get down beside them when they have performed well and obeyed – get down to their level and show them some affection – make a fuss of them.  Stroke their head, tickle their tummy whatever it is that you know they will enjoy and let them know that you are pleased with them.

Another approach but something that is not always easy for a man training a dog but is definitely easy for the lady trainers is to change the pitch of your voice for different situations.

When your dog has done well and you are pleased with them then talk in an excited high pitch voice – don’t be embarrassed – at the same time as stroking and patting them.

But when they have been disobedient then change to a deep stern voice.  You can emphasize your voice by grabbing the loose fur each side of the neck and gentle shake them as you speak to them – this way of holding the fur is similar to the action they would have received from their mother when they were in the litter.

If you can be consistent with this technique then it can be very effective and your dog will immediately know where they stand just from you voice.

There is no need to hit your dog – you can achieve all the control that you need with these simple techniques.

In closing we will go back to the statement made earlier about of food treats for rewarding your dog.  With many dogs the biggest challenge is controlling their weight.  It is not going to be helped by carrying a pocketful of nibbles that are handed out for ever little piece of good behavior by your dog.  Avoid it if you can it really isn’t necessary.

So what do we mean by this comment?

So often we allow our dogs to associate bad memories with certain key aspects of their lives.

Probably the easiest way to explain this concept is to talk about the most common problem that owners come across and that is their dog’s love affair with the car.  Just like human beings, dogs either love being in the car and travelling with you or the hate it.

Preventing your dog from having any fear of the car or travel sickness  can be very straight forward if dealt with from day one.

The first question to ask is where the problem starts?

It often starts the day you collect your new dog from the breeder.  You load them up in the car off you go to their new home – your home.

But let us just stop for a moment – this little guy has just been taken away from its mother – a traumatic experience – and it has been put in this car and taken to its new home.

Now its first impression of the car is that it ‘hurts’.

The need to start early with this re-education of your dog towards the car is the fact that so often the first thing your dog knows about the car is leaving its mother – as mentioned  – and the second is that they are loaded up again to visit the veterinary who, on arrival promptly sticks a needle in them for their first inoculation.

Nothing but bad events associated with the car. So how do we overcome the problem?

At the earliest opportunity load your dog into the car again, but this time it is going to be fun. Drive a short distance and unload your new friend – make a big fuss of them and then set off for a walk.  Back to the car and load up when you get back home unload and make a fuss of them again.

You are now starting to change the perception of the car.  Maybe it’s not so bad after all.

Now, if you want to be able to take your dog with you in your car for longer journeys – perhaps for walks well away from home then your building an excitement about getting into the car and your dog will look forward to jumping in the car – and become a good traveler.

This is the same for other aspects of your behavior towards your dog.

If your dog is going to live in a kennel, whether that is inside or outside be cautious of building to much of a routine into shutting them away in there home – away from you.  Ensure that you vary the time of the day that you do it if you can, try to stand in a different place when you call them and try to vary your tone of voice when you call them.  All these things minimize the risk of your dog building any association with a repetitive event in their life

In addition always make a fuss of them before you close the door on their kennel or when you do anything that they may have a dislike for.

Try to understand the things that your dog doesn’t like.  It could be
having their nails trimmed
having a bath – not all dogs like that
being combed and brushed – again not all dogs like that .

So always try to associate fun and good memories to overcome any reluctance your dog may have to any of these aspects of their life.

Leash pulling whilst walking with any dog can be tiring, frustrating and also dangerous if the leash slips from your hand. Working to prevent your dog from pulling on the leash should be the first behavior trait to address.

Whether it is a puppy or and older dog that you have taken on, you need to take immediate action if this is going to be overcome. Once you let a dog get used to the fact that they are allowed to pull on the leash and that they actually can pull you along at their pace then it will be very hard to break – so don’t delay.

One method that has achieved good results is – with your dog on your left side take hold of the end of the leash in your right hand and gather the loop of the leash in your left hand. Start walking and if your dog starts to get ahead of you give a gentle pull back with your left hand and at the same time use your chosen word of command – heel – or one that suits you. Then let the leash go slack and continue to walk. Each time your dog moves ahead then repeat the action and the command.

