Do It Yourself Dog Training

Whoo-boy - are there ever so many different ways to raise or train a dog!?!?!

About the only thing that various methods agree upon is that you have to establish yourself as the pack leader, alpha dog, top dog, leader of the pack, head honcho, the Boss, etc. The way you go about doing that varies widely.

Every training method diverges, sometimes substantially, on puppy socialization to corrective techniques to reward systems.

If you are not into those pedigree breeds and just have a house dog for a family companion, then you may toss up your arms in frustration as to who to believe or who's advice to follow.

When your puppy or older dog has problems is not the time to figure out who has the best way of training. Really, the time to check that out is before you have a puppy or dog. Reality says, that most of us just don't fit into that category. We all arrive to the training scene a day late or paw short.

We turn to the training books or web sites when we have a problem. That problem may be house breaking, destructive chewing, pulling on the lead, attacking other dogs, jumping on people, digging, escape artists etc.

I am not going to claim that I know the best method or what worked for my dogs will work for your dogs. I've only had 6 dogs total, so what I know is based on a very small sample size. What I will say is that you need to look at the various methods, apply them to your situation and use what works for you and your dog(s).

Dog training is not so much training a dog. It is training the owner. I think that most dog training books and web sites also agree on this concept too. They do not always specifically state this or state it in some nice politically correct way. The owner has to do things that make sense to a dog. The owner has to be consistent. Some of the dog owners' training is variable across the methods. A method may train the dog owner to provide treats or lavish praise or swift correction. That is where the difference is. How do you want to be trained as a dog owner?

An alternative to following the 'experts' is to allow your dog to train you as a dog owner. These types of owners are seen everyday in every city. You see a dog leading their 'master' on leash for a walk. You see a dog jumping up on a visitor to a dog owner's home. You see a dog bark at other dogs through a fence. You see a dog bark at the letter carrier. I suppose another book could be written on how dogs train their owners.

So without further ado, I'll give you reviews/comparisons among the training methods. You decide for yourself which way will work best.

Training Methods for Dog Owners