How to Train a Puppy

This little book is intended primarily as a brief but comprehensive guide to puppy training, containing information about socialization, temperament training and behavior modification as well as tips for teaching basic manners. Dr. Dunbar’s lure/reward training techniques are certainly not limited to puppies. On the contrary, they have become the method of choice for instructing good-natured, but otherwise uneducated adult dogs.

Our best friend—the domestic dog — is a social animal and so, it would be unfair and antisocial not to train him. How else could we communicate? With ear positions and tail wags? Luckily, dogs can easily learn our language… if we teach them! Basically, training comprises teaching dogs ESL — English as a Second Language — so that our dogs can understand human words for their doggy behaviors and actions.

Lure/reward training is de rigeur for teaching a wide variety of animals, including lions, tigers, killer whales, and grizzly bears. Over a hundred years ago, similar reward-based methods were the accepted practice for training all dogs and puppies. Unfortunately, in the twentieth century, the Trainers from The Dark Side inflicted a harsher regime of laborious, on-leash, push-pull, squish-squash, narrow-brained methods on unsuspecting owners and their dogs. Sadly, domination was the focus and the poor defenseless dog was viewed as an adversary in the training arena. Why treat your best friend like your worst enemy?

Welcome back to the historically-proven, so-old-that-it’s-new-again, natural, common-sense and enjoyable way to train your dog — off-leash, lure/reward, fun and games, dog-friendly dog training. Dr. Dunbar’s training techniques are altogether quicker, easier, gentler, more effective, and certainly considerably more enjoyable for you and your dog. Lure/reward training techniques work like a treat!

Fun training with toys, treats, lures and rewards. Easy, fun-loving, dog-friendly methods for teaching a new puppy old tricks (such as basic manners), or for teaching an older dog (or older owner) who is new to training. A comprehensive workbook for the motivated dog owner, comprising sections on basic off-leash obedience, temperament training and behavior problem troubleshooting, in addition to a special introduction to training theory. The definitive text for lure/reward training — written from the dog’s point of view and emphasizing natural motivational methods to teach your dog to want to do what you want him to do! Voted the #1 BEST BOOK by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.

"How To Teach A New Dog Old Tricks is the best book by dog training’s leading genius. The most relevant, important piece ever written on the subject of dog behavior and training. Some fields are lucky enough to be granted a giant: a figure whose contributions inspire awe and are unsurpassable. Ian Dunbar is that in dog behavior. There is no single person on the face of the planet to whom dog trainers and owners (not to mention dogs) owe more." Jean Donaldson (author of The Culture Clash)

When you choose a new puppy, you need to meet six developmental deadlines before your puppy is just five months old. If your puppy fails to meet any of these deadlines, he will never achieve his full potential and will be playing ‘behavioral catch-up’ for the rest of hiss life. BEFORE You Get Your Puppy covers the first three developmental deadlines covering the period from puppy selection to your puppy’s first week at home. The last three developmental deadlines that your puppy needs to meet before he is six months old are described in a second book — AFTER You Get Your Puppy

1st Developmental Deadline — Your Education About Puppy Education
You need to complete your education about puppy education before you search for a puppy. You need to know how to select a good puppy and how puppies work. Selecting a puppy is similar to buying a car: Do lots of research beforehand and "test drive" a wide variety, especially including the one you intend to buy. But first, you need to learn how to drive. Specifically you need to know how to teach your puppy: where to eliminate, what to chew, when to bark, where to dig, to sit when greeting people, to walk calmly on-leash, to settle down and shush when requested, to inhibit biting behavior, to enjoy spending time at home alone, and to thoroughly enjoy the company of other dogs and people — especially strangers and children.

2nd Developmental Deadline — Evaluating Your Prospective Puppy’s Progress
Before you choose your puppy, you need to know how to assess your prospective puppy’s current socialization and educational status. Regardless of breed or breeding, if socialization, errorless housetraining, and basic manners are not well underway by eight weeks of age, the puppy is already developmentally retarded.

3rd Developmental Deadline — Errorless Housetraining & Chewtoy-Training
Make certain that an errorless housetraining and chewtoy-training program is instituted from the very first day your puppy comes home.

AFTER You Get Your Puppy covers the last three developmental deadlines that your puppy needs to meet before he is six months old.

4th Developmental Deadline — Socializing Your Puppy to People
Your Most Urgent Priority is to socialize your puppy to a wide variety of people, especially children, men, and strangers, before he is twelve weeks old. Well-socialized puppies grow up to be wonderful companions, whereas antisocial dogs are difficult, time-consuming, and potentially dangerous. As a rule of thumb, your puppy needs to meet at least one hundred people before he is three months old. Since your puppy is still too young to venture out to dog parks and sidewalks, you’ll need to start inviting people to your home right away.

