Dog Training Basics

Archive for February, 2009

Now that you are ready to bring your bundle of joy home, start preparing your home so it is properly equipped for new puppy care.  The preparations you need to make and steps you need to take will vary for each different breed.For example Chihuahua puppy care is going to be more challenging and difficult than yorkie puppy care.  Make sure you know plenty about the breed of puppy you have and buy a good book about how to care and train for your specific breed.

Your Puppy’s First Night Home

Puppies are creatures of routine so when you first take them home they are going to whine a lot until they feel a connection with you and their surroundings.  Never punish your puppy for whining but also realize that if you constantly attend to your puppy and hold him when he cries, he is going to use crying as a way to get your attention in the future.  In new puppy care it is important to have a crate ready so your puppy has a comfortable place to sleep. 
Your puppy may cry a lot the first few nights home so it is up to you to let your puppy sleep in his crate in your room or put him in a separate room with food and water.  Some owners may let their puppies sleep in their beds with them but you do have to realize that it will become a habit hard to break.  If you do decide to let your puppy sleep with you, make sure you are comfortable with it happening until your puppy is an adult dog.  If you want to make the first night more comfortable in new puppy care, take a cloth or soft toy that your puppy had when it was with his mother and the rest of the litter and put it in his crate.

How to Protect Your New Puppy Care

In new puppy care, it is important to provide a crate or exercise pen where you puppy is safe to explore and play under minimal supervision during the day.Make sure to leave the crate in an area of the house where you will be so your puppy can see what goes on around him every day.Provide some chewing toys because like human babies, puppies will put anything into their mouths and chew.Don’t leave any unsafe items out that your puppy could choke on and don’t leave any electrical cords exposed. 
New puppy care may feel overwhelming at first but if you take precautions and make the right preparations, you will get into a routine that fits you in no time.Don’t stress out about your new responsibility.  Instead, enjoy life with your new bundle of joy and take the steps necessary in the first few weeks of your puppy’s life so that the rest becomes a breeze.

For more about puppies please visit www.puppycareblog.com

Though the media significantly embellished the level of canine aggression, it is still a fact that 2 percent of our communities are victims of dog bites each year and 1 percent of dogs bite humans. If you observed your dog becoming aggressive, there are various quality dog aggression training methods you can bring into play to reduce the aggressive behaviors so that your dog does not become a statistic. On the other hand , one of the best dog aggression training methods is prevention itself.

Although avoidance is vital in minimizing the potential for dog aggression, there are some dog aggression training process that will perfectly to reduce the unwanted behaviors in your dog. Some of these dog aggression training methods involve your dog, but some involve training you and the people that usually intermingle with your dog. Dog aggression is not just a dog problem; it is a people problem, too.

Primarily , before you start with any training methods for eliminating dog aggression, you need to recognize what is causing the aggression in your dog. To determine which dog aggression training method you can use, put into consideration the triggers of your dog’s aggression.

Two most common reasons for dog aggression are fear and dominance, which can be prohibited through training. But still, aggression caused by things like maternal instincts or food requires more of a change in human behavior, by not challenging the situations. If your dog has a medical reason for the aggression, you will perhaps need to see a veterinarian to acquire treatment.

On the other hand, dominance aggression requires a bit of an unusual training approach. Dominance aggression starts when your dog considers you part of his or her pack, and they would like to establish themselves as the “alpha dog.” Respect exercise is practically the best approach. This kind of technique trains your dog to look to you for “permission” before doing anything.

Begin by having your dog know that you have control over everything. So that your dog cannot obtain what he or she wants without your permission, toys, beds, food, walks, even affection should to be within your control. You can establish this by commanding that your dog sit before it gets what it wants. Do not confer when your dog do not follow what you want him or her to do. Use a rattle or clicker to get his or her attention if your dog does not pay attention to you. Refrain from giving your dog praise not unless they do what you want, then praise them considerably . Also avoid games like tug of war, which encourages the desire for dominance.

