How To Decide On A Dog Training Collar

By: Paul P. Duxbury

Many dog owners find that their efforts toward training their pet are greatly aided by the use of a training collar. There are many types of collars available and each employs a different mechanism meant to guide your pet, restrain him or discourage bad or disobedient behavior. Some training collars can harm a dog if they are not used appropriately or are the wrong size; so, you should research training collars thoroughly before choosing one and consult with a training expert if you are unfamiliar with how to use a chosen collar. Some common dog training collars are: the prong collar, the Halti, the Gentle Leader, the choke collar and the electronic collar.

Prong Collar

The prong collar looks a lot more painful to the dog than it actually is. This collar is made up of metal prongs that have been linked together. When you apply a pulling pressure to the collar (via the leash), it gives the dog a little pinch that is meant to duplicate the effect of a mother dog's teeth when she grabs here pup by the scruff of the neck. The prong collar is a safe and effective training tool as long as the fit is correct and the collar is used appropriately. The prong collar should not be used if your dog is one to consistently yank at his leash.

The prong collar should fit snugly against the dog's neck. As most prong collars can be adjusted by simply adding or subtracting prongs, the correct fit should be easy to achieve. A properly fitted collar should leave approximately half of a finger space in between your dog'ss neck and the prong tip. A collar that is any looser than that will not do its job and will needlessly chafe the dog's skin.

Halti and Gentle Leader

Both the Halti and Gentle Leader head halter devices look a lot like the harnesses that are used to control horses. While the prong collar is designed to condition behavior and movement, the head halter is designed to restrict or restrain your dog's movements. The thought behind the halter's design is that if you can control the head, the body will follow its movement. When you pull on the attached leash the device closes the dog's mouth and restrains his head. These types of collars are great for dogs that lunge, bite or display other aggressive behaviors.

There are drawbacks, however, to using a head halter device. Most dogs will not take very easily to any device that positions a strap over its nose. You may have to struggle with your dog many, many times before he will submit to wearing it. Another drawback is that pulling at your dog's head makes it a lot more likely that you will inadvertently injure the dog's neck or back. To avoid injury, you should always make sure you are restraining your dog in the correct manner.

Choke Collar

The choke collar is one of those dog training devices that is often surrounded by controversy. Proponents of the choke collar point to its humane effectiveness, while critics say that the collar is more torture device than training tool. The truth is that what the collar becomes is largely dependent upon who is using it.

A properly fitted choke collar works by tightening around the dog's throat when the trainer pulls on the leash and then releasing pressure when the trainer does. If the collar is not put on correctly, however, the pressure will remain and the dog could truly choke to death. These collars are not meant for dogs that consistently pull at their leash or for inexperienced trainers. As is the case with head halters, the choke collar has the potential to cause injury to the dog's neck.

Electronic Collar

Just mention the option of an electronic dog collar and many dog owners (even some people with no pets at all) will look at you as if you have suggested training your dog with a stun gun. The reality is that electronic collars can be a very humane way to train a dog. As with any other training device, however, whether or not it is used for purposes of cruelty is totally dependent upon the intentions and experience of the trainer.

The electronic collar works by allowing the trainer to give the dog small, electric shocks (via remote control) in order to modify its behavior. The intensity of the shock is left to the trainer. In general, the setting should be strong enough to make the dog's ears twitch. If the dog howls or yelps when the shock is delivered, then the setting is too high. Again, the electronic collar should only be used by experienced trainers.

