Online Dog Training Tips

With the wealth of online Dog training tips available to new Dog owners there is still a real lack of basic but good training tips to be found. Too much information that can be found fails to give the most basic of Dog training tips that all owners, especially new ones,  need to master. I am sorry to say that nearly all online Dog training sites are little more than a collection of articles taken from someone else or a list of books to purchase.

There are a few basic tips that will make any Dog training a lot easier for the owner. Quite a few of these I have learnt myself the hard way and to save new owners or owners who are having real problems training their Dogs, here are a few very important basic tips that will lead to a Dog that is much easier to train more advanced techniques to. It is important that you can teach your Dog the basic obedience commands before trying to teach it techniques that are beyond its current level of understanding.

The Basic Training Commands

Before you even think about trying to train your Dog to roll over, play dead, give its paw etc then you should have trained your Dog to do the following:

• Sit on command
• Walk to heel
• Not jump up at you or visitors
• Eliminate aggressive or dangerous behaviour

I am not saying that you will totally master these basics before you decide to attempt different training tasks, but these are some of the most basic and important things that Dogs should know. I can guarantee you that with at least a partial command of these rules your Dog will be much better behaved in general and any future training tasks will be easier to accomplish.

How To Train Dogs To Sit

Learning how to train Dogs, especially to sit on command is THE most basic command that all Dogs should know. I have had completely varied results with teaching my three Dogs to sit. The easiest to teach was Jet who is the youngest. The most difficult, surprisingly was Daisy who was so nervous when we got her from the rescue centre that trying to get her to do anything resulted in a puddle of pee for a few months.

The basic training technique is the same though. This is one of the most important online Dog training tips and should be the easiest to teach. This is how I did it and of course there are any number of different  ways to train Dogs. I used the classic method of rewarding good behaviour with a treat.

With the Dog in front of you and a few small treats given to get its attention simply move your hand towards the Dog and up. While doing this you must use the “sit” command. As the Dog naturally raises its head towards the treat and you continue to move your hand to above its head the natural reaction is for it to sit. For some Dogs it can be as little as a few attempts and for others it can take any number of repetitions. The bottom line is it works if you repeat it often enough.

If you are having real problems training a Dog to sit then I found that a downward push on the Dogs backside whilst repeating the command worked very well. Perseverance is the order of the day. Repeat and repeat until your Dog simply sits whenever you tell it to. Teaching your Dog to sit on command is so important for the safety of the Dog and for helping with any further Dog training tasks.

How To Train Dogs To Walk To Heel

Learning how to train Dogs to heel is so important, not least from a safety point of view. I am not talking about off leash but on the leash. Although ideally your Dog will walk to heel off the lead it is first important to ensure your Dog will heel on the lead.

Many people disagree but I have always had my best results with a choker chain. There are any number of alternatives but I have always used a choker during training. Whatever type of Dog leash you use there is one overriding factor that will bring about successful and quick results.

Keep it short.

Long nylon leads or any type of lead that gives the Dog freedom to wander about at will will never result in quick and effective training. If you have a large Dog this is especially important. In my experience the shorter the lead the quicker the Dog will learn how to heel. As soon as it realises that it cannot use its body weight to pull you along the quicker it will learn to stay by your side. As soon as the Dog tries to pull then a quick snap of the lead, especially a choker, combined with the “heel” command will bring it back to your side.

It is then simply a matter of repeating this process over and over. Repetition is always the key to success. Expect to repeat this constantly until your Dog heels effectively. Only when your Dog heels on the leash should you really put your efforts in to off leash training.

How To Stop Dogs Jumping

Some Dogs, like my Faye, seem to want to make it their goal in life to get as many people as dirty as possible as they possibly can. Added to this her weight and it can be very dangerous indeed if she jumps up at people in her effort to make friends with the whole world.

What I found worked well was to anticipate her jumping. Always associated with playtime or her getting overexcited I made sure that I was watching so that I could anticipate when she was about to jump up trying to get her front legs on to my head. As she was about to do it I would take a step back and give a simple “no”. She would, of course miss me and land back down on the floor. Anticipating when your Dog is about to jump means that you can take quick action to prevent it. Online Dog training tips can sometimes be difficult to show, but just ensure you can anticipate the movement.

If your Dog attempts to jump at people when she sees them then you need to be ready with the “no” command or a “down” command. Whatever you have decided is the word you will use. If you have a tight hold on the leash then you will feel the Dog about to jump and can hold firm while repeating your command. The more different environments you can expose your Dog too the better it will be at obeying commands under lots of different circumstance. This is definitely the problem I have. Living in a remote area means it is difficult to get the Dogs as socialised as they would ideally be. Not that I would change my situation though.

Dogs that jump can be a real problem for owners. Try to get it under control as quickly as possible. Go walking in lots of different environments and use your commands whenever you can sense the Dog about to jump at someone. Again repetition is the key. Many online Dog training sites will have you believe your Dog will be perfect in a week or so. Forget it, it won’t happen. The main Dog training tip is that it takes time. There are no miracle Dog training tips.

How To Train Dogs To Stop Being Aggressive

As previously stated I live in a remote area and the Dogs are not nearly as socialised as they ideally would be. It is often a sort of shift pattern when we go out. It is normally one or two Dogs that get to go our with us at any one time. There are also quite long periods of time when none of them go anywhere apart from on the land. This is far from ideal as any aggressive tendencies they have towards bikes, cars, joggers etc are harder to control. The barking and attempts to eat peoples cars is more of a problem because they simply don’t see enough of them.

Dogs that show aggression to bikes, cars etc are often acting defensively or strangely out of fear. It is something alien to them and they want it gone. Our youngest Dog Jet is especially vocal about anything trespassing on her territory. This is why I have been making a concerted effort to get her out and about more.

You need to expose your Dog to the what makes it aggressive as often as possible. This is a case of do as I say not as I do. The more I have been exposing Jet to cars and other people and prams and bikes etc the better she behaves. She is not barking as much or chasing after things at home nearly as often. She has become more desensitised to the things that would bring out what seem like aggressive behaviour. Keeping her on the leash while out and exposing her to more new stimuli means there is never a danger and I can keep her on the outer side of whatever has got her excited. After a while I can then walk her next to the object that was the problem and she is calm and takes little interest.

It is all about getting Dogs so used to the object that makes them aggressive that it is no longer an issue.

Much bad Dog behaviour is down to not experiencing enough of what makes them behave badly. If your Dog behaves badly when walking past other Dogs it is a constant exposure to the problem that is often the best cure. Along with the correct commands and good leash control this is often the best way to correct signs of aggression towards people or inanimate objects. Of course you will always ensure that you have complete control over your Dog. No long leads please. A short leash really is one of the best Dog training tools there is.

Once you can easily control your Dog and have mastered these basic online Dog training tips then you will have the confidence to teach your Dog whatever you want . Personally I don’t want or need much more from my Dogs. I am happy with them the way they are for the most part, although I don’t know that I will ever be able to trust them with the chickens!

At this very moment I am having a staring contest with a rather large Dog who is wondering if she can sneak on to the sofa. She knows it is for night time stealth activities only and has now skulked off to be miserable on the floor. Just another Sunday Dog day afternoon. Any online Dog training tips that you read where the author tells you that you can have a perfect Dog in a few weeks….well….Let’s just say it’s bull and leave it at that shall we?

May the Doggie Force be with you all.