When attempting to shape the behavior pattern of the animal utilizing the clicker, small steps must be taken. For example, if you are trying to teach your dog to roll over, you would first click when he lies down. Then once that is mastered, once he continuously lies down, you no longer give clicks for that behavior. The clicks will now only come as he starts the actual rolling motion. This method insures that progress is made at a faster pace.

The clicker is also used as a means of communication between the dog trainer and the animal. In communication training, you will want to combine a treat or snack that the animal enjoys along with the clicker. Once the dog associates the treat with the clicker, then the communication training can begin.

Trainers that use the clicker report that their animals learn quickly, have longer retention, and actually enjoy the sound that the clicker makes. It has been discovered that the sound of the clicker creates a stimulus in the animal that is equivalent to hearing a siren or seeing bright colorful lights which in turn cause an alert reaction from the animal.

 Trainers find that their animals master problem solving tasks with ease, exude confidence and perform their tasks effortlessly. The clicker itself is quite user friendly. To introduce the concept to your pet or animal, you simply begin behavior training and follow the desired results with a click. After that, then you just use the clicker as a marker when the animal exhibits the behaviors or actions you seek. This technique is referred to as ‘loading the clicker”. It is also called “charging the clicker”. This method is most commonly used with dog training. Dogs typically use the “nose touch’ method and so once you load the clicker and put the treat to their nose, then the clicker has been successfully introduced to the canine. The load or charge method is not used in the training of horses. When training horses, its best to use the target method. This way the horse will not anticipate a treat that it has not yet earned.

Some concerns that people have with the clicker method is obesity of the animal from so many treats. This can be solved in one or two ways. You can either incorporate the animals regular diet into the treats offered, or you can substitute the treats for another reward such as a toy.  Train My Dog Now offers one of the most popular training programs on the market.  Canis Clicker training can be viewed by clicking the banner below.

Those that use positive reinforcement methods swear by the effectiveness of their techniques, and it is true that the majority of dogs respond well to these dog training methods.

In recent year, reward training has become increasingly popular and chances are some sort of reward training between humans and dogs has been going on for hundreds if not thousands of years.

 One reason that positive reinforcement training is so effective is that is uses rewards to train the dog what is expected of it.  When the dog performs the desired behavior, he is provided with a reward, most often in the form of a food treat, but it could be a scratch behind the ears, a rub under the chin or a pat on the head as well.  The key is that the dog is rewarded consistently for doing the right thing.

What makes reward training so effective is having some knowledge of the history of humans and dogs is very helpful.  The earliest dogs were probably wolf pups that were tamed and used by early humans for protection from predators, as alarm systems and later for guarding and herding livestock. 

 It is possible that the wolf pups that made the best companions were the most easily trained, or it is possible that these early dogs were orphaned or abandoned wolf pups.  There is little doubt today that the vast variety of dogs we see today have their origin from wolf.

 Wolf packs, like packs of wild dogs, operate on a strict pack hierarchy. The wolf and dog packs hunt as a group, this type of hierarchy, and the cooperation that it brings  is essential to the survival of the species.  With the exception of death or injury the hierarchy of the dog pack rarely changes and every dog in the pack  knows it’s place.

Because of this, every dog is hard wired by nature to look to the pack leader for guidance.  The basis of all good dog training, including reward based training, is for the owner to set him or herself up as the pack leader.  The pack leader is more than just the dominant dog, or the one who tells all the subordinates what to do.  Most importantly, the pack leader provides protection and leadership.   Their leadership is vital to the success and survival of the pack.

It is important for the dog to see itself as part of a pack, to recognize the human as the leader of that pack, and to respect his or her authority.  Some dogs are much easier to dominate than others.  Watching a group of puppies playing for a little while, you will quickly recognize the submissive and dominant personalities. 

A dog with a more submissive personality will generally be easier to train using positive reinforcement, since he or she will not want to challenge the owner for leadership.  Even dominant dogs  respond very well to positive reinforcement.  You will find very few dogs that do not respond well to positive reinforcement, also known as reward training.

Positive reinforcement is also the best way to retrain a dog that has behavior problems, especially one that has been abused in the past. Getting the respect and trust of an abused dog can be very difficult, and positive reinforcement is better than any other training method at creating this important bond.
                                               
No matter what type of dog you are working with, chances are it can be helped with positive reinforcement training methods. You should base dog training methods on respect and trust, rather than on intimidation and fear, is the best way to get the most from any dog.  Train My Dog Now owns 3 dogs and highly recommends Dove’s Cresswell’s online training program and videos.  You can check it out by clicking the banner below.

