Remote & Positive Dog Training

Introduction

Hello and welcome. We are really pleased that you have joined us here, at Pets Please, to learn how to train your dog in a kind and positive manner.

What a great way to start a brand new year.

The idea with good dog training is to really understand the dog in your home as the species that he is. Let’s face it dogs are wonderful, easy going, loyal and more than happy to be our family and best friends. The idea behind the creation of the next few weeks is that you begin to understand your dog better, for the animal that he is, and also learn to communicate with him in a language that he understands.

When we appreciate our resident dog for the animal that he has evolved into and apply our teaching directly to the way that he learns, based on kind scientific findings, we can have the best relationship ever with the canine within the home.

The next few weeks are going to show you the best approach when teaching your dog anything new, show you how he learns and help you to teach basic commands whilst also helping you to understand how your dog interprets everything in his life. From good understanding comes great dog training and from kind communication comes excellent canine behavior.

Whether you have a new puppy or an older dog you will benefit from this learning opportunity. We look forward to the next few weeks and to seeing your shared experiences when you play the games that we include, this is going to be fun!

The first and most important thing we need to talk about is your experience of dog training so far and how it fits with our plans.

In 2015 there are two commonly used methods of dog training. We are going to use the second one but it’s important that you know about both;

Method One Pack Leadership

Made more popular by a common TV show ‘The Dog Whisperer’ is the pack leadership theory of dog training. We won’t use this though, we will use the positive reinforcement dog training method instead, as it is based on scientific research into the minds of our dogs.

Method Two - Positive Reinforcement

Although loosely termed positive reinforcement this method of dog training is actually far more than that. A dog trainer or behaviorist that uses positive training has put time and effort into learning exactly how the dog’s mind works. They then catering their training to this.

This method is based on scientific findings, observation based learning and trial and error practice with dogs.

The reason that positive reinforcement works so well is that it communicates to the dog exactly what you would like, in a language that he truly understands, and this communication makes learning easy for him and training easy for you.

We will talk through positive reinforcement in far more detail as we work through the weeks and you start to get a really good grip of training, understanding and communicating with your dog in the best way possible.

At this point it’s important to ask yourself what dog training methods that you have experienced so far in your life, how it has made you feel and what you think about it after reading this information. Then let us know your thoughts – we would love to hear them!

Making a Plan – Starting a Journal

Whether you have a new puppy on the way, an older dog that needs some training, or even an old dog (yes they can, and will love to, be taught new tricks) the first thing to do is determine your training goals.

So take some time, make out a basic list of how you would like to change the behavior of your dog. It really doesn’t matter whether you want to teach impressive tricks, use your dog’s mind to keep him young and mentally active or reign in a crazy adolescent pup. What does matter is that you know what you want to achieve over the next few weeks. Then as our part of the bargain we will help you to achieve it.

The best way to success is to write things down, so start a journal with your goals at the beginning. Then as the weeks go on you can note down improvement and learning curves. Whether you write in a book, start a blog, or simply fill in a notebook on your pc a dog training journal is something that will help you to succeed. We would love to hear your goals, or at least the main thing you would like to achieve! So do share them with us.

This week I would also like you to think, plan and get your clicker and plenty of treats ready because next week we will begin clicker training and it’s going to be fun!

GO TO WEEK 2