Dog Training Equipment — What You Need To Know About Training

Just like you would train your kids on certain etiquette and good manners, so should you train your dog too. Of course, in humans, we need certain things to teach certain behaviors. You cannot teach a child table-manners without a table or even cutlery, same goes for dogs. There are certain things you would need when it comes to training your dogs and these are called “dog training equipment.”

Today we would be looking at some of the best training equipment that fit into the kind of training you want for your dog. But before that, let’s see what exactly is training.

Dog Training

There are a whole lot of dog training types out there with different dog training equipment. Different dog training types for different kinds of dogs and different uses. Below, we would be explaining a few of those different types of trainings:

Behavioral Training

As the name implies, behavioral training is that type of training that aims at correcting certain wrong behaviors exhibited by your dog.

Sometimes it includes certain basic dog commands to get a goal, the goal being to make them all-round better dogs.

It is best to start this type of training as early as you can because this is the most basic and gives room for other trainings to occur easily.

 

Some Bad Behaviors Pups Can Show Forth And How You Can Correct Them

Digging

Generally, canines love to dig, whether it’s to bury bones or find rodents, they love to dig. To get her to stop you can to gently say “no” and then distract her with one of her favorite toys. She won’t change after you do that just once so you’ll need to exercise patience.

Chewing

Dogs love to chew, but chewing is destroying your stuff isn’t it? Stop that behavior now by getting him a lot of chew toys. Plus, when he starts chewing on something he shouldn’t, calmly say “no” and then replace whatever he was chewing with a chew toy of his. Once he stops and begins to chew instead on his toys, praise him with something as basic as “good boy”.

Begging

Dogs are like Oliver twist, they always want more. With that in mind, the best way to stop begging is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Don’t give him food off the table. While you’re eating, train him to wait elsewhere or simply get him into his crate.

Pulling The Leash

You’ll need to teach your dog to learn how to walk relaxed by your side. When he starts to pull, don’t pull back, rather stop walking.

When you stop walking he’ll come around to know why you stopped moving, at that point you should reward him. After a few days of doing this, he’ll realize he doesn’t need to pull and won’t anymore.

Separation Anxiety

Dogs, unlike cats, don’t like being alone. Teach your pup to know that when you go out, you’ll always come back. Start small, leave him for about 10-15 minutes, then continue increasing and in no time, you’ll be leaving him to go to work without any problems.

However, if your dog experiences increased anxiety especially if he’s an older dog, you should see a vet.

Biting

If your dog is biting, he probably feels nervous or threatened. To solve this case easy, socialize your dog early enough. Expose him to different scenarios so he’ll feel safe. Also, in the early stages of life, you should spend a lot of time together with your pup so he learns that he can trust humans. Be more careful when they’re around children.

Barking

Calmly tell him “quiet” when he’s barking and then give him a treat and praise when he stops. If he wants that treat, he’ll learn that being quiet is a good thing.

 

Principles To Take Note Of When Training Dog Behavior

• Most dog behavior problems arise from separation anxiety. According to Wikipedia, separation anxiety disorder is a case where someone experiences heightened anxiety.
• This anxiety is usually as a result of separation from people they have a strong emotional connection with.
• Other behavioral problems arise as a result of miscommunication between you and your dog.
• Always set boundaries for your dogs.
• Be careful so you don’t mistakenly reward him for bad behavior.

Obedience Training

 

This is training that aims at teaching your pup to be obedient to certain of your commands. Commands like “stay”, “sit”, “shake” are used in this kind of training.

It is a little more complex than your regular behavior training.

Most of the time, this training would involve using certain commands to correct certain bad behaviors incorporating in itself behavioral training.

Slightly advanced or not, it is also best to start this training at an early age. You’ll need some dog training equipment for this.

The two kinds of dog training mentioned above, behavior and obedience, are generally for all dogs, pets or working dogs. Below we’ll list another two types of training, however, unlike the two above, these two don’t concern all dogs.

If your dog is a working dog or will eventually participate in some kind of sports competition you’ll need to read this, otherwise, you can skip to the next section.

 

Agility Training

 

This type of training is the kind you do for pups that participate in sports. These dog sports include but are not exclusive to racing, jumping, and obstacle course.

This is obviously a way more advanced form of training, unlike the others. In this kind of training, it is necessary that your dog has completed the basics.

During competitions, the owner is not permitted to correct behaviors and some competitions don’t even include the owners at all, like racing.

This type of training is best suited for middle-aged dogs, a dog too young might not have the brain capacity to grasp certain tasks. Plus, he would have to have completed the basics which would take some time.

