Dog Training Basics

Archive for July 30th, 2009

Poodles come in three different categories: the toy, which stands ten inches or less at the shoulder; the miniature, which stands anywhere from ten to fifteen inches; and the standard, which measures in at over fifteen inches at the shoulder. All three of these poodle types tend to be happy, loving dogs that make great family pets and loyal companions to the lucky owners that have them. If you are considering a poodle as your next pet, there are some basics of poodle puppy care that you as a dog trainer should know.

The Best Environment for your Poodle

Because of their social nature, and their long and thick coat of hair, poodles are really not meant to be outdoors most of the time. These dogs want to be with their owners as much as possible, and the toy variety in particular will work well in an apartment setting. In this situation, regular walks on a leash as a part of your poodle puppy care will offer sufficient exercise for your dog. The larger species of this breed will do better with an average sized fenced yard for exercise and play time. One of the first steps of good poodle puppy care will be to spend plenty of time with your new pet playing, dog training and building a relationship together.

Grooming your Poodle

One look at a poodle’s thick, full coat will tell you that regular grooming will be an essential part of daily poodle puppy care. Some owners will attempt this feat on their own, and a few might actually be quite adept at the process. Others will take the more convenient although costly way out, and take their dogs to groomers for regular poodle puppy care. If you go with a groomer, your dog will receive necessary baths as well as brushings. Many poodle owners will decide to clip their dog to keep the coat more manageable.

Temperament of the Poodle

Although the look of this dog can be deceiving, a poodle is generally a playful, social dog that loves to spend time with his family and is great with kids. Even the toy variety, although small, is very playful and not as fragile as it looks. These dogs also make good watchdogs, since they tend to bark when someone comes to the door or at the sight of strangers. Poodles are extremely intelligent and eager to please, making them easy to train most of the time. Poodle puppy care will mostly revolve around offering your dog plenty of love and attention as you incorporate him into your family.

There are many different breeds of dogs, and each of the breeds has different personalities and different things that need to be considered when you starting the dog training and taking care of them. First of all, as a dog trainer, you have to be sure that when you care for a puppy you are taking their personality into consideration and caring for them in a way that fits the breed and makes sense with the breed. For example, when you look at the different dogs, you see what they need.

When you care for Pomeranian puppy, you have to focus on the fact that these dogs have a tendency to bark a lot and also to be overly excitable, which might cause them to bite at people’s ankles. These are the two things you have to keep in mind when you care for Pomeranian puppy.

Barking

The first thing to think about when you care for Pomeranian puppy is that they bark a lot. This means that when they are puppies you have to stop this behavior. A good thing to remember is that all dogs bark, but only for a reason. If the puppy learns that they are supposed to bark, they will. Because the easiest way to care for Pomeranian puppy training is to praise it by giving it attention, the easiest way to curb a puppy from barking is to not give it attention when it barks. When you are doing care for Pomeranian puppy and the puppy barks, simply say no, and then turn away from the dog. As soon as the dog stops barking, turn towards it and praise it. This is the best way to make sure that your Pomeranian doesn’t bark.

Biting

The other thing you have to deal with when you care for Pomeranian puppy is that they sometimes get too excited and end up biting at people’s ankles. In order to stop this behavior, you have to socialize the puppy and take him out very often to expose him to many things. The more things that you can expose your puppy to, the better he is going to be at handling new situations, and this means that he’ll be less likely to bit at people’s ankles. Biting is really a show of being nervous and afraid, so if you can socialize your puppy he’ll be much less likely to get afraid and nervous and he’ll be less likely to bite.

Aggression is instinctive to dogs. This attribute of dogs developed over many centuries ensuring their survival in the wild. Many centuries of selective breeding techniques have reduced dog aggression traits. Read on to learn about why dogs behave aggressively.

What makes my dog aggressive?

Many factors can cause aggression in dogs but the most common is minimal socialisation with other people and the issue of dominance.

