Educating yourself about dog training should be the first step you take prior to actually training your dog. Certainly there are plenty of sources you can go to, but sometimes it becomes information overload. Canine training is not really all that difficult. An important thing to remember is that most dogs just want to please their masters. The problem is communication. Obviously there is a language barrier, and owners need to get your dog to understand what you want. Dog training can be summed up with just a few tips. Lets take a look at some of the methods that I have used in order to train my dog, making both he and I happier. Try to avoid the negatives that often come with training. Hitting or striking your dog, either by hand or with an object will only teach the dog to fear you. A stern verbal NO, is OK, but don’t go any further than...

I think that’s a valid question, and I don’t ask it lightly. The short answer is yes. The long answer may be no, and let me tell you why. I think I’ll start things off with a short story. It’s interesting and I think it will shed some light on what I am thinking. Way back in 1999, I was attending graduate school at Binghamton University. I lived on the third floor of an old house in a very small apartment. The house was in a rather congested part of town, so all of the residents could get a very clear picture of what was happening in the neighborhood around them. From my apartment, I had a pretty good vantage point of a few backyards that were close by. As you could imagine, while attending graduate school, I was required to study for a good portion of the day and night. There was no way to get around it and much of...

Training your dog is the only way to help him develop into a valuable member of your family while eliminating unfavorable behavioral issues. Unfortunately, many dog owners either neglect to train their dogs or do so irresponsibly. Some owners follow systems that are ineffective while others try to train their dogs on their own without a true understanding regarding what they’re doing. In this article, we will describe 3 common mistakes that dog owners make. Mistake #1: Lack Of Patience This is more important than many owners realize and it can have a significant impact on how well your dog learns. A lot of owners expect their dogs to understand their commands quickly. Dogs absorb and learn by routine, persistence, and repetition. They may require several tries before they respond with the proper action (i.e. sitting, barking, etc.)....