Dog Health Questions: I need some advice for my cocker spaniel please?

I just bought my cocker spainiel a couple of days ago. She is pure bred, or at least thats what I was told, she looks pure bred.
She snaps a lot, and it is my knoweledge that cocker spaniels have a very sweet demeanor. She doesnt bite and she doesnt growl, I have never heard her even bark, but SOMETIMES when you try to pick her uo she gets aggressive and will try to bite. I took her to the groomer today and I almost had to take her hime, it was very hard for her to work with my dog.

Does anyone now any effective tricks to break the biting habit, or some good dog training websites.

Thanks

Basic Dog Training - Where To Buy Your Dog From

Recommended Answer:
Cockers become fear biters when they are even 'gently' abused, or not socialized when young.
The very best ( and fun!) method of training a cocker, and building her confidence is clicker training. Everything you need to know is on this site and its links in sidebars: http://www.clickerlessons.com/
And it is all free!

Positive Reinforcement Dog Training

• Im not sure if this will be of any help, but Ill say it anyway,
  
  Everytime she bites you, tell her sternly 'Bad Dog' or something like that and hopefully after a while she'll get the idea?
  
  Goodluck =]]


• HI,
  
  As with the other answers I would go to some training classes with her. But it does sound classicaly like fear may be making her do this.
  Try looking at the situations where she is biting, is it when you are picking her up in a rush ?
  Try taking your time, talking to her gently etc as you do pick her up and then really praise her when she has been good. It really is early days if you've only had her a couple of days....try not to introduce too many changes (eg going to the groomers so soon) She is probably fearful of what is going to happen next.
  
  Good Luck


• You didn't mention her age,... a puppy or adult?
  Some cocker spaniels are tempermental because of over-breeding.
  When I worked for the vet, the Dr. would always caution us that the cockers may snap and be prepared to muzzle during examination.
  Long ago they were the breed known for being the best family dog,.. friendly, good-natured, but due to unscrupulous
  breeders that trait isn't necessarily so anymore.
  
  Be patient, gentle yet firm with her.


• My personal experience is the Cocker Spaniels are often fear-biters. They are also not the brightest dogs around.
  
  you can try to train her, but it doesn't always work. The best way to train a biter is to scold them gently and deny/withhold attention. And, tho trainers won't tell you this, I have had some success with, when a dog bites me, I bite them right back, and snarl. I will certainly get a thumbs down on that, but who cares? Sometimes you have to establish dominance using a language a dog understands.
  
  Also, if she bites your hand, shove that hand AT her, in effect, try to stick your hand down her throat. This does 2 things---1, it hurts less, because of the way a dog's teeth are curved, but more importantly, (2) It shows her that you have no fear of her.
  
  Hope you find links and websites and correct dog-training advice, this is the only dogopolitically incorrect advice you'll get, but it is good stuff.


• I've trained dogs for years. Just look under dog training and you should be able to find some dog trainers near you.


• It seems like she is tender or sore where she is being touched. Has she been checked for wounds?
  Fear can cause a dog to lash out like that too...
  You may try taking her to a vet for a routine check up.


• Hello, It is very possible she has been abused. Patience is the best avenue to to take with her. I would take a slow pace with her and gain her trust, then work with her in a soft and gentle voice. Try not to pick her up until you and her have bonded. I am a Professional Trainer and mainly work with abused dogs.


• My collie used to bite me a bit too hard when she was about 8 months old, so I reprimanded her the way her mother would.
  I bit her straight back! (on the ear) Boy did she look surprised.
  
  After a few times she stopped doing it and never nipped hard again.
  
  (Now I just need to find out how to get rid of my fur-balls, hack hack)
  
  Danny.
  
  .


• Yeah, sounds like she was abused, babe. Or just down right bad genetics and unchecked breeding.
  You could try telling her no and all that but...sometimes, that still doesn't work. The groomer may have to use a muzzle next time.
  That's what my aunt has to do with her Pom/Shih Tzu mix.


