The Importance of Dog Obedience

By Mike Selvon

We all have rules that we must follow. These rules can come from our government or can be self-imposed rules to guide our behavior. Dog's are much the same way in that they must have rules to follow.
Dog obedience training helps show the animal how they should act and in what manner they must react to outside stimuli. Just as our past influences our behavior, a dog's behavior is the same way.

There are a variety of places a pet can come from. It may be as a puppy from a professional breeder or it could be an animal rescue organization. He or she can also come to you later on in their doggy years as a result of owners moving, being forced to get rid of the animal or from the local pound.
If you get your companion as a grown one, it may have had training. You can get an initial idea of the dog behavior by observing the animal when you go to pick it up.

There are some things you should and should never do when it comes to dealing with dog aggression. The first understands how an aggressive dog's stance can suggest how it will react to you. The first mistake most people make is assuming that all dogs are friendly.
They are not and you can find out this lesson in a very hard way. Always treat a new one with suspicion first. Do not immediately hug the animal or put your face on level with his or hers.
Do not make prolonged eye contact if the animal is growling or standing in a rigid way. The best way to approach an unknown one is with soft words and to allow the pet to gradually come to you.

Once the pet is in your possession you must immediately start working on the dog obedience lessons. You have to establish yourself as the dog's Alpha. In the wild or in groups of canines, the Alpha is the leader.
He or she is the dominant one of the pack. You must be dominant over your pet in order to have the obedience lessons stick.
Dog obedience training applies to all aspects of the animal's life, as well as your own. He must always know that you are the boss and that he must follow the rules. These rules could be house training, walking on a leash, eating food that he finds or from strangers and most importantly...not being aggressive towards other people.

Dog's bond with their Masters and will often show signs of aggression as a way to protect the Master from outsiders or dangers perceived by the animal.
Dog's make wonderful pets and can bring joy to you and your family's lives. Be responsible by training your pet. If you have questions you can look on dog forums for answers from fellow pet owners.

It is essential to show love to your pet and know that he is protected. If you do not think you can handle the dog obedience classes, or can not take the time, then be responsible by allowing someone else to have the opportunity to own and love the animal.

Mike Selvon has some great puppy training articles for the pet lover, where you can find out more about dog obedience. We appreciate your feedback at our pet training blog.
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Dog Training Basics - Obedience Training for Your Dog

By Thomas Eliot

Correctly training your newly acquired pet dog requires a knowledge of dog training basics. And understanding how dog communication works is paramount to successful dog training. The most important part of getting a dog to understand your commands and to learn new things involves making sure he understands what you are trying to get him to do. He must first understand that you are his master, someone whom he wishes to please. But when teaching your dog that you are his master, you don't get that respect from him by mistreating him or by punishing him incorrectly. To do either of these only confuses him.

Dogs understand communication through your tone of voice and through body language. Using simple one syllable words like "No" or "Bad" in a depreciating tone of voice without further unnecessary explanation to the dog will go much farther in communicating what you want it to understand than trying to give your dog a lecture he can't understand. He can understand when you point at some mess he's created and say "No!" that you are displeased with his behavior. What he can't understand, for instance, is you rubbing his nose in the mess and then lecturing him about what it was that he shouldn't have done. Punishing your dog in this manner without him understanding why will only frustrate him and may stunt his learning, making it more difficult to understand the obedience training.

Another mistake owners often make in dog training basics is calling their dog after the fact in order to discipline or correct him for something he's done wrong. As owner, you should never use the recall word "come" (or whatever word you use) to call your dog after discovering a mess he has made or for any negative reason. Bad deeds must be caught in the act in order to be corrected. If you want to show your dog the mess he's made, then firmly go get him and bring him back to the mess. Just don't allow him to associate his recall command with, "Huh-oh, I'm in trouble and about to get punished." Because that's very likely just how he's going to associate the term after you scold and punish him.

Remember, dogs know only "dog language," and you have to remain consistent in your use of the language you've already taught your dog, which means positive associations with the positive words you've taught him. If you start to allow him to associate negative situations with the positive words, over time he'll become wary of the meaning and not obey. If your dog learns that "come" means "angry owner – I'm in trouble now. Better scram!" then he's unlearning what you've already taught him. You want your dog to learn that "come" means "Get your buns over here as fast as possible" period! Your dog needs to understand that "come" means something positive – always – not that something negative is about to happen.

The dog training basics of communicating with your dog are to keep the communications simple and directly related to the present moment so he will learn what is acceptable behavior and what is not. He'll begin to learn quickly when you can relate your communication to actions and deeds which have just occurred. You cannot talk to your dog as though he were a human being who can remember what he did wrong yesterday. Keeping this simple idea in mind when disciplining your dog will go a long way toward helping him to learn the things you want him to learn.

For more information about effective dog training programs that really work see the following article Basic Dog Training - Professional Dog Training Tips You can learn to train your dog the way professionals do: quickly and efficiently! Don't forget to check out the free six day e-course and find out for yourself.
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Aids to Train Your Dog

By Graham Grant

To train you need to have the tools to do it and that is why dog training aids are a worthwhile purchase and not something that are there to part you with your hard earned money. Like any tool they only serve a purpose if they are used well and dog training aids will help you in teaching your dog if that is the case. Dog training aids are many and varied and depend mostly on what type of dog you have and its temperament so it is import you choose the right ones.

By far the most effective training aids are treats like small savory sticks you can buy in any super store or pet shot which you can give the dog to reinforce good behavior. These are dog training aids that have always performed the best as it is simple to implement and cheap to apply. But if you are really intent on spending a lot of money on aids there are also some other more expensive option.

Dog agility training aids include anti bark collars. These are used because quite a fair number of dogs don't like to do dog agility and will bark incessantly. With anti bark collars the dog will either be given an electric shock or have some water sprayed to remind the dog that barking is not the right thing to do at that particular time. It is not at all harmful on the dog in case you are wondering and will resolve the problem very quickly. These collars tend to be fairly inexpensive and available both in pet shops in high street or on line.

Dog training aids used for obedience include dog clickers. This is a new craze on the market and allow owners replace command words like “sit” with a click as well as rewarding with treats. Another aid that is very good at what it does is the harness. This is fitted around your dog upper torso. When you are teaching him to heel a simple tug will him back completely without using much force. This is an obedience aid that is especially effective for bigger dogs.

For around the home there are also simple and effective dog training aids. Dog training aids often prove to be worthwhile purchases when all else has been tried and often they will resolve the problem you have encountered with your dog. The fact that they are so cheap and accessible have also made the use of dog training aids more popular with more and more aids coming into the market bringing new ways to solve dog training problems or enhancing what is already in use.

Graham Grant is the owner of http://buypages.info/Dog-Training.html, which specializes in providing useful dog training information and resources for dog owners the world over! Go here for more details: http://buypages.info/Dog-Training.html
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