Dog agility training may start at an early stage of a dog’s life. You can begin training your dog for this sport as early as puppy stage (around four months old).

Although a fun sport for both you and your dog, agility dog training is also a serious competition that is well organized and has many guidelines and regulations. Most experts recommend not starting agility training until your dog is at least one year old, at least not to enter in a competition before that age.

Most dog owners that are serious about their dog competing in agility competitions will enroll him in a training class – at least to help teach him the basics – then work with the dog on their own to enhance what he has learned. Agility dog training is one of the more advanced types of dog training, but it is certainly quite enjoyable for both you and the dog.

There are all sorts of important things you should know before you consider signing up for agility dog training, but the most important thing to do is before starting agility training – have your dog examined by a veterinarian carefully.

You can begin to use Buja boards for motion training. Perch training can also be started with young pups. You can teach a variety of skills, drills, and exercises with four jumps.

In a dog agility competition, the obstacles are arranged in various course configurations as deemed suitable by the competition judge. During the agility competition both dog and handler move from each consecutive course to the next, with the difficulty gradually increasing. With patience and practice, your dog could become an agility “nut” and cover the course with a bark of excitement every step. Obstacles like the A-Frame (which is set to 6 feet high), the Dog Walk (two ramps attached to a cross-walk approximately 5 feet high), and the Teeter-totter challenge the dog in balance and fortitude.

You can really be ahead of the pack and have two sets of eight jumps.

Remember, during the cold winter months – don’t give up on your agility dog training!

Prong Collar

The prong collar looks a lot more painful to the dog than it actually is. This collar is made up of metal prongs that have been linked together. When you apply a pulling pressure to the collar (via the leash), it gives the dog a little pinch that is meant to duplicate the effect of a mother dog’s teeth when she grabs here pup by the scruff of the neck. The prong collar is a safe and effective training tool as long as the fit is correct and the collar is used appropriately. The prong collar should not be used if your dog is one to consistently yank at his leash.

The prong collar should fit snugly against the dog’s neck. As most prong collars can be adjusted by simply adding or subtracting prongs, the correct fit should be easy to achieve. A properly fitted collar should leave approximately half of a finger space in between your dog’ss neck and the prong tip. A collar that is any looser than that will not do its job and will needlessly chafe the dog’s skin.

Halti and Gentle Leader

Both the Halti and Gentle Leader head halter devices look a lot like the harnesses that are used to control horses. While the prong collar is designed to condition behavior and movement, the head halter is designed to restrict or restrain your dog’s movements. The thought behind the halter’s design is that if you can control the head, the body will follow its movement. When you pull on the attached leash the device closes the dog’s mouth and restrains his head. These types of collars are great for dogs that lunge, bite or display other aggressive behaviors.

There are drawbacks, however, to using a head halter device. Most dogs will not take very easily to any device that positions a strap over its nose. You may have to struggle with your dog many, many times before he will submit to wearing it. Another drawback is that pulling at your dog’s head makes it a lot more likely that you will inadvertently injure the dog’s neck or back. To avoid injury, you should always make sure you are restraining your dog in the correct manner.

Choke Collar

The choke collar is one of those dog training devices that is often surrounded by controversy. Proponents of the choke collar point to its humane effectiveness, while critics say that the collar is more torture device than training tool. The truth is that what the collar becomes is largely dependent upon who is using it.

A properly fitted choke collar works by tightening around the dog’s throat when the trainer pulls on the leash and then releasing pressure when the trainer does. If the collar is not put on correctly, however, the pressure will remain and the dog could truly choke to death. These collars are not meant for dogs that consistently pull at their leash or for inexperienced trainers. As is the case with head halters, the choke collar has the potential to cause injury to the dog’s neck.

Electronic Collar

Just mention the option of an electronic dog collar and many dog owners (even some people with no pets at all) will look at you as if you have suggested training your dog with a stun gun. The reality is that electronic collars can be a very humane way to train a dog. As with any other training device, however, whether or not it is used for purposes of cruelty is totally dependent upon the intentions and experience of the trainer.

The electronic collar works by allowing the trainer to give the dog small, electric shocks (via remote control) in order to modify its behavior. The intensity of the shock is left to the trainer. In general, the setting should be strong enough to make the dog’s ears twitch. If the dog howls or yelps when the shock is delivered, then the setting is too high. Again, the electronic collar should only be used by experienced trainers.