• I am a granny whose children and grandchildren have brought home many dogs that had no where else to go. Usually, they were thrilled to have a place to eat, sleep and get loved. Occasionally, one will be scared for one reason or another. Some have been mis-treated, some have been left alone in a back yard all their lives, etc. The point is, let them take their time coming to you. Sit in the floor at their level and talk to them, love them, but don't pick them up right away. Just like us, they have to build a trust in us and sometimes it takes awhile. Good luck and have patience. Give them a little time before you scold them, love them first.


• call a dog trainer, you'll want to get the right info, so the problem doesn't get worst. It's a good guess that she's doing it out of fear( new people, house, noises, dogs don't come to a home knowing English. she needs time)


• my dog bites, idk get a trainer


• Your dog is telling you that she doesn't want to be picked up and she doesn't respect you at all. She is the dominant one and she doesn't respect you as the authority. You need to get a handle on this quickly and show her you are the boss and will not accept the poor behaviour. Grab her by the back of the neck (like her canine mother would) and put her lightly down to the floor while saying "no". Hold her there until she calms down. This will tell her that you are dominant and don't like this behaviour. She may struggle by try to hold her down until she calms down...if you let go early, you are showing her she has won. Don't let her get away with this behaviour or it will get WORSE and you'll have to get rid of her. You must discipline her for this bad behaviour. It's all about showing dogs that you are the dominant one......discipline first and then love always- it truly works!

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Dog Health Questions: I CANT WALK MY DOG ! She barks and pulls !! :(?

I live really near a park and i would love to walk my dog ther, however she always barks and pulls and when i let go of the lead she runs away. Shes even been hit by car when i acidently let go ! :(

Weve tried dog training at £70 a time, and all kinds of doggy classes, she just wont learn, any help.

Anyone else had the same prblem :( thankss x

Dog Training Clicker - Why Use a Clicker?

Recommended Answer:
I would definitely suggest buying a head collar or "Gentle Leader." These gently squeeze your dog's jaws when they pull--not so that it hurts, but so that it is unpleasant. This will stop her from pulling. A lot of dogs, even with a lot of training, pull when they get excited. So if you are going to be in a situation where you know your dog will be excited, use an alternative form of leash (such as what I mentioned) instead of just her collar.

Also, you need to practice walking with your dog on leash in other situations than going to the park. Your dog loves the park for the same reason kids love the park--wide open spaces, lots of stuff to look at, fun times! She loves it and she doesn't really want to behave in that situation. It is difficult for you to try to teach your dog something when you can't get her full attention. So, practice walking with her inside the house on leash. Only let out the leash about 2-3 feet, and hold it to your hip so that you don't let her pull. Get her attention occasionally by calling her name and giving her a treat when she looks at you. Part of walking is that your dog should be paying some attention to you, so reward that when it happens. If she pulls, stop walking completely and get her attention. Have her sit, then reward her. This interrupts her process of pulling. You have to be really patient with this. Avoid yanking her back or punishing her for pulling. You have to teach her that if she pulls, she doesn't get what she wants, which is to move forward (or somewhere else) at a faster pace than she should. Eventually she will learn that feeling a pull means to look at you and slow down.

You should also teach her something like "Slow" or "No pull" so she knows to slow down. Once you've gotten good at teaching her in the house, take her outside, preferably somewhere where she cannot see the park. If she can see the park, I would definitely recommend usuing a Gentle Leader but avoid going to the park. Do these same sort of steps, but don't go very far (like stay in the driveway or in the yard). Do a bunch of just walking around; walk in a straight line, turn around, etc., constantly praising your dog for being good and stopping if she pulls. Eventually, take her out to the sidewalk and around the neighborhood a little, but NOT to the park. Keep walks short at first and gradually lengthen them. (Remember to do all of these things--including stopping for pulling!) The key is remembering that you will ALWAYS be training your dog, even if she supposedly "knows" how to walk. Dogs are just like kids--they know the rules but have to be reminded a lot. Some dogs are better than others about walking on leash, but if yours is a "problem" dog, there will probably never be a time when you don't have to actively train her on walks. Once she can do long walks pretty well, take her back to the park (but definitely use the Gentle Leader). Maybe, eventually, you can stop using that for exciting situations but you will have to keep using it for awhile even once you've trained her to walk.

