Advice: Dogs: Basic Training

Advice on Animals

Dogs: Basic Training

There are reviews of several good books on dog training and behaviour in Books on Animals.

'Running Dog', watercolour by David Simon.
Taking dogs to sporting events can help with their training
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Training is about more than teaching a few commands, or spending an hour a week at training classes, because your dog is learning all the time he interacts with you. This means you can teach your dog all sorts of things, some good, some bad, without realising it. Training involves becoming aware of how your dog understands you, and how to send him the right messages to get him to do what you want.

Why bother to train a dog?

Many of us grew up in households with untrained dogs, and we managed, somehow…or did we? All too often, untrained dogs get run over, or bite people. So training can save dogs' lives, and make life easier for humans. It's also fun. It means that you gain a better understanding of your companion, and get more out of the relationship. And specialist-trained dogs can save lives, like dogs trained to warn people of an epileptic attack.

What are the basics every dog should know?

Dogs need to learn how to be well-mannered with people, especially children. They shouldn't bite, or jump up. The basic commands of 'sit' and 'stay' are also very useful, because you can build on them, for example getting your dog to sit and stay when visitors come to the house. 'Lie down' is another basic command - it is easier to get a dog to stay if he is lying down than if he is sitting. And some level of recall is important. You may not be able to get your dog to come back when he has rushed after a cat, but you should be able to call him to you before he has noticed the cat!

What qualities do I need to be a good dog trainer?

Three qualities to develop in yourself are patience, persistence, and consistency. Sometimes you can get instant results, but often teaching a dog skills and behaviour takes time. For example, teaching herding dogs to sit when there are joggers about isn't easy. Try taking your dog on a leash to watch soccer matches, athletics or other sports, just ten minutes every time there's an event on where you can be a casual spectator. Be patient, and persistent and you should see more of an improvement than if you lose patience and shout at the dog!

Dogs behave better if their humans are even-tempered and patient. Dogs can get stressed if their humans start to rant, and they are more likely to feel safe with and trust a calm, patient human. A methodical study of what triggers bad behaviour can help you learn to 'read' your dog for signs that he plans to misbehave, and link these signs with situations that seem to trigger the behaviour. This helps you spot potential problems and avoid trouble before the dog has even thought of misbehaving.

It helps to be consistent so that it's clear to the dog what you want him to do. Ideally, all humans in the household, should have the same rules about behaviour, such as jumping on furniture. It also helps if you always use the same commands. Dogs can learn a variety of commands for the same action (such as 'down', or 'off' for getting off the couch), but they are likely to learn faster if everyone uses the same commands all the time.

What special training needs do pups have?

The first thing a pup should learn is not to bite people! It is so easy to teach a pup bite inhibition, and much more difficult with an older dog. There are various ways to teach a pup not to bite, such as distracting him with an object that he is permitted to chew, or walking away and ignoring the pup. Very often owners find this is a little slow, and an effective way to stop playbiting is to blow a gentle raspberry at the pup's face, just when he is starting to gnaw you. Do this when the pup is fairly relaxed, so more responsive, eg when he is on your lap, and follow it with a long, calming stroke when the pup has stopped gnawing you. The usual response is for pup to try again, and if you repeat the raspberry, the pup should then stop and lick you. Children should be warned that it is not nice for the pup to have loud splattering raspberries blown on all occasions - it's better for grown-ups to do this, and only when pup is relaxed, as kids can get carried away, and pups might just get more excitable if they are already manic.

Never let people roughhouse your pup and encourage him to bite - this is just creating problems for later! You need to be able to examine your pup for burrs, matted fur and small injuries, so practise doing this gently with soothing words. If he thinks being rolled over means a roughhousing, playbiting session, you'll have trouble examining him when he is an adult.

Pups also need to learn to wear a collar and go out on a lead. They will dance about at first, and try to play tug of war with the lead. Just call pup to distract him, and get him to sit before moving on. If he pulls, stand still and call him back to you, or call him back and walk backwards. In time he'll learn to walk nicely. Meanwhile, walks can be a little slow as he gets used to the lead.

