Dog Training Secrets – What You Should Know

Every dog and every dog owner has his or her own unique dog training challenges.  Each breed of dog has a different temperament as does each individual dog.  And dog owners are no different.  Despite the differences, there are some basic things in common for training all dogs.

No matter why you have a dog, he should at least have some very elementary dog training.  No one wants a dog who isn’t housebroken, who runs away or into the street, who won’t sit, come or stay when you want him to.  Both you and your dog will be happier with a little common ground on obedience training.

One of the first things to take into account when dog training is that dogs are programmed for a world of leaders and followers.  You have to be the leader in your relationship.  Signs of a leader are absolute consistency.  Know what you want your dog to do and keep that constant from day to day and training session to training session.   Don’t shout.  That is a sign that you have lost control.  And keep your dogs attention focused on you during the entire training session.

Attention is the second important thing to keep in mind for dog training and one of the hardest to maintain.  It has been said that ninety percent of dog training is getting and keeping his attention. Dogs are very much like small children and have short attention spans.  Keep training sessions short – 20 minutes is fine, or even a couple of 10 minute sessions.  Work with your dog in a quiet environment that is free of distractions.  Talk to your dog in a quiet voice.  Use his name and explain what you want him to do.  He may understand no more than, “Blah blah blah, Toby”, but your voice will keep him focused in your direction.

Experts have found that positive dog training is more effective that a system of rewards and punishment.  A dog who looks forward to training sessions as fun and full of rewards is a dog who will learn faster and better.  Reward accomplishments with treats or words of praise or pats.  As your dog learns new skills, you can reward him for each step along the way.  If he doesn’t respond the way you want, rethink what you are asking him to do and how you are asking him to do it.  What worked as a dog training method for one dog may not work as well for the next.  Your dog may need to review some more basic dog training lessons before going on to new lessons. Rather than punishment, a stern NO, blocking a movement with your hands, or withholding rewards when he doesn’t perform, and remaining consistent are the best ways to encourage your dog to exhibit the behavior you want.  Remember that it is in his nature (as well as yours) to want to test limits and see how much he can get away with.  Consistency in dog training and rewards are what get positive results, not punishments.

Dogs are very much like us.  They want to follow a leader they respect.  And dog training is just like school.  They like to do things that are fun and make them feel good, where they get rewards for accomplishing what is asked of them.  And they want the same thing their owners want, a happy and safe relationship with the ones they are love.  A little dog obedience training will go a long way in making this happen.

Dog Training – Reward and punishment

Most training revolves around giving the dog consequences for his behaviour, in the hope of influencing the behaviour the dog will exhibit in the future. Operant conditioning defines four types of consequences:

Positive reinforcement adds something to the situation to increase the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again (for example, giving a dog a treat when he sits.)

Negative reinforcement removes something from the situation to increase the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again (for example, releasing the tension on an uncomfortable training collar when the dog stops pulling on the leash).

Positive punishment adds something to the situation to decrease the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again (for example, growling at a misbehaving dog).

Negative punishment removes something from the situation to decrease the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again (for example, walking away from a dog who jumps up).

Most modern trainers say that they use “positive training methods”, which is a different meaning of the word “positive” from that in operant conditioning. “Positive training methods” generally means preferring the use of reward-based training to increase good behavior over that of physical punishment to decrease bad behavior. However, a good trainer understands all four methods, whether or not she can put operant-conditioning terminology to them, and applies them as appropriate for the dog, the breed, the handler, and the situation.

Rewards

Positive reinforcers can be anything that the dog finds rewarding – special food treats, the chance to play with a tug toy, social interaction with other dogs, or the owners attention. The more rewarding a dog finds a particular reinforcer, the more work he will be prepared to do in order to obtain the reinforcer.

Some trainers go through a process of teaching a puppy to strongly desire a particular toy, in order to make the toy a more powerful positive reinforcer for good behaviour. This process is called “building prey drive”, and is commonly used in the training of Narcotics Detection and Police Service dogs. The goal is to produce a dog who will work independently for long periods of time.

