By keith londrie
Many dog owners are anxious to give their four legged companions the freedom of going off leash, but it is important not to rush that important step. Dogs should only be allowed off their leash after they have become masters of all the basic obedience commands, such as walking at your heel, sitting and staying on command.
Another skill that must be completely mastered before the dog can be taken off the leash is the come when called command. Even if the dog can heel, sit and stay perfectly, if he cannot be relied upon to come when called, he is not ready to be taken off the leash.
Taking any dog off the leash, especially in a busy, crowded area, or one with a lot of traffic, is a big step and not one to be taken lightly. It is vital to adequately test your dog in a safe environment before taking him off his leash. After all, the leash is the main instrument of control. You must be absolutely certain you can rely on your voice commands for control before removing the leash.
After the dog has been trained to understand the sit, stay and come when called commands, it is important to challenge the dog with various distractions. It is a good idea to start by introducing other people, other animals, or both, while the dog is in a safe environment like a fenced in yard.
Have a friend or neighbor stand just outside the fence while you hold you dog on the leash. As the friend or family member walks around the outside of the fence, watch your dog's reactions closely. If he starts to pull at the leash, quickly tug him back.
Repeat this exercise until the dog will reliably remain at your side. After this, you can try dropping the leash, and eventually removing the leash and repeating the distraction. It is important to vary the distractions, such as introducing other animals, other people, traffic, rolling balls, etc.
After your dog is able to remain still in the face of distraction, start introducing the come when called lessons with distractions in place. Try inviting some of the neighbors, and their dogs, over to play. As the dogs are playing in the fenced in yard, try calling your dog.
When the dog comes to you, immediately give him lots of praise, and perhaps a food reward. After the dog has been rewarded, immediately allow him to go back to playing. Repeat this several times throughout the day, making sure each time to reward the dog and immediately allow him to go back to his fun.
After the dog has seemingly mastered coming when called in his own yard, try finding a local dog park or similar area where you can practice with your dog. It is important to make the area small, or to choose a fenced in area, in case you lose control of the dog. If you cannot find a fenced in area, choose an area well away from people and cars.
Practice with your dog by allowing him to play with other dogs, or just to sniff around, then calling your dog. When he comes to you, immediately reward and praise him, then let him resume his previous activities. Doing this will teach the dog that coming to you is the best option and the one most likely to bring both rewards and continued good times.
Only after the dog has consistently demonstrated the ability to come when called, even when there are many distractions around, is it safe to allow him time off leash. Off leash time should never be unsupervised time. It is important, both for your well being and your dog's, that you know where he is and what he is doing at all times.
It is easy for a dog to get into trouble quickly, so you should always keep an eye on him, whether he is chasing squirrels in the park, playing with other dogs, or just chasing a ball with the neighbor's kids.
For more information please visit http://about-animals.info/
About the author:
Keith Londrie II has been a pet lover and trainner for 8 years. He has posted a web site for you to learn more about various pets.
Please stop by http://about-animals.info/ to learn more...
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com
Friday, January 18, 2008
Dog Training - When To Give Your Dog The Freedom Off The Leash
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Effective Dog Training For Obedience
By Davion Wong Wong
Dog training for obedience is a continuous process. Dog obedience training for obedience is basically a program that requires active involvement of both the owner and the dog. The whole dog training teaches them how to communicate with each other effectively. In case you do not know, dog training for obedience is vital to building a strong and close relationship with your dog. To achieve that, house training your dog is the most effective and quickest way to accelerate the dog training for obedience of your dog.
Proper dog training for obedience is built on the principle of proper and strict reinforcement of discipline. Dogs are naturally social creatures and are able to live in packs. As such, they are not loners and they are inclined to conform to social hierarchy or authority within the pack of dogs. Likewise, because of this, they are ready to listen and obey your commands. But dog obedience training is effective and easier for you if you know what you are doing. Otherwise, a lot of times, your dog training efforts become futile and counter-productive.
