You should not EVER hit a dog for any reason at all. Hitting does NOT teach the dog anything other than to fear you, and obedience is born of love, not fear. Not only will hitting not work, but it is completely counterproductive to effective dog training of any kind.

In order to effectively train a dog, you must learn to understand how a dog thinks ? and yes, they DO think.

First of all, dogs are pack animals. That is their nature. Dogs do not expect to live in a democratic society in which everybody gets a vote. From a dog's point of view, it is absolutely essential that the "pack" (and the dog views the family as his pack) have a leader ? a boss ? an ALPHA dog. The alpha dog is in charge of the pack. The alpha dog makes the decisions for the pack and keeps the pack safe. It's a "dog" thing that you do need to understand.

Unless you are the alpha dog, the dog WILL become the alpha dog. He will nip at his other pack members. He may snarl, growl, and otherwise show the others that he IS in charge. So first of all, you must establish your position as alpha dog, but you don't do it by hitting the dog. Hitting is not a language that a dog understands.

When the dog misbehaves or transgresses, simply stop the behavior and roll him over onto his back. Hold him there and stand over him while saying "NO" firmly and in a forceful TONE of voice. Volume doesn't count. The only thing that matters is TONE. The next thing to do is show him what the correct and acceptable behavior is and then lavish praise on him when he complies.

Tags: dog behavior, obedience training for dogs, dog aggression, k 9 training, dog care, puppy training

Technically, there is a difference between a training log and a training journal. Information entered in a training log is just basic information about training times, dates, and exercises. A training journal contains other information, like the way you were feeling that day; the way the dog was feeling; weather conditions, etc. Personally, I think that keeping a kind of combination of a log and journal is most helpful.

A record or history of your training sessions with your dog will prove to be an invaluable tool in future training sessions. A good log/journal combination can help you discover where problems in training come from and even how to correct them. There are many factors that determine the effectiveness of any training session. During some training sessions, it seems that you can't teach as fast as the dog can learn. During other training sessions it seems that no matter how many different ways you go about it, you just can't get the idea across to the dog.

Sometimes, dog training success can be measured in leaps and bounds. But other times, the only way you can actually see any progress is by looking back at where you began. Log/training journals can provide encouragement for you when it seems that you are making no progress at all.

The most important thing that a log/journal can provide for you, though, is a history of training that you can use to plan future training sessions. You can log back at the entries in your log/journal and determine which training techniques worked, which training techniques did not work or which training techniques were the most effective. In short, keeping a good and detailed training log/journal can make you a better and more effective dog trainer.

Tags: dog behaviour training, dog behavior problems, dog care, dog training, dog aggression, k 9 training

Some people will tell you that a puppy needs to be four to four and a half months old before you start training him. Nonsense! Puppies begin learning the moment they are born, and they don't put that learning "on hold" when you adopt them at six weeks old. It is obvious that if the puppy is learning (and he is), then you should be teaching.

Puppies, like all baby creatures, learn through play. Baby wolves learn to sneak up on and pounce on their litter mates so that they can successfully hunt for food when they are grown; but when they are babies, it is all just a game. The same thing is true of puppies ? everything is a game, and every game is a learning experience.

Play with your puppy, but teach him at the same time. For example, the first thing that a puppy needs to learn is that you are the alpha dog. You teach this to the puppy by rolling him over on his back. This isn't a rough game. He just play a tug of war game or whatever and then roll the puppy onto his back.

You teach a puppy not to nip by playing with him and chastising him with a firm "NO" when he does nip and lavishing praise on him when he doesn't. The same thing is true of house training. You give a firm "NO" when he makes a mistake, but pile praise on his little head when he gets it right.

You can train the puppy early to not bark incessantly. When you play with him and he barks, don't laugh because it is cute. Catch his muzzle between your thumb and first finger and say "NO" firmly while giving a closing motion with your other hand. It won't take long for him to get the idea that just barking for fun isn't acceptable.

Tags: dog accessories, dog training, train your puppy, train a dog, dog behavior problems, dog aggression