Dog Training Tips

Training Tips For All Dogs

Dogs do not get the name "man’s best friend" for nothing. Dogs make excellent hunting companions as well as pets. But in order for your dog to be a good hunting dog as well as a good household pet, he has to be trained.

Training a dog takes patience, whether you are training him for obedience or hunting. There are many aspects to dog training. You cannot expect for your dog to be fully trained until he is a year old. But training should begin long before that. As a matter of fact, training your dog should take place the minute you bring him home from the kennel.

Be Top Dog

The number one rule you have to learn when you are training a dog is that you have to be top dog. Dogs are social animals and rely very much on acceptance in the pack. The pack, in your case, is your family as well as any other dogs that you may have. You have to be leader of the pack. The dog will do anything for acceptance in the pack and to please the leader - the leader has to be you.

Assert dominance in the pack right away. Be gentle with your dog, but firm. Teach him not to jump and beg for food - this should be first. Put the food bowl down and allow him to wait for permission to eat. He should not jump at the food but wait until you back away. In order to accomplish this, pick the bowl back up each time he lunges at it. You need only do this for a few seconds and then put it back down. He will soon learn to wait for the food. This can be taught right away.

Crate Training

Some people think that it is cruel for a dog to be kept in a crate. It is actually cruel to put him out of the crate and allow him to wreak havoc in your house. Hunting dogs do not have to be relegated to the outdoors. To the contrary, hunting dogs make excellent pets for the entire family and thrive on that interaction. But when the dog is a puppy, you will want to keep him crated when you are not playing with him or taking him outside. When you take him out of the crate, take him outside so he can do his business. Then reward him for going outside. While you cannot expect a puppy to understand this right away, you can pave the way for less accidents and get him acclimated at an early age to be housebroken.

Obedience Training

Teach your dog to walk on a lead. He should not pull on the lead, he should walk next to you. When you are hunting, the dog will have more freedom. But when you are walking around the block, the dog should be at your side. With obedience training, he should learn how to sit, how to lay down and how to heel. No one wants a dog that will jump all over people when they come over to your house. Obedience training should begin as soon as you bring the dog home as well.

Hunting Training

Wait until the dog is about 4 months old and then you can start taking him out and training him. Teach him how to react to the sound of the gun shots and how to retrieve objects such as pigeons and ducks. You can plant birds so that he can find them and even put them on a string. Hunting dogs have a natural instinct for hunting, but you need to show them the right way to use those instincts.

Training a dog will not only allow you to have a valuable companion on the hunting field, but also a playful member of the family.

Geoffrey A. English is the Founder of GundogsOnline.com, the internet's premiere online magazine dedicated to bird dogs. Visit their site for more information on training bird dogs and hunting dog supplies including a wide variety of dog leads, shooting glasses, and hearing protection.