Dog Training Basics

Archive for January, 2009

There are dog obedience training schools where dogs are trained to follow simple commands using three basic principles as the trainer’s guide.. Most dog training and dog behavior schools use these rules. They are the following:

Principle One:Consistency. You must be consistent in the use of words, the tone of your voice and your actions, that go with your command. During the beginning of the training, the trainer or the dog owner must decide what should be the parameters of training- what you are trying to teach the dog and how to do it. A word or a phrase, let’s say ‘come’, does not make sense to a dog. Your dog does not understand our language, nor does he understand or think, the way we do.

So to make the training understandable, you should use the command in a very consistent manner such that the dog will learn to associate the word with the meaning you attach with it. For example, if you are using the command ‘come’, make sure that everyone in the household use it in a singular manner. The command ‘Come’ specifically means that the dog should approach the giver of the command and use it in that sense. If your dog does not come to you instantly, do not punish him when he does. Your dog would attribute the command with the punishment.

What could you expect next?He would not follow the same command since this leads to punishment. Consistency also covers the use of the same command by all people. For example, if you use the words ‘come’ make sure everyone in your family uses that word also, not ‘come here’.

Principle Two:The hours devoted to training and the words used as command should be kept short. Remember that the attention span of dogs is extremely short so it is almost impossible to keep them engaged in the one activity. Combining children with your puppy obedience training is an example of keeping your training sessions short as they would lose interest very quickly, so it is best to move on to the next thing.

Your dog simply does not posses the same amount of interest they had when they started the activity, they become easily bored. The same thing happens in training therefore, it should be limited only to 10 minutes to 15 minutes of regular training.

Principle Three: Do not use force and punishment to hurt your dog when training. Also, never force the dog to follow the command if he is not prepared for it or punish a dog for something he did. Whilst training the animal don’t push too hard.

Your dog has no understanding of your impatience for his lack of learning speed. He only knows you are angry. So do not use force as this does not communicate your meaning properly, instead use negative reinforcement. Do not send him mixed signals, by making him feel praised for doing something wrong, only when he obeys the command, should he feel praised.

You have to be understanding and patient, especially during your dog obedience training sessions. The outcome will be a very responsive and well trained dog.

When you bring a new puppy home, you can’t help but notice that he is just so adorable in his new surroundings! Beside enjoying your little pal, you also want to protect your home so your furnishings and carpets aren’t ruined. Now what are you going to do?

By teaching your puppy where to relieve himself, you’ll also be protecting your home. How can that be accomplished?

Grab your free dog training course and learn more dog potty train methods that work.

Dogs act mainly from habits that have been developed over a period of time and that fact can help you as a dog owner. Don’t let your puppy create his own habits. Teach him the ones you want him to learn. Be sure to be aware of limitations that puppies have. Your puppy’s bladder is very small, so he can’t wait very long before having to urinate. You’ll need the character traits of patience and understanding to deal with your new pal’s limitations.

Yelling at your puppy if he has an accident isn’t a good idea. You’ll need to exercise patience with your new pal. If your puppy has an accident on the living room carpet, be gentle with him. Tell him “no” in a gentle way. Then pick him up and place him where you do want him to go potty. Then tell him to go potty in that place in your own words.

Using a crate for puppy training purposes is a good idea. That’s because dogs don’t like to urinate or defecate where they spend a lot of time. Playpens can also be used for training purposes.

Be aware that there are certain times when your new pal is more likely to want to relieve himself. First thing in the morning is one of the times when your puppy will need to relieve himself. Eating activates your puppy’s elimination process, so he’ll probably want to relieve himself after any meal he eats. Be sure to take your puppy to his designated toilet area before he goes to bed at night. Right after romping around for a while, your pal will probably want to go potty.

Your new pet needs close supervision. If he goes potty on his own outside, be sure to praise him immediately. If he should go potty inside the house, you need to gently but sternly let him know that isn’t the right place to go. Be sure to praise your puppy when he does go in the correct place. He really needs your approval.

Your puppy will often let you know when he’s about to relieve himself. Wandering off, sniffing and circling are signs that your puppy is ready to relieve himself. You might catch him waiting by the door.

Patience and kindness goes a long way in dog training. Be sure to spend time training your new pal to urinate or deficate where you have chosen for him to go. The time and effort you put into training your new pal will be worth it when he knows the right time and place to relieve himself.