One common goal in dog training for obedience is to train your dog to respond to your command willingly and quickly every time you issue it. Dog obedience training is basically communication between you and your dog so that your dog understands how you want it to respond to you. At times, you will realize that training your dog is more about training yourself the owner. This is because your attitude, patience and effort towards dog training for obedience are so critical to the training success. One more tip for you is that dog training for obedience is an ongoing process.
The ideal dog obedience training method is using a consistent reward and punishment system as dogs respond well towards this especially when they are young puppies. Dog obedience training starts first with sit and come training. Make sure that it pays attention to your commands and not get distracted. Your dog needs to know that you are serious about the training and command. Do not merely threaten to punish it. Carry it out consistently so that he/she senses you are serious about the dog training session. The same goes for rewarding your dog for executing each command. Other basic dog obedience training techniques include training your dog to stay and keep down.
Dog training for obedience of course includes other more advanced commands such as off leash training. You will find a fair bit of information online. On top of these, you can find a good dog obedience training school for your pet. But be sure to use only Certified Pet Dog Trainers as they are professionally trained to handle most dogs.
Dog training for obedience is something you should begin from the very day your pet dog arrives at your doorstep. It is not something you can procrastinate or delay as your dog would quickly form its habits. It can become difficult down the road to change and correct any dog behavior problems like excessive barking, chewing etc as they stay longer at your home. Remember that dog obedience training is an excellent way of communicating and building friendship with your best friend. It also ensures he/she is under control and safe for the whole family.
Dog training for obedience need not be tedious and challenging. Find out more useful tips through the recommended websites at my dog obedience training website.
About the author:
Davion is a successful author and dog lover. Learn the special 4 - day dog obedience training system which any dog owner can use to stop dog behavioral problems at Train-A-Dog-In-4Days.Etc-Now.com and make your dog as obedient as a little puppy.
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com
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Good Trainer For A Successful Beagle Training
By Richard Cussons
After the hassles in preparing for the coming of the new puppy and the excitement everyone felt in welcoming this new member of the family, it is now time for you to think about Beagle training. Training with successful result will surely give you a well-behaved dog with acceptable behavior. It is also one way of developing bond with your dog that could lead to lasting friendship.
There are lots of help you can get in order to come up with a successful Beagle training. Notes, tips, discussions and other information about Beagle training are widely available in the Internet for everyone. But then the problem is, you can not even sit to relax due to so much activities and hectic schedule. How then can you train your dog? Worried about it? No need to worry because Beagle training is not that bad and is not that impossible. All you have to do is to find a dog trainer. And make sure to look for the right one...
With so many people involved and interested in the field of dog training, how can you make sure that what you got is the right one? It is important to research well and find out everything about this trainer before getting his services. A good dog trainer has an excellent reputation. You can ask your vet, humane societies, other reputable trainers and breeder clubs. You can also ask some friends or neighbors who have used the service of this trainer. They are the persons who can provide information if your prospected trainer is really a good one based from their own experience.
Do not hesitate to ask question. Inquire about his training background, years of experience as dog trainer and their area of expertise. Look for a trainer who uses humane training techniques. A good trainer is more concerned about the dog's welfare and knows that hitting the dog's behind or other harsh and abusive methods are not necessary and will only create behavioral problems. Positive reinforcements such as toys, foods, attention or praise should be used to correct your dog's behavior. Trainers affiliated with reputable associations, organizations or clubs are recommended.
Above all, a good trainer is devoted and has genuine interest in training your dog. He is not after the profit he can get from training your dog but is more concerned of the primary motive of the training; and that is to come up with a well-behaved dog. One more thing to remember, do not be blinded by the fancy and impressive advertisements. Anyone can claim that he is a good trainer so beware!
About the author:
Richard Cussons trains different breeds of dogs. Learn more about Beagle training and other information pertaining to Beagle dogs here.
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com
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Labels: dog history, Dog Training