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The first and most important part of training a dog comes before even looking into the different types of dog training schools. This key part of dog training is the idea that the owner will need to be trained along with the dog. Without the hard work, commitment and follow-through of the dog owner, it is impossible to train any type of dog. What this means is that the dog owner needs to be trained in whichever method the dog training school uses and needs to follow through with the methods. Training a dog takes more hard work from the owner than from the dog because a dog naturally wants to please his owner.
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Choke collarThe most widely used methods of training by dog training schools are correction training, positive reinforcement training and clicker training. Correction training involves having a dog wear a choke collar. When a choke collar is sized and worn properly, a quick yank and release of the chain should remind a dog of the way a mother dog grabs a pup by the scruff of the neck. The yank and release are used to get a dog's attention and to correct improper behavior. When using the yank and release for correction it should be accompanied by a firm "no" from the owner. Positive reinforcement training is a reward-based method. A dog is taught proper behavior by being rewarded for learning to obey verbal commands. Additionally, some training schools use hand signals with the verbal commands. The reward for obeying commands can be a small treat or praise and positive attention or a combination of the two. Clicker training is a type of positive reinforcement training, the main difference being that along with rewarding good behavior, a clicker is used to mark the behavior. -
The function of a basic dog training school is to teach a dog to be obedient. Some basic commands that are covered in an obedience-focused dog training school are sit, stay, heel, down and off. An obedience school will also cover potential problem behaviors and methods of dealing with these behaviors. Beyond the basic dog training schools, there are specialized schools that will teach a dog the skills it needs to become a therapy dog, a search and rescue dog or a hunting dog. There are also dog training schools that focus on proper dog show behavior and dog training schools that prepare a dog for agility competitions.
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Dog training schools can also differ in the way that their trainers communicate with the dogs and the owners. Some trainers get along great with dogs, but do not communicate well with the dog owners. The trainer, dog and dog owner are all involved in the training process together so it is crucial that all three are able to communicate. Additionally, there should be some time during each class session devoted to questions and answers and the trainer should be able to respond to the questions in an easy-to-understand and informative manner. Another aspect of communication is whether or not the training school provides hand-outs, and not every dog training school does. Hand-outs usually review what was covered in class and can act as a reminder to the dog owner of what should be worked on at home.
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Many dog training schools encourage the dog owner to sit in on a class before selecting a school. This is an ideal way to get an up close look at how the school operates and will help determine if the school is a good match for the dog and its owner. The size of the training room and number of dogs per class are things that should be looked at during a visit. The room should be spacious enough that each dog has at least three feet between the dogs on either sides. Also, to get the most benefit from the instruction with enough individual attention when needed there should be a maximum of six dogs per trainer. One more thing to consider is whether or not the training school promotes involvement of the entire family. When training a dog, if the whole family is not working together, the dog can get confused by different responses from different family members and thus it will be much harder to train the dog.
