Training Your New Puppy or Dog
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
Hitting And Spanking A Dog, The Wrong Way To Train.
There are many purposes for training a dog. You might decide to train your dog to protect your home or to hunt. Some are trained just for the pleasure of it. Some dogs are easier to train and some are more difficult to train, but positive results are often possible for every dog with proper training. Their eagerness to please is part of their appeal as pets. This article will give you some great tips for training your dog in a way that makes you both happy.
Six months is the recommended age at which a dog should be spayed or neutered. You should have him or her spayed or neutered along with taking him or her to obedience classes. Not only does spaying or neutering make a dog a better overall pet, it makes him or her a more attentive pupil for training. You and your dog will have many more happy years together and your pet will also be healthier.
Your dog needs to be active frequently. Dogs can get bored quite easily. Dogs with no enthusiasm will be harder to train than active dogs. If you have a happy, exercised dog, they will listen better. Walk or run your dog frequently.
As with most things, and this goes with dog training as well, don't ever give up. You must supply constant reinforcement for your dog; if you fail to do this, the dog may forget what you taught it. Keep in mind that training your dog is an on-going process, and just as important as providing him with food and shelter.
If your dog suddenly starts exhibiting behavioral problems, take him to a veterinarian in order to rule out any serious health conditions. Animals that are in pain or that have certain health conditions may lash out or behave inappropriately. Since they cannot tell us what is wrong, this is their way of letting us know that they need extra attention.
Training a new dog should be a family activity in which everyone participates. Even if there is only one person who trains the dog every day, it is advisable that the entire family take an active role so the house rules are constantly being enforced.
Tell your family to make use of the same commands in training your dog. Make sure everyone is on the same page with command words; if the command for being quiet is "quiet," don't let anyone use "stop barking." Your dog's training will be faster and more effective when everyone is on the same page concerning his commands.
Most cases of dog bites are a result of fear biting. The dog will feel fear if it is startled, trapped or feels threatened. Do not ever forcefully train your dog. This makes your dog more likely to bite. He will forever be your loyal companion, and best friend.
You can't stop your dog from being a dog, so make sure to give him proper ways to act like a dog. Dogs need a healthy diet too, along with a place to get exercise and lots of stimulation.
Don't overdo your training sessions, keep them brief and interesting for best results. If you spend too much time doing one training exercise, your dog will become bored. Limit the amount of time you train at first to less than 10 minutes.
Always be aware of your tone of voice when you have to discipline your dog. Dogs are more receptive to the tones their masters use than you might realize. It is okay to be appropriately stern.
Use your dog's name whenever you are offering it a treat. To have some good control over your dog, a solid response is crucial. Call your dog by name 10 times each day until he readily responds to your voice with no further encouragement. Don't punish your dog if it comes when you call.
Try training a dog to clench a plush toy in his mouth. Every time he successfully holds onto the toy with his mouth, hit the clicker and proceed by giving him a treat. After this is done a few times, watch and wait for your dog to put the toy inside his mouth. After has has done this, you should click and promptly give a reward. After this, you should only reward your dog after he holds the toy in his mouth.
Now that you know the techniques you need to train your dog, it's time to get down to business! Knowing the proper training techniques is the only way to train your dog properly.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Don't Let Your Dog Control Your Life!
When you first brought your dog home, you were probably having visions of Lassie, but there have probably been days that you were remembering Cujo more. You can tackle these behavior issues and train your dog to behave.
If you are trying to potty train a puppy, pee pads are not useful. The problem with the wee-wee pads is that they leak and leave enzymes from urine and feces behind. The wee-wee pads may also teach your puppy that anything of the same shape and size is okay to use as their indoor toilet! For the sake of consistency, train your dog to always use the bathroom outside.
Keep your dog's wants and motivations in mind when training. What your dog likes, doesn't like, and what types of training work for him are all things that you are learning during this process. Regardless of your reason for training your dog, he will need an assortment of various training exercises and a lot of positive reinforcement. The happier your dog is, the more successful your training with him will be.
Always train your dog in a motivated, positive environment. If your dog performs a task you ask him to, reward him. Negative training techniques and punishment will only serve to garner fear, and a dog who is afraid is not one who is willing to please.
Keep your emotions from other areas, such as a fight with a friend or family member or being upset with another pet, at bay. You want to avoid using a cold tone that your dog can sense. Dogs react to the tone of a human voice, so be careful not the be harsh to them without provocation.
A healthy diet is essential for your dog. Too many table scraps can unbalance your dog's diet. Poor nutrition adversely affects your dog's health and can cause uncharacteristic behavior. A simple improvement to their diet will work wonders in how a dog feels, and make it much easier for them to have a clear mind during training.
House training a puppy can be frustrating, as accidents are going to occur on occasion. Immediately clean up every accident for training purposes. Urine and feces smells will stay in the carpet if you don't clean them up straight away, causing your dog to go back to the same place to do his business. Look into different cleaners, especially enzyme cleaners, available at any pet store.
Make sure your dog enjoys training sessions. Aim for a 10-15 minute training session, which is optimal for the dog's attention span. Give plenty of rewards. Make sure to shower your dog with praises when he performs well; dogs love it! When training is fun, he will pay attention and listen to what you say.
When training your dog never punish him; doing so will only make him be resistant to any further training. You should take steps to help your pet avoid bad behavior, but if he makes a mistake help him understand correct actions. Build a positive relationship with your dog during the training process.
If you feel that you cannot maintain a fully patient state, do not begin a training session. Your dogs will respond to patience and will lose interest if they feel you are getting frustrated.
Resist the tug of sympathy and avoid using a harness rather than the much more effective collars with cinching features. If you use a harness and a collar together, you can show your dog how to behave when he is only wearing the harness.
Use your dog's name whenever you are offering it a treat. To have some good control over your dog, a solid response is crucial. Call your dog by name 10 times each day until he readily responds to your voice with no further encouragement. Don't punish your dog if it comes when you call.
Try training a dog to clench a plush toy in his mouth. Every time he successfully holds onto the toy with his mouth, hit the clicker and proceed by giving him a treat. After this is done a few times, watch and wait for your dog to put the toy inside his mouth. After has has done this, you should click and promptly give a reward. After this, you should only reward your dog after he holds the toy in his mouth.
Untrained dogs can drive you crazy and ruin your home. If you apply these tips, you should be well prepared to train your dog efficiently.