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Getting The Help You Need To Train Your Dog

October 5, 2009 by admin  
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No one says dog training is an easy thing to do. Dogs have different temperaments and varying personalities and will present challenges to a dog trainer. Some breeds are easier to train than others; some are capable of a greater degree of difficulty than others but no dog is untrainable. Some dogs will take longer to learn a command and not all dogs will be able to do everything to the same degree. A good dog trainer understands there will be limitations and takes that into account. You wouldn’t want to try to train a toy breed to be a police dog, for instance.

Pick the Best Dog For the Job

As a trainer, you want to consider what it is you’re training for and then pick a breed and, even within the breed, choose a particular dog with natural talent for what it is you want to achieve. There are tests that can be given to determine a personality type: alpha, dominant,  friendly and outgoing, shy and reserved. If you want to train a hunting dog make sure he isn’t sound sensitive, for instance.

The optimum age for testing for various temperament and traits is seven weeks. The testing should be done by someone who is a stranger to the pups and has an understanding about how to interpret the tests and can convey the significance of a response to distinct stimuli.

Alpha Dogs and Dominance

Even if a prospect is an adult many of the same tests can be applied with modification. If you are looking for a therapy dog prospect you will want to stay away from an alpha dog or even one inclined to dominance. And let me make it very clear here; an alpha dog and a dominant dog can be the same individual but not all dominant dogs are alphas. Alphas are very difficult to live with and I strongly urge that you avoid attempting to train an alpha unless you thoroughly understand the significance of what that means. Alphas make very poor pets for the average person.

Many Resources Available

There are many resources available to help you teach your dog better behavior. The Internet has made it possible to view DVD’s about dog training, find outstanding books about specific dog behaviors and problems and many dog trainers will answer questions from an email or comment posted to their website.

There is no “magic button” you can push to remove unwanted behavior done by your dog. The best thing to do is research dog training schools and instructors in your area. If this isn’t possible, then a good DVD that takes you from one step to the next with clear, precise information as to what to do can be extremely helpful.

You Need a Goal, Patience, Desire and Intuition

You will need a clear goal, great patience, a strong desire to achieve what you want and the intuition to know if something you are trying to achieve makes sense. You will need to be kind and consistent in your training techniques. You also need to be absolutely certain that you are a good trainer. The majority of the problems that dogs display is because their trainer is missing the mark.


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