Positive Dog Training and Raising Resources

[SouthPaw]

Have a new puppy? Or maybe an older dog with some issues? There IS a way to gently discipline dogs! Positive dog training is effective, fun, and dog friendly. Here are some resources to set you on the right track:

Books: (these are all available on amazon.com or dogwise.com)

Puppy Training and Development

* Before You Get Your Puppy - Ian Dunbar - view this one online for free here! (click on Media Downloads and scroll about halfway down)
* After You Get Your Puppy - Ian Dunbar
* Your Outta Control Puppy - Teoti Anderson

Training and Understanding Dog Behavior

* The Culture Clash - Jean Donaldson
* The Power of Positive Dog Training - Pat Miller
* Don't Shoot the Dog - Karen Pryor
* How To Teach a New Dog Old Tricks - Ian Dunbar
* Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Training - Pamela Dennison
* Positive Perspectives: Love Your Dog, Train Your Dog - Pat Miller
* How To Behave So Your Dog Behaves - Sophia Yin
* Dog Friendly Dog Training - Andrea Arden
* Excel-erated Dog Training - Pam Reid

Behavior Problems

GENERAL

* Dogs Are From Neptune - Jean Donaldson

AGGRESSION

* Aggression in Dogs - Brenda Aloff
* Mine! - Jean Donaldson (resource guarding)
* Fight! - Jean Donaldson (dog-dog aggression)

SEPARATION ANXIETY

* I’ll Be Home Soon - Patricia McConnell
* Canine Separation Anxiety Workbook - James O’Heare

FEAR AND OTHER ANXIETIES

* Help for Your Fearful Dog: A Step by Step Guide to Helping Your Dog Conquer His Fears - Nicole Wilde
* Cautious Canine - Patricia McConnell
* Help for Your Shy Dog - Deborah Wood

Websites and links on dog training:


Problem Solving:

Comprehensive list of training articles - solving problem behaviors and training new ones.

Some of the topics:

I have (or plan on getting) a new puppy - what do I do?
Puppy Training
House Training
What is clicker training?
Stopping negative behavior positively
Resource Guarding and how to stop it
Bite Inhibition - what EVERY PUPPY should learn
List of specific problem behaviors and positive solutions

[B]
Are you looking for a professional dog trainer? Here are 2 resources:

"The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) is a professional organization of individual trainers who are committed to becoming better trainers through education.

The APDT offers individual pet dog trainers a respected and concerted voice in the dog world. We continue to promote professional trainers to the veterinary profession and to increase public awareness of dog friendly training techniques.

*Also, Group Classes at PetSmart are generally positive based and run by knowledgeable trainers as well.


Are you confused or worried about dominance?

Here is an excellent article in .doc format delineating what it IS, what it is NOT, and how to achieve it... "Debunking the Dominance Myth"

and from the great Ian Dunbar, "Why Can't a Dog Be Like a Dog?"

What are the most important things a puppy needs to learn?

1. Household Etiquette
2. Home Alone
3. Socialization with People
4. Dog-Dog Socialization
5. Sit and Settle Down Commands
6. Bite Inhibition

[afternoonrain]

I also like The Dog Whisperer by Paul Owens , not Ceasar Millan. He might come off as being a bit "new age" with his approach to breathing and such before training. I just use it as advice toward being a calm leader.

I definitely recommend avoiding Cesar Milan. I watched his show for awhile, but then did some research online and there is a lot of controversy in his methods. I prefer using lots of praise and treats/play as part of a positive program for training my dog. So far it's working. We've had him since Christmas and he's learning more and behaving better every day. (He was 8 months old when we adopted him, so we're starting a bit behind.)

[Annalou]

So any ideas on how to repair a dog relationship? we started with a very "dominant" dog. my german shepherd/border collie mix is very hyper, needs a lot of direction and we thought she was dominant
we are also needing to train her how to behave with our food chickens, we plan on keeping quite few of them and I don't want to loose any more!!

[AngelaVA]

Originally Posted by SouthPaw

* Before You Get Your Puppy - Ian Dunbar - view this one online for free here! (click on Media Downloads and scroll about halfway down)
* After You Get Your Puppy - Ian Dunbar

Reading through this because we are considering getting a puppy. Has anyone tried the method he suggests of giving your puppy all of it's feed hidden in Kongs or other similar toys to teach them not to chew household things and calm themselves? It sounds like an interesting idea but not one I've heard before. The crate training plan was not new to me, and has worked with other puppies I've had but nice to have it laid out so specifically.

Thank you for this - we're looking to adopt a young dog, so this resource list will come in handy!

[J3K]

Victoria Stilwell is another resource. She's amazing. Her show was oddly titled , "It's me or the dog" but it was good. (Until they came to the US and tried to make it all about drama)

[princessrhani]

Also if you look up "urban puppy" confinement training on YouTube - Urban Dog Training is another training group who only use positive reinforcement. They have a great couple of YouTube videos on puppies and confinement training. They are located in Brisbane, Australia. I trained both my dogs through them and we use crate training on a daily basis.

[princessrhani]

Yes we have done the kongs, but we don't do it all the time. It's highly recommended to do that, especially if your dogs are getting very cheeky and bossy! It wouldn't work with our two because my quieter cocker spaniel takes a long time with a kong and my bold boy beagle would take it off her the minute she is distracted. We feed both dogs in their crates and usually during our own meal time.

[princessrhani]

(I love this thread btw) thank you.

[Honeybee2three]

Originally Posted by AngelaVA

Reading through this because we are considering getting a puppy. Has anyone tried the method he suggests of giving your puppy all of it's feed hidden in Kongs or other similar toys to teach them not to chew household things and calm themselves?

I helped train a service dog puppy and we put peanut butter with kibble inside kongs and froze them. It made for a great job for the dog and kept her attention for quite a while.