TERRIER-CENTRIC DOG TRAINING

Train a terrier!? It can be done but

All kinds of dogs have a number of hard-wired traits bred into them. Hounds love to follow their noses, Retrievers love to fetch and Herding dogs love to herd. With few exceptions, these are pretty harmless activities and don't stand in the way of training. Terriers, however, were bred to hunt and kill vermin independently, digging underground and barking excitedly, almost impervious to pain. Let's see…just a few challenges to overcome in training: strong prey drive, independence, feistiness, digging, barking, the list goes on. In Terrier-Centric Dog Training, author Dawn Antoniak-Mitchell takes up the challenge to help terrier owners train their dogs by making sure they understand the instincts bred into terriers and what the most effective training and management techniques are to use when working with a natural born killer. You can train your terrier, but just don't let him loose off-leash in a park full of squirrels!

Learn to:

Make yourself the most important thing in your terrier's world to keep his attention and focus on you.

Reward your terrier by allowing him to engage in behaviors he wants to do in exchange for doing what you want him to first.

Help your touch-sensitive terrier become comfortable while being handled and groomed.

Identify your terrier's bubble, the space within which he is likely to become reactive toward people, other dogs and whatever else he views as distractions.

Recognize what you can and cannot expect from a terrier in terms of trainability being realistic is very important.