Stranger aggression:

It is natural for a dog to be cautious and suspicious. Unfamiliar situations may cause your dog anxiety if it has not had much experience with strangers and new surroundings. If you widen your dogs knowledge and consistently reinforce positive experiences your dog will feel at ease when confronting a new situation. Check out our Review of Charlie Lafave’s Dog Training Zone for more ideas to stop dog aggression.

What can I do about it?

The key to your dog feeling comfortable with a wide variety of experiences is starting from a young age. You will want to make sure your dog experiences new places, new people and new animals. Experience will teach your dog how much fun other places, people and animals can be. Make socialising your dog fun and you will soon see how easy it is to do. Puppy pre school is a good place to meet new people and a variety of other dogs. Once your puppy is at ease with new people and dogs, you’ll be able to expand this experience. You will continue to need to socialise your dog.

Aggression with family members:

Dogs are commonly aggressive towards members of their own human family when they are trying to protect something they think of as their own. Resource guarding is the term used for this behavior. If your dog gets snarly or growls at you when you are near where it is eating or playing with a toy, then you know you have a resource guarding problem. Your dog will behave like this if it thinks it has power over you. Remember, dogs are pack animals. Dogs are used to structure and are ranked according to a hierarchy of position and power in relation to everyone in their family or pack. Since your dog does not have a dog family, it will rank itself against its human family and this ranking will tell it how to behave at all times. If your dog perceives himself to be at the top, it is his job to behave aggressively. A lower ranking member of the pack will behave in a passive, submissive way and would never growl or snarl at a higher ranking member if you approached its food or toys. You need to make it clear to your dog that you are the boss and he is a lower ranking family member.

Is there anything I can do about this?

Working with your dog regularly and consistently in obedience training will help to re program your dogs preception of you as the pack leader. Short and regular training sessions are critical to effective behaviour modification. Make each training session enjoyable: play a game by giving your dog lots of praise, pats and treats when it has worked well with you.

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There’s nothing more exiting than when you get a new puppy. But, the fun quickly dies once he’s destroyed one of your favorite pairs of shoes. It doesn’t have to be that way if you learn how to train your puppy right from the start. If you start out right, you will quickly end up with a confident, well mannored dog.

If you look around, you’ll see that there are dozens of conflicting views on how to train a puppy. However, there are a few principles that should always be followed no matter what way to choose to train your puppy . The number one rule is to always use positive reinforcement. Using negative reinforcement can have significant negative effects such as agression. Also, you should always be consistent and patient in your training.

Starting Out

No matter what you are trying to, you need to remember to reward him when he does it right. Dog treats or physical affection are really good rewards. Don’t forget that it will probably take some time before your puppy learns what to do and what not to do. For example, your dog doesn’t insinctively know that it is wrong to pee in the house.

Leash training, house traing and basic obedience are good areas to start with. This early training will help your dog bond to you and understand that you are the leader. Your best bet is to make sure you do short training sessions that are full of fun.

If you don’t stick with it early on, your dog will develop bad habits that you’ll have to correct later. Don’t take puppy training lightly, it is a serious commitment. Just be patient and keep trying. You dog will eventually get the message.

Is Crate Training Important?

Crate training a puppy is a really good idea unless you plan on being home 24/7. Crates can be a place of safety and comfort for your dog. Since dogs are den animals, a crate makes him feel secure. Crate training is also helpful when you are still housetraining your puppy.

There are a few tricks to teaching your puppy that his crate is a same and comfortable place. When your puppy goes into the crate, give him a treat and lots of verbal praise. Don’t ever force him into the crate. Anything that makes your dog dislike the crate should be avoided.

Helpful Hints for Housetraining

As you know, an important part of training is housebreaking your puppy. Taking your puppy outside often and giving him lots of praise when he does the right thing is important. Punishment for not going outside isn’t the right way to do it. Walk around outside with your dog and don’t come back inside until he has done his business. Once he’s used the restroom, give him lots of praise.

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