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    How To TrainYour Dog Like A

    PROF S IONAFor more FREE dog training stuff sign up for the Letter at:

    http://www.DogLoversLetter.Com

    DogLoversLetter.Com Presents:

    PART 1

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    Want To Make Things Cry tal-C earFor Y u and Your D g?

    http://DogLoversLetter.Com/Video-Lessons

    Click the link above to learn about video trainingfrom a professional dog behaviorist that will

    show you exactly what to do to train your dog, onscreen.

    Enjoy!

    - Steve

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    Welc m to Part 1!Make sur your e signe up to se ond part +more f e stuff byht p://w w.DogL versL t er.C

    All rights reserved.

    Copyright 2012, DogLoversLe er.Com

    Interna onal and Federal copyright laws protectthe contents of this product.

    Any unauthorized copy or use of this materialis subject to prosecu on under applicable laws.

    Legal No ces & DisclaimerDogLoversLe er.com or its owners are not responsible for howyou choose to use the contents of this book. It is intended foreduca onal purposes only. You should consult a professional dogtrainer or veterinarian in your area before using any of the advice inthis document.

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    Chapter1Intro uction

    A well mannered dog is a pleasure to own. You can take him

    anywhere and know he will behave nicely. You can relax

    when he is around other people and dogs, and he can go

    on vaca on with you and not destroy the holiday home. He

    will be more involved with your family, and you will develop

    a closer bond with him.

    You can have more fun and create be er memories

    together!

    Untrained dogs have very few freedoms. You will have to

    lock him away when you have visitors to protect them from

    his over-exuberant welcome. While you are ea ng, he is leoutside because he is a nuisance at the table. He may even

    steal food. You cant take him to the o -leash park because

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    when it is me to go, he wont come back when he is called.

    Even going for a walk along the sidewalk is hard work, as he

    drags you along behind him.

    Your dog will live on average 12 years. Do you really want to

    have to tolerate this bad behavior for that long?

    If you simply invest a li le me in teaching him good

    manners now, you will be able to enjoy a be er rela onship

    with him for the remainder of his life.

    Lets Get S arte

    When you are ge ng ready to start a new project, you do

    not just jump in feet rst with no prepara on or planning.

    This is exactly what you would be doing if you decided tostart training your dog without the right knowledge and

    equipment.

    Your dog training program is that new project you need

    to plan what you want to achieve and work out what you

    need to do it. From there, you must work out how you are

    going to complete the project successfully.

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    You will make mistakes. That is inevitable. You will also

    feel frustrated at mes, as your dog doesnt seem to be

    progressing. This is normal, because all dogs learn at

    di erent rates and respond be er to di erent training

    methods.

    Its important that you understand your dog and his natural

    ins ncts. Also, learn about his breed and what he was bred

    to do. Your Beagle has a well-developed nose. Dont be

    surprised if you are in the middle of a training session and

    he is distracted by an unusual scent. If you take these breed

    characteris cs into account, youll be less frustrated by the

    behavior.

    Prog am Over i w

    Some of the helpful things youll learn from this guideinclude:

    What equipment you need to start training yourdog

    How to interpret your dogs body language andposture

    How dogs think and learn

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    How to recognize your dogs personality How to understand dogs pack behavior. Simple and e ec ve ways to teach your dog to sit,

    drop, stay and come. How to tell if your dog is stressed Fun ways you can play with your dog How to improve your rela onship with your dog How to teach your dog not to bite The advantages of crate training your dog

    There are two parts to dog training:

    1. Firstly, you need to teach your dog to do somethingthat you want him to do. Lets use the sit behavioras an example. You need him to sit when you tell

    him to, so you have to train him to sit on command.

    2. Secondly, you need to teach him to stop doing abehavior you dont like. For example, if your doglikes to run away and play, you need to train him to

    come back to you when you call him.

    The best way to train your dog is to use posi ve reinforcement

    to reward him for doing what you want. This makes it more

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    likely hell do it again. However, there may be mes where

    you need to stop him doing something. This doesnt mean

    you must punish him. O en a squirt with a spray of water is

    all it takes to stop him in his tracks.

