In recent years, a new form of Obedience competition, known as Rally Obedience, has become very popular. It was originally devised by Charles L. "Bud" Kramer from the obedience practice of "doodling" - doing a variety of interesting warmup and freestyle exercises. Rally Obedience is designed to be a "bridge", or intermediate step, between the CGC certification and traditional Obedience competition.
Because you get force-free, easy to understand directions, troubleshooting guides, step-by-step guides, and pictures and video demonstrations you can use with any dog to quickly unlock his natural intelligence and eliminate bad behaviors. Quite literally I’ve compressed years of study of hundreds of problem dogs into a ‘paint-by numbers’ system for creating the wonderfully well-behaved pet you desire. I will show you why the formula is structured the way it is without wasting a moment of your valuable time.
Raise an obedient, well-mannered puppy, and form a healthy and powerful bond with your new puppy during each of the critical early developmental periods. Puppy GoodStart quickly and easily trains all of the basic obedience commands (sit, down, come, stay, drop-it and walk on leash), prepares you for each stage of your puppy's development and helps you jump all of the inevitable hurdles of puppy parenting.
Many behavior problems can be prevented by providing “legal,” acceptable ways for your dog to express her natural impulses. There are some things that dogs just need to do. So rather than trying to get your dog to stop doing things like chewing, mouthing and roughhousing altogether, channel these urges in the right direction. Increased physical activity and mental enrichment are excellent complements to training. Please see our articles, Enriching Your Dog’s Life, Exercise for Dogs and How to Stuff a KONG® Toy, to learn more.
In most cases, dogs will naturally bark when someone they don't know is approaching. You can put this to good use by teaching him when to bark and when to stop. Each time your dog barks at a stranger, let him bark 2 or 3 times and then tug on his leash and give the command "Quiet". When he does, be sure to give him a treat and praise him. This lets him know no when he should bark and when he shouldn't.
Keep in mind that all of this needs to be a positive experience for the dog. Working on this will help your dog listen when you’re at the dog park or if they are in the front yard off leash and you want them to come inside. Remember to only say the command once, so your dog learns to listen the first time. After your dog has mastered a standard length leash distance, try a longer lead (around 15-20 feet).
You may enlist the help of a friend with a gentle dog to help you with this process. Find an open spot where the dogs can see each other and make sure they’re both on non-retractable leashes. Walk the dogs so they see each other but remain far enough away so they can’t hurt one another. Praise your dog if he exhibits a calm demeanor or doesn’t show aggression.
Some people believe that the only way to transform a disobedient dog into a well-behaved one is to dominate her and show her who’s boss. However, the “alpha dog” concept in dog training is based more on myth than on animal science. More importantly, it leads misguided pet parents to use training techniques that aren’t safe, like the “alpha roll.” Dogs who are forcibly rolled onto their backs and held down can become frightened and confused, and they’re sometimes driven to bite in self defense.
Canine Lullabies even comes with a money-back guarantee if it doesn't calm your dog. If you want to see the magic in action, there's actually a video of this music calming down 50 shelter dogs in less than two minutes, so it might be worth a try. Overall, dealing with an anxious dog can be challenging, and it can cost you a lot of furniture. However, the sooner you identify the cause of Fido's anxiety, the sooner you can work up a treatment plan that will help you both feel better.
Similarly, while it helps to have one adult assert themselves as the pack leader, your dog should also be trained by every member of your family. Part of puppy obedience training is simply learning where your pet falls in the order of the pack, so everyone needs to be involved. This also teaches your pet to follow commands by all humans and not just one leader.
BASIC OBEDIENCE: $625 – Do you want full control of your dog? Our Basic Obedience Package will give you everything you need to have complete control of your dog outside, off leash, around distractions! This program includes training equipment and 4 private lessons covering the following commands: “Come”, “Sit”, “Extended Sit”, “Place”, “Extended Place”, “Heel”, “Down”, “Extended Down”, “Break”, and “Off”. Basic Obedience is ideal for dogs that are generally obedient except when distracted, dogs that are not obedient at all, fearful/anxious dogs, aggressive dogs, destructive/bored dogs, dogs that pull on a leash, etc. ***Be prepared to practice daily for at least 30 minutes and schedule lessons 1 week apart.***
The Merck Veterinary Manual also states that natural therapies and products can help dogs with anxiety. Some products work best in conjunction with other medications, while others can be used alone, depending on your dog’s case. Natural products use pheromones and aromatherapy to reduce anxiety. Talk to your vet about the natural products best suited for your dog.
