LEAD Dog Training

LEAD dog training is a concept developed here at Clifden kennels.

It is more a set of principles and attitude towards training rather than specific dog training techniques, which we feel will work with any dog training method, regardless of your past experience.

Having helped to rescue and train dogs over the last 5 years we have gained valuable experience with dealing with a lot of dogs that are considered to be problematic.

Each dog has its own personality and responds differently to various approaches. By implementing LEAD dog training you will be able to adapt your preferred training method, to your own dogs particular traits and personality.

The basic principles of LEAD Dog Training are:-

Leadership

You are the leader, everything that your dog does should be prompted by you. In return for obedience, all that your dog requires is that you are fair and consistent.

Great leaders don't rant and rave, undermine, hit or ridicule their followers. They show strength of character and empathy and understanding and patience.

Great leaders plan ahead and have a clear objective and goal.

Most dog training material refers to you as becoming dominant, the alpha male, which in itself is true, but I feel that the meaning of dominance is taken as a physical attribute, rather than one of leader, the 2 of which are fundamentally different.

Good leadership, if evident through the other aspects of LEAD, will provide a basis for your relationship with your dog that will flourish.

Exercise

We all know that what our dogs really enjoy is exercise, however, they don't see it as exercise, that is a label that we humans have given it. Exercise equates to effort for most of us, but for a dog it is what they do naturally, they are looking for a physical and mental challenge, a job, something to give them a sense of worth.

By determining what makes your dog tick, you can plan exercise sessions to be both enjoyable and beneficial.

For me exercise is key to a well balance dog, without exercise your dog will become bored and frustrated, and problems will arise.

Attention

Whilst a dog is in your company you should constantly be aware of their presence and use it to reinforce what you have established during formal training sessions.

So come for a pat, come for a treat, stay for 2 minutes, heel while I Hoover and so on.

This attention keeps your dog focused on you and cements the training process. It is pointless to train a dog to sit during formal training sessions, but only get him to sit during those sessions, your training commands need to be of some day to day benefit.

Doggedness

Basically, stick with it. You only need to do a bit a each day, formally, and reinforce at every other opportunity, you will be amazed at what you can achieve. If you set aside 15 minutes each day, maybe 3, 5 minutes sessions, in a year you will have completed 91 hours of Formal Training!!!!!!! That's 90 hours more than most people do in their lifetime!! Do yourself and your dog a favour, become a Super Trainer.

 

 Click here if you would like to receive the Clicker Training - 4 Secrets of becoming a Super Trainer e-book.