Posted on 2009 under Dog Training |
19
Mar
by Craig Vic
Age should not be a vexation while crating a dog. Its true that puppy hood is the most convenient time but that is not a must. Its advisable that all dogs should be crated. However, having said that, not all dogs could be.
It might not be a right age to handle an older dog in confined space; if taken the same condition in your situation you would need to gate the baby in the kitchen corner.
Crating an elderly dog has to be done rapidly as they are prone to get Joint stiffness and pain ends up in losing control which these dogs had in their younger years. The training should be done in open cage using treat toys and food as the main motivator.
With constant supervision, the dog is to be made used to the confined space for longer hours. Once we are satisfied with his level of comfort we can close the door, still staying inside, just to make him feel comfortable.
In cases of accidents, clean up and go ahead. If an old dog is in the middle of having an accident, it should be taken to the potty area. It should not be scared or bewildered along the process.
The older dogs can have numerous medical issues that can effect their bladder and bowels as they may constantly have accidents, then you may need to take them to the vet during the house training. You need to take extra care, love, understanding and patience to the older dogs which are being trained. These dogs may need your extra attention regularly.
Patience and understanding plays a key role while crate training a dog, puppy or an adult dog. No matter about the age as and when the dog becomes older it get on harder.
The dogs must be assured of love and care no matter what and that they please us in return. Its a two way process.
Posted on 2009 under Dog Training |
7
Mar
by John Savage
Getting your dog to respond to your every request is not as easy as some people make out, and sometimes you may be expecting just too much from your friend.
Many owners are surprised to find out that training your dog can take literally months depending on the dog, the owner, and what exactly is being taught. However sometimes there are common mistakes that dog owners make that are causing the process to take much longer and be much more difficult than it needs to be.
For one thing, it’s good to remember that training your dog should be a positive experience for you and your dog. It’s too easy for owners to get caught up in every little “mistake” that a dog makes and concentrates on punishing these mistakes rather than concentrating on rewarding a dog when she obeys or does something right
Your faithful friend loves the approval and attention of you, his owner, so when they do get something right that you have asked them to do, heap on the praise and approval, and it will pay dividends.
Another common mistake that you may be making when training your dog is thinking that you dog understands a word you’re saying! Too many owners fail to realize that dogs have no memory and no grasp of language except to associate a few words with certain actions.
Its no good yelling at them if they do something wrong, as they will probably not connect your yelling with their mistake. Just show kindness, and patience.
Its a bad mistake to get all upset if your dog does not respond in the way you want her too, and if they keep making the same mistake do not punish them, just call up an extra dose of patience, and keep at it.
And the last mistake you may be making when training your dog is getting excessively angry at her when she doesn’t make the progress you think she should be making. Dogs are not spiteful and don’t do things purposely to make you mad, so if she’s not progressing as you think she should, either your expectations are unreasonable, you are making some other mistakes in training, or it’s time to see a professional trainer.
There’s nothing wrong with asking a professional to help with training your dog and a pro may be able to show you some other mistakes you’re making or help to readjust your expectations. Either way, by asking for this help in training your dog you’re sure to not only be more successful but to also have a happier and calmer dog as well.
Posted on 2009 under Dog Training |
6
Mar
by Michael Fargo
Let me guess … I bet that you love your pet, but there is only one or two things you’d like to change. It’s things like digging, or perhaps jumping over the fence, or what about the barking? One thing you want to think about using to help with this kind of situation is citronella collars.
Spray collars are one of the most popular dog training methods out today. Let’s take a look at the citronella collars a little more closely. This is a tool you can use to curb unwanted behaviors. It is primarily used as an anti bark collar. Because of the cost, and the method, it is highly recommended.
Dealing with these are all common problems, but without the right tools these little “issues” often results in tears and pain for both confused and frustrated owners of the dogs. A citronella dog collar is totally safe and harmless – when your dog misbehaves, a little fog is sprayed, and the fog bothers them enough to stop the dog from the mis behavior, but it is not enough to harm him.
When looking into any kind of training method, some work well, and some are not good for the dog. Of the training collars out there, the citronella collar is considered one of the most humane. There are actually methods that are not beneficial for the dog. This is not one of them.
When using a citronella collar to stop a dogs barking, they automatically activate a citronella spray when the dog barks hit a certain volume level. The volume level prevents the collar from spraying when the dog makes a normal or quiet sound. Citronella collars can also be used as a manually triggered device. When you see your dog doing something he shouldn’t you can emit the spray, and help condition the dog.
In conjunction with a spray collar, some use a virtual boundary. These are great training tools, and that can help you train a dog to stay in a boundary. Once the dog gets too close to the fence, a sound is emitted. If the dog keeps going, the collar will emit the spray. This way, the dog gets a warning, and over time, he will again stay within the boundary.
I should mention here that the citronella collars have nothing to do with the “shock” collars that are available on the market. The shock collars are another option to the citronella collar. These collars work in the same manner, except that they will shock the dog in stead of emit the citronella spray.
Because of the gentle form of training, and the effectiveness, spray collars come highly recommended. Consider a citronella collar for your dog’s behavior problem. Get the results you need with citronella collar, and he will do well. When you compare the cost to the benefit, this is a no brainer.
Posted on 2009 under Dog Training |
6
Mar
by Danah Reed
There is no doubt about the importance of training your dog well, especially if you are looking for a long lasting and healthy relationship with the pet living in your house. This means that the basic rules must be lived by and training your dog to do certain things is important. More important however is the way you go about training your dog.
