The man has to exploit dogs for their natural gifts of smell, ferocity, speed, and faithfulness to the master. The dogs, before their domestication, used their hunting skill to the prey. In the hunt for their food, they were assisted by their natural gifts of a highly developed sense of smell, hearing, and vision. It was the Roman who first starts dog training to protect their farmlands and herds. In the early day’s people train their dogs for herding, in military or police, guarding make sites or houses but at present days dog training are given for a number of the variety of purposes. The present world man rears dog not only for the companion pets but also for the showing purpose, commercial uses, and security measures.
Above all the dog training, you need to give the basic obedience training to your dog. If a dog qualified in basic obedience training, then you can go for any specialized training or requirement based training. The five basic obedience training of dogs are: heel, sit, down, stay, and come. There are some rules for the selection of trainers and dogs for dog training and some principles to follow. In this article, I shall discuss the criteria of dog and trainer and the principles with training procedures in brief.
Natural Qualities of Dog: Why You Select Dogs for Training
The dogs have some excellent qualities that make them different from the other animals and even humans. The selection criteria for your dogs for dog training will be based on specific attributes. The qualities are:
1. Smell
Undoubtedly, the dog’s sense of smell is more developed than other senses. As a dog owner, you know that your pets use their nose to investigate new objects, strange dogs, and unknown people. Also, the part of a dog’s brain which deals with the smell is proportionally much larger and better developed than the equivalent part of a human brain.
By the extensively large number of receptor cells, i.e., 225 million in the nasal mucosa of a dig, as compared to only 5 million in the human being, the dog’s sense of smell is 40-45 times better than that of the human being.
2. Hearing
The hearing is also highly developed in a dog which is twenty times more than in a human being. A dog can hear ultra-high frequency sounds with high nodes up to 35 kHz, and some authorities suggested that their limit is as high as 100 kHz. These enable the dog to detect the cells of many small mammals, such as shrews and mice. This is an obvious evolutionary adaptation, which helps the dogs to hunt or prey.
This is one of the important qualities of dog training for the individual dog. Dogs can detect most sounds from four times the distance than that a human can. The highly tuned ears of dogs also make them responsive to the silent dog whistle and hence they can be trained to respond to it like any other sounds. This is one of the most important qualities of dog training.
3. Vision
Due to the predominant rod receptors in the retina, dogs can see much better than humans in poor light conditions. Their ability to see at night is further enhanced by the special reflective layer, known as “tapetum,” at the back of the eyes. It is the reflection from this, which causes a dog’s eyes to shine green or yellow-green when reflected against headlights of automobiles or torch. Further, dogs can perceive moving objects better than human beings. For Dog training, you must select a dog with a good vision.
4. Sixth Sense
Another important question is whether dogs have the sixth sense or not. Some of the more unusual facts, such as detecting a bugging device from its high pitched emotions, early warning of fire, and prediction of earthquakes by behaving an old way, make us believe that dogs have the sixth sense.
It is the power of this highly developed natural sense, coupled with their speed, stamina, ferocity, faithfulness as well as their ever readiness to do anything to please the master that human being has exploited to their best of advantages.
Eight Most Important Qualities of A Dog Trainer
Dog Training is an art and must be considered as such. You must be careful enough to select a dog trainer, or if you want to train your dog, these tips will help you. The cardinal characteristics of a dog trainer are intelligence, devotion to duty, patience, an even temperament, a natural and sympathetic understanding, and love for dogs.
A dog trainer without these qualities will be unsuccessful and will provide liability to you. The knowledge of an individual’s previous experience will often help you to select a good trainer. Successful dog training and care depends to a great extent on the personal capabilities of the trainer. As my experience and literature have shown that the following traits in a dog trainer are essential:
1. Friendly Attitude Towards Dogs
Before go for dog training you must make a good friendship with the dog. As a dog trainer, you must have a genuine love for dogs and an interest in dogs.
