Secrets of Dog Training Professionals - Why Use Food?

Have you ever wondered how really good dog trainers come up with the techniques they use to solve behaviour problems in dogs such as excessive barking, destructive chewing, toileting in the house and jumping up on visitors? Or how top dog trainers come up with ways to train dogs in top obedience and working competitions? Apart from a few "naturals," most really good dog trainers have a very good understanding of how dogs learn. They have adapted theory from the world of behavioural science and turned that knowledge into real-life practical skills for training dogs. This article explains in plain English some of the science and theory behind dog training, these really are secrets of the dog training professionals!

If you go to any good dog trainer or read any of the many excellent books on dog training these days you will discover that most trainers are using food in their training. Why is this so?

Many dog owners are discovering the joy of humane, pet-friendly training using Positive Reinforcement. Positive Reinforcement involves giving the dog something they want when they do something we want. It's the same as getting paid to work, we turn up and do our job, and our employer pays us accordingly (well, enough to keep us doing our job anyway!) Would we go to work without pay? Not likely! Even volunteers get something out of doing their job.

The question is, what do dogs want? The list is almost endless, there are the basic requirements such as food and water. Then there are things like social contact, attention, play, toys and exercise. All of these things can potentially be used as positive reinforcement, and each dog will have a particular bias for what he or she will or will not work for.

So why do positive reinforcement trainers rely mostly on food in their training?

1. All dogs need to eat. Food is necessary to survival and dogs are hard-wired to work for food.

2. Most dogs love to eat, even beyond basic survival.

3. Some food is particularly tasty to dogs and will get a more enthusiastic response.

4. Food is convenient for the trainer, lots of small pieces fit in a bag or pocket and can be used throughout the day whenever we catch our dog doing something we like!

5. We have to feed our dogs anyway, so we might as well get something in return!

6. It is quicker and more efficient than training with play or toys, therefore we can get in many more reinforcements in a shorter space of time

7. Food gives the dog positive associations with being trained.

Why don't some dogs work for food? Mostly this is because they are not hungry. They either have free access to food, have too large meals, or very small stomachs and fill up very quickly. They may simply not like the food you are trying to give them, we all have different tastes when it comes to food.

Whilst special treats are great to use for training, often they are fatty, sugary or salty and not particularly healthy, so use these in moderation. The healthier the food you use, the better your dog's health will be. Some trainers are lucky enough to have dogs that enjoy healthy treats like carrot or apple!

Here's a trick for owners with dogs that don't appear to be food motivated:

- Divide your dogs normal meal into small pieces suitable for training
- Use those small pieces as training treats
- When you have finished training, give your dog the remainder as his meal

If that doesn't work, please seek help from a competent positive reinforcement trainer or veterinarian if you suspect health problems. All dogs need to eat, and all dogs will work for food - no exceptions!

Aidan Bindoff is Editor of http://www.PositivePetzine.com, your helpful online resource for positive dog training and behavior information.

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4 Steps to Quickly Leash Train Your Puppy!

1. When is the best time to leash train your puppy?
Now! The sooner you start, the sooner your puppy will be able to safely walk with you outside in a predictable, controlled manner. This isn’t always an easy task but very well worth the effort! Puppies are easily overwhelmed and may initially be afraid of a new collar and leash. With patience and a loving manner, you will be able to help your puppy overcome his initial fear.

2. What kind of collar and leash should I buy?
Start by buying your puppy a lightweight collar (no choke collars!) complete with an id tag, a lightweight leash, and some healthy treats. Begin by putting the collar snuggly but not tightly around your puppy’s neck. Be prepared – he won’t like it at first! He’ll paw at the collar, shake his head and roll around hoping to shake it off. It’s important not to laugh at him (this will only encourage him to keep doing it) or scold him either. Hopefully your puppy will forget about his new collar after a few minutes.

3. What is the first step in leash training?
Congratulations! Give your puppy a treat once he has accepted wearing his collar. The next step is to attach his leash. Just attach it and let him walk around the room getting used to the feel of it. After 2 minutes, take the leash off and reward your puppy. Wait 15 minutes and attach the leash again, once more letting him just walk around getting used to the feel of wearing a leash. After a few minutes, take the leash off again. Keep repeating this process until your puppy is used to wearing his leash. Remember: attach, walk around the room, remove, reward with a treat, repeat. Tip: if you attach his leash to his collar at mealtimes, your puppy will associate his leash with a positive experience.

Once your puppy has accepted wearing his leash, pick up the other end. Just let him lead you around indoors. Let him think that this is a fun game as he leads you around indoors. Keep it fun and make sure that you don’t let him be in a position where he wants to pull or strain against the leash. Do everything to make this a positive experience for your puppy. Praise him with your words and treats when you ‘catch him’ doing something right (if he happens to walk over to you for attention, rather than straining against his leash, praise him!). Tip: limit your ‘indoor leash walks’ to 5 or 10 minutes, several times a day if possible.

4. When is it safe to venture outdoors?
When you and your puppy are feeling comfortable with your ‘indoor leash walks’, it’s time to venture outside! Start with short walks in low traffic areas where there are minimal distractions (like other dogs). Slowly, gradually, widen the area where you and your puppy walk.

