15 Responses

1. gorillagirl0306

   July 1st, 2009 at 9:25 am

   1

   Reward your dog with affection, not treats.

2. Squoosh

   July 2nd, 2009 at 12:00 am

   2

   I learned that not every method works on every dog. and patience patience patience!

3. SC

   July 2nd, 2009 at 9:12 am

   3

   Yes, it is ‘train in the moment’. I found many times i was expecting a certain performance from my dogs based on what we had worked on in the past and where I expected my dog to be in his training now and in the future. By not training in the moment I was allowing myself to be frustrated and get emotional while training. It was damaging the training i was doing and not productive. Dogs live in the moment, we need to also train in the moment.

4. sillybuttmunky

   July 3rd, 2009 at 9:37 am

   4

   With my first dog I didn’t really understand the mentality. So when she had an accident in the house I had scolded her for it and spanked her bottom. It was a complete opposite of how I usually treated her - I was very affectionate, and spoiled her unmercilessly.

   For a few days after that incident she was very shy and timid, even overly submissive. I felt SO horrible. I talked to my vet and a trainer and they instructed me on the CORRECT way to handle potty problems.

   With the positive reinforcement I’ve never gotten angry or had to raise my voice, lay a hand or anything negative to my girls and I still got amazing results - not only in potty training but with everything.

   I hurt her and because of it, it broke my heart. I totally learned my lesson!

5. Shadow's Melon

   July 5th, 2009 at 1:57 pm

   5

   I think the best things I have learned and am still learning is to better understand my dogs behavior. Knowing WHY they do something is really beneficial when training my dog.

6. Gmomma

   July 8th, 2009 at 10:38 am

   6

   A friend told me that a good way to train a dog not to bark for nothing is.. Put a few pebbles in a tin can, and when he barks shake them. He will get the message.

7. aCeleste j

   July 10th, 2009 at 9:18 pm

   7

   YES.
   If you want to teach a dog anything…it must have instant communication.
   If your dog does well-instantly (Nano seconds)give them praise after they do well…any delay ruins their connection.
   That’s why so many times miss-understanding comes between you and your dog. If you wait to punish or reward even a few seconds after the fact…the lesson is lost.
   This is THE #1 problem in housebreaking-people punish the dog after they have found an accident-minutes or even hours after the fact, and the poor dog has no idea what the heck your talking about.
   People expect dogs to understand English, but we’re not expected to understand bark.

8. W.

   July 11th, 2009 at 6:30 pm

   8

   Nothing In Life is Free positive training method.

9. TritanBear

   July 12th, 2009 at 3:15 pm

   9

   Learning to understand the dogs way of thinking and how they view things. Cesar Milan “Dog Whisperer” is extremely helpful and show you how to view dog behavior. It makes alot of sense and his techinques work better than anything,

10. tlctreecare

    July 16th, 2009 at 1:44 am

    10

    Every dog is an individual and needs to be treated as such.
    What works for one does not works for all. You must tailor your training routines and methods for each dogs individual personalities and tempermant.
    I have a female Weim who is a hard hunter and very motivated to hunt. She is strong willed and edgy but very willing to work. Sometimes it takes a few times for her to understand what you want. Once she does she will do it until she drops.
    My male is faster to get the idea of what you want. It takes less time to get him to learn something. But he hates to play fetch. A few tosses and he is bored and wanting to do something else.
    Same breed but differnet attitudes.

11. greekman

    July 18th, 2009 at 8:53 pm

    11

    I learned that everything in a dog comes from their pack drive. When I learned and understood that concept, everything changed about my training. Communication between me and my dog became crystal clear and I learned to anticipate his next move before he even thought about it. Now, I am a much better trainer because of it. I am a fair leader and the dog knows EXACTLY what he will be corrected for and when. My dog works for me in a happier way, eager to please the pack leader and KNOWS in his head that no matter what, I will always be fair with him and never correct him for something that he does not know how to do. At the same time he knows and understands that the hammer WILL fall when he chooses to ignore a command that he already knows. Perfect harmony and balance.

12. Fetch 11 Humane Society

    July 21st, 2009 at 12:48 am

    12

    Crate Training: You can’t use a crate on a dog less than 4 months old because before that age the pup does not have conscious control of its bowels or bladder.

    (The Humane Society of the United States published a request that dog owners NOT follow the directions of the so-called “Dog Whisperer” Milan because some of his techniques are archaic and unsafe for the dogs. Example: he once showed viewers how he could subdue a dog by kneeling on its neck until blood loss to the brain made it pass out.)

13. SuNDeViL

    July 23rd, 2009 at 3:49 pm

    13

    talking to my dog like she was a human being, it made her learn so fast, i started talking to her like a human since the night i got her at 7 weeks old. when she was alive she behaved so well because she knew what i was saying.

14. Ruby

    July 25th, 2009 at 9:54 pm

    14

    Patience…lol

15. matilda8255

    July 29th, 2009 at 7:34 am

    15

    My trainer recommended a Gentle Leader for my dog who pulls horribly on his leash. It worked in two days. Best tip I ever got.