With so many people advertising in the field of professional dog
training today, trying to determine who's truly qualified to look
after your dog can be overwhelming. What to look for when choosing
a professional to help you with dog training :
1) A good reputation, ask around and get recommendations from your
vet, other dog owners, or local kennel clubs.
2) Experience. - Inquire about their background, i.e. number of
years experience.
3) A genuine love of and devotion to dogs.
4) Extensive and up to date knowledge. Dedicated trainers keep
themselves updated by attending dog training and animal behavior
courses, conferences, seminars and workshops.
5) Their training methodology and handling skills. A good trainers
first concern should be the dogs well being.
6) Memberships with reputable associations, organizations and
training clubs.
General dog
obedience tips
Training should be a positive and enjoyable experience for
both you and your dog. If you are not in the right mood for
training, don’t even begin. Always reward your dog for obeying
your commands promptly! A reward is anything that your dog wants
and is willing to work for. Treats are an obvious reward but other
rewards could be verbal praise and toys. Several shorter sessions
are usually better than one long one. Training should not involve
any negative components or punishment. There should be no
shouting, no hitting or smacking, no chain jerking on choke chains
or collars, and absolutely no electric shocking! Each training
session should be enjoyable and positive with rewards for jobs
well done.
Training with head collars
Pulling on the lead is one of the few unpleasant experiences
of bringing up a new puppy or dog. Using a head collar for dog
training has become very popular over the last few years. Training
with a head collar does have some advantages over the traditional
training collar. Although very simple to use, it is important that
head collars are fitted correctly and your dog properly introduced
to the collar. Head collars are generally more intuitive to use
than a traditional training collar. Head collars are very
effective when controlling dogs in difficult situations.