Keep up this practice until the command alone is all that is needed to check any movement forward. Alternative to this method if the problem persists is to hold the leash in just the same way but as your dog move forwards then you just stop walking and gently guide them back to the position beside you – then start walking again.

Keep in mind once you achieve success with either method then is the time to give praise and make a fuss of your dog.

The most important aspect of this part of the training is to ensure that at no time do you allow your dog to pull you along. The leash should never be tight. Resist the temptation to let up on this aspect of behavior and keep focused on it until it is totally set in the dog’s mind.

Often training your dog to walk beside you without creeping forward is all about your dog getting used to the pace at which you walk. If more than one member of the family exercises the dog then it is important that the leash training is kept up at all times so that the dog learns to adjust its pace according to who they are walking with.

Although much is written against the use of choke chains or slip leashes, which will pull tight around the neck if the dog pulls, in certain circumstances they may be the only answer – especially when you are dealing with a big powerful breed.

The important point to make is that this type of collar must be used with caution as they can, if jerked too sharply, damage your dog’s neck. So only consider these as a last resort not the first and do take care.  As soon as you have achieved the desired result then and your dog stops pulling then  you will be able to go back to the more conventional type of collar.

One word of advice – don’t opt to use a harness if you dog continues to pull on a lead – it will only make matters worse.

Whatever anyone says about choke collars and the like many feel it is better than going down the route of spike collars and electronic collars which can be much more unsettling for the dog.

Good leash training should be achievable without too much difficulty with a puppy, but may need a bit more persistence if you adopt and older dog.

Rewards

I feel it is important to include this subject right at the top of the list.

Yes, when you are training your dog it is important that you reward them when they have been successful in learning and obeying a new command.  However I am one of the old school and I do not recommend the use of treats as a reward. You will come across certain chews and foody bits that are sold specifically as training rewards. I would encourage you not to go down this route.

Your dog’s expectation of a treat of any sort is putting in place a habit that ultimately may have to be broken. If every time your dog completes a simple task you give them a treat then they will turn into a dog that sits and drools for the treats at every opportunity.

However, that is not the biggest problem – the big problem is that feeding treats frequently leads to over-feeding and an overweight dog. In that one respect you will be doing your dog no favors at all.

The only reward that your dog needs as an indication of a new habit well learned or a command obeyed is for you to get down at their level and make a fuss of them.  Stroke their head, pat their neck or even give them a cuddle if you want, but stay off the food treats – it is totally unnecessary.

So now we have a that little issue out of the way let’s move on……..

Leashes and Collars

When it comes to the dog leash the variation in the market is huge – ranging from leashes only two-foot long to an extendable unit that could be 30 foot.

The ideal is the two to four foot leash – this way you ensure that when your dog is on the leash it is beside you and under your complete control and if your training is successful you will never need a lead any different to that.

If on the other hand the training has not been as successful to date, then in order to give your dog a little more freedom, but you are reluctant to let them of the lead – then you could consider an extendable lead as a short term solution whilst training continue.

Collars should be fully adjustable to the size of your dogs neck and it may be necessary to buy more than one to cover the growth from the puppy stage.

Fit a collar to your puppy as soon as possible as this allows them to become accustomed to the feeling of the collar around their neck, which initially may irritate.

Specialized Collars

Today there are so many variations to the dog collar. If your dog is trained correctly then the old conventional idea of a good quality leather collar will always fit the bill.

However there are a number of collar alternatives that can be resorted to if the training has not been as successful as you wished.

Clicker Collars

These are designed to emit a noise that can be activated by you, the trainer.  The idea being that when your dog has done something correct then you click the collar. The clicking is normally linked to the reward of a treat – a subject that we have already covered.

Like so many aspects to training the Clicker Collar can lead to confusion in your dogs mind as to what the message really means. So if you are going to go down this route then give careful thought as to how you are going to use it and if necessary take professional advice.

Electronic & Spiked Collars

These should be avoided at all costs as they can be counter-productive in your dogs training. They are aggressive and strangely they can often result in the dog returning the same aggression – what goes round comes round.

Choke Chain & Slip Collar

Although commonly used in the past the choke chain or rope slip collar used with caution can be productive in stopping a dog from pulling whilst on the leash.  I emphasize the word caution because again with over use and too much force exerted you can run the risk of damaging the dog’s neck.

