Dog Training For Dummies^®, 3rd Edition

Introduction

Both of us have had dogs of one kind or another since we were children. Although neither one of us was the primary caregivers of those dogs, we did have the responsibility of walking them.

Children have entirely different expectations of their dogs than adults do. For one thing, children don’t believe in leashes. And because both of us were brought up in a city, we had to train our respective dogs to stay close by during our walks. Neither one of us remembers exactly how we did that. No doubt our dogs were smarter than we were and viewed their daily outings as having to keep an eye on us rather than the other way around.

Not until 1968 did we get involved in a more structured way of training. We had a Landseer Newfoundland and were encouraged to join the local training club. Before we knew it, a pleasant pastime turned into a hobby and then an avocation. Before long, we were conducting seminars and week-long training camps, which have taken us to almost every state in the United States, Bermuda, Canada, England, and Puerto Rico.

More than 30 years later we’re still sharing what we have learned along the way. Every one of our dogs has been more of a teacher than a pupil, and we have discovered much more from our dogs than we could ever have hoped to teach them. This book is our attempt to pass on to you what our dogs have taught us.

Without help, few people can become proficient, much less an expert, in a given field. We certainly have had plenty of help. A well-trained dog is the result of education, more yours than your dog’s. You need to know what makes a dog a dog, how he thinks, how he reacts, how he grows, how he expresses himself, what his needs are, and most important, why he does what he does. When you understand your dog fully, you can achieve a mutually rewarding relationship. A dog isn’t a homogenous commodity. Each one is a unique individual, and in their differences lies the challenge.

About This Book

We truly want this book to be a useful tool for you. And we don’t want dog training to feel like a chore that you have to slog through step by step. So we’ve structured this book in such a way that you can jump in and out of the text as it interests you and applies to your situation. For instance, is your dog partially trained but needs to learn a few things? If so, consult the table of contents or index and go directly to the chapters you need.

Nor do we expect you to internalize every bit of information in this book. Throughout the text, we include reminders of key points and cross-references to more information about the topic at hand. Remember, dog training is fun! It isn’t a series of tests that you have to pass — unless, of course, you and your dog enter the world of competitive events.

In this newest edition, we bring you three chapters devoted to puppies. Because training starts the moment you bring your little bundle of fur home, we tell you about behavioral development and what to expect during the few weeks and months. We even tell you what to do the day you come home with young Buddy. We guide you with tips on training, tell you about up-to-date training equipment, and help you to establish a daily schedule. We devote a whole chapter to housetraining and crate training.

We consider our older dogs our friends as well and have included in this edition a chapter on keeping your old dog young. We offer exercises that can be used to limber up the old joints, tips on feeding, information on the latest supplements, and much more. Finally, we’ve included up-to-date information on rescue dogs, dog parks, doggie day care facilities, and traveling successfully with Buddy. We even have tips on staying overnight with Buddy at a friend’s house.

All in all, this is a practical book that we hope will make your relationship with Buddy the very best it can be.

Conventions Used in This Book

We use the following conventions throughout the text to make everything consistent and easy to understand:

All Web addresses appear in monofont.

New terms appear in italics and are closely followed by a definition.

Bold text indicates keywords in bulleted lists or highlights the action parts of numbered steps.

When referring to a specific dog training command or signal, we capitalize it. For example, we may tell you to use the Come command. When we tell you to give a certain command to your dog, we capitalize it and put it in quotation marks. When referring to a position, we capitalize the term. For example, we may tell you to put your dog into the Heel position.

No matter what your dog’s name (or gender) is, in this book we refer to your dog as Buddy. And isn’t he your best bud?

When this book was printed, some Web addresses may have needed to break across two lines of text. If that happened, rest assured that we haven’t put in any extra characters (such as hyphens) to indicate the break. So, when using one of these Web addresses, just type in exactly what you see in this book, pretending as though the line break doesn’t exist.

What You’re Not to Read

We’ve written this book just like any other For Dummies book so you can easily find the information that you need. For instance, you may have had a dog for years, and you just want a few pointers to help with your training. No matter your circumstance, chances are you don’t have time to read every single word in this book. In that case, we simplify it so you can identify “skippable” material. Although the following information is interesting and related to the topic at hand, it’s not essential for you to know:

The text in sidebars: The sidebars are the shaded boxes you see here and there. They share fun facts and interesting stories but nothing that’s essential to the success of training your dog.

Anything with a Technical Stuff icon attached: This information is interesting, but if you skip it, you still can train your dog successfully.

The stuff on the copyright page: Hey, you may find the Library of Congress numbers and legal language enthralling, but feel free to skip over them if you want.

