Of all the dogs, the most common dogs that many owners will face themselves with are probably the RED or ORANGE DOGS. The ORANGE DOG is a pretty high strung dog, high spirited dog, and from a professional animal trainer’s perspective, it is the dog that most would like to begin with. The two reasons are the fact that they have such an incredible amount of energy, and they have such a willingness to please.

The interesting thing about ORANGE DOGS is that they can come in all colors and sizes. An example is that you might own a Jack Russell Terrier which is a very small dog and you can own a very high strung Labrador retriever which is a large dog, and they can both be ORANGE DOGS.

These are high strung dogs or dogs with very outgoing personalities too. However, these dogs do not come close to the level of the RED DOG. There can also be a very large range or variation in ORANGE DOGS’ personalities too. With an ORANGE DOG that leans towards YELLOW, you are going to have a dog that will be a lot of fun to train right from the beginning. The reason is that this dog will possess many of the mellow and laid back characteristics of the YELLOW DOG. On the other hand, an ORANGE DOG that leans towards the RED DOG will possess more of the characteristics of the RED DOG. With this type of ORANGE DOG, we’re dealing with an animal that is likely to require a little more patience.

Like the RED DOG, what you’re going to find is that since most of these dogs have such a high drive and such an upbeat personality, when you go to train them, you’re going to want to be just the opposite. You’re going to do things that involve a lot of control, because your dog is probably not going to want to stay in one place.  The example that I like to use is almost like an anchor on a boat and you being the anchor. If the current is strong, but the anchor is heavy enough, the boat isn’t going anywhere. There are a few things that you want to avoid with ORANGE DOGS that lean towards RED in the beginning, and that is anything that will increase his excitement or get him any more animated than he already is. What you are going to find is that quite often, even introducing food or treats may have a tendency to increase their attitude and personality.

If this is something that you see happen, the type of rewards that I recommend using with these types of dogs are tactile rewards which involve petting your dog and simply using yourself as a reward. You will also find that your voice is also an important key. If you have a lot of excitement in your voice, it senses to reason that the sound will probably get your dog more excited too. Just like being an anchor, you always want to think about being calm and in control. You will find that by using tactile rewards such as petting and stoking can actually calm your dog down too, and it is essential that you are very direct with these types of dogs.

An ORANGE DOG that leans towards YELLOW in the beginning will be a little different. This is a dog that you may be able to introduce treats to from the start of training without the dog becoming out of control. Of course, this will make training a lot easier right from the beginning because you have more rewards to offer the dog.

Initially, early on in training I think you will find ORANGE DOGS to be high strung, extremely outgoing, and can possibly a little obnoxious. In reality, the early training and care of these dogs is going to require a lot of patience. The one mistake that I have seen from many ORANGE DOG owners is creating so much negativity for their dog in the beginning of the training process. This happens with the owner yelling at their dog, or possibly over-correcting with the use of the chain collar. Without being aware of it, you can very easily fall into that same trap. Remember that since this is a dog that will have a lot of energy, you are going to want to prepare yourself for that, even before you bring the dog out for his first training session.

Like the “anchor” principle, the one word that I use so often that is so important in the training of ORANGE DOGS is CONTROL. Remember that your dog is probably going to want to move around and not stay in one place so are going to want to do things that involve and require a lot of control. It is essential you are prepared for that.

The tools that will come into play with Orange Dogs are going to vary, but you WILL need control. For information on training tools click on our Dog Training Tool page.

The great news is your dog will chance colors. Your dog will always move towards the center of the spectrum.

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