This includes the Off-Leash K9 Training E-Collar which all of our dogs are trained on, a 20 foot leash, and includes all FOUR lessons for $625.00 (or 3 monthly payments of $214.58). So you save $50.00 by paying for everything up-front! The e-collar we use has a two-year warranty, it is completely waterproof, and it has a range of 3/4 mile (1200 yards)! This will be brought to your first lesson along with the 20-foot leash! By the end of this package, your dog will be able to be outside, off-leash, with distractions listening on command.
For example, what did she do during thunderstorms? What is her usual routine like? What type of training is she used to? Previously, did she enjoy being outside? Did she enjoy being with people and other dogs? Did something unusual happen in the last few months? Were there changes in schedule? Unexpected visitors? Unusual noises? Did anything different occur during her walks?
I have a 7 month old Chinese Sharpei/Lab Mix who I adopted from PACC when he was 4 months old. We currently have him in obidience training and have been working closely with my dog trainer to prevent his severe seperation anxiety. We have tried natural herbal medication and dietary suppliments and recently went to our vet where they prescribed him Prozac. Unfortunately, the medication made everything worse so we took him off of it. Our vet had no other recommendations other than to see a behavioral trainer. Luke, my puppy, has torn up my carpet by the front door, has broken the wooden paneling surrounding the door, and has practically ripped our French doors off the walls. We have tried crating him while we work and he has made it a point that he doesn’t want to be in it by chewing on the crate door and bending it to no repair. Luke would rather be around you and follow around the house then play with his favorite toy. We have tried kong toys, long walks, leaving the house and coming back, locking him in his crate, and desensitizing him but nothing works. Mind you, we have been working hard at this since the first week we adopted him. We’re honestly at a total lose at this point and we need some solutions and answers! Please help us!!!
As you attempt to decode your dog’s body language, take the situation he is in into account. In one context, a dog licking his lips may be expressing fear or anxiety; in another context, the same dog may lick his lips in anticipation of a treat. And some dogs lick their lips when they feel nauseous. Consider your dog’s overall behavior, not just one motion or gesture, when you assess his stress level. Be particularly aware of behavior that seems out of character for your dog.
The first and most important obedience lesson for many dog owners is housebreaking. Puppies should begin housebreaking at approximately 7 ½ to 8 ½ weeks old. Ideally, puppies should not be separated from their mothers until at least 8 weeks of age so you should not be faced with a puppy younger than this anyway. Sometimes older dogs need to be housetrained too when they are rescued from a shelter or rescue organization, housebreaking an older dog involves the same process as housebreaking a younger dog.
Veterinarians across the country have recommended our in-home puppy training program as a safe alternative to group lessons for young puppies who have not yet been fully vaccinated. With our in-home program, you can start your puppy’s training as young as 8 weeks of age! Teaching good manners at a young age is the key to having a polite, well-mannered dog later on. If you own an older puppy, don’t worry, it’s never too late to start! Our certified dog trainers can custom design the perfect training program for your puppy at any age. The Canine Dimensions Puppy GoodStart program is the only puppy training program that teaches owners how they can actually prevent aggression later on. This is especially important for families with children in the home.
Understand the purpose of the "listen" command. Also known as the "watch me" command, the "listen" is one of the first commands you should teach your dog. You'll use it to get your dog’s attention so you can give him the next command or direction. Some people just use their dog’s name instead of the "listen." This is especially useful if you have more than one dog. That way, each individual dog will know when you want it to focus on you.
Almost every single animal on this planet works under the same principle: in order to continue receiving good things, you need to continue acting a certain way. The same concept holds true for dogs. Whenever they do something that is good, you should reward them. This will reinforce that positive behavior and cause them to continue acting that way. Eventually, they will start acting that way without requiring an award.
Obedience training usually refers to the training of a dog and the term is most commonly used in that context. Obedience training ranges from very basic training, such as teaching the dog to reliably respond to basic commands such as "sit," "down," "come," and "stay," to high level competition within clubs such as the American Kennel Club, United Kennel Club and the Canadian Kennel Club, where additional commands, accuracy and performance are scored and judged.