While it is a fact that all dogs can perfect these skills with efficient training, there is no doubt that certain breed types are best adapted for these sports.

The American kennel club gives a full list of sporting group of dog breeds including a whole lot of retrievers and field dogs like German Shepherds.

 

Vocational Training

Just like humans, dogs have the capability to learn an ample variety of skills.

These types of training are actually specialized. The only reason they are sometimes referred to as vocational training is that in the end, your dog uses them to get a career.

In this training, dogs learn specific techniques that improve their senses. It also helps them communicate with humans and their world more effectively. These trainings are very rigorous and are done by experts. If you want your dog to have a career, expect to see less and less of him every day.

Vocational training requires that your dog is perfect with all forms of basic training. Also, certain career paths will be best suited for certain breeds. For example, the bloodhound is very efficient for hunting and tracking using scent and will excel if given a career as a sniff-out dog. The same bloodhound would not be as efficient if given a career to work with navy seals to swim and catch enemy troops.

Just like humans, find what your dog is best suited for both physically and mentally. We are sure you don’t expect to see Serena Williams on the stage rocking a crowd, or Beyoncé on the court smashing balls.

When it comes to training, truly the sky is the starting point for your dog. All you really need is a professional dog trainer or instructor. However, if you do not want a professional instructor and you want to teach your dog yourself especially if you two are going to be in sports as a pair, there are certain dog training equipment you need.

We would be listing some of the dog training equipment below and ways you can use them effectively:

 

 

 

Different Types Of Dog Training Equipment

Clicker

 

 

It is used as a positive reinforcement stimulus to mark acceptable behavior. They come in various shapes and sizes. Some are also designed to work on multiple dogs at once, giving off different sounds. With the advent of technology, this dog training equipment has been made easy with various smartphone apps that act exactly like clickers.

Target Stick

 

 

It’s as basic as it sounds. A long stick used to point a dog in the direction of the desired target. Some come as plain as day, while some can get a little fancy. A very great alternative for this is a simple wooden spoon. It’s not that important and you can choose to skip it altogether and train your pooch to follow the pointing direction of your hand.

Treats

 

Dog treats are a very good form of reward and compensation for good behavior during training. It keeps your dog’s morale high throughout training and keeps him interested. As par, the type of treats your dog would like depends solely on preference.

Many people don’t like to take note of this particular dog training equipment but a dog treat can eventually determine whether or not your dog learns how to “sit”.

 

Portable Mats

This isn’t his dog bed or crate but a portable mat is good to help your dog relax and chill, especially if you’re training outdoors.

 

Leashes

Leashes used during training should be between 4 feet and 6 feet. They should be long enough so your dog is cut some slack but at the same time short enough for you to control your dog. You can also get a matching waist hook so your hands don’t always have to be busy during this exercise.

 

Collars And Harnesses

The collar makes the list because it carries your dog’s identification. Just in case he gets lost at any time, someone can find him, track you and then return him. You can hook your leash to his collar but best practice is to use a dog harness for that.

 

Longline

The basic idea is a really really long leash. Ranging from 15 to as long as 30 feet, this gives your dog all the room during training or when on breaks. It is particularly helpful for obedience training when you want your dog to come to you when called.

 

Barriers

Whether a pen, cage, crate, kennel, barriers are very useful dog training equipment you need. They are used to contain or restrain your pup to certain areas and particularly important for training like “crate training”. Also, a barrier is used to protect your pup from imminent dangers like stairs (if he hasn’t learned how to use them yet).

These types of dog training equipment are the general ones you would need to train your pup. However, if you want to train your dog for something more specific you need more specific dog training equipment.

Let’s say your dog wants to be a swimmer, you’ll obviously need some swimming clothes and goggles if necessary. If both of you signed up for an obstacle course, you’ll obviously be needing some obstacles. And if he’s a runner, then you might not need so much dog training equipment. Maybe some thread-mills and a very large expanse for him to run.

 

 

Conclusion

Dogs are way smarter than we think. Push your dog to the highest limits. A famous quote says “push for the moon and if you fail, you’ll land on the stars”. With training, practice, and patience, there’s literally nothing your dog cannot do.

According to animalplanet.com, an average pooch can learn about 165 words during his lifetime provided proper training is administered. That’s quite a lot, right?

So, go on now, get the proper training for your dog, train him yourself, whichever you see fit but always make sure to use the right and proper dog training equipment.

Asta la vista, dog owner!