    The whole point of training your dog is to have him obey

    you when tell him what to do. This guide will help you

    achieve that.

    Teamwork

    Your dog may already have had several months or years ofdoing what he wants, and he may be very good at it. Also,

    he may have trained you to let him.

    Yes, your dog is very capable of training you.

    What do you do when he bumps your elbow for a cuddle

    while you are typing? Do you pat him? He has trained you

    to give him a ec on when he nudges you.

    Thats not a problem, it is just one way in which he can

    communicate with you, but there may be mes when you

    just shouldnt do as he asks you.

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    If your dog is on the couch and you try to move him to make

    space for you, does he growl? Do you back o ? In this case,

    he has taught you that he is in charge, and he wont do as

    you want.

    This is a reasonably common scenario, and if your dog is

    growling at you, you need professional help. However, it is

    a good example of how your dog can get you to do what he

    wants.

    Train g Metho s

    Most dog trainers describe three general methods of

    training dogs.

    The compulsion method: Your dog is corrected or

    punished for doing the wrong thing. One exampleis electric training collars that are used to train dogs

    remotely.

    If a dog is corrected for doing something wrong, and

    doesnt get any informa on on what you do want

    him to do, he will become stressed. Depending on

    his temperament, he may just give up trying. This

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    None of these methods are a quick- x way of training your

    dog. It will take me and e ort on your part to teach him

    good behavior.

    Rules for D g Train g

    Building Trust

    Imagine your dog running down the sidewalk chasing a cat.

    Hes having a great me, but you are terri ed he will get

    hurt. When he eventually gets home, you are so relieved

    but angry, and you yell at him for taking o like that. Thatsan understandable reac on, right?

    Now look at it from your dogs perspec ve. He had a great

    me trying to catch up with the speeding cat. When it

    disappeared out of sight, he decided to come home fordinner. When he arrived, his beloved owner yelled at him,

    which scared him and made him cower.

    One of the most di cult parts of dog training is seeing

    everything from your dogs point of view, especially when

    you are cross or frustrated.

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    If you are teaching your dog not to do something, one way

    of doing it is to teach him he can only do it on command.

    Lets take the jumping up as an example. Teach your dog

    that he is not allowed to jump up at all, unless you tell him

    to jump. Hes quite capable of learning that. Then you can

    have him jump up for a cuddle on weekends, and keep his

    muddy paws o your expensive work clothes.

    Persistence

    Can you s ck with something even though its challenging?

    Dogs are intelligent and learn quickly but there will be mes

    where he takes a li le longer to master a skill. Be pa ent,

    try not to get frustrated, and keep prac cing. Dogs learn

    best with repe on, and it will take me.

    Use a Do Command

    Instead of just saying no to your dog, give him a command

    that he does understand, and he can do. Instead of telling

    him no when he jumps up on you, ask him to sit and

    praise him for doing it.

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    This means you actually have to think about what you are

    teaching your dog. Its not easy when your rst ins nct is to

    yell no, but if you can do this, he will learn quicker and be

    happier while you train him.

    Whenever possible, use this method to stop your dog doing

    the wrong thing. This gives you the opportunity to reward

    him instead of punishing or reprimanding him.

    If you want to learn how to train any dog on-screen, from

    video lessons, I suggest you click here to get professional

    video dog training lessons .

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    Chapter2Dog Learni g a dCom unicat onYour D gs Thoug t Pro es

    There are mes that it seems that your dog can actually

    read your mind. For example, he goes to the door within

    moments of you even thinking about taking him for a walk.

    In fact, he cant read your mind, but he is very good at

    iden fying pa erns of behavior.

    If you walk towards the box where you keep his leashevery me you go for a walk, hell learn to recognize what

    you are doing, and get excited at the thought of an ou ng

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    with you. Again, dogs learn best by repe on and posi ve

    reinforcement.

    Similarly, if you consistently pop your dog in his crate when

    you give him his dinner, he is likely to start to go in there of

    his own accord when he sees you pick up his food bowl.

    He has watched your behavior for long enough and because

    of that, he can an cipate what you are going to do next.

    This means that you too can learn to iden fy what your

    dog is likely to do next by watching him closely. If you own

    a male dog, he probably enjoys peeing on things to mark

    them as his.

