Dog Training Review
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Dog training is the process used to aid in the keeping of dogs as pets. For both the happiness of the dog and the owner, obedience must be enforced
through the training procedure. In the wild as pack animals, dogs have natural instincts that favor training. These instincts are manifested as a desire
to please a handler, as a dog would an alpha male in a pack in the wild. While some dogs are trained for complex behaviors, such as rescue work, circus
acts, or service acts, there are certain elements of training that every dog should learn for a happier and healthier life.
Contents
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- 1 The dog trainer
- 2 Reward and punishment
- 3 The command voice
- 4 Basic Commands
- 5 Leash training
- 6 Specialized common
commands
- 7 Training tricks
- 8 Teething
The dog trainer
===============
Professional "dog trainers" usually do not train the dogs, but actually train the owners how to train their own dogs. Everyone who handles the dog
should take part in the training. It is crucial for the trainer and the dog to attend class together, to learn more about each other and how to work
together. Dog training begins virtually at birth. Dogs that are handled and petted by humans regularly during the first eight weeks of life are
generally much more amenable to being trained and living in human households. Puppies should be placed in their permanent homes at around 8 weeks of
age. In some countries it is against the law to home puppies before the age of 8 weeks. Before this age, puppies are still learning tremendous amounts
of socialization skills from their mother. Puppies are innately more fearful of new things during the period from 10 to 12 weeks, which makes it harder
for them to adapt to a new home. Puppies can begin learning tricks and commands by this age; the only limitations are the pup's stamina, concentration,
and physical coordination. It is much easier to live with young dogs that have already learned basic commands such as sit. Waiting until the puppy is
much older and larger and has already learned bad habits makes the owner's training job much more difficult. Formal training in classes is not always
available until the puppy has completed all its vaccinations at around 4 months; however, some trainers might offer puppy socialization classes in which
puppies can enroll immediately after homing as long as disease risk is minimal and puppies have receieved initial vaccinations. In most cases, basic
training classes accept only puppies who are at least 3 to 6 months old. Fundamentally, dog training is about communication. The handler is
communicating to the dog what behaviors are correct in what circumstances. A successful handler must also understand the communication that the dog
sends to the handler. The dog can signal that he is unsure, confused, nervous, happy, excited, etc. The emotional state of the dog is an important
consideration in directing the training.
There are a four important messages that the handler can send the dog:
Reward marker
Correct behavior. You have earned a reward. "Free" or "OK"
Bridge
Correct behavior. Continue and you will earn a reward. "Good"
No reward marker
Incorrect behavior. Try something else. "Uh-uh" or "Try again"
Punishment marker
Incorrect behavior. You have earned punishment. "No"
Consider teaching a dog to down on command. The handler puts some food in his hand and puts his closed hand on the ground in front of the dog. When the
dog lies down, the handler says "free" and opens his hand rewarding the dog. Once the dog has this concept the handler puts a command with the behavior.
The handler says "down", waits a beat, then puts his closed hand on the floor. If after a bit the dog does not lie down, the handler says "uh-uh" waits
for the dog to offer the correct behavior. When the dog does lie down, the handler says "free" and rewards the dog. Later the handler will want to
prolong the down before rewarding the dog. The handler says "down" and the dog lies down. Then the handler says "good", encouraging the dog to continue
the behavior. After a moment the handler says "free" and rewards the dog. Suppose the handler says "down" and the dog jumps up on the handler and starts
biting at the treat bag. The handler says "no" and punishes the dog in an appropriate manner. Frequently use of the word "no" is sufficient punishment.
Note that the reward marker and punishment marker end the behavior. Once the handler gives either of those messages, the dog is no longer expected to
perform the requested behavior.
These messages do not have to be communicated with words. Dogs are not born understanding these messages. They must be taught. Other signals can be
used. In particular, clickers are frequently used for the reward marker. It is critical that the signals or words used for these messages are used with
absolute consistency. If the handler sometimes says "good" as a reward marker and sometimes as a bridge, it is difficult for the dog to know when he has
earned a reward. The handler must always reward the dog in some manner after using the reward marker, treat, play, praise, etc. Failure to reward after
the reward marker diminishes the value of the reward marker and makes training more difficult.
