Dog Health Questions: Any body ever have their dog protect them in the time that it counts?

Although my dog has never had any guard dog training, I would hope he would seriously protect me and my family if the time ever came. Fortunately, I've never had a situation for his assistance to be needed, but has any one had a time when their dog defended them in their time of need?

I hear it all the time that your dog will protect it's family, but sometimes you wrestle around and scream for help to see if the dog will come to the rescue and the dog just comes up and licks you or yawns and you start thinking, if this were a real situation that I needed help I would be really disappointed in you. hahaha

Dog Breed in Relation to Dog Training

Recommended Answer:
Pretending fear is not fear and dogs know the difference. You cannot lie or pretend to a dog - your scent and body language gives you away.

Yes, my Akita who was a very social show dog, saved me from a rapist on parole. The man had stalked me to the park N ride that morning and was hiding in the isolated grain shed where I had to go to get my horse feed. Tsumi ripped through a 9 guage chain lnk fence when I didn't heed his barking and physically tackled me on the way to the shed - pulling and pushing me back towards the house. That's when I spotted the same car that had followed me that morning - and got furious. When I grabbed a pitchfork from leaning on the corral - at which point Tsumi went crashing through the window of the shed. A big man came running out followed by a very intense Akita driving him to his car and chased the car down the road to the corner, then Tsumi ran back to check on me. I was shaking pretty hard by then. The police did track down the man and he had a long history of violent assaults (he was sent back to jail) - so Tsumi got lots of praise.

I also placed 2 GSD/Aussie pups from a neighbor's litter.
The first "Puppers" went to a single mother with 3 young daughters that lived a few bloocks from a juvenile detention center. One night Puppers held 3 teens at bay who had broken the back door and were trying to enter. The police were there shortly - the teens were escaped teen murders. The police credited Puppers, just a friendly family mutt, with saving the family's lives.

At 12 yrs, another of the pups intercepted a bullet meant for his owner in an armed house breakin. The owner pulled a shotgun on the first younger burgular and was holding him for the police but there was a second older burgular that snuck up to shoot the owner in the back - except Buddy, the dog, attacked taking a bullet through the shoulder but knocking the second burgular to the ground saving his owner. A few days later, home from the vet in a cast, Buddy followed the burgulars' trail into the woods with the cops behind and uncovered a large stash from local break-ins that got the men convicted of 5 breakins.

Buddy had also broke into the bedrooms as a younger dog when their house was on fire and got the family out in time.

A dog does not need to be trained to attack or mean at all - these were all very social, friendly pets. But a protective breed will be there when you really need it - purebred or mix.

Now the Siberians - I have no idea what they would do. LOL

10 Dog Training Mistakes You Must Avoid

• in my family folklore, my uncle still gets weepy when he recounts of how his dog tobie robie saved his life. the was young and drunk on a very cold night walking to my other uncle's house, he slipped and fell on ice hitting his head, knocking him out. he was hidden between two cars. little tobie robie barked and scratched on my other uncles door until he came out. then he let him to where my uncle was lying. fact or a yarn spun by two drunken irishmen, you decide.


• my dog alerted me to a fire that could have killed me and my family.


• Well, not particularly. I know one of my dogs, Scrapper, picked out of a group of visiting friends someone I didn`t particularly like, and growled, but loved on everyone else.
  In addition, a dog I was caring for at the vet clinic in the boarding section snarled and barked at a repair guy who made me nervous by having vague answers of why he was there and me being the only person, 17 year old girl at the time) in that particular par to the building. The guy left quickly after his measurements of a cage.


• Not mine, but my roommate's pit bull/rott/potluck mix dog did twice. Once I went outside after dark to bring all our dogs in. She and another were messing around in the back of the rather large, fenced yard we had. I called them in, she came running up, hair on her back raised, and she was growling and whining, then ran back to bark at the bush by the back fence. I started walking toward her to grab her collar and bodily drag her into the house (I was growing impatient, you see), and she ran up to me, barked at me, whined, looked back, growled, and walked toward the house, so I figured "hey, I'll take a hint", called the dogs in, and we all went inside.
  
