These are techniques that work, that a professional dog trainer uses. Because every dog and every dog owner is different, some methods work better than others so in the training lessons she often give a couple of options for training one action.

What Do You Get In Dove Cresswell’s Puppy and Dog Training Online Course?

The course is made up of 7 complete dog training lessons which you can watch on your computer. The 7 video lessons are clear and easy to follow. You also get 8 free bonus audio lessons when you purchase Dove’s dog training course. I can give you a few bits of each lesson, but there is much more to each one than I can divulge. There are also some techniques she recommends that I had not thought of.

Video #1 – Puppy Housebreaking / Potty Training

This video covers both toy breeds and all other breeds, you can choose to watch the training for toy breeds or all other breeds. You can watch both if you want. She does have different techniques because of the size of your puppy and the size they will end up being when grown. A few things she recommends that I agree with are:

• She recommends using a crate for puppy potty training which I totally agree with.
• Learn how to use positive reinforcement for house breaking.
• How to deal with the inevitable accident and how to keep that to a minimum.

Video #2 – Crate Training

Dove had some insights in this lesson when you think “Yeah, that’s right, they do do that”. This lesson covers using a crate for:

• Using the crate to correct behavior problems.
• How to pick the right crate.
• What NOT to do when crate training your puppy.

Video #3 – Basic Dog Obedience

This video covers things like body language and tone of voice and how they are so important in puppy obedience training. A reason this format she chose works so well, because you can hear her voice as she would when training your dog or puppy. This lesson covers:

• Why voice and body language are important and how to use them.
• Choosing the right words for commands.
• The type of collars and leashes to use and the types that don’t work.
• What NOT to do when correcting your dog.

Video #4 – Walking Politely On A Leash

Everybody wants to learn how to train your dog to do this. This video covers:

• Tools you should use what you shouldn’t use
• Leash techniques that are effective.
• How long training should last.

Video #5 – The Recall

This video covers the tools you will need to train your dog to come every time the first time you call them. This video gives you the way to correct your dog and when and how much to praise your dog for certain things they do.

• When and how to praise your dog.
• How to correct your puppy.

Video #6 – Good Puppy and Dog Manners

This video covers quite a few different behavior problems. It also covers some commands that are used to prevent bad behavior. Some of the dog behavior problems covered are:

• How to stop dog jumping on people.
• Dog Barking
• Dog Whining
• Counter Surfing. Some simple yet very effective solutions. This will make you smile.

Video #7 – Special Dog Tricks

This video gives you insights as to why teaching your dog tricks is good for them. Training techniques to teaching tricks that will get them to learn quickly. A few tricks she teaches are:

• Shaking their paw
• Waving
• Roll Over

Check out Dove Cresswell’s site here

Additional Bonuses

Dove has included some bonuses with her course.These are audio lessons.

• Be in touch with Dove directly. You can email Dove a question, enter your email and receipt and she will answer.
• Teach your dog to fetch.
• Train your dog to play soccer.
• Teach them hide ‘n seek.
• Information on dog sports. Agility, Rally Obedience and Flyball
• How to easily earn your dog’s respect.
• Choosing the right dog food and treats.

Who Is This Course For?

As I went through each lesson I liked this course more and more. Dove is a great teacher. What I like about this course is that you are taught the methods that a professional trainer uses to train specific things. She tells you what is really important in each lesson. The things that you must do but also the things you must never do. Each lesson is easy to understand, and the techniques she uses are so easy to do that you just want to get started training your puppy right away. You just have to remember what she says about when the training session should end. Every new puppy owner should have this course. So many things can be trained very simply if you start them when your puppy is young, and you do them correctly. This course is highly recommended. Visit Dove’s website here.

The Downloads Area

There is a button in the menu bar for downloads. This is what I received in the Premium Members Area. There is a course section and a bonus section.
In the course section you can download the Secrets to Dog Training book in pdf form. This book is big, over 250 pages and 100 photographs. It covers everything from puppy stages to advanced obedience training. Also covers how to correct your dog’s behavior problems with step by step instructions.
Next there is the Secrets to Dog Training Video. It can be downloaded in PC or MAC versions.

Doggone it..I’m Ready..Check It Out Now

Bonus Section – Who Doesn’t Love Free?