Watch free dog training video plus learn how to potty train dog.

Pet Insurance - Pet Tips from HSN & Prince Lorenzo Borghese

Even though dog insurance has been available in the marketplace for almost two decades, many dog owners have never heard of pet health insurance and are somewhat surprised that such an insurance product even exists. However, since the beloved family pets are usually such an important part of the family, the availability of this form of insurance is welcomed news to dog lovers.

Anyone can relate to this sentiment of relief, if they have ever been faced with having to either clean out their savings account or run up their credit card balance in order to take care of an unexpected emergency. Having a pet plan can help to lighten the burden of the expenses related to a surgical procedure, long-term care for serious conditions, such as cancer and other types of diseases or emergency care due to injury or accident. Without insurance, some dog owners are faced with the awful decision of having to put their pet to sleep because the cost of proper health care is just too much for the family budget.

It is often a heartbreaking situation when a pet owner is faced with a choice of either paying for expensive, but needed, veterinary pet procedures or being able to properly care for the needs of the rest of the family in the household. This dilemma often results in the agonizing decision of having to put the pet down. This is just the kind of situation that illustrates the immense value, in emotional terms, of having dog insurance to assure the well-being and the health needs of the family dogs.

Just as with other health care expenses, the costs associated with veterinarian care for pets is also rising with each passing year. This fact has solidified the notion of acquiring pet insurance to handle the animal welfare as well as health concerns a higher attractive option. It has also made pet health insurance a more financially smart move for families. It is much easier to work a small insurance premium for dog health insurance into the household budget than it is to try to come up with hundreds, or even thousands of dollars if an emergency arises.

If you own more than one dog, then insurance coverage for all of them makes even more sense. Simply making certain that each seperate dog has gotton their vaccinations, booster shots as well as health screening that are done on an annual basis can stretch a persons budget to their breaking point. This situation can lead pet owners to decide to skip the routine health care steps that should be taken to prevent illness and diseases.

In most cases, a comprehensive pet insurance policy will also cover wellness and preventative care procedures. Fortunately, most the pet insurance company policies seem to support the approach of taking preventive measures, with regard to animal welfare. It has been well-documented over an extended period fo time that taking preventative steps as well as supportive wellmess care will lower the possibility for serious health problems for the pet further down the road.

Because of this, searching out companies that provide insurance coverage which incorporates preventative care is a wise course of action to take. The fact that a pet insurance company offers such coverage speaks to their commitment and philosophy about prevention of pet disease and the importance of animal welfare in general.

Preventative care coverage is the most expensive type of dog insurance that you can purchase, but may not be in every families’ budget. In this case, it is often wise to opt for a policy that will pay for major veterinary pet bills. This is an effective way to lower monthly premium, but you will need to be prepared to handle the routine veterinarian visits out of your own pocket. Finding a pet insurance company that offers policies that cover wellness care is a positive sign and a good indicator about the kind of company with whom you are dealing.

To discover Pet Care Insurance also head on over to Low Cost Pet Insurance with more helpful material at Best Pet Health Insurance

periodicvideos asked:

A cool experiment called “the barking dog” is part of our new and improved video about Sulfur. See all our films at http://www.periodicvideos.com/

Uskyos

prbj asked:

www.petrescuebyjudy.com Lucy is a very friendly, happy dog. She loves to play with rope toys and kongs. She is very outgoing and friendly with strangers (yeah, that would be the lab, not the shepherd), and will come when called if she gets off the leash (must not be a drop of Bassett in her!). Lucy loves to run. Her ideal home would have a large fenced yard with children to play with her. But she is an adaptable kinda of girl ~ she currently lives in a condo.
Lucy is good with children and playfully chases cats. She likes to play all the time, will lay at your feet while you work at a table, knows how to sit, stay and walk at heel.
With Lucy you get an extra bonus ~ Lucy has a Bark Buster Life of the Dog Guarantee. Her new family will receive free training for Lucy’s lifetime. There is no charge and the guarantee is recognized and honored in forty states. Check www.barkbusters.com for details.
(You can read about my personal experience with Bark Busters under our Information dropdown, ‘Dog Problem? Call Bark Busters’). Her owner contact Make at Bark Busters to help him with housetraining her. She now gives good signals at the door when ready to go out. One of the nice things about Lucy is that she responds best to a gentle touch ~ heavy handed discipline only frightens her.
So why is Lucy looking for a new home? I’m glad you asked. Her owner’s fiancee is allergic to her. You know, the type of allergies that put her in the hospital recently! That’s not good. Lucy’s owner is heartbroken at giving her up, but he knows that she is a wonderful dog who will find a wonderful family. So if you are wonderful, perhaps you are the family for Lucy!!!

