Posts Tagged ‘dog commands’

Dog Obedience Training

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008

Three Principles on Dog Obedience Training

Even dogs with some of the best well breeding or dogs that are well adapted to humans still need some basic obedience training, because these skills are not something they pick up on their own. Obedience training requires the use of some principles which differentiate effective training, from training without results. They are the following:

Principle One: CONSISTENCY

The first rule in obedience training is to be consistent. You need to be consistent in the words you use, the tone they are spoken in and the actions that accompany them. During the beginning of the training, the trainer or the dog owner must decide what should be the parameters of training, such as what and how you are going to teach the dog.

At first the word commands, such as “come”, does not make sense to a dog. It is only reasonable to conclude if he does not understand the way humans are, then he does not understand our language. So to make the training understandable, you should use the command in a very consistent manner so that the dog will learn to associate the word with the meaning you attach with it.

Another example would be, if you are using the command “come”, make sure that everyone in the household use it in a same type of manner. The command “Come” specifically means that the dog should approach the giver of the command. So if you are using this command make it a point not to do actions that would make the command confusing for the dog.

Don’t be deterred in your training efforts if the dog does not come to your right away, be patient and don’t force or scold him. If you punish the dog over and over after giving the command they will begin to associate the word with the punishment. He will not follow the same command since in his mind, he remembers it will lead to punishment.

Being consistent in your dog commands is to be followed by anyone who works with the dog. For example, if you are using the command “come”, other people in the household should not replace it with words like “here” or, “come here boy”.

Principle Two: KEEP IT SHORT

Both the amount of time you spend training and the words you use as commands should be kept short. Dogs tend to have a short attention span, it is best to limit the training so they keep the interest level to it’s peak during the days lesson. For example, puppies love to explore and play with something for awhile, then soon they are off again to explore the next new thing that may catch their attention.

They simply don’t possess the same amount of interest they had when they started the activity and they become easily bored. The same thing happens in training therefore, it should be limited only to 10 minutes to 15 minutes of regular training.

Principle Three: DO NOT USE FORCE and PUNISHMENT

A trainer should never hurt the dog in any way, you should make it a goal to have the training be a positive experience for all involved. Also, never force the dog to follow the command if he is not prepared for, or punish a dog for something he did during training that he did not understand.

Make sure not to over do it when training your dog. The dog does not understand that he should learn things “instantly” and he does not realize that you are becoming impatient with the speed he is picking up the training. All he knows is that you are mad.

So do not use force as this does not communicate your meaning properly, instead gives a negative reinforcement. If he knows that he is praised when he does something right, he should not be praised when he does not follow a command.

Dog Obedience Training

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008

Simple Principles in Dog Obedience Training

Even dogs with some of the best well breeding or dogs that are well adapted to humans still need some basic obedience training, because these skills are not something they pick up on their own. Obedience training requires the use of some principles which differentiate effective training, from training without results. They are the following:

Principle One: CONSISTENCY

Consistency is the first basic rule in effective dog training. This covers the use of words, tone, and the actions that accompany the word or command. During the beginning of the training, the trainer or the dog owner must decide what should be the parameters of training, such as what and how you are going to teach the dog.

At first the word commands, such as “come”, does not make sense to a dog. He does not understand things the way humans think and he does not understand the language we use. It is important to make the training effective, by being very consistent in attaching the same voice tone, body movement or hand jester with every command that is given to your dog.

Another example would be, if you are using the command “come”, make sure that everyone in the household use it in a same type of manner. The command “Come” specifically means that the dog should approach the giver of the command. When you are using this command be sure not to use any signals or body movements that would be confusing to the dog.

Don’t be deterred in your training efforts if the dog does not come to your right away, be patient and don’t force or scold him. Otherwise, this would make him attribute the command with the punishment. He will not follow the same command since in his mind, he remembers it will lead to punishment.

Consistency also covers the use of the same dog commands by all people. For example, if you are using the command “come”, other people in the household should not replace it with words like “here” or, “come here boy”.

Second Principle: Keep It Short

The hours devoted to training and the words used as command should be kept short. Keep in mind that the attention span of dogs is very short and that getting them engrossed with a specific activity can be very hard, if not impossible. Puppies usually react to a specific stimulus, but not for a very long time, they may begin to chase a moving toy, and quickly lose interest, then move on to the next thing.

They can quickly loose interest in an activity sometimes within just moments after beginning, and will need something else to stimulate their senses. The same thing happens in training therefore, it should be limited only to 10 minutes to 15 minutes of regular training.

Third Principle: No Punishment or Force Allowed

Never hurt the dog if you want him to be acceptable to being trained. You should absolutely never punish a dog just because he did not do something he wasn’t prepared for, nor force a dog to do something he does not understand.

Make sure not to over do it when training your dog. The dog does not understand that he should learn things “instantly” and he does not realize that you are becoming impatient with the speed he is picking up the training. If you are angry the dogs can sense it but does not know why.