Bonus 1 – Dog Food Secrets Book

75 Gourmet Recipes book that your dog will love! This book covers not only a bunch of recipes for your dog but also what food to avoid.

Bonus 2 -The Top 20 Consultations

This book includes 20 of the best consultations that they have answered!

Bonus 3 – Secrets to Becoming the Alpha Dog V5
Learn about the importance of the pack leader, identifying challengers for the role of pack leader, etc.
Bonus 4 – Dog Grooming Made Easy
Find out about preparing your dog for grooming, how to give your dog a bath, nail clipping, the best way to clean your dog’s face, eyes & ears, using clippers to maintain your dogs coat, dental hygiene and the essential grooming equipment!
Bonus 5 – House Training Methods and Tricks
Learn easy ways to house train your dog, use the Direct Method for an outdoors dog or use the Paper Method for an indoors dog! Plus 10 helpful tips on making house training a success!
Bonus 6 – A Quick Guide To Dog Agression
Learn how to identify the first signs of aggression, stop your dog from acting aggressively towards children, strangers and other dogs.
Bonus 7 – Tips on Security Training Your DogInterested in security training your dog? Which breed should you choose? Professional training or home training? Find the answers here!
Plus an mp3 audio for the book Secrets to Dog Training so you can listen anywhere, anytime.

Get Secrets To Dog Training Now!

You’ll Also Get More Stuff

• The newly released “Kingdom of Pets Dog Training Series” Online Video Series by Brian Heward and Susan Morton. There are 6 titles and over 5 hours of footage that includes the following titles:
• How to Stop Dog Aggression (Part 1)
• How to Stop Dog Aggression (Part 2)
• How to Stop Your Dog from Barking
• How to Stop Your Dog’s Biting & Chewing Problems
• Alpha Dog Training
• AND In Field Training: Real Life Case Studies of Dog Training in Action
• AND the fantastic software Secrets to Dog Training Pro, which allows you to keep track of all the necessary and important details about your dog such as medical history, vaccinations, operations, appointments, obedience training, and much more.

This is a fantastic course. It has everything you need to learn the proper way to train your new puppy or dog. To learn more about their program, visit their website by clicking here.

Secrets Of A Professional Dog Trainer was written by dog training author Adam Katz. He has also authored several dog training dvds and audio lectures. On his website he says “Nothing on the market explained dog training the way we thought it should be explained. So I wrote my own dog training book. You can start learning how to get your dog to listen to you, anywhere you go, with my best-kept and most effective training secrets you can start transforming your dog in less than 10 minutes”

What Do You Get With This Course

Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer Book - This book is 316 pages, around half that downloaded. It has a simple layout and the writing style is very matter of fact. BUT it covers every part of dog ownership you can think of. Just take a look at his website and you can see the ton of material he covers. His philosophy is to communicate with your dog the way other dogs would communicate to each other.

He believes in praise and reward when the dog does what is wanted and correction when he doesn’t. Something I happen to agree with. As a matter of fact, there is quite a lot in this book that I happen to agree with. Some of the many things covered are:

• How to choose a puppy
• How professional trainers train their dogs
• How to teach your dog hand signals
• Stop puppy biting
• Stop your dog from digging
• Training with an electronic collar
• Stop your dog barking

There are many more behavior problems that you learn how to correct. I like the fact that he does go into some things that are beyond what you find in many of the dog training books and courses.

Bonuses – We All Like Free

Bonus 1 – Eight Secrets To Becoming The “Alpha Dog”

We’ve all heard of being the Alpha Dog. What he teaches you is why your dog needs to have a leader. That is when they are the happiest. Once you become the “Alpha Dog,” your dog will

• Show you new-found respect
• Begin responding to you like never before
• Want to please you
• Respect you at all times

Bonus 2 – Where To Buy Pet Products At Wholesale Prices

He tells you how he gets his pet products at dirt cheap prices

Bonus 3 – Teach Any Dog To Walk On A Loose Leash In Less Than 10 Minutes!

This is one of the most asked for lessons by dog owners. Check out this video:

Bonus 4 – Puppy Primer:How To Know When To Teach Behaviors

Shows training a puppy from birth to 1 yr.

Bonus 5 – Fixing Aggression Problems

Tells you the 4 types of aggression and how one technique works on 9 out of 10 dogs.