Once your puppy has mastered walking on the leash outdoors, it’s a great time to teach him how to go up and down stairs. Start by sitting on the bottom step of a short flight of stairs. Go up one step and encourage your puppy to join you. If he follows you, lavish him with lots of praise and a treat. Continue going up one step at a time with more praise and treats for each step. Do the same when coming back down the stairs. Tip: Don’t punish your puppy if he’s not ready to climb the stairs and never try to force him. If he’s not ready, try again in a few days. Patience is the key.

Whew! Congratulate your puppy and yourself! You’ve mastered teaching your puppy to walk on a leash AND go up the stairs! Leash training your puppy can be time consuming but is absolutely necessary for his safety.

BJ Gabriel is a successful Webmaster and publisher of DogTraining4Lovers.com. BJ provides free Dog Training information in a free Dog Lovers Newsletter to help you have the happiest, healthiest and most well-behaved dog on the planet!

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Stop Dog Barking

It is essential to have a dog that knows how to follow the right rules so that he will stop barking at people and other dogs. To achieve this, dog training must be considered.

Most people think that training a dog is hard and expensive. Moreover, dog training requires a lot of patience and creativity for your dog. We have to remember that dogs may be intelligent but they can not be as intelligent as us. The article provides some of the basic things dog owners need to know so they can do the training themselves. However, to maximize the full potential of your dog, a dog trainer should be hired instead.

What are the differences between a submissive dog and a dominant dog?

A submissive dog normally:

• avoids eye contact.

• rolls on its back.

• crouch down, ears back and tail lowered.

• is comfortable on its back in your arms.

On the other hand, a dominant dog:

• maintains eye contact.

• is unwilling to move from his place on the couch.

• dislikes grooming and petting.

• is possessive of dishes and toys.

Training your dog requires kindness and consistency. Dogs respond actively to praises and to rewards. In addition, they become harsh and unresponsive towards punishments and animosity, respectively.

Trainings with obedience classes can be intensely beneficial in petting your dog. In many dog training schools, classes for puppies are available. Young dogs are taught to get accustomed with other dogs and people using limited trainings. However, there are areas that do not conduct formal obedience training unless the dog is at least half a year old. Always remember that a dog is never too old to benefit from training when a good dog trainer is available, or if the owner is fully committed to the task.

Here are the recommended ways of training dogs not to bark:

1. Reiteration or Repetition

Reiteration is the name of the dog training game. In here, dogs are asked to do a task over and over again to achieve mastery. Dog tricks are best learned when reiterated and reinforced through rewards.

2. Persistence

Patience is a virtue that requires you to tolerate hardships. Persistence is trying to be patient for a longer time until a goal is achieved. Apparently, dog training requires a lot of persistence from the owner or from the dog trainer Physical and psychological aspects of the owner and/or the dog trainer must be sound.

3. Commendation and Amendation

Simply put, if a dog does the right thing, it should be said aloud. Otherwise, the dog should hear, "No, that's not it!" when the trick is not complete or appropriate for the command given. These words reinforce correct responses and diminish the unwanted ones.

4. Rewarding

Bits of cheese would really be good treats for dogs who responded correctly to a given command. Other food can be bought at pet stores. However, if you are able to get the respect of your pet, commands will be executed even if there are no longer involved treats. Likewise, these things reinforce warranted responses.

If your lifestyle permits being in charge of training your own pet, you can do the training as long as you have gathered enough patience and commitment by:

1. spending time grooming your dog.

2. having regular training times on the leash.

3. stroking its belly and toes and rolling it on its back

4. hand feeding some food to ensure that the pet is taking treats gently and slowly.

In asserting dominance, always practice consistency and firmness. Afterwards, you can be a master and a dear friend to your own pet.

There are many things that you can do to make your dog much better and very responsible to you and your family. Look around this site and if you need more please visit my review of a dog training book.

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Great Dog Training Tips!

Training your dog can be a great way to bond with them and can greatly improve their relationship with you. There are many different dog training techniques, but hopefully these tips should help you with any system.

1. Reward good behavior, don’t ignore it. If your dog does something good be sure to reward them. The only way your dog knows if they have done anything right is if you reward them. The reward could be in the form of a treat or praise.

2. Develop good timing. This is probably the most important tip. If your dog is going to associate the behavior with the reward you need to reward the dog immediately. The same thing goes with punishment. People often want to punish their dog for a certain behavior well after the fact from when the event actually occurred.

3. Pattern interruption. This is another behavior modification cornerstone. If you want to change a bad behavior you have to stop it when you immediately see it beginning. All you have to do is interrupt a pattern often enough and it will go away. This is also true for human beings with bad habits like smoking.

4. Begin with the end in mind. Each training session should have a specific goal. By having a goal with each training session you steadily move your dog forward through their training.

5. Don’t get angry. If you start to get angry or lose your temper with your dog stop the training session immediately. You as the trainer need to stay calm; if you get frustrated your dog will know this and also get frustrated.

6. Be Consistent. This cannot be stressed enough, you need to be consistent. Nothing will slow your dog’s training worse than being inconsistent. Regular scheduled training sessions and the same rewards for the same desired behaviors.

7. Watch for family. Different people can also slow your dog’s training. Training of the dog should be limited to a few people. Often times your hard work can be for nothing if one family member gives your dog rewards for undesired behavior.

By staying consistent in your dog training program you can see great improvement in your dog’s behavior in a short amount of time. Having a well trained dog makes everyone’s life easier and happier; especially your dog’s when they know what is expected of them.

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