Games are a very good way to teach pups. You can combine tug games, which pups usually love, with teaching the 'drop' command (try a titbit to get pup to drop the tug at first). When pup has let go, throw the tug as a reward. Pup should then bring back the tug for more fun, so you are teaching retrieve skills as well. You can gently restrain pup and say 'stay' when you throw the tug, then let go and say 'fetch', to teach him only to go after an object when you give permission. After a while you can try throwing the tug with a 'stay' command without restraining him, going back to the gentle restraint if he doesn't stay.

Why is socialisation important for pups?

Pups need to be socialized, to learn how to interact with other dogs and humans. Well-behaved calm adult dogs are good allies for helping to socialise pups. Some dogs are happy to be uncle or auntie, and will be very tolerant of pups, just giving them a brief telling off if the pup goes too far - tries to mount them, for example. Other dogs are nervous of pups, so do check with owners before letting your treasure approach a new dog, and watch the dog for signs of nervousness, like backing away. You may be lucky enough to find a walking companion with a calm, well-behaved dog, and if so, your pup will learn how to behave with other dogs you meet from his canine companion.

Pups need to get to know all kinds of people while they are young - including children, men with walking sticks, and paperboys with bicycles and bags. so that you can teach good manners while the pup is young enough to learn easily. You can reward pup for sitting quietly while you are talking to someone, and make sure that his admirers only pet him when he has all four paws on the ground. Make sure you have plenty of visitors, and get them to cuddle your pup after he has settled a bit, rather than instantly, so he learns that a manic greeting does not bring rewards. Ask any visitors who feel comfortable with dogs to groom him, and gently look at his paws, teeth and ears, combining this with long, soothing strokes, so he learns to behave well when being handled by other people.

It's easier on the pup to build up exposure to stimuli gradually - get him used to one, well-behaved child, for example, before exposing him to a play area where there are many children running around shrieking. Don't fuss him or force him if he panics, just try going back to a level of stimuli that he can handle, and rewarding him when he is calm, with praise, cuddles or titbits.

You can use the same sorts of principles with all sorts of stimuli you want the pup to get used to, like vacuum cleaners, horses, and motor bikes. Try to get your pup to experience as many different situations and stimuli as possible, getting him to associate them with nice experiences. Let him sniff a stationary bike, for example, and talk to a biker with a helmet on, who offers him titbits. Wait until he has got used to bikes at a distance before exposing him to the sound of a bike being started up near him.

Sometimes adult dogs need to be socialised, for example if they have never met other dogs or children. You will need to be cautious, because adult dogs can get into fights, or startle children, but the principles are the same. Take it gradually, perhaps letting your dog observe other dogs from a safe distance, again using calm, well-behaved dogs for your first interactions. Try to enlist help from children if your dog is nervous of little people, and ask them to walk past quietly, and say hello using a soft, gentle voice, or just sit, and not look at the dog, but pretend to be absorbed in something else. Habituation of adults dogs to other stimuli, like traffic, also takes longer, but can be done, with patience.

How can I teach road sense to a pup?

No dog should be trusted off the lead by busy roads, but you can reduce risks from traffic if you can teach some road sense to your pup. Start off gradually, at quiet times of the day, or on quiet roads. You can carry little pups around so they get used to the noise of traffic from the safety of your arms, before they have had their shots. When pups are older, get them used to sitting by the side of the road, ignoring the traffic, and focusing on you. You can give the pup five minutes walk a day by a busy road, or try sitting somewhere where there is traffic, with your pup on your lap or by your side. Give him a titbit now and then or a cuddle as a reward for paying you attention and being calm. Always check his collar is secure, and use a short lead rather than a flexilead in traffic - short leads are much safer. Some traffic is more threatening to dogs than others, like big heavy lorries, horses with people on them, and loud motorbikes, so go back to quieter traffic or roads from a distance if he starts to get frightened. It's much easier to get a pup used to these stimuli than an adult dog, but you can use the same gradual process with adults.

