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Dog training for desired behaviours

Teaching a dog proper behaviour while it is young is very important.  While playing and having fun with your new puppy or dog is certainly important, it is also important to teach your canine companion just what is expected – which behaviours are acceptable and which behaviours are not acceptable.

Teaching these lessons early, while the dog is still a puppy, is the best guarantee that these lessons will be learned and retained.  Dogs learn quickly and every interaction between human and dog is teaching the dog something.  Making sure you are teaching the right lessons is up to you as the dog handler.

Proper training techniques are important for the protection of the dog as well as the protection of the family and the community at large.  While dogs are loving, protecting members of the family in most cases, a poorly trained dog can be dangerous and destructive.  Making sure your new addition is a pleasure to be around and not a menace is up to you as the owner.

The relationship between humans and dogs goes back for many thousands of years and dogs have been domesticated longer than any other animals.  Therefore, humans and dogs have developed a bond not shared by many other domesticated animals.  This strong bond is very useful when training any dog.

All potential dog owners and would be dog trainers should understand how dog society works in the absence of humans.  It is important to understand the pack hierarchy and to use that hierarchy to your advantage as you train your dog.  All pack animals have a lead animal, in the case of dogs it is the alpha dog.  All other members of the pack look to the alpha dog for direction and guidance.  The alpha dog in turn provides important leadership in hunting, fending off other predators, protecting territory and other vital survival skills.  This pack arrangement is what has allowed wolves and wild dogs to be such successful predators, even as other large predators have been driven to extinction.

What all this means to you as the dog trainer is that you must set yourself up as the pack leader – the alpha dog if you will – in order to gain the respect and trust of your dog.  If the dog does not recognize you as is superior and its leader, you will not get very far in your training program.

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Training the shy or fearful puppy or dog

With dogs as with people, some dogs and puppies are naturally more bold and daring than others.  When you watch a group of puppies play, it will quickly become apparent which ones are bold and which ones are shy.  Some of the puppies will hang back at the edge of the pack, perhaps fearful of angering the stronger dogs, while others will jump right into the fray and start jostling for control.

Working with a shy puppy or dog, or one that is fearful, presents its own special challenges.  Of course bold, forceful dogs present challenges of their own, especially with control and leadership issues.  Every type of puppy or dog has its own unique personality and its own unique training challenges as a result.

One important reason to build confidence in a fearful dog is to prevent biting.  High fear dogs often become biters to deal with their fear of new situations and this type of fear response can be dangerous for you and your dog.  It is important to teach the puppy or dog that new situations and new people are nothing to fear and that they are not out to hurt him.

Signs of fear in both puppies and dogs include being afraid of strangers, being suspicious of new situations and avoiding certain people or objects.  A fearful puppy or dog may also snap or bite, especially when cornered. 

If you recognize signs of fear in your dog or puppy, it is important to act quickly.  Fear responses can quickly become ingrained in a dog and once those fear memories are planted they can be difficult to erase.  Properly socializing a young puppy is essential to making sure your dog is not fearful and will not become a fear biter.  Many puppies are raised as only dogs, but even these puppies should be given the opportunity to play with other puppies and with well socialized older dogs and friendly cats as well.  The more novel situations the puppy encounters when he is young, the better he will be able to adapt to new situations as an adult dog.

Adapting to new and changing situations is a vital life skill that every puppy must learn.  As you know, the world is constantly changing and adapting and it is vital that both you and your four legged companion learn to take these changes in stride.

It is important for owners to not inadvertently reinforce or reward shy or fearful behaviours.  For instance, when a puppy or dog shows fear, by whining, crying or hiding, it is only natural for the owner to go over and reassure the dog.  This type of reassurance, however, can be misinterpreted by the animal as a sign of approval from the pack leader.

When the dog or puppy displays fearful or shy behaviour, the best strategy is simply to ignore him.  The dog must be able to learn on his own that there is nothing to fear.  If left alone, a dog will often start to explore the fearful object on his own, thereby learning that the initial fear reaction was mistaken.  The owner must allow the dog to explore things on his own and not try to coddle or over protect him.

