Clicker Training, what is it?  Clicker Training in plain English is classical conditioning and works extremely fast, especially with puppies.  As a dog trainer, you must understand, there are many methods to arrive at the same conclusion.  Our Dog Obedience Training School offers clicker training as an introductory to puppies between (8) weeks to (16) weeks old.  This is not to say that clicker training can not be utilized on older puppies or dogs, it is just the preference of  Dedicated Dog Training.

How does Clicker Training work?  Clicker Training is simple to employ.  You purchase a clicker from any pet store.  A clicker is a small piece of equipment that has a button in the center of it.  When you depress the button on a clicker- it makes a clicking sound.  The basic principle  is, click and treat, without saying a word to your puppy.  Do this 5-10 times and you will see your puppy respond to you with an attentiveness like you have probably never seen before.  The puppy is realizing the clicker is a preset for food.  The clicker actually means food is on the way, so the clicker now takes on the same value as the food.

Clicker Training is a great way to capture the attention of your puppy.  Once the puppy understands the click sound equals food, and the food comes from you, the puppy will look your way after hearing the clicker sound.  Stay tuned for more articles that will build on this introduction of clicker training.

Dog training sessions- how long should they be? This is a common question, and a valid one too. Our Long Island Dog Training School, is an advocate of at least (20) minute sessions for most puppies and dogs. These are puppies and dogs that are in our command training programs, not our behavior modification programs. They don’t have behavior issues.

Most dogs are fine with (20) minute sessions. If you know your dog, you may elect not to use the theory of time, instead, use your dog’s signs that training is over for him. Always end training on a positive note (ensuring the last command is performed correctly, and the dog is praised heavily). The idea is to keep your dog wanting more. So, for example, if your dog’s average training time is (30) minutes, end the session at (25) minutes.

keep training fun! If you see your dog getting bored, change the command. If you are getting bored, your dog is probably bored too. Our Long Island Dog Obedience Training Programs, are based on the aformentioned ideas.

My (2) off-leashed trained dogs enjoying some recreational fun in this Long Island field. Off-leash dog training enables Niko (5 month old Lab) and my German Shepherd Daisy (22 months old), to get the exercise they need. Not too mention they love being able to run around without restrictions. Off-Leash Dog Training can begin as early as 4 months with us, and sometimes earlier. Many people think that off-leash dog training takes so much time, the truth is when done correctly it can be done in weeks.

Dogs use us for enjoyment too.

It was a Saturday morning in Massapequa, Long Island when I found myself standing in the home of  prospective members.  We will refer to them as Jack and Jill.  Jack and Jill were the proud owners of  (2) Labrador Retriever’s.  These were your normal Labs.  They were hyperactive upon the entrance of a new guest, prior to going for a walk, or when presented with an open door.

Jack was interested in our Long Island Dog Training School’s off-leash dog training.  Jill on the other hand was a little skeptical, to this day I remember the interview and her comparison with their dogs and the movie “Marley and Me.”  She explained that she thought it would be next to impossible to train her dogs to be off-leash, especially one of them.

Jack, Jill, and me worked with their dogs for (5) lessons, spaced apart 7-10 days.  Well, it was not only possible to get these dogs to respond off-leash, we probably built an off-leash training foundation after 2 or 3 lessons.  It was a pleasure f to see Jill’s happy expressions on her face through every phase of the dog training. 

Many people speak  about the business model of our Long Island Dog Training School.  Some speak inquire about the stresses involved in running a dog training company.  Some question the benefits or rewards of training.  Let’s hope they are reading this post, because this story is a primary reason for the success and dedication of our Long Island Dog Training Company.  This family, especially Jill, received something they believed to be impossible- 2 off-leashed trained dogs, and more importantly, the skills to maintain the training.

Some very disturbing news.   Hearing  about his friend’s Boxer escaping from the backyard, was a lot for our members’ friend.  Our member’s  friend was in his home when he noticed the Suffolk County Police outside of his home. When he went to inquire, he found out that his Boxer of (5) years had been struck and killed by a vehicle. Our member and friend informed us how much his friend loved his Boxer. Please secure your premises.

Owning a Long Island Dog Training School is more difficult than many people realize.  Dedicated Dog Training has trained many dogs, and received great feed back from our Long Island Dog Training services, as well as our obedience training in the boroughs.  When explaining to the members of Dedicated Dog Training how difficult it is to convince potential members that our Long Island Dog Training School is different than many other Obedience Schools; they can’t understand why. So,  Why is this?

This is because many Dog Training Schools aren’t clear on what their services entail.  They are vague in description, in costs, in lesson structure, in appointment dates, etc…This kind of ambiguity scares people.  We can usually tell when we are the 3rd or 4th phone call from a potential member by their suspect questions.  Although, it can be extremely frustrating, especially when we know this person will be happy with their new dog or puppy after our dog training.  This is something that can be stopped, but it is up to the consumer (you) to stop it.  How can you stop this?  Simply, keep on asking those questions and demanding that the dog trainer answer them clearly and honestly.  This will keep them on their feet and hopefully convince them that those days of misguided additional costs and unclear expectations are gone.

 It is important to command train your dog or puppy in various locations.  Many members prior to starting a relationship with our Long Island Dog Training School, Dedicated Dog Training, were used to training their puppy or dogs in the same location.  This trainig is good, and used by many dog trainers; however, we believe in using this dog training approach when we initially teach the command.  As soon as the dog is showing that he or she understands the command, we encourage our members to train in various locations around, as well as, outside the home.

We support this method of training  for (2) reasons.  The first, enables the dog to train under different random levels of distractions.  Let’s face it, the reason we want our dogs to become obedient trained, is so when we need them to sit they sit.  If we need our dog to sit in the kitchen, we shouldn’t have to bring her back to the living room,  because she is used to being trained in that room.  So, with Dedicated Dog Training, sit means to sit when and WHERE I tell you.

In addition, when we train in one place, the command sit becomes known to the dog as sit AND near the washing machine, near the stairs, etc…The dog pairs the command with the word SIT, the fixtures she sees around her, and what ever else.  We need to remove and change the background scenery, but keep the command SIT.

Although Dedicated Dog Training provides basic puppy and dog obedience training, we are strong advocates of Off-Leash Dog Training.  There are many reason to have an off-leashed trained dog.  Of course, the most important is safety, followed by the generation of a better quality of life for your puppy or dog.

Safety- when your puppy or dog is on the leash, for the most part their safety is controlled.  The problem arises when they accidentally get off the leash or decide they want to bolt out the door when you are not looking.  An off-leashed trained dog would respond to a command such as DOWN,  preventing any danger they may have been heading for.

Quality of Life- When your puppy or dog is trained off-leash by Dedicated Dog Training their quality of life seems to improve drastically.  When you think about it, they are more free.  That alone should translate into a better quality of life for them.  In addition, they are able to excersise at a different level, than most dogs.  This largely attributes to their behavior.  The less restrictive a puppy or dog is, the less pent up energy they have to channel into undesirable behaviors.

Lastly, having an off-leashed trained puppy or dog is pretty impressive when around family, friends, and even strangers.  Receiving comments on how well trained you puppy is…Feels good.

Dedication Breeds Success!

Welcome to the www.DedicatedDogTraining.com blog! We’ll be posting all kinds of training information, so be sure to visit often! If you have any questions about Dedicated Dog Training or our services, please call us at 888-370-7477.