Free Dog Ttraining

Dogs living in pairs, trios, or larger groups all need to have a special relationship with their human family. Such situations may pose some challenges when it comes to a dog’s behavior.

In order for the humans to maintain control of the environment, training is required. Schedule a little training time each week for each of the dogs in your group. Keep them sharp in obedience. Although it is ok for the dogs to be together for scheduled play sessions during the day, this training should be done with one dog at a time until the relationship is solid. Once you have good control of your pack, then you can begin to expand on the time that they spend together.

The use of your dog’s name is very important when training. Generally, your dog’s name would only precede an in-motion command such as “let’s go” or “heel.” Stationary commands such as “sit” do not call for your dog’s name prior to the command. In a multiple-dog setting, it is helpful to always use each dog’s name so that each one may be controlled without confusion. If you lined them up in a “sit-stay” and called just one, the others should remain in the “sit-stay.” If even once began to move, you’d make an ugh-ugh sound followed by the command “Sparky, staaaaaay.”

How do people own numerous dogs and maintain peace and harmony? It’s an attitude, a learned way to behave around dogs. Some owners are naturals and just have “it”. These owners are able to that earn their dog’s trust by having a calm, yet very strong attitude combined with a sense of fairness and compassion. The more contact with dogs that you have, the better off you will be. Learning how to read the structure of the group is also an important component for success. You are the one who calls the shots, but beyond that it is crucial for you to support the hierarchy as it naturally falls. You can’t choose who is in charge for them, they must do it themselves, and hopefully without violence.

There are cases of dog owners who report that their dogs get along fine by themselves, but problems develop when the owner comes home. This is a clear indication that the owners are disrupting the natural order and the subordinate dog is owner-reinforced to be dominant. The way to avoid these problems is to side with the dominant dog and help the subordinate to become comfortable in that space.

Naturally, it is easier for us to yell at the growling dog than it is to yell at the dog that is being growled at. This is wrong. We should side with the dominant dog to try to avoid a fight. If you discipline the subordinate as the dominant dog does then things will change.

A common fight scenario is who may greet a visitor first. The dominant dog should be allowed to greet first. If the subordinate should be so bold as to try to get to the door first, the dominant dog might attack. Assist in this situation by teaching the subordinate to hang back when someone comes in. The dominant dog will allow the subordinate access to the visitor, but in his own time, and the subordinate should wait and look to him for that time.

With consistent training, discipline, and support for the hierarchy of the group, your house can become a happy home for all of its residents.

Felix Senhouse is a contributor for http://www.familydogcare.com

Family Dog Care is your complete resource for dog related news and information, covering topics that range from dog training to pet insurance.

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You love your dog - but he barks. It can be really annoying to you and your neighbors if it becomes incessant barking. So what can you do to control or reduce your dogs barking and make him the most loved dog on the block?

First off there are the traditional methods. Dog training and dog obedience schools help train the dog and also teach you how to handle your pet too, so that you can grow a lasting bond with your dog. Of course if you take your dog out and give him lots of exercise he’ll be a lot less inclined to bark. A tired dog has less energy to bark and a tired sleeping dog can’t bark!

Sometimes barking is good, it’s your dog’s main way of communicating with you. He may have heard or smelled something and wants to let you know. Just acknowledging him may well stop the barking, if not try a NO, or Quiet command. If he stops barking reward him so that following your commands becomes pleasurable to him.

Giving your dog something to chew on is also a good deterrent to barking. How many dogs have you heard barking with their mouth’s full?

If the traditional methods don’t seem to be working it may be time to try a barking control collar. Many of these work by using sound so that the desired behavior cam be associated with the sound. Some of the more sophisticated, (and of course expensive), models also use electric shocks to deter the dog from barking.

Bark control collars use two types of bark detection, either sound or vibrations from the dogs throat. Neither type is totally infallible; the vibration type can be set off by motion and the sound type by external sounds. However both have proved to be effective in helping control your dogs barking humanely. The best collars employ both methods at the

same time to reduce the ‘false’ readings and help bring barking under control.

Whichever method you use, barking can be brought under control in a reasonably short space of time, so persevere and enjoy your dog for years to come.

David Amos is a dog lover and long time dog owner. To find more articles and resources Click on Dogs and Dog care

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My West Highland White Terrier used to be a nightmare in the mornings. As soon as he would hear the newspaper come through the letterbox, he would rush downstairs, growling and barking like crazy. And this would be a good hour before I wished to get up. If you find yourself in a similar situation and scream “How do I stop my dog from barking?!”, then let me be of assistance.

Let us first establish why dogs bark the way they do. Barking is their verbal communication, and in the same way that our tones of voice can reflect our moods, barking can be responsible for several social purposes. For example, it can be a way to warn people, a way to greet people, and just plain old excitement. You cannot quell this natural instinct, but you can control it to a large extent.

1. A training collar

You can purchase a training collar for your dog. Each of these collars give off a small vibration, activated by remote control, to stir the dog’s attention. This is a neat way of training your dog through Pavlovian methods, and you don’t have to move a muscle. These collars typically retail for around $100, but can be relatively cheap for what the results they produce.

2. Use verbal commands

Dogs can usually be trained the traditional way, with a stern verbal command relaying whether an action is correct or incorrect. By tapping certain parts of their body in conjunction with the correct tone and language, repetition can result in modified behaviour. This is certainly a cheaper and more natural option.

3. Bribe the mutt!

You can stop the noise immediately by giving the dog a treat or a toy to play with. Obviously if the canine’s mouth is full, they will be incapable of barking at the same time. Although this is a bit of a quick fix method, it can be particularly useful at a delicate time of the day, such as night-time. You can of course play with your dog afterwards.

Although there are increasingly technological methods to training your dog, the more natural methods remain time-tested and arguably more ethical. Learning to train your dog helps you develop a valuable skill, as well as the respect — rather than the fear — of your pet. Persistence and repetition in the short term will reap great rewards in the long-term.

Hugh Campbell runs the Hottest Picks Online website which provides recommended resources on how to successfully train your dog (http://www.hottestpicksonline.com/TrainYourDog.html)

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