  I went upstairs, grabbed the shotgun, went back down onto the back steps, loaded the gun, and looked at the bush and said "I don't know who you are but you need to get your *** off my property or I'll blow it off." Somebody jumped the fence and ran down the alley and I about crapped my pants lol. I ran inside, locked the door, and kept that dog right by me all night lol.
  
  The other time was when I was in the back yard moving some cinder blocks around. There was this really big, ugly spider. I screamed bloody murder and she came over whining and huffing, saw the spider, and barked at it. I'm arachnophobic, you see. This was a big deal to me lol


• My friend was walking her pit and got into an argument with a girl that tried to punch her..Except the dog got to the girls throat before it happened..


• Since I dont own a personal protection dog that was specifically bred and trained for that precise purpose (and usually costs thousands of dollars)....NO. My dog has not, probably will not, and I dont expect or need him to, protect me.
  
  If a dog snaps, barks, or jumps on someone during such a circumstance, its not protecting you...its acting out of fear, uncertainty, etc....


• Oh, yes. The first Newfoundland we had was nearly 150 lbs. Two men came up to the garage while I was cleaning it out and they would not leave me alone. Fortunately, I had left the connecting door to the den open and the dog lumbered out and simply stood next to me, looking at those guys. The one guy said "What the hell is that?" I said "That is the reason you will leave right now." It worked!
  
  Little did they know what a Newfoundland's real personality is!


• I have 3 dogs. None of them are the type to even bark when the doorbell rings. They will come up and sniff, and then go back to what they were doing. Sometimes if someone comes in, they show a bit of excitement. We always say the biggest, a bullmastiff gives everyone a full body wag. They don't jump or go crazy or anything BUT they are all extremely friendly.
  
  Now, we also like to call my oldest dog who is around 13 or 14 the "judge of character". There are certain people, mostly men, that she will react to in a strange manner. She will stand in front of my kids and just give a look.
  
  Also, my bullmastiff, acted funny on two accounts so far. First there was a solicitor at the door. The guy was extremely pushy and obviously making me agitated. I went to close the door and he put his hand in the way. The dog came from no where with this low growl that I had never heard before. Needless to say, the man left quickly. The second time was in the middle of the night. We live in an area where our backyard backs up to nothing. We often get random wild animals and such in or around our yard. There was something out there one night and they were barking. I went to check it out and her forcibly stood in my way and didn't let me out the door. Ordinarily, this isn't behavior that would be tolerated, but there was something odd about it and I decided to back off and go back inside and lock them all inside with me.
  
  I've trained them to be nothing but friendly and non dominant BUT I think they have some sort of natural protective instinct that kicks in!
  
  @Jasmer~ Mine actually squashes spiders for me. He runs after them and pounces on them. I'm like you...I don't like spiders...ever!
  
  OMG! I have to add in here. Right after I typed that a HUGE centipede thingy came running across my floor. It had to be 5-6 inches long and it was WORSE than a spider. More legs=more gross. All three of my dogs jumped up and barked at it giving me time to jump up on the couch (like a big girl) and yell as I threw a book at it.


• My instincts kick in so quick when it comes to my dogs that I don't even give them time to react. I've honestly never given any of them time to protect me and see if they ever would. My first two dogs I had were in the house when my boiler/hot water heater blew up in the basement and the house was filling up with carbon monoxide in the middle of the night. They may have reacted before it happened and we slept through it... who knows. We woke up and just got them out of the house. All I know is we woke up and the house was literally filling up with black smoke so we just got all the animals out without even thinking.
  
  My dog I have now, a Boxer was out in the yard by himself one day. There is a neglected dog in the neighborhood, who has been reported numerous times to Animal Control and to the police who've done nothing about the dog. This dog jumps people's fences and attacks other people's dogs. My dog was in his yard one day, minding his own business and the dog came in his yard and came after him. They're both big, muscular dogs but my dog ran from the attack. I was out there about two seconds after the attack started and, again... did what I needed to do to protect my dog. I will always jump the second I need to in order to protect my dog just because the instinct kicks in and I don't wait for HIS instinct to kick in and protect me or to protect himself so I don't think I'll ever find out if my dogs will protect me. I think it's more our job to protect them than theirs to protect us.


