Dog Training Basics

Archive for December, 2008

train a puppy

When training your dog, concentrate on the end result you’re after, instead of the behavior you want to avoid. So as you start each exercise with your dog, create a picture in your minds eye of the goal you’re aiming for, and hold that image through the session. Steer your thoughts away from what it is that you don’t want to happen.

If you don’t have a destination in mind, how are you ever going to arrive there? This is so true with everything in life, particularly when it comes to dog house training too

It’s very easy to fall into the trap of concentrating on things that we don’t want. This is particularly relevant with regards to training dogs as well. We don’t want our dog to pee in the house, or start chewing slippers, or disobey our commands, or bark like maniacs when we have friends come into the house.

Just think about it for a moment. Suppose you’re about to adopt a puppy. Do you really want to spend the next ten, twelve, or fourteen years of your life chasing your dog around saying, “No no no”? Wouldn’t it be better to guide your dog into behaviors that you want?

For example, instead of thinking, “I really do not want the dog to chew the furniture,” try, “I will encourage him to play with his toys.” Rather than, “I don’t want my dog to jump up on my guests,” change it to, “It would be nice for the dog to sit nicely and welcome visitors.”

By focusing on the positive aspects of your training goals, you’ll better appreciate how to achieve what you want. I can’t think of a better way to get started with training your new dog.

Should You Use Rewards?

A crucially important area that people have finally realized in housetraining puppies over the last few years is the trend away from concentrating on correcting bad behavior, or punishment, to emphasizing rewards.

Rewarding a dog is a very effective training technique especially for potty training tricks. One of the critical reasons for this is that if you make a mistake using punishment, the upshot could be very demoralizing for both of you. Punishment can make a dog feel threatened when she might respond with aggression to being overly punished. Other dogs shut down. They seem to lose their sense of adventure. Some may simply curl up and shy away all the time.

The good thing about reward based training is that it also makes you feel good as the trainer. It’s nice to be a source of praise and treats, instead of a constant disciplinarian.

But the icing on the cake is that rewards based dog behavior training works a treat. It’s due to the fact that this approach to behavior training builds confidence and reassurance. If a behavior is rewarding, your pet will want to repeat he behavior as often as possible. When you learn the best way to use this technique, you will be able to use this method for pretty much any training goal you want to achieve.

Greyhounds are wonderful animal athletes.  As they race and perform through their racing careers, they normally work until they are between 1.5 and 4 years old.  Throughout this time, they become adjusted to being walked and lead on a leash, so upon retirement from their profesional lives, they make excellent pets!

As a former athlete, they are intelligent, quiet, calm, clean, gentle, and generally good-natured and ready to adapt to a new home environment.  They react well to positive attention and reinforcement and thus they are a pleasure to train and work with for the new families they become a part of.

Greyhounds love attention and while they do want exercise, they do not need as much space to run as many might think.  Inside the home, they prefer to curl up in a corner on a soft blanket.  They are quiet creatures and perfectly well behaved inside a home and around people.

Greyhounds spend most of their life with other dogs, people, and handlers, so they are very sociable breed and get along well with others.  Their personality makes them an wonderful breed to be around kids.  Their intelligence and dedication make them an perfect companion.  And because they are well mannered, they are great around company and in public.

There is probably a local Greyhound Pets of America association near you.  So think about adopting a former Greyhound athlete.  For more information, check out the Tucson Greyhound Park.  Various chapters have different requirements and costs, but each will encourage you to come visit and find out more about whether a Greyhound might be right for you!

Please help by volunteering your time.  All local chapters need volunteers to help with supplies, veterinary appointments, or even just shopping for doggie supplies.  Of course, financial donations are also welcome, but your time and love is needed most!

An early relationship strain will be caused by your dog's propensity to chew

Dogs carry out destructive chewing for three main reasons, they are simply bored, they find it pleasurable to do so, or they find it helps get them through emotional times. The nearest human equivalent for which might be to consume a bar of chocolate!

Anything that gets in the way of this chewing normally ends up in poor state. If you think about it there are lots of sharp, pointed teeth in your dog's mouth and they generally get the better of anything put in their way.