Dogs are very intelligent and have great ability to learn. They are also very sensitive, especially when it comes to the attention given to them by their caregivers. Yelling continuously at your dog because of his behavior is a way to ensure he will end up afraid of you. If you want to establish a loving relationship with your dog it is important that your dog trusts you.
Using positive reinforcement will not only establish a relationship of trust and bonding, it will also make all training more fun. If your dog picks up on the fun he will start doing his best to even please you more, making the training easier and faster.
Training your dog with positive reinforcement means that instead of punishing your dog when he does something wrong, you shower your dog with love and affection when he does something right.
A good example is your dog having an “accident” around the house. Instead of yelling at him for being a bad boy, just dont give it any attention at all. Not getting any attention from you at all is already a punishment in itself since your dog will always try to get your approval.
But when you see your dog go to the bathroom where hes supposed to, then shower him with love and affection. He will soon learn that doing his business outside pleases you and he will go out of his way to make it outside whenever possible.
When training your dog using the positive reinforcement technique, make sure you set your dog up to succeed and not fail.
Posted on 2009 under Dog Training |
5
Mar
by Melanie Brooks
The one thing that every dog needs to know how to do is sit. Teaching a dog to sit is probably the easiest trick in the book. If you own a small puppy, it is going to be even easier. An older dog learning how to sit may take a bit more time, but it is possible. Dogs learn to sit by praise. You must first introduce them to what sitting is.
Gently place your hand over the top part of their bottoms and gently push down. Once you have gotten them into the sitting position, sternly and nicely say “sit”. Now, make sure that they have sat and give them a treat for praise. Love on them for a bit and then move on. Wait a while before doing it again because each time you do it, you will be rewarding them for it. You do not want to do it 5 times in a row and wind up having to give them 5 treats!
Using treats while training your dog to sit while help him or her learn a lot easier without too much confusion. He or she might think, “Okay I get it, so when I sit, I get a treat!” So in the beginning, while you are in training, give your dog a treat each and every time that they sit. Oftentimes at first, when you are training your dog to sit, they will exhibit confusion. This is very normal because sitting will be very new to them. Dogs favor routine, and once sitting becomes a part of their daily routine, it will be something that they truly enjoy doing for their owners when asked.
Young puppies are often the easiest to train when it comes to sitting, but this is only because they are so young. Sitting is a simple and easy command that can be taught to any dog. Older dogs may show a bit more confusion that the younger pups, but this is simply because they have gotten into much more of a routine. Do not think for a second that your older dog cannot learn how to sit because they still can. It is just going to take discipline on both the pet and the owner’s part.
If you are having a seemingly difficult time teaching your dog to sit, you may need to go to your nearest library and rent a book on your particular dog breed. Different dogs have different temperments combined with their own unique personalities. What is normal of one dog breed may not be so true for others. There are many things that will factor into whether your dog has an easy time learning how to sit, but most of it will be up to you.
Posted on 2009 under Dog Training |
3
Mar
by Casey Swells
Most dog owners love their dogs very much. If you’re like any other dog owner, you will likely want to have as good a relationship with your dog as possible. Something that really strenghtens the bond between you and your doggy, is playing fetch.
Some dogs know instinctively how to play fetch. Other dogs need to be taught. Luckily, dog training for playing fetch is a fairly simple process. You need to stick to a few simple guidelines for a couple of weeks. The three simple guidelines are listed below.
1. To start with, your dog needs to learn to pay attention to the ball. If it isn’t even paying attention to it, you can forget about the rest of the fetch play. You need to hold the ball in front of your dog’s eyes and nose. Whenever he pays any attention to the ball, by sniffing it for example, you need to praise him. Keep this up long enough, and your dog will start paying more attention to the ball and follow it around.
2. As soon as your dog has learned to show interest in the ball, it’s time to move on to the next step in his training. Now, he must learn to pick up the ball in his mouth. He might even do this all by himself. If he does not, then you will need to teach him this as well. You can do this by smearing some meat paste on the ball. This will make the ball a little more enticing for your dog. Once he picks it up, praise him and feed him a dog treat. Your doggy will learn to pick up the ball this way.
3. Now that your dog chases after and then picks up the ball, you need to teach him to let go of the ball. Once your dog has picked up the ball a few feet away from you, you can lure him back with a treat. Once he arrives with the ball still in his mouth, give him the treat. He will likely drop the ball in order to make place for his dog treat. Should your dog lose his interest in dog treats throughout the training, you can use a second ball to entice him to drop one for the other.
Once you have gone through this simple process a few times, you can do some tests to see if your doggy has gotten it. Toss the ball a short distance away and order your dog to fetch it. Keep increasing the distance with every time you toss the ball away. Once he gets it right, praise him and give him a dog treat.
If you repeat this whole process often enough, your dog will learn to play fetch for sure. It’s usually a matter of a few weeks. After a few weeks, your dog will have comprehended the whole game of playing fetch. From hereon, playing fetch becomes its own reward. You can still tell him is a good boy, but you won’t have to stock up on dog treats anymore. You can save those to teach him another game in the future.
Owning a dog is a great thing. Dogs are loyal pets that will love you unconditionally. It’s definitely worth investing your time and energy to get the two of you closer together. Playing fetch is a great way of doing this. So stick to the training, and before you know it your doggy and you will be having a ball!