Dog Training Basics

Archive for November 23rd, 2009

What Your Canine Is Saying With His Eyes

Your dog has emotions and feelings just like you. At any given time, he’ll try to communicate them with his body language and expressions. Most owners never learn to identify these signs; the fact that their pooch is sad, anxious, mad, or happy completely escapes them. As a result, they often fail to give the attention their pets need or crave.

The good news is that you can easily recognize the emotions your canine is feeling by watching his eyes. If you know what to look for, not only will you be able to recognize signals, but you’ll also be able to interpret them accurately. In this article, we’ll give you a crash course on how to read and decipher what your pooch is trying to tell you with his looks.

Looking For Signals

Most of us are accustomed to inferring intention and meaning from watching the faces of our friends and family. The slightest change or nuance can alert you to specific feelings. For the most part, this is a learned trait. Since he can’t talk, you can learn to do the same by identifying the signals he uses to express his feelings.

In the same way people can open their eyes wide and shut them, so too, can your canine. Also, keep in mind that shape varies between breeds. If your dog opens his eyes wide, it is usually a sign that he feels vulnerable. That can include feeling stressed or scared regarding something he finds threatening. He might express these same emotions by squinting a bit, though this might also suggest that he is being submissive to you.

The manner in which he is looking at – or away – from you will also suggest emotions and intent. If a canine stares at you with an anxious, intense look, it usually means he considers you a threat. This should not be mistaken for a friendly dog that is looking at his owner and craves his attention. If a canine looks away from you, that usually signals he wants to be submissive.

If he is looking at you from the corners of his eyes and you notice a large amount of white, be wary. He might perceive you as a threat, or be highly agitated. In both cases, he might respond aggressively. It’s common for dogs to do this when you approach them while they’re eating or playing with their favorite toy. This is another signal that is often misinterpreted. If your canine is looking up at you or from the side, seeing the sclera (the white area) of his eyes may not connote aggression. You’ll know the difference because his body will seem relaxed rather than tense.

Dog owners will benefit from taking the time to learn how to read their dogs’ eyes. Remember, the only way your pooch can communicate with you is through nonverbal means. Learning how to identify them will strengthen the friendship you share. Remember to give your dog health dog treats and dog chews

Training a dot for working or hunting is very different than training the average household dog. The large area required for hunting makes it easy for dogs to wander and verbal commands are often ignored. In this scenario, Sportdog training collars become a very useful piece of equipment designed to help hunting dogs.

Complex Signals

Since hunting commands give little chance of error, you’ll find that Sportdog training collars are crucial when teaching dogs complex orders. Instead of using the same correction over and over, you’ll have access to 16 different levels of corrections and may even assign each to a certain situation or command.

Another feature of the Sportdog training collars that will make training easier is the option to vary the tone and vibrations being sent to your dog. This will give you extra flexibility in making the dog identify a specific order. This is how the Sportdog training collars differ from regular remote training devices.

Long Lasting and Adaptable

There no need to worry about replacing Sportdog training collars often. The collars are waterproof and will be able to withstand submersion in water, this is important if your dog will be swimming or near water.

If you have your own pack of dogs, Sportdog training collars will let you train 3 dogs at the same time. Add to this that the collars have a range of one mile and you have the ideal training tool that can be adapted to any training you would like to undertake with your dogs.

Simple to Use

If you have never used Sportdog training collars before when training then you will be amazed at how easy it is to use these collars. Each package includes a manual and a DVD with training instructions. This will allow you to better understand the principle behind the collars and train your dogs more effectively. Most people find it hard to train their dogs the traditional way once they try the collars.

I have just two huge passions: The Beatles music & Dogs. And while I would enjoy sharing my love of the new Beatles Rock Band Video Game here, I’m going to stick to just dogs for the moment! In this article I’m writing about DIY dog training vs. hiring professional dog trainers (such as This Austin, Texas Dog Training Service.)

The Positives Of “Do It Yourself” Dog Training

• It’s far less expensive. Hiring a local dog trainer is quite expensive and can become extremely expensive if your dog requires a lot of training or you have more than one dog that needs training.
• Once you learn dog training you will be able to not only train the dogs you own now but you will also be able to train any new dogs you get in the future.
• You will be able to build a closer relationship with your dog.
• Since you don’t have to pay yourself, you can spend a lot of time training your dog without worrying about the cost.
• Sometimes dogs tend to behave better around the person that has trained them, so wouldn’t you rather that person be you rather than a pro dog trainer?