• I had a little German Shepherd mix that I saved from being put down she was about 12 years old.
  One month later my stalker which I had had for 2 years decided to break in my house with a very large knife. As soon as be broke the window out and reached his hand in the GS clamped down on his hand and held him, me standing there with a gun until the cops got there 15 minutes later. Thank goodness for her. I had lived 2 years of hell because of the SOB, moved 3 times and all it took was a 40lb dog to put him in jail.
  I always said I saved her and she returned the favor, she lived to be about 16 years old

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Dog Health Questions: Why is it when someone asks a training question....?

you have at least one person who answers with something along the lines of "watch the dog whisperer" "watch its me or the dog" or "call ceasar"?

While the tv shows may have some good advice and tips, they are not replacement for actual training. While one method may work well for one dog or situation, it wont be the solition for another! These are also edited TV shows and only show part of what's going on.. the entire episode is actually weeks, and sometimes months of training that is edited.

The trainers you see on TV also cannot possibly take on every dog training issue out there.. they are just one trainer.. and can only take on so many clients at a time.

Not all solutions require a trainer, just a different perspective from someone experienced with dogs to offer advice on a different training method to try.. for example, most housebreaking issues do not require a trainer!

Even if it does require a trainer, it takes several sessions with a trainer that are 20-30 minute long sessions... some problems may require seeing the trainer every week for 6-8 weeks!

Why do people think the answers can be found by watching a half hour tv show?

Residential Dog Training Vs DIY Home Dog Training

Recommended Answer:
Because that is the limit of their real, actual dog knowledge.

Dog Training Methods Uncovered

• they're only shortening the training cuz they only got 30 min. to do the show. but it actually takes longer to train them. they only show steps on how to do it


• What is on TV must be true.
  
  Thats why if I click my heels together and say "there is no place like home" three times, I'll end up in 1939 Kansas, completely in black and white, and feeling like I smoked an entire fields worth of marijuana.
  
  I'll see you in 1939.


• I would never answer with those because personally I think the dog whisperer is an idiot
  
  I always try to give real answers
  
  


• Because they have no real training knowledge but think they do because they watch those shows.


• Its because thats all they watch or know or are too lazy to get more info somewhere else.
  
  For me I can watch the shows but I also read books to help with training and read things on the internet and also have a dog trainer.


• I agree with what you say,but after 50 years around dogs and I havn't had many thankfully they have all been long lived.As I have got older I have picked up several tips, but mainly ignore bad behaviour and reward good behaviour.
  My border Collie which was a nightmare when he was a puppy, now 6 1/2 years old, is a pleasure infact someone who was visiting our town stated that she would love to clone him.I took him to puppy classes when he was approx 14 weeks old and they declared him a nightmare, I withdrew him from the classes very shortly afterwards as he was not enjoying the experience . He is now a delight well behaved, and everone adores him. Patience, love will win the situation over


• Because if someone has no clue whatsoever on how to go about training a dog, it is easier to watch someone do it. In some of the answers I've read, if I didn't already know how to train a dog, I would still be lost.
  
  Some of those show are a little crappy, they show the dog's behavior, then show them trained with no instruction in between. I prefer the ones that actually teach you how to deal with behavior problems.
  
  And no every method doesn't work on every dog, I've seen Victoria Stillwell have to back up and try something else quite a few times. But her methods do work.
  
  Maybe if you would take time to watch her shows, you could see some value to them. She does actually take on a lot of behavior issues instead of the basic potty training and such. She also points out what the owners of the dogs are doing to promote the behaviors.
  
  Watching a dog training show doesn't take the place of training, lets just say it trains the dog owner on how to train their dogs. Because as we know, most of a dog's behavior problems stem from the way the owner treats them.
  