Just as you are trying to use dog aggression training methods to minimize aggressive behavior based on fear or dominance, you need to realize that during the initial training you will definitely see an increase of aggression or rebellion in your dog. Keep in mind, a dog functions at the same age level as a two or three year old, so it takes a lot more for them to realize what you want them to do, and they do not figure out that the training is really in their best interest. Be patient with your dog during this time and be acquainted that you are being a conscientious and responsible pet owner by using these dog aggression training methods to teach your dog how to live and act appropriately around humans.

Isabel had always loved and wanted a small dog to keep her company. That’s why when she got her first apartment in New Jersey, she made sure the community was dog-friendly. One early morning, she came across a nice family that was giving away some mixed breed puppies, she picked and brought home a little girl pup that was bouncy and full of energy, just like her! It was the best feeling she have ever felt in years.

When Isabel first got Tiny, she enjoyed watching her bounce up and down, and loved it especially when Tiny greeted her at the door when she comes home from work. Yet one day, when Isabel brought over her four-year old niece she become aware that Tiny would not stop running around and jumping on her, causing her niece to fall over and hurt herself. Isabel then thought of all the snagged sweaters and times that the jumping habit got out of hand. She decided then and there that the jumping behavior had to stop!

Isabel began her quest to stop Tiny from this risky behavior by seeking some expert advice. She spoke with trainers and scoured bookstores to find the right technique for training dogs on how to stop dog jumping . So she set her mind to giving Tiny a lot of love, but she also decided that she would have to be firm in her decision and be really committed to keeping up the training in the long term, too.

Isabel started to daunt off Tiny’s jumping behavior by commanding, “Down!” every time she enters the room. She has chosen the word “down” because it was an easy word for everyone to use. Every time she walked in the door, she would firmly say “Down!” until Tiny was no longer jumping and acting over excited to see her. The training got her a little frustrated at first, because Tiny just was not getting the command. Isabel even tried giving Tiny a little nudge to get her to back off while she firmly said, “Down.” Yet after a week, Isabel began to see that it was taking lesser commands to get Tiny to stop jumping and she felt that the hard work was not in vain.

After a few weeks, it was taking no more than two “Down” orders for Tiny to stop jumping. Once Tiny had observed that she would gain praise for not jumping at all, the behavior started to cease completely. After a few months, Isabel felt comfortable bringing her niece again over to her house to play with Tiny, and found that the two of them now got along beautifully. Her niece even feels that Tiny is now her new best friend!

From Isabel’s situation, we can see that it will FOR SURE take time, patience, and consistency to train a dog to stop an unlikely behavior. But, always bear in mind that not all dogs can be taught simply at home. Isabel was prepared to use a trainer for assistance in curbing Tiny’s behavior, but found that her patience paid off in the end. The key was using a consistent command and praising Tiny greatly when she behaved.

Toby and Josie are two Doberman Pinschers that have grown up in a pleasant suburban home together. The owner, Ms. Vicky, has no objection about the behaviors of the two dogs, with the exception of the fact that they whine relentlessly . Seeing as her prince and princess do not have any aggressive tendencies, are not territorial, and do not have any other bad habits, she has overlooked this dog whining issue for years. But, years have passed and the whining progressed into impatiently annoying and Ms. Vicky started to think why the two frequently whine.

In an effort to stop this behavior, she used her time to find the root of the problem. Dogs whine for a lot of reasons, including pain, fear, or boredom. In this instance, she thought that the cause of the whining was probably boredom, but she also felt that the other reasons should not be completely ruled out and so she decided to seek for the expert’s opinion. Toby and Josie’s owner brought the pair to the vet’s office to get more information about the situation. The veterinarian believed that the whining behavior stemmed from Toby and Josie being left alone for a large portion of the day while Ms. Vicky was at work. Although Toby and Josie were placed outdoors, so they can play, do their business, and exercise at will, the pair was still lonely. . Since this manner has never been corrected, the dogs have adopted the habit as a sympathy ploy to get what they want. The Miss confirmed this thought and the next step of breaking the habit began.

