Training the Dog Trainer: Prepare Yourself with the Knowledge Necessary for Successful Dog Training

By Brian Hunter

Training your dog is fun and easy and a great way to bond. You can be the envy of other dog owners who look at the two of you and comment on how obedient and well-behaved your dog is and how they wished their dog were trained like yours. There is a wide variety of videos and books available to guide you through all the specific behaviors you wish to train your dog to perform--but you are not ready to dive into training just yet.

Training the Dog Trainer is the first book you must read. It prepares you with dog knowledge and puts you on a path to be successful when you actually start the training. If you don't understand dog psychology and how to communicate with your dog so he understands your intentions, progress in training will prove to be more difficult than it has to be.

Calmness, leadership, and the right energy are vital keys for being successful. Secrets like these are found within this book and are required as your foundation before you ever give your first training command.

Did you know that dogs learn quicker when you don't use your voice? Training the Dog Trainer will give you an inside look into what it takes to make your four-legged friend happy to follow the leader--you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638810032

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 Brian Hunter

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2021

Front and back cover photos by Ken Harris, Annapolis Md

ISBN 978-1-63881-002-5 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63881-003-2 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

Introduction

Using This Book

Section 1: Getting Started

Decisions

Understanding Dogs

How Do You Establish Leadership?

Resting place and eating

Training Styles

Potty Training

Pick a spot

Going on command

Be patient

Repeat the potty process

Scolding

Signs

Proper accident reaction

Doorbell

Establish a routine

Crates

No

Consistency and Repetition

Commands

The Hidden Language

Clicker Training

Training Duration

Proofing

Frustration

Dogs Are Individuals

Failure

Patience

Using a Professional

Missing Learning Opportunities

The Crate

The Number One Training Tool

Teaching Patience

The Dog Must Do It!

Exercise

Dog Parks

Ignoring Good Behavior

Biting and Nipping

Aggression

Protection vs. Possession

Training Multiple Dogs

Reaction to Cats

Physical Abuse

Section 2: Moving Outdoors

Leaving the House

Following

Controlled Walk

Communication through the Leash

Behavior Threshold

Encountering Distractions

Aggression Redirection

Dog Meeting Dog

E-Collars

Section 3: The Wrap-Up

Don’t Limit Yourself to Voice

Establish Markers

Your Energy

The Dog’s Energy

Leadership

Patience and Effort

Follow Through

The Leash

Conclusion

Afterword

Introduction

One of God’s most precious gifts to us is the dog. Even though we have been transforming the dog for thousands of years to what it is today, it originated from one of God’s special creations. I have been mesmerized by dogs my entire life by one simple trait they possess—unconditional love and devotion to their human family. Here is one of life’s simple lessons that, if paid attention to, shows us on a daily basis how we should mold our lives and gain serenity from simple acts of love and devotion.

A situation that plays over and over in my mind is that of a dog who, upon hearing an arrival, hobbles on three legs to the door with jubilation and excitement to greet his human. The hobbling is due to a cast on a broken leg. A broken leg caused by his human kicking him down the steps in a heat of frustration and anger. Another agonizing vision I have is that of a dog who waits for days for his abusive human to give the slightest sign of an invitation before running to get a rare moment of kind interaction. In the home, the human is the basis for the entire existence of a dog; regardless of the situation, a dog is driven to be close and affectionate.

It is from this love and devotion that I am inspired to offer this book as a tool to help make their life the best it can possibly be, by educating their humans on how dogs think and act and the secrets of successful training. Although I may occasionally touch upon details of certain training exercises, this book is not intended to teach individuals the commands we want our dogs to learn. There are plenty of other books and videos that cover that for you. My desire is to teach you how to properly communicate with your dog in order to obtain maximum training results.

There are knowledgeable people in the world who are experts in their fields and can perform incredible feats and accomplishments. Knowing the subject matter and teaching it to another are two completely different things. Take, for example, a first-grade elementary schoolteacher who has studied and achieved the required credentials to obtain a teaching position. Even though they may have the required knowledge, if they cannot obtain the attention and interest of their students, the transfer of their knowledge is minimal. In this example, the teacher who knows how to interact with the students, how to get and keep their attention and focus, and when to stop and change direction and energy is the one who gets through to the students and obtains results. I am here to make you this talented teacher who knows how to get results by doing or, in many cases, not doing things that impede successful training results.

I love hearing and seeing the reactions of clients when I enter their home and meet their dog for the first time, and after fifteen minutes, I have them totally focused on me and responding to multiple commands all without saying a single word. Knowing how to teach new commands to a dog is one thing, but having the right energy is the secret ingredient that makes you successful. Are you ready to learn these secrets and be the successful teacher? Let’s go!

I know that some individuals are sensitive, and in order not to alienate anyone, I can assure you that male and female dogs are equally smart, sensitive, loyal, obedient, and pleasing. It is only through eliminating redundancy that I will be referring to dogs in the male gender throughout this book. I am merely saving you from the annoying he/she, him/her, and his/her reference. I also get the benefit of saving keystrokes.