2. Intelligence
As a dog trainer, you must be sufficient knowledge and understanding of the behavior of your dog. A minimum level of intelligence required to train a new dog about the desired characteristics. So as a dog trainer, you must utilize your head to get maximum output.
3. Patience and Perseverance
As a dog trainer, you must be patient and must preserve until each exercise is brought to a successful conclusion. Never make force on your dog to do the desired behavior on your dog. Teach your dog by repeated correction and correction. As a trainer, you must have enough perseverance and patience to train your dog.
4. Mental and Physical Coordination
Asa a good dog trainer you must be physically and mentally sound and take your dog as your friend or kid. The dog will make any mistake and you will forgive him every time. You need a lot of physical hardship in relation to training, physical exercise, and other activities like obstacle crossing.
5. Physical Endurance
Another important quality of a good dog trainer is physical endurance. As a dog trainer, you must be able to ‘outlast’ your dog during each training period. Dog training requires long time effort and well physical balance. During dog training, you must make you fit also.
6. Resourcefulness
Before going to dog training as a dog trainer you must be trained well. You must have adequate knowledge of dog psychology, dog behavior, and attitude. There are also some specific rules and principles on dog training and you must have a thorough knowledge of it. As a dog trainer, you must have the initiative of your own and willingness.
7. Dependability
As a dog trainer, you should take some responsibility for your dogs like feeding, bedding, welfare, grooming, and all managemental aspects. You should have adequate knowledge of kennel hygiene and the environment of the hod’s house. These activities will develop a good relationship with your dog. Your dog will start to depend on you that will make ease to train your dog.
8. Security Consciousness
Since you can employ your dog in different places like a farmhouse or protecting herd, you must be aware of the security concern of your dog during training.
10 Basic Obedience Dog Training: Characteristics of Dog
I have discussed in some earlier articles about the various breeds of dogs like Working Dog Breeds, Show Dog Breeds, Small-sized Dog Breeds. Individual dog breed requires technique basing on the breed quality and temperament of specific breeds. It is, therefore, necessary that careful screening of each dog be made before it is accepted for the training.
1. Age of The Dog
Before selecting a dog for obedience training, the age of your dog within the range of 6-18 months. If the age of the dog less than six months which is still physically and mentally young. Although receptive to training in simple obedience do not respond readily to the more specialized task for the working dogs.
You can start some initial training for your pups from the age of 3 months, but it should be done as a matter of play or pleasure. But for the specialized training, you must give at the age of 9 months at least.
2. Sex of Dog
For the dog training, it is advantageous to select only male dogs as female requires isolation in heat period and there is also the risk to become accidentally pregnant. If you are rearing the number of dogs on one farm or in a family for some specific task or as a working dog, the better they keep male dogs. If you keep female dogs, they must be spayed before six months of age.
3. Physical Fitness and Conformation
The potential working dog should have good bone, well-proportioned bodies, strong backs, deep chests, and strong muscular feet with hard, well-cushioned pads. The jaws must be strong, with level teeth, large nose, and wide-opened nostrils. When you trotted your dog, the move must be easy and smooth, without any signs of inherent weakness. Your dog must fulfill the breed characteristics typically.
4. Veterinary Examination
Before you select a dog for training should be thoroughly examined for physical fitness, conformation, and condition by the veterinarian and any dog showing signs of disease or permanent disabilities must be rejected.
5. Temperament
Your dogs must be in general impression of energy, alertness, and vigor with no signs of timidity or excitability. Your dogs should show the willingness to be guided or taught and evidence the ability to learn and retain what they have learned.
6. Courageous
Taking dogs for obedience dog training must not show any shyness or be feared to see an unknown object. Your dog should have enough courage to chase any situations around him and be loyal to you. You must see the breed characteristics of your dog before the purchase of selected for training.