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Paul Duxbury writes extensively on dog and pet care at www.pet-care-centre.com and www.my-dog.co.uk

Tips for Home Training Your Great Dane Puppy

by Jay Schnebly
So you have a new Great Dane puppy. Puppies are adorable, snuggly, cute, fun to watch, and they have awesome puppy breath. Now its time to housebreak him or her and you arent quite as excited as you were when you first saw him. Here are ten tips that will hopefully make the process easier for both of you. 1. Be Upbeat and Enthusiastic- The dogs mission in life is to make their humans happy. If you want any training to go smoothly, you need to be enthusiastic. Your puppy will succeed much easier if he thinks that housebreaking is a fun adventure for the two of you! If you start out being gloomy and distressed, your dog will naturally think that youre displeased with him. Hell be confused and try to figure out what he did wrong. Since you havent even started yet, youre sending the wrong message. Talk yourself into thinking youre going to have a great time and convey this to your puppy. Each time you take him outside, do it with gusto! 2. Be Patient Lets face it, youre going to have some disappointing moments while youre house training a dog. Try to look at the big picture. For one thing, your dog will bring you far more happiness in life than unhappiness. When hes young, hell make lots of mistakes, but before you know it, hell be trained. So give him time to learn all these new behaviors. Also, if you act impatient with him, youll get into that confusion thing again. Just take a deep breath, smile at how cute he is, and know hell do better next time. 3. Make a Schedule- The smaller your dog, the smaller bladder he or she has. Every puppy needs to be put on a potty training schedule, so take this into consideration as youre setting it up. Take him out first thing in the morning. Feed him, and take him out again. If youre home with him during the day, take him out every hour while hes tiny. You can figure out what adjustments to make as he grows. Always take him out the last thing before bedtime. 4. Be Consistent- Consistency is one of the most important aspects of house training a puppy. There are several methods you can use including putting papers down and confining your dog in the same area as the door hell be using. There is also dog litter box training, and the umbilical leash, where you keep him by your side every minute that you can. Whichever means you use, say the same words and take the same actions. Changes will make him nervous and cause accidents in the house. Crate training is the method we prefer and it gives your puppy a den of safety, too. 5. Reward Behavior- Every time your dog goes potty outside, even before he asks to go out, reward him. This will quickly teach him that hes doing something that pleases you. You can give him food treats or his favorite toy. Whatever you give him for a prize, lavish praise and affection on him at the same time. Tell him what a good boy he is in your most ecstatic voice. 6. Dont Punish and catch him doing something right!!- - The old school of housebreaking a dog held to punishments such as rubbing his nose in his own waste. The new model is much kinder and more sensible. Since he wants to please you, if you dont react, but walk away instead, hell get the message loud and clear that he was a bad boy. Give him a few minutes, and then start speaking to him again. 7. Alpha Dog- Dogs exist in packs. That means there is one alpha dog and the rest are subservient. In your family or even just with you, youre the pack members. The trick is to let him know right away that youre the alpha dog. In other words, you are the leader of his pack. It doesnt mean you have to be mean; you just need to let him know that you call the shots in dog housetraining; and all other training too. 8. Command Word- Every training exercise needs a command word; something simple. For house training your puppy, potty or outside are examples of appropriate words. Whatever you choose, always stick with the same one for the each command. 9. Keep it Simple- Dont make housebreaking your dog any more difficult than it has to be. For example, each time he goes on his papers or makes a mistake in another area, pick him up, gently but firmly, take him out the same door, and set him down on the grass. Hell probably urinate, so reward and praise him, and call him back inside. Dont make side trips on the way out or try to have a conversation with him. The easier you make it for him, the easier hell make it for you. 10. Lots of Love- The last rule, which should be the easiest, is to give that dog all the love in your heart!

About the Author

Dog Training Book Online: Learn in home dog training and how to start training a dog for agility