Throughout this book, I will be using the term command when communicating with your dog. The meaning of a command is simply the act of giving instructions to your dog. It does not imply that you are to be barking orders at your dog like a Marine Corps drill instructor.

The other term I will use is correction. Correction simply means communicating your displeasure to your dog for performing an undesirable behavior. These corrections range from saying no to giving a stern look of disapproval. Do not allow this term to manifest visions of a ruthless owner inflicting physical abuse on the dog.

Using markers, what are they? Markers are signals, either verbal or through body movements, that you use to communicate your sentiments for both good and bad behaviors displayed by your dog. Through repetition and consistency, your dog will immediately recognize his wanted or unwanted behaviors through the use of markers.

Repeatedly throughout this book, I will be making reference to the excitement level of the dog. I want you to visualize a scale ranging from zero to ten. This scale rates the excitement levels that a dog experiences and identifies crucial behavior attributes that are affected. Zero is the lowest level of excitement and equates to a completely relaxed dog almost in a sleep state. Ten is the opposite end of the scale that equates to the highest level of excitement, also known as the red zone. It is important to understand this scale and understand that each level has a direct impact on the dog’s state of mind and what is therefore achievable or not achievable in behavior expectations.

Using This Book

The real benefit of this book is not to be read once and put aside. Rather, it is designed to be used as a training aid to be referred to throughout your training experiences. To assist you, important training statements will be in boldfaced type for easy identification and to prompt memory as you flip through the pages in review. Being human, we tend to forget things over time until something jolts our memory. If your training attempts struggle, use the memory jolts in boldface to critique yourself and identify points that have slipped away.

Section 1

Getting Started

Decisions

Obtaining a dog is not a thing to take lightly or to rush into. Considerable thought should go into it before making a decision to proceed. The first thing to consider is available time for the dog. If you and your family are very active and consistently have a full schedule of events, think about what amount of time can be devoted to the dog’s needs. When you accept the responsibility of dog ownership, there is a commitment expected to provide the dog with those essential things that he needs. Plenty of busy families have dogs and are able to provide the required exercise, training, physical interaction, and bonding time to achieve a happy and content dog. Citing lack of time or energy is absolutely unacceptable in justification of neglecting your dog’s needs. If your schedule prohibits satisfying your dog’s needs, then the timing of dog ownership is just not right.

Think about other opportunities that will satisfy your urge to interact with dogs. Volunteering at a local shelter may be the right solution for you. Heaven knows that dogs in shelters never get the amount of human interaction time they need simply because of the demand imposed upon the shelter staff. Spending a few hours every couple of weeks can satisfy your dog craving without having to commit to the demands of ownership. You are also helping the unfortunate animals that spend their time eagerly waiting for their adopted families to show up.

Are all members of the family on the same page about dog ownership? If not, this could be a recipe for discord in the home. For a number of reasons, a dog requires connections with all humans in the household, and if that is not provided, it can merit the development of unwanted situations.

Bringing a new dog into a home with an existing dog requires a plan. Dogs have unique personalities just like humans. You and I have experienced meeting a new person when everything just clicks and there is an instant connection. Likewise, other meetings are not so favorable, and we make a choice to limit our interaction with these people. The same holds true between dogs. There are tangible things that we can use to help select a good match between dogs. These tangibles include genders, ages, size, breeds, and energy, but even the best match on paper can be foiled by personalities, also referred to as a dog’s energy. Case in point, combining two dominant-energy dogs is not a good combination and will inevitably lead to some issues between them.

When introducing a new possible addition to the pack, I strongly recommend obtaining the services of a trained professional to assist in the meet-and-greet introduction process. As the old saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. This is exponentially important in the case of dog introduction because it can make the difference between success or failure and long-term interaction and behavior problems. A trained professional provides the skills of reading a dog’s energy and intervening before a reaction happens. Your professional will monitor and control the situation and set the rules and expectations between the dogs from the very start. Your professional will also bring the ability to decide the correct moment to react or not react at all. The professional knows the proper level of energy to impose in the correction, which is also a deciding factor for success or failure.

If after careful consideration, the decision proceeds, there are other things to consider. Do you get a puppy or an older, more mature dog? This is where our feelings many times conquer our logic because who can resist that adorable little puppy that is climbing all over us just ripping at our heartstrings. Yes, puppies are adorable, but they bring a ton of work with them. This is the time to sit back and really concentrate on what is going to be involved in raising a puppy. I will lay it out for you right now. Time, patience, effort, time, calmness, commitment, time, and physical demands. Oh…did I mention time? This list is a basic requirement for dogs of all ages but is significantly magnified when dealing with a puppy.

The first eight weeks are the critical emotional development period for puppies, but unless your own dog gives birth to a litter, you will not experience this stage. Your experience will start after this stage and is the bonding and socialization stage. Frankly speaking, your involvement here really shapes the finished product of the dog. Is he friendly, aggressive, or nervous around new people or dogs? Is he calm or a time bomb ready to explode? Can he easily accept new surroundings or situations? Is he obedient and responsive, or is he a wild child turning your world upside down? The answer to these questions, in my experience, is based 95 percent on your involvement. Ever