Harnesses

These can appear to be a good alternative to putting pressure on a dog’s neck with a collar, but the big drawback is that they can tend to encourage the dog to pull even more than on a collar.

If the training of your dog is to be based around strong positive reinforcement of good behavior then the choice of leash and collar will be very simple.  If you dog obeys your commands at the first time of asking – and that will not happen overnight – then there will be no need for sophisticated collars because your dog will always be calmly walking beside you.

Dog Whistle

Other than the leash and collar the only other aid that is a must for most dog owners is a dog whistle. Not everybody has a good natural whistle themselves so always consider purchasing a good quality dog whistle.  This will then become a fundamental part of the training process.

Instead of shouting or screaming at your dog to return to heel a sharp blast on the whistle will be all that is needed.

That should be all that you need to get started with the training. As long as your approach to the training of your dog is based strong positive reinforcement of good behavior then they will be all the aids that you ever need.

Good luck.

Whenever possible make time to study the principles of obedience training for dogs before you buy or at least before you get your new dog home.  It is always helpful to do this because then know what to expect and also what is expected of you so there are no surprises.  Also you can start to build a plan to get the best from your new friend.

Obedience training of your dog should be an enjoyable process and is always helpful if you can keep it simple.  It’s all about you building a relationship with your dog.

There are two aspects of this relationship building that you are aiming for…..

• First you need to let the dog know that you want to be their friend

• Second you need to let them know that they are your friend.

Keep in mind the fact that although your dog is a social animal, they are also a pack animal and in order to achieve your training goals you will need to put yourself in the position of the leader of the pack – this one aspect will ensure your training sessions are successful.

So where does it all begin?

First is important that you are aware that training your dog is not just a commitment for few weeks and then the whole job is done and sorted.  On the contrary effective dog training is a lifetime process and you need to be sure that you are prepared to make the necessary time available to get your dog trained properly.

Ongoing training throughout your dog’s life – not just as a puppy – may well be necessary in order to prevent some if your dog’s inherent traits – possibly undesirable traits – rising to the surface and undoing all you early work. So keep it up.

It is a well accepted fact that the training of your dog should be the responsibility of one person.  Certainly in the early years when the groundwork is being laid for the good behavior of your dog then the last thing you want to do is confuse them with different approaches and standards from different individuals.

Which brings us neatly on to the problem of confusion in the dog’s mind of what is right and wrong?  Often the biggest challenge to obedience training is ensuring that you don’t confuse your dog with regard to your commands and expectations. Your communication must be plain and consistent. Always use the same word or sound together with a command and your dog will ultimately respond to that sound.

It is slightly irrelevant the words or noises you use to achieve the result as your dog only relates to a sound linked to a command.  A good example is when you want your dog to walk beside you – the variations that you may come across are – here, heel, come by, by.  They will all have the same result you just decide on the words and sounds that you are comfortable with.

Remember that dogs have many characteristics in them – some which will endear them to you and some that will frustrate you. One minute they can destroy your house and the next they can snuggle up to you leg and show real understanding of how you are feeling.

Your role is to control the bad, unacceptable habits and work to control and develop the good and acceptable habits. The role is to modify your dog’s natural behaviors and make your dog into a socially accepted pet or a competent working dog.

Points to keep in mind when setting about training……..

You must be in the right frame of mind if not forget it.

If you have had a bad day at the office the last thing you want to do is take your dog out for a training session and then take your frustrations out on the dog because of what you see as its short comings.  When really the problem it is nothing to do with the dog.

If frustration creeps in then call an end to the session and make you way home – ensuring that you make friends with your dog before you arrive home.

Obviously you don’t want to reward your dog in the same way as you would if the session has gone well but at the same time you do not want to end on a totally sour note as that will mean that you are running a risk of difficulties next time out.

I fact if you can just relax yourself and get your dog to do something simple – that you know they are capable of – to end out the session that gives you the opportunity to make friends and genuinely make a fuss of them.

Just the same as it is with human beings it is always good to put you dog to bed each night on a high as they will then look forward to seeing you the next day and will only want to please.