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On our site we’ll give you helpful tips for training your dog and help you find the right dog training classes and obedient schools

You can easily spot a dog that has never been trained properly or is an obedience school dropout. Obvious signs are; begging for food at the table, barking stridently for no apparent reason and autographs every visitor with muddy paw prints.

There are several different philosophical approaches to obedience training; it’s important to match yours with the trainer’s. To train or not to train is less a question than how to train.

Obedience training History
When obedience training was introduced about 40 years ago, one simply put a choke chain or prong collar on the dog, gave it a command and jerked it into obeying. The use of food, games or toys — any reward other than praise, and not too much of that — was virtually unheard of.

Obedience training has evolved since then to include what many consider the more humane methods of positive reinforcement. One of its first advocates was Karen Pryor, a Boston-based biologist, writer and dolphin trainer who, in 1985, literally wrote the book on a new concept of training. “Don’t Shoot the Dog: The New Art of Teaching and Training” is concerned with altering animal behavior without being coercive.

Called “clicker training” because of the small hand-held device that emits a clicking sound, it’s a slang term for B.F. Skinner’s “operant conditioning,” which defined the scientific principles underlying how animals learn.

Skinner’s theories had long been used with dolphins and whales. Says Pryor, who has been a consultant to zoos and corporations: “My contribution has been to bridge the gap between science and practice, and to make it clear to people how this technology works and what it’s for. I’m not especially concerned about what species is involved.”

In the early ’90s, Pryor’s book caught the attention of Ian Dunbar, a California veterinarian and founder of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. He began applying Pryor’s methods to dog training.

Gradually, new trainers coming into the field, and a few older ones looking for the latest fad, started advertising their use of “positive reinforcement, no-correction training,” which appealed to the many people who believed traditional training was inhumane. Dunbar’s followers have since swelled to 3,000 members.

Many Dog trainers  who only positive reinforcement typically disapprove of traditional training. I’ve heard from many that say that both methods work and  it’s just a matter of choosing how one wants to go about it — the traditional methods familiar to most people, or kinder methods that actually get the same job done without hurting the dog or the relationship one has with his dog.

Every Dog Benefits

Can you teach an old dog new tricks? I believe so. No time is too late if the dog is comfortable; 10- and 11-year-olds are not unusual.

Many dog training classes are geared to family pets and their owners, and they’re not just for dogs with behavior problems. Most dogs are seriously under-stimulated and bored. Training gives them something to do. Some dogs, like golden retrievers and shelties, can get away with no training, but most others need it.

To find a trainer in your area, search our site for one in your area and arrange to observe a class before signing up, making sure you’re comfortable with the methods used.

All trainers agree that while you need a highly dedicated owner, the whole family has to be involved, since everyone interacts with the dog. In families where there are several handlers, private training may be best.

Keep in mind that the wrong class can do damage. Some dog’s genetic coding makes them bark at every sound and chase anything that moves so it can be difficult to outsmart a dog’s genetic coding.