Learn How to train a dog | Complete Dog Training Guide

Obedience of your dog

To have a happy mutual relationship with your dog, then training, at least to some degree, is a necessity. Although some breeds are more responsive to training then others, most are capable of absorbing the basics. If they do not, then the fault is likely to be that of the handler. Lead training is a must because when away from home your dog will need to be on a secure lead in public places.

Before allowing your dog freedom in certain suitable, safe places you must be sure that your dog is sufficiently well-trained to come back to you upon command. Not everyone likes dogs and yours should learn not to jump up at every passing stranger. Any dog mess must be cleared up by you immediately and disposed of in a safe place. Hygienic poop-scoops can be bought, or a plastic bag serves the purpose just as well and is easy to carry in your pocket.

Your dog will soon be able to learn simple commands. The word 'No' is an essential command, as is 'Come', 'Sit', 'Down', 'Wait' and 'Stay', all of which can be taught to good effect. Dogs should be socialized, both with other dogs and with people, but supervised when meeting young children, who are often tempted to approach an animal suddenly and may take a dog by surprise. I do not advocate the use of a muzzle except in special cases when a dog is untrained or unattainable, in which case professional advice must be sought. Training classes are a useful and enjoyable means of learning how best to teach a dog to behave as you would expect, and the Kennel Club now operates a 'Good Citizen' scheme giving even a novice a relatively easy goal at which to aim. Training classes are often advertised in local veterinary surgeries but you will need to decide whether you wish to attend obedience or show training classes, the latter called 'ring craft'. For optimum performance in the show ring, most owners of show dogs do not agree with combining the two.

Toilet training for young puppies
When a puppy arrives at its new home, it will most probably not have been house trained, or if it has it will be confused by its new environment and will not know what is expected of it so teaching will have to begin again.
Without fail, as soon as a puppy has awoken from sleep or has had a meal it should be taken outside. It is best to lift the puppy up to begin with because until it is familiar with the door it will probably stop to 'spend a penny' en route. Stay outside with your puppy, or keep a careful eye through a window, but do not play games with the youngster at this time as the puppy must learn the reason why it has gone outside.

Training with paper is also a useful method, especially for very tiny puppies who will generally prefer to urinate on paper rather than on the floor. They may well have has paper lining on the floor of their whelping pen and puppy play area when they were still with their dam. A piece of newspaper, several sheets thick, should be placed on the floor and progressively moved closer and closer to the door, until it can eventually be moved outside. From that point on the puppy will usually be happy to ask to go out into the garden. In training some people prefer to leave a little soiling on the paper so that the puppy associates this with where it is meant to urinate again.

Reward and punishment for your dogs
When a puppy or adult dog has done something to please the owner, a reward must be given. This need not necessarily be a reward in kind, but there should be plenty of praise which gives the dog great pleasure and encourages the same good deed to be carried out again on future occasions.

Titbits are often given in training but, if used, these must be suitable and must not lead towards allowing a dog to become obese - some breeds are more prone to this than others. However, a dog carrying out physical training will work off the odd extra calorie.

Conversely, if a dog misbehaves, there should be some punishment. However, it is essential that punishment is only given out when a dog is actually caught in the act. If punished subsequent to a misdeed, neither a puppy nor an adult dog will associate the two, and will wonder why it is being punished. Punishment at the wrong time causes total confusion.

Verbal reprimand is usually quite sufficient and at no time should a dog be treated violently. The simple words: 'Bad dog', will suffice following which the dog should not be petted for a short while or again confusion will ensue in the dog's mind. Most dogs respond to a direct look in the eyes, combined with verbal reprimand. Provided that there is no fear of the dog biting, one can grasp the scruff of the neck and hold the head in front of one's own, though not too close please.

Lead dog training and obedience
Training a young puppy to get used to the lead can be a trying time, especially with some breeds. Some youngsters almost seem to take to a lead like a duck to water, while others certainly do not. To begin with, the young puppy should just be allowed to get used to the feel of a collar around its neck. This should just be kept on for a few moments, always under supervision, and the spans of time should then be increased so that the puppy stops trying to scratch it off which will most probably happen on the first two or three attempts.

Getting your puppy used to the lead
A lead should then be attached, and the puppy taken somewhere safe, ideally just in the garden, and if possible in an area which is not associated with play. Different owners have different methods of getting a dog used to a lead and a lot depends upon the size of the dog and the breed in question. With small breeds I always like to allow my puppies to 'take' me along to begin with, holding the lead very lightly so that the puppy hardly knows anyone is attached to the other end. Then, slowly, 1 start to take control, inevitably with some resistance from my canine companion. Larger dogs generally seem more amenable to lead training so one should be able to assert one's influence by way of direction from the! very start.

Initially a dog should always be trained to walk on one's left although I later, for show training, it will also be necessary to walk on the opposite side as sometimes a judge will need to see the dog from a different angle, probably because of the shape of the show ring. Once a dog has begun to walk without incident on a lead, it can be taken to a safe place on the roadside, but this must be on a sensible collar and lead, not a show lead which is used for show-training but can all too easily be slipped.

Only when one has absolute confidence that a dog will not run off, with danger of accident, should a dog be trained to walk without a lead. A lead must always be attached when walking the dog near traffic.

Teaching a dog to stay
Different people have slightly different methods of training a dog to sit and to stay. The lead needs to be a long one for this exercise. First the owner gets the dog to sit and then moves slowly away, repeating the word:’ Stay'. A hand signal can often also be useful in order to reinforce the verbal command. If the dog moves, it should be verbally reprimanded, placed back in its original sitting position and the exercise repeated again.

The distance between dog and owner should gradually be increased, and initially when the dog responds well the owner should return to the dog, rather than the other way around. Soon enough the time will come to teach the dog to come when called, although at this stage the dog should still be on a long lead. For this the handler tugs gently on the lead, with the word:’ Come'. When the dog is proficient in the commands 'Sit’,’ Stay' and’ Come', the time has come to work without a lead, always in a safe place.

Rewards, by means of fuss and attention or in kind, will have been given throughout the training process. One will build up to other, more advanced obedience training, and 'Down' and 'Fetch' are the next lessons which are usually taught. Again the trainer will initially need to give assistance in gently pushing or placing the dog into the required lying position and once one has reached this stage the time during which the dog is left can be substantially increased, with the handler moving further and further away, possibly even out of sight. A dog must have complete confidence in its trainer, and vice versa, before this can work successfully.

When training a dog to fetch and retrieve an object, difficulty can be encountered at first in persuading the dog to drop the item as requested. For this, carry some titbits during the exercise; they will come in especially useful as the dog will normally be perfectly happy to exchange the object retrieved for a tasty morsel.

Some owners also teach their dogs to go to the toilet on command, and although the author has rarely had much success in this department, it is a highly useful training exercise for anyone whose dog masters it.