So do not use force as this does not communicate your meaning properly, instead gives a negative reinforcement. If he knows that he is praised when he does something right, he should not be praised when he does not follow a command.

Dog Obedience Training

Sunday, December 7th, 2008

Three Principles on Dog Obedience Training

Dogs, even when their breeding is maximized and well-adapted to human needs, will always need some basic obedience training as they would never figure this out on their own. To be successful in obedience training you need to understand the differences between effective and non-effective training techniques. Principles to Learn:

First Principle: CONSISTANCY

Consistency is the first basic rule in effective dog training. You need to be consistent in the words you use, the tone they are spoken in and the actions that accompany them. During the beginning of the training, the trainer or the dog owner must decide what should be the parameters of training, such as what and how you are going to teach the dog.

At first the word commands, such as “come”, does not make sense to a dog. It is only reasonable to conclude if he does not understand the way humans are, then he does not understand our language. So to make the training understandable, you should use the command in a very consistent manner so that the dog will learn to associate the word with the meaning you attach with it.

Another example would be, if you are using the command “come”, make sure that everyone in the household use it in a same type of manner. When using the word command, “Come”, you should work with the dog to understand this means to approach the giver of the command. When you are using this command be sure not to use any signals or body movements that would be confusing to the dog.

If he does not come to you, do not force the dog to come to you and then punish him for doing so. If you punish the dog over and over after giving the command they will begin to associate the word with the punishment. The dog will not want to follow the same command because in his mind it leads to punishment.

Consistency also covers the use of the same dog commands by all people. For example, if you are using the command “come”, other people in the household should not replace it with words like “here” or, “come here boy”.

Principle Two: KEEP IT SHORT

Both the amount of time you spend training and the words you use as commands should be kept short. Dogs tend to have a short attention span, it is best to limit the training so they keep the interest level to it’s peak during the days lesson. For example, puppies love to explore and play with something for awhile, then soon they are off again to explore the next new thing that may catch their attention.

They can quickly loose interest in an activity sometimes within just moments after beginning, and will need something else to stimulate their senses. They also often become board during training and that is why it’s best to limit the time to 10 - 15 minutes a day.

Third Principle: No Punishment or Force Allowed

Never hurt the dog if you want him to be acceptable to being trained. You should absolutely never punish a dog just because he did not do something he wasn’t prepared for, nor force a dog to do something he does not understand.

Don’t push the animal too hard while dog training. A good trainer realizes dogs do not learn things instantly and so they are very patient and show understanding towards the animal they are working with. All he knows is that you are mad.

So do not use force as this does not communicate your meaning properly, instead gives a negative reinforcement. If he knows that he is praised when he does something right, he should not be praised when he does not follow a command.

Dog Training Hand Commands Guide

Friday, November 14th, 2008

As well as you teaching your dog to obey you through the use of verbal commands, you can also teach them to obey you when you only use hand signals instead. When it does come to you teaching your dog about such commands you will need to use them in conjunction with verbal commands in the beginning. In this article, we look at one of the ways in which dog training hand commands can be accomplished.

Teaching your dog how to obey hand commands is very simple and generally, dogs find it very easy to understand these along with verbal commands. Along with you and your dogs when you start this kind of training you will also need some kind of treat (food is ideal) that you can reward your dog with when they react in the correct way to the signal.

It is crucial when you first start training your dog to react to hand commands rather than spoken ones is that you use the two in conjunction with each other. Also, you need to first decide what signal will represent what spoken command that you want your dog to obey. Only after you have made a decision on each hand command can you then start actually training your dog to respond to them.

In the beginning as you, say each command to your dog you should also very slowly and deliberately show the hand signal as well. You will need to repeat the verbal command and the hand signal several times in order for your dog to understand what it is you would like them to do. Then once they react the first time to you saying the word and doing the hand signal then you can reward them.

As you continually repeat the commands and signals you should very slowly you should start to eliminate the verbal commands. However, you should still use the rewards of food and praise for your dog when they respond to your hand signals only. For a while as you begin to slowly eliminate the verbal commands you should when carrying out the training, use them half of the time, and the other half of the time just hand signals.

After a period of time when they have begun to purely respond to your hand commands then you can start beginning to eliminate the food rewards also. It is crucial that you do not stop providing such treats as soon as they start responding to hand commands, but gradually eliminate them and instead offer your dog praise instead.

When you are going to be teaching your dog to respond to hand commands rather than verbal ones it is a good idea to start of with the most basic commands that you want your dog to respond to. Most owners will start of with the ones we all learn in the beginning with our dogs, which is sit, stay, down and come. Only once you feel that you and your dog are ready should you be moving on to commands that are far more elaborate.

Actually getting advice on the right way dog training hand commands should be done is easy. There are plenty of sites on the internet today that can offer lots of practical advice and tips. Plus there are plenty of books and videos, which can help you with training your dog to respond to such hand signals.