Good luck!

Dog Training Basics - Important Tips to Remember

• Dog training is about teaching YOU how to train your dog. It's not about them teaching the dog. That's your job and it does require your full attention at class. If you follow the instructions carefully and practise every day at home you should make headway.
  
  Why would you let go of the lead when you know she will run away and she has no recall? That's dangerous as you have already found out. Though I see when she was hit by a car the lead slipped out of your hands accidently. That's easy to do if you have a skittish dog.
  
  If you have trouble holding the lead, wear a belt and loop your belt through the handle of the lead. There's no way she can escape if she's tied to you.
  
  About the pulling, ask your trainer about using a different type of collar. There are good training tools out there that will give you control of the dog. You can't train a dog unless you can control it to walk without pulling you around.
  
  If you have a private trainer write down the behaviours that are giving you the biggest problems and ask him/her to address one behaviour at a time so you get it right. Then on to the next one.
  You'll get there but it takes time and can be frustrating.


• This is usually not difficult to solve. Just takes some simple technique and some time and effort.
  
  So I am wondering if you have found the right instructor and are willing to do as they say. It requires some real stiff corrections.
  
  Never use a prong collar on a dog unless under the instruction of an experienced trainer - prong collars really work for certain problems but can be tricky to get right the first time and the dog needs some evaluation before using - they are contraindicated for some dogs due to lack of close-in control.


• Well, part of training is that WE, the humans, have to learn, too. We have to be find a method that works best for our own dog (there is no textbook way that works for everyone) and then be consistent with teaching that method. Your dog won't learn something by doing it for 45 minutes in a training class one time. It takes time & consistency.
  
  If you find that it's still a problem, you should consider a "head collar". It's a special collar that goes around the muzzle and the back of the dog's head. It's not a muzzle, so your dog will be free to use his mouth to breathe, drink, and take treats from you. It doesn't hurt them. You attach the leash to it and apply the tiniest amount of pressure & your dog has to go in the direction you want him to. You can find them at petstores for about $16 USD or about 10 pounds (I don't have a key for that symbol on my keyboard). http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.js…


• The only thing i could say is hold on to that leash tight!!!! or the dog will get loose or you could keep the dog inside my grandma has an evil pitbull and she has to keep it inside because it's to much trouble


• your dog is controlling you. you are not the leader of the pack.


• Buy a prong and walk her with it

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Dog Health Questions: How to teach my dog to do this?

Is it possible to train difficult dogs? My dog is friendly, loving, lovable and a great companion. But even by taking her to dog training classes she has always failed to learn any commands. We love her but it's quite obvious she is pretty stupid lol.
Finally I taught her to sit and I know when I say certain things she understands. Like if I say "walk" she runs and hides because she doesn't like being walked. If I'm talking and say "I'm going to bed" she immediately runs down to bed. If I say "Mum" in a sentence she looks at my mum. If I say "Lauren" in a sentence she look at my sister. So it has become obvious she is not quite as stupid as she seems. She is very stubborn and it is impossible to even force her to lie down or touch her paws or roll over. She's only a very small breed of dog and would never dream of hurting anyone but she resists so hard it's just impossible and I don;t want to hurt her. So I want to teach her stuff like how to shut a door, how to jump up onto stuff like a sofa for EXAMPLE.
How do I go about doing this?
Thanks

Are You Selecting the Right Dog Training Treat For Your Dog?

Recommended Answer:
What appears as stubborness or stupidity is actually fear. I bet if you used a more gentle tone as cue rather than a command, she would respond better, once she learns not to be afraid of you.

Learning new things in a class full of other dogs can be very intimidating for a dog, espcially one that not accustomed to being in that environement. What that tells me about your dog is that she is out of her comfort level and can't learn, not that she is dumb. Think of a situation where you walked into a room full of strange people, and you felt like they were watching you. Were you able to learn or even perfom something uo already know?

The fact she is afraid of her walks says that she is over threshold for her fear level when she is in that environment.

