Dog Training Foundations

Learn the foundations of effective dog training and build a clearer understanding between you and your dog.

GPK9 Dog Training Foundations is a complete introduction to dog training for owners who want to understand how dogs learn, what to teach first, which behaviours matter most and how to develop reliable obedience step by step.

This course takes you beyond simply teaching your dog to sit.

You will learn how to develop communication, attention, basic obedience, recall, settling, crate behaviour, placemat behaviour, controlled freedom and appropriate behaviour in everyday situations.

The course also explains how training time, repetition, rewards, environment, distractions and progression affect your dog’s learning.

What You Will Learn

The course covers 21 lessons including:

• How to train a dog
• The best ways and methods to train
• Whether you can train your own dog
• Training puppies, adults and older dogs
• How long training takes
• How often to train
• How long training sessions should be
• When to start training
• What to teach your dog first
• The most important behaviours to teach
• The essential cues every dog should understand
• Basic commands
• Basic dog obedience

Practical Training Skills

You will learn about teaching and developing behaviours such as:

Sit

Down

Stay

Wait

Recall

Leave it

Drop it

Release

Place

Crate

Settle

Attention and focus

Walking with the handler

The course also explains how these behaviours fit into everyday life rather than treating them as isolated exercises.

Learn How to Train — Not Just What to Teach

A major part of the course is understanding the training process itself.

You will learn about:

• Positive reinforcement
• Food and other appropriate rewards
• Food and prey/toy motivation
• Luring
• Capturing
• Shaping
• Reward timing
• Clear communication
• Consistency
• Observation
• Managing distractions
• Increasing difficulty gradually
• Developing reliability
• Recognising when training is becoming too difficult
• Reducing difficulty when necessary
• Developing appropriate freedom

The aim is to help you understand why training works, not simply give you a list of instructions to repeat.

Build Better Everyday Behaviour

Training should work beyond a formal training session.

The course explains how to develop appropriate behaviour around:

• The home
• Household activity
• People
• Other animals
• Different environments
• Walking
• Everyday distractions
• Rest and settling
• Controlled freedom

You will also learn why more freedom requires more behavioural responsibility and why reliability should determine how quickly a dog’s freedom increases.

Suitable for Puppies, Adult Dogs and Older Dogs

The foundations of learning apply throughout a dog’s life.

Whether you have a new puppy, an adult dog with limited training or an older dog that needs to learn new behaviours, the course explains how to start at an appropriate level and progress according to the individual dog.

Learn to Read the Training Response

One of the most important skills for any handler is learning to observe the dog.

Instead of simply repeating a cue when something goes wrong, you will learn to consider:

What changed?

Is the environment too difficult?

Is the dog distracted?

Is the dog too excited?

Is the reward appropriate?

Has the behaviour actually been established?

This allows training to become an ongoing process of observation, communication, adjustment and progression.

Who Is This Course For?

GPK9 Dog Training Foundations is suitable for:

• New dog owners
• Puppy owners
• Owners of adult dogs
• Owners of older dogs
• Rescue-dog owners
• Anyone wanting to improve their understanding of dog training
• Owners who want to establish better basic obedience
• Anyone looking for a structured introduction to reward-based dog training

It is designed to help you train your dog while developing your own skills as a handler.

What You Will Take Away

By completing the course, you should have a much clearer understanding of:

How dogs learn

How to establish behaviours

How to introduce cues

How to use rewards effectively

How to develop basic obedience

How to build recall

How to develop calm behaviour

How to use the crate, placemat and playpen appropriately

How to manage distractions

How to progress training

How to recognise when your dog is ready for more freedom

Most importantly, you will understand that successful dog training is not about forcing a dog to perform a list of commands.

It is about developing clear communication, understanding, reliability and behavioural responsibility.

Course Price

£39.99

Self-paced online course

A practical foundation for owners who want to understand their dog better and build the skills needed for effective everyday training.

Start with the foundations. Build the understanding. Develop the behaviour.