5th Developmental Deadline — Teaching Bite Inhibition
Your Most Important Priority is that your puppy learns to inhibit the force of his bites and develop a "soft mouth" before he is eighteen weeks old. Whenever a dog bites a person, or fights with another dog, the single most important prognostic factor is the degree of bite inhibition and hence, the likelihood and seriousness of injury. Accidents happen. Someone may tread on the dog’s paw, or a child may trip over the dog while he’s gnawing a bone. A dog may snap and lunge at a person when hurt or frightened, but if the dog has well-established bite inhibition, it is unlikely the dog’s teeth will puncture, or even touch the skin.

6th Developmental Deadline — Continuing Socialization in The World at Large
The Most Enjoyable Priority of dog ownership is to introduce your well-socialized puppy to the world at large. Your dog will only remain sociable and confident if he continues to meet and greet at least three unfamiliar people and three unfamiliar dogs every day. Meeting the same people and dogs over and over is not sufficient. Your dog needs to practice meeting, greeting, and getting along with strangers, not simply getting along with old friends. Regular walks with your dog are as essential as they are enjoyable.

The original puppy training video and still…"the leader of the pack." Voted BEST VIDEO (every year) by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.

Learn the gentle and enjoyable methods of off-leash training and socialization that made the SIRIUS philosophy the international standard in companion dog training. Dr. Dunbar developed SIRIUS classes in 1982, so his Malamute puppy could go to school. At that time, of the 50 dog training schools in the San Francisco Bay Area…NONE would allow puppies until they were six months to a year old. SIRIUS Puppy Training redefined and revolutionized dog training. Before SIRIUS there were no puppy classes, and virtually no food lures and rewards in training. The SIRIUS methods have been adopted and adapted by most dog trainers worldwide.

“SIRIUS Puppy Training is the video which changed dog training. It remains the best video on positive methods and early socialization available today.” Jean Donaldson, author of The Culture Clash

In 1982, Dr. Dunbar created and taught the world’s very first off-leash puppy socialization and training classes — SIRIUS Puppy Training. Before SIRIUS there were no puppy classes; dogs had to wait until they were six months to a year old before attending school. The original SIRIUS Puppy Training video was acclaimed by Jean Donaldson (author of The Culture Clash) as: “the video which changed dog training … the best video on positive methods and early socialization available today”. However, in the original video, the classes were adapted to facilitate filming specific puppy training techniques; owners sat on chairs and listened to Dr. Dunbar’s critiques of individual dogs performing each exercise.

SIRIUS Redux shows classes how they were originally taught and how they should be taught today. Owners spend the entire class learning how to observe, handle and train their puppies. Puppies learn to play with other puppies and socialize with their owners. There are no separate playtimes or training times. Instead, all puppies are off-leash for the entire class and numerous short training interludes are integrated within the play session. Thus, rather than becoming a distraction to training, playing with other dogs becomes an effective reward for training. In no time at all, compliance becomes a simple matter of puppy preference; puppies learn to listen to their owners because that’s what they want to do.

Watch SIRIUS Redux and learn Dr. Dunbar’s quick and easy, simple and effective, gentle and enjoyable, scientifically-based methods of off-leash, lure/reward, dog-friendly dog training, that made the SIRIUS philosophy the hallmark of pet dog training.

SIRIUS Adult Dog Training Part 1

When puppyhood collides with adolescence… you need different training techniques.

Successful adult dog training requires controlling the dog’s energy and reactivity to regain attention. Luckily, classical conditioning and all-or-none reward training techniques work like magic to produce calm and attentive dogs, whereupon lure/reward techniques make training lightning fast.

Exercises include: Jazz-up & Settle Down, Classical Conditioning, All-or-None Reward Training Good Behavior, Attention and Walking on Leash, Lure/Reward Training Sit, Down, Stand, Stay and Heel.

SIRIUS Adult Dog Training Part 2

When puppyhood collides with adolescence… you need different training techniques.

Successful adult dog training requires controlling the dog’s energy and reactivity to regain attention. Luckily, classical conditioning and all-or-none reward training techniques work like magic to produce calm and attentive dogs, whereupon lure/reward techniques make training lightning fast.

Exercises include: Jazz-up & Settle Down, Classical Conditioning, All-or-None Reward Training Good Behavior, Attention and Walking on Leash, Lure/Reward Training Sit, Down, Stand, Stay and Heel.

Probably the most creative, cutting-edge dog training video on the market. In his entertaining and commonsense style, Dr. Dunbar covers a wide variety of topics, including people-training games (to help owners see training from the dog’s point of view) and methods for troubleshooting fighting dogs. Dog training is not just about control, it’s about relationships. If you have a good relationship with your dog, he will do his best to please you. So make sure you use kind and patient training methods to enhance that relationship and produce a well-mannered companion. Ian Dunbar’s easy and enjoyable lure and reward techniques make training fun for you and your dog.

