Dog Training > Dog Training > Dog Training Supplies

Dog Training Supplies

You're more than just your dog's owner. You're the leader of his pack (or you should be). He is looking to you for guidance and training, and to be successful, you need to embrace your new responsibility. There's no need to go overboard, but there are some dog training supplies that will make the entire dog training process go more smoothly.

Dog training supplies include several essentials and some options. Basics in the dog training supplies include items like a dog crate, a leash and a collar. For the leash and collar, go for simple leather. They'll be more long-lasting, useable and comfortable. The best length for a leash is about six feet or two meters.

Your dog training supplies will by no means be complete without a dog crate. House training aid, retreat for your dog, sleeping quarters, and mobile home all rolled into one, the dog crate will make your dog training more effective, and your life in general easier. They come in plastic and metal. The size of your crate is more important than what it's made of. Make sure the crate isn't too big, it should be just big enough for your dog to turn around in.

These three items are your essentials for training, but there are some other dog training supplies you'll need. You need to keep some kind of dog treats on hand to use in training. The best training methods use food incentives to motivate your dog to behave as you wish. Positive training methods are more effective and much quicker.

But don't stock up on treats until you find out what your dog likes the best. He may surprise you. Once you've identified a favorite treat, then you can use them to encourage your dog to do just about anything. You won't be using treats forever, eventually you can simply praise instead of offering treats. You'll just need to treat occasionally to keep the memories alive.

You should also have some dog toys among your dog training supplies. Like the treats, your dog will soon identify a clear favorite for you. Then you can use it to entice your dog to do all sorts of things.

If for some reason you decide to not invest in a dog crate, then there are a few other items you might want to add to your dog training supplies. A baby gate can help corral your little canine in a certain part of the house, or keep him out of areas that might not be so good for him. You also might want to check out puppy playpens. They're kind of like crates except there is no top or bottom. They can substitute for a crate if your dog doesn't take to a crate for some reason. In any case, the idea is the same--it keeps your dog confined to a small area so he's safe and out of trouble.

There's one other group of items that belong in your dog training supplies--something to help clean up house training accidents. It's important to clean them up, not just to save your carpet, but to keep the accident from happening again. If there's any trace of the smell remaining, your dog may be attracted to the same spot again. There are cleaners designed for pet mess clean-up. Avoid ammonia-based cleaners--they smell like old urine to a dog.

Your dog training supplies should be collected with an eye toward making everyone's life a little easier. There's no reason why the dog training supplies should break your bank though. The basics are plenty enough to get started, then you can add the fun, exotic stuff when you and your dog are both ready.