Another reason for fear reactions, particularly in older dogs, is past abuse or lack of proper socialization as puppies.  The window for good puppy socialization is relatively short and once this window has closed it can be difficult to teach a dog how to socialize with dogs and other animals.  Likewise, a dog that has been abused probably has all sorts of negative associations and it is up to a patient owner to work with the dog to replace those fear reactions with more appropriate responses.

When working with an older fearful dog, it is important not to try to rush the socialization and fear abatement process.  It is best to simply allow the dog to explore things on his own, even if it means he spends a lot of time hiding from the perceived monster.  Trying to force the dog to confront the things he fears will do more harm than good.

It is also important to address already ingrained fear based behaviours, such as biting, snapping and growling, whether they result from past abuse, a lack of socialization or a combination of factors.  If the dog is frightened and reacts defensively to strangers, it is important to introduce him slowly.  It is important to correct these potentially dangerous behaviours, however, and teach the dog that fear is no excuse for growling, snapping or biting.  The best way to do this is to immediately reprimand and correct the dog when he bites, snaps or growls at anyone. 

The dog should be generously rewarded the minute it stops displaying aggressive behavior.  If you do find yourself having to reprimand your dog for displaying aggressive behaviours, it probably means you have tried to move him along too quickly.  It is important to avoid threatening situations as much as possible until the dog has built up the confidence it takes to deal with those situations.  If you think you have moved too fast, take a few steps back and let the dog regain his confidence.

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Training your dog not to chase people, bicycles, joggers, etc

Dogs by nature are predatory animals, and all predatory animals share the motivation to chase fleeing objects.  While this may be a natural instinct, it is not appropriate when those fleeing objects are joggers, bicyclists or the Postman.

Training the dog not to chase people and bicycles is an important thing to do and it is best to start that training as early as possible.  Starting when the dog is still small and non-threatening is important, particularly with breeds that grow very large, or with breeds that have a reputation for being very aggressive.  Many people respond to being chased by a dog, especially a large dog, with understandable fear and it is best for yourself and your dog that he be trained not to chase before he reaches a threatening size.

Some dogs are easier to train away from chasing than others.  Breeds that have been used for hunting or herding often retain much more of their chasing instincts than other types of dogs, for instance.

No matter what breed of dog you are working with, however, it is important to not allow him off the lead until his chasing behavior has been curbed.  Allowing an untrained dog off the lead is dangerous, irresponsible and illegal.

Before you expose your dog to a situation where he will want to chase someone or something, be sure to train him in a safe, controlled area like a fenced in garden.  It is important for the dog to be able to focus and concentrate on you and for him to understand what behaviour you want.  The dog must be given the opportunity to repeatedly perform the behaviour you want while in this controlled setting.

The training session should be started indoors in the dog’s home.  The dog should be put on a lead and the owner and the dog should stand at one end of a hallway or a room.  The owner then waves a tennis ball in front of the dog but does not allow him to touch it.  After that, the tennis ball is rolled to the other end of the hallway or the room, and the command “Off” is used to tell the dog not to chase the ball.  If the dog starts out after the ball, use the command “Off” once again and give a firm tug on the lead.

When doing this type of training, it is vital that the dog not be allowed to touch the ball.  If he actually reaches the ball, he may think that “Off” means to get the ball.  This exercise should be repeated several times, until the dog has learned the meaning of the “Off” command.  When the dog responds correctly by not chasing the ball, he should be rewarded with a special treat.

After the dog seems to understand his new game, move to another room and try the same thing.  Repeat the exercise in several rooms of the house, in the garage, etc.  After the dog has seemingly mastered the game and learned the meaning of the “Off” command, you can work with him without the lead, but still only in a safe area like your own home or a fenced in garden.  It may take some time for the dog to fully master control of his chasing instinct and it is important not to rush the process, or to leave the dog off leash until you are sure he is fully trained.

To test the training in the real world, enlist the assistance of a friend to pose as a jogger.  It is important that the dog does not see and recognize this person; he has to assume that it is a stranger in order for the test to be valid.  Stand with the dog on his lead and have your friend jog by a couple of times while you do the “Off” exercise.  If the dog does as he is asked, be sure to provide lots of praise and treats.  If he starts after the “jogger”, give a firm reminder by tugging on the leash.