    Watch him and youll no ce he will sni the item, and sidle

    up to it, then swing his bu towards it and start to li his

    leg. If he is going to pee on something you really dont want

    soiled, you can interrupt this behavior pa ern with a clap

    or a whistle, and direct him to where you do want him to

    pee.

    Dogs live in the moment. Theres no point in punishing him

    a er he has done the wrong thing. He is unlikely to associate

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    the punishment with the deed, and instead will become

    afraid of you. If you catch your dog doing something wrong,

    you can correct him right at that moment with a no,or an

    ah ah.

    There is a word: anthropomorphism. This means a ribu ng

    human characteris cs and the ability to reason to an animal.

    Dogs dont reason like we do, and they dont feel guilt. That

    may be hard to believe when you come home and nd your

    shoes chewed, and your dog slinks away nervously. Hes

    not feeling guilty, hes reac ng to your angry posture and

    facial expression.

    If you dont believe this, throw a towel on the oor then

    call your dog into the room. Point to it and say to him in

    an angry tone of voice, Naughty dog!!. Hell look nervous

    and yes, guilty, even though he has no idea what youre

    talking about.

    Reasoning

    Reasoning is de ned by the Webster dic onary as

    comprehending, inferring, or thinking especially in orderly

    ratonal ways . When you read that, you can see that dogs

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    are indeed capable of reasoning.

    Wild canids have to hunt prey to survive. They have to decide

    which individual in a herd is small enough for them to take

    down. They then need to work out how fast it is going, and

    whether or not they are able to catch it. Our domes c dogs

    are not too di erent from their wild ancestors. However,

    the ability to reason can vary between breeds, because of

    breeders selec on for characteris cs including personality

    and temperament.

    Dogs cannot reason in the same sense that we can. However,

    they do have their ways of problem solving. You can see

    this in ac on when they are trying to get into the cupboard

    where the dog treats are stashed!

    There are many dog games that require your dog to use

    reasoning to get a treat, and its fun to watch them work

    things out.

    How D gs Learn

    Dogs do something for one reason and one reason only

    theres something in it for them. Whether its to gain a

    reward or to avoid a punishment or correc on, their primary

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    mo va on is self-interest. This means that its not fair to

    expect your dog to do something just because he loves you.

    A er all, do you go to work every day just because you love

    your boss? No, you do it for the paycheck.

    You can take advantage of this when you are training your

    dog.

    If a par cular behavior results in something nice, hes very

    likely to repeat that behavior. If he gets a piece of diced

    barbecue chicken when he sits, you can bet hell be very

    keen to sit again.

    Food is rewarding to most dogs, and it is e ec ve even

    in very young puppies. Diced chicken, slices of hot dog

    or pieces of dried liver are favorites of most dogs, and

    are small enough to allow you to train for 15-20 minutes

    without your dog ge ng full or losing interest.

    If your dog isnt thrilled by these treats, he is certainly in the

    minority, but you can s ll reward him. What does he like

    to do most? Instead of a treat, you can throw his favorite

    ball each me he does what you ask him to. Many agility

    trainers reward their dog with a vigorous game of tug with

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    a rope toy. You should be able to nd something that will

    have your dog dancing with excitement, and that should be

    his reward.

    Repetton

    Repe on is cri cal to your dogs learning. It is how he

    associates the reward with the behavior that triggered

    the reward. Ideally, spend ten minutes a day teaching a

    behavior, then repeat the next day.

    Ten minutes a day is much more e ec ve than a longer

    session once a week because your dogs a en on may

    wander towards the end, and your training is less e ec ve.

    Always end your training session on a posi ve note. Finish

    before your dog has lost interest, and make sure his last

    a empt at a behavior is successful, and he earns a reward.

    Resist the tempta on to try for just one more, because it

    doesnt always work.

    Punishment

    Punishment shouldnt be a part of dog training. A er all,

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    Your dog will have learned how to use and interpret body

    language when he was just a puppy. He would have been

    able to iden fy what his mom and li er mates were trying

    to tell him, and he too could speak to them with his eyes,

    ears and tail, as well as his stance.