 You can start your dog training with a variety of drills, exerises and skills,  using four jumps.  Four jumps will allow you to work on a short jump chute or jump grid.  You can setup a “box” with your jumps and practice handling, collection, and 270 degree jumps.  You can train  your dog jumping from the left and right.  You can handle your dog  from the inside of the box or you can be outside the box.  Your jumps can be setup in a horizontal line, so that you can practice threadles and serpentines.
 
Get eight jumps by going to the next step.  You can now setup two boxes with one introductory jump.  You’ve now doubled your drills that you can practice with your dog.  Your jump grids can be of recommended size and quantity of jumps.  You can also setup your jumps in a circle with the jump bars perpendicular to the circle or on the circumference of the circle.  You cantrain a variety of skills with this pattern.
 
You can next move onto a double jump and a triple jump.  You could set two or three single jumps together to make your expanded jump.   Having double and triple jump in your course work is really valuable to practice.  We’ve seen many dogs run a clean course and the last obstacle is a triple and the dog is not prepared for it, and  down comes the bar.
 
Get ahead of the pack and have two sets of eight jumps.  This is the ultimate in dog training since you can keep a jump grip up at all times that is separate from your course work, and have eight single jumps to have for course work.  And when you include your double and triple, you can really practice all the jumping skills and drills necessary to get you those “Qs”.  Let us know at Train My Dog Now by posting a comment on how this worked out for you and your pet!

It is probably the dream of most dog owners to be able to teach their pet to do some of the tricks they see other dogs doing, but there is one thing they must remember above all others before starting down the path of teaching tricks. The dog must have at least some basic dog obedience. There is not much chance acomplishing dog training  your pet to do tricks if it is a badly behaved dog in the first place. 

The basic commands such as sit, down, heel etc, should be known by your dog before trick dog training starts, as this will make life so much easier later on. Once these have been mastered you can begin to build on them and your dog will soon be amazing your friends with the following three simple tricks.

Begging

To start teaching this trick it is best to have your dog sit in a corner of the room with his back to the wall and you standing in front of him. The walls will support your dog and give him the confidence that he won’t fall over if he raises his front legs off the floor.

Take some small pieces of food and hold it above your dog whilst enticing him to reach up for it. Each time he takes the food, praise him and repeat the procedure slowly encouraging him to reach higher each time.

Whilst encouraging the dog to reach up for the food, you must make sure that he is keeping his haunches on the ground. This is achieved by moving the food back over his head slightly making the dog shift his weight back over his haunches and teaching him to keep his balance.

Once the begging dog trick has bee mastered in the corner of the room you can gradually begin to move away from the wall and practise the trick where the dog has no back support. You must expect at this stage that the dog will seem to go backwards in his learning, but this is to be expected until he can perfect it just using his own body weight.

Shaking hands

There are two parts of this dog trick for your dog to learn. A verbal part and a non-verbal part which both work together to give the dog a cue that you want him to perform the trick.

Firstly the dog should start off in a sitting position. Give him a single word verbal command such as ‘shake’, whilst at the same time reaching out with your right hand until it is just a few inches from your dogs’ right leg. Your outstretched hand is the non-verbal cue.

Initially your dog will probably just sit motionless unsure of what to do, so with your left hand, gently push or prod his right leg forwards until it rests in your right hand. When he has done this, praise him so that he knows he has done what you wanted him to do.

Practice this dog trick several times; praising after each successful result and gradually reducing the amount of left hand prompting until only the verbal and non-verbal cues are all that are needed.

Shaking the head: ‘No’

Before you can begin to teach this trick to your dog, you will need to find something which will make him shake his head naturally. Some things which may help are blowing gently on the ear, tickling the ear with a feather or even lightly attaching a paperclip to the ear – remembering that you should not cause the dog any pain.

Once you have found the dog training method which makes him shake his head you will then have to decide on which verbal and non-verbal cue you want to use. A single word such as ‘head’ along with shrugging of your shoulders is just one idea.

Again your dog should start in a sitting position when first teaching him this trick. As in the shaking hands trick, use both cues together, along with the prod (tickling his ear, etc) in an effort to stimulate your dog to shake his head. Once he does, reward him, even if it is just a small movement.

This dog trick is best learned in short sessions with momentary breaks in between, so don’t try to repeat the exercise more that five times in one session or the dog will become confused and not learn.

Gradually reduce the amount of prodding so that all that are needed are the verbal and non-verbal cues. Once your dog has mastered the trick, he can be progressed to learn it in standing position and laying positions as well.

The main thing with training dogs to perform dog tricks is for the owner to learn that patience is a virtue and that the dog will learn in his own time. Do not scold the dog if he does not seem to be learning, it is always better to be patient and encourage him more.  We would love to hear about your dog training success at Train My Dog Now, so please post them.  You can find some wonderful nutrional information by clicking the link below.