  I'd much rather see someone advise someone to even watch a crappy dog training show, than to advise them to hit the dog.


• lol thats funny.. yes people have told me that too but two dogs and three litters later, i realized that you have to play it by ear because the more you can figure out about your dog, the better your relationship will be. every dog has different personalities so watching a show may not help but it might help


• This is why I add a link for the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors if the problem is serious. They are a good source for finding an experienced trainer.


• Dog owners that have never actually looked into what a good dog trainer/behaviorist is think those people have a 100% success rate.
  
  Personally I always refer to www.flyingdogpress.com and a dog trainer/behaviorist that kind of follows that view(as much as possible anyway).
  
  I don't agree with the dog whisperer. I feel some of his techniques are just plain disrespectful to another living being. He seems to think you can make a dog learn to speak human, but it has to be the other way around for the relationship to be a good one. (imo) Same thing with victoria, I think she has a good way of training, but some of the stuff she does, irritates me. There was one episode that recently aired, it was the two greyhounds I believe and they would eat their poo. I agreed it was lack of nutrition in the dogs food, but what she did to solve the problem just covered it up. The recommendation should've been to go see a canine nutritionist, not a dog behaviorist/trainer.


• TV is over-rated.
  
  and ''OMG there MUST be a reason that he's on TV!- he MUST have all of the answers!!!- who are you to say who is and isnt a bad trainer?''remember the lady who said that cesar milian was the best dog trainer shes ever heard of and shes been training dogs for more than 50 years?
  it was something like that


• Have you forgotten that you are asking about YA! contributors? There's always going to be a dumb answer or in this case not an answer, but recommendation to watch some TV show.
  
  I really respect you for all the great answers you give people, but your question borders on a rant.
  


• Watch The Dog Whisperer. You'll get it.


• I do this all the time and I feel it's a very defensible position. Too many people get dogs without a hint of how to raise or train them, and when the novelty wears off, what happens to the poor animal? Moreover, many of these people would not take the time to read a training manual, and have no clue where to begin. At least the TV shows are a beginning; a place to get into the mode of behavior training, even if the specific episode doesn't apply to their dog. And, who suggested that the viewers shouldn't actually try the training, as you imply? If you've watched any of these shows you would know that consistency, persistence, and time are always stressed.
  
  With all due respect, you need to broaden your perspective and understand you are dealing with some who think dogs are born potty trained, and that their main purpose in life is as a fashion accessory to high schoolers. Every journey of 100 miles begins with the first step.

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Dog Health Questions: Dog Training Advice?

I have had quite a few dogs in the past, and have been able to train them pretty quickly and easily, but my new puppy doesn't seem to want to learn. She's very smart, and can already sit, lay down, and fetch, but she doesn't want to stop chewing, biting, or going on the floor. What is the best way to stop her from doing these things?
If you have any advice, please help. Or if you know of any good websites, that would help also. =]

Tested Dog Training Tips That Improve Your Dog's Behavior

Recommended Answer:
Ok to start you have to understand any puppy that is teething is naturally going to want to chew, such as a child. At the age of six months-the puppy will have their adult teeth thatm will need to be set in and they do that by chewing. (If they do not set their teeth in-it can cause early tooth loss and other dental problems). At two years old they should be out of them chewing stages. My vet told me to have plenty of toys for my English Bulldog. (He would even try chewing my walls). Dogs like different things to chew on and can easily get bored with the same toys. Make sure you have toys that are different textures. (Hard to Soft). Stay consistant and if she does chew on the wrong thing--show her the toys and distract her with them. I woudl tease my pup, until he absolutely had to have his toy. As far as potty-training goes--my vet told me to "Crate Train" and it works! Here is a link and their are many others--just use crate training as a keyword. http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~rc207100/info…

As far as biting goes that can mean anything depending on where she is biting. We have to consider that dogs do not speak english and they try to communicate with us in different ways. Such as Diesel, would bite our toes or hands when he wanted to be played with. I broke him out of that habit with consistently reinforcing him to give me the paw--instead of biting. (He would not bite hard, but still not acceptable). Try understanding what she is biting you for and finding another command (such as paw) to reward her with what she is wanting, such as playing or a good scratching of the back.

