Outback Dog Training

   Troy Wilson & Rosita Wilson - Outback Dog Training Group   Submissive urination is a normal part of dog communication; they use it as a form of conciliation. A dog who submissively urinates is saying “I'm not a threat”. While not all dogs will utilise this means of communication, some will use it when they are extremely excited, when they are feeling intimidated or that they need to submit. It is common for dogs who submissively urinate to do so when they are playing, getting petted, being corrected for unwanted behaviour, or meeting someone (particularly someone new). It's like they lose control of their bladder. The amount of urine released will vary from dog to dog.   A dog who submissively urinates will use submissive body language when in a situation likely to trigger submissive urination; they may cower, raise their front paws, tuck their tail away, lick their lips, lay their ears back and/or grin submissively. The grin, although often s...

    by Troy Wilson & Rosita Wilson - Outback Dog Training Group   Tug is a wonderful game to play with your dog; they are fully engaged with you while at the same time receiving exercise and engaging in natural dog behaviour such as grabbing and pulling at the tug toy. Adding impulse control commands turns this wonderful game into a really great training tool that boosts your dog's impulse control and helps them listen to you when they are over - stimulated. Unlike 'Fetch' tug is gentle on your dog's joints. Purchase a Good Tug Toy Generally, dogs don't care about the type of tug toy they play tug with but it is important you buy an appropriate tug toy; one that is suitable for your individual dog. We humans prefer a tug toy that is comfortable for us to hold; often we like tug toys with handles but beware; dogs love handles too.   It is important to make sure whatever tug toy you choose is big enough for your needs. I prefer tugs be...

Akuma the 4 year old red & tan kelpie is the oldest of the 3 Outback dogs. A Queenslander of working stock (his family are in sheep), he was the first to join the team. Devoted to Mum, Akuma is a fan of 'Tug’, and doesn’t mind a game of 'Fetch’. Another of his favourite things to do is go swimming, preferably in fresh water, whenever there is the opportunity. He is not as confident as his little brother Tenshi though; he tends to tire far easier, and look for safety in the arms of his people. Akuma is Outback's best 'distance' dog, able to follow commands at up to 1km (just over .5 mile), is a trained personal protection dog, guard dog and boundary rider. He is happiest when there is no-one around except for his people and his brothers; if he had his way, the family would live in the middle of nowhere, and he'd sleep at his people's feet all day.

The superstar of the Outback training videos, Koji the Siberian Husky is the ‘baby’ of the family at 1.5 years of age. Born in South Australia to an Australian mum and a Canadian dad, Koji is of show stock (Dad was a US/Canadian Champion, and Mum is no slouch herself). Totally untrained and horribly skittish when he came into the family at 7 months, Koji has come ahead in leaps and bounds, and has bonded well with Akuma, Tenshi and his people.  These days he not only comes for a cuddle when called, he will wander up and demand a cuddle in no uncertain terms. Unlike his brothers he is not a fan of games, although he is coming around to the joys of a good game of 'Tug'. Unlike Tenshi and Akuma, who love the water, Koji is distinctly unhappy with the idea of a swim, although if the sprinklers are on, he will happily dance in them all day long.  He adores riding in the car; if the ute comes out, he'd better be coming along. Words shall be had otherwise...

by Troy Wilson & Rosita Wilson - Outback Dog Training Group   Being a dog living in the human world isn't always an easy gig. You humans have rules; rules that just don't make that much sense to us dogs. We don't understand that it is not ok to urinate or defecate indoors. We don't understand the need to go outside. We don't have opposable thumbs and we couldn't reach the door handle to open it if we did. We try to tell you, but you are often too busy to notice us.   It can be very difficult for us to know when our pets need to go outside to eliminate. We are often distracted, busy or inattentive. Some dogs may not always show obvious signs that they need to go to the potty, while others may be able to clearly communicate their need. If your dog is in the first category, don't worry, you can train them to let you know when they need the potty. Signs Your Dog Needs the Potty Your dog may already be clearly indicating they need the potty ...

    By Troy Wilson - Outback Dog Training Group   Toilet training our puppies requires us to have a flexible schedule we can adjust to suit our puppy's individual needs. We need to be consistent, alert, patient, calm and ready with lots of positive reinforcement. When our puppy has accidents, they will not be not the puppy's fault, they will be ours. We missed the signs, delayed a trip outside, overslept or our schedule needs adjusting. We should not correct or punish our puppy for accidents; we need to adjust our schedule, be more vigilant, and remain patient and calm - the end result will be a puppy who has good toilet habits, and a loving bond with us.   It often takes 4 - 6 months to get a puppy completely toilet trained, but some take up to a year. The adult size of the dog may be a factor; smaller breeds require more trips outside as their bladders are smaller. Another factor is the human on the end of the leash. It all depends on how consistent...