Dogs are very habitual. Their lives revolve around ritual and their internal body clock and routine. They anticipate your return from work at a certain time. They expect their meals at a certain time.

You can use this information in your dog training. This sort of habitual behavior is part of why dog’s are easy animals to train (compared to other animals.) Of course the goal of dog obedience training is for the dog to respond with a particular reaction to a particular command.

Because of the habitual nature of dogs it’s important that you be extremely consistent in your training. Do not change things up on your dog! This will only confuse him. You should go through your routines with him the exact same way every time. When you tell your dog to sit you need to make sure that he does in fact sit before going on to the next command. This consistency will help your dog training efforts be more effective.

Perhaps the most important point with dog training is to keep a level head. You cannot allow yourself to let your temper flare or to yell at or hit your dog. Not only for the obvious moral reasons that you wouldn’t want to treat your dog in this way but also because this sort of behavior will make it much more difficult to train your dog.

Your dog doesn’t know how to learn from this sort of behavior. Your dog will only become afraid of you and it will make it harder to train him in the future.

Another important point of dog training is to make sure you reward your dog for a good behavior or for doing a trick in the correct way. This is important because it helps build your relationship with your dog and lets them know that you like their good behavior. Like with all aspects of dog training you need to be consistent with rewarding your dog.

Of course this does not mean to give your dog a food treat every time they do something right because that would not be good for them and would also become very expensive. You don’t need to give your dog the same treat every time just some sort of treat whether it’s letting them play with their favorite toy, giving them a friendly pat on the head with encouraging words in a friendly voice, or giving them a food treat.

For more indepth dog training information: http://www.DogTraining-AtoZ.com

For most dog owners there are some very basic reasons for wanting to mold the behavior of their pet. A dog without some basic dog obedience training can be like that annoying uncle in the family who has none of the social graces, always loud and obnoxious, makes a mess of the house, always sticking his nose into other peoples business – you know what I mean. You still love him but you just wish he wasn’t around so much.

Well, you should want to be around your dog. Isn’t that why you brought him into your home, to be your friend and companion? This will happen when you find a reciprocal level of respect and understanding. This in turn grows out of finding the best way to communicate with your dog making sure he clearly understands what the boundaries are and what you expect from him.

Common to all reputable dog obedience methods should be the understanding and acceptance of the following basic concepts, though they may be stated differently:

* It’s important to understand that dogs are pack animals and thrive when there is clearly defined leadership and they know what is expected of them. This is important to understanding how the canine mind works.

* It is your job to be the leader – consistently, repetitiously, persistently, and patiently.

* Tied in with patience is the tone of voice you use. Commands should be given firmly with no ambiguity, but also patiently with no yelling. Your dog must not be confused once he understands what you want. There can be no refusal or ignoring of your command.

* Reward and corrective action are also basic concepts in any dog training for obedience course. Reward could be in the form of praise a treat, or a ‘click’ (clicker training) while corrective action could be in the form of withholding praise, a treat, a scratch, or a firm ‘No.’

Dog Training – Basic Obedience

It’s always good to start with the basics. Look for a program that starts with these fundamental concepts and commands:

The Come or Come Here (Recall) command is very important for control of your pet. Nobody wants a dog that ignores them nor do you want to have to mount a search party every time he is outside and off his lead.

Stand and Stay, Sit and Stay, and Down and Stay commands are very helpful especially in situations where there are groups of people and activities where your dog needs to be kept away or out from underfoot.

Walking on and off lead, sometimes called ‘heeling’ is very important training as there is nothing more unpleasant then having an uncontrollable dog pulling and tugging on the leash and lunging at other dogs, animals, and people.

In addition to these basic commands many methods will include turns, fetch and carry, back up, crawl, shake hands, catch, climb ladders etc., and all of these with hand commands as well as verbal commands.

Other behaviors and/or problems that will be dealt with in a well rounded dog training for obedience program are house training, excessive barking, biting and nipping, chewing, digging up the yard, aggression, and jumping up on people and furniture. There may also be some discussion of the best dog obedience training equipment to have available.

This is a snapshot of the things to look for in a reputable dog obedience training program. Of course a good method and system for training are key to the welfare and safety of your pet, but also to your peace of mind and enjoyment of your canine companion.

For additional tips on researching this subject go to Dog Obedience Training

If you are trying to train your new puppy go to Puppy Training.

