I'd suggest for anyone who is starting feel frustrated with training, pleeeease read "Don't Shoot The Dog" by Karen Pryor. She is one of the founders of the clicker method of positive reinforcement. She includes some of the fine tuning in her book that the trainers at Petsmart don't include. Not that the Petsmart trainers aren't trying, but there are some details they just don't have time to go over in class. Things like timing issues and examples of how other animals have been trained to do all kinds of stunts including porpoises who are also mammals. All the positive reinforcement techniques work for all mammals in particular. And if you see how they overcame some pretty big resistance on the part of other animals, you also can see how to overcome the resistance in your own animal.
The one main thing you have to know tho, that training classes don't have time to cover is to be aware of unconsciously teaching your dog the opposite of what you want by doing things that are counterproductive. This is extremely important if you want to have success in training your puppy. |