When do I start correcting my Dog?

Many people realize the importance of being able to correct a dog in certain situations.  But what are those situations?  Is it when you are asking the dog to sit and it doesn't sit, or maybe when the dog bolts for the door every time you open it?  The true question we should be asking is "Does my dog really understand what I am asking him to do?"  The answer to this question will lead you to truly know if there should be a correction.

So once I know that my dog truly understands the command then I can give corrections using a variety of tools.  These tools can include my voice, a training collar, or my hands.  Now I really want you to know that like all tools, you must know how to use them correctly.  If you do not know how to use any one of these tools, please talk to an experienced trainer and ask how they utilize them.  So,  let us say that I am working with my dog, and the dog ignored what I asked it to do, then I would use an appropriate correction in that situation.  You must understand your dog to know what correction to use in each situation.  A correction that is too hard can very quickly change the way the dog views your relationship.  It is always important to maintain a dog that is excited about working rather than one feels it must do what you want because of possible reprisal.  Now on the other hand a correction that is too soft will have no affect on the dog.  While it does not hurt the relationship like a hard correction it can send the message to the dog that it can do what it wants when it wants over time. 

There are other situations where a correction is needed even though the dog may not have a full comprehension of what you are asking of it.  These situations can include gross bad behavior like biting your hands,  mounting any person, or even urinating on someone.  These are clear signs of  dog dominance and should be treated quickly.  A dog that believes it is the pack leader and is aggressive in nature can quickly become a headache and could even land you in court if it continues.

So the true answer to the question is you can use a correction once you know that your dog really does understand what you are asking it to do or it is such bad behavior that it must be addressed immediately.  Remember to always have patience when training your dog.  Think about how to motivate him before you bring him out and then make the training session into a party!

Training with treats or toys. What really is better?

I often get asked the question "Do you use dog treats or toys to train your dogs?"  Well the simple answer is YES I DO!  I feel that many people may not understand what is driving the dog to do what you are asking.  Dogs truly live in the moment and they will respond to whatever is the easiest thing for them to do.  They can respond to our laughter, a great smell coming from kitchen, someone raising a newspaper over them, and even an invader in your home.  How they respond is a matter of  "is this the best thing for me."  The whole purpose of dog training is to teach them how to respond to these situations  So you are asking "Well that is nice and all but how do I train my dog to sit," or some other behavior?  Well I believe that food is the easiest motivator at first.  You can use the fact that the dog can smell food better than any toy,  to guide it to where you want it to be.  Now in my experience,  most foods do not create a dog that is going crazy jumping all over the place,  but there are exceptions.  With that said, placing a treat in front of the dogs nose and say lifting it up slightly will help to begin to teach a young puppy to sit.   You could even teach the dog to spin in different directions by guiding it with the food around in a circle.  Now to be fair to the dogs, please give your dog the reward each time he has done something correctly especially when you are teaching him.

So what place do toys have in training?  Well, once again depending on your dog, a toy can be used to build speed in your dog.  This is done by playing a came with the dog that involves a toy.  You will notice that the dog will do whatever it can to get the ball from you or to have you throw it.  You could even have a tug toy that each time the dog does what is correct it gets to play tug with you.

There are several methods for utilizing these motivators to get the results you want from your dog.  Get creative with the different games you play with your dog.  I have often realized in the training of my own dogs that the only thing in the way of them learning how to do something is...ME.

Tracking with Jasmine

Tracking sure is fun.  I took Jasmine tracking this morning.  Jasmine is my 4 year old German Shepherd.  We have recently started a new tracking training program.  It has been pretty intense for the first couple of weeks.  I had to lay nine tracks a day for six days the first two weeks.  I am glad that I am done with that.

I have really enjoyed our time out on the tracking fields.  It is just me and her.  She has really responded well to this training system.  I basically let her figure out where the track is.  Of course I have to play the role of guiding her when there are challenges and my favorite part laying the tracks.  Actually, laying the tracks is the hardest thing to do.  I think I walked a total of eight miles laying some tracks the other day.  I also need to get a new tracking leash.  The one I currently own is nylon and it burns my hands.  Ouch!

Well let me know about your tracking adventures!

Al