First and foremost, Toby and Josie were noticeably not okay with their current condition of being left alone during the morning. To make her dearly loved prince and princess happier, Vicky hired a pet sitter who comes in twice a day to walk, pet, and play with Toby and Josie. Despite the fact that the whining was still present, they’ve observed that the two dogs seem to be much happier when their owner returns from work. If only Ms. Vicky did not let this whining to continue for such a long period of time and corrected the problem sooner, this new setup would have likely stopped the whining altogether.

Meanwhile, the owner has started implementing the new training command for Toby and Josie. Every time any of the dog whines, she firmly states “no whine”. She gives this command with a quick squirt of water from a spray bottle to get the dog’s attention. Once the dog stops whining, the Miss lavishes it with praises and treats. Once the dog stops whining, the Miss lavishes it with praises and treats. Of course, tasks like going outside cannot be punished, since many dogs whine when they require to relieve themselves.

This training technique accompanied with hiring of a pet sitter has dramatically changed the whining situation with Toby and Josie. Now, neither dog whines to get what they want! Furthermore, Miss Vicky finds the situation a great deal less stressful on both her and the dogs. If you too are experiencing a similar situation, consider following this case study to help break your dogs from whining. Keep in mind that pain or uneasiness is a viable motive for whining, so visit your veterinarian to guarantee your dog is in top health. Best of Luck! Cheers!

With many hundreds of different dog breeds to choose from and thousands of different personalities as well to have to deal with, you will have your hands full locating an ideal puppy and your efforts will require doing more than simply browsing dog breeders that offer puppy for sale. To get the best deal in regard to your puppy you need to do a lot of research and you should also look beyond appearances when checking out a puppy for sale advertisement.

Looks Are Great, But Not Everything

Looks are great but they are not everything because you will also need to ascertain the prospective puppy’s behavior and other breed characteristics. So, before you start your hunt for a puppy and before responding to puppy for sale ads you need to find a reliable source where the complete breed profile facts will be given. Next, you need to be sure that the breed that you chose is compatible with your personality and lifestyle.

Having done this preparatory work you can then begin your search for puppy for sale breeders or ads and you should also use the keyword “puppy for sale” when making online searches. In addition, you will need to check out local sources within your city where puppies are being sold or given away. It also pays to compile a complete list of dog breeders that sell the type of dog breed that you wish to own. In addition, you must also check how passionate the breeder is in caring for the breed and a breeder that puts up more than a few different dog breed puppy for sale is to be avoided. Passionate breeders generally are known to only deal in one or two different dog breeds.

Having found a suitable puppy for sale advertisement you then need to check things such as the puppy’s health and his temperament. Also, you need to get a health guarantee in writing from the breeder and finally, you must also check the parentage of the puppy. It pays to avoid dealing with puppy mills as well as puppy brokers as too backyard breeders who put up puppy for sale advertisements with the sole objective of earning a profit and so will generally not pay too much attention to safeguarding the breed’s standard.

If you have decided on buying or bringing home a teacup puppy you should then also learn a few things that will ensure that this breed thrives in your home. By ensuring that you only respond to puppy for sale advertisements from reputable breeders you will be assured of getting the best puppy and you will also find that the puppy you bring home is trusting, confident as well as easy to train.

For more about puppies please visit www.puppycareblog.com

If walking through your yard has already become treacherous because of the number of holes your dogs have put in your yard, then you need to learn how to stop dog digging. Dogs will dig for a number of reasons like anxiety, a desire to escape, or as a way to protect themselves from outside forces. In order to be effective in your training, you should understand why your dog is digging and learn effective versus ineffective techniques on how to stop dogs from digging.

First, it is important that in order to get your dogs to stop digging, you must AVOID punishments during the trainings. It can only bring too many negative effects to your pet! Dogs do not have good reasoning. If anybody tells you that punishment is the right way to stop dogs from digging, they do not understand that your dogs might rebel and just dig when his all alone. Learning to get to the root of the behavior will do more in keeping your dogs from digging, because you will be able to change the circumstances to fit your needs while maintaining the respect and love of your dog.

In trying to keep your dogs, you may want to start off simply by taking your dogs for regular walks. A lot of digging behavior comes out of boredom or a need to get rid of extra energy. It can be effective in trying to curb dog digging to take your dogs for walks or take time to actively play with them.