Bonus 6 – How To Choose A Vet

This comes as an MP3 audio and a downloadable transcript. Not all vets are alike.

Bonus 7 – Unlimited Consultations

This is with a moderated discussion group.

When you buy this book you get a free 30 day pass for full access to the Member’s Only Subscription Site. Be aware that to in order to be a member of this site there is a $9.95/month membership fee.

This book sells for $37.00 the membership site is $14.95/month. All of this information for less than 2 bags of dog food.

Check out DogProblems.com

Check out these dog training videos made by DogProblems.com

The Benefits of Clicker Training

• You reward wanted behavior and ignore unwanted behavior so you get a dog that wants to train rather than a dog that is afraid to train.
• You don’t lure the dog to do a behavior, you wait for the dog to voluntarily do it. This means you won’t end up with a dog that you have to lure to get what you want. Ever call your dog to come while waving a treat?
• Your timing for reinforcement can get very precise. That makes the dog training very efficient and saves time.
• You train the behavior first, then add the cue. That makes the cue more reliable.
• After a few months, you get a clicker smart dog. Your dog knows how to play the game and it makes learning new things fun and they learn faster.

Conclusion

Any success in dog training whether it is traditional or clicker is determined by the trainer’s skills. The 4 secrets you discover in this course will help you become more successful in your puppy training or older dog training. This is a great course that you should check out.
Visit their site at www.clickertrainingacademy.com

An Example

Lets take an example of training your puppy to sit. Sit is one of the first commands/behaviors most people teach in puppy obedience training. First the reward, food is a great motivator for dogs so we’ll use food for a reward. Instead of giving them the cue/command to sit, we lure them into a sit by holding the food close to their nose and raising it up and back until they sit. When they sit you use your marker, be it a clicker or a word like “good” or “yes”, and give them the reward. You have not given the cue/command yet.  Now repeat repeat repeat. It won’t be long before your puppy is sitting on their own in anticipation of the reward. What has just happened is secret to positive dog training.

The secret is to train your puppy to offer good behaviors to you rather than you commanding them to do a behavior,  like in our example of sitting. Your puppy will start looking for chances to be rewarded. When they are eager to try a behavior that gets them something good, like their reward, your puppy training will become fun for both of you and they will learn faster.

The Reward

Dogs can be motivated by other things also besides food. Some like to chase a ball, or go for a ride in a car. The reason food is used often by dog trainers is that they can be given their reward and it’s gone in a second or two. Now they can focus on the next thing in your puppy training schedule. A toy or something like that as a reward takes time and it will be harder to get the dog back on task.

The Marker

Whatever you use as a marker, it can be a clicker, a clap, a word, etc.. get your puppy used to hearing it and immediately getting a reward. In the beginning they don’t have to do any particular behavior, what you want them to learn is the marker means good stuff in coming. It won’t take long before their eyes light up at the sound of your marker.

The timing of the marker is critical. Whatever behavior they do that you are working towards, you have to mark and reward immediately so that they associate what they did with the reward. Once they have learned the behavior, every time they do it start using a word, the cue, in our example it would be “sit” and soon they will learn to associate the cue with the behavior.

Older Dog From A Shelter

Shelly was one of the best dogs we’ve had. We got her from a shelter. When you get an older dog from a shelter there are some things that you didn’t think of when you were looking for a dog. What was her name? Will she learn a new name? How old is she? How will she react to different situations. Was she crate trained? First question most people have is “are they housetrained?” If they are that is great, but if they aren’t, can they learn? Yes they can. Training an older dog may take more patience but they are capable of learning just as if they were young.

Older Dogs Need A Checkup

When you get an older dog, first on the list of things to do is take them to the vet for a thorough checkup. You will need to know if there are any health problems that you will be dealing with. One question you might have is “How old is she?” Your vet can give you their best guess. If they are only a couple years old, they’re just getting into adulthood. If they are in the 6-8 yr range, they are going to be turning into senior citizens fairly soon.

Training An Older Dog

When you decide on training an older dog, you will have to take into consideration any of their physical shortcomings. Is the dog a little hard of hearing? They may have some joint pain that will limit what kind of physical things they can do. If your dog has a little trouble hearing, you can incorporate hand signals into your training. I always thought it was pretty amazing to see someone have their dog follow commands just using hand signals.