Abbie Cordle

moonlaiz asked:

Dogs bark I laugh

Chasidy G. Lockhart

Brining home a new dog or puppy is always an exciting time. There is a lot of responsibility that comes with owning a dog. You have to feed her, groom her, provide her with proper health care, and give her a safe place to call home.

Making sure that your puppy has basic dog training is one of the best things you can do for her.

Discipline and Behavior

Owning a dog that is constantly behaving badly is not some that you want. They can an be an embarrassment and in worst cases, they can be dangerous.

Training can be a lot of hard work and require a lot of time and patience, but the end result is a well behaved dog that you can be proud of. Training will also strengthen the bond between you and your dog. Let your dog know what is considered appropriate behavior by taking the time to train her. For best results start early.

Dog Obedience Training

Obedience training is also an important part of your dog’s overall training program. There are different levels of obedience training – from very basic training to advanced training.

You should at least provide basic training for your dog or puppy. Basic training includes house training, leash training, and basic commands like sit, stay, and come.

Of course, you can always progress to a more advanced level. More training will mean a better behaved dog. You can include training to prevent destructive behaviors like barking, digging, chewing, and aggressive behaviors. Just find a program that meets your needs and provides a results such as Sit, Stay, Fetch.

Puppy Training

Start training your puppy from she is very young. Some people wait too long to start training their puppies and it makes it a little more difficult and frustrating. It is a myth that a puppy younger than six months cannot be trained.

Although a puppy has limitations to what she can learn that should not prevent you from teaching her the basic commands from the start. Just do some research to make sure you follow the proper techniques.

There are many different sources of information available – dog training books, ebooks, websites, and even complete training programs. Something else you could do it enroll in group training. If you can afford to you may want to consider hiring an experience dog traininer.

Training in a Group Setting

Most of the larger pet stores offer training classes. Because they are in a group setting they are also usually cheaper as well. You can also ask around as your local area animal shelter or other animal groups may offer free or discounted group training classes.

One added advantage of group training, in my opinion, is that it gives your dog the added benefit of socializing with other dogs and their owners.

Professional Trainers

With a professional trainer you get the benefit of one on one attention. Just be sure to ask around for recommendations so that you can find a trainer who is know to provide results.

You should hire a professional dog trainer for major issues such as dealing with an aggressive dog. Do not attempt to try and handle this on your own.

Conclusion

Being a dog owner is a huge responsibility. But is also our responsibility to make sure we have a well behaved dog that is pleasant and fun to be around. Just be sure that you go into any training program with an open mind and the right attitude and you will find that it is a rewarding experience.

And remember, you can always search for more information about dogs.

Dogs love to dig. Whether it is to bury a bone, look for a bone, or to just see what is underneath the dirt this time, dogs enjoy digging.

This natural behavior can wreak havoc on your yard and garden if it goes unchecked. What is the best way to curb the digging impulse?

As with children, dogs do things for a reason. Why is your dog digging? If you can figure this out, you are halfway to a solution. Does he just love to fling dirt?

However, there may be other reasons including lack of attention or stimulation, storing food, or he’s building a den to cool off or stay warm. Alternately, he may be attracted to freshly turned earth or the scent of fertilizer.

If you have determined that your dog needs more stimulation and is digging as a way of getting attention, you can attack the problem by offering him more opportunities for exercise and interaction. Dog training collars can be a dependable technique for solving the problem.

If the problem persists, try one of the following:

1. Dogs can often be deterred from undesirable behavior if there is an unpleasant consequence. Try burying a balloon in your dog’s frequent digging spots. Once he pops one balloon, he may be over his habit.

2. Fill some of the holes your dog has made with his own feces. When he revisits the holes, he will be disgusted by this. It is enough to deter him from digging.

3. Try burying some chicken wire just below the surface where your dog likes to dig. When your dog pits the wire with his paws, he’ll hate the sensation and stop digging.