Should I use a crate to housetrain my pup?

Indoor kennels, or crates allow pups to follow events in a busy household from a place of safety. They can also be useful for teaching housetraining, because pups won't 'go' in their den. You still need to take them out a lot to teach them housetraining, so don't keep your pup shut up in his crate for long in the daytime. A pup left alone all day in a crate will need to go eventually, and you then lose the benefit of the crate, quite apart from it being very boring for the pup. If you go out to work it's far better to fence off a safe area for the pup, with a place he can use as a toilet, and to put the crate in this safe area with the door open, so he has his den to sleep in and can still go to the toilet.

Pups can sleep in bedrooms at night in their crates, with the door closed, so they don't wander round and wee on the floor, or get trodden on by a large human getting up in the dark for a wee. You do have to be prepared to get up in the middle of the night, when pup tells you he needs to 'go'. Pups are better off downstairs with a toilet area, if you can't bring yourself to get up for them, because otherwise they may suffer from needing to go, and not wanting to wee in their crate.

There are differences of opinion as to whether a pup should sleep next to the owner at night. Some people argue that pups feel lonely away from their litter mates, so need company, and a crate is a safe way to allow a dog to have this company. Others argue that you should teach your pup to be alone at night, and not give in to sad little whimpers. However, you don't need to leave a pup alone at night to teach him to be alone, you can do this in the daytime. You will have to do this if you are at home all day, both by leaving him for short periods in another room, and by going out, for short periods at first. Don't make a big deal of leaving him, and he is less likely to see it as a big deal, and, when you return, wait to give him a cuddle until after his initial wild greeting has subsided, so he isn't rewarded for wildness.

Housetraining is time-consuming, and crates can help, but can't replace the need to be outside with your pup, even if you are falling asleep, in your dressing gown, and it's cold outside. It's no use shutting the pup outside and hoping he will wee - he will just want to come back in again to be with you. Pups need company to perform in their first weeks with you!

My dog doesn't pay me attention, how can I motivate him?

Rewards are the most powerful tool you have for training a dog, so that he wants to do what you want him to do. Rewards mean that he associates the behaviour you want to elicit with pleasant experiences and feeling good. You need to reinforce behaviour immediately, because you can't tell a dog 'I like/don't like what you did five minutes ago'. Attention is one way of rewarding dogs. They like to be praised, and they get to understand the words 'good dog' because they're associated with cuddles and titbits. Games can be used to reward dogs. They can be taught that 'sit' in a ball game means that they'll get to chase the ball, whereas if they leap up and down manically, you won't throw it. If you're consistent, and always make them sit, they'll sit automatically.

Titbits are very useful both as rewards given after your dog has done what you want him to do, and as lures, to attract and keep your dog's interest. They should be small, and smelly titbits are especially attractive. Try out different types of titbits - dogs vary in terms of how they respond to them. Dogs that aren't very food-oriented may need smellier titbits, while food-oriented dogs may work better with more boring titbits, or you may find that they focus on the titbit rather than what you want them to do. The titbits have to be small so that they can be eaten fast. Most complete food comes in small enough sizes to be used as titbits.

Not everyone likes titbits as rewards, but they are especially useful for early training. You can use them on your first walks with a pup or new dog, to reward the dog for coming back when you call, and for sitting quietly when humans or other dogs are around. You can replace one of his meals with the same amount of complete food taken on walks, so that he doesn't get too fat. As your dog becomes more obedient, you can cut down on the titbits, and use a variety of rewards, such as a cuddle, or a throw of a toy. though titbits can still be useful for teaching new skills to well-trained dogs.

Dogs vary a lot, and what is a potent reward for one dog may not really interest another, so learn from your dog what he likes doing, and use this as a reward. Maybe he likes a particular game, and you can end training sessions by giving him a little game of the kind he likes, or you can try to incorporate elements of games he likes into training.

