About Teaching Your Dogs Good Behavior

1. ABOUT TEACHING YOUR DOGS GOOD BEHAVIOR There are many reasons that people keep dogs. Some are meant as companions for single or lonely people. Some are pets that grow up with a family’s children, others are used to assist the police in their day-to-day activities. Whatever the reason for keeping a dog, everybody will agree that an un-behaved dog causes problems, much as a child that does not respect boundaries. To prevent unpleasant experiences, everyone knows, it is best to train your dog, or to have it trained by someone such as a professional dog trainer or animal behaviourist that may specialize in dog training. These people have the experience of working with many dogs, they understand patterns, they know breeds and personalities and they know how to work with the nervous, sensitive dog as much as they can train a boisterous, outgoing animal. Good trainers have seen it all and they know how to make sure your dog benefits from the specific training they are offered. These professionals offer their training based on tried and tested methods and those tools that are known for offering success. Some may use basic teaching methods, others very advanced systems that include, for example, modern tech such as GPS-enabled devices that track your dogs’ movements, or devices and leashes that the dog recognizes and responds to with wagging tail as it means they’re going for a walk.

2. Training has a lot, if not everything, to do with reinforcing positive behavior to ensure the dog goes on behaving well. Trainers understand dogs and will, therefore, make use of those tools and materials that they know will best support the training they offer the dogs that come to them – or that they visit at the owner’s home or other premises. Therefore they use those methods which have been developed to show results, also with regard to your specific dog, its breed, temperament and size – and the reason you have it, be it as an ordinary house pet, or as a working dog. These are professionals that know what they do as they work with dogs every day, training them acceptable and desired behaviour. The other option, of course, is to undertake the training of your animal yourself, which is not really recommended for the working animal as these dogs are trained according to specific methodology. If you want to train your house pet, most of the following tips can be quite useful to makes sure your dog is obedient and responds positively to training. 1. For example, positive reinforcement is a great way to ensure your dog will exhibit good behavior every time: reward their good behavior with a small treat. It reinforces good behavior and teaches the dog that you are pleased with certain behaviours. Of course if it behaves in an unacceptable manner, keep back the treat, or remove a toy, or show with body language you are not happy, even though you have to be careful not to create emotional distance between you and the animal. • 2. Let the dog understand he/she is the animal and lower in rank than the humans in their home or environment, and that the only time they are allowed to take the role of the leader of the pack is when danger threatens the safety and harmony in their environment. This is achieved by studying and understanding the dog’s body language and responding accordingly: the human should show confidence and •

3. authority and eat first (before the animal), walk first into a room, and leave it first too, also when the animal is on a leash - the human should lead. This type of training is often referred to as alpha or dominance training and was popularized by dog expert Cesar Milan. • 3. Forge a strong bond with your dog as per the so-called relationship based training method. The relationship between animal and owner is important and is created by the owner that reads his/her dog’s body language correctly and understands what motivates the animal’s behavior and what positive reinforcement is applicable in their animal’s case. The owner shows lots of patience, also when the dog’s behavior is not acceptable. This method takes time, more than most others, for the desired outcome, since it asks for lots of patience from the owner. In the end this approach may lead to a deep, lasting understanding between dog and owner and build their relationship on mutual trust, love and respect. The above are mere tips, and every owner may know what works best for them and their animals. What is important though, is to accept that training of some kind is essential. DOGTRA Astute trainers with proper training tools are the key to unleashing your dog’s potential. For over 30 years Dogtra has collaborated with industry professionals to create class- leading tools for e-collar training, GPS tracking, and ball training to support dog owners in developing top-notch dogs. Trusted by professional dog trainers, K-9 officers and hunters, Dogtra enhances your training journey with durable training products, equipped with patented accurate and intuitive control to ensure the best experience. Join us, and together we can make every dog exceptional.