Any tips on how to train a dog?

originally posted by: Nicolita
I want to train my dog but I do not know how, is there a tool in training dogs?

There's tons of info out there on dog training. I would encourage you to read "The other end of the leash" by Patricia Mcconnell (not sure of the spelling of her name.) It's an enlightening book and can teach you that "training" is really just learning how to communicate with your dog.

Good luck.

Depending on what job you hope the animal will willingly do for you there are different techniques all based upon normal loving 2-way emotional relationships you may utilise optimally....the Cat I have today responds to hand/body/facial signals and to verbals or special sounds I make, he also responds and reacts to eye language,he is a Guard Cat and an Attack Cat so I have kept him true to his roots.....I have found the keystone strengths in him and harnessed them with him as a willing partner....we do Patrol Rounds every morning @3:00am when he reminds me its time to do our Rounds....he has a Patrol Pace and demeanour because he knows exactly what we are doing.

I adopted this Cat...I hadn't had a Pet in decades...the Grapevine said there was a single Kitten at a Local Vets office from a Litter that had not been adopted and it was scheduled to be clipped.....I overheard this......well for some reason I connected to the dynamic and saw a need.....one small moment in time and a finite decision...so I decided to fill the need and I interrupted and asked where this Vets Office was....then I went after work directly to the Office.....I introduced myself to the Lady Vet who ran the show...she took me into her office and gave me a little interview to see if I was capable of being a good adoptive home for this Kitten I was inquiring about....yes....there was only one left she told me....and it was for a good reason that she told me she was afraid she would not be able to change for me....she explained that this Kittens Mother was also in her Office and that she was a BITER a Cat that retained a lot of its wild instincts in an overwhelmingly instinctive reactive manner that you cannot remove nor change.....then the Vet informed me that out of 6 Kittens only one ended up being a Biter....the one nobody wanted to take home....the one they THOUGHT were going to have to clip....she told me he was very much like his Mother and had stood out since he was very very young as an aggressive biter and that he might very well be to wild at heart for me to handle and for many pet owners to handle.....I WAS FALLING IN LOVE ALREADY and hadn't even seen a Cat yet.....I told the Vet I had tamed many wild Cats when I was a kid in the Country...literally hunted down the Mothers hiding spots and tracked her as she watched me and moved them one by one to new hiding spots until I could catch her with her guard down and Kidnap one of her little kittens …..I would always get them at exactly the right age to tame because I was taught to wait till exactly the time when they begin sneaking out of their hiding spots to play IN THE MORNING SUN when it is warm....this helped spot them and also had them at a weanable age....the Vet was happy as a Hen....she gave the Kitten to me to care for....it was a little Tom...a Tabby Tom...I had never had a Tabby just other types of wild Cats......he gave me his favorite toy to take with him....it was RED SHOELACE....for cripes sakes they had been giving him a RED SHOELACE to play with and his Mother was a known BITER....LOL....and they thought HE was a biter.....lol....they baited the poor little fella completely and they had brought the best out in him not the WORST....in fact his reaction to the RED SHOELACE was ABSOLUTELY PREDICTABLE...he wasn't a wee little biter like his Mom....he was a natural born KILLA......lol....he was a Hunter at Heart which is the single most important strength for a Cat to have.....really...he was the CREAM OF THE CROP.....lol.


I immediately knew what his new career would be before I even picked him up for the first time......he was going to be a Brother in Arms....a Guard Cat....an Attack Cat....a partner .


