Dog Training

Some people believe that dogs need to be trained when they’re young. To some extent for our own sanity that’s true - especially with housetraining, and teaching your dog that chewing your shoes/slippers/anything that’s accessible, is simple not acceptable.

But despite the old adage “You can’t teach a old dog new tricks”, it’s perfectly possible to teach a dog of virtually any age new behaviours and even party tricks, if you like. Basically dog training boils down to rewarding your dog when s/he does something you like, and correcting your dog when s/he does something you don’t like. Good training establishes an appropriate relationship between you and your dog, and it ensures that your dog understands what you want of him/her.

Of course, the dog may become somewhat set in his/her ways, and be less inclined to be interested in learning. My dogs tend to look at me a little suspiciously these days if I try to introduce a new command. But once they get the idea that I’m giving them a new way to please me, it doesn’t take them too long to start to comply.

The idea is to teach your dog to make his own decisions (believe it or not!) Not complicated decisions, of course, - just whether to do something or not. If your dog makes the right decision, s/he’ll be rewarded. If your dog makes the wrong decision, s’he’ll receive a corrrection and the opportunity to then choose the right decision. Simple!

I’ve been reading some professional dog training secrets. They reminded me of an absolutely crucial point when training a dog - that consistency is critical with your dog. Because your dog is always looking for opportunities to elevate him/herself in the heirachy of your household, even just a little bit … if you don’t insist on a certain behaviour every single time, or conversely if you allow a misbehaviour even once, your dog gets a mixed message about what’s acceptable and what s/he can get away with.

As an example, if you’ve taught your dog to come when called, the only way you can be certain s/he will come every single time you give the command, is if you don’t give your dog a choice until you’re 100 percent certain your dog will respond to your command every single time. That is, you must carry this training out with a long leash or rope, so you can make your dog come each time you call him/her.

Adam’s ebook is over 300 pages long and explains all of this in much greater detail and not only tells you exactly how to train your dog to respond to specific commands, but also the most effective ways to prevent unwanted behaviours, and to have a much better behaved dog in general.

What I really like about Adam’s strategies is that his methods utilise the dog’s natural instincts and drives, and because you treat the dog as if s/he is a member of your pack, rather than a child of your household, you actually end up with a happier dog. Some of the methods described in the ebook are somewhat controversial, but I’d really recommend that you read the arguments he puts forward and make your own decision. I LOVE the ebook. Granted, it’s not a literary masterpiece - actually it doesn’t flow as well as it might, and it’s somewhat repetitive - but the information contained in it is priceless.

(c) 2005, Brigitte Smith, Healthy Happy Dogs

Brigitte Smith is a dog lover with a special interest in holistic dog health.

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Based on Grand Prix-style horse jumping events, Dog Agility has come a long way since its inception more than twenty years ago. Dog lovers all over the world have taken to this event in droves.

There are two types of classes of Agility: Standard and Jumpers with Weaves. In Standard Agility, there are between 13 and 20 obstacles that include the Dog Walk, the A-Frame, the Pause Table and tunnels. Jumpers with Weaves doesn’t include the contact obstacles such as the A-Frame, but does have the tunnel, chute and the tire jump.

The contact obstacles in Standard Agility have clearly marked “contact” points on either end of the obstacle that _must_ be touched, or points are taken off. Points are also lost for taking an obstacle out of sequence (off course), not pausing long enough on the pause table, refusing any obstacle, or taking too long to complete the course. Three refusals/misses on any obstacle are grounds for dismissal from the class.

In Jumpers with Weaves, the contact obstacles are removed and more jumps added to the course. The weave poles are a fascinating aspect of the courses. There may be six to twelve poles for the dog to weave through and to see a skilled dog do them is an amazing sight. Some of the dogs literally jump from side to side as they move through the poles.

On the day of the trial, the judge sets up the course with a view to variety in the obstacles and timing. Jump heights are dependent upon the size of the dog(s) to be run, so they may be set for one size dog and all those entries run before the jump heights are changed.

Titles in either event are Novice (NA or NAJ), Open (OA or OAJ), Excellent (AX or AXJ), Excellent B (MX or MXJ), and Master Agility Champion (MACH).