The Many Types Of Dog Training

• Get more chew toys for your pup,
  
  Training,go to Malteseluv.com its a maltese site but all the same rules for potty training are the same,
  This site the woman has done a great write up on potty training
  here is the site
  
  http://malteseluv.homestead.com/PuppyInf…


• Short but sweet answer. Lots of exercise and crate training!
  
  http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pe…
  
  A lot of people think its cruel for a dog to be in a crate but in nature when their leader isnt around they would naturally go to their den (hence a crate). Also when you leave a dog they feel responsible for your house, they get stressed running around all the time which leads to destructive chewing out of boredom. If you leave them in a crate when you leave they only feel responsible for that area and that is a lot easier on them :)
  You should also walk them for about an hr (depending on the breed) before you crate them!good luck!!
  
  I guess that wasnt so short!


• well i have a friend who has the same problem. Try getting him lots of chew toys and those pedigree denta bone.


• Ms Cream is absolutely correct. A puppy without a crate is a disaster in the making.
  You wouldn't let a toddler have access to dangers in the home, please don't let your puppy be exposed either.


• For starters, puppies have to go to the bathroom every hour. If you don't want your dog going on the floor, take it to an appropriate place to go hourly. It will learn thats where you want it to go.
  
  When you catch your dog chewing on something inappropriate, tell it no and then give it something it can chew on.
  
  As for the biting, I don't know if you meant yourself or objects in your house. If it is biting you, yelp loudly when it does so to let it know that it hurts/that you don't appreciate it. When puppies are young and bite one another, that's how they learn when playing goes too far.
  
  If it is biting objects, do the same as chewing. Tell it no and then give it something it can chew on. If you're afraid it'll tear something up, you can put something on it to make it taste bad, or possibly burn (rub hot peppers on the objects).


• Just like humans, dogs have their own personalities. So just like each child might learn in different ways, so do dogs.
  
  I found some good information at the website listed below.


• http://pc-safe.info/html/Home_Family/Dog…

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Dog Health Questions: Dog training help.?

I've had my dog Sirius since he was A pup. And He's kinda afraid of well just about everything. I mean he will barck and bite stangers. But theres something weird here. He will come and listen to my mom, grandma, and aunt but not me. And He has tried and bite me before and sometimes got lucky. He will sit and shake his paw for me but will not come to me. And I can't even walk him because He won't come and listen. If andyone has and advice or knows any books I can get from the library would be great. He is 6 yrs old in mind so can He still be trained? He didn't used to be like this. What could be the problem???

Advanced Dog Training Exercises

Recommended Answer:
"These are my aggression consultation clients, who are in my office in desperation, as a last resort, hoping to find some magic pill that will turn their biting dog into a safe companion. They are often dismayed and alarmed to discover that the paradigm many of us grew up with – punish your dog harshly at the first sign of aggression – has contributed to and exacerbated the serious and dangerous behavior problem that has led them to my door. It seems intuitive to punish growling. Growling leads to biting, and dogs who bite people often must be euthanized, so let's save our dog's life and nip biting in the bud by punishing him at the first sign of inappropriate behavior. It makes sense, in a way – but when you have a deeper understanding of canine aggression, it's easy to understand why it's the absolute wrong thing to do. "

From Pat Miller

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/

House Dog Training Secrets and Dog Food Secrets Revealed

• Start with Karen Pryor's "Don't Shoot the Dog"


• 90 % of dog training is attitude .....yours....Mom, Grandma and your aunt have one from raising children...the dog senses they will take no crapola from him....