Many times an older dog already has learned something from a previous owner. They may know how to sit and stay, give you a paw etc. One fun way to find out what they may already know is to play some games with them. Take them out where you can throw a ball with them. PRECAUTION: If you got your dog from a shelter, they may have been found as a stray. Some dogs will want to run so make sure you have them in a fenced area or a long leash. You can learn a lot about the dog while you’re playing with her, does she come when you call or what is her body language when she has to go potty for example.

Housetraining An Older Dog

If your older dog is not housetrained, that likely will be the first thing you want to train them on. Keep in mind that a dog of any age can have some issues when they are brought into a new environment. They can have some diarrhea at first. Keep them on the food that they have been eating for the first couple weeks until you can wean them off of it to the brand you want to use. Do not yell at them if they have an accident. Give them a stern “NO” and show them where they are to go, just as you would a puppy. When they do what you want them to do, give them plenty of praise. An older dog can put on weight faster than a pup so keep the treats to a minimum.

Conclusion

In conclusion, training an older dog doesn’t need to be difficult. It may take more patience, more repetitions than a puppy but it can also be just as successful. You just need to keep in mind that like us, as a dog ages it can and will develop some physical limitations that you will need to be aware of. If your dog doesn’t seem to be learning housebreaking, make sure there isn’t some physical problem that is causing the problem. Maybe they have a bladder infection or other problem that can be treated with medication.

Possible Causes

Your dogs separation anxiety can be caused by several things. Dogs from a pet store or a shelter are more prone to this because they have experienced significant trauma by being separated from their mothers at too young an age or being separated from their previous owner for whatever reason. Other reasons that could be contributing factors are that they have not been properly socialized with other people or animals. Dogs are social animals that need interaction, attention and affection to keep them happy and if you are apart from them and they are left alone for long periods that are likely to have problems.

Signs and Symptoms

You can tell if your dog has separation anxiety by the signs he shows when you are out of his eyesight or if you are getting ready to leave. Our dog knows by which shoes I put on that I am leaving and she’s not going with. Molly actually just goes into her crate when we start putting on shoes. But some dogs start to become anxious, following you from room to room, maybe whining and becoming nervous or starting to tremble. Some dogs will even try to stop you from leaving, barking incessantly or jumping on you. When you get home they are overly excited about greeting you and will almost turn themselves inside out in a frenzy of trying to show you how happy they are that you are home. Do not encourage them, it only shows them that you approve of what they’re doing when in reality they have a problem that needs to be fixed.

Things You Can Do

First thing to remember is that a tired dog is a good dog. Give her plenty of exercise before you leave. The longer you exercise, the more tired they get, the better. Create a distraction by giving them a bone or a Kong filled with peanut butter about 15 minutes before you leave. For puppies when you first bring them home and have acclimated them to their new home, I hope you say crate, you can put a ticking clock near their bed. It will simulate their mother’s heartbeat. You should also be training them to be alone by leaving their eyesight for short periods of time. So they get used to not seeing you but knowing that you will come back. You can leave a radio or tv on when you leave. You can also do things that signal you are leaving but then don’t leave. You can act as if you’re getting ready to leave like jingling your keys, putting on your shoes and jacket, then sit back down. Or leave the room and come back in. This will help them to get over the feeling of being abandoned if they know you will be back. If you train them early on when they first come home with you, you can effectively avoid this very common problem of separation anxiety before it gets out of hand.

What Is Puppy Socialization?

Puppy socialization is your puppy’s introduction to life. It is what and how they learn about their new world. How they learn about other dogs, people, sights,  sounds, tastes, smells and other things that stimulate their senses. All these new experiences have a huge effect on how your puppy behaves when they become an adult dog. This includes experiences that you provide by taking them places or having visitors to the experiences they have on their own exploring the world. It is a very important part of puppy training.

Positive Experiences

You need to protect your dog from bad experiences. Loud noises like firecrackers can be painful to a young puppy for example. Don’t let your pup play with children without supervision, not only to protect the kids but also to protect your puppy. Kids can get carried away with teasing. Try to make the trips to the vet a positive experience with treats.

Fear Biting

Fear biting is different from normal puppy biting. To help your puppy grow into an outgoing confident dog let them have the opportunity for plenty of positive experiences. Take them to safe places such as a puppy class or areas that don’t have free roaming dogs. If someone you know has a fenced yard you could have a puppy party. Dogs that are not socialized often becoming timid, fearful dogs that run the risk of fear biting. Their personality comes partly from their genes and partly from their enviromental upbringing. You can lower the risk of your dog becoming a fear biter by socializing more.