Some people use the term 'positive reinforcement' when they refer to reward-based training, and 'negative reinforcement when they refer to punishment' including some well-respected writers on dogs. However, if you have to take animal care or trainers' exams, you'll learn that there's a technical meaning to 'positive reinforcement' (also called R+) used in operant conditioning, a branch of behavioural science. 'Positive' in this sense means 'adding something', while 'reinforcement' means the behaviour is more likely to be repeated. There is also 'positive punishment' (P+), which is adding something that makes the dog likely to decrease the behaviour. Punishment is then the opposite of reinforcement in this sense, and it's about the effect on the dog, rather than your motives.

Should I just rely on rewards?

There is a big debate on this, but the trend in dog training has been a move away from punishment and corrections, and towards trying to motivate dogs, and reduce stress levels so that they do not behave badly due to panic. Dogs learn fast from punishment, but not always in ways that you intend. Shouting at your dog and jerking on the lead when he barks and lunges at another dog may just make him more nervous when he sees other dogs approaching, and more inclined to bark and lunge. It may be more effective to take it easy, and focus on socialization, rewarding him for sitting quietly in the presence of other dogs. You can work out what his 'comfort distance' is, ie how close to another dog he gets before he starts to misbehave. Try walking him at a safe distance, on a loose leash, until he shows no signs of stress. Then you can try to reduce his 'comfort distance'.

There are times when you need to act quickly and decisively, for example if your dog attacks another dog, or lunges at a child, you have no option but to stop him. But prevention is better than cure, and 'reading' your dog for signs of stress can help you avoid situations where he is likely to misbehave and learn bad habits.

There is a big debate in the US on whether shock collars involve punishment, or simply correction, sending a dog the message that he has made a mistake. Shock collars are less commonly used in Britain than in the US. British animal welfare organizations do not recommend using them, mainly because their misuse has been linked to behavioural problems, for example making a dog nervous of returning to the spot where he was standing when he was shocked.

Punishment can, then, make your dog's behaviour worse. It may also make him less likely to trust you, and more likely to bite humans, if he sees them as a dangerous threat. Dogs that are cuffed and kicked may learn to bite to defend themselves. This is one reason why it's very important to keep pups under control in public places, because they can frighten people, and learn bad habits by getting kicked.

You can use punishment in devious ways, so that the dog thinks that it's his action that has resulted in an unpleasant experience. Booby traps are sometimes suggested as a way to discourage stealing - cans that will fall down and clatter if he tries to thieve food from the kitchen work surface, for example, but make sure that nothing in your trap will hurt the dog, and that it's not too frightening, or he may then be reluctant to come to you if you call from a 'dangerous' area! Alternatively, just make sure he can't reach any forbidden objects - it's much easier than trying to stop him from stealing, once he has got into the habit.

Non-confrontational methods are safer, and they help to maintain trust between you and your dog. If you stare at a growling dog and grab him by the neck to remove him from somewhere you don't want him to be, he's quite likely to bite you. Try ignoring him and doing something really interesting like eating some meat, or playing with a squeaky toy. Continue to ignore him for a little while when he comes to see what you are doing, then give him a command, which you can reward him for obeying. You can simply put up a barrier to prevent him from going where you don't want him to be.

A dog may hide and growl simply because he thinks you might hurt him, or because he's found he can get his own way by threatening you. Whatever the reason for the growling, it's not good for either of you to put yourself in a situation where the dog may bite you. Baby gates are very useful for preventing dogs from going upstairs. A house line (long lead) also gives you control at a distance. You can use it in the house and garden to reinforce commands that aren't obeyed such as 'off' (the furniture), together with rewards for when the dog does obey you.

Just ignoring a dog can be a useful non-confrontational punishment. You can, for example, go away and close the door on him if he is being difficult and only go back when he's good and quiet.

