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Training
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Training for your puppy As for obedience, I know this is easy to say, but the best obedience training is consistent day to day actions and re-actions from the pup's owner. As the pup starts to mature, it reaches out, tests its abilities and its owner. It is important to try to see how the pup views the world around him in order to know how to respond. First, he does not really think of you as his owner but as part of his "pack", and as such he will test you and others around him to see who the “Dominant dog” is. Depending on the personality of the pup, this can be a short lived test or a life long struggle for dominance. Regardless, your response needs to be the same, when challenged as head of the pack, you need to be firm and use a voice of authority. I do not mean that you need to "yell", but dogs are very good at interpreting tone of voice. I think it is sometimes their best insight into what "we humans mean". So don't ask him to obey, command it and always use direct and sustained eye contact when doing it, do not let the pup stare you down in these instances, this is a challenge to your authority and is very normal. If this does not get a desired response, you need to be able to follow through with physical reinforcement. I do not mean hitting or spanking, this does not work and will only leave the pup confused and eventually the pup will fear you, not look to you as his leader. The best advice I received for physical reinforcement was to do what a mother dog does to her pups. She will push them to the ground and hold until they stop resisting. This is what dogs understand. When they get too big to push to the ground by hand you may choose to lie down on top of them and restrict their movement until they stop trying to resist. The intent here is not to inflict any pain but to demonstrate your dominance. Again, the most important thing to do is be consistent. They must know that the rules always apply and you are always the "head of the pack". Do not give a command that you do not have the time to enforce if necessary. Obedience training can be very good, but choose the program wisely, the "Dr. Spock" method of child raising does not apply to dogs. Some say it does not apply to children either but that is another topic and one that I am not qualified to comment on. My recommended reading for a method that I know works is the book "Game Dog", written by Richard Wolters. And some of the above advice is derived from his work. Mark J. Duty Ravenwood Labradors
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