Dogs that 'freeze' or stop doing anything, refuse behaviors, avoid eye contact, yawn, stretch, turn their head away, or eyes glaze over when you give a command are afraid. Turid Rugaas wrote a book that will help you learn what your dog is communicating to you. It's called "On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals." You can oder it throguh www.dogwise.com . It's a little book and cheap.

By offering thse behaviors the dog is trying to calm you down in a situation she feels is stressful. When it doesn't work and you talk louder, or keep insisiting she does a behavior, she offers more calming signals in an effort to avoid confrontation. So the cycle escalates.

I'd be interested to know why you think clicker training won't work for her. I think it might be the best thing as it is a hands off training where the dog learns to offer behaviors with no threat of punishment. The communication is very clear "Yes! you did that correctly-and you get a treat for doing so!" And you don't have to actually use a clicker, you can use a marker word like "Yes!" instead.

If she doesn't like treats, it tells me you need to try harder to find something she likes. Cooked liver bits? Bits of hard mild cheese? Cooked chicken bits? I have not yet met a dog that didn't like all of these, even the fussy ones! You can use these to motivate her to learn new things.

Here is a free online training program that teaches you how to train yuor dog and along the way, she'll learn behaviors she needs to be a great family dog.
http://www.dragonflyllama.com/%20DOGS/%2…

I wish I lived closer or I would help you learn how to communicate with and train your dog.

Dog Training Fundamentals

• I have a Pitty mixed and he was so stubborn and strong willed it was ridiculous..give her activities that would make her interested and reward her with treats she should catch on. No dog is to difficult to train if given the right amount of time and dedication into their training.


• It sounds like you just haven't found a training method that works for her - I suggest looking into clicker training.


• I know some dogs that are difficult to train and it's assumed they're stupid when they can actually be very, very smart. If you have a smart dog it just may take a little more to train her. Try different training methods. Maybe she needs more training then your average dog or maybe she just needs to be more mentally challenged. But all dogs can be trained.


• treats or the best way plus dvd on learning just don't over treat them but no he may be difficult but he is still trainable


• If my puppy is not responding to training, I don't blame the puppy, I reevaluate myself. If my puppy is not responding to commands, I change them. Each of my dogs has different words, sounds, hand signals they respond to, so if one is not responding, I just keep running down words or sounds or hand signals until I see what that puppy is responding to. There is no law that says you have to use come, sit, stay, if your dog sits when you say popcorn, then use popcorn. We have doggie stairs, probably bought at walmart of a pet store so our puppies can get on the bed and one for the couch. I think we put a puppy treat on each step until they learned to climb up them. I think you need to just practice with her to find what she responds to. One of my dogs I used signs from sing language, his daughter, I used thumbs up for things I wanted her to do, and I shook my finger at her like I was scolding for things I didn't want her to do. You just have to reevaluate yourself and find what she responds to and run with that.


• yeah, i've the same problem as you do,
  but since i get dog personal trainer,
  i don't have any problem again with that.
  source :
  www.training-dog.co.cc

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Dog Health Questions: Is it too late to train my pit to be a guard dog?

This past week the monday after christmas my house was robbed. The criminals took anywhere from 5000 to 10000 dollars worth of electronics. We have a pit-bull who we kept kenneled until this happened. And now all we want to do is raise the security of our house as much as possible. Our dog is just over a year old, and i have heard that guard dogs should be trained starting at 8 weeks old. I was just wondering if anyone knew anything about training and if it is too late to train him. Otherwise we were going to look into getting another puppy. We are kind of skeptical about that though due to the fact that we are expecting a baby in July. Also if there is anyone who knows of where we can get guard dog training in north western illinois that would be great! Thank you so much!

Understanding Dog Training Schools

Recommended Answer:
It's never to late

Achieving Dog Training Success With The 18 "Don'ts" Rules

• Attempting to self-train human aggression is always a bad idea, especially with a kid in the mix and a much-abused breed.
  
  Pit bull type dogs, by nature, have been bred for generations to display absolutely no human aggression, so they won't actually take well to guard training. If you want a guard dog, buy a fully trained GSD for $5000+. Dogs can still be shot, poisoned, etc.... buying a gun and lessons to use it would be cheaper and more effective than any dog.


