Choosing The Best Dog Training Course For Our Dog

You now own a new puppy, or even an older dog, and realize that it needs to be trained to behave as well as for your dog's safety and your peace of mind. So how about a dog training course?

The answer to this question is probably "no", as many people do not think about obedience classes as a necessity for bringing home a new dog. Unfortunately, this is the mistake many make which can lead to an unhappy relationship between your new pooch and your family, especially if your four legged friend is quite unmanageable behavior wise. It is for this reason, that dog training courses are essential to the well being and overall happiness of you, your family and your new dog.

There are several different types of dog training courses that you can choose from in order to help you with the discipline of your new dog. Each one has many benefits and they each work in slightly different ways as far as the reinforcement of the trained behavior is concerned. The best way for you to determine which type of course is best for you is by doing a bit of research in to each one in order to understand any pros or cons each may have for you and your dog.

For example, one of the most popular types of dog training courses that people choose is the positive reinforcement/reward method. This type of training allows the dog to receive a combination of rewards -- such as a suitable doggie treat (you can get some very healthy ones at your pet store) plus your always-ready enthusiastic praise when they follow the commands you teach them, such as sit, stay, lay down and heel and many more.

Other types of dog training courses include the highly controversial choke collar training in which the owner would snap the leash and apply pressure to the dog's throat when an undesirable behavior is performed. This could severely injure a dog's neck and trachea so should only be used by professional trainers in extreme circumstances.

There is also head collar training, which is more humane than the choke collar and can be used to steer the dog, gently, towards the desired behavior.

Then there is the promising click training method -- a newer method that has shown great results when learned properly; basically, a clicker is used in conjunction with giving a treat when you give a command, as the dog learns the command, the treat is gradually eliminated leaving only the clicker to reinforce his behavior.