• fear biter, try this , tell the rest of your family, for the next week you are going to feed him, step two , if he biting, this has got to stop now, today, choke chain. and a muzzle cause he going to bite you again. you need to regain his trust
  this is going to take about 14 weeks to train him, you need to train him to sit then sit stay then down, the down is the big onem he may bite training this, but it will take time,

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Dog Health Questions: Has anyone heard of the "Hands-Off Dog Training Program"?

saw it on the internet - wanted to know if anyone has tried and and if it worked??

5 Effective Tips For Successful Dog Training

Recommended Answer:
Almost everything I trained my dogs to do was hands-off. From basic obedience to more complicated tricks. Somehow they learn much faster when you aren't touching them because the focus is on you and not your hands. I'm not explaining it well, but I know it works. I use a clicker and that works like magic.

Dog Training Tricks - What Is The Best Dog Training Trick?

• Not sure, but it sounds like it has a positive-reinforcement base, with more of an emphasis on luring than even positive reinforcement training stresses.
  
  Example: To teach a dog to sit, you guide the dog's head back with a treat until the dog falls into a sit.

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Dog Health Questions: Dog Training Galore!?

1. How does one become a renown dog trainer?

From my understanding there are no recognized programs that teach training...its more or less having a mentor and training dogs for years and YEARS and YEARS

Sorry to all you 20 something dog "experts"...but ,,,,eh NO

2. How does one become a dog "behaviorist" and who came up with that "title"? WTH is a dog "behaviorist"? Dog trainers KNOW the behavior of dogs...end of discussion.

3. WTF does training dolphins, primates and chickens have to do with dogs?
I've been told by several people here that "oooooh, my trainer has a phd in animal training"...uhuh! There is no bachelor / master/ doctorate program for the behavior of DOGs..NONE. PS. To all you little trolls....how long will it take you to delete this question? Do you take weekends off? or are you still busy on Sudays?

Dog Training - Important Tips

Recommended Answer:
1) You are correct.

2) A bunch of crap. Sorry. I have met 2 so called *behaviorists* when I was fostering. ~Talking to my rescue organization coordinator~

*Sandy, Ralph is dog aggressive*

*Glen, we had him checked*

*Sandy, Ralph is dog aggressive*

*Bring him to Petco tomorrow. The *behaviorist* will make that decision*

Fast forward to Petco:

*Hi, Susy. I am glen. Ralph is dog aggressive*

*I checked him out. He is not dog aggressive. How do you know that?*

*He attacked 4 of my dogs*

*Your dogs started it*

*No. Everyone was introduced properly. He went after the fist 4 and I wasn't gonna let him go after any more of my dogs*

*glen, dear.......it takes time for adjustment*

*I know, Susy dear. But these were full blown 'I am gonna to beat the crap out of you' attacks*
*Ralph cannot be in a multi dog household*

*You have a muzzle on him. Has he had this on the whole time at your house?*

*No, he has been kenneled at my vet. I can't have him in my house. He would be dead*

Fast forward to the behaviorist taking the muzzle off Ralph and walking him through Petco where he goes after a customer's GS and before I could get him away from the GS he turns around and goes after me then he proceeds to go after the behaviorist at which time I had to pull him up off the floor via his leash and collar while trying to get the muzzle back on.

The behaviorist was in shock. I was pissed. Ralph went home with another foster person. I wished her much luck.

3) I have never seen a trained chicken but I have a bird who will tell you to F~OFF if you get too close to her cage.

Things to Consider Before You Go For a Dog Training Career

• I agree with Rotten Rotts...Experience is the only teacher...Going to all kinds of seminars with already well known trainers helps. You can pick and choose from what you have learned as to what is appropriate with your style.
  I have been to many different trainers with all 5 of my dogs...Some like "clicker training", some believe in only positive reinforcement, some believe in positive reinforcement with some correction and still others believe in "discipline and correction" only....
  It depends on you....what do you believe?
  And no - trolls do NOT take Sundays off!!!


• Have owned and trained dogs for 44yrs now..
  I come with a letterhead stating I am a renowned dog trainer and Magnets for your fridge..
  Before that I use to bring home strays and hide them in my parents basement..My training was so good when I was 8yrs old that they were taught not to bark so my mom did'nt realize there was a zoo downstairs:)))


• I have trained dawgs for dang near 30 years and I am a legend in my own mind.
  