    This is why a dog that is removed from his li er mates too

    early can have di culty rela ng to other dogs. He just

    hasnt learned the language, and cant understand what

    other dogs are trying to communicate to him.

    He may interpret a friendly approach from another dog as a

    threat, and react defensively. He also doesnt know how to

    interact with other dogs, and can get into trouble because

    he has no social manners at the dog park.

    Its important that pups stay with their mom and li er mates

    un l they are 8 weeks old, to give them the best chance of

    learning how to communicate.

    Lets have a closer look at how dogs communicate, with

    both you and each other.

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    Bo y Langu e

    The Mouth

    Its easy to tell when your dog is relaxed. His mouth will be

    open and his tongue will loll. His lips will be drawn back and

    hell look like he is smiling.

    An alert dog will have tense lips, with the corners held

    forward. He will o en have his mouth closed. Hes watching

    whats going on around him. Although this isnt necessarily

    an indica on that hell bite, its worth keeping an eye on

    him. Hes aroused, and its important that you be aware

    of how you approach him. No sudden moves, and dont

    startle him with a touch.

    Its easy to understand what a dog means when his teeth

    are bared and his lips curl back. Hes feeling aggressive, and

    if you push the point, you could be hurt.

    Your dog can also tell you when hes feeling nervous or

    stressed. Youll no ce him licking his lips, and yawning.Yes, yawning doesnt always mean hes red, he may be

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    anxious. Its important that you can recognize that so you

    can do something to relieve his anxiety.

    The Eyes

    It is said that the eyes are the window to the soul, and this

    is certainly the case with your dog.

    A con dent dog will look you right in the eyes, but wont

    press the point. A dominant dog wont look away, and will

    try to stare you down. If you con nue to stare at him, hell

    perceive that as a challenge. He may react to that challenge

    and become aggressive, so be careful. Dont ever eyeball a

    very dominant dog, as you could end up ge ng bi en.

    Subordinate dogs, or those that arent feeling very

    con dent, will usually glance away when you look at them.

    The Ears

    Your dogs ears are also useful for giving you an idea of how

    he is feeling. Depending on breed, ears can be oppy or

    erect but this is not important. Watch the base of his ears,

    and look at where he is holding them on his head.

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    An alert dog will hold the base of his ears forward, to show

    he is interested in whats happening. They may even move

    from front to back, or from side to side as he listens to

    whats going on around him.

    Ears held at, and towards the back of his head usually mean

    that your dog is feeling nervous or anxious. It can also be an

    indicator that he is submissive. However, it can also mean

    that your dog is feeling threatened and defensive, and may

    in fact bite. Be careful.

    Body Posture

    The way your dog holds his body gives you a lot of

    informa on, if you know what to look for.

    Its easy to tell if your dog is submissive hell shrink down

    and cower, making his body as small as possible. If hes

    extremely submissive, he will lie on his back and expose

    his throat to a more dominant animal. He may also urinate.

    You may have seen your dog react to you in that way when

    you were angry.

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    A con dent dog is exactly the opposite. He will stand tall

    with straight legs. If hes feeling aggressive, he will o en

    lean forward, and hold his body s y. The hair on his back

    also may stand erect.

    The Tail

    Were all familiar with the wagging tail of a happy dog.

    However, the tail can tell us more about our dogs mood

    and feelings.

    A tail tucked ghtly between the hind legs is a sign of

    submission and fear. Similarly, a tail held high is indica ve

    of a con dent, asser ve animal. Even if your dogs tail is

    docked, you can s ll get worthwhile informa on from the

    way he holds the base of his tail. However, it may not be as

    easy for other dogs to recognize his intent from a distance.

    The Play Bow

    Have you ever no ced your dog lie down on his elbows

    with his rump in the air and his tail wagging? He may also

    have what looks like a smile on his face. This is known as

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    the play bow and is your dogs way of invi ng you to start

    a game with him.

    Verbal Communica on

    Your dog can use sound to communicate with each other,

    and with you. He has a range of noises that indicate many

    di erent things.

    If he is distressed or frightened, he may bark with a high

    pitched tone, and bark over and over again. As he becomes

    more upset, the sound will become higher and sharper.

