Can Your Really Train Your Dog Using a DVD?
No commentsHow can you train your dog with a DVD? Can you begin training an adorable little puppy when it’s still quite young and somehow have a well-trained dog after a while? Or if your dog is older, could you teach it to sit, to stay, to come, to lie down, and to walk on a loose leash?
The answer? Perhaps.
It depends on you. The dog or puppy is willing to learn, and it’s not hard to get a really good DVD on dog training. Do you want to do this enough that you will really get around to it? If you will, you’ll find that a DVD can motivate as well as teach you what you need to do.
Here is what to do. Think about when the training will fit into your schedule. The best is if you can do three to five sessions most days, but even two sessions a day — likely before you feed the dog breakfast and dinner — are useful. Several sessions are better than one long one because studies have shown that dogs learn better this way.
If you like to make plans and carry them out, then you are a natural for training your dog with a DVD. If you aren’t a huge fan of planning but can do it when you see a good reason, you should do fine too.
Is it better to use a DVD or to take a class?
Should you take your dog to a class rather than train him with a DVD? Well, it depends. In this situation, the key factor is whether there is a high quality dog training instructor in your vicinity. Do be aware that while recent scientific information shows that dogs learn better with positive, pain-free methods, most trainers have not yet crossed over to only using these methods. Beyond that, consider whether the class schedule fits yours.
If a good dog or puppy training class is available, it can be useful for helping the dog to be at home with many dogs — something you will need to develop in any case — and for learning a lot. Once you and the dog see how much fun it can be to learn new things together, you may want some DVDs to help you continue your dog’s lifelong learning.
Choosing a DVD
The best DVD that I have seen on the topic is Train Your Dog: The Positive, Gentle Method, featuring experienced trainers Nicole Wilde and Laura Bourhenne. It’s inexpensive yet has everything you need for a great start for your dog.
Sunday, May 11th, 2008 at 8:33 am and is filed under Dog training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
