Guide to Training & Finding a Trainer For your Pet Dog!

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Introduction

First I’m going to start off by saying that training dogs is very beneficial and easy to do, although it takes patience and time. There are many different techniques used by today’s top trainers and they all have their own benefits and side effects. The article below first talks about what to look for if you decide you would rather have a professional train your dog. If you decide train your dog yourself than the rest of the article will teach you the basic steps used by professionals. Keep in mind I am not a certified dog trainer however I do have lots of experience with mine and others dogs and have been to several classes and seminars.

Trainer

So, you have decided that you don’t have the time to train your dog and would prefer to hire a professional. There are many training courses and professional trainers to choose from and can be quite frustrating to choose the right one for you. Remember when looking for a trainer that having a business card or an ad in the yellow pages doesn't make them a qualified trainer. The best trainers are the ones that come referred by someone that has used them. Perhaps you know a friend or co worker that recently took their dog to a trainer. Ask them if they used a professional trainer and if they would recommend them. If they say they would then some of the work is done but there are several questions you should be asking the trainer as well.

After you find the location of the trainer first take a glance around and look for things that would indicate they are providing a professional service. Next ask them what Training method they use? Most modern teachers will use a positive reinforcement method to train dogs. This method is finding the good in the dog’s behaviour instead of the bad. Example, the command was sit and after a while the trainer could only get the dog to sit for 2 seconds, he would then reward the dog for those 2 seconds. This allows the dog to know there is some incentive for doing one of the actions they preformed. The trainer will repeat this until the dog figures out which movement was the correct one. The older method used by fewer trainers now is negative reinforcement. This is where the trainer will scold the dog for performing an incorrect action. Based on these two methods you will need to decide which one would be more suitable for you as well as your dog.

Next you will want to see if the trainer is available to come to your house or if all training is done as their facility. This is very important because several dogs will be too excited in a different surrounding and will be much more difficult to train. After that you will want to see the trainer’s qualifications and how many years teaching. A trainer with at least 5-7 years of training will likely be very good and worth your time and money as long as they meet the rest of your requirements. As a final note when looking for a trainer, remember that your puppy may not be able to enter in dog classes until it is 3-4 months old as the trainer will require that it has had all of their vaccinations.

Sit

If you decide that you have spare time and would rather train your dog yourself than this section is for you. To start here are a few facts about training your puppy and if it’s for you or not. Training your puppy is said by many professionals to take 6-8 months, so make sure this amount of time is an available. Well trained puppies are less likely to jump on people or possibly bite someone and they will remain calm in distracting situations. Now that you are convinced you would like to train your own dog than you are likely still confused as to where to start. I recommend that if you haven’t already you should go talk to and watch a professional to pick up good training techniques. Good training techniques vary, but most trainers agree that dogs respond best to positive reinforcement, such as praise or treats. So, we are beginning with the sit command because it is the most basic and easiest to teach. My personal way of teaching a dog to sit is to call out “sit” in a firm voice along with a hand action to indicate a sitting motion. As well when you are doing this it won’t hurt to firmly push on the dog’s rear end to help them understand what you are asking. If they perform the task right than reward them with a treat. After they understand what you are asking when you say sit, you should repeat this command as often as you would like to give them a treat. If you don’t keep reinforcing it they will soon forget the command! Remember to always try to end sessions on a positive note as you and the dog will find the experience more enjoyable. The command will need to be re-taught in each new situation or at least several situations before the dog will completely understand the command.

Stay

Alright so your dog now has the sit command fully understood and you think they can handle another command. First take him outside and firmly say “stay” and give them a hand motion again. Try this first and see what they do when you back away. Chances are they will follow you because they want the treat. If this is the case then repeat the action several times and each time you back away make sure you are still doing the handle signal for stay. If you get a foot away from him and he’s still staying then you are making progress and make sure to reward him. After many tries chances are most dogs will figure it out. To put your dog to the test give him the stay signal and back away, while doing this have another person yell “come rover”. A perfectly trained dog will listen to your command only and will not move when someone else says something. So keep this goal in mind and keep on practicing with them. Note: When training a dog to stay do not keep your dog in a sit-stay for more than 2 or 3 minutes. If you need your dog to stay for longer periods use the down-stay command.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Training your dog can be a very rewarding experience for both of you, although it will be very stressful at times. Just remember to relax and be patient with them and the end result will be well worth it.

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