Punishment is sometimes called 'negative reinforcement', by popular and well-respected writers, but again 'negative' has a special meaning in operant conditioning, ie 'taking something away'. This can include taking nice things away (eg taking away your attention, when this removal of attention reduces the likelihood of bad behaviour). Taking nice things away is called 'negative punishment' (P-). 'Negative' also refers to taking nasty things away (eg relaxing a too-tight leash when this makes a dog more likely to carry on behaving well with dogs he meets), and taking nasty things away to reinforce behaviour you want is the specialist meaning of 'negative reinforcement' (R-).

Surely I need to show my dog who's boss?

Yes, you need to be the leader in your dog's eyes, the one who initiates activity. But these days there's less focus on 'dominance theory' than there used to be, with more focus on motivating dogs, giving them interesting things to do, managing their stress levels, being able to 'read' their body language, and on using training methods derived from operant conditioning techniques.

The old emphasis was on dogs as pack animals, with you as the pack leader. It was argued that many problems with dogs arose because they wanted to be pack leader and rule the household. However, dominance theory is sometimes applied in simplistic ways, for example, attention seeking is sometimes seen as a sign of dominance, but most dogs will be demanding if they are rewarded for it. There are also problems if you seek to interpret what might happen with wolves in the wild and try to apply this to domestic dogs. Feral dogs behave differently from wild wolves, for example, as do captive wolves.

Dominance theory can be misapplied, and cause problems. For example, it is sometimes associated with confrontational methods, like the 'alpha roll', putting an unwilling dog on his back and holding him there until he submits. It might be OK to roll a dog over in play, but it is not wise to try this with a dog that is threatening you! It increases the stakes, and the dog's stress levels, and means you are more likely to be bitten. It may also be associated with attempts at 'quick fix' methods that can make matters worse, like shouting, when you'd get better, and often faster, results from habituating your dog to a threatening stimulus that triggering bad behaviour. Who leaves the house first is a lesser issue than whether your dog waits to be given permission to leave. Your dog should be able to 'sit' and 'stay' while you open the door, and only leave when you give him permission. Once he is trained, he should automatically wait for you to give a command before going out of the front door. It's better that he waits for a command and goes first than if you just squeeze out of the door first, with him trying to push past you!

Most dogs want to be entertained and cuddled as much as possible, and dogs who are rewarded just for being cute are more likely to get pushy and demanding, so make your dog earn his titbits. You may also want to control access to toys, allowing the dog to play at your invitation, and putting the toy away when you've finished, rather than letting him carry it off as a trophy. However, chewing toys and Kongs smeared with titbits help avoid boredom in dogs left to entertain themselves, and they help turn your dog's mind away from mischief.

You'll have more fun with your dog if you try to communicate with him, and learn to read the signals he sends you, than if you just try to impose your dominance, no matter what signals he is sending out. Reading his signals helps you keep his stress levels tolerable, and work out what he likes so you can encourage him to do what you want. Leadership is about trust and motivation, as well as having your will obeyed.

Isn't rank important for dogs in multi-dog households?

The short answer is yes, it can be, but not always in ways you might expect.

Some authors argue that dogs in multi-dog households have worked out their own ranking system, and if you try to boost the rank of non-dominant dogs, or reduce the rank of dominant dogs, you may make fights more likely to happen. There is a lot of truth in this, but whether, and even how rank is expressed depends a lot on the breeds involved, and you need to make sure you can identify which dog is dominant, if you want to reinforce that dog's position.

Rank in multi-dog households is not always rigidly defined. More often than not, dogs may defer under some circumstances, and not under others. This is common with dogs of different sizes in households with several humans. Small dogs are more likely to be allowed to sleep on the bed, and may take on the role of 'top dog' when they are on the bed, trying to shoo away bigger dogs, but defer to the bigger dogs when they are out of the house. The main thing is to watch for situations that trigger fights, and avoid them, for example, increase the distance of feed bowls if your dogs behave badly at meal times, and only free-feed if your dogs are capable of sharing a food bowl amicably. If you think there is friction arising from a small dog having more privileges than his bigger housemate, try paying more attention to the bigger dog.