Nine years later he is everything I expected and more...he Guards and Patrols his home and area better than any Dog I have ever owned and I have owned many of different breeds...he will execute a full leaping frontal facial attack ON COMMAND to one verbal and one body language command......he will hold people at Bay on Command using verbal growls like a dog and by using his body stance aggressively....he is 18lbs of Big Bad Tabby....this guy likes eating greens and corn right off the cob from on a PLATE ….he can open Patio doors and Refrigerator doors when he wants greens lol lol cupboard doors and he can reach up and hang off of bedroom doorknobs with his paws and wiggle till he can open the door....he loves to swim in water...he doesn't meow.....to begin with I intentionally excluded verbals from his raising for almost a full year....nothing...especially no reaction from me when he attempted verbals….after a year I learned why it had been so seemingly easy for him...he was weird...he merks...or meurks...and he growls...and he can I kid you not verbalise words ESPECIALLY NO which he doesn't like himself using his funny way of making non-meow sounds....its like he grunts out funny sounds naturally..and believe me after 4-5 years he learned how to use tone and inflection and volume.....to DEMAND things only...never small talk,,,lol...only demands.....I love him...he will hold strangers pinned to their seats if he finds them in his house and hasn't been formally introduced to them as being friendlies....and LMAO....eventhe bigeest Pet bully I have ever seen who always pinches and physically intimidates animals to establish forced dominance and fear was scared crapless when he tried to do it to my Cat....this fella is a Family known animal bully people tolerate...I do not....lol...I trained my Cat to have ABSOLUTELY NO FEAR....none at all...making hitting motions in a threatening way to him to not scare him...lol...they motivate him...he will not run away....he will simply dodge and immediately move in for an attack as soon as he sees raised arms and key body language....catching a piece of him is very difficult because he is not scared and will not give you his back at all...he has NEVER BITTEN ANYONE IN HIS LIFE I haven't asked him to bite....he is a Cat he is SMART....he has never been HIT WITH ANGER TO INSTILL FEAR IN HIM but he has been hit HARD HARD in FUNTIME training to the point he learned to ride a foot trying to kick him and to crawl up the offending leg to the FACE......I am out of time but have sure had fun chatting about training animals...ALL animals...Magpies and Crows around our Farm often talked.....lol...nearly every single year I trained young wild birds to talk after kidnapping them from their nests and hand raising them....never had to hit an animal out of anger nor out of punishment...they wouldn't understand it if you did those things because those things don't make sense to animals who are quite above basic instincts in most cases.

a reply to: one4all

I like your advice on training dogs, it's simple but it can create connection because of the mood you are letting them feel. Thanks for the advice.

a reply to: one4all

I didn't know cats can be a guard sometimes. I'm just thinking that they are animals who only act cute.

a reply to: Nicolita


Cats are exceptionally intelligent and are extremely easy to train...they are social animals....in my experience the key to training any type of animal is to never initiate and use verbal interactions or communications until after you have established generic communication non-verbally....verbals are the least effective but easiest for us to use because we can use verbals when we are disconnected from the animals perspective.....less work for us....just like it is less work emotionally and morally to say that animals are dumb and not intelligent and not emotional....many people cannot handle the internal conflict of eating a cow or a hog or chicken that HAS FEELINGS AND CAN THINK....maybe say goodbye before you turn it into burgers or bacon or chicken strips.

The first time I got a Puppy it was brought to our Farm as a TOOL to WORK and it had a JOB a SPECIFIC Job....it was a Guardian.It was my responsibility ONLY from weaning to adulthood to raise and train and care for this dog,it was a big responsibility I had to campaign to get......I was taught to keep the Puppy Isolated from everyone and all animals....to only interact with it personally every single day...to provide EVERYTHING it needed....only me...only one person....then the dog was slowly educated by walking it around the perimeter of the Farm every single day.....NEVER EVER going beyond the fencelines….remember that when an animal knows no fear it is filled with curiosity....so the next step was to introduce the dog to ALL the loud and action filled things that it had been seeing and hearing as it had grown and walked its rounds over and over....one by one I would teach it to fearlessly approach observe then engage these action points BUT NO PEOPLE in a fearless and controlled manner a confident manner....one by one then more perimeter walks until the dog was absolutely familiar with every single routine action around it on our Farm....once the right attitude was built then it was time to socialise Family members one by one...the dog already nows all of these people by smell.....your job is to introduce ONE person from the Family then the next day during the perimeter patrol you go over and engage the PERSON connected to the familiar action you have acclimatised the dog to accept fearlessly....confidently....this means that the dog upon first contact is familiar with the scent of the person and is accepting the introduction from a confident position of power or equality.....there are benefits to this approach....we had a main road running through our Farm Yard and it was designated neutral ground where you could drive up and get out of your vehicle with no interaction from the Guardians except for static observation and road perimeter movement.....but if you tried to leave the roadway without permission ...well you just didn't...and if you drove off the road you didn't get out of your vehicle....our Fuel Truck Delivery guy would wait on the road...one time in 20+ years he gets pinned on top of his truck by 2 Guardian Dogs and a Guardian Goat....lol...lol...when we got there he was on the roof of his truck the Goat was on the hood and 1 dog was sitting in his truck while the other was sitting on the ground between the truck and the fuel tanks...lol...lol..an hour and a half he was up there....the dog inside the truck didn't care whose truck it was he knew who should be driving it from a lifetime of training and none of those people were there so he did his job he took control of the cab and seat.....lol.BTW the Goat was taught to bite at your chest like a sugar addicted horse and use its hooves like a miffed off Whitetail deer or a Moose...lol....lol...sadly Merlin the Goat had a short career...he got to be a bit of a Bully and felt better crossing the line than holding the line so we retired him peacefully to the back40.

