Posts Tagged ‘pet training’

Training Your Dog With A Clicker

Monday, March 29th, 2010

As you will discover when starting the training process, everyone thinks their way is the most effective when it comes to teaching your dog good behavior. Almost every dog owner is anxious to share their advice and expertise, when they find out that you have a new puppy. Very similar to when your first child is born, all of your friends and family with children, claim to have an in depth understanding of your situation.

A training method used in the past, known as clicker training, is currently making a comeback, as a productive dog training technique. Essentially, a clicker does just that — it’s a small box-like device that emits a click sound when pressed, and it allows you to show pride and appreciation for your dog whenever they exhibit excellent behavior or restraint. The real element of using a clicker for dog training is teaching your dog what the sound actually represents.

You will first need to buy a clicker, if you would like to utilize clicker training with your dog. A book describing the clicker training procedure, available in most pet shops, will also be quite useful. Teaching your dog his first trick, such as following the “sit” command, is a good initial step. Use the command word “sit” and attempt to make the dog follow your command. Once he follows the instructions, reward him with his favorite treat while clicking the clicker box once. Make sure that you discharge a click every time you reward the dog with a treat. You will be helping your dog to associate his appropriate behavior with the clicking noise.

Recently, there have been many dogs that participate in competitions that are using clicker training. Dogs that you may have seen performing on television, such as those who navigate obstacle courses, are often accompanied by a trainer with a clicker box, standing close by. This can be an excellent method to get your dog to obey if you can remember the simple “order, treat, clicker” process.

The use of a clicker to train your dog puts you front and center as the person distributing both rewards and discipline while also making the dog aware of how much you appreciate it when they demonstrate good behavior. As a result, the relationship between you and your dog will be strengthened.

Dogs thrive on praise, so, try never to miss an opportunity to utilize the your clicker box, to let your dog know that they have exhibited appropriate behavior.

Roger writes articles on the life jacket for dog and about using a dog life jacket near water.

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Positive And Negative Reinforcement In Dog Training

Friday, March 5th, 2010

When training a dog, it is important to begin as early as possible in the dog\’s life. There are many different methods used when dog training and they all work differently depending on the dog. Obedience schools are available for those who do not wish to attempt this on their own. For those that do want to try dog training, here are a few quick tips that may help.

Positive reinforcement is the most widely recognized technique used in training a dog. This is normally achieved by a reward system. The reward can come in the form of verbal praising of the dog\’s actions or, an even more effective manifestation, in the way of a treat. The dog treat as a reward virtually guarantees cooperation from your pet.

On the other side of the coin, many pet owners use negative reinforcement to combat bad behavior. This can be as simple as the classic \”bad dog\” or a tap on their behind to let them know that they were bad. Many advanced forms of negative reinforcement use some sort of electric collar.

A bark collar is a common device used in dog training for dogs that bark too frequently. A bark collar can be fitted around the dog\’s neck and will send out a mild electric shock every time the dog barks. By doing so, the dog will eventually learn not to bark.

An invisible fence uses the same basic collar along with a wire buried around the perimeter of the yard or section of property that achieves the same basic effect as a bark collar. Each time the dog attempts to cross over the barrier, he receives a shock, letting him know he has wandered too far. After repeated attempts, the dog learns what her boundaries are.

Housebreaking a dog is possibly the most important piece of dog training. Utilizing a bit of both reinforcement methods with the negative reinforcement being kept to a minimum will accomplish this. Reward the dog when he has alerted you to the need to go outside or discipline him when an accident indoors occurs. One should not shout the dog\’s name by itself when disciplining the dog as the dog will not know the difference between discipline and a simple call.

Training a dog is by no means a picnic, but the reward for the owner come the end of it is invaluable. There is a large measure of patience involved in dog training particularly when the dog is quite young, but as the dog grows the patience pays off. A well-trained dog can be the perfect lifetime companion to any individual or family.

We built www.dogcollarandmore.com for all dog owners like our selves. We continue to build the site as a complete resource for you. One area of concern with owning a dog is dog training. You can look up all the answers for your pet related questions along with a lot of training techniques written by experts on our site.

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