How can I tell if my dog's $1000 training program is truly good?

What a great question and thought process! The key with training any behavior is that the dog has to be able to generalize the behavior in any situation. That's why some dogs will be wonderfully behaved in a training class, but then may not behave in any other situation. Training Zeus around another dog is a great start, but you will have to continue that trend with multiple other dogs (including ones that he doesn't know) and multiple people. The easiest way to do this will likely be to do your training while you are a distance away from other people or dogs, then slowly decrease that distance as Zeus becomes reliable with his training under those circumstances. Again, the key is to have him generalize his training so he responds under any circumstances. This is not as easy as it sounds and will require some time. If you find yourself getting frustrated, certainly consult with a trainer for additional suggestions. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I like to train with my dog and start in a group obedience class. That way Kobe learns to listen to you with other dogs around. Obedience training is fun and you'll both enjoy it. I took my dog to several different classes with different trainers as he grew up. Training can be needed for the first year or two to have a well behaved dog. If you are having problems then I'd get one on one training. Personally I only send hunting dogs away for specialized training. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Kobe.

Your best bet would be to enroll him in a good dog obedience class as soon as possible. I do not recommend books or videos, as there is no instructor present to give helpful advice and corrections. The kind of "perfect" obedience you describe is earned through hours and hours of practice (though no more than 10 minutes at a time for a dog that young!) You can go very far in obedience, even teaching jumping, retrieving, etc. The more you work with your dog, the more attentive to you he will be.

Pack leader ideology is an outdated training method, so I wouldn't put too much weight into it. I would highly recommend checking out training techniques such as loose-leash walking, and working on sit and look at me commands to help improve focus while out on walks (and decrease pulling). Training tools such as an easy-walk harness and gentle-leader can also help during the training session by gently redirecting your dog's pulling force back to you, preventing them from being able to tug your arm off while you practice good walking behavior. As for the other issues, a basic obedience class together is a good thing to look into as it can help you better learn to communicate and help instill some impulse control with jumping and other behaviors. Working on things such as air-planing treats, not jumping up (by turning and walking away, or having him sit calmly), etc can help with this as well. There are several videos on YouTube that offer great step-by-step instructions on all of the commands listed above.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! 1) Come, stay, sit, give paw, leave it, look and walk nicely (heel) on a leash should be learned. At 6 months they may not be perfect but at that age they can know how to do them. 2) This depends on what you want out of her. Are you doing agility or obedience trials or hunting? If not, then I would say 2-5 mins is reasonable. At 6 months old I am not surprised she gets up. I would gradually increase the stay increments and realize she is still young and easily distracted. I would give her a break every 5-10 mins. If she gets up then bring her back to position and then slowly distance yourself. Start over in a sense, giving treats every 30 sec to a minute until you get to your desired distance. 3) I would only train for 30-40 mins with at least 2-3 breaks. How many times a day is your personal preference and how much time you have a day to dedicate to dog training. 2-3 times per day sounds reasonable. Personally I could only dedicate one time per day during the week. 4) I don't have advice here as I am not a dog trainer and I am not sure what you mean. I would recommend you ask a professional dog trainer! I hope this helps!

Dogs are "disobedient" when we have not done a good job of teaching them what we want them to do - so it's really never a problem with the dog, but rather with our training :) I would suggest the book "How To Behave So Your Dog Behaves" by Dr. Sophia Yin - it goes into a lot of detail about how training works, with lots of specific suggestions for dealing with common problem behaviors and teaching specific skills. You could also get in touch with a different trainer to work with you one-on-one to help you understand why your dog is struggling, and how you can make things more clear for him. You can search for a qualified trainer in your area here: www.ccpdt.org

This is a great question! For training something easy like "sit", you're right that a clicker doesn't necessarily add much to the process. But for more complicated things, like training a dumbbell retrieve for obedience competition or teaching your dog to lie down on command at a distance from you, the clicker can be very useful. Basically, the click marks the specific behavior that you're going to reward. It doesn't matter so much when you're in position to reward instantly anyway - but for situations where you can't reward immediately (because the dog is far away, is holding something in his mouth, etc.) it makes a huge difference :) So use the clicker, or don't - it's really up to you, especially for basic obedience skills. But if you decide to branch out into more difficult or precise behaviors, it's worth looking into clicker training to make things easier.