"Some fields are lucky enough to be granted a giant: a figure whose contributions inspire awe and are unsurpassable. Ian Dunbar is that in dog behavior. There is no single person on the face of the planet to whom dog trainers and owners (not to mention dogs) owe more." Jean Donaldson. Author of The Culture Clash

Children have natural advantages as trainers. Dogs like being with them, because they are playful and fun. Children aren’t as forceful as adults. Children tend to coax and encourage, so dogs are happier to work for them. All they have to do is learn a few simple training techniques and they’ll soon put grown ups in the shade. This video will help younger members of the family make the most of their natural talents, and prove that dog training is indeed, child’s play. Adapted from the British television program Dogs With Dunbar.

Topics include: Taking on a new puppy. Housetraining. Early leash training. Teaching Sit and Down. Developing a rapport. Focusing attention. Improving off-leash control. Training a fast recall. Training as a family. Family competitions. Improving the Sit Stay. Teaching with toys. Playing training games.

Every Picture Tells A Story is an educational aid for children to explore the language of dogs. Dr. Ian Dunbar spends a day with some pupils from Hale Primary School in the New Forest, exploring the relationship between children and dogs.

This DVD is intended as an entertaining teaching aid for parents and teachers to watch with their children. The video employs periodic freeze frame pictures as a visual starting point for discussion and story writing. There are nine informative sections covering such areas as: The language of dogs. Meeting strange dogs. Playing with dogs. Do you like dogs? Teaching dogs our language. Scared dogs. Scary dogs. Good owners and good dogs. Clever dogs.

In this DVD lecture, veterinarian and animal behaviorist Dr. Ian Dunbar addresses one of the most worrying behavior problems any dog owner can face — dogs that bite. Dealing effectively with canine aggression necessitates a comprehensive understanding of its underlying causes.

In his characteristically entertaining and enlightening style, Dr. Dunbar offers a thoughtful analysis of why dogs bite, outlining numerous common-sense preventative measures and a variety of practical remedial training techniques.

Topics include: The relative influence of nature (genetics) and nurture (learning) on the development of canine aggression. An in-depth review of the many stimuli and situations that may provoke a dog to bite. How to recognize warning signs and how to defuse potential triggers. A comprehensive classification of dog bites on the basis of severity and owner’s responsibility. A suggestion for fairer, more effective legal sanctions. A detailed program of simple and effective behavior modification and temperament training techniques to prevent dog bites.

90 minutes

In this DVD lecture, veterinarian and animal behaviorist Dr. Ian Dunbar addresses one of the most worrying behavior problems any dog owner can face — dogs that fight. Dealing effectively with canine aggression necessitates a comprehensive understanding of its underlying causes.

Topics include: The causes of dog-dog aggression in the context of pack hierarchy. How to assess whether a dog has a serious and dangerous fighting problem or whether he is just prone to squabbling. How castration defuses aggressive encounters. How to set up a remedial Growl Class. How to use precise timing, praise and reprimands to reduce and phase out aggression and build up a dog’s confidence and social contacts.

90 minutes

The Official Bootleg Video.

This classic lecture from 1994 has always been one of Dr. Dunbar’s favorites, and we’re very excited to offer it now as a DVD.

Dr. Dunbar has always been one of the best at explaining dog training from the dog’s point of view, and in this video he highlights many of the most common mistakes humans make when trying to train their dogs. Along the way he reveals the many techniques dogs use to train their humans. As a result, this lecture provides invaluable insights into the nature of training and motivation, whether it’s in our relationship with our pets, children, spouse or coworkers.

Winner of the DWAA (Dog Writers Association of America) Maxwell Award for BEST DOG TRAINING VIDEO. One of a set of four DVDs, based on the popular television series, Dogs With Dunbar — filmed at a stately home in the enchanting New Forest area of England.

Topics include: Socialization. Fearful and/or Aggressive Pups. Handling. Communication. Sit, Down & Stand.

60 minutes

Winner of the DWAA (Dog Writers Association of America) Maxwell Award for BEST DOG TRAINING VIDEO. One of a set of four DVDs, based on the popular television series, Dogs With Dunbar — filmed at a stately home in the enchanting New Forest area of England.

Topics include: Settle Down. Crate Training. Housetraining. Chewing. Digging. Barking. Biting.

60 minutes

Winner of the DWAA (Dog Writers Association of America) Maxwell Award for BEST DOG TRAINING VIDEO. One of a set of four DVDs, based on the popular television series, Dogs With Dunbar — filmed at a stately home in the enchanting New Forest area of England.

Topics include: Following. Leash Training (preventing pulling). Leash Walking & Heeling. Preventing Jumping-up.

60 minutes

Winner of the DWAA (Dog Writers Association of America) Maxwell Award for BEST DOG TRAINING VIDEO. One of a set of four DVDs, based on the popular television series, Dogs With Dunbar — filmed at a stately home in the enchanting New Forest area of England.

Topics include: Recalls from Play. Teaching Off (not to mouth and paw). Teaching & Proofing Stay. Introducing Distance Control.

60 minutes

These Behavior Blueprints are brief 2-page PDF documents about some common training questions which can be customized for you to use as a promotional tool. There is a section on the second page where you can enter your contact info and save it before emailing or printing the document to hand out to clients.