  Seriously no title needed it is all experienceyou can train a chicken?????


• I don't know about "re known", but, you become a dog trainer because its something you really enjoy and you "feel" a calling for. You do it by working for or with someone that has done it for a long time and whose skills and experience you respect. You become a dog trainer after you have trained a few hundred dogs and that precludes anyone in their 20's...simply not enough time there.
  You become a better dog trainer by experimenting with different methods until you find something that works for your type of training and not change your mind when the latest fad comes around.
  Only experience is able to teach you that.
  
  As far as the second part, again, I have no idea, never called myself that, never wanted to, I am a trainer, not a behaviorist, but, in order to train, I must FIRST recognize a behavior in order to effect a change in it...
  I have never trained a chicken or a monkey, could not tell you about how to do it, I will leave that to those with the experience in that field, however, I also would like to have them leave the dog training world alone to those with the experience in it as well.
  How things appear in a lab environment is a VERY different story then how they are in the REAL world. Hope I helped.

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Dog Health Questions: Anybody ever use dog training clickers..?

I was thing about getting one to make training with Emmet a bit easier.
http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?f…

Anyway, would you recommend them? Any Cons?

Thank you, and have a lovely evening.

~Owner of a APBT Mix
Certified APBT lover, (FF)
Friends Fur-Ever

Dog Training Collars and Harnesses - Making the Proper Selection is Essential to Training Success

Recommended Answer:
I heartily agree with Kip's Mom.

With basic training I usually just mark the behaviour with a "Yes!" With more complicated tricks, I think it is easier to shape the behaviour in steps using a clicker. That way the dog knows exactly what is expected. I like to teach target training with a clicker too.

You can use many, many different training techniques, you don't have to just stick with one!

How To Download A Book On Dog Training

• Clickers and shock collars are about as gar apart as you can get in dog training theory, LOL.
  
  I tried it - I found there were just too many things to worry about with it - and not enough hands to do everything I was trying to do - click, treat, give hand signals, etc. The theory is sound though, and if it works for you, it's great. I use my voice to "mark" the correct behaviour - and my voice is always with me.
  
  Remember, positive training, like using the clicker, is great to *teach* a wanted behavior, but not to *proof* the behaviour.
  
  Add: shock collars also have their place in training - no training tool is inhumane, just the improper use of it. A flat collar can be just as cruel, if not crueler than a shock collar!


• They can be brilliant training tools! The only downside is that you can't miss. It has to be "command, behaviour, click/praise treat" in that order and on cue everytime.
  
  Eventually you can start weaning off treats, and just give praise.
  
  There are millions of resources online about clicker training.
  
  http://www.clickertraining.com/
  
  I love Karen Pryor, she is brilliant!


• clickers are a great way to train pets!
  they do take as much training and patience as other methods, but are wonderful to use. some cons do include that if you og do a dog park and other dogs are trained to a clicker, you will get more than one dog listening to your commands!
  TRUE STORY!!!


• It is a great way to train, but you have to be consistent with it and not miss a click...or back to square one it will make it easier for you
  
  I trained my dogs hand signals and they perform well, never used the clicker but lots in my dog club do and they perform well with it


• do not ever you the shock collar unless you have felt it first to make sure it is not that strong because it could severely hurt the dog.
  yes it is a very good way to do unlike shock collars


• Yup! I love it. Clicker training is a tool used to mark a good behavior. It makes training a whole lot easier! It keeps my dogs focused.
  
  I honestly don't see any cons in it. Other then sore fingers :P


• I love clicker training. It is a very positve approach. Here is a video about how to get started with clicker training which might help
  
  http://www.puppiesanddogsinfo.com/episod…


• Some people will buy anything.
  My wife tried them.
  It was a joke.
  Teach your dog with verbal commands, not cricket sounds.


• yeah sound great


• Mine has a shock collar. Is that what you're talking about? It works great by the way.

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