Some trainers believe that the toy acts as a positive reinforcer for the desired behavior, when in all likelihood the prey drive works on an entirely different level from standard training and conditioning techniques. This is seen most clearly in the fact that, according to the laws of operant conditioning, positive reinforcers lose their effectiveness if they’re given every single time a dog does what is desired of him; the more predictable the reinforcer, the less reliable the behavior. Yet detection dogs only work well when they are always rewarded with a toy, every single time they find drugs or explosives, etc. The reason for this disparity is that when a dog is trained through the prey drive, the training activates an instinctive, automatic sequence that has to be completed in order for the dog to feel satisfied. That sequence is: search, eye-stalk, chase, grab-bite, and kill bite. So when a dog searches and finds drugs or explosives, he feels he hasn’t finished his job unless he can bite something. This is the primary reason he’s always given the toy. It’s not really a positive reinforcer. If it were it would reduce the reliability of the behavior overall. It’s a means of completing the predatory sequence for the dog.

Punishments

“Positive punishment” is probably the consequence that is least used by modern dog trainers, as it must be used very carefully. A dog is generally only given this type of punishment if it is willfully disobeying the owner. Punishing a dog who does not understand what is being asked of him is not only unfair to the dog, but can make the dog a fearful or unwilling worker.

Punishments are administered only as appropriate for the dog’s personality, age, and experience. A sharp No works for many dogs, but some dogs even show signs of fear or anxiety with harsh verbal corrections. On the other hand, certain dogs with ‘harder’ temperaments may ignore a verbal reprimand, and may work best if the reprimand is coupled with a physical punishment such as a quick tug on a training collar. Trainers generally advise keeping hand contact with the dog to positive interactions; if hands are used to threaten or hurt, some dogs may begin to behave defensively when stroked or handled.

Avoiding punishment

Keeping a puppy on a leash in challenging situations or in his crate or pen when not closely supervised prevents the puppy from getting into situations that might otherwise invite an owner’s harsh reaction (such as chewing up a favorite pair of shoes).

Dog Training for Proper Behavior

Training a dog to act properly has many benefits, for the dogs and their human companions alike.  Dog behavior training is critical in order to prevent such negative behaviors as aggression.  It is important to deal with dog aggression issues by training dogs to interrelate appropriately with other dogs and especially people.

In order to know how to effectively train your dog to be a loyal and eager pet, it is important to know where dogs came from, and how their interaction with each other can affect training.

The first domesticated dogs were likely abandoned wolf puppies taken in by early humans.  These wild dogs were taught to perform tasks that the humans needed assistance with, like guardian territory and frightening potential predators.  Humans in turn provided sanctuary to the dogs, in addition to food and companionship.

This is a kind of connection that continues today.  Many dogs still perform a variety of tasks for their masters, including herding, guarding, and hunting.

Be aware that dogs are instinctively pack creatures before beginning a training program.  In wild dog packs, each member of the pack quickly learns his or her place in the ranking.  Only when the alpha dog dies does the hierarchy ever change once established.  The lower dogs understand that they do not challenge the pack leader, and the alpha dog carries out his duties as pack leader.

The other members of the pack look to the alpha dog for leadership, food, and protection.  Keeping this in mind, it is important for you to be the pack leader when you begin training your dog.

A dog that submits to his human pack leader will respect his commands without question.  Earning your dog’s respect is the first crucial step in effective dog training, and it will lay the groundwork for all succeeding training.

There are many reasons to train a dog properly.  A calm and well-mannered dog is pleasant to be near, both for the dog’s family, and other people he might encounter.  Additionally, being around an obedient dog assuages people’s fears, especially when it comes to more controversial breeds like Rottweilers and Pit Bulls.

Knowing why a dog is exhibiting a negative behavior is important in effectively training and modifying bad behaviors.  For instance, separation anxiety may be the root cause of many bad behaviors chewing and destructive behaviors.  Solving the root cause of the problem will help to eliminate the peripheral behaviors.