Chewing is most annoying when it is your own possessions that are the subject, always stop this behavior straight away.

How To Avoid Your Possessions Being Destroyed

The first tip for dog behavior training is to not place valuable objects in the way of temptation. Just as you would ensure your house is baby proof you need to think about putting things away that you would rather your dog not find. Why let providence intervene.

In addition, when hiding things be aware of just how agile your dog is. How high can she reach when standing on her back legs for example?

Consider that common targets in the home include books, eyewear, clothing, shoes, garbage, and small appliances like cameras, cell phones, and remote controls.

Make sure whatever you do that you put food away in airtight containers or high cupboards. Loose food needs to be put away safely from the nose and paws of your pet, high cupboards and strong containers are called for here.

The phrase prevention is better than cure applies to dog behaviour training too, if your dog is not given the opportunity to discover the delights of chewing a forbidden item then it is a lot easier for her to learn your house rules.

Do not allow you dog to see any weakness on your part by letting old habits resurface. Once she has the taste do not be surprised to find shoes you care about being treated to the same destructive chewing.

A good idea is to buy some toys that you do want your dog to play with. Take a look around your local pet store for tough items such as rubber bones and balls etc. Buy a few and rotate their use as a way to keep your dog behaviour training interesting.

Some final advice on dog behaviour, when you catch your dog chewing something inappropriate be sure to interrupt her immediately and provide a suitable alternative and give lavish praise when this is accepted as a way of reinforcing good behaviour.

They’re attractive, popular and periodically controversial. They come mass produced and some with designer labels. They also make unbelievably expensive chew toys for some puppies and dogs. They’re leather dog collars, once the standard dog gear and now a luxury piece. Is a leather dog collars right for your dog?

Benefits

A few of the benefits of getting leather dog collars are that they are long lasting provided you are going to take care of them properly. Even though they are more expensive initially than rayon or nylon collars, they can sometimes last longer than the life of your dog. Some owners of dogs who get good and muddy like to use leather dog collars and leashes than of other materials because it is so durable.

One of the other advatages is that leather always matches your dog’s fur, whether it is brown leather or black leather. Leather has a timeless look and a great smell, if you take care of the leather properly. There are now a wide variety of leather dog collars in different patterns, colors, with rhinestones or other additions. There are even famous designers of people fashions who are getting into pet fashions.

Cons

The main drawback of leather dog collars is that it’s made out of very tasty animal hide. At least, your dog thinks it’s tasty. You can’t explain to your dog that it’s not okay to chew on the $100 rolled leather dog collar but it is acceptable to chew on rawhide treats. They are made of nearly the same stuff. Dogs will chew on leather, but with patience and persistence, they can be trained not to.

One of the other disadvantages is having to clean and condition the leather dog collar and leash. You dont have these worries with nylon or rayon collars and leashes. You can throw them in the bath along with the dog. But prolonged exposure to soaking water will destroy leather. You need to get special soaps and conditioners for them. You might need to have the leather collars worn only on special occasions.

If you are a vegetarian or vegan, than you are already trying to cut out all animal-based products from your life. The thought of killing cows for dog collars might not sit well on your conscious. But there are good looking fake leather dog collars that are almost as tough as leather on the market. As an added bonus, they don’t have the strong smell that attracts dogs looking for a quick snack.

Some people have known for a long time that certain crossbreeds of animals are an improvement on each of the original breeds. The trick is finding the best crossable breeds. Some of these crossbreeds even go on to become established breeds by themselves. The Golden Labrador Retriever is one, bred from Labrador and Golden Retrievers. As puppies, they readily show the best of both the Labrador Retriever and the Golden Retriever.

The Best Dog?

Both Labrador and Golden Retrievers are dogs that really like people and are eager to please. Note that not all dogs are alike, and improper training will always make for a bad, fearful dog (regardless of breed), but on the whole, a Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy is a born people pleaser. They are fascinated by people and seem to easily bond with them. They also have a lot of strength and energy, which comes in handy for service and search and rescue dogs.

