Dog training supplies

Today I want to talk about dog training supplies and look at some of the options on the market. There are many reasons why you might want such products, ranging from the need for more education on training your puppy, dog behavior training for dogs that are a handful, to more specific training like security dog training. There are products for everything under the sun, so I can’t list them all. But I will discuss some of them, and as always if you have any of your own dog training supplies or tips, leave a comment below.

First I want to look at the most common type of pet training: Training your puppy. When your new family member is taken in to your home, the spotlight is on and everyone wants to cuddle and spoil the new fellow. But just like a small child, your puppy needs to be given “parenting” from the get go that teaches him the correct behavior and temperament for domestic life. Just like a parent is responsible for the upbringing of their kids, you as a dog owner are responsible for your puppy’s manners and habits.

To help you on your way there are several dog training supplies that can educate you in the most effective dog training methods. Books are great resources, and so are dog training DVDs. These let you educate yourself at your own pace and apply the teachings to your dog behavior training as you learn. The best dog training DVDs and books on the market are easy to find if you look for customer reviews. Look for those that have many reviews so that you can get a picture of the average.

You also have to the dog training supplies for outdoors, like a dog training whistle and electronic dog training collars. Dog training whistles are usually made so that they are barely audible for humans, but to dogs they sound really loud. By using the whistle to call your dog and rewarding for good behavior, with practice you can increase the distance and decrease the reward, while your dog gets the habit of coming to you when she hears the high pitch.

Electronic dog training collars are dog training supplies I am a bit hesitant to write about. Since I haven’t tried one myself, it sounds a bit inhumane to me. If any of you have tried one of these, please leave a comment and tell me what you think.

The collar systems usually work like this: You get a sender and receiver. The receiver is the collar, and in the collar there is a built in unit that can either give your dog a small electrical shock, vibration, or send out an annoying sound. The sender is for you, the dog owner, and lets you send a signal to the collar to apply the chosen behavior correcting method. Some let you increase and decrease shock levels from the sender.

I have read several reviews from dog owners who say that these work like a charm on dogs that are difficult to get to behave properly. For me, the jury is still out. If the shocks are just irritating, than fine, I could perhaps, maybe, give it a try. But as I said, it still sounds inhumane, and I sure wouldn’t put one of those on a human baby, so why put it on a dog?

An affordable way to get the dog training supplies you need is to buy dog training kits. These usually come with many of the things you otherwise would have bought separately. Most include dog whistles, a bottle of scents for search and retrieval, plastic dummies, and dog training booklets. This is perhaps the best way to get started.

Training your dog is very important, and as a dog owner it is your responsibility. I have posted a few articles here at Pets and Pet Supplies on the subject earlier, most notably Training your puppy, Dog biting problems, and Dog behavior problems. You have to remember that people that are not familiar with dogs, like kids, and grown ups that don’t have experience with dogs, don’t know how to handle a dog when they are in their presence. It is vital that your dog has had proper training so that it doesn’t scare the person, and most importantly doesn’t bite a human being.

The good news is that if you start early, dog training doesn’t need to take that much time, and the initial investment will pay off enormously in the years to come. However, dog behavioral training must be done with great patience, and there are no short cuts other than using the correct and proven methods that are out there.

For some dog owners a dog training camp might be the best way to train your dog if you are not having progress on your own, or if you feel the task is to daunting. There are local dog training camps all over the world, some where you can hand over your dog when you go on a vacation. That sounds a bit lazy to me, and something that probably won’t give you long term results. It’s better to find a training camp where both you and your dog get training at the same time, so that you can continue to apply the principles and practical steps after the camp is finished also.

Ok, I better round up this post. Dog training supplies are very handy when it comes to training your dog, and there is no better place to buy these than online. So have a look and come back to tell me if you found any great products.

My next post will probably be a part two of the dog grooming courses post. So stay tuned to Pets and Pet Supplies!

Related posts:

1. Training your puppy