The Negatives Of DIY Dog Training

• It can take a lot of time to learn a new skill such as this.
• You may find that you don’t enjoy dog training very much.
• It may take you a much longer time to train your dog in comparison to having a pro trainer do it.
• If your dog has serious behavior issues then you may want to take him or her to a pro dog trainer. You don’t want to start off with something too difficult.
• If you are a beginner to dog training and you have a dog such as a pitbull then you should probably seek out a professional trainer.

A Recommended DIY Training Manual

There are plenty of dog training guides available but the Sit Stay Fetch Online Dog Training Guide is considered to be the best according to all of the reviews. It includes everything you need to know about dogs to become a great dog trainer and it can be bought online instantly. It also includes a complete satisfaction full money back guarantee so you can try SitStayFetch out without any risk involved.

 In the last few years, the number of dog owners and enthusiasts has increased after being smitten by their canine pets. Needless to say, there is nothing that can be said about dogs that is not worthy of admiration and praise. In many cases, people even believe keeping a good-natured dog around the house aids in uplifting people’s spirits, even to the point of dogs’ companionship being linked with curing depression. Check this out: How To Stop A Dog Barking 

However, it is whole different matter when you have to face the problem of how to stop a dog barking. The dog’s nature to bark is inherent in them which is why it is expected that barking is a typical practice among dogs. Dogs of all ages and of all kinds of breeds bark for numerous reasons. This is probably because they were agitated, restless, scared or distressed by something. Also, it may be caused by their wish to communicate with us, to tell us something. 

Regardless of the reasons, there is an undeniable line to be drawn between your dog’s natural tendency to bark and its barking to an unpleasant magnitude or frequency.  

There are more than a few different ways of how to stop a dog barking, and owners need not be anxious, because these techniques are really simple. Perhaps one of the best tricks on how to stop a dog barking is the age-old technique of keeping a handy doggy treat (such as a biscuit or bone) around. Check this out: How To Stop A Dog Barking 

When your dog begins to bark at a time or in a way that may irritate or annoy you or other people, simply wave the treat in front of your dog and wait for it to quiet down upon being attracted to the treat. After a few seconds of quiet time, reward your dog with the treat, pat it on the head and say something in a comforting tone such as “good dog”. Use this phrase every time you want to quiet your dog down so that it will get used to your phrasing and intonation and relate it with its decision to quiet down. 

In addition to that, another trick sometimes used by pet owners as a means of how to stop a dog barking is having a water gun or hose near them always. When your dog begins to bark at inappropriate times, spray it just once and accompany that action with a sharp “no” that makes it easy for your dog to understand that its barking was not appreciated. More often than not, it does not take dogs a very long time to learn their lesson/s or pick up on what behavior/s you find unpleasant or unfavorable. Only in extreme cases should dog owners resort to physically restraining their dog’s snouts through the use of a muzzle or holding its snout shut with tightly gripped hands. It is important to constantly make the distinction for your dog between what it does wrong and what it does right. In this way, you will succeed in maintaining a great relationship with your dog while still succeeding in your task of how to stop a dog barking when necessary. You might also be interested in: How To Stop Neighbors Barking Dog

Often referred to by the tag “man’s best friend”, dogs have been man’s trusty and loyal companion since time immemorial. But more often than not, even from an early age, dog owners from all walks of life find themselves facing the dilemma of how to stop a dog chewing. Suffice to say, there are a lot of causes why a dog will develop the habit of chewing objects even as a small puppy. Something in common with humans, dog chewing can be caused by teething and gum itching as puppies or something mundane like the urge to be playful. Check this out: How To Stop A Dog Chewing 

In spite of such reasons, very uncomplicated steps can be taken to gain knowledge on how to stop a dog chewing. It is very advisable to begin when a dog is very young, as early as 6 weeks young, in fact. Again, this is primarily because dogs undergo something similar to people – the “formative years”, in which the dogs are but little puppies.

 Maybe the most excellent and efficient way of how to stop a dog chewing would be to spend lots of time in playing with your dog or puppy. 

