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Could you train your dog by following the steps on a DVD? Could you really begin with a darling little puppy who knows practically nothing of how you want him to behave in your home, yet end up with a puppy who is housetrained and knows how to sit, stay, come, and all the rest? Or could you start with an older dog who doesn’t know everything you want him to, and get him to be willingly doing all the basics?

The answer? Perhaps.

It actually depends on you rather than on your pet. You can easily get a very good dog training DVD, and dogs and puppies are inherently trainable. So the question is: what about you? Can you make the time to get your dog trained? If you want to do it, you can find a DVD that is a tremendous tool to help you, even better than a book in many ways.

Here’s how to proceed: figure out when you can do short dog training sessions. Ideally you would do them three to five times a day, but even twice a day will be a good start, perhaps right before the dog’s morning and evening meals. You want to do short bits of training because the dogs learn more effectively than if you tried to do everything just once a day for a longer period.

So if planning and following through don’t bother you, chances are excellent that you can train your dog by using a DVD.

Is it better to use a DVD or to take a class?

Should you take your dog to a class rather than train him with a DVD? Well, it depends. In this situation, the key factor is whether there is a high quality dog training instructor in your vicinity. Do be aware that while recent scientific information shows that dogs learn better with positive, pain-free methods, most trainers have not yet crossed over to only using these methods. Beyond that, consider whether the class schedule fits yours.

If a good dog or puppy training class is available, it can be useful for helping the dog to be at home with many dogs — something you will need to develop in any case — and for learning a lot. Once you and the dog see how much fun it can be to learn new things together, you may want some DVDs to help you continue your dog’s lifelong learning.

What DVD to Use in Training Your Dog?

There’s a DVD called Train Your Dog: The Positive, Gentle Method, which I recommend. It’s made with top positive-method trainers Nicole Wilde and Laura Bourhenne. It covers the basics and a good bit more. It’s quite economical, and very easy to follow.

Tags: Dogs

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