Dog Obedience Training at Home

Many people practice dog obedience training at home. Training your dog doesn’t have to be a big production. Besides yourself and your dog, you really only need a few items to obedience train your dog at home. A good collar, a leash, some treats and a few other items for specific exercises are usually all that’s needed.

Home dog obedience training usually begins with choosing a good collar and leash for your dog. Some training depends on the traditional choke chain collar. Used properly the collar should not harm your dog. Corrections are administered with a quick pull and release. For proper results the collar is placed on your dog with the sliding side that connects to the leash below your dog’s left ear when you and your dog are facing the same direction.

You can also train your dog using a simple nylon collar or a leather collar. This kind of obedience training will rely on positive reinforcement instead of corrections and it is very popular right now. Your leash will attach to the ring on the collar and be positioned at the back of the dog’s neck. Much of the training with this kind of obedience training at home may take place off leash.

You can choose a leash to match what ever kind of collar you have chosen. If you have decided to use a more traditional kind of training, with a choke collar, you can get a nylon leash or a leather leash. The leash should be about four feet long for most dogs. This is a good length for both dog and owner so you can control the dog. When you do particular kinds of exercises, such as “Come,” you will need a longer lead or rope, something like 12-15 feet, so you can put some distance between you and your dog, but you would not use such a long lead for ordinary lessons.

No matter what kind of home dog obedience training approach you plan to take you will probably want to use some kind of treats to reward your dog for doing well. Treats can be anything small that you can keep in your pocket or in a baggy that you can keep with you. Some dogs will go nuts for any kind of food. Other dogs are pickier. You can find out through trial and error what turns your dog on. Some people like to carry cheese cubes because they are not too messy. Other people like to use cut up pieces of hot dog. You could also use popcorn or some kind of snack food. Many dogs love things like dog biscuits and other doggy treats. Find what your dog loves and you can reward him in a way that keeps him motivated. Motivation is very important in any kind of training.

If you decide you want to train your dog using positive reinforcement, one good way is by using a clicker. Clicker training can easily be a part of your dog training. You simply use the clicker to “click” when your dog does something that you want him to do and reward him. Repeat the click and reward every time your dog does the thing that you want him to do. Very quickly your dog will do the behavior to get the reward. You simply have to add the command to the behavior and you have trained your dog to do what you want him to do. Clickers are normally available at the same pet stores that sell collars and leashes.

When you’re practicing home dog obedience training there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Remember to keep your lessons short. Dogs learn better with a couple of short lessons during the day than in one long session.

You should also keep a bowl of fresh water nearby. Lessons require concentration and your dog will want some water when you finish up, especially if you have been working outdoors.

That should be all you need to get you through the basics of home dog obedience training. Once you begin to work on more advanced training you may need a few more things, such as jumps or other things for agility, but you’re on your way to having a very well-trained dog.

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