    Weve all been told to take care around a growling dog,

    and there is good reason for this. It can indicate that he is

    aggressive. However, it may be the only way your dog can

    tell you that he really doesnt like whats being done to him.

    Pay a en on to whats happening when your dog growls

    and youll be able to tell if hes threatening, or just annoyed

    and saying, Stop.

    There is nothing more irrita ng than a whining dog. Your

    dog will whine when he wants something, for example food

    or a en on. He may whine to get outside to go to the toilet,

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    which isnt a bad thing at all! If you give in to whining, your

    dog wont stop, and he may even get worse!

    Whimpering and yelping usually mean your dog is hur ng.

    That may be a physical pain, but it may also be emo onal

    pain such as loneliness.

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    Chapter3Build aRelationsh p

    With Your D g Professional dog trainers o en tell their clients, You get the

    dog you deserve. This means that your dog is ul mately

    a re ec on of you, and the me and e ort you put intoraising him.

    If you want to be successful at training your dog, you need

    to have a good rela onship with him. You need to be the

    leader, and he needs to respect you in that posi on. Hewill know his place in his pack, and this will make him feel

    secure.

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    Its vital that your dog never learns to be afraid of you.

    This will interfere with his training, and it will be di cult

    to overcome. This is why so many training methods these

    days are reward based instead of relying on punishment to

    teach a dog to behave.

    Here are some sugges ons on how you can have the best

    possible rapport with your dog.

    1. Feed him. Remember that in the dog pack, thealpha dog is responsible for controlling access toresources, including food. If you are the source of

    your dogs daily dinner, hell look up to you and

    respect you.

    2. Train him. Use food rewards to teach him what you

    want him to do, and how you want him to behave.

    This too will cement your place as his pack leader. It

    will also make him more pleasant to be around and

    to take places. Youll spend more me together,

    which will increase your connec on with him.

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    3. Speak to him calmly. Imagine how your face lookswhen you are angry. Your knit your brows, curl yourlips and roar. This expression isnt all that di erent

    to that of an aggressive dog, and your dog will

    be scared. Apart from being afraid of you, he will

    also feel insecure. Leaders arent supposed to lose

    control, and if he cant rely on you to be in charge,hell be nervous. This isnt good for any rela onship,

    and it will damage your rela onship with your dog.

    4. Groom him regularly. Although bath me may not

    be popular, most dogs enjoy being brushed. If youcan learn how to massage him, hell love it even

    more. There is a lot you can communicate through

    touch.

    5. Play games with him. Theres nothing your dog willenjoy more than a good game of ball or tug withyou. When you have fun together, it builds a strong

    bond that will make training easier.

    6. Never ever strike your dog with your hand, foot oranything else. That sort of treatment will terrifyhim and hell be very reluctant to get close to you.

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    He may shrink away when you approach him, and

    roll submissively on his back. You can appreciate

    how this would really damage your rela onship,

    and make it much harder to train him.

    Think for a moment about your best friend. How do you

    treat them? You dont yell or scream at them, or hit them.

    You enjoy sharing fun ac vi es with them, and o en go

    out for co ee together. You can use the same rela onship

    building techniques with your dog.

    A very important part of having a great rela onship with

    your dog is being a rm but fair leader. This means you

    need to understand about the structure of a dog pack, and

    where you need to t in.

    Und rstandi g Do Pack Behaviour

    Dogs are pack animals. Their social structure consists of

    one pack leader, or alpha dog, and the remaining are below

    him in status. Each member of the pack has his own place

    in the hierarchy, just like steps on a stepladder.

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    The pack leader controls how and when the other dogs

    have access to all the good things in life.

    They are the one who can:

    1. Have his meal rst, before any of the other packmembers.

    2. Choose where he wants to sit or lie down3. Walk in front of the other pack members4. Partner with the most desirable member of the

    opposite gender

    In your home, this translates to you being in charge of food,

    play me and where your dog sleeps. You dont need to be

    harsh or strict with your dog, you just need to be the boss.

    If you have more than one dog, youll probably be able

    to recognize which dog is the pack leader amongst them.

