I had an interesting client last week. These people had a very fine lab that I had worked with before for various issues and have always been quite pleased with it.

The issue was that in the past this pup had ‘eaten’ a couple of the family birds, and had been corrected (as it should have been) to the point that it was now scared of any bird in the house. She was fine with birds outside but in the house, not so much. In any case a new Solomon Island Eclectus arrived in the home two weeks ago and I was called to work on the fear issues.

When working on something like this the basic starting point is plain old behavior modification and desensitization works. Getting the dog to ‘do it’s commands’ when it gets nervous is a fabulous way to start.

So, after about 5 days of training here is the note from the owners:

“We all seem to be getting along! ”

Mission accomplished for the dog trainer.

Today, however, I am the pool boy. See the photo below. My entry point.

Location:Marshall Ln,Austin,United States

– Post From My iPhone. Dog training on the go.

Location:Lady Bird Lake Trail,Austin,United States

And, even more amazingly, they asked if they could work with the dogs ‘lots’ during the day. Guess that gets rid of the second week of summer boredom.

– Post From My iPhone. Dog training on the go.

Location:Redbud Trail,Austin,United States

After his initial round if barking in th check in line (dogs can’t use early check in apparently) he’s been pretty quiet.

Here he is waiting for the plane.

– Post From My iPhone. Dog training on the go.

Location:Dallas,United States

What I’m wondering is how is that new pup goin to do today on a full Southwest flight home? I’m prepared for all of the smell and fluid issues but I hope the little guy doesn’t bark the whole way home.

The food news is that even on the way out everyone whe sees the empty carrier wants to ’see the puppy’ so we’ll be busy greeting new people the whole way home.

So all in all I guess the socialization aspect of flying comercial outweighs the ease of flying home in the family Gulfstream.

On to to puppy land!

– Post From My iPhone. Dog training on the go.

Location:On the plane

Poo bags
Towels
Treats
Rope
Tinfoil
Bouncy toys
Chewy toys
Ziplock bags
Baby wipes

And most of all, no laptop. They thought that lack of a laptop was weird.

– Post From My iPhone. Dog training on the go.

Location:Aldford Dr,Austin,United States

If you are interested here are the steps:

Drop tennis ball in the holding hopper

Have dog move to the launch button on the launcher

Press launch button to launch ball(s)

Repeat until utter exhaustion.

Sounds fun huh!

Here is a short video from youtube of a dog doing a similar job.

Border Collie and tennis ball launcher

And this one with the whole routine:

Lab doing retrieve and drop for tennis ball launcher

I just had to tell you what a wonderful job maddy is doing! This morning I got up and said “Maddy, Run!” she went right over to her treadmill and jumped on. She then ran 3 miles, after which I put her on her place bed so that I could shower and get ready for my day. She slept there for 1.5 hours before I released her!

Thank you, thank you for helping Maddy be the BEST she can be!

Best,

Jen and Maddy

As said earlier, there is no need to buy special items for training simple task; the dog will simply follow by practice. But if you want your dog to participate in dog shows, and want it to learn some tricks, it is better to be prepared with some equipments which are meant for training for specific purpose.

Sit, Roll Over and Stay

People like to teach their dog all sorts of tricks. Tricks that are common are rolling over, ordering to sit, and stay. These are comparatively easy than the other tricks. Some dogs are house trained as well, like fetching the news paper, or carrying things for the master etc. Some tricks include playing dead and shaking the paw. But these tricks need some special equipment to train the dog. Basically you will at least need a choke collar to begin the training.

That’s a collar that’s made of chain that loops through itself. When the dog pulls on it, it sort of chokes them. It doesn’t hurt the dog but it does teach it not to pull on the leash. You’ll also want to get dog training equipment such as a leash, some treats and a clicker or a whistle. These will be used to reinforce the dog’s behavior.

Reinforcement

Encourage the dog when it obeys your orders, let him understand that you have liked the dogs behavior, after doing a job successfully. Always focus on reinforcement while training your dog. Sometimes dogs do not behave according to your wish or do not obey order, do not punish the dog, or force it to do something, reinforcement works at such times. After a successful task remember to give a pat on the back, or simply treat it with its favorite dish. Talk to it and praise it for the good work.

All dogs like being praised and will always repeat the act you like. They will know by your acts if you have liked their behavior. A punishment on the other hand scares a dog and out of confusion does all the wrong things. It may sometimes be not capable of understanding what you want. Therefore be a little patient and train it with reinforcement.

Training the Dog

Start with the choke chain and the leash as the basic learning process of the dog training. Set up some goals with it, so that your dog knows the boundaries and does not stray away. Not letting it out of the training ground is the first lesson to be taught to a dog. The whistle does the job of catching the attention of the dog towards you. The clicker also sends the message to your dog about what you would like it to do. Instructing becomes easier with the use of whistle or a clicker. After doing the trick successfully, remember to treat him regularly so that it encourages the dog to perform better and better and obey your orders. The vital aspects of training are to be consistent and determined. Training a dog takes time; it cannot be achieved in a day or two. The training can last about a few weeks or more depending on the dog’s nature, after such vigorous training you can say that the dog is trained.

There are many things you can achieve with the training equipment, may be you could be successful in training it like the police or the ones in the circus, but some basic learning can be good as well.

Looking for dog training supplies? Know the tricks of finding bargain priced and used dog training equipment from the comfort of your home.