Tag: Dog Training
Does you dog come to you when called? Unfortunately, I believe the answer is no with the majority of dog owners.
What causes a dog not to come? Here are a few of the primary reasons for the civil disobedience:
- Lack of obedience. Most dogs are not even leash trained consistently. There is no reason to expect a dog to come off leash. This is a dog obedience exercise that must be practiced just as with any other obedience command. I tell my clients not to expect consistent off leash results until their dog will obey them 9 out of 10 times on leash with the first command given.
- Lack of trust. Have you ever called your dog to you and then punish him for something he did? Your dog isn’t sure what is going to happen to him when you call … so why come? Never, ever punish your dog after calling him to you. If you want to discipline him for something, go after him.
- Lack of consistency and reward. Even if you never taught your dog obedience, he would still come to you if you were consistent and praiseful. When you call your dog to come, praise him each and every time he comes. And, don’t call him unless you know he is going to come. By doing this on a consistent basis your dog will more readily come to you.
So, how do you fix this now? You start from the very beginning and learn the right way to do the come command. Make the effort to build a trusting relationship with your dog and be patient. Results will not happen overnight.
In a hurry? Working with a professional trainer would definitely speed up the process. Just be prepared to work a little and still spend some quality time with your dog.
The Gentle Leader slides over the head and muzzle. When the dog pulls, pressure is applied from the back of the neck causing the dog to pull backward instead of pulling forward. It controls the dog’s head. Whatever direction the head goes, the body must follow.
The advantages of the Gentle Leader are you get definite control of your dog on walks. The Gentle Leader is inexpensive. Although it does take getting used to, a dog can adapt to it rather quickly. You don’t have to be a dog trainer to get him to respond to it.
The disadvantages of the Gentle Leader are that it is a restraining device rather than a training tool. Its purpose is really only for walking your dog. The dog will probably become “collar smart” which means you will have to use the Gentle Leader every single time you want to take your dog for a walk. It is not designed to work on other dog behaviors. Your dog may go through some spastic reactions while learning to wear it.
You will hear claims from head collar enthusiasts and others state that it is a humane device for dogs. It is no more humane than other tools such as training collars, martingale collars and pinch collars as long the person using them knows how to use them. In fact, I will go so far as to say that the latter tools will address more behaviors and make your dog more obedient than the Gentle Leader or head collar.
In conclusion, if all you want to do is be able to walk your dog without him pulling, the Gentle Leader dog leash will do the job. If you want total respect from your dog, I recommend a sound obedient training program. The money will be well spent if you get the right dog trainer and you commit to leading your dog.
Think the Gentle Leader can help you? Amazon seems to have the best prices available. If you do decide to buy one, it is worth it to buy the Gentle Leader dog leash that has the DVD included. Click below to view them:
Is your dog a pest to others? Chances are you would not know it if it was true.
Why? Your friends are afraid they will hurt your feelings.
Many dogs happily greet and jump all over visitors to their home. Clamoring for attention and getting rewarded for their behavior by unsuspecting guests and owners alike.
Notice the “rewarded for their behavior” in the last sentence? Unknowingly, when someone pets a dog for jumping up on them, they are saying it is okay to do so. And sometimes petting is the only thing a guest knows to do. They certainly aren’t going to hit or knee the dog.
It is up to you to stop this embarrassing behavior.
How do you do that? By taking control of your dog. Not allowing it to run freely to greet guests until it knows how to behave.
The best way to take control is to invest in 1-2 obedience/behavior lessons from a professional trainer.
Another way is to put your dog on a leash and only allow it to greet your guest when it calms down. Of course this isn’t a good solution if your dog drags you all over the place. In that case, go back to the obedience/behavior lesson.
The third way is to put your dog up when company comes. That is the easy way out and accomplishes nothing. After all, it isn’t the dog’s fault that it doesn’t know how to behave.
Many trainers talk about properly using an electronic collar, lightly kneeing a dog in the chest or grabbing and holding its paws or using a shaker can or simply ignoring and turning away from it.
Any of these recommendations could be correct when done in the proper measure followed by praise. It really depends on the personality of the dog.
Correcting the behavior is not meant to intimidate, dominate or physically hurt a dog. It is meant only to correct and then reaffirm/praise the proper behavior.
That is why I recommend deferring to a professional. They can show you how to correct the behavior … and I believe it will be worth every penny.