The Driver was most impressed because no one was barking and only the Goat was hungry for a bite....LOL LOLLOL....he was astounded that the dogs sat in their spots the entire time ONE IN HIS TRUCK CAB and he couldnt suck them into losing attention or position or get a second to make any move at all...every time he did they silently countered him and it began to unnerve him...he swore they acted like Wolves....lol.....I just told him to not forget to read the signs....lol....and to stay on the road until an escort arrived.


Oh the harsh realties of 1960s Farm Life....lol...thank god for books like Dr.Doolittle….especially when a FarmKid gets their hands on a copy....some of my favorite memories were catalysed by this books impact on me as a kid.

a reply to: Nicolita
This lady was supposed to be very good, in her time.
Walkies!

As a former breeder of Labrador Retrievers and a field trials trainer, I can tell you there are a number of successful methods out there to train dogs. Pick one and stick with it. The method I've used very successfully is very much specific to Labradors and hunting, but other methods work more generically.

One thing I can tell you, which I haven't seen mentioned here yet, is one of the very first and most important things about training is what you name your dog. A dogs name is critical in its training, and I can't underscore this enough. Seriously.

A dog's name should be two syllables. Not three, and not one...it should absolutely be two syllables, no more no less. Both of these syllables should (ideally) start with hard consonants. The dog's name should not sound similar to any other common things it might hear. Don't use common words you say all the time, the dog's name should be unique. It should know when you are talking to it, and not saying something else which will only confuse the dog. The name should be as short as possible, but unmistakable to the dog. Remember, he's going to hear this name over other dogs barking, other noises, wind and everything else. The name needs to be crisp and unmistakable.

Don't name your dog something silly like "Fluffy" or "Fido" or anything of the sort, there are 50 billion dogs already named that and there's a high probability you'll go someplace where there is another dog named the same as yours. (Bad Ju-Ju when giving commands to two dogs with the same name).

I'm a big proponent of NOT training with food as a reward. There should be NO reward for correct behavior. The dog needs to understand this is the minimum level of acceptable behavior.

Never strike a dog, particularly a hunting dog. It accomplishes nothing and only creates bad behavior. Disappointment is your best punishment tool.

Above all else, your dog needs to come, absolutely, when he's called. No if's, and's or but's...come, and come NOW! Not when he gets around to it, not when he gets done smelling some bitch's butt...but RIGHT NOW! No exceptions!

Dog's need ONE trainer. This means NOT five, not the family, not the kids, not even your wife/husband. ONE...and one only.

Don't train too long. Puppies should start out with 5-10 minutes, and then get play time. Work up to 15-20 minutes, then as always give them lots of play time. Training should be all business, NO PLAY during training. Never mix training with play. Training is training. Play time comes afterwards. No play time right before training either. You want them to look forward to training because they know they'll get lots of fun time afterwards.

You have to get inside the dog's head. The dog has to understand that training is the time when he can impress you, when he/she can gain your approval and praise. You want him looking forward to this more than anything else. This is where you start to instill the disappointment thing. Reward him/her with praise often...when they do the right thing. Withhold this praise when they don't. Don't get mad at them, just don't praise them.

