The Coalition For Improved Dog Ownership Standards intends to bring you a free online archive of dog training articles and dog training advice.

However we are keen to stress some important facts right from the outset in compliance with our own principles on ensuring dog owners are better informed on responsible dog ownership issues.

All dogs are individuals with individual personalities and as such any advice given in generic form should be treated as such. Written dog training advice is no substitute for the hands on experience that can be delivered by an appropriately experienced professional canine behaviour expert or dog trainer. Written advice is to be used as a reference for increasing your awareness of particular canine behaviour issues – no more, no less.

Aggression issues: Under no circumstances, ever, should aggression issues be dealt with by anything other than the direct advice of a professional. The first port of call for dealing with canine aggression is to see a vet in an effort to rule out any medical issues. Following that a hands on solution is required. Attempting remotely ‘cure’ an aggression issue is a non starter. Please, if you have a problem relating to aggression, see a professional without delay.

Types of training advice: They say there’s more than one way to skin a cat, perish the thought! But there is certainly many, many ways to successfully train a dog – there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way. Here at C-fidos we do not subscribe to any particular dog training ’style’ or school of thought other than the following principles:

1) Successful dog training strategies should be based on developing a happy, healthy, willing response from the dog.

2) Strategies that rely soley on fear or pain are rarely, if ever, successful in develpoing happy, healthy, willing responses – they produce ‘results’ but they will be inferior results and in many cases can lead to enhancing certain problems, not solving them.

3) It is in your and your dog’s interests to learn the basics about different styles of dog training, you can then be assured that you are choosing the best ’style’ of approach for your particular dog.

4) Do not be swayed to follow a strategy that you are not personally comfortable with. As stated at the outset, there are many, many different approaches to dog training – you need to be happy and comfortable with the route you decide to take with your dog. Learn, listen, observe, research – take on board what you can from all sources but NEVER feel pressured in to following one approach over another unless you are comfortable that it is right for you and your dog.

5) Be aware of this fact: There are no standardised ’standard marks’ for professional dog trainers. There are various qualifications, various dog training organisations, various dog training companies and various accreditations. It does NOT make one trainer ’superior’ to another if they happen to be associated with one organisation, have no qualifications or a bag full! Picking a dog trainer or picking someone to give you dog training advice is not quite the same as picking a plumber. There are some basics which can help you, you should firstly be comfortable with the person you’re working with. You should ask them to give you references from other dog owners whom they have helped. You should ask them to tell you about their training philosophies and preferred methods and then decide whether these philosophies appeal to you and the way in which you wish to develop your dog’s behaviour. You should not discount an experienced trainer who happens to have no qualifications and no professional affiliations any more than you should discount a young, newly qualified, professionally affiliated trainer – it’s all about picking the people who you like, are comfortable with and who can deliver the results you are seeking in accordance with the first principle stated in our list.

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If you are a dog behaviour expert, dog trainer or simply a dog owner with a tip – feel free to submit your dog training advice to C-fidos.

We must stress we may not include your advice if we believe it has the capacity to be misintrepreted leading to potential harm to the dog (or owner).

Any advice that runs on the site will be vetted prior to publication and must comply with the principles as outlined above. Whilst we will gladly publish sound, sensible, practical advice here and whilst we will not be biased toward a particular dog training style, company, individual, training organisation or method, any advice published must always be accepted in the spirit in which it is provided i.e as a reference point, as a guide, as something which may or may not be able to help. It is not a cure all or a set-in-stone method by which to ‘fix’ problems and whether it comes from an ‘ordinary’ dog owner or an eminent professional, it is merely a supplement to – not a replacement for – hands on, individually tailored practical advice for a specific dog.

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Submit your tips / advice:

official affiliate of: The Pet Owners Parliament