Stress and the lack of ability to deal with it can cause a host of unpleasant dog behaviors.  One objective of a high-quality dog training program is to help the dog to endure stress without exhibiting negative behaviors.

It is important to differentiate human behavior and dog behavior when training and working through bad behaviors.  Dogs and humans have different motivations and reactions, so avoid the temptation to see your dog as human, and react on that impulse.

One thing the humans and dogs have in common is their sociability and the need to form close groups and strong bonds.  While the bonding is very important to dogs and humans, it has served very different purposes in the evolution of each species over time.

Dog Training Career: What is Involved?

A dog training career may be just right for you, if you love working with dogs.  Dogs of all ages, from puppies to older dogs, need training, and their owners often don’t know how to train them.  They look for a professional dog trainer to do the job.

If you are thinking of a dog training career, you might want to start by practicing on your own dog.  If you are good at training your dog, you might be good at training other people’s dogs.  But if training your dog leaves you frustrated and drained, then becoming a dog trainer might not be the best career for you.

When you are training dogs, you are actually training the owners more than the dogs, so you need to be good with people to consider a dog training career.  People are not at their best when they are frustrated or embarrassed by their dog’s behavior.  Will you be able to deal with these distraught owners calmly, while at the same time tending to their dogs?  Give this some thought.

Consider volunteering to help out at a dog training class at your local shelter.  You will get a feel for what is involved in a dog training career.  If you are good, the teacher may let you teach a segment of the class.  This will be your trial by fire. If you do a good job, then you can move forward with your training.

You can prepare for a dog training career in several ways.

1. Attend a school specifically for those interested in a dog training career.  There are many schools and seminars available. Be sure to get lots of hands on training.

2. Become an intern or apprentice to a dog trainer in your area.  This way, you can learn dog training on the job.

3. Become a certified dog trainer.  Do a search on the internet for dog training certification programs.

Once you have the proper education in dog training, starting your business should be easy.  Decide if you want to work with individual clients in their homes or offer dog training classes.  It is a good idea to offer a combination of both.  By advertising your dog training classes, people who want individual help training their dogs will hear about you too.  Soon your dog training career will be off to a great start.

Check around in your area for facilities where you can hold the dog training classes.  Often the local humane society will have space for classes, or you could check with dog day care facilities.  In warm weather, you may be able to hold your classes outdoors.

Advertise your services by leaving brochures about your training program with veterinarians, dog supply stores, and pet shelters.  This way, your advertising will not cost you much.

Congratulations!  You have followed the steps above and have a thriving dog training career.  You love dogs and are working with them every day.  For a dog lover and a natural teacher, you have found the ideal business to be in.

Dog Training and Your Relationship With Your Dog

My best friend is incredible! She’s one of those rare types who hangs on every word you say. She’s content to be quiet when I need stillness, even though she’s one of those high-drive types. All I have to do is call and she’s there in an instant, no matter what she was doing before. She puts me ahead of all her other friends, never fails to make me feel special, and is a redhead just like me. But she’s not a person, even though she’s sure she is. She is a butterfly dog; a Papillon.

When I brought this eight-week-old bundle of joy home, I didn’t know what to call her. I’m not very good at naming anything, so I usually just observe for a couple of weeks and let the animal name itself by its personality. This puppy’s name became evident in nothing flat: Tazzie. She whirled around the house, jumping up on furniture five times her size, zooming and zipping and totally charming me. She was, indeed, a Tasmanian devil pup. I quickly realized the athleticism of this dog and knew I’d have to find her a “job” when she got a little older. High-drive dogs, that don’t have “jobs,” will certainly find other outlets for their energy and those outlets aren’t usually things you would enjoy!

You already have a burning love for your puppy, but what is your relationship like? Does it come when you call it? Does it sit or lay or stay? From your first class, at your dog training school, your relationship with your dog begins to change. I will warn you, however, that anything you want to teach your dog won’t come just with a once-a-week class, even if you have the best dog training school in the world. You have to practice with them, just a little bit, every day.