Frequently provide food puzzle toys. You can feed your dog his meals in these toys or stuff them with a little peanut butter, cheese or yogurt. Also give your dog a variety of attractive edible and inedible chew things. Puzzle toys and chew items encourage chewing and licking, which have been shown to have a calming effect on dogs. Be sure to provide them whenever you leave your dog alone.
Expose your pup to as many scary things as possible when young. Things with wheels such as, shopping carts, bicycles, wheelchairs, etc. Pop-open umbrellas are very scary. People: men wearing hats, young children running and screaming, people walking with a cane or slowly, etc. The more they are exposed to a variety of everyday situations without anything bad happening to them, the more relaxed they will be as adult dogs.
In some cases, dogs experiencing anxiety may become more aggressive overall. If your pet doesn’t typically growl, he may point and growl at whatever is causing him to be anxious. The longer you have your pet, the more it’ll be obvious as to what causes him distress. With any luck, you can avoid these situations as much as possible. But when you can’t, the good news is there are remedies available.
Martingale collars (also called limited-slip collars) are usually made of flat nylon with a smaller fixed-length section (made of either nylon or a short length of chain) that, when pulled on by the leash, shortens up tightening the collar around the dog's neck, to a limited extent. When properly fitted, martingales are looser than flat-buckle collars when not tightened, and less severely corrective than slip collars when tightened.
Training should be a pleasure for both you and your dog. Granted, there are often challenges as you work towards better manners but if you find yourself becoming frequently frustrated with your dog, it’s time to get help. Frustration is only a few degrees away from anger and you probably won’t be able to make progress trying to train your dog when you’re feeling upset.
Second, it’s easiest to ignore unwanted behavior and reward an incompatible behavior. When Rover bites at your hands, he wants attention. He wasn’t born programmed to know that you want him to sit and ask nicely for attention, so you have to teach him. Instead of scolding him, ask him to sit. When he complies, reward him with a food treat, lavish praise and petting on him, or offer a game of fetch or tug.
Pups naturally follow their owner until about 4 ½ months when investigating the surroundings has more appeal. Have your pup follow you around the house. Say “Rover, come along” and move briskly forward. If your pup runs past you, turn around the other direction keep moving, don’t wait for your pup, say come along. If your pup moves away to the left, you go right, and so forth. Remember it is instinct to follow moving objects, so keep yourself moving at all times. Do this lesson for one minute, then allow your pup to smell around for a while and repeat again.
Take baby steps Dogs, just like people, learn best when new tasks are broken down into small steps. For example, you can’t go out and line dance unless you learn all of the individual steps first! When teaching your dog a new skill, begin with an easy first step and increase difficulty gradually. If you’re training your dog to stay, start by asking her to stay for just 3 seconds. After some practice, try increasing the duration of her stay to 8 seconds. When your dog has mastered an 8-second stay, make things a little harder by increasing the time to 15 seconds. Over the next week or two, continue to gradually increase the duration of the stay from 15 seconds to 30 seconds to a minute to a few minutes, etc. By training systematically and increasing difficulty slowly, you’ll help your dog learn faster in the long run.
In competition, merely sitting, lying down, or walking on a leash are insufficient. The dog and handler must perform the activities off leash and in a highly stylized and carefully defined manner. For example, on a recall, the dog must come directly to the handler, without sniffing or veering to one side, and must sit straight in front of the handler, not at an angle or off to one side or the other. Training for obedience competitions builds on basic obedience training.
The most common form of anxiety is separation anxiety in dogs, which can occur when a dog is left alone for any period of time. Separation anxiety occurs when a dog or puppy develops a phobia from being left alone. Dogs suffering from this condition may develop behavioral issues and severe stress. Often, dogs who have been adopted from a kennel have either lost a loved one or have been previously mistreated, which has caused separation anxiety to surface later on when they’re older.
Laying a solid training foundation will make life with your dog easier and more fun. If you’re not sure where to start, sign up for an in-person obedience class; there’s no better way to train your dog than to practice with an expert IRL. You can also follow any of the helpful links above, and check out our blog archives for additional tips and tricks.