• PIT BULLS ARE NOT GUARD DOGS!!!
  
  Get a SECURITY SYSTEM, pepper spray, a gun, or a base ball bat, NOT a dog!
  
  Dogs are not your body guards. You have to protect YOURSELF and your family.
  
  If you want a professionally trained one, they run anywhere from $1000-$10,000. Schutzhund trained dogs are expensive, and are given specialized training from birth, and they do NOT use Pit Bulls for this kind of work.


• Guarding has a lot to do with their nature. Although you can modify their behavior by not allowing them to be petted by others. Or having someone break the trust. But use caution to prevent creating a liability.
  Some breeds like Malakli have a very strong defense nature bred in. Our socialization is to teach what is not a threat. And at 33-40", and 160-260#, few would dare risk making them mad.
  Wish you luck!!!


• A man in our town has a 125lb Staphie. His home was robbed and the dog who was professionally trained was pushed into a closet with a chair and locked in. They made off with almost 100K. A dog wont stop a gun, a knife, or a smart burglar.
  Most thieves will avoid a house if they KNOW a dog is inside but it isn't a guarantee


• Hi . I think this might help you. I used to be a complete idiot when it came to training dogs. I always used to let my anger and frustration get the best of me when the dog would act up. As it turns out, dogs are really simple. I used The Secrets of Dog Training to finally get it right. It turns out that you don't have to pay big money to get a dog to act right.
  
  I hope this helps.


• Just going off your title question, no.
  Pits shouldn't be trained to be gaurd dogs.
  I'm not saying he would be a bad guard, but a lot of people have prejudice against pits, and would use any excuse to get him shot and killed. That is not fair, but it's the way it is.
  Hopefully people can get over pit bull prejudice in the future.


• Will a newly trained "guard dog" attack a harmless neighbor? Will he mistake your infant for an intruder? What about the mailman?
  
  IMHO, you'd be safer with a gun. That way, you only have to trust yourself and your husband, and not place so much on the instincts of a dog.


• buy a alarm a video surveillance system will also help and it would be better.


• Dogs can be shot and killed. Have an alarm system installed.


• If you train your dog well it shouldn't be to late


• get a security system.


• Pits make lousy guard dogs. Historically, a pit that showed any human aggression at all was immediately culled. (Human aggression and dog aggression are two completely separate behavior traits.) So a pit of any age is very unlikely to guard your property.
  
  Dogs also tend not to show any guarding behavior until they are mature. The age varies, with large dogs taking longer to mature. Around two years is when I would expect to see their adult behavior.
  
  Your money would be much better spent on security measures for your house. Plus, you won't have time to train a new puppy with a human baby in the house. So you are right to have second thoughts about getting a new puppy.


• Pits aren't really guard dog quality (too human-friendly). Guard dogs are very selectively chosen and you buy them already trained- most dogs don't make the cut because many don't have the correct temperament, so trainers are very selective.
  
  If there are any schutzhund clubs in your area, you can ask around and see if anyone in the club knows of someone who does PPD training and then go from there to get a PPD. A PPD is a lot to handle, and they are definately not for everyone... home security systems tend to be a lot cheaper and easier to maintain- not to mention, you won't end up with a dead dog if an intruder is armed... takes one shot and the dog is dead, rendering it absolutely useless to you.

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Dog Health Questions: Professional dog trainers - how did you start?

I was hoping some professional dog trainers (no matter what specialty - behavior, obedience, agility, K9, working dog...anything) could give some details of the beginning of their training careers. what inspired you?

for example, did you start your own business or join another dog training business or shelter? did you get a degree, training, or any formal education in dog behavior? what kind of experience did you have prior to starting your career? if you started your own business, how did you get it off the ground? how many years have you worked in dog training and how successful is your professional career? what kind of dogs and owners do you work with on a regular basis? overall, do you enjoy your work? any interesting stories? best moments? worst moments? etc....any details you can offer would be appreciated.

thanks.

