Dog training equipment covers a huge spectrum of devices.
For centuries man has been domesticating dogs and training them to help in activities from hunting and sheepherding to today's bomb disposal and guiding the blind. Whichever task a dog is trained to perform, training aids are required to teach the relevant skills and actions. From basic toilet training to the more complex disciplines of dog rescue work, all working and pet dogs need training.
Function
Dog training aids are used to elicit an action or performed behaviour from a dog in order to get it to perform those behaviours automatically or on command. Automatic behaviours could include not toileting in the house or leaving the room at meal times, while on-command behaviour can include sniffing for an explosive or retrieving a game bird that has been shot.
Types
The type of training equipment used will be dependent upon the training given and the results needed. It can be as basic as a lead, food treat, ball or whistle used to reinforce behaviour or as complex as scented rags used to train sniffer dogs. Chemical training methods are also becoming popular, with scented toilet pads used to get puppies to relieve themselves in certain areas of the garden or sprays to discourage dogs from jumping onto the furniture. Large-scale equipment is also common in training dogs in specific activities, such as agility ramps and flyball machines.
Domestic Uses
Dog training equipment is used for a domestic pet from when it is a puppy to instil basic obedience training. This would include toilet training, walking to heel on a lead and fundamental commands such as sit, lie down and heel, which may include a food treat or clicker. A clicker makes a noise when a dog has performed the desired behaviour and is usually associated with praise. Added to this might be what can be called game commands, which teach a dog the rules of play. These might include fetch, tug and ball games, which use dog toys to encourage the desired behaviour. A further level of training would come with competition obedience and other disciplines such as agility, flyball and heel work to music.
Working Uses
Working dogs possess the basic level of training plus the specific training required to carry out their duties. While these would be more complex than tasks domestic pets undertake, they often include the same training methods. For example, rescue dogs tend to be rewarded with a ball or favourite toy each time they discover a victim, while a sheepdog is often directed through the use of instruction-specific whistles or commands.
Positive Reinforcement
Over time some training equipment has fallen out of favour due to its tendency to elicit discomfort, fear or pain in dogs. While this kind of equipment, which includes choke chains and electric shock collars, was once favoured due to its quick training results, nowadays training aids which encourage positive behaviour and reward the dog are thought to engender more permanent and humane training.
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