That same release of energy your dog needs bring about the next piece of advice on how to stop dog digging. Keeping your dog active when you are not around is imperative to stopping the digging behavior. Get toys that can keep them busy all throughout the day. There are a number of active toys on the market that can help stimulate your dogs physically and mentally so that digging is no longer needed as an activity.

The next thing you can do to stop dog digging is to put up a barrier to inhibit digging in specific areas. If your dog is always digging up your flowerbed or vegetable garden, but does not bother to dig anywhere else, then you may want to put up a small fence in that area. You can also use a sprinkler. Who says that cats are the only pets who avoid getting wet? Astonishingly, dogs usually do not like to get wet too, so when you see your dog heading for your tomatoes, turn on the sprinkler.

Allowing your pet to have alternatives is another way to control your dog from digging in other areas of your backyard. Giving your dog alternatives is another way to stop him from digging in other areas of your yard. You can also offer your beloved pet a sandbox or a corner of the yard where he can just dig away, well, which is if none of these methods work. Also, assemble a spot that will be exclusively his then hide several treats under, HE WILL LOVE IT!! Through this method your dog will then learn the specific area with such treats is only the place where digging is okay.

Finally, a not so pleasant way to stop dogs from digging is to put a little of his solid dog waste in each digging hole. Surprising as it may seem, the waste will deter your dog from continuing to dig holes in the yard. It may not sound like the most uncomfortable way to stop dogs from digging, but it truly does work!

In the good old days, puppy training began only after one’s pet had reached six months of age and it was also not uncommon for trainers to suggest that the training not begin before the pet had reached one year of age. Now-a-days, people that bring home a puppy will get started with training them soon after a couple of months have passed and they feel that these first few months are in fact critical to imparting proper puppy training.

Natural Curiosity

Today, puppies are starting to be taught new things at a very young age and their natural curiosity and willingness to learn means that puppy training can be begun at an early age. Another factor working in favor of early puppy training is that with no other experiences to distract him the puppy will be able to learn faster when his training is begun at an early age.

Young puppies are more amenable to learning and accepting new ways of behaving and so will profit from early training. The most important thing however is ensuring that you impart puppy training in a humane manner and foreswear use of force unless absolutely necessary.

It is not necessary that you impart puppy training only when the puppy is aware of being trained because at every possible opportunity you should try and teach him acceptable behavior. However, it is a desired idea to ensure that you have the puppy’s undivided attention before imparting this kind of training.

You could begin the puppy training by first of all teaching your puppy how to sit and a simple method that you can employ in this regard would be to first get your pet’s attention and then by gently placing your hands above the puppy’s head coax him into sitting. Repeat the command “Sit” over and over again till your pup understands what is being taught.

Other facets of puppy training include teaching your puppy to lie down when commanded to do so and to also get him to understand the meaning of the “come” command. Repetition is the key to success with puppy training and this is something you should never forget.

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that puppies will learn at an early age and so you can forget the traditional way of thinking and get started with proper and early puppy training to ensure that you puppy learns to obey from a very early age.

Unlike when teaching young children how to eliminate in the toilet, using a potty is not necessary when imparting puppy potty training to your newly acquired pet dog. It is sufficient that you start building up a bond with him and the main purpose of puppy training should be to help build confidence between pet and his owner. The training must be fun for you as well as for your pet and it should be given in settings that promote relaxation rather than in tense and charged up situations.

For more about puppies please visit www.puppycareblog.com

Do you have a dog chewing problem ? A dog that loves to chew on anything he sees interesting and you can’t seem to figure out why he has this kind of passion? Did you ever come home from work and found your newest pair of shoes being chewed upon by your, cute, sweet and innocent, little dog? If this is a familiar scenario to you, I suggest that you continue to read on.