Lastly, don't try to do too many things at once, you'll only frustrate your pup. Work on one thing until they master it. Shower them with praise when they get it right. Then let them repeat it so they can show you how good they are. They want, more than anything, to make you proud of them. It's in their DNA.

originally posted by: Nicolita
a reply to: one4all

I didn't know cats can be a guard sometimes. I'm just thinking that they are animals who only act cute.

The most adorable thing in the World is walking with my Guard Cat pacing himself alongside my right leg perfectly....it is the most unique walk he uses it is not a stalking walk or a curious playfull walk.....not a prancing pace like in Dog or Cat shows....he is using a perfectly controlled aware prepared serious Patrol Cadence and he knows exactly what he is doing protecting his perimeter...he backtracks us by scent when we do our return....lol...nose to the ground exactly like a bloodhound.


I am 1000% sure you could train Big Cats to do the exact same things.

just an update guys, I saw these dog training collars which are one of the most useful tools used for training. Primarily used to correct bad habits such as barking, digging, and chewing, a training collar can transform a misbehave dog into a well obedient dog. What do you think about this product? Will it help me train my dog?

a reply to: Nicolita

E-collars have a specific purpose, and barking, digging and chewing are NOT among those purposes! In most cases, people who buy e-collars for these purposes shouldn't own a dog to begin with. Sorry, just being honest.

There are two types of e-collars (well, several actually, but two main types). One type emits different tones which are queues to the dog to perform a certain action. The other type triggers an "electronic stimulus" (aka...a SHOCK) to the dog which is intended to hurt so the dog will stop doing something. The worst of these collars are the types which do this automatically, without any human input. There is also another permutation known as an 'invisible fence' type which keeps the dog in a certain radius without the need for a fence.

I personally don't think e-collars should be used for training at all. Have I used them? Yes, but only AFTER the dog is already trained, and then only with the audible tones (which they were trained on).

I spent 2018 successfully training two GSD puppies at the same time, so I have recent knowledge. First, keep the puppy in the kennel at night when you are sleeping and when you can't keep an eye on them, like when your at work, or taking a shower. Puppies and untrained dogs cannot be trusted to behave themselves. They are geared for destruction. Puppies especially, like a human is born knowing how to suckle, puppies know how to chew, rip and tear. Do not keep dogs in kennels outdoors. They want to bond with you, so when I say kennel, I mean an indoor kennel. Keep the kennel near the door they will be going in and out of to learn housetraning.


Take the dog or puppy outside every 20 minutes. Yes, it's a hassal at first, but they will get the idea of going outside to potty and poopy. Set a timer. Yes there will still be accidents at first. DO NOT hit puppies or dogs and scold them if there is an accident. Because it's your fault! Outside time is a good time for play and leash training before they are street-ready. I adopted my two dogs 1/25/18 and I live in Iowa where its very cold in January. At 4:30am I got bundled up and walked them around the yard. It's what you have to do. If you aren't will to do these very basic things just for house-training, you have no business getting a dog.


Take your dog to the Vet and get it vaccinated and spayed or neutered. You want them healthy and fun! There are enough dogs in the world, don't make more.


A lot of training is part of play at first. You can use treats at first but really you want them listening to your voice commands. When petting your puppy help them into the "sit" position and say "sit". Then praise them. When they do business outside, praise them, when you call them by name and they come to say "here", and praise them. This is everyday lessons and will help you bot bond.


PM me if you need further advice.

Don't ask me. I use to think I was a dog whisperer....then I adopted another ATS members pup and she is the naughtiest little cutie.
Super smart, knows exactly when she is a brat and all the 'ol tricks don't work....makes us laugh everytime she does some thing bold.....sigh

Cheeky lil #e.

It depends on the breed. It's better to get a consultation of a professional dog trainer. The dog of my friend had been being very naughty until he's had his first professional training. Now it behaves much better.

I have a little puppy in my house and I am finding a good trainer for him.