Foolish Assumptions

In writing this book, we assume a few things about you:

You have a dog or plan to get one.

You want your dog to be well behaved — for his sake as well as yours.

You’re self-motivated and ready to make training a priority.

You’re looking for an inexpensive guide that gives you the freedom to train your dog what and when you want.

You know little about training a dog, or have tried it on your own with limited success.

Even if you do have training experience, you’ll find this book helpful. Through our many years of working with a wide variety of dog breeds and personalities, we have picked up many tricks that are sure to prove useful even to experienced dog trainers.

How This Book Is Organized

In structuring this book, we went from basic to intermediate and finally to advanced training. Each part contains the respective training progressions you need, plus some supplementary information to ensure success. You can apply all of it to your dog — or just the parts you want.

Part I: Setting the Stage for Successful Training

This part helps you prepare yourself for the task of training your dog. Here you find chapters on recognizing the importance of training, understanding canine psychology (including why your dog does what he does), and developing training savvy. Your dog’s nutritional needs and health contribute a great deal to his behavior, so this part talks about the importance of good nutrition and quality healthcare. This part also includes a chapter on selecting the training equipment you need, such as collars and leashes.

Part II: Performing Puppy Preliminaries

In this part, we help you navigate your puppy’s developmental periods and show you how they influence his behavior. We also help you start out on the right foot with advice on what to do with your puppy once you get him home. We include special training tips that are easy to implement. We also provide a chapter on housetraining and crate training.

Part III: Tackling Training Basics

In this part, you get down to training your dog to become a well-mannered pet. Each chapter details the basic commands and how to teach them to your dog. Chapter 9 provides the lowdown on Sit, Down, Stay, and Leave It, while Chapter 10 covers walking on lead and teaching Buddy the Come command. This part also includes a chapter on how to deal with the most common doggie don’ts, including jumping and barking.

Part IV: Taking Training to the Next Level

This part introduces you to the world of organized dog activities in which you and your dog can participate. The introduction to such events can be the American Kennel Club’s enormously popular S.T.A.R. Puppy and Canine Good Citizen programs. These are forums where you can demonstrate your commitment to a well-behaved dog. In this part, we spell out the requirements for participating and the basic exercises your dog needs to know. We also include a chapter about retrieving on command, which can be helpful if you want Buddy to bring you the morning paper.

Part V: Dealing with Special Situations

Here we introduce some not-so-uncommon problems — such as aggressive behaviors, separation anxiety, and fear of thunder and loud noises — and how to deal with them. We also include a chapter on the special needs of the older dog and how to keep him young with specific exercises. We round out this part with a chapter on seeking outside training help and the options that are available to you.

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Every For Dummies book has a Part of Tens. Here in this part, you find lists of ten items each — bits of handy information about dog training and other related topics that you can read through in a flash. We include chapters on training traps, sporting activities, and reasons why dogs do the things they do. For fun and games, check out the final chapter on tricks.

Icons Used in This Book

To help you navigate your way through the text, we have included some highlights of important material, some hints, some cautions, and some true stories of success. This key information is marked with little pictures (or icons) in the margins. Here’s what the icons tell you:

This icon draws your attention to ways to save time, money, energy, and your sanity.

This icon raises a red flag; your safety or your dog’s may be at risk. It also tells you about the don’ts of dog training. Proceed at your own risk!

This icon directs you to information that’s important to remember — key points that you want to focus on.

This icon highlights in-depth information that isn’t critical for you to know but that can enhance your knowledge of dog training and make you a better teacher.

This icon points out stories of successful dog training techniques and strategies.

Where to Go from Here

The important thing about dog training is getting started today. The sooner you train your dog to behave the way you want him to, the sooner the two of you can live in peace together, and the more problems you can prevent down the road. So turn the page (or use the table of contents or index to get to the information you need the most) and get going! Your dog will thank you for it.

Part I

Setting the Stage for Successful Training

In this part . . .

Of course you want your dog to succeed at training. After all, a well-trained dog is a happy dog, and happy dogs have happy owners. However, you can’t expect a dog to do what you want him to do (or don’t want to do) unless you show him what your expectations are. And your dog won’t learn properly or be willing to heed your commands unless you use effective training methods.

In this part, we describe how to prepare yourself for training, including how to choose the right approach, how to adapt your methods to your particular dog, and how to become your dog’s teacher. Also, because feeding your dog foods that keep him physically healthy contributes to his overall well-being and behavior, we provide a chapter that explains everything you need to know. We round out the part with a chapter on training equipment.