Usually a dog training collar will emit a small shock when the person offering the training presses a button on the remote control. When the dog feels the shock, applied usually to the throat, and hears the negative command, chances are they will stop the behavior that resulted in slight pain. Once the dog understands that a firm no means a shock is coming, the dog training collar may not be needed.

If your dog barks a lot a dog training collar can shock the dog everytime the dog barks. Normally the dog will learn pretty quickly that if it barks it will be shocked and will decide that barking is not worth the pain. For those who shy away from shocking their animal, a no-bark dog training collar has been developed that emits a short spray of a lemon scented mist towards the dog’s nose. Its unpleasant odor will remind the dog not to bark, without the electric shock.

Shocks Can Help Guide Your Dog

Some dog owners and professional trainers are using electric dog training collars as part of a training regimen to help the dog learn new tricks, and not just to stay off the furniture and not to jump up on people. Usually if you slap your leg and tell the dog to come, you will probably get a dumb look. If you tell him to come and he gets a slight unpleasant shock, he may listen a little better.

If you are using a radio fence containment system you must make sure it is installed correctly and there is no threat of serious injury to your pet. Keep in mind that once your dog when wearing its dog training collar knows where its boundaries are even if you shut off the power to the underground fence, the dog will be reluctant to cross that line, even at your urging.

You should also keep in mind that a dog training collar is not something the dog needs to wear its entire life. Once their behavior can be changed by the issuance of verbal commands, the collar has done its job.

Is certainly a lot more fun for you to have an obedient and trained dog. Not only that, but trained dogs, are happier dogs.

They are less likely to get into fights with other dogs and will tend to socialize better with dogs that they meet in public.

It is particularly important to have a well-trained dog if you have young members of the family or children in the neighborhood.

Just like having well-behaved children, a well-trained dog makes for a happier household.

The time that you spend training your puppy initially will impact on the pleasure you can get from your dog for the many years of its life.

Taking the time to train your dog will strengthen the bond you have together and this will ensure a long and happy friendship where both you and your dog benefit.

Considering the amount of time that you will be with your dog the time involved in training is minimal and well worthwhile.

There are a few basic commands that need to be mastered and they are all relatively simple.

These commands are…

Down: this is where you teach your dog to lay down on command, and is one of the main aspects of any successful training program.

Heel: this is where you teach your dog walk beside you at the same pace without pulling on the lead.

Learning the ‘No’ word: this is a particularly important word for your dog to know and can save you a lot of trouble. In fact it is probably one of the most important aspects of training, if you can get your dog to understand and respond to the word no.

It can certainly save you a lot of trouble in the future.

Sit: sit is one of the most basic of all dog training commands and is one that you’ll want to teach from the outset to maintain control of your dog’s behavior.

Stay: and finally ’stay’ – this is important to ensure that no matter where you are, you’ll know that your dog will stay precisely where you want it.

If there is nothing else that you train your dog to do beyond these basic commands, it will certainly improve the relationship you have with your dog and the enjoyment and happiness that you and your dog will have together.

It is well worth the time while still a puppy, as it will improve the quality of life for many years to come.

Training will also let your dog know that you’re the boss and in doing so eliminate many behavior problems.

Dogs that are untrained can often get depressed, despondent, and unhappy and display symptoms of anxiety and confusion.

You are actually giving your dog a purpose in life, where they will get pleasure out of the fact that they are pleasing you.

Dogs by nature are curious creatures who get easily bored. If there is not a proper outlet for this boredom they will find something to do. And to a dog who doesn’t know the difference chewing up a shoe or digging holes in the yard is neither good nor bad. It’s just something to do. The more a dog learns to please himself and do whatever he wants the less control his owner will have. A disobedient dog does not just happen; by ignoring, mistreating or being lackadaisical about training him he will learn all sorts of bad behaviors all by himself.

Dogs love to please their owners but without feedback they have no idea if they are doing right or wrong. Everything is the same to them. This is why it is important to praise a dog when they are being obedient. Positive reinforcement is one of the most powerful dog training tools a dog owner can use.

Many people do not realize the amount of work needed to train some of the more amazing dogs they see on TV or here about in news reports. Police dogs, seeing eye dogs, military dogs can take a good year of intense training to get them to the point where they can even start working in that capacity. And their training never stops. Dogs do not come trained and they will not learn simply because they inhabit the same space as their owners. Dogs have no inborn sense of right and wrong; everything is the same to them, unless they are taught.

