One of the questions that dog owners have with regard to training their dog is whether to hire a dog trainer or to train their dogs themselves.

There could be number of reasons why many people think that hiring a dog trainer for puppy training is more effective than self training. It could be that you do not have any time for puppy training or that you do not know where to start and how to go about puppy potty training. These are just some of the reasons why people hire a dog trainer for puppy training.

More Than Just Dog Training?

However, what many people do not understand is the fact that dog training or puppy training is not just about getting your dog to obey a few commands. It is rather about establishing a good relationship with your dog and about understanding your dog better so that you can tell them things in a way that they would understand and listen.

So in this context, you will not be able to establish good relationship with your dog unless and until you spend time with your dog and interact with your dog. This cannot be done by sending your dog for an expensive training.

Having said this, you should not be looking for a dog trainer rather a good dog training system that will help you with your puppy potty training, out of control barking training, etc…

Moreover, it is important to understand that dogs are very boundary-conscious pets. When you send your pet to a trainer it will get confused with regard to its own boundaries as well as the owner. They should first identify you as the owner. It is very likely to get confused when you send it to a new trainer in a new place.

Sending your dog to a trainer will also result in inconsistency. You and your dog trainer will not relate to the dog in the same way. For your dog trainer, your dog is just is job but for you it is your pet and it is almost like your family member. This will result in inconsistency.

If you cannot find time to spend with your pet then it is best not to own a pet. If you have time to spend with your pet, then you will as well be able to train your pet which is one of the best things for your pet.

You need not be an experienced dog trainer to deal with your dog effectively. All your pet requires is care and little patience and what you need is the right dog training manual that will help you with step by step training process.

Check out our Dog Training Program and Get the
Satisfaction of Having A Well Behaved Dog That You’re Responsible For!

Should You Train Your Dog Yourself Or Use a Trainer? is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

courtesy of www.clickertraining.com

Have you tried training your dog to do tricks and just when you think you are making some progress, your dog suddenly decides it does not want to obey your cue?  Maybe you think your dog just does not have what it takes or is just being stubborn.  Read this article to find out why you may be spoiling your clicker training success.

Poisoned Cues: The Case of the Stubborn Dog

by Rebecca Lynch, 4/1/10, Karen Pryor’s clickertraining.com

When I arrived at my client’s house last week, she was very excited to show me how well her dog Missy was doing with hand targeting. “Watch this!” Megan said as she gathered her clicker and treats. Missy was at full attention in front of her. Megan gave the cue, “touch,” and presented her hand. Missy took one look at her hand, ducked her head, and sat down to scratch. Megan tried again. Missy began sniffing the ground. Megan’s face dropped. “We’ve been practicing all week for you. Missy knows how to touch. Why is she being so stubborn?”

Was Missy being stubborn?

She had been excited to participate in the training up until the moment she heard the cue. She was fully focused on Megan and anxiously awaiting the opportunity to perform. But the moment she was given the cue, she changed her mind. And although scratching and sniffing seemed to Megan an act of defiance, I knew that Missy was actually giving stress signals. Missy was worried about touching Megan’s hand. Why was Missy worried? Just the week before, Missy was running from across the room to place her nose in Megan’s hand. What had happened?

Read the rest of Rebecca’s article.

Do you have a stubborn dog? is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Using clicker training and rewards, Karen soon has Misha running and playing with all sorts of toys!

Watch as an old dog learns a new trick!

by Karen Pryor on 12/21/2009

You’d think that all dogs just love to play with toys, but its not true. Some dogs are scared of toys. With these dogs you have to teach them to play again.

Karen Pryor’s harelquin poodle, Misha, (that we talked about previously) is one. Misha’s late canine house mate Twitchett ruled the toy kingdom at home and rarely let poor Misha get in his fair share of fun and games. So, toys haven’t held much interest for Misha and can sometimes really scare him.

Read the rest of Karen’s article on overcoming a dog’s fear of toys here.

A Dog's Fear of Toys is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

I like that Karen not only took a look at the dogs behavior but examined herself which often times is the root of the problem. Us not the DOG!  Certainly worth the read and could be applied to almost any dog training situation.

A Scaredy-cat Dog

By Karen Pryor on 12/08/2009

Dealing with fear

I’ve had a lot of dogs in my life, Labradors and poodles and Great Danes and Border terriers, a Weimaraner, a collie, a golden, and a great mutt named Goulash. But I never had a fearful dog—until the current Dog-in-Residence, Misha, my German spotted poodle. He’s ten years old now, and still panics at every sudden sound or strange sight. If a new person or a new piece of furniture comes into the house, Misha has to lift his leg somewhere. If I’m too preoccupied by work, or, God forbid, annoyed with Misha, he vomits and has diarrhea, usually on the dining room rug, which of course makes me more annoyed.

Read the rest of Karen’s article on dealing with scared dogs here.

Dog Who's Afraid of Everything? is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

The programs are going to be specifically geared towards getting your dog to:

1. Greet ANY stranger in a friendly manner — whether out in public or at your front door
2. Training your dog to sit calmly every time you or friends go to pet him
3. Behave Perfectly on walks, whether on or off leash… and completely stop pulling
4. How to walk your dog through a crowd of people and maintain complete control
5. How to stay sitting or laying down in one place when you REALLY need him to
6. Strategies for getting him to come WHENEVER he’s called… no matter how much he doesn’t want to
7. Training drills to teach your dog to be NICE to other dogs
8. How to get your dog to pay attention to you… and NEVER get distracted… even in chaotic environments
9. Plus strategies for teaching your dog to behave himself in your home when you are NOT there.

I’m REALLY wanting to make this program HIGHLY interactive.  So I’m thinking about making the format of this program webinar based (where I do an interactive coaching call once a week on each of the above topics), and then do a follow up call to answer your questions a few days later.

And to spice it up a bit, I’m wanting to not just answer your questions via email, or over the phone, but send you a free video camera (like the new $130 Flip Video Cameras) so you can video tape yourself working with your dog, easily upload it to YouTube, and that way I can watch you practicing with your dog and offer individual pointers for your dog’s unique situation… instead of just general advice.

Ideally I’d like to get a group of about 50 dog owners who would want to commit to working with me for 6-8 weeks in a way where we could all share our videos with each other and learn from each others mistakes and successes.  So all of the dogs can perfectly pass the obedience objectives I listed above.

So if this sounds interesting… please leave me a comment below to let me know if it’s something you’d like me to move forward with, and if it’s something you’d be willing to pay for.  Along with anything else you’d like me to add to the program that I haven’t mentioned.

Do you like the idea of sharing video with me for a critique?

Do you have 30 minutes a week to commit to a 6-8 week program?

And are you comfortable with uploading to YouTube?

Would you like me to target this at dogs under 2 years old or OVER?

Any feedback you have on this idea would be appreciated

Would You Like To Try This With Your Dog? is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog