5 Top Tips to Golden Retriever Training
Digging in Golden Retriever is Normal
Golden retrievers are one of the most popular breeds with dog owners. They are adorable in appearance and they have a very amiable temperament. They do well when in the company of strangers and other dogs. Keeping a golden retriever as a pet can be a very fulfilling and meaningful experience for you. Many proud owners like to enter their golden puppies in show competitions too. Here are five tips about golden retriever training that you should keep in mind.
Compliment and Reprimand Your Dog
During the golden retriever training, it is important that you praise your dog when it is displaying good behavior. If he successfully fetches you an object, you must praise him immediately. Conversely, when he makes a mistake such as chewing your shoes, you need to reprimand him for it. Your compliments and reprimands should come immediately after he has displayed a certain behavior. There Read more…
German Shepherd Training
German Shepherds are one of the most highly intelligent of all dogs. They also love to please their owners. This can make training these dogs a pleasure. When it comes to German Shepherd training there are a few things to keep in mind that sets them apart from other dogs, however.
Training Your German Shepherd
Your German Shepherd likes to be in charge but he also respects authority. For this reason you and your German Shepherd should come to an understanding from the start that you are in charge. If it seems to your dog that no one is in control then your German Shepherd will step up and take charge. This is a bad situation for you. So do make it clear to your dog that you are a strong authority figure in your household. Read more…
Adult Dog Training
You may think that if you don’t start training your dog as a puppy that it’s too late to train him. Nothing could be further from the truth! It’s really never too late to train your dog. Adult dog training can be very successful. There’s no reason why your adult dog can’t learn anything you want to teach him.
Training Options
If you would like to train your adult dog you can choose from a couple of different options. Some people prefer to sign up for dog training classes. These classes are usually offered in most cities and towns by pet stores, kennel clubs, animal shelters or by private trainers at dog training centers. Classes are usually divided into sections for puppies and sections for adult dogs. A typical class will last six to eight weeks and cover lessons such as teaching your dog to sit, stand, stay, lie down, walk on a leash and heel.
If you plan to attend a dog training class you should find out ahead of time what kind of training the trainer teaches. There are several different dog training methods and you may not like all of them.
Training Methods
There are currently three popular dog training methods used by dog trainers. You may find that you like one of them more than others.
Positive reinforcement is based on rewarding your dog for doing things that you want him to do and largely ignoring things that fall short of what you ask him to do. For instance, if you tell your dog to sit and he looks at you, you would do nothing. But as soon as your dog makes some movement toward sitting you would praise him and perhaps give him a treat to encourage him to sit. That’s a simplistic example, but it is one scenario. Clicker training is one kind of positive reinforcement.
Dog whispering is another popular training approach right now. Dog whispering is not very useful with obedience training but it is often used with behavioral training. Dog whispering, of course, has been made very popular by trainer Cesar Millan through his television program. Dog whispering is the theory that dogs follow wolf behavior and that, in order to shape their behavior, owners need to be the dominant pack member. Critics of dog whispering claim that it is often unnecessarily rough on dogs so you should consider this before signing up for any class that uses dog whispering as its basis.
The other kind of dog training method that is used is referred to as traditional dog training. It is sometimes called Kohler dog training because of the man who originated it decades ago. This training involves the use of a choke chain and using it to make corrective jerks. If you took a dog training class between 1950 and 1990 it’s likely that this method was used and it is still used by some trainers today. This method does use corrections and punishment which critics object to. It relies a great deal on repetition.
Training At Home
Besides taking classes with your dog for adult dog training you also have the option of training your dog at home. If you train at home you can teach your dog all of the things that you would learn in a class. The difference is that you would be on your own to work out any problems. On the other hand, you could move at your own pace and devote your full attention to your dog. So, there are pros and cons to training at home.
If you have a good book on obedience training or a good video/DVD by a good trainer, there’s no reason why you can’t successfully train your dog yourself at home.
Golden Retriever Training
If you have a Golden Retriever then you probably already know that your dog can be a handful. They may be affectionate and loving and completely charming but your Golden Retriever will continue to act like a puppy for years. He needs some training to be a good member of the family. Here are some suggestions to help make your Golden Retriever training a little easier.
Training Your Golden Retriever
Although your Golden Retriever is exceptionally bright, he may act like a puppy much of the time. He’s probably bouncy and enthusiastic and will continue to behave this way well into middle age. Your dog’s energy is great for training purposes. It can make him enthusiastic about training. Fortunately, although he may act like a puppy, he is still smart enough to focus and learn fast when it comes to training.
Goldens are often used Read more…