Dog training is all about teaching a dog good behavior. Repetition is the name of the game when it comes to having an obedient dog. Combined with praise for a job well done a dog will soon learn what its boundaries are and who is actually in charge. The first thing every dog should learn is their name. This is what gets their attention and simply saying it should stop them dead in their tracks from whatever they are doing. From there on a dogs training should be a daily routine; housetraining, sitting, staying, not barking or jumping up on people, these are things that will make life with a dog easier and much more enjoyable.

Now here are some things you should think into before going into leash training which will help you to be more effective in training your dog:

1. You can begin leash training even when your dog is still a puppy. To Start leash training as early as the puppy stage will multiply the effectiveness enormously.

2. Purchase only a good quality of training leash and collar, do take care to ensure the correct size of the collar and the length of the leash. A good training collar is intended to put specific pressure whenever the leash is tightened. The leash must be made with strong material, you would not want to go chasing your dog around with broken leash.

3. Have patient with your dog. Different dogs react differently when they are put on leash for the first time. Some shows no problem while other might struggle at first. You can put on the leash on your dog even when you are not taking your dog for a walk; this will help him to be comfortable moving around with the leash.

4. You must understand that in collar and leash training, the leash become a way of communication and disciplining your dog, once you understand the use of the leash in dog training and you are comfortable in using it, then only you can begin your training effectively.

5. One of the easiest behaviors that you can train your dog with collar and leash training method will be to have your dog move properly on a lead. A well trained dog will be able to meet his pace with yours. You do not have to change your pace but instead your dog will have to adjust to your pace.

During the initial phase of the leash training, it is usual to find that your dog will charge ahead of you or slow down behind. In this case you need to give your dog a tug on the leash to tell him that he needs to adjust his pace. Once your dog reacted well, you need to relieve the pressure as soon as possible to show him that he has done well in obeying your tug.

6. Keep in mind that the leash is just one of the simple tools in dog training. Although the leash is a basic tool that is needed in this kind of training, you must know that there are many more tools out there available and you should make it your goalto learn and achieve the same great result in training your dog as when you are using the leash.

Finally, leash training can never be more effective than when it is implemented with your great relationship with your dog. The end objective is to get your dog to obey you even when they are not on leash. It will be a great attainment when you can just use your own hand or tone of voice to make your dog obey you.

For instance there are some forms of training, such as police or guard dog training, that commonly use playtime after the training session to reinforce what was taught. For the majority of people who are more interested in just basic obedience training small treats work best as a reward when the dog is responding positively to the training. Of course the oldest form of rewards training involves lots of spoken praise and petting to let the dog know they are doing what they are supposed to.

One thing that all good dog trainers know and understand is the negative impact yelling and losing ones temper can do during dog training. This type of behavior on the part of the owner generally will lead to less then desirable results. Maintaining control with a firm, yet calm demeanor will have any dog learning and responding much quicker then using any heavy handed method.

Dogs have been a part of the human world for thousands of years. In that time they have evolved simply to please those who take care of them. Once they know that what they are doing pleases their owner they will continue to exhibit that good behavior. A dog will respond positively to positive reinforcement and the challenge of obedience training is getting the dog to understand what you want him to do. By having him do the same thing repeatedly and rewarding him each time for a job well done you create an understanding and bond that is hard to break.

Reward based dog training should be fun for the dog and his owner. By creating a positive atmosphere for each and every training session your dog will look forward to doing his best to please you. If you create a negative environment with harsh treatment your dog will be less then happy to attempt to learn anything. His fear of being punished will far outweigh his desire to please you.

Consistency in training and the rewards used will create a well behaved, obedient dog that will be a great companion and friend no matter where you go.

It is of course is very easy to became mad and you will give up on your dog , as you will yell at your dog

for the 5th time for going to the bedroom in the house. However there are many tips that can help you , many useful

dog training advices that will make your dog training a lot easier.

There are dozens of articles to read , and classes to take. You may not believe that dog training involves much more

than teaching your dog to go to the bedroom outside. There are other very important factors of having an animal like dog.

You must train your dog not to jump on the furniture . Maybe you want to train them to come , sit and lie next to you . This always come

in handy too.

Well how to do this? And i don not mean those type of training that works 1 out of every 10 times , I mean train your dog for real.

There are many tips to be found on internet. The American kennel club provides some information about dog training

on their website . You can find many books , articles to be read , all with truly helpful dog training tips and methods.

If your found information is to difficult for you , you may take your dog to training school.One of the most important tips for dog training always reward your dog if he completes your commands