As with most problems, well-meaning people give their opinions and solutions freely, but it is not always the right advice or cure for our personal problems, or the personal problem of our dog.
With so many people advertising in the field of professional dog training today, trying to determine who’s truly qualified to look after your dog can be overwhelming. What to look for when choosing a professional to help you with dog training:
- A good reputation, ask around and get recommendations from your vet, other dog owners, or local kennel clubs.
- Experience. – Inquire about their background, i.e. number of years’ experience.
- A genuine love of and devotion to dogs.
- Extensive and up to date knowledge. Dedicated trainers keep themselves updated by attending dog training and animal behaviour courses, conferences, seminars and workshops.
- Their training methodology and handling skills. A good trainer’s first concern should be the dog’s well-being.
- Memberships with reputable associations, organizations and training clubs.
General dog obedience tips
Training should be a positive and enjoyable experience for both you and your dog. If you are not in the right mood for training, don’t even begin. Always reward your dog for obeying your commands promptly! A reward is anything that your dog wants and is willing to work for. Treats are an obvious reward but other rewards could be verbal praise and toys. Several shorter sessions are usually better than one long one. Training should not involve any negative components or punishment. There should be no shouting, no hitting or smacking, no chain jerking on choke chains or collars, and absolutely no electric shocking! Each training session should be enjoyable and positive with rewards for jobs well done.
Training with head collars
Pulling on the lead is one of the few unpleasant experiences of bringing up a new puppy or dog. Using a head collar for dog training has become very popular over the last few years. Training with a head collar does have some advantages over the traditional training collar. Although very simple to use, it is important that head collars are fitted correctly and your dog properly introduced to the collar. Head collars are generally more intuitive to use than a traditional training collar. Head collars are very effective when controlling dogs in difficult situations.
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