Chewing is one of the worst habits that any dog can pick up. In addition to being destructive to your property , a a dog chewing might get injured by breaking its teeth or swallowing harmful material. Furthermore, some dogs gnaw on themselves! This kind of unpleasant behavior may cause hair loss and even serious infections to areas of their bodies like their tails, legs, and feet. If you have a dog chewing problem , work to immediately correct the situation instead of dismissing the act as a typical dog behavior.

Chewing is a known behavior of puppies . However, their choices of what to chew on will be depend on you and how you train your dog. If you are welcoming a new puppy into your home, be sure to supply it with adequate toys to prevent your pooch from destroying your home, car, or wardrobe. Moreover, be sure to choose toys that would not be mistaken for those “out of bound” items. Many dog owners prefer to grant their pups with cast off shoes to somehow redirect its attention from the new pair they have just bought, but to their surprise the puppy would still chew up on their brand new pair instead. Look for bones and toys that are meant to be used as a chewing toy that will not splinter, break, or split and potentially cause a choking hazard. Also, provide your puppy with several different toys in various areas so that he does not become bored and opt to gnaw on your beloved items and furniture as an alternative.

Yes, there are simple steps that can help you prevent your dog from chewing up your possessions! For starters, the easiest way to stop this routine is to keep an eye on your dog. Dogs cannot chew up your house and home while you sit watching them. A huge part of dog ownership is VIGILANCE. Besides, think about keeping your dog to a room or area of your home until you can trust him to have free rein of your abode. In addition to vigilance, cleanliness is a large factor in what a dog has access to chew. Simply put, your dog cannot chew your shoes unless they were left accessible. If you find your dog chewing something, if possible, place it out of his reach. In all likelihood , the dog will continue chewing the same item until it is either removed or completely destroyed.

“But what about the larger things like furniture, doors, or appliances that will be hard to move”, you say? For these structures, apply a thin film of Bitter Apple. Like its name suggests, this solution is quite bitter and very unsavory for dogs. Available in a spray or cream, Bitter Apple will not damage the finish of your furniture and can easily be wiped away once the dog learns not the chew. Don’t be alarmed if your dog does ingest the material, it will not make him sick, as the contents of it are non-toxic.

Lastly, be the protector of your own things. Teach your dog commands like “leave it” and instruct him to cease and desist the gnawing of your items. Use a spray bottle or a shaker device rather than physical punishment, which can sometime cause dogs to become more destructive in protest. If your dog is chewing on himself more than your home, immediately visit your veterinarian. There are a lot of skin conditions, including parasitic infections that can cause a dog to chew on his own skin in order to find relief. Turn to a cooling spray that will provide relief as the area begins to heal. Also, use an antibiotic cream to prevent infection.

Once you have found that perfect pet through free puppy adoption, you will want to begin right away with training it so that the transition into your home and lifestyle is an easy one. The best thing to do is to start grabbing up all of the books and magazines you can on free puppy training tips and hints so that you can begin to put certain rules and techniques into place at home. In the meantime, while you work on that, you will also want to look around for some free puppy training classes in your area.

It is extremely important that you find some free puppy training classes and get your puppy signed up for them before they rip apart your home. Dealing with a puppy that bites, chews, and goes to the bathroom all over your carpets is not the best way to start the bonding process. Puppies and dogs that are left untrained may find that their owners have a hard time connecting with them and therefore they be not get as much love and attention from the owner. Do not let this happen between you and your puppy so go out and get your pup signed up for a free puppy training course.

Where To Find The Classes

The best place to look is your local pet store to see if they offer any free puppy training classes there. If they do you are going to want to sign up as quickly as possible so you do not miss your chance at getting the training that your puppy needs so badly. If there are not any classes offered there at the store, they may have information on where puppy owners can go for some free puppy training courses. It is worth a shot to go and see what you can find out because the sooner you get started the better off your puppy will be.

If your local pet store cannot offer you any suggestions on where you can go for free puppy training then there are still other options so you do not want to give up. Start calling around to the other pet shops in your area and do not forget to call the different groomers or kennels in your area. These places may have some information for you on free puppy training as people may have posted information on their bulletin board or such. Just keep looking and you will eventually find the free puppy training class that you have been waiting for.

For more about puppies please visit www.puppycareblog.com