Tazzie was a very food-motivated dog, so the fact that she got food every time she did something right made training a blast for her, all by itself. And this happened every day! Bonus! She made fast friends at her new dog training school, so going to class was fun as well. She got to where she would whine, as soon as we pulled in the parking lot, until I finally got her out of that car.

So now you’re taking your dog to classes in a place they love, and you’re working with them every day. During that time, you’re paying complete attention to them, teaching them to pay complete attention to you, and they get their favorite food as icing on the cake. This does incredible things for the bond between you and your dog. They learn to focus on you, no matter what, and good things will come. They get praised and fed, or praised and allowed to tug on a toy, whichever motivates the dog more, so your relationship can’t help but blossom.

Ever since Tazzie and I started training together, she has claimed me as her own. When my other two dogs want to sit on my lap, she’ll push them out of the way to get the best spot because, I am her property, as far as she’s concerned. I do give the other dogs personal time as well, but I have to put her in a sit/stay or a down/stay so she’ll let them come get love.

She is, by far, the one I can trust the most, not only because of her training, but from the bond we gained through the training. She never takes her eyes off of me, since we began at our dog training school, and it serves us well in the agility ring!

If you want to forever alter and solidify the bond you share with your dog, find yourself a good dog training school, for whatever discipline you prefer, and go for it. With a little time, money, and patience, your relationship will become a forever relationship. If you do, your dog will turn out to be your best friend too!

Dog Training – The Best Method To Train Your Dog Fast Without Touching Them

Reward training is often seen as the most modern method of training a dog, but reward training is probably much older than other methods of dog training.  It is possible that reward training for dogs has been around as long as there have been dogs to train.  Early humans probably used some informal kind of reward training when taming the wolf pups that eventually evolved into modern dogs.

Many principles of modern reward training date back many decades.  However, what is called reward training today has only enjoyed is remarkable popularity for the past 10 or 15 years.

Many reward training enthusiasts are less enthusiastic about other methods of dog training, such as the traditional leash and collar method.  However, the best approach to training any individual dog is often a combination of leash/collar training and reward training.

In addition, a training method that works perfectly for one dog may be totally inappropriate for another, and vice versa.  Some dogs respond wonderfully to reward training and not at all to leash and collar training, while others respond to leash/collar training and are not at all motivated by reward training.  Most dogs fall somewhere in the middle of these two extremes.

Clicker training is one of the most popular forms of reward training these days.  While clicker training is not the answer for every dog, it can be a remarkably effective method of training many dogs.  In clicker training, the dog is taught to associate a clicking sound with a reward, like a treat.  The trainer clicks the clicker when the dog does something good, followed immediately by a treat.  Eventually, the dog learns to respond to the clicker alone.

Most reward training uses some sort of food reward, or a reward that is associated with getting food.  In most cases, complex behaviors can only be taught using this kind of positive reinforcement, and you will find that the people who train dogs for movies and television use reward training almost exclusively.

Reward training is used in all forms of dog training, including police work and military applications.  Most scent detection, tracking and police dogs are trained using some form of reward training.  Reward training is also a very effective way to teach many basic obedience commands.

Reward training often incorporates the use of a lure in order to get the dog into the position desired by the trainer.  The lure is used to get the dog to perform the desired behavior on his or her own and of his or her own free will.

It makes a great deal of sense to get the dog to perform the desired behavior without any physical intervention on the part of the handler.  Getting the dog to perform a behavior without being touched is important.

After the dog has performed the desired behavior, it is given a reward, also called a positive reinforcement.  Treats are often used as reinforcers, but praise, such as “good dog” or a pat on the head, can also be effective rewards.

Making a dog that has been reward trained a reliable dog is important, especially when the dog has an important job, like police work or drug detection, to do.  For that reason it is important to get the dog accustomed to working around distractions, and to properly socialize the animal to both people and other animals.

