Free Online Dog Training

Dog training can be availed through enrollment in dog obedience and training schools or employing the services of an individual professional dog trainer. With the huge amount of Internet dog training that is now advertised and offered online, consumers can take advantage of paid services while others can be had for free.

Traditionally, dogs have been trained by their owners to perform tasks which usually aid the owner's work. Sheepdogs for example are taught by shepherds to flock animals and huskies are taught to pull sleds. There were no standard set of methods or commands used. The owner of the working dog generally went with what worked. The training process was also made easier by the fact that each type of working dog was kept within a specific breed. Bloodhounds for instance have been bred for hunting for centuries. The formalized concept of dog training only began in the twentieth century. It started in the military and police and gradually extended to the general public to become a service for dog owners. It successfully caught on because a housebroken dog that can obediently respond to an owner's commands and act accordingly is an ideal companion animal.

Regular on-site dog training involves the professional trainer, the owner and the dog. The professional trainer teaches the owner how to train the dog and the bond between owner and dog increases under the trainer's hands-on guidance. Online dog training on the other hand is a do-it-yourself endeavor. The professional dog trainer is obviously no longer present and no hands-on guidance is to be had. In a paid service, the owner is purchasing the proven and systematized knowledge of the professional dog trainer which could be packaged in various media such as tutorial videos or downloadable e-books. Free online dog training websites offer this knowledge without charge.

Free online dog training courses usually follow a timetable and the training is divided into levels of difficulty. The basic or beginner's course teaches fundamental concepts such as dog behavior, positive reinforcement and other ways an owner can effectively communicate with his dog. Then it moves on to more practical activities that teach an owner how to train his dog to respond to simple commands. At intermediate levels, the commands and expected responses are more complicated. Materials usually required of the owner are short and long training leashes, a training collar, and a supply of treats that serve as the dog's reward for correct behavior.

Besides the obvious benefit of not having to pay any fee, a free online dog training course has other advantages. This is particularly useful in areas where no local dog training schools or professionals are present or nearby. It is also a practical alternative for owners whose time could not accommodate a regular on-site training course schedule. In dog training and obedience schools, groups of owners with their dogs are usually taught as a class. Online dog training would be good for owners whose dogs exhibit problematic behavior which the presence of other dogs might aggravate.

Owners who would like to try free online dog training courses must remember that these sites (being free) do not offer any guarantees. Besides the occasional review, there really isn't any way to know if what they're teaching is actually effective or even true. The prudent way to deal with this disadvantage is to do a little research and gain some background knowledge on dog training. One can also compare and contrast the content on at least three or four free dog training sites before choosing one.