During the times you encounter it using its teeth in a way that is not pleasant or to your liking, give your dog a light but unpleasant tap on its nose or snout and accompany that gesture with a high-pitched “no”. This can very well serve as a handy technique in how to stop dog chewing, because the more frequently you do this, the quicker your dog will pick up on the notion that you do not favor his chewing. 

It is a typical thing for dogs to be prone towards chewing items and possessions that have an overpowering smell. So in this regard, it is best to set aside your possessions that may adhere to this given trait. Common targets for dog chewing are known as rubber or thick plastic things (watches and sunglasses) and bags, shoes, accessories, and leather items. Check this out: How To Stop A Dog Chewing 

In place of these, it is advisable to instead invest in and provide your dog with a rubber toy such as a bone, so if it should find the need to chew on something, you can help to make it clear that this toy or bone is what you consider to be acceptable. Do not hesitate to scold your dog when you find it chewing on something aside from the toy or bone, as your key objective in this case will really be to make the clear distinction between what is okay to chew and what would heighten your sensitivity. It will not do to just stand and watch your pet chew on things. Remember that contrary to what we may often tend to think, spanking or scolding your dog will not decrease the chances of its being close to you. 

Many dogs, in fact, see your making an effort to spend time with and better them as a sign of affection and appreciation, and this appreciation will no doubt be shown in turn, when your pet realizes all you really aimed for was achieving success in how to stop a dog chewing under unfavorable circumstances. You might also be interested in: Stop Dog Itching

When your pet first starts to nip at you, you may not think much of it.Isn’t that what our youngsters do? Then, as they get older, the nip begins to get stronger and you start to feel some pain and discomfort As doggy grows up, those little teeth might become a bit of a liability. Big dogs are obviously more frightening. Little dogs have it as well and they are as guilty as those big guys. You must consider how to stop a dog biting.

For more information on how to stop dog biting click here

If you have a puppy that is nipping at you, its better if you start whilst they are young. If they are to realise that they shouldnt bite then they need to be told. If they think its a game then they are hardly likely to stop. Stopping this before it gets out of hand is imperative.

If you don’t train your puppy you may end up with a misunderstood adult dog. It isn’t the dogs fault if they have developed thinking that biting is a game.In order to stop a dog biting it is best to start early but you can still teach an old dog new tricks, it just might take longer. There are a few methods to try to stop a dog biting

think about how you communicate. Do you know that communication is a very important part in training a dog? When you are playing with your puppy or dog, when they start to nip at you, you will need to communicate to them that it is hurting you. You should not yell at them. Instead, the next time they are bitingat you, say “ouch” and let out a loud yelp

When you yelp, they will understand that it is painful and this will discourage your dog from biting, because they do not want to hurt you. A high pitched “ouch” would actually do the job. When you decide to use this technique, you should stop playing with them right away and turn your back on them. When it comes to that dog, body language and tone are both important.

stop a dog biting here

Redirect the attention – This is another way to stop your dog from biting. When he or she is nipping at you, try diverting their attention to something that they are allowed to chew on, such as a chew toy.

You need to make sure that this toy is available at all times for you to put in their mouth while they are biting you. By putting it in their mouth once they have finished biting, you give them the wrong signal.

When you are teaching the dog not to bite you, you need to remember what Caesar Milan states…”you are the leader of the pack.” Your dog is not the leader and you need to make this well known to your four-legged friend.

Click for some great further tips on how to stop a dog biting

Dog Pulling on Leash

Are you one of those dog owners who has to deal with the incredibly frustrating behavior of a dog who refuses to listen to you on your walks — who pulls on the leash until you feel like your arm will be pulled off, rather than simply walking quietly by your side.

A dog pulling on leash is a sign that they believe they are running the show and that you’re simply there to follow their leadership. As a result, they’ll often pay attention to squirrels, other dogs, new smells, bicycles, kids on skateboards…essentially anything other than you, his owner and handler.

It’s a very common behavior problem among the dogs I train, but it’s extremely easy to solve.

What’s even more helpful is to see videos of trainers who know how to walk with their dogs so you can really watch their methods.

We’ll talk about this more in a second.

First, we need to cover three very easy fixes for your dog pulling on leash issue.

1. The Pack Leader Harness. It’s unfortunate, but pretty much all of the collars that are available today make this problem worse, because they basically encourage your dog to want to pull even harder.