Many dog trainers make the mistake of only training the dog inside the house or back yard, and only when the handler is there.  In order to become a reliably trained companion, the dog must be taken outside the confines of its safety zone and introduced to novel situations.

It is also important to teach the dog to pay attention to the handler at all times.  Having the attention of the dog means having control of the dog.  Reward training is very effective at getting the respect and the attention of the dog when used properly.

Dog Training – The Basic Commands

There are of course many reasons for owners to want a calm, obedient and faithful dog.  For one thing, obedient and trained dogs are happier dogs, less likely to get into tussles with people or with other dogs.  Another reason is that many communities require that the dogs living in their neighborhoods be well trained.  This is especially true for many breeds thought to have aggression and behavior problems – dog breeds like pit bulls and rottweilers for instance.

And of course, training your dog well will also make he or she a much better family companion, especially in households where there are young children.  Many studies have shown that proper dog training makes a big impact when it comes to cutting down the number of dog bits and other behavior problems encountered by dog owning households.

When considering training your own dog, or having someone else help you train it, there are certain basic commands that must be mastered in order for a dog to be considered truly trained.  These basic commands include:

Heel – it is important that any dog learn to walk beside its owner on a loose lead, neither pulling ahead nor lagging behind

Respond to the word No – the word no is one word that all dogs must learn.  Training your dog to respond to this important word can save you a ton of trouble.

Sit – Training your dog to sit on command is a vital part of any dog training program.

Stay – A well trained dog should remain where his or her owner commands, so stay is a very important command in dog training.

Down – Lying down on command is more than just a cute trick; it is a key component of any successful dog training program.

Dog training does much more than just create an obedient, willing companion.  Training your dog properly actually strengthens the bond that already exists between dog and handler.  Dogs are pack animals, and they look to their pack leader to tell them what to do.  The key to successful dog training is to set yourself up as that pack leader.

Establishing yourself as pack leader is a very important concept for any potential dog trainer to understand.  There is only one leader in every pack of dogs, and the owner must establish him or herself as the dominant animal.  Failure to do so leads to all manner of behavior problems.

A properly trained dog will respond properly to all the owner’s commands, and will not display anxiety, displeasure or confusion.  A good dog training program will focus on allowing the dog to learn just what is expected of it, and will use positive reinforcement to reward desired behaviors.

In addition to making the dog a good member of the community, obedience training is a great way to fulfill some of the dog’s own needs, including the need for exercise, the security that comes with knowing what is expected of it, a feeling of accomplishment and a good working relationship with its handler.  Dog training gives the dog an important job to do, and an important goal to reach.

Giving the dog a job is more important than you may think.  Dogs were originally bred by humans to do important work, such as herding sheep, guarding property and protecting people.  Many dogs today have no important job to do, and this can often lead to boredom and neurotic behavior.

Basic obedience training, and ongoing training sessions, provide the dog with an important job to do.  This is especially important for high energy breeds like German shepherds and border collies.  Training sessions are a great way for these high energy dogs to use up their extra energy and simply to enjoy themselves.

Incorporating playtime into your dog training sessions is a great way to prevent both yourself and your dog from becoming bored.  Playing with your dog helps to strengthen the all important bond between you – the pack leader – and your dog.

Dog Training – Teaching Your Puppy to Accept His Collar and Leash

Learning to walk on a collar and leash is the basis of all further training for every puppy.  Until the puppy has learned to accept the collar and leash, it will be impossible to perform any additional training.

The first step toward getting the puppy to accept the collar and leash is to find a collar that fits the dog properly.  It is important that the collar be neither too light or too heavy, neither too thin nor too thick.  A collar that is too light for the dog can be easily broken, while a collar that is too heavy may be uncomfortable for the puppy to wear.  It is also important that the width of the color be appropriate for the size of the dog.

Determining the proper length of the collar is relatively easy.  Simply wrap a tape measure or a string lightly around the dog’s neck to get an accurate measurement.  It is important that the tape measure not be tight, just slightly snug.

