100 Ways to Train the Perfect Dog

Discover 100 ways to train a well-mannered, calm, confident and happy family pet by following expert advice from experienced dog trainers Sarah Fisher and Marie Miller. Practical step-by-step instructions and clear photographs demonstrate essential techniques, and progressive exercises, and bronze, silver and gold certificates provide structure and achievable goals, enabling you to teach your dog key skills. Fun games reinforce the training, giving your dog appropriate mental and physical stimulation. 100 Ways to Train the Perfect Dog includes: Why train your dog? - this chapter shows the benefits of owning a well-trained dog, how important it is to have a happy, appropriately stimulated, well-fed and looked after dog who does not display aggressive behavior. There is a brief outline of learning theory: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, negative punishment, classical conditioning, operant conditioning. You will be taught how dogs learn, how dogs communicate, how to approach a dog, and the basics such as a dog's environment, exercise, equipment, toys and appropriate play. This section also covers special cases where you might need to take a slightly different approach, such as with puppies or deaf or blind dogs. How to train your dog? - in this chapter you will learn about clicker training, Tellington TTouches and how to establish the basics. In the Bronze certificate section you will follow exercises to teach your dog simple foundation exercises such as sit, come, off and down. The exercises in the Silver certificate section introduce stay, fetch and retrieve, they show you how to integrate other people into your dog's life in a way that is fun, safe and rewarding for all concerned. Finally, the Gold certificate section shows you how to further your skills and provide ways to keep your dog mentally satisfied with more fun games, handy tips and training exercises, including the sit and down out of sight, chase recall, searching for hidden toys and treats and leg weaves. Whether you are training a puppy or solving specific problems with an older dog, this positive guide is the perfect companion and will help to deepen the understanding and trust between you and your dog.