Dog Owners - Be The Leader Of Your Pack
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For dog owners with little time, who want personalized training, are having behavior problems, or who find that training techniques they've learned don't work as well at home as they did in a class, a Bark Busters one-visit home training session may be of interest. Training is individual and can be geared specifically to your dog, your family, and your home. Originally from Australia, Bark Busters has trainers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and several other countries.
Their philosophy begins with what they say is the most important fact about dogs - that they are social animals who want to belong to a pack.
Since their families become a dog’s pack, the humans, as the leaders of that pack, are the ones who need to be trained so they can provide “leadership a dog will follow.†At the end of your training session, usually two to three hours, the trainer will leave specific information so you can refer to it as you work with your dog. You will then need to practice for 10 - 15 minutes a day for four to five weeks. If you complete that practice and the dog hasn’t mastered some training or if problems return later, Bark Busters training is guaranteed for the life of the dog, with free retraining. They also say old dogs can learn new tricks.
Everyday dog behavior problems include barking at all and sundry people, events and other dogs, jumping up on people and tugging the leash to take extracurricular detours on walks. Common problems that are more serious include aggression toward people or other animals and wreaking havoc when home alone.
Bark Busters trainers say that understanding a few simple guidelines can help establish leadership. Here are several tips from a recent article by trainers Michael Gagarine and Ken Whistler in Palm Springs, California:
“Dogs crave good leadership. If they don't get it from their owner, they'll take charge. That leads to bad behavior such as barking, jumping, aggression and pulling on the leash - each examples of the dog taking charge. Dogs will challenge for leadership in the home, just as a wolf in the wild. The owner needs to win all challenges to demonstrate leadership.
“There are several ways to establish leadership. First, ignore all requests from the dog, such as nudges to be petted, or played with. To do so, break eye contact. Then, when the dog has “given up,†call him back to you to be petted or to play. When he responds to you, versus you to him, he sees you as the leader.
“In the wild the leader always leads the pack - literally. Establish your leadership by always leading your dog - up and down stairs, through doorways, and especially on walks. Remember, the leader always leads.â€
The international Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SCPA) presented its first annual award for “excellence in behavior training†to Bark Busters in 2008.
Visit Bark Buster to “fetch†info on trainers near you, to take a quiz on your dog’s behavior or to find out more about dog training topics. Information on franchising is also available.