Most collars are sized in two inch increments, so you may have to round up to get a properly sized collar.  For instance, if the dog has a 13” neck, you would buy a 14” collar, and so on.

After you have purchased the perfect collar, the next step is to put it on the dog and allow him to wear it around the house. Do not be dismayed if the dog whines, paws at the collar or otherwise tries to remove it.  This is normal, and the dog should not be punished for it.  It is best to simply ignore the dog and allow him to work out his own issues with the collar.

The dog should be allowed to wear the collar 24 hours a day for a number of days to get used to the feel of the collar on his neck.  After the dog is accepting the collar well, it is time to start introducing the leash.  A lightweight leash works best for this process.  Simply attach the leash to the dog’s collar and allow him to walk around the house with it.  The dog should of course be supervised during this process in order to make sure he does not get the leash caught on anything.  Getting the leash caught or snagged could frighten the dog and create a leash phobia that will be hard to overcome.

In the beginning, the leash should only be attached for a few minutes at a time.  It is important to attach the leash at happy times, such as playtime, meal time, etc.  It is important for the dog to associate the leash with happy things.  When the leash is not attached to the dog, it is a good idea to keep it near the dog’s food and water bowls.  The dog should be encouraged to investigate the leash, and to discover that it is not something to fear.

After the dog is used to walking around with the leash attached, take the end of the leash in your hand and just hold it.  Allow the dog to walk around.  If the dog bumps into the end of the leash, just allow the dog to react and move as he desires.  The goal of this exercise is to simply allow the dog to get used to the feel of the collar and the leash.

It is important to allow the puppy plenty of time to get used to wearing the collar and leash before ever attempting to lead the puppy.  It is best to perform this exercise in the home or other environment where the puppy feels safe and secure.  After the puppy is comfortable and content walking on the leash in the home, it can slowly be taken outside.  It is best to make these outside trips very short at the beginning, and to lengthen them slowly over time.  Some puppies take to the collar and leash immediately, while others may require some additional time.

Dog Training: Teaching Puppy Not to Jump or Bite

You finally have your adorable, cuddly new puppy.  You are happy to have him and he is happy to have a family.  But wait – it’s just the beginning.  There are 2 behaviors you need to deal with almost immediately – jumping on people and biting.

Jumping on people

This is a problem that you or others might inadvertently encourage.  He is so little and cute, that little tail is wagging and, after all, isn’t socialization and getting used to people important?  Of course socialization and getting used to people is crucial but allowing him to jump on people isn’t the way to do it.Imagine your cute, little puppy as a full grown 80 – 100 pound dog.  Will it be so cute when he jumps on people then?  No and it will be dangerous if he jumps on children or small adults because he could easily knock them down.

The best time to take care of this is, of course, when he is a puppy.  When the puppy jumps up on you or someone else, gently place the puppy’s feet back on the floor. When he remains standing there, be sure to praise him extensively.  Give him an alternative to jumping up.  Puppies jump up on people to express their enthusiasm, so it is important to redirect this energy in a more socially acceptable direction.  Try teaching the puppy to present his paw instead of jumping up.  When teaching the puppy to not jump up on people, it is important to be consistent.  Consistency is important in any training program, and all members of the family as well as friends must understand that the puppy is not permitted to jump on them – ever.

Biting

Biting is one of those things that every puppy seems to do, and every puppy must be taught not to do.  Like many behaviors, such as jumping up on people, biting and nipping can seem cute when the puppy is small, but much less so as he gets older, larger and stronger.

Left to their own devices, most puppies learn to control their biting reflex from their mothers and from their littermates.  When the puppy becomes overenthusiastic, whether when nursing or playing, the mother dog, or the other puppies, will quickly issue a correction.

Unfortunately, this type of natural correction often does not occur, since many puppies are removed from their mothers when they are still quite young.  It is therefore up to you to take over this important process.

Socializing the puppy with other dogs and puppies is one of the best and most effective ways to teach the puppy the appropriate, and non appropriate way to bite, and to curb the biting response.

