Obedience Training

Obedience Training techniques and equipment  

Obedience training can be accomplished at home, in an obedience class, or with a private trainer. It requires patience, a collar, a leash, a sense of humor, patience, and an understanding of dog behavior. That understanding can come from one or more of the many excellent books written about training dogs or from an obedience instructor or dog trainer.

Consistency is important in dog training. For example, if Panda was allowed to sit on the sofa yesterday and is yelled at for joining Aunt Karen on the sofa today, Panda will be confused. It's better to teach Panda "up" and "off" so she'll climb on the furniture only when invited. If Mom says that Jackson gets only dog food and treats, and your visitors feed him from the table, Jackson will learn to beg and ultimately to steal in spite of Mom's efforts. Then, when he feasts on the roast, he's really in the doghouse for doing something he's actually been "trained" to do.

Training should be fun. Every training session should be punctuated with play, praise, and affection. NaNook should look forward to each session, just as he looks forward to his daily exercise and once obedience is mastered NaNook can start on his guard training. Every exercise should be useful at home. The dog should learn to sit on command and be conditioned to sit before going through a doorway, getting in or out of the car, before getting his dinner or a treat, and before getting petted by strangers or visitors. A sitting dog cannot knock a bowl of food out of your hand, lunge through a narrow opening in the door, jump out of the car before you clip on the leash, and so on.

The dog should learn to lie down so he won't beg at the table or bother the kids at play and will ride quietly in the car, etc. He should learn to stand still so he can be groomed or examined by the veterinarian. He should learn to walk on a leash without pulling; allow his feet, ears, and teeth to be handled; and come when he's called, wherever or whenever.

Add a few tricks to the repertoire for fun and deal with the problems as they arise, and you'll have a well-mannered pets and be able to move on to guard training.