Try to expose your puppy to as many new things as you can during their first 6 months. Just remember to make them as positive as you can. Take them with you places and keep some treats with you for those experiences that may be frightening to them. If something scares them give them lots of treats. You can turn a bad experience into a good one.

During this teething stage puppies love to bite on anything and everything, including your hands. They need to learn what is called bite inhibition. It is learning how much force is too much and how to control the force of their bite. Puppies normally learn this from their litter mates and mother, but because we take them away as early as 8 weeks of age, they haven’t learned bite inhibition yet and it’s up to us to teach them.

A Few Things To Remember

Remember when puppy training to be consistent with whatever method you choose to teach them.

Puppies don’t know they are doing anything wrong until you teach them what is wrong. Don’t assume they should know they shouldn’t bite.

Encourage acceptable behavior and correct unacceptable behavior.

You are taking the role of their Mother and littermates while you teach them.

Stop Puppy Biting Techniques

Any time your puppy starts mouthing or nipping your hands, tell him firmly No and give them something acceptable to chew on like a bone or toy. Get them to focus on what is ok to chew on.
If you start this early enough it may be all you have to do.

Another technique and one that works really well is to react with a loud yelp if they bite you and turn your back and ignore them for 30 seconds or so. This is what a littermate would do and your puppy will learn that if he bites his playmate goes away.

If they are a little older and their teeth are not razor sharp I will grab their bottom jaw with my thumb under their tongue and the rest of my hand underneath. This is uncomfortable for them and they will try to pull away. You only need to do this for 10 seconds or so until they stop struggling.

You can keep a spray bottle of water around and spray him if he starts nipping at you, this also works for a barking dog.

Fill a pop can with coins and if they start nipping shake the can loudly. This also works for barking dogs.

To find out more ways to train your puppies and dogs, check out the course I learned and use called Secrets To Dog Training. You can read our review of this course here.

House Training A Puppy – What It Takes

• Commitment: Puppy potty training will take a big commitment on your part. The rewards are well worth the effort. You will get better results faster if you are patient and persistent in your training.

• Physical Limits: Puppies can only hold it for a short period of time. The general rule is 1 hour for every month of age + 1. So a 2 month old puppy can hold it for 2hrs + 1hr, or 3 hrs.

• Accidents Will Happen: No matter how closely you watch and stick to your routine when potty training a puppy, accidents will happen. Getting mad at them will not teach them so just clean it up be ready for the next time.

• Crate or Pen: Puppies need to be monitored closely and confined. They cannot have the run of the house. Crate training puppies is something I do with all my dogs. They love their crates and they are a great help for house training puppies. You can also you a small pen.

• Natural Instincts: Dogs have natural instincts that you can take advantage of. They do not want to soil their sleeping area (crate or pen). They want to please you. You will use these instincts in your puppy house training.

• Routine: Dogs will adapt very quickly to a set routine. Set up a schedule for feeding times, bedtime, wake up time, and potty time.

The Technique

You’ve got your schedule for feeding, bedtime and waking up. You need to choose a spot outside where your puppy will go potty. Decide on a phrase you will use as a cue for going potty, I just use “go potty”. The schedule for potty training is once an hour when they’re awake, after feedings, when they wake up and once or twice during the night. I said it takes commitment. If you cannot take them out every hour during the day because you work, try to get someone to let them out. If you don’t have anyone to do that, you can use an indoor dog potty.

Keep your puppy in their crate or pen until it is time to take them out. Carry them out with their leash and set them down in the designated potty area. Walk them around for 5 minutes or so while you repeat your cue phrase. When they have done their task praise them enthusiastically while repeating the cue. Play with them for a little bit making this a very fun time for them. If they don’t go, take them back inside to their crate or pen and try again in 15-20 minutes.

Do this routine every hour, after feedings and when they wake up from naps. During the night you will have to set your alarm to wake up once or twice for a quick trip outside to go potty and then back in the crate.

For even more information on housebreaking a puppy, the book below, with instant download, comes with our highest recommendation. It covers every situation and problem you will encounter. You can get a copy here.