Some trainers recommend keeping dogs of different breeds in multi-dog households, because fights are more likely to occur with dogs of similar breeds which are similar in strength. This is only partly true. A small dog of an easy-going breed is likely to be a good companion for an existing dog, which is unlikely to see the newcomer as a threat. However mixing small and large breeds can create problems if the small dog is very pushy, and forces confrontations on the large dog. Dogs also enjoy the company of other dogs like them. They are more likely to enjoy the same games and use the same body language if they are of the same or similar breeds. What is important is that one dog will defer to another if both want the same thing, or that they are able to share resources amicably.

Generally speaking, fights are more likely between dogs of the same litter, since they're more evenly matched. They're also more likely between two bitches than two dogs, and between two dogs than a dog and a bitch. However, some breeds are better able to live in harmony than others, and they include hounds, bred to work as a pack. King Charles Cavaliers also tend to be able to live together happily, and share resources, and for them, rank is less of an issue than for many breeds. Siberian Huskies are also bred to work together, and they can live in harmony with other Sibes, though rank does tend to be more important for huskies than for many breeds. On the other hand, dogs that have been bred for a close working relationship with humans, such as German shepherds, are more likely to have serious fights.
Most dog fights aren't serious, and some people argue that you should let the dogs sort out their differences alone, since intervention can prolong the problem if you take the side of the weaker dog (because this means that it takes longer for him to accept the dominant dog's rank). However, you can stop fights without taking sides, which is wise, since it is not always easy to tell which is the weaker dog. The dominant dog may be the one being attacked. Furthermore, if you leave dogs to fight it out, this may give your dogs the message that fights are acceptable. For your own safety, if nothing else, all fights other than playfights should be discouraged in the home, and there are good reasons for only allowing playfighting out of doors, especially if you have large dogs which bump into full coffee cups when they play. You are entitled to peace and quiet, and can tell the dogs off without taking sides. Keep your distance, so you don't get bitten, and try a sound distraction, like turning on the vacuum cleaner, or throw a cushion at them, or try a water pistol, or a bucket of water in very serious cases. Breeds that hang on when they bite, such as bull terriers, may even need to have their mouths prised open with a stick.

You may find that, with three dogs or more, the 'top dog' does your work for you, telling off the other dogs if they disturb his peace by squabbling. However, it's best to work on obedience training and recognise signs that a fight is about to start, so that you can prevent it, for example by putting the dogs in a 'down', or calling a potential aggressor to you.

Serious fights are relatively rare, but when they happen, they can be devastating for owners, and can result in the death of a dog, or a dog having to be rehomed. It is safer to try to avoid the situation by careful management, learning to spot signs of imminent conflict, and above all by choosing new companions carefully, so that they fit in with your existing dogs. You need to know a lot about conflict management if you take on two German shepherd, rottweiler, akita, or Great Dane bitches, for example.

So yes, rank can be very important, but you will be in for some surprises if you expect your canine household to conform to a rigid hierarchy. You'll also learn more about your dogs if you look at what they actually do, rather than interpreting everything in terms of a rigid blueprint. You can observe how far they co-operate and share, as well as who defers to whom, when and where.

What basic commands can I teach at home?

You can teach just about any command in your living room on a rainy day! 'Sit' and 'lie down' are useful commands in a range of situations, for example if you feel your dog is about to jump up, or is planning to attack another dog. 'Stay' is useful both when you leave your dog and don't want him to move, or if you are at a distance, and want him to keep still, for example if there's a busy road between you.

Use a titbit to teach 'sit', placing it in front of the dog's nose and moving it slightly back and up, so he has to sit to follow it, while you say 'sit'. Then he gets the titbit. He should learn fast that obeying 'sit' brings a reward. Once he has sat, it's easier to get him to lie down. Again you need the titbit in front of his nose, then take it to down to his feet and along the ground in front of him, gently pressing down his rear so it doesn't stick up as his head goes down, following the titbit. Say 'lie down' as you do this. Eventually he'll lie down on command, and won't need to sit first. Keep the 'sit' and 'lie down' commands separate, because it's confusing for a dog to be told to 'sit down' - he doesn't know whether to 'sit' or 'lie down'.

