| As anyone who has seen the popular BBC TV | | | | |
| series "Dog Borstal" will know, getting your | | | | The initial period of training with your dog |
| dog to listen to you is, well, all about | | | | will be the most important phase of all, |
| communication. You may think you know how to | | | | because it will establish the pattern for all |
| get through to your mutt - but if he isn't | | | | subsequent training. For this reason, you |
| paying any attention, he could be trying to | | | | should be well informed before embarking on |
| tell you something...Once you have | | | | the task - and armed with a great deal of |
| established basic communication you are ready | | | | patience. It is no use rushing the building |
| for basic training. Establishing contact. | | | | up of trust between handler and dog, so try |
| | | | not to be neurotic about it. The dog will |
| Your dog has to know right from wrong, before | | | | come round eventually, but only if you give |
| it can obey you. Your first aim will be to | | | | yourself and the animal time to develop and |
| let it know which behaviors are acceptable | | | | adapt. Consistency means everything to your |
| and in which contexts. In order to do this, | | | | dog. If you have punished him once for a |
| you will have to learn to give clear, | | | | particular type of behavior, for example, you |
| comprehensible commands and to provide decent | | | | must continue to do so until he desists, |
| feedback, so that the animal can understand | | | | otherwise the dog will become confused. This |
| if it has done what you wanted or not. | | | | will be distressing for him, because he |
| | | | really wants to please you. |
| Understanding how to communicate with your | | | | |
| dog is critical to any training that you do. | | | | Once you and your dog have mastered the |
| The goal of the handler is to let the dog | | | | basics of sit, stay, come and heel, you will |
| know which behaviors are correct in certain | | | | be ready to embark on more advanced training, |
| situations, and which behaviors are not. The | | | | such as tricks or "remotely" controlling your |
| handler must also learn to give commands to | | | | dog's movements with distance commands for |
| the dog effectively and provide feedback so | | | | right and left. It should be noted that human |
| that the animal understands whether it was | | | | language in itself is not always clearly |
| successful or not. It is also very important | | | | distinguishable to the dog's ears. After all, |
| that the handler understands how to read the | | | | a dog's barking sounds pretty much the same |
| dog's reactions to certain situations and to | | | | to us, whatever the animal is trying to say. |
| learn what motivates the dog to obey or | | | | For this reason, "left" and "right" are |
| disobey. | | | | probably inappropriate words to use, whereas |
| | | | the command in Welsh, "come by" seems to work |
| There are four basic communications that the | | | | very well for a left turn. |
| handler must establish with the dog. For good | | | | |
| behavior there is a reward signal and a | | | | Some owners may wish to resort to an electric |
| continue signal. The reward signal tells the | | | | shock device as an aid to obedience. These |
| dog that they have behaved properly and | | | | have been the centre of a certain amount of |
| deserve a reward, and the continue signal | | | | controversy in Britain recently, where a |
| tells the dog that they are behaving properly | | | | private members bill tried to have them |
| and that they should continue to behave in | | | | banned. Welfare minister Ben Bradshaw has |
| this manner in order to get a reward. | | | | spoken out in favor of electric collars, |
| | | | which he says some owners maintain have saved |
| For bad behavior a no reward signal and a | | | | the dog from nasty accidents or from being |
| punishment signal are used. The no reward | | | | shot by farmers when they stray onto land |
| signal tells the dog that it has behaved | | | | with livestock. |
| incorrectly. Without a change in behavior, | | | | |
| they will not get a reward. A punishment | | | | Funding is being provided for an |
| signal tells the dog that they will be | | | | investigation later this year, aimed at |
| punished if they continue their current | | | | establishing whether or not the collars can |
| behavior. | | | | make dogs aggressive. |