Beginner Tips For Dog Training

•Why You Should Never Hit Your Dog Even When Training
   by Adam G. KatzDear Adam:I will try and make this short and include only the details I think will help. I HAVE read the entire book on line. I will pick up all of the tapes along with the book when I come to USA in May.I live in a third world country. Most of the dogs here are wild, mixed breed or mistreated.We went to another part of the country to obtain a pure bred dog. He is bred to guard sheep... an older breed and very large. Our dog is 9 weeks old and most of the time is good... just...

•How To Choose A Professional Dog Trainer
   by Adam G. Katz1.) Versatility— A good dog trainer will use techniques and training styles which are compatible with your dog’s temperament. Every dog is different, and some dogs respond better to certain approaches. What works for a Rottweiler won’t necessarily work for a Poodle.2.) Experience— I know people who have been driving an automobile for 30 years and still can’t parallel park! And dog training is the same way! Don’t measure a dog trainer’s skill by his number of years in the...

•The Pro s Never Yell Or Scream Commands At Their Dog
   by Adam G. KatzI never yell at my dog. Never.Well, okay. There's one exception. And that exception is if: I'm already working with the dog at such a far distance that he can't audibly hear me. And usually this is the case only if I'm teaching the dog to respond to hand signals.Why don't I ever raise my voice if I'm working with my dog, otherwise?Because the only thing that raising your voice achieves is to communicate to your dog that you really DO NOT have control.And since I train with a...

•Using A Clicker Vs Traditional Approach The Flawed Clicker Training Methodology
   by Adam G. KatzThere are two points you must recognize:1.) You CAN train a dog using a traditional approach AND use the clicker. It depends on your style, but yes... I've had very good results using the clicker as an event marker, and for getting the dog to understand a new behavior... especially a more complex behavior. However, THIS IS ONLY USED DURING THE FIRST PHASE OF TRAINING ... the learning phase. Once you move into the reinforcement and proofing phase, the clicker loses it's...

•Does Your Dog Roll In Poop Here s Why
Does Your Dog Roll In Poop? Here's Why   by Adam G. KatzRobin asks:I'm wondering if you could tell me why-- when I'm walking Yogi through some grass-- that he smells something and the next thing I know, he's stuck his head on the ground and starts to roll his body over the area he was smelling. On two occasions, he coated himself in another dog's poop. I've been asking vets and laypersons to explain this behavior but no one seem to know. Thank you so much for listening.Very...

•On Missing The Imprint Stage Of Puppyhood
   by Adam G. Katz Dear Adam:[From a previous e-mail which questioned why I recommend that dog owners don't try to train their dogs in a group class setting]Yes, I understand about the imprint stages [two week stages from birth to 4 months of age in which a small amount of exposure will have a lasting affect on the dog's socialization to it's surroundings] but not everybody lives in the ideal world of getting their puppy at 6 to 8 weeks of age.[The imprint stage when dogs learn dominant and...

•How To Fix Problems With The Fetch or Bring Command
   by Adam G. Katz Hello Adam:I have a chocolate Labrador Retriever (very active) that is being trained (in OPEN class now) and he seems to be regressing since we are working on retrieving.He retrieves very well with the dumbbell, etc., but other dogs in the class do not. And they bring toys for their retrieval work.My problem is that my dog is just overcome with these toys and isn't paying close attention to me. He goes after THEIR toy many times instead of HIS dumbbell.He knows the command...

•Some Advanced Dog Training Points you should know about CONDITIONING YOUR DOG
   by Adam G. KatzAkeisha wrote to me with some very good questions. I’ve included her letter (and my responses) below:[Akeisha] Hi its Akeisha again. I do see what you mean if it is on all the time the dog will soon forget it is on and then will behave regardless. Ok, so the dog never wears a buckle collar again? This is what irks me. I want to be able to control the dog regardless of what collar is on not just the pinch or it could be no collar at all and the dog still behaves. What if the...

•When Should I Start Training My Puppy
?   by Adam G. KatzIf you have a puppy, you must start training early, but do it gently.Your puppy has to have confidence in you before he can begin learning. Remember that puppies are like children - they have growing bodies, short attention spans, and will only learn things when the conditions are right and when they understand what it is you're trying to teach them.That said, the earlier you start training dogs, the better. More specifically, it's best if you start “socialization” from 8...

•DOG GOES BALLISTIC WHEN JOGGING WITH OWNER
   by Adam G. Katz Dear Adam:My dog, Chance, we think is a Golden retriever mix, but he's mostly white with gold patches. Also he's about 2/3 the size of a Golden Retriever.He's 18 months old and has been loose-leash trained pretty well as long as you don't let him get distracted.The thing I don't know how to handle is that some dogs that we meet when we're out jogging or walking, he goes ballistic.We have used a choke chain to train him, and it seemed to work well. But there is that...