Dog Training Manual - Train Your Dog Using the Secrets of the Pros

Recommended Answer:
Okay well i wouldn't exactly say Im a professional trainer but hopefully I can help. Well my family has had a farm and we needed a hearding dog. So we got Australian Sheppard( Auzzie). We soon got more Auzzies and decided to bread them. Before we knew it we had about ten dogs that we breaded with each other and were selling the puppies. We were making a good bit of money for it but at this time we were just breading for a good hearding dog and everybody that bought from us wanted hearding dogs or pets. We did have dogs all over the south of the country though. Well soon we had some issues and had to give up the business and sell all our dogs. We did start again and when we did we started with atchual show dogs. The more we bread the higher class of dogs we could get. Im only 14 but im working on becoming a Junior handler. if i start now i can become a Judge for dog shows and make a lot of money. I haven't had really much of training. I grew up with the business and just learned. Also i have always had a natural love for dogs. We do have professional trainers we work with and help us with our dogs in shows. As far as dogs go now all our dogs and puppies have champion blood lines. We own dogs that are in the thousands. Most are around $5000-$10,000. Then we just bread and sell the puppy's for money. We have a room set up in our garage with dog cages, places to groom the puppy's, two rooms that have air conditioning and heat to keep our puppy's in, and all our supplies. We only work with champion show dogs now or at least dogs with champions parents or grandparents. We have dogs in every state besides Hawaii and alaska. We also have sold over 1,000 puppies. I would say having a website is the best way to get started. Now like i said im only 14 but im working on getting up there.

Dog Obedience Schools: 4 Tips For Choosing The Right Dog Training Schools

• If you want to start the path to becoming a trainer I would apprentice with a local trainer. You can find one at ccpdt.org. It takes years to become a good trainer with apprenticing, seminars and practice. There really is no short cut, you will only let down your future clients by doing that. Jean Donaldson also has a training academy, it's about 6 weeks long. Pat Miller has multiple week long academy that would be good in conjunction with apprenticing.

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Dog Health Questions: Dog training help? Plz?

ok i have an australian shepherd she is very smart she knows basic stuff and some advanced tricks but i cant seem to get her to heal or not chase things when were in public like birds.

Positive Reinforcement In Your Dog Training

Recommended Answer:
When you are in public, she should be on a lead, for her own safety. Teaching her heal requires a quick tug of the lead, and then holding it firmly. You need to have a word for releasing her (I use "okay,") before letting her walk again. I taught my dog to heal on the word "halt," because it is a sharper word.

组合链接

• Enroll in a basic obedience class. Even if your dog is great on the basics, its good to have another perspective on how to achieve the harder commands. Recall, heel and a reliable STAY are probably the hardest commands. I would say that after two pretty intensive classes, we are still working on those to some extent.
  
  For me, enrolling in those classes were not only totally fun, but taught me how to encourage the behavior I wanted in my dog. Sometimes it just takes another vantage point to unlock the behavior you are looking for.
  
  Aussies are smart dogs. They LOVE training classes, and typically show up the other breeds...except labbies of course ( ok i made that last part up!)


• perhaps this could help you:
  
  How To Train Your Dog Not To Chase Things


• its not mean but you should try a chock chain and shmakoz they go crazy for them!!!

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Dog Health Questions: Blue Ribbon Dog Training Academy? Need info?

I am wanting to enroll my unruly Lab in obedience classes here. Has anyone ever taken their dog here? If so, were you pleased with what they taught your dog? I really need info soon because I was wanting to enroll in a January class.************If you have never taken you dog to Blue Ribbon then here is the link and I would like your opinion on the place based on their website.

http://www.blueribbondogtraining.com/ind…

Hunting Dog Training Equipment

Recommended Answer:
I don't know about that particular trainer, but they didn't sound too bad. Here are links for two associations that offer extensive training to the member trainers:
http://www.nadoi.org/index.htm
http://www.apdt.com/

Membership in these organizations, especially NADOI, means a certain level of knowledge and experience that is recognized by their fellow trainers.

Dog Training Tips - When Should Dog Training Start?