Many communities and pet stores sponsor puppy playtime and puppy kindergarten classes, and these classes can be great places for puppies to socialize with each other, and with other humans and animals as well.  As the puppies play with each other, they will naturally bite and nip each other.  When one puppy becomes too rough or bites too hard, the other puppies will quickly respond by correcting him.

The best time for this socialization of the puppy to occur is when it is still young.  It is vital that every dog be properly socialized, since a poorly socialized dog, or worse, one that is not socialized at all, can become dangerous and even neurotic.  Most experts recommend that puppies be socialized before they have reached the age of 12 weeks, or three months.

Another reason for socializing the puppy early is that mothers of young children may be understandably reluctant to allow their young children to play with older or larger dogs.  Since socializing the dog with other people is just as important as socializing it with other dogs, it is best to do it when the puppy is still young enough to be non threatening to everyone.

It is important for the puppy to be exposed to a wide variety of different stimuli during the socialization process.  The socialization process should include exposing the puppy to a wide variety of other animals, including other puppies, adult dogs, cats and other domestic animals.  In addition, the puppy should be introduced to as wide a cross section of people as possible, including young children, older people, men, women and people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.

While socialization is very important to providing the puppy with life lessons and preventing him from biting, it is not the only method of preventing unwanted biting and mouthing.  Giving the puppy appropriate things to play with and bite is another good way to control inappropriate biting.  Providing a variety of chew toys, ropes and other things the puppy can chew is important to preventing boredom, keeping his teeth polished and keeping him from chewing things he should not.

As with any training, it is important to be consistent when teaching the puppy not to bite.  Every member of the family, as well as close friends who may visit, should all be told that the puppy is to be discouraged from biting.  If one person allows the puppy to chew on them while everyone else does not, the puppy will quickly become confused, and that can make the training process much more difficult than it has to be.

Dog Training – How To Stop Possessiveness With Food

Though sometimes would like to believe otherwise, food is a dog’s first priority, so the first step to successful training is to establish yourself as the leader, this can be acheived by showing him that he can only have his food at your discretion and command. Give him his dinner, allow him to eat for a few seconds, then take his bowl away from him. Use an appropriate sound each time you do so, such as “leave” or “stop”, and keep the bowl for a few seconds.Provided he didn’t show any aggression as you removed the bowl, tell him how ‘good boy’,give it back and allow him to continue eating. Repeat this two or three times during each meal for a few days, then once or twice a week for a few weeks.

Some dogs are never possessive with their food, but you may find if your dog came from a large litter, the only way he could obtain his share of the food was to threaten his brothers and sisters. Finding this action acheived the desired result (getting more food),he may well try it with you.If you don’t sort this out very early on, this possessiveness will transfer to other things, such as bones, toys, furniture and so on, perhaps even to other members of the family.

To stop him being aggressive with his food, don’t give him possession of it! By this I mean feed him by hand for a couple of weeks. Prepare his food in the bowl as usual, but don’t put the bowl on the floor for him. Simply feed him a handful at a time. The bowl of food on the floor almost instinctively makes him want to guard it, so if he is not put in this position of needing to guard, he will not bite!

Feeding by hand also helps if your dog is dominant in other areas. It makes him completely reliant on you for the most important thing in his life,his food,and this will reinforce your position of pack leader, as he is only receiving the food from you and not from the bowl. You can also use this period of hand feeding to your benefit by making him perform some minor order from you for some of the food. Get him to sit first before one handful, or to lie down for the next, and so on. Don’t make him run around for the food as this could cause digestive upsets.

You will find that after a couple weeks of this regime, his general attitude over possessions will change. You can then try giving him his food in a bowl again, and, provided there is no sign of aggression, continue to feed him normally.

For dogs that are food possessive, do not give them bones or toys, as they will attempt to guard these in the same way. Once the food possession has been sorted out, you can try introducing a toy, but make sure the dog understands that it is your toy, and he is only allowed to play with it with you, and when you decide the game is to end, you must end up with the toy.

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