To get him to stay, start off by getting him to sit beside you, then move one step away and back, saying 'stay'. Reward him if he stays. Gradually build up the distance you are away from him, saying 'stay' each time. You can then try going to the front of the dog and back, and then to the end of the lead and back. Then try him off the lead, walking a short distance away. Eventually you will be able to walk around him, and even go out of the room, or hide behind a tree, and he will stay.

Recall can also be taught with titbits. Call your dog, and reward him when he comes to you. Use whatever you think will attract your dog at first, some pups respond better to funny noises, like squeaks, than to their own name. Start off practising recall indoors over a short distance, within the same room, then when you are in another room from your dog, then try outside in a safe, enclosed area.

Other useful commands include 'all gone' for 'stop hassling me for a titbit/ball', and you can show your empty hands. Don't give in after you've said this, or you train the dog that hassling you can be effective!

Are training classes necessary?

Training classes are especially useful for novice dog owners. Classes can help you learn how to train your dog, provide ongoing advice, and put you in touch with other dog owners. It's very common for dogs to misbehave in their first session, barking, peeing in inappropriate places, and looking at you blankly when you give them a command that they had obeyed at home. After a while, your dog should settle down. He's more likely to behave well in training if he's had a chance to run around and let off steam beforehand.

Training classes can help you socialise your dog, teaching him to be near other dogs and feel safe. This may take time, and you may need a flexible training class. Unsocialised adult dogs are happier if they can observe outdoor training from a safe distance than in an indoor hall where they are forced to be close to other dogs. They can start to join in when they look relaxed, and initially just take part in exercises that don't involve going very near other dogs.

Some training classes are more flexible than others, and methods vary. Talk to trainers beforehand about your dog's needs, and whether you and your dog will fit into the class. A good trainer shouldn't be offended if you ask about his or her experience and methods. You have to accept the trainer's authority if you join a class, but you can make suggestions or requests, based on your knowledge of your dog. For example, if you feel he is nervous, you can suggest standing back and watching for a while - you may be in a better position to read your dog than a trainer who is trying to keep an eye on several dogs at once. It's worth being a regular, rather than a sporadic attender, because it makes training easier for you, your dog, and the trainer.

Training is for life

Giving your dog a good start by investing time in training brings benefits for both of you. You understand each other more easily, you can keep your dog safe, and you can later move on to advanced activities like agility, which can give both owners and dogs a lot of pleasure as well as keeping them fit!

Acknowledgements:
Many thanks to Helle Haugenes for commenting on an earlier draft of this article, and also to Berit Aherne, Janet Boss, Amy Dahl, Sally Hennessey, Nancy Holmes, and Lynn Kosmakos for informative discussions on dog behaviour and training. The views and solutions set out here do not always reflect their views and solutions, but their help has been very valuable.

References:

Jean Donaldson's 'The Culture Clash' and Ian Dunbar's 'How to Teach a New Dog Old Tricks' are good starting points.

Bruce Fogle is a prolific writer in this field, and is popular, but some of his methods are a bit dated. John Fisher places heavy emphasis on rank adjustment compared with more modern writers, but he does explain the perils of punishment very well, and he is above all practical and humane. Gwen Bailey is more up to date, though again she puts a lot of stress on being the 'alpha wolf' in 'The Rescue Dog', for example. Both Fisher and Bailey stress reward-based learning.

For those of you who want to go beyond basic training, the works by Mary Burch, Karen Pryor and Morgan Spencer, which are reviewed in Books on Animals, are worth reading.

Brian Kilcommons' 'Childproofing Your Dog' is a must-read book for anyone with dogs and children.

See Books on Animals for reviews of these and other dog training books

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