• It does seem just a little old school, her thoughts on dominance are outdated- but better than some of the misguided dog training philosophies out there- its possible that her beliefs aren't that outdated and it just reads that way. But I think its worth sitting in on a current class and seeing if the trainer's style meshes with your personality and your dog's personality.
  
  Technically, punishment is really not necessary in 99% of the situations- its better to use that same moment and energy to redirect your dog into an acceptable activity and then reward that activity. Correction actually tend to get in the way of your training. I'm not saying this because I think its wrong to tell your dog "No", I'm saying it because all the behavioral studies as well as my own observations of dogs in class have shown that it can do more harm to your training program than good.
  
  However, if you are going to use correction, it is best to make sure the dog does understand what he's supposed to do instead of the unacceptable behavior- which is what she stated very clearly on the website. Its a pretty standard dog-training method- and it does usually get results.
  
  Good luck- and clicks and treats to you for getting your dog trained!!!!

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Dog Health Questions: Dog training class?

Do they have public dog training schools that you can enroll your dog and yourself in to teach them to be attack dogs. I am looking for somthing very very similar to the training police K9 units get. I would like my dog to be certified to detect dope, along wiht be trained for protection and attack. I have info on becoming a drug dog thats not the problem i would like a school that will also teach commands and traing for protection and attack.

Control Your Aggressive Dog With These 4 Dog Training Tips

Recommended Answer:
--- What you what is a local "schutzen dog training" school. Schutzen training is the original police dog training and often schutzen is what police agenies use themselves.
--- Its a form of dog discipline training that includes protective training.
--- Check for a schutzen group or training school in your area. There are different degrees of schutzen just like karate and you progress through the layers of training to earn each level.
--- You will find that most military and FBI, gov't and police dogs are schutzen trained.

Dog Training: What Is Dog Training?

• And your putting your dog at the risk of being put down. Attack dogs arent trained for private use. Should your dog attack, you will be held financially responsible and the dog will be put down. If there is a complaint that you own a vicious dog, it will be investigated and it will probably be put down. And no, police and military dogs dont always hear the stop or heal command.

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Dog Health Questions: Dog training books?

Can anyone recommend some dog training books available in stores, for an older dog (not puppy) who has already picked up some bad habits that need correcting?

Some Obvious Benefits of Dog Training - Help For Owners of Older Dogs

Recommended Answer:
Cesar Millan is a very divisive subject in the dog world. He obviously gets a lot of exposure through his books and TV show. I'll lead you to sort out his merits and mistakes for your own. What I will say is this: Millan is a big believer in "alpha" issues and he's less about "training" a dog than he is about dealing with behavioral issues. That's an important point to make: just because a dog doesn't do what you want it to do doesn't mean it's got behavioral problems. Most of the time when a dog piddles in the house, it's not about alpha issues but poor house training.

Let me offer a couple of basic philosophical positions I take on dog training (nothing unique to me--almost all outstanding trainers and performance dog handlers would tell you this stuff). Dogs want our approval. Dogs do best when they have a job (to provide focus and purpose) and a dog without a job suffers and is generally misbehaved. Dogs don't generalize well (you can teach "come" inside and the dog doesn't automatically get that "come" means the same thing at the park). Dogs learn better by reward and praise than they do with punishment. Dogs learn better when you teach them to DO something than to NOT do something (ie: easier to teach a dog to assume a down-stay position when someone comes to the door than to teach them "don't jump up on a stranger."). Finally, dogs aren't people. Stuff that a human or even a child would "get" a dog won't. So you've got to keep all of this in mind and when training a dog. And finally, whoever said you can't teach an old dog new tricks is wrong when it comes to dogs. In fact, old dogs learn better than new dogs (better attention span and focus--puppies are ADD).

Two best online sources for dog books are:
--dogwise (www.dogwise.com) and cleanrun (www.cleanrun.com).
--Amazon or a Borders may have more total books and reviews but a most of the reviews are clueless--often by someone who knows nothing about dogs or it's the first book they read. I recall reading an Amazon glowing review of a book I'd never heard of before, did a little research and then discovered that the book advocated training a dog with a shock collar at all times--using pain as the way to train.
--If it is a reputable book about training dogs, cleanrun and dogwise have it.