    However, you need to make sure that ul mately you are

    the alpha dog in the pack, and even the most dominant

    amongst the dogs has to respect that. Dogs are actually

    happier when they have a rm and fair pack leader they

    can look up to for guidance.

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    Becoming Pack Leader

    You need to constantly reinforce your posi on as alpha dog

    so your dog doesnt get any ideas about becoming the boss.

    Here is what you can do to keep your alpha posi on:

    1. Train your dog to sit or drop on command, and

    prac ce it regularly. Being lower in stature than

    another is a submissive posi on, and with you

    standing above him, it reinforces your posi on at

    the top of the hierarchy.

    2. Ask your dog to sit and wait when you put hisdinner bowl down, and dont let him eat un l yougive him the command to do so. The pack leader

    controls access to food, and by doing this you are

    reminding your dog that you are in charge of what

    he gets to eat.

    3. If your dog is lying in your way, for example in thehallway or on the couch, dont maneuver aroundhim. He needs to move to make way for you. Theres

    no need to be rough, but just ask him to get up and

    get out of your way.

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    Chapter4Train g Treatsand Equipment

    Its safe to say that you do need some equipment to trainyour dog, but the good thing is that you may already have

    enough to start with. As me goes on, you can spend a few

    dollars on gear that will make life easier for you, but for

    now, start with what you have.

    The basics you will need to start training are:

    1. A collar2. A leash3. Somewhere to keep your treats handy.

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    Lets look at dog training equipment in more detail.

    Col ars

    There are a variety of styles of collars available for dog

    training. There are pros and cons to all.

    Che k Chains

    Also known as choke chains, these are used to correct

    your dog when he does the wrong thing, par cularly when

    learning to walk nicely beside you. A quick jerk on the chain

    gets his a en on pre y quickly!

    Many people use these and do have success. If your dog

    gets a correc on when he is wandering too far away, hell

    soon learn to avoid the correc on by staying close to you.

    While this does work, it can take a while for your dog to gure

    it out. There is also poten al for causing him injury with

    these collars. You will get quicker results for rewarding your

    dog when he is walking near you, because youre teaching

    him what you do want him to do, rather than correc ng

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    him when he gets it wrong. Reward based training is also

    much more pleasant for your four legged friend.

    Prong c l ar

    These collars are also made of chain, but also have a ring of

    prongs that point inwards. When you jerk on the leash, theprongs pinch the skin on your dogs neck. People who use

    prong collars believe that they are less painful than a check

    chain and it takes less physical e ort on your part to correct

    your dog. However, they have the same disadvantages

    as the check chain: they dont give your dog any directindica on of what you want him to do, and they may cause

    injury. These collars are illegal in many parts of the world.

    Remot Train g Col arAlso known as an electronic training collar, these collars

    give your dog a short, sharp electric shock when he needs

    correc on. They have the advantage of being able to correct

    your dog from a distance, so you dont need to be right

    beside him, or have him on a leash.

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    These too have the poten al to cause harm, as dogs can

    receive burns to the skin if the collar is used incorrectly.

    They too dont give your dog any indica on as to what you

    do want.

    Fixe Col ars

    These are your standard so collars, with either a clip or a

    buckle fastening. They dont ghten on your dogs neck so

    they give no correc on. They can s ll be pulled or jerked

    though. These are all you need if you are using a posi ve

    reward based training method with your dog.

    To nd the right size for your dog, measure the circumference

    of your dogs neck directly behind his ears with a tape

    measure. When it is worn, you should be able to t two

    ngers between the collar and your dogs neck.

    There is one type of xed collar that does ghten a li le,

    and its called a mar ngale. Its a gentle alterna ve to a

    chain collar if youd prefer to have the op on to correct

    your dog while you train him.

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    Leash

    You have a number of op ons when it comes to choosing a

    leash for your dog. Di erent materials and di erent lengths

    all serve di erent purposes.

    Canvas and nylon leashes are available in pet stores and

    through websites or catalogs. They come in an wide range

    of colors, so youre sure to nd one to match your dogs

    collar.

    Leather leashes are also popular, but they cost a bit more

    than a canvas or nylon leash. This means theyre not a good

    op on if your dog likes to chew their leash.