Instead of a typical collar, a choke chain, or a prong collar, try a different method such as a Pack Leader Harness. This type of harness fits in exactly the right way around your dog’s body and applies pressure where you need it in order to focus the dog’s attention back on the handler.

On the Internet, this type of harness is very easy to find. Just do a quick search on Google and you’ll find places where you can order it.

2. Learn what you can about training with a clicker. Clickers are a great tool, kind of like the duct tape of dog training tools. It can really help you in training your dog to avoid a whole host of unwanted behaviors, so it’s worth considering learning how to use one.

Simply put, the dog starts to expect something positive when he hears the click. After you plant this expectation in your dog’s mind, he’ll instinctively start to focus his attention on you as soon as he hears the clicker sound.

We don’t have a tremendous amount of space in this article to go through the ins and outs of clicker training, but there are plenty of resources where you can learn the basics.

A clicker is useful in correcting leash pulling, because the sound will redirect a dog’s attention away from the distraction and back on you.

3. Food rewards. Any dog owner knows the power of the food treat to mold a dog’s behavior. When using treats to stop a dog’s leash pulling problem, what you basically want to do is introduce the food to your dog, and then let the dog use his naturally powerful sense of smell to direct his attention and his movements in the direction you want.

This is a little bit difficult to demonstrate without actually seeing it done, so let’s cover that right now.

Thankfully, stopping a dog from pulling on his leash isn’t all that difficult. I’ve been on a lot of TV programs where I’ve shown dog owners these very same techiques, so I’d like to show you a complete video that reveals exactly how to do this in less than half an hour.

Right now, check out this dog pulling on leash post on my website, where you’ll find a complete tutorial that teaches you how to use a pack leader harness, a clicker, or food rewards (or all three) to train your dog to walk calmly by your side and always listen to what you want him to do.

 Dogs are pack animals. In the wilderness they creat dens.

Why do we Need Crate Training

Since your dog will be in your home, he’ll have a need to replicate his lair or den, just like in the wilderness. I used to think putting a dog in a crate was cruel. They love darkness and seclusion.

As a new puppy owner, I thought I was being mean when I put my dog in a crate.

So What’s Our Objective With the Crate?

{The aim of crate training is to get your dog to view his crate as a safe haven to be}. {A place to go when he’s tired or take a nap, or to just gather his thoughts and be left alone}. But you have to train him to see it that way.

Getting a dog from a shelter means he’ll have been caged not of his own choice, so he may see his crate as a sort of prison. Your dog may feel threatened by his crate. At least, that’s how my dog Lily saw it (and so did I).

How to Get Your Dog in His Crate Quickly

When would you want your dog to go in his crate on command? Well, one instance would be if you have unexpected guests and you don’t want your dog to get in the way or to jump on them (you may not have gotten around to training him yet not to jump on people). To Get Your Dog to Stop Jumping on People Go to:

http://www.caninehousetraining.com/dogproblems

 HERE’S WHAT TO DO TO TRAIN HIM TO GO IN HIS CRATE:

Put a cookie in your hand. Put the training collar and leash on your dog. Lead him to the crate and then tell him to sit. Once he sits, give him the command to get in the crate!” Quickly toss the cookie in the crate. As he moves into the crate, he’ll automatically release the tension on the leash. Close the door to the crate, and tell him, “Good dog!” as he munches on the cookie.

Sounds sneaky huh? Okay, then what? Next, open the crate door and tell him, “Free!” When he comes out of the crate, rub him while you tell him what a good dog he is. Repeat this exercise, four times. After the fourth time, open the crate door, take the leash and training collar off, give him another cookie and close the crate door.

In 20 minutes, you can return and repeat this exercise. After you’ve done this a few times and see your dog start to ANTICIPATE the command, the next thing to do is only give him the cookie once every third time.

At this point, he’ll likely begin running into the crate before you even tell him to. Neat huh? Not Quite…. You’ll need to tell him, “No!” and pull him out of the crate. No praise. Remember–he can go in the crate on his own when you’re not standing next to him, but as this is a formal exercise, we want him to wait for the command.

Humans may not understand this, but for dogs, they understand quite well. But it’s one of those things that your dog will understand naturally. Believe me. After you’ve brought him out of the crate, he’ll start looking at you for the “Get in the crate” command. Give him the command. Reward him this time with the cookie.

