Dog Training Tips
Whatever the breed of dog you have, you’ll find that training him is a challenging, yet rewarding experience. The challenge lies in training your dog well, and the reward is that he becomes your best friend who will love you unconditionally. No matter what your dog’s job is, whether he’s your hunting or working partner, or just your buddy, a well-trained dog is a thing to be proud of.
Properly training your dog takes patience but, it also takes praise! When your dog does something that isn’t acceptable, then you must be patient and when he displays acceptable behavior, you should be liberal with your praise. Remember, you took on the responsibility of training your dog from the minute you selected him and decided to bring him home!
Alpha
One of the first things you need to do is make sure that your dog understands that YOU and you alone are the top dog. Dogs are accustomed to being in packs and each pack has an Alpha dog. You must be that alpha dog for your pet. We do this almost instinctively and it’s not as difficult as it might sound, nor is it harsh. Since dogs are naturally inclined to be part of a pack, and they understand the hierarchy of a pack, you should be establishing your place as well as the place of your dog in the family pack. This means that members of your family and other pets will develop their place in the structure. For homes with multiple dogs, you’ll soon discover what they have decided is the proper ‘pecking order’.
You need to let your dog know immediately through firm words, leases and discipline peppered with praise that you are the one who is in control. Stern looks, stern voices and a loud clap when needed coupled with appropriate rewards will help establish your place as the leader. This is critical and should happen within a day or two of your four legged friend arriving in your home. Leaving this important step for later is not a good idea.
Crate Training
As the owner of a brand new puppy, your first goal is to house train them. This will usually entail the use of a crate – especially given that this is one of the quickest and most effective methods. You might see it is inhumane to lock your pup into a crate, but the reality is that allowing your puppy to run free without supervision is potentially more damaging to your dog over time. Even if you use a crate, it’s important that you ensure that your dog gets plenty of play time, socialization and that you allow sufficient time for his bathroom needs. Crating your puppy while you are not home, or when you are getting ready to call it a day will help him understand that this is his den.
Obedience Training
After you’ve established that you’re in charge, the next two commands to teach him are “sit” and “heel”. The sit command forces your dog to pay attention to you. It’s also very useful for making him stay in one place or for teaching him not to jump up. The heel command teaches your dog how to walk with you properly – human first, dog second. Once these are perfected, all other commands like “stay” and “come” will be much easier for both of you. Off-lead training comes after you’ve established a trusting bond. Your dog has to want to come to you, of course. Hunting dogs have to be off-lead in order to do their jobs well, so teaching your hunter the “come” command is critical.
Training for Hunting
Believe it or not, training your dog to be a hunter begins when he’s only four months old. It’s important to get him acclamated to the sound of a gun early. After that, there will be exercises for pointing, retrieving, flushing, and all the other important skills a good hunter needs. Dogs specifically bred for hunting already know what to do, it’s usually just a matter of guiding them in the right direction.
Whatever commands you decide to teach your dog are up to you. But remember that as long as you do it with patience, praise, and positive reinforcement, he will learn. He has a natural desire to please you because you’ve established yourself as the alpha dog.
There are many types of dog training supplies out there on the market. If you are looking for a dog training collar the Innotek IUT-300 is a great choice, and if you are in need of a dog tracking collar, the Garmin Astro 220 and Tracker Maxima are also great choices.
