Dog Training

Now, lets get on to some REAL dog training :)

Here's a quick rundown of how I got started training my dog for any of you out there that are looking where to start.

I made the dog training mistake that most people make by just playing with the dog and throwing sticks and stuff. I learned later that it's important to give the dog proper obedience training first.

Dogs have to be obedient to learn anything else. You have to let the dog know where it stands in the "pack hierarchy". If the dog thinks it is the alpha leader, then you'll have a ton of problems later on. It's hard to take that alpha leader roll away from a dog once you've let the dog get a taste.

So, first things first, do obedience training. Make sure the dog knows where it stands in the "pack" that is now your family. Show it that it can only eat when you feed it, and that if it misbehaves, it won't have as much fun and doggy playtime as when it behaves.

Once you get that part settled, the rest of the training is easy. You're dog will listen and work with you because it WANTS to obey. It knows you are the pack leader and it WANTS to do whatever it can to please you.

I didn't realize this until I read SitStayFetch, but the trick to getting a dog to behave is to get the dog to WANT to behave. Check out the links below for more info on what I'm talking about. Or check out this dog training site here and it can help too. There's also a good dog training hub page if you click there.

Dogs are a naturally aggressive animal. Before domestication, aggression was handy for dogs. Dogs must have aggression to defend themselves, to defend their food, to find a mate, and for other necessary tasks.

However this does not mean that we must be unable to help in the aspect of training the dogs we own. There is a lot that we can do to keep dog aggression from rearing it's head.

One form of dog aggression is the directed towards non-family members. The process of getting your dog trained to be familiar with the city and it's strange people is referred to as "socialization". This is a very important segment of your dog's training. Socializing means taking her as a puppy to a wide range of happenings, people, and new animals.

When you socialize your dog, you're getting him to learn by experience that unfamiliar sights can be fun, instead of scary. To socialize your dog should be more of a general effort than a certain technique. This involves just using more time interacting with your dog around unfamiliar territory.

Aggression towards family members must be taken care of in a different way. Aggression towards family members shows that the dog is feels the need to defend a perceived danger (you). Or, it isn't comfortable with the treatment it is receiving from it's surroundings. This can be called "resource guarding".

Resource guarding is a common trait among dogs. This term is in reference to aggressive-possessive traits on behalf of your dog. Resource guarding is a well-defined technique of dominance. If a dog viewed itself as lowest in the pack hierarchy, it would not dream of exhibiting aggressive or dominant traits directed towards a higher ranked member of the pack.

The most effective training method for aggressive/dominant dog behavior is steady, constant obedience training. That will make understood your authority above the dog. Make obedience training sessions quick and productive . No horse-playing and no poor behavior.

Dogs exhibit aggression for a purpose. It is necessary to take things slowly with a dog's obedience training. For more information on handling aggressive dog behavior, handling disobedient dog behavior, as well as all other dog behavior problems it is a good idea to obtain a high-quality dog training book to train your dog properly.