You’ll start to see that he’ll begin looking to you… waiting for that magic command that allows him to dive into the crate and get your praise. (Note: If your dog is more motivated by a toy or something else (No, not the cat!!!) you can use whatever you want.

The key is to use something that motivates the dog. The reason you want to pull forward on the leash instead of just throwing the food/ball/motivator into the crate is so that your dog learns that you are actually making him do it. This is the difference between using food as a motivator vs. using food as a bribe.

If the food isn’t there, you’re going to make him do it anyway. Well, that’s it for Part 2 of our dog training mini course. I hope you got a lot out of it! Remember, if you want a copy of the 316-page ebook, “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer” which teaches you every dog training technique for every dog problem there is, I strongly recommend you go to: http://www.caninehousetraining.com/dogproblems

training a mature dog is possible, as long as it has at least some basic obedience. If it is a badly-behaved dog, the chances are that it will not easily learn to do these tricks.

Your dog should know the basic commands such as sit, heel, down, before the trick training starts, as it will facilitate things later on. Once these have been mastered, you can begin to teach it some tricks and your dog will soon be amazing your friends with the following three simple tricks.

Begging.

Get your dog to sit in a corner of a room with its back to the wall while you stand in front of him/her. The walls will back up your dog and give it the confidence that he/she won’t fall over if it lifts his/her front legs off the floor.

Take some small pieces of food and hold them above your dog while enticing it to reach up for it. Every time he takes the food, praise him and repeat the procedure slowly making him reach higher each time.

Whilst encouraging your dog to reach up for the food, you must make sure that it is keeping its hind legs on the ground. This can be achieved by moving the food forwards over his/her head slightly making the dog shift its weight back over its haunches,which will teach him/her to keep its balance.

Once these have been mastered you can start to build on them and your dog will soon be entertaining your friends with the following three simple tricks. At this stage, you must expect the dog to seem to be going backwards in its learning, but this is to be expected until the dog is able to master it using only its own body weight.

Shaking hands.

  There are two parts to this trick for your dog to learn. Both, a verbal part and a non-verbal part that work together to give the dog a cue that you would like it to perform the trick.

In the first place, the dog should start off from a sitting position. Give him a single word verbal command such as ‘shake’, while at the same time reaching out with your right hand until it is just a few inches from your dog’s right leg. Your outstretched hand becomes the non-verbal cue.

Initially, your dog will probably just sit motionless unsure of what to do, so with your left hand, gently push its right leg forwards until it rests in your right hand. Once he/she has done the trick properly, praise him/her so that it knows it has done what you wanted it to do.

Practise this trick many times; praising each time the dog succeeds and gradually reducing the amount of left hand prompting until only the verbal and non-verbal cues become everything that’s necessary.

An important factor to take into account when training an older dog to do these tricks is that the dog will learn at its own pace.

Do not scold the dog when he seems not to be learning, it is always better to be patient and give him/her more encouragement.

An electronic training collar is usually considered one of the best dog training collar in the industry. That’s because trainiers and owners have seen results when using them with their animals. There are some people that think that the dog’s response is conditioned by pain, while it is actually the element of suprise that silences the dog.

How It Works

The electronic collar is a ready made conventional collar with a device attached to it. The collar is then worn by the dog, and it’s where small deliveries of static electric will be delivered. Instructions regarding the proper usage of these kinds of dog training collars are always included in the package.

Most of these electronic dog training collars instruct the dog owner to place the training collar in such a way around the dog’s neck that the device is directly beside the dog’s throat. Doing this ensures that the device can sense the rumble from the dog’s throat as it barks and is thought that the dog would then react appropriately. When it detects barking, the device will suprise the dog by emiting a small static shock that is painless, confusing the pet momentarily.

The fact that the dog is actually surprised into submitting is probably the reason why this collar is considered by some to be the best dog training collar. in the market. It is important to stress that the dog is actually not harmed in a cruel way when it receives the slight shock from the device around its neck.

Another advantage of this type of collar, is that it won’t make a difference where the dog is or who or what the dog’s barking at, since the collar is always there to remind the animal to control its barking. There are other devices used to train dogs into controlling their barking at guests or visitors or during night hours, however, not all them are as efficient, or they might require the dog to be within a certain range or the constant supervision of the owner; so make sure you know what your options are before you decide on a dog training collar.