Reward and punishment
=====================
Most training revolves around giving the dog treats (food or favorite toys) and praise when it obeys, and withholding attention, treats, and praise when
it does not. A sharp No is useful as long as the dog does not show signs of fear or anxiety. Physical punishment, such as smacking, should be avoided.
Hand contact must remain unequivocally nonthreatening; otherwise, some dogs may begin to behave defensively when stroked or handled. Keeping a puppy on
a leash in challenging situations or in his crate or pen when not closely supervised prevents the puppy from getting into situations that might
otherwise invite an owner's harsh reaction (such as chewing up a favorite pair of shoes).
The command voice
=================
When giving commands to a dog, a calm, firm, authoritative voice is most effective. Dogs do not respond well to hesitant, pleading voices, nor to
yelling, which might sound to the dog like threatening barking or scolding. It is also important that the word used for the command and the pitch of the
voice be consistent each time the command is delivered so that the dog can more easily learn what the owner means (siiiiiiiiiiiit does not sound the
same as sit, for example).
Using the puppy's name before a command ensures that the dog knows that a command is coming, that it is for him (rather than for other dogs, children,
or people), and that he should pay attention. This is important because dogs hear a lot of human speech that has no relevance for them at all, and it is
easy for them to disregard commands amongst the babble.
To reinforce the command, the dog always gets some kind of reward or reinforcement (praise and usually a treat or toy) when it performs the action
correctly. This helps the dog to understand that he has done a good thing.
Note that not all dogs are trained to voice command. Many working breeds of dog are not trained to a voice command at all; they are taught to obey a
combination of whistles and hand signals. Deaf dogs are perfectly capable of learning to obey visual signals alone. Many obedience classes teach hand
signals for common commands in addition to voice signals; these signals can be useful in quiet situations, at a distance, and in advance obedience
competitions.
Basic Commands
==============
Here are a few commands that almost every dog should respond to:
- Come: This command, also referred to as the recall, is crucial. If the dog won't come when called, it is not an obedient dog. One method for
training begins by allowing the dog to wander out on a long leash or line, then calling it by name and the command Come. This method might require a
quick, light tug on the leash to get the dog moving when first teaching this command. Like all commands, it is successful only if the dog is rewarded
when it completes the command and only if the practice is repeated-under different circumstances and distances and gradually removing the controls-until
the dog performs flawlessly.
- Sit: This command is also crucial. Sitting dogs are under the handler's direct control. It is common to precede other commands, such as the Stay
command, with a sit command. One method for training uses a treat held in front of the dog's nose and passed back over its head, forcing the dog to sit.
Sit and Stay are used in conjunction with many other commands.
- Stay: This command gives peace of mind. An owner can park her dog while doing something else. One method of training involves placing the dog in a
sit or a down position, then telling it to stay while stepping away from the dog. If the dog stays, the handler rewards it while it is still in the
position. Indoors, use this command to park your dog under a favorite table or bench.
- Lie down or down: this command allows even greater control than sitting. One training method uses a treat drawn forward and down across the dog's
face, forcing it to lie down to get at it. Since even people without dogs are familiar with this command and use it when dogs are bothering them, the
better the dog is at it, the better it can get along with strangers and visitors.
- Go to bed or get in: Directs the dog to go to its bed or its crate and to remain there until released. The dog has freedom of movement in that
location to stand up, turn around, or lie down, unlike when placed in a Stay. Useful to keep a dog out from underfoot and safe in a busy or complicated
situation.
- Drop or drop it: Dogs pick up all sorts of things, some of which they shouldn't have. A dog that drops anything on command, no matter how attractive
(which to a dog can be rotten and smelly), is a dog under control that the owner can prevent from eating dangerous items or from destroying valued
personal property.
- Leave it: An adjunct to Drop, directing the dog to not touch an item. Also useful before the dog has picked anything up. One method of training
involves leaving a treat on the ground and walking the dog past it without allowing the dog to pick it up. Leave it is also used in conjunction with
Take it.