4. When you catch your dog digging, give him a spray from a water bottle or hose. They hate this (but it is not harmful). They will learn to associate the punishment with the crime. Only do this when you catch him digging or he will not connect the behavior with the consequence.

Digging doesn’t have to be a part of your dog’s normal routine. With a little work and training, you can get past this behavior and have a hole-free yard. Just like with puppy training, poor habits can be corrected.

Clicker Training – A Great Training Technique

The use of clickers in dog training has increased in recent years. It is a gentle way to condition your dog to repeat good behavior.

Clicker training works on the principle of operant conditioning. This is when a behavior is repeated because a reward is associated with it. Here is some more on how clicker training works:

You hold a small plastic box in your hand. It has a metal strip which produces a clicking sound when pressed.

The key to clicker training is to teach your dog to associate the click with the reward, such as a biscuit. After your dog successfully performs a command, you click. Offer the treat at the same time.

Your dog will connect the clicking sound with the behavior he just performed. Since that behavior earned him a treat, he’ll want to repeat it. As the training progresses, you can stop using the treat. The click will be sufficient reward. Soon, you don’t even need the clicker either.

Because clicking is quicker than speaking, the dog learns exactly which behavior he is being rewarded for, so clicker-trained dogs tend to learn more quickly.

Trying the clicker method can lead to more effective, quicker training. It works with your dog’s natural urge to please you and earn a reward.

Get the information you need to take effective care of your pet with puppy training.

Dog Training Tips

What makes good dogs turn aggressive the second you put a leash on them? Having a dog that pulls and lunges at dogs and people presents a danger to others and a roadblock to your training efforts.

However, there are some ways to deal with leash aggression so you can both get some good quality time and exercise outdoors

Dogs are like children in many ways. Often you can avoid bad behavior if you redirect their attention. If you see something that usually causes your dog to become aggressive, immediately distract him. Tell him to sit or lie down to keep him busy until the dog or person passes.

Dogs often become very aggressive when they meet other dogs. If your dog does this, it is important that you not physically react when you see a dog on your route. Your dog can pick up on your body signals and will be much more apt to act up. Stay calm and keep the leash firmly in hand without pulling or tensing.

Muzzles and gentle leader harnesses can be useful training tools for dogs who lunge. Gentle leaders are designed to keep a dog from lunging, and muzzles will prevent biting. If you use them, make sure to train your dog at the same time. Don’t plan on relying on these tools indefinately.

If you have tried to curb leash aggression and your dog still misbehaves during walks, it is time to find a good trainer. You need professional help to stop this at once: not only is it disruptive to your own walks, it is dangerous to everyone and every animal you pass on the sidewalk.

Many dogs pull on their leashes, especially when they are first being trained. Stopping this behavior as soon as possible is important. It can lead to more annoyance at the very least. At worst, it can hurt a person, pet, and you. Start early before you have to take more drastic measures.

People are always impressed with well-trained dogs. Beyond impressing your friends and neighbors, teaching your dog the stay command can be extremely useful. Treats and lots of praise will make the learning process much easier, faster, and fun. For great results consider dog training collars.

If your dog knows the sit or lie commands, he can learn to stay. Begin by commanding him to sit. Then, extend your hand with your palm facing your dog. Using a calm voice, tell him to “Stay.”

When your dog stays, praise him immediately. Likely your dog will only be able to stay for a second or two at first. This is great; it’s a terrific beginning, and he will be able to do it for longer periods as he practices.

In addition teach him the release command so he learns when it is time to get up. “Ok” or “Come” are often used. Again, kudos and treats make training easier. Praise and treats help alot when it comes to puppy training tips.

As you work on the stay command, demand that your dog stay for longer periods of time. Don’t give him his treat until he performs to your satisfcation. Have him do a little more each time.

At the same time, make sure you’re not extending your training sessions too long. Five minutes is enough to get great results.

Dogs do not respond to long training sessions. They get bored, lose focus, or fail to respond to commands. Remember also to be patient, especially at first. Remind your dog to stay often, until he gets it on his own. You may also have to reteach the basics a few times before it is learned. Knowing they are about to get a treat may make your dog antsy, but be patient and make him obey the command each time before he gets his treat.

Soon, your dog will be able to stay even if you leave the room. Even if you phase out the treats, remember to praise your dog for this accomplishment.

Pick up more about dog obedience training tips.