Training Your Dog Off Leash

A question I get quite often from new dog owners is, will this basic training have my dog doing everything off leash. And of course my answer is no because basic training is exactly that, it's teaching the dog the basics.

Is having your dog perform all the exercises off leash realistic? Absolutely with the proper training your dog can easily be off leash trained. I always tell people we need to start off with basic training so the dog can perform all the basic exercises without having any type of leash correction.

After we have completed the training stage and the dog is performing well in your home then we continue on to the proofing stage. The proofing stage is where we now start introducing your dog to distractions. The backyard with the leaves, the butterflies and the birds can provide some distraction. The front yard with the leaves, the butterflies and the birds plus cars and people can create more distraction.

The goal for a nicely trained dog that performs all its exercises off leash is that it will perform these exercises no matter what its surroundings are. One of the biggest problems with dog owners however is that they are impatient and they feel that this should all happen in just a matter of days or a couple of weeks and that's not true.

Whether you want to compete in A.K.C. obedience competition or just have a nicely trained dog, training at this level requires time and patients.

Keep in mind that repetition is the number one principle of dog training so to accomplish your goal you should be willing to work with your dog 2 or 3 times daily with short 15 minute sessions.

Over the years I have seen many new dog owners put in the repetitions but their dog does not seem to improve and there is a reason. It is up to the owner to make sure that each training session has a goal. What I mean is that the dog should get just a tiny bit better at an exercise or two with each training session. Remember what I just said not a bunch better, just a tiny bit better with each training session.

The majority of dog owners never reach the off-leash level with their dogs because they stop training when their dog quits jumping on them or maybe quits pulling them when they go for a walk. If that was their goal then that is okay because everybody has a different goal for their dog.

So if off leash is your goal be sure to tell the trainer that you are working with so that he/she can help you reach that level with your dog.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Training-Your-Dog-Off-Leash&id=8479819