    Chain leashes are uncomfortable to hold. Imagine how

    your hands would feel if youre holding a chain leash and

    your dog runs o . Ouch! Theyre not recommended at all

    for training dogs.

    The most common leash length for basic obedience training

    is 4 foot long. This length keeps your dog nearby, and isnttoo awkward or unwieldy to move from hand to hand.

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    When you graduate to more distant work such as the sit-

    stay and drop-stay, a longer leash is useful. Try a 6 foot

    leash when your dog is learning these exercises.

    Retractable leashes are not at all suitable for dog training,

    as the handle is too cumbersome to work with.

    Treat S orage

    If youre going to reward your dog with treats as you train

    him, youll need to keep them nearby.

    The least expensive way of doing this is storing your treats

    in a small plas c takeaway container, and keeping it nearby

    as you train.

    This works ne if you are at home, but its not convenientif you want to con nue your training as you walk along the

    sidewalk, or if you go to a dog club.

    Pet stores and online retailers sell dedicated treat bags,

    which clip onto your belt. These are another op on to

    consider if youre looking to purchase something to keep

    your rewards in.

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    Whatever you choose to use, make sure it is easy to clean

    so you dont have traces of spoiled food le behind a er a

    training session.

    Head Col ars

    Head collars such as Gentle Leaders and Hal s are a good

    alterna ve to a training collar, especially if your dog is big

    and boisterous.

    These collars allow you to gently maneuver your dogs headso he goes in the direc on you want him to. Its the same as

    youd do if you were leading a horse on a head halter.

    They are gentle on your dog, but it will take a li le while for

    your dog to get used to wearing one. They s ll have somepoten al for injury if your jerk on your dogs head while he

    is wearing one.

    HarnesHarnesses are handy for walking your dog, especially if he

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    has a sore neck, or for keeping him safe in the car. Because

    your dog can pull with his shoulders while wearing a harness,

    he may pull even harder. Theyre not recommended for dog

    training because they dont allow you to direct your dogs

    head, and keep his a en on on you.

    Training Toys

    If your dog doesnt like treats, or is on a diet, you may want

    to play with him. Tug toys are par cularly good as a training

    reward. Many people believe playing tug o with a dog

    encourages aggression and dominance in dogs. This isnt

    the case if it is done properly. There is more informa on on

    how to play with your dog later in this program.

    Train g Treats?

    Treats are basically a form of currency for your dog. Just asyou go to work and are paid for it, you can pay your dog

    for doing the right thing with a tasty reward.

    Weve already discussed how your dog is more likely to

    repeat a behavior if he is rewarded for it, and a delicious

    piece of diced chicken or sliced hot dog is the perfect salary

    for him.

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    Cho sing Do Treats

    Its very important that you choose the right treat for your

    dog, otherwise it wont work. A treat has to be special, so

    dont even think about using your dogs regular kibble. He

    wont be interested in that at all.

    Every dog has a di erent favorite food, so experiment with

    your training partner and see what he likes best. Try some

    diced cooked chicken, sliced hot dog, dried liver and even

    some small cubes of cheese to see what he prefers.

    You may nd he likes all of them; thats great, it means you

    can add variety to your training.

    Keep your treats small, so your dog can gobble them quickly.

    This allows you to repeat the behavior several mes during

    a training session, to reinforce it be er.

    He wont spend several minutes chewing and swallowing

    before you can try again.

    Keep in mind that your dog will be ge ng a lot of treats

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    in the early stages of his training, so if possible, use treats

    with nutri onal value.

    How T Use Tr atsThere are two ways you can use treats.

    1. To reward a behavior that you like. Under thesecircumstances, your dog shouldnt see the treat,otherwise its a lure. Give him a command, and

    when he obeys, then he gets the tasty snack.

    Make sure you reward him at the exact me heis doing what you ask; that way he will recognize

    what the reward is for, and is more likely to do it

    again.

    If you are teaching him to drop, and youre slowto get his treat to him, you may nd he thinks hes

    ge ng the treat for ge ng up!

    2. As men oned, the treat can be used to lure your

    dog to do a par cular behavior. When he has got it

    right, he then gets to eat the snack.

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    End Part 1!

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