DOG TRAINING BASICS
DOG PULLS - WHISTLE - STOP

Dog training is the process of teaching a dog to perform certain behaviors under various circumstances and in certain roles. It is a general term not describing by itself either what or how the dog is taught.

There are as many areas to train a dog in as there are methods. Most often certain methods, or combinations of methods are applied to any area of training. Obedience, herding, agility, tracking, retrieving, hunting, guard, and schutzhund are common areas of dog training.

Teaching a dog basic obedience commands (part of obedience training)
Teaching a dog to perform tricks casually or for circus acts
Teaching a guide dog to lead the blind
Teaching a rescue dog to find victims of a disaster
Helping a hunting dog learn to perform its instinctive behaviors at appropriate times
The specific behaviors taught in each case are different, but the underlying principles are similar.

As pack animals, wild canines have natural instincts that favor cooperation with their compatriots. These instincts have been refined and exaggerated through years of selective breeding by humans, and are manifested in the domestic dog’s adeptness at correctly interpreting and responding to signals given by a human handler. The handler is simply whoever is working with a dog at the time.