Dog Training Supplies - Treats & Toys To Train Your Dog

Dog training supplies can be purchased from a number of different locations. Chain retailers offering pet supplies may have a wide variety of training supplies available, smaller specialty stores focusing exclusively on training probably have a variety of training options available and there is also an assortment of online resources available for dog owners and trainers who are looking for training supplies. However, novice dog owners may be astounded by the number of dog training supplies available. They may not understand the importance of each of these tools and devices and they may find some supplies which they do not understand how to use or implement into their training program. In these cases the dog owner may find visiting smaller specialty shops to purchase dog training supplies is ideal because the staff at these stores can provide insight into the types of training tools available and can offer advice on which types of supplies to purchase for particular training reasons. This article will provide some insight into several different training supplies to help the reader to understand how to use these supplies and how to properly incorporate them into a successful dog training program. Some of the basic tools we will cover in this article include clickers, treats, an assortment of collars and even some toys which can be used as training aids.

The clicker is by far one of the most popular training devices used today. A clicker is quite simply a small, handheld object which emits a clicking sound when the button on the device is depressed. In using a clicker to train a dog, an owner or trainer will press the button to make the clicking sound when the dog performs a desirable behavior. However, a clicker is not a magical device and will not be effective unless the dog is first trained to understand the sound of the click means he has done something well. This is typically done by associating the sound of the clicker with a treat in a process known as loading the clicker. The owner or trainer may start out by clicking the device and offering the dog a treat immediately after the sound of the clicker. The owner may do this 10-15 times in a row during the initial training session, offering the dog a treat each time he clicks the clicker. These short training sessions should be repeated several times over the next couple of days until the dog begins to associate the sound of the clicker with receiving a treat. Once this happens, the owner can begin training with the clicker by clicking and offering a treat each time the dog offers the desired behavior. This is a highly effective reward based training system.

Many novice dog owners do not realize a treat can be considered to be a training supply. This is because, similar to a clicker, the treats can be used as a reward during training. Many dogs are highly motivated by food and will be eager to participate in training sessions when food is being offered as a reward each time the dog offers an appropriate behavior upon the owners command. Training with the use of treats works best when the dog is hungry and is also most effective when the treats which are used are very enticing but also small enough to not allow the dog to fill up too quickly. This is important because a dog will be more motivated to work for a desirable treat. Similarly the dog will also be more willing to work for treats if he is hungry so it is important to keep the treats offered as a reward very small to prevent the dog from becoming full and no longer being motivated by the food.

There are many different types of collars which are also used for training purposes. Most dog owners find there is no need for a special collar during training and are comfortable using a standard flat buckle collar. These collars are unobtrusive, comfortable and serve the purpose of allowing the dog to wear identification which is useful if he ever becomes lost. However, other types of collars such as choke collars, shock collars and bark collars may be used to service a specific training purpose. The majority of training collars are used in punishment based training systems as the collars are designed to cause the dog discomfort when he displays an undesirable behavior in an effort to correct the behavior. The dog learns to associate the discomfort with the inappropriate behavior and as a result begins to avoid the inappropriate behavior. Choke collars constrict the neck of the dog; shock collars emit a mild electric shock and bark collars usually emit a sound or scent. All of these consequences are meant to correct the dog when he performs an inappropriate behavior.

Finally, even some toys can be used as training devices. While many dogs will be motivated by food, there are some dogs that show minimal interest in food and the owner or trainer will have to find other ways to motivate and reward the dog. One of my dogs is highly motivated by food and will perform any requested behavior when tempted with a food reward. However, my other dog is less responsive to food. When I was first training with her I was unaware of the use of toys as a reward and the trainer I was working with insisted on the use of food for a reward. I found my dog eagerly performed a behavior once or twice for a food reward but soon lost interests in the food. I grew frustrated with this scenario and begin researching different training options. I then began experimenting with the use of toys as a reward and found she was able to concentrate for significantly longer when I was offering a toy based reward such as throwing a ball or a Frisbee for her when she obeyed a command and offered the correct behavior. Once I began using toys in the training process, I found the training process to be much smoother.