One thing I definitely recommend that you read up on is clicker training. Clicker training is based on classical operant conditioning research validated by a century of animal and human research (remember Pavlov's dogs taught to drool at the sound of a bell?). The basis for clicker training is what ALL reputable animal trainers use (well, at Sea World they use whistles with the dolphins and orca's--but the whistle is the same principle). While Karen Pryor's book "Don't Shoot the Dog" explains the principle of clickers brilliantly (for humans and dogs), it's more on theory and concept than practice. For clicker application I'd recommend:
--Quick Clicks by Smith and Book
--Clicker Training for Obedience by Spector
--Karen Pryor's DVD/Video "Clicker Magic"
I owned and trained 15 dogs without a clicker. Number 16 I use a clicker on. I have no idea how I did it previously without a clicker. Using a clicker is so much faster and accurate. Especially with a dog you've got some issues with.

As for training issues, it really depends upon where your dog is and what the issues are. For instance, if your dog has received little training and is a bit like an uneducated child than I'd recommend any of Patricia McConnell's books ("Family Friendly Dog Training" is a good one but also "The Other End of the Leash" is good as well). I would also look at Shirley Chong's website (www.shirleychong.com). She has an outstanding section on recalls (the only thing better is Leslie Nielsen's "Really Reliable Recalls" DVD), a section on "101 Uses for a Box" (which is a great training game--it teaches your dog to look to you and look for ways to please you) plus a lot of basic obedience stuff (she has it set up as a mini-course or progression).

If it's about basic obedience, I'd look at Susan Garrett's "Ruff Love."

If your dog isn't a biddable dog (ie: it's in his nature not to obey, he's a problem-solver who will do what he thinks is best) than look at Jane Killion's "When Pigs Fly"

If your dog is reactive and because of stress, fear, over-reaction becomes a mess around other dogs or strangers, than look at either the "In-Focus" series by Deborah Jones and ? (sorry, can't remember her last name) or especially Leslie McDevitt's great book "Control Unleashed."

Two other resources I want to share with you that by themselves would be insufficient but combined with one of the books above will augment it well:
--"Crate Games" by Susan Garrett, a great DVD. It talks about how to use your crate to train your dog. Imagine a situation where your dog RAN to get into his crate. And when you opened it, only came out when you released him. And while it seems like it's about just training to like the crate, it's actually about training your dog in a host of different things (control, focus, behavior, obedience) but using your crate.
--www.clickertraining.com which is Karen Pryor's website. Tons of really great short articles there (how to use a clicker to stop your dog from barking at strangers, how to use a clicker to prevent your dog from jumping up on people at the door). By itself, the website won't teach you all you need to know about using a clicker (or rather it's set up so the articles don't follow sequentially so you'd have a hard time learning how to use a clicker just from the site articles). But in combination with one of the obedience books, you'd learn a lot from this site.

No-one can really recommend the perfect book for you because it's a question of your dog's personality traits, what training your dog has had previously, what you're like as a handler, and what the "bad habits" are.

Dog Training vs Horse Training

• Click Here for a Well-Trained Dog by Deborah A. Jones, Ph.D
  
  Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller
  
  If Only They Could Speak by Nicholas Dodman
  
  Dogs Behaving Badly by Nicholas Dodman
  
  The Dog Who Loved Too Much by Nicholas Dodman
  
  How Dogs Think: Understanding the Canine Mind by Stanley Coren
  
  Don't Shoot the Dog!: The New Art of Teaching and Training by Karen Pryor
  
  The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
  
  21 Days to a Trained Dog by Dick Maller
  
  Everything You Need to Know about House Training Puppies and Adult Dogs by Lori Verni


• Any book by cesar millian you might also want to catch his show the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel or see if your local library has some videos by him.


• Don't Shoot The Dog, and The Power Of Positive Dog Training are good books. Anything by Dr. Ian Miller will be great. Also, Culture Clash by Jean Donaldosn, and The Other End Of The Leash by Patricia McConnell are a couple of other great books. These dog books have more up-to-date training methods that focus on positive dog training.

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