Great Dogs For Helping the Blind

The Golden Labrador Retriever are hailed as the best seeing eye dogs by experts that train seeing eye dogs in England. There is an excellent breeding program run in England by Guide Dogs to raise dogs to be seeing eye dogs. A Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy is first tested at about eight weeks of age to see what his personality is like.

Their training never really stops. Often times the puppies will fail their training and be put up for adoption as a pet. To take a Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy and turn out a dependable life-saver costs an average of $70,000 (US). They work until old age or illness forces them to retire, and then they are placed in care homes for the rest of their lives.

Other Things to Know

Although many online Labrador puppies information web sites will say that a Golden Labrador is always yellow, this is not true. Occasionally there is a black or chocolate Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy born. You can register your Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy with the American Canine Hybrid Club.

Every day, there is a newborn Golden / Labrador Retriever puppy who makes that first step to being a drug sniffing dog, cancer sniffing dog, service dog or a search and rescue dog. They all can rescue us from ourselves and our selfishness and help give our souls back to ourselves.

Poodles are generally fun-loving dogs that have a pretty reserved temperament, so if you’re looking for an agreeable pet that your family will love, you may want to consider a miniature poodle. Here is some general information about these dogs that will help you to make the right decision, as well as some things you can expect once you bring your pet home.

Concerns

There are a few concerns that you may have about owning a miniature poodle and one of them is grooming. The poodle’s hair tends to be curly and thick, so it will be necessary for you to make sure that your poodle puppy is groomed regularly or as often as possible. For puppies the standard grooming cut is normally short hair all over the body, and this may need to be done every month so that your miniature poodle looks great. The colors of the miniature poodles vary from brown, white, black and cafe-au-lait, and these are on many occasions displayed in the pet stores. In addition to this you can also have your poodle’s coat temporarily dyed for special occasions or events. These can come in a variety of colors like apricot, red, blue, gray or silver which are the normally accepted colors for poodle coats. Such coloring or dyeing normally do not damage the miniature poodles hair.

Learning about your dog’s temperament is also ideal before you buy your miniature poodle. You may have to socialize your dog as a puppy, since poodles tend to be very reserved when dealing with strangers. Miniature poodles tend to bark a lot as well, which means that will do a good job of alerting you if something goes wrong in the home. In most cases, your dog will like to play with children, but some poodle varieties can be a little high-strung, so try to see the parents or even grandparents of the puppies you are considering before taking them home. Your miniature poodle will also be great at learning tricks in most cases, which means you can entertain family and friends.

The life span of a miniature poodle is relatively long compared to other dogs, so it will be essential for you to look out for any genetic issues that could possibly arise. Cataracts are common problems that occur in all varieties of poodles, and blindness could be caused by retinal atrophy, so you need to regularly take your miniature poodle to the vet to be checked up for vision and nervous system problems. Often it may also be necessary for your pet to be checked for you ear infections and runny eyes. Finally, the poodle’s skin tend to be very sensitive, for example skin rashes and allergies may occur with the use of certain shampoo or dyes, and in addition the use of clippers may also cause skin conditions to occur.

For more great information on how to care for your miniature poodle, visit www.poodle-lovers.com.

BarkBustersHO asked:

Kendra Monroe of Bark Busters Home Dog Training.

Rene R. Heywood

communicanine asked:

Visit http://dogbehavioronline.com/dog_behavior_barking.html for help in fixing a barking dog. Do you have a dog that barks too much? If you do, you need this video and website which have a ton of free tools on how to use obedience training and leash training to fix a barking dog. Excessive barking is a behavior problem that you can fix with your dog, you just need the right techniques to help your dog understand what you want. For a free ebook on fixing barking problems in dogs visit http://dogbehavioronline.com/special/

Haynolmez

BarkBustersHO asked:

Bark Busters from across the nation all team together to build doghouses and raise money for a local shelter.

Wanita Bottoms

greenlightbandit asked:

http://barkingdogatlas.blogspot.com

here’s another nuisance barking dog. He’s near an intersection and is barking at passersby. What a drag.

Chan-u