Dog training

In addition to their appreciation for being fed, as pack animals dogs have natural instincts that favor training. These instincts are manifested as a desire to please a master. This gives the dog trainer an unbeatable edge in shaping the dog's behavior.

While dogs can be trained for complex behaviors, such as rescue work, circus acts, or medical diagnosis, there are certain elements of training that almost all dogs can learn, to the benefit of both dog and master.

The dog trainer: Who trains the dog?

Everyone who handles the dog should take part in the training, including the puppy kindergarten, because the dog should be equally obedient to everyone in the family or household. If you think your neighbor might have to call the dog in your absence, then you can work to help the neighbor learn Come and Sit, although it may not be necessary for the neighbor to learn more.

It is crucial for the trainer and the dog to attend class together, to learn more about each other and how to work together. Inexperienced people may believe that dogs know basic commands such as sit and down instinctively and are therefore excessively harsh when a dog doesn't immediately obey; it's important that someone new to training a dog learn what a dog does and doesn't know and how dogs learn.

Training and the dog's life cycle

Dog training begins virtually at birth. Dogs that are handled and petted by humans in the first eight weeks of life are generally much more amenable to being trained and living in human households.

After eight weeks, and up to approximately 14 weeks, dogs are ready to bond for a lifetime with a new master. Even adult dogs can adapt to a new master, but the ideal situation for training is to raise a puppy from early life. For one thing, humans can easily handle puppies of any breed, and the dog becomes accustomed to the idea and retains a respect for humans even after growing to full size, when otherwise they might be harder to handle.

True training, in the sense of taking a dog to a formal class and developing very specific behaviors, does not begin until the age of three to six months; however, including commands for simple behavior as part of daily play begins when the dog is weaned, or even earlier. Masters new to dog keeping can benefit from attending so-called puppy kindergarten, where both dog and master learn to work together. Most puppy kindergartens teach the commands given below.

Most training revolves around giving the dog treats and praise when it obeys, and withholding treats and praise when it does not. A sharp No is useful. Out and out physical punishment rarely works, although a light smack when the dog gets over-eager with teeth or paws is neither cruel nor painful.

The command voice

In all training and discipline, the dog's name is an important command component. In early training, most commands are prefaced with the name: Ginger, come is more forceful to a young dog of that name than a simple Come. After the dog is trained, the name need not be used every time, but when used, the name always adds emphasis to the command.

Basic Commands