Pups are like children, they need constant supervision and dog training. Training a pup need not be an ordeal all you need to keep in mind are a few simple rules: 

• Until your pup learns you need to keep an eye on him at all times. When you cannot then you must dog crate him. Create a schedule for the pup this will help the pup settle down quickly. The schedule must include things like hourly bath rooming visits, eating times, rest periods, walks, play time, training, and so on. A pup that has a busy day has no time to be bored and get into mischief.

• Teach the pup to respect you. Dogs live in packs and instinctively follow a leader. If you establish your leadership in no uncertain terms then dog training will become easy as the pup will obey you at all times and not challenge your authority.

• Use only positive training methods. Never shout at, hit, or punish a dog. It is not just cruel but can lead to behavioral problems. Use of electric shocks, prong collars, sprays, and so on could hurt the animal.

• Teach the pup “nothing in life is free.” This is a system that is widely acknowledged as a useful training tool. If you practice this, the pup will learn that to get something like love, a walk, or treat, he must behave well.
• Teach the meaning of “No,” from day one. Do not encourage behaviors like jumping, mouthing, tug-o-war, barking, or running out of open gates and doors. Praise good behavior and ignore or walk away when there is bad behavior. The pup will learn that if he misbehaves he will loose his companion/playmate.

• To correct a dog  behavior you must catch the pup in the act and startle him by rattling a can of pebbles. Once you have done this make him correct his behavior and immediately offer him a treat and praise. Pups do not recall what happened earlier so scolding him after an event is of no use.

• Always call/use his name positively. Never say “Bad TOM,” or “No Tom,” this will cause confusion and the pup will think that if you call his name then it is something bad. The pup must associate his name with happy events like hugs, petting, walks, treats, and such. If this happens he will come willingly when you call out his name.

• Create a training schedule that is short and sweet say 10 minutes thrice a day. Long repetitive lessons can be boring and the pup will loose interest in learning. Make learning fun and use trick training to teach commands like sit, down, come and so on.

• Bond with the pup and both of you will enjoy your lessons. The pup must look forward to spending time with you and not avoid you by running away or hiding. Be sure to socialize the pup early. Socialization is one of the most important lessons. The pup must learn to be around other animals, people, sounds, vehicles, and other activities. So, slowly introduce the pup when he is little to everyday activities and sounds. Take him to the mall/ park, introduce him to children and other pets, and make him unafraid of the vacuum and garden hose.

• Learn all about crate training, leash walking, house breaking, as well as food training. These are kindergarten lessons that every pup must master. Know about all the idiosyncrasies as well as peculiarities of the breed this will give you valuable insights on how to successfully train the pup.

As a pet-parent you have many choices. You could choose to train the dog yourself or register at a professional training school. Training a dog has many stages: kindergarten, obedience training, doggy sports, showing and conformation, as well as other aspects like therapy dogs, hearing dogs, and so on. What level you choose to train depends on you as well as the learning abilities of your dog. As you know, different dogs like humans have varied talents. Choose well and both you and your pup will have fun times together. 

Train My Dog Now highly recommend the Dove Cresswell’s online dog training program, which you can find by clicking the banner below. 

 Pet obedience training for your dog can be taught in many ways – two of the more popular practices are typically carrot and stick practices. First practice heavily depends on the stick or punishment approach.  Second practice deals with the reward system for the dog.

 Leash and collar practice of dog obedience training has survived for a long time now. It is primitive but still mostly followed. The premises of this dog training practice are based here – leash will be the mode of communication with the dog. Dog must understand the commands, and if not obeyed to, leash should be put to action. Using a leash alone is not sufficient.  Dogs must be made aware of the good and bad behavior. Once tracked on the path to bad behavior, dog can be punished with the leash.

 Reward system  of dog training doesn’t believe in punishing the dog. It follows a psychological approach to deal with dog training. Dog is made to know the good parts of behavior and rewarded for the same. His ugly behavior is neglected in the form of psychological treatment. The trainer or owner walks away from the dog immediately after the show of bad behavior. Dog is an intelligent animal to understand the difference between the bad and good behavior.

 Whatever technique is used for dog obedience training, it is important to know that the training must be consistent. Dogs get easily confused due to double standards employed. If you expect your dog never to jump on the bed, never let or invite him on the bed. Ensure that your dog never reaches the bed.

 Obedience dog  training starts on the fundamental issues like sitting, standing, walking, listening to your commands & following those, sitting in the car, etc.

 The dog owner can easily impart pet obedience training. You may find alternates to this by getting your dog enrolled with some obedience classes or dog instructor. Evaluate all the dog training techniques, practices, equipment, infrastructure, experience, etc before taking the final decision on outside help. Remember, the most ideal way will be you to be the instructor.  

You can watch a variety of video’s with Dove Creswell’s online dog training program, which Train My Dog Now recommend by clicking the link below.