- Take it: The dog leaves a desired object, such as a toy or treat, untouched until given this command. This can protect an owner's, visitor's, or
child's fingers.
- Heel, Close, By me: The dog walks with its head directly next to the handler's leg and does not deviate until released. One method of training
accompanies the command with a slap to the thigh indicating where the handler wants the dog's head.
- Okay, Free, Break, or Release: Releases the dog from Stay, Heel, Sit, and so forth. Also a general release to play.
The specific command word is not important, although the preceding list covers some of the more common words. Short, clear words that are easily
understood by other humans are generally recommended; that way, people will understand what a handler is telling his dog to do and other handlers have a
good chance of controlling someone else's dog if necessary. In fact, dogs can learn commands in any language or other communications medium, including
whistles, mouth sounds, hand gestures, and so forth.
While dogs can be trained far beyond these rudiments, a dog that obeys these commands will be a pleasure to keep and take out. Off-leash obedience is
the hallmark of a well-trained dog.
Leash training
==============
Leash training is another facet of training a dog which teaches them to walk on a leash without pulling or jerking. There are many methods for doing
this, such as simply turning and walking the other way when the dog moves in front of the handler, or firmly grasping the leash at the collar and
guiding the dog into position beside the handler.
Today, many trainers advocate using a plain collar and leash for leash training rather than specialized training collars, such as slip collars and prong
collars. Both of these can potentially inflict damage to a dog's neck and should not be used except in specific cases when recommended by, and
supervised by, a knowledgeable trainer. Historically, slip collars have been used as a matter of course, and some trainers still recommend them for
basic training on any dog; such collars should be used in a way that makes a quick popping or zipping sound to startle the dog and are then quickly
released, not to choke the dog or to put tight pressure on the dog's neck. Advocates of plain-collar training encourage students to ask their
instructors to allow them to use plain collars, not slip collars; the techniques for training, however, are slightly different and some instructors
might not agree.
However, hard pulling even on a plain collar can damage a dog's neck, so during times when it is not possible to work on training and the dog still
pulls on the leash, owners can use a nose halter instead of a collar; these are sold under brand names such as Gentle Leader and Halti. Even these must
be used carefully, not for harshly jerking a dog, as they can jerk a dog's head suddenly to the side.
Specialized common commands
===========================
There are a few commands that many domestic dogs learn, but that are not part of the basic repetoire.
- Stop – a dog that will simply stop whatever it is doing and lie down on command no matter how far it is from its keeper is a dog that can be taken
anywhere. Some handlers use the German word Platz(related to "place", i.e. stay in position.) for this action.
- Back up – keepers of large dogs or dogs with a reputation for aggressiveness can make strangers more comfortable by teaching the dog to back up on
command.
- Growl – the inverse of backing up. Some owners teach non-aggressive dogs to growl on a subtle command – not the word growl, usually a small hand
gesture – as a way of letting strangers know that you and your dog value being left alone.
- Steady – keep near by. The dog can walk free, but not dash off. Train to this command with a long leash, calling out Steady when the leash is taut.
Continue off leash.
- Stand – dog stands still. Train from lying-down position by lifting under belly while repeating command. Useful for grooming. Many dogs are groomed
frequently and need to stand quietly during the process.
Training tricks
===============
Many dog owners teach their dogs tricks. This serves several purposes: Develops a stronger relationship between the dog and human; provides
entertainment; and engages the dog's mind, which can help to alleviate problems caused by boredom. For example, the shake hands trick involves the dog
raising its paw and placing it into an outstretched hand. An example of a useful trick is teaching a dog to ring a bell to go outside. This helps
prevent the stress placed on an owner when trying to recognize whether the dog needs to relieve itself. For more information, see clicker training.
Teething
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At anywhere from three to six months of age, a puppy begins to get its adult set of teeth. This period can be quite painful and many owners do not
recognize the natural need to chew. By providing specific chew toys designed to ease the pain of teething (such as a frozen nylon bone), attention can
be diverted from table legs and other furniture.