7. Willingness
The term applies to the way a dog responds to the command and to his apparent cheerfulness and acceptance in learning the new task. You must select a dog to see the response to the command before dog training. The dog’s degree if intelligence, physical strength, and success or failure will also be considered. Unwillingness should not be confused with a lack of intelligence or with under sensitivity.
8. Motivation
As a trainer, you must be familiar with your dog’s behavior; he learns that an intangible reward is a correct approach to use to motivate your dog. A good dog should be easy to take the training and love for you.
9. Energetic
Your dog must be strong enough to take the load of training. Before selecting the specific dog for your purpose, you must assess the ability of your dog’s physical strength.
10. Sensitivity
The term sensitivity refers to the type and degree of response a dog shows to a certain stimulus. The oversensitive dog is startled by a stimulus of lower intensity than that is required to disturb an under-sensitive dog. So, as an owner before started dog training be cautious about the dog’s behavior. The dog must be not over-sensitive or under-sensitive.
8 Basic Principles of Dog Training
The basic of dog training is an art in itself. It serves to develop in dogs the behavior that is essential for efficient and effective training for specific roles in the home, in the garden, in the farmhouse, or in your desired locations. There is no mastery of dog training. It is fairly a simple process and based on the following aspects:
- You must have practical knowledge of how a dog’s mind works.
- You must do a constant repetition of a training exercise.
- You must give suitable recognition of your dog’s progress.
- You must have patience, firmness, and kindness during dog training.
The effectiveness of Dog Training depended on certain principles and based on the regularity of the training program.
1. Know-How
As a dog trainer, you must know how a dog’s mind works and will understand the limitations of a dog’s mind. You must establish yourself as his master and will look at all his needs. You will pat, praise, feed, and handle the dog to assist him and during training do not allow anyone to make friends with your dog.
2. Repetition
Repetition is the most important factor in implementing the requirement of a command on a dog’s memory. You must carry out the same command over and over until it learns to respond without hesitation. After exercising a command for 4-5 minutes, you must give at least 10 minutes break during dog training.
3. Patience
Patience is one of the most important characteristics of the dog trainer. You must be self-controlled during the hours of dog training doing the same exercise again and again. As a dog trainer if you lost patience and become irritated then it will very difficult to control your dog.
4. Reward
To enable a dog to understand that he has carried out its trainer’s wishes, you should immediately reward your dog. The rewards may be verbal praise, an encouraging pat or a tit-bit such as a small piece of meat. Each dog requires special methods of reward, and as a dog trainer, you must identify the best way for your dog.
5. Correction
Rewards and corrections are the means by which a dog is taught. As a dog trainer, if your dog exercises a wrong, you must repeatedly correct him. Proper correction demands correct observation, patience, self-control, discretion, and proper thinking on the part of the dog trainer.
6. Success
As a dog trainer, all exercises must end on a successful note. Maintaining enthusiasm for work in dog training is necessary. After each lesson, you must finish that with a success and concluding praise or patting or encouragement.
7. Punishment
The purpose of dog training should be aimed at improvement, not reprisal. Like a good dog trainer, you never slap your dog by your hand or strike him with the leash. Your dog always looks at your hand and leash for praise and prayer and never be allowed to fear it. In short, you never go for physical violence, even for willful disobedience you must not be restored to, as your dog become sullen, stubborn, or a coward.
8. Length of Lesson
The dog training lesson should not be too long. Otherwise, your dog becomes bored, and it will lose interest. You must take a lesson for 30 minutes and will give a break for 60 minutes.
Dog Training Final Rewards
As a dog owner, everybody wants that his dog will be performing some special task and show some exceptional display. Before making your dog in this regard you must know the selection criteria, qualities of the trainer, and principles of dog training. If you follow the above criteria for your dog, you must succeed in this field.
I think the above discussion will help you to select your dog for a specific purpose. In my next article, I will briefly show you the basic obedience training of a dog, its excellent tips, and detailed procedure. I think this lesson will definitely help you a lot. If this information helps you please share it via social media and subscribe to our website to get the latest news.