10 Greatest Dog Training Tips of All Time

by Jay Schnebly
The 10 Greatest Dog Training Tips of All Time According to Dog Training Experts 10) When trying to settle a puppy into a new home, providing them with a warm hot water bottle and placing a ticking clock in the room where they sleep will help to replicate the body heat and heartbeat of their litter mates and can really help them to relax in their new environment. 9) When taking your puppy to the Vet for its first inoculations, health checks etc, it is good practice to sit with your puppy on your lap and not have him or her on the floor. Apart from being able to comfort and re-assure the puppy easier in this position you must also consider the fact that there may be a number of sick animals in the surgery and your puppy is vulnerable if they come into direct contact with infectious animals that may also be in attendance at the same time as your pup. Make a very deliberate effort to ensure your puppys trips to the vets are as fun as you can make them. Dont allow your puppy to think you are nervous or concerned, instead make a game and even take a toy to amuse the puppy with whilst they sit on your lap. 8) Always ensure from the earliest possible moment that your puppy is given his or her own, private sleeping place that is not used by anyone else in the family or another pet. Your puppy will benefit from short periods left alone in his or her den with you always returning to reward the pup when he or she is relaxed and quiet. 7) Try to make sure your puppy is entertained adequately for short but regular intervals during the day. Long periods of being left unstimulated may lead to destructive or disruptive behaviour later in life. Little games playing fetch with the pups favourite toy will have the beneficial affect of stimulating the pup, increasing his or her bond with you and allowing the pup to expend short, sharp bursts of energy. 6) Dont over-train your puppy. Remember, a one-year old dog is, effectively, the same as a seven-year old person. It is a good rule of thumb to keep reminding yourself would I expect a three, four, five or six-year old child to accomplish some of the tasks I am asking of my pup? Manners, house-cleanliness and the very basics (including socialisation) are all you should really seek to instil in your puppy until such a time, as they are mature enough to undergo a more formal training regime. Puppies can deceive you into thinking they are ready for training but will ultimately rebel against discipline as they get older. Ensuring you have taught your puppy to respond to his or her name, what is and is not acceptable in terms of house-manners and establishing an uninhibited relationship with your pup is more important than any other discipline in the early stages of any dogs life. 5) OWWWW! Teach your puppy that biting or nipping is not a pleasant experience for you by reacting as if in pain to their playful nips. Rather than scold the dog, let him or her know that nipping is not a pastime that you wish to engage in. Letting out an over-exaggerated expression of pain will more than likely shock the puppy into ceasing this behaviour. You will be glad you put an end to this behaviour early on instead of confronting a playful 2-year-old with a full set of adult teeth! 4) Decide early on what is and is not acceptable in your house. If you dont want your pup to use the living-room sofa as a raised dog bed when they get older then dont encourage him or her to come up for fuss when theyre young just because they look sweetly at you and are small enough to pick up. 3) Jumping up. All puppies love to jump out when greeting anyone. Rather than reprimand the pup, simply ignore the behaviour and wait until he or she settles down and is not jumping up before lavishing any attention on them. Above all else, dont encourage the behaviour by patting or praising the dog when they are in the jump-position or you may run in to problems as the dog gets bigger and views jumping up as an easy way to receive attention. 2) The puppys name will be with them for life, make sure they know it by associating it with all things pleasant and fun. In the same way dogs cotton on in a very positive way to words such as walkies, biscuits or dinner-time they should be given the same association with their own name. Too often the only time the puppy hears his or her name is when they have done something naughty. Jasper, stop doing that! Buster, leave that alone! Its tough but try to ensure that you NEVER use the puppys name in a negative scenario only positive ones. Instead of Jasper, leave that alone! simply, Leave that alone! or better yet No!. And instead of walkies, biscuits or dinner-time try Jasper, biscuits!, Jasper, walkies!, Jasper, dinner-time! Golden rule. Your puppy should associate his or her own name with all that is pleasant and fun and nothing that is negative. The word no is negative and it is enough to cover all undesirable behaviour. 1) From the moment your puppy comes into your life teach him that coming to you when called is nothing short of being the best thing in the world. Puppies cant resist humans who sit down on the floor with legs spread apart so, while theyre easily persuaded to come by this very simple gesture, make the most of it by using their name, sparingly, but making a huge fuss when puppy arrives. Try it at times when pup is pre-occupied with something interesting and make coming back to you the most enjoyable and rewarding experience in the world for him or her. You will really see the benefits as the dog gets older.

About the Author

Best dog training tips can be found at dogtrainingbookonline.com