Living the Home Life

The Training Tools You Always Carry

{ 07:57, 2008-Feb-17 } { 1 comments } { Link }

There are many training tools available, allowing you to tailor your training to your dog. I'm going to give you a brief overview of the ones I use most often, but concentrate on the ones I find most important.

Collars -
   1. Flat collars - good for tying a dog up, but not much else. If a dog is constantly leaning into his collar, he is going to cause trachea damage, so I don't use them in training, except for rare exceptions.
   2. Traditional training collar (aka choke collar) - this is the collar I use most often. It is the tool of choice for the average dog, and when used properly, causes little damage. You always work a dog on a loose leash, and when you correct with one of these collars, it's done in a quick jerk and release motion. It simulates a mother dog correcting her pup with a nip on the neck. Never keep steady pressure on one of these collars because they can cause damage.
   3. Prong, or pinch, collar - good for precision training, and handling very rowdy dogs. I use them on my dog for precision heeling training, and we use them in our class with people who have high energy dogs and are getting dragged around. This is very dangerous, and can lead to fights. Anyone we recommend these for get one on one training to learn to fit it correctly and how to correct with it. The major advantage is that you get a nice clean correction with a minimum of force. It's easier on the dog because they don't choke themselves out lunging into the collar. This also works on the psychological basis of the mother dog correcting a puppy. Prong collars shouldn't jab the dog, only pinch during a correction. CAUTION: Be sure to fit this collar correctly and ALWAYS use a loose leash unless correcting.

Leashes - I always recommend a six foot web or leather leash. I don't like nylon because it burns your hands and has no natural give.

Treats - Food treats can be anything from Cheerios to sliced up hotdogs. Try some different things to see what works. I usually use hotdogs. Something that has a strong smell, can be eaten quickly, and doesn't leave a lot of crumbs works best. Toys can also be a good treat if your dog has a lot of play drive. A tennis ball on a rope works great. Treats should alway be given liberally when learning a new exercise, eventually moving to a more random schedule as his confidence builds. My husband always says, "I wouldn't work for no paycheck, and neither will the dog." There always has to be a paycheck for good work, either a treat, a toy, or praise.

By far, the most important training tool that you can use is yourself. You can use your body and voice to reward, correct, encourage, calm, and everything in between.

Body Language - You can use your body to communicate with your dog. When you stand tall over it, you are exerting dominance over it, which can be very useful when teaching a sit or down. Just by standing and leaning slightly over the dog, you are encouraging it to lower it's posture. If you have a fearful or uncertain dog, you can lean back to encourage it up. CAUTION: If you are working with a very dominant dog, it could challenge you if you try to show your authority. Seek professional help when working with a very dominant or aggressive dogs.

Voice - A higher pitched voice is very encouraging. It is used for praise, to encourage forward motion, to keep attention, and to call your dog to you. Unless I have a very high energy dog, I use a very light voice when heeling to keep the dog's focus on me, and off other dogs or distractions around it. When I want a dog to sit, down, or when correcting it, I drop my voice so it's deeper. It generally has a quelling affect. If you are someone who is interested in doing "clicker training" your voice can take the place of the click. You could make a clicking noise yourself, or just use a key word. I'll discuss shaping, aka clicker training, more thoroughly in a future entry.
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{ 10:26, 2008-Feb-17 } { Posted by countrylivin }
I'm enjoying these posts you have about dog training! THanks for the willingness to share with all of us here in blogland! :)

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