So I asked a question a couple days ago about socializing/training my dogs, and after looking around and reading some books I already have, I’ve come up with a list of books that I am going to try and get and then read them to help me with my dogs.

My list of books so far is:

-The Dog Whisperer by Paul Owens (Not to be confused with Cesar Millan) I am currently reading this – It’s a wonderful book and I love it so far!
-The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson (I just got this from the library, will be reading as soon as I finish The Dog Whisperer)
-The Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller
-Don’t Shoot the Dog!: The New Art of Teaching and Training by Karen Pryor
-Clicker Training for Obedience: Shaping Top Performance-Positively by Morgan Spector
-How to Teach a New Dog Old Tricks by Ian Dunbar
-Excel-Erated Learning: Explaining in Plain English How Dogs Learn and How Best to Teach Them by Pamela J. Reid
-Getting Started: Clicker Training for Dogs by Karen Pryor

I will also be buying a clicker the next time I go to the store so that I can start clicker training with my dogs. I’m hoping it will work as well as I heard it has.

Have you ever tried clicker training? If so, was it easier and more efficient? Could you please share your personal experience?

I know that it may seem like a lot of books, but I REALLY want to understand everything so that I REALLY know what I am doing. Does the list seem good so far? Do you have any other sugestions for books I should read? Are there any on my list so far that you think I should take off?

Also, even though it may not relate to this section very much, but is there any other way to rent one of these books other than the library? I checked my local library’s catalog and they have a couple of the books, but a lot they don’t have or the ones that they do have are aready checked out for who knows how long. I would buy all the books if I could but right now I’m trying to save up some money so that I can afford a plane ticket so that I can visit my grandparents this summer.

P.S. I don’t believe in hitting, yelling, alpha roll, or any other violent physical forms of training. I refuse to do that to either of my dogs.

Gosh, that’s a lot of questions all smooshed together, but I would appreciate all your help!

Thank You!
Here is the question I asked before:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ag_G.MKl3V0EMJuP4sHC8xbsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20090427192527AAy752P

Also, I wanted to add: Click to calm : healing the aggressive dog by Emma Parsons to my list of books.
Caitlin: Thanks about the hint on clicker training. I have read that it is importnat to “click” as soon as they do the command. I will try very hard to do so!
Ms. L: I looked up the Monks of New Skete and I saw that they had some intersting books. I will look to see if they are available at my library.
TJ: Thanks.
Do you have any suggestions?

Now I understand a few of the dog house training tips may be difficult to always follow because of your work schedule but just try to do the best you can!

The main idea of house training your dog is to get him or her to go to the bathroom outside. So whenever you first take your puppy outside you want to keep him out there until he goes or go back inside if enough time has passed, usually at least 10 minutes.

When doing your dog house training you should always want to take your dog outside every time after he eats, right after a nap, right after you take him out of his crate, before he goes to bed at night, and if he cries or whimpers during the night. Try to remember to only feed him or give him water when you will be around to take him outside. I know this process seems quite unlikely since no dog owners wants to let their pet dog without water but it will help prevent accidents in the house. Just use your best judgment when it comes to your dog and water.

When ever you are home and can take your new pup outside for him to do his business be sure to praise him when he does go. You’ll want to praise him enthusiastically and reward him with a treat. Another remainder is to never yell or hit your young puppy when they have an accident in the house. A puppy under 6 months old doesn’t quite have control over their bodily functions so just be patient with them and keep after it because they will get it.

If your puppy does happen to have an accident in the house the best way to deal with the situation is to clean up their mess quietly. Don’t yell and scream or punish your dog. The best way to deal with the mess on the carpet is to just ignore the animal for a period of time while you clean up. Any type of yelling or hitting the young animal will just results in a lack of compliance with your commands for him to do his business outside and further upset your dog house training.

A final tip I want to leae you with is about when you take your pup outside to let him do his business.  Most people would want to bring him back inside right after he’s done, this is a bad idea.  Your dog will start to notice every time after he’s done peeing he is immediatley brought back in the house and his outside fun time is over, and this is counter-productive to your efforts.  So if you can, let him play around a little bit outside before you take him back in.

I have heard that giving a dog a “job” can help them to get more confidence. My dog is fast, super smart, a quick learner (when shes not too scared) and loves to run, so I thought maybe agility training would be good for her. We wouldnt compete or anything, but maybe just have some fun and show her that she is good at things.

Does this sound like it might help? Or would it just scare her more? Also, any tips on how to train her or find a trainer or agility group in my area?
My dog has taken a basic training class at PetSmart, and can sit, stay, walk well on and off the leash, and all of that. But she still had times during the class when she would just want to hide behind me.
She gets walks daily, and we also have a basset hound and a rott mix (also rescues) who are her buddies, but have adjusted much better than she has.

Will obedience training help her? What are my options?? Neither of the girls have ever attacked our small boy dogs.

Maggie is the best dog in the world and doesn’t deserve this. I feel like crying again because she’s laying in my bed 1/2 sedated and shaking still.