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Dog Aggression Training Tips

Monday, November 10th, 2008

Aggression in a dog is something, which an owner should not tolerate and should be dealt with as soon as the problem arises. However, in order for an owner to find the right kind of dog aggression training they should be using to control this problem they need to understand the kinds of aggression that dogs suffer from.

In this article, we take a look at just what these are. It is important to remember that a dog may not only show just one type of aggression in fact they could show several.

1. Dominance - This kind of aggression will occur in a dog who thinks that they are in fact the alpha member (leader of the pack) and will use this as a way of asserting their dominance over the others in the pack (you and your family). Most commonly, you will find that male dogs and certain dog breeds are likely to suffer from this kind of aggressive behavior more. But in order for you to control the situation, you need to quickly and fairly establish that you and your family are the leaders in the group and they are at the bottom of the pack hierarchy.

2. Fear - This is type of aggression occurs when a dog feels insecure or frightened. They will often react to a disturbance or when being approached by either barking, growling, they may bare their teeth, snap or bite. In some cases, if they feel cornered or threatened they may actually bite. It is important that you do not think that your dog will grow out of this problem, as they will not.

3. Territorial/Over Protective - When a dog suffers from this kind of aggressive behavior if left and the owner chooses to ignore the problem they will become a danger to all those around them and not just to those they see as strangers or predators. This kind of problem will not be one that is a problem for the owner at home, but will also be one that will become a problem when the dog is away from it as well.

4. Possessive - This can make a real Jekyll and Hyde out of your dog, one minute they can loving and playful the next they are baring their teeth or snapping at you. This will normally occur when you approach something that they consider to be theirs. In many cases, a major trigger for this type of aggression is when you approach them when they are eating. If you want to stop this problem, you need to react as soon as you notice it occurring.

5. Punishment - Often this particular type of aggressive behavior will occur in dogs that have been abused by their owners, especially where owners have tried to exert too much dominance over their animal. Normally a dog will not react aggressively towards their owner when being punished, but if an owner punishes the animal too much then over time things can change. One day an owner may suddenly find without any kind of warning their dogs turning on them.

Above we looked at some of the kinds of aggressive behavior that a dog, no matter what age, breed or sex they are can have. However, in order for an owner to know what the right kind of dog aggression training they should be using to control the problem they first need to identify what type of aggressive behavior it is. The internet is a good place to find advice and information on all types of aggressive dog behavior.

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Simple Principles in Dog Obedience Training

Monday, October 6th, 2008

Simple Principles in Dog Obedience Training

Dogs, even when their breeding is maximized and well-adapted to human needs, will always need some basic obedience training as they would never figure this out on their own. To be successful in obedience training you need to understand the differences between effective and non-effective training techniques. Principles to Learn:

First Principle: CONSISTANCY

The first rule in obedience training is to be consistent. You need to be consistent in the words you use, the tone they are spoken in and the actions that accompany them. During the beginning of the training, the trainer or the dog owner must decide what should be the parameters of training, such as what and how you are going to teach the dog.

For example saying the word “come”, does not make any sense to a dog. He does not understand things the way humans think and he does not understand the language we use. It is important to make the training effective, by being very consistent in attaching the same voice tone, body movement or hand jester with every command that is given to your dog.

An example would be if you use the word, “come”, then you need to make sure everyone else in the household using the same word. When using the word command, “Come”, you should work with the dog to understand this means to approach the giver of the command. So if you are using this command make it a point not to do actions that would make the command confusing for the dog.

Don’t be deterred in your training efforts if the dog does not come to your right away, be patient and don’t force or scold him. If you punish the dog over and over after giving the command they will begin to associate the word with the punishment. The dog will not want to follow the same command because in his mind it leads to punishment.

Consistency also covers the use of the same dog commands by all people. For example, if you are using the command “come”, other people in the household should not replace it with words like “here” or, “come here boy”.

Second Principle: Keep It Short

The hours devoted to training and the words used as command should be kept short. Dogs tend to have a short attention span, it is best to limit the training so they keep the interest level to it’s peak during the days lesson. Puppies usually react to a specific stimulus, but not for a very long time, they may begin to chase a moving toy, and quickly lose interest, then move on to the next thing.

They simply don’t possess the same amount of interest they had when they started the activity and they become easily bored. They also often become board during training and that is why it’s best to limit the time to 10 - 15 minutes a day.

Third Principle: No Punishment or Force Allowed

Never hurt the dog if you want him to be acceptable to being trained. Also, never force the dog to follow the command if he is not prepared for, or punish a dog for something he did during training that he did not understand.

Make sure not to over do it when training your dog. A good trainer realizes dogs do not learn things instantly and so they are very patient and show understanding towards the animal they are working with. All he knows is that you are mad.

So do not use force as this does not communicate your meaning properly, instead gives a negative reinforcement. By praising a dog for good behavior and obeying commands he will learn exactly what pleases you and what is expected from him.