Obstacles like the A-Frame (which is set to 6 feet high), the Dog Walk (two ramps attached to a cross-walk approximately 5 feet high), and the Teeter-totter challenge the dog in balance and fortitude. The Pause Table is a challenge in control. The dog is asked to stop on a table-like obstacle and either sit or down (at the judge’s discretion) for a specific period of time and then continue on the course.

Training for Agility should begin with the “height” obstacles lowered to safe levels, even to the point of laying flat on the ground. The goal is to teach the dog confidence and safety in taking the obstacle. As the obstacles are slowly raised, the dog is taught to navigate them more rapidly, but still with an eye to safety. Eventually, they are raised to their proper height and the dog learns to negotiate them at speed.

The tunnels are large “tubes” of material that can be set in any configuration from straight to a U shape. There is also a “chute” which is like a tunnel, but one end is open and the other is unsupported so it lies on the ground. In the chute, the dog must push her way through the material at speed. This can be a difficult obstacle to teach the dog, as it appears to her that it’s a dead-end.

Learning to manuver over the teeter-totter, or seesaw, is another tricky skill for the dog. He must go up one side, pause at the apex and cause the board to seesaw down in the other direction, then continue the course.

With patience and practice, your dog could become an Agility “nut” and cover the course with a bark of excitement every step. Better eat your Wheaties, because this is not a sedentary sport to be involved in.

C. Rogers Upson has been training dogs and studying them for nearly 40 years. Her website is Dog Potentials and she has two dog-related stores at Keeping to the Borders and Dog Potentials-The Store.

The proper selection of a training collar can have a significant impact on the success of any dog training program. Most new dog trainers make the mistake of choosing a dog collar that does not allow for adequate control during the training sessions.

During my nearly four years of working with dogs, I have seen dog collars in numerous sizes and shapes. From head leaders to pronged choke collars, the choices available to dog owners are endless. However, in my training experience, I have not seen a dog training collar as effective as the classic choke collar.

The basic choke collar is an effective training tool that can be used on almost any size dog (for very small dogs, a nylon dog collar might be preferred). When used properly, the correction and response of the dog is almost immediate.

The key to using a choke collar effectively is to keep the dog collar loose when the dog is exhibiting proper behavior. For example, if the dog is heeling without pulling ahead, the choke collar should remain loose. If the dog begins to pull ahead, a quick “pop” or tightening of the collar will teach the dog that unwanted behavior has occurred. As soon as the dog’s behavior has corrected, the collar is once again loosened.

By using the tightening & loosening technique, the dog quickly learns to associate good behavior with a loose collar. If the collar were to remain constantly tightened, the dog would only learn to fight against the choking feeling.

Regardless of which collar type you choose, it is imperative that the dog collar fit properly and give you, the trainer, maximum control over the dog.

For nearly four years, David Dunlap has been working & training dogs from puppyhood to more advanced levels. For more information on dog collars, visit http://simplydogcollars.com

Let me introduce my dogs. I have 3, Nikki and Benny are my therapy dogs, and Dukie is my blind dog. Nikki is a 1 1/2 year golden retriever and Benny is my 5 year old black lab. Dukie is now 10 years and also a black lab.

Today I saw a picture of a ceramic rabbit statue for the garden; boy did it bring back loving memories. It also made me think of the importance of training your dog. That is why I am writing this article.

When we first took our golden retriever up north to the cottage she loved it. Of course she would, she was a golden after all, and goldens love cottage life, the outdoors and the lakes!!

Now, my golden was running around lose, just having a great time. My husband, Chris and I were sitting outside talking with our friends who had a house beside the cottage.

All of a sudden my golden comes running right over to us, all exited and happy. Our golden always ran to us when she had something in her mouth, never away from us. WOW, she had gone hunting, and she was proud of it.

There in her mouth, was a rabbit!!

I started to freak, of course, but then on closer inspection (from my husband) we saw it was a “plastic rabbit” out of our friend’s garden. This was one of those golden moments. My Katie Bear is gone now, I still miss her so much, and I will always miss her. I have a new golden, and I love her very much, but she does not replace my Katie Bear….

I shed a few tears of sadness because I still miss my Bear.

Thanks for letting me share my memories. Dog obedience, has always been very important to me. So, please please, train your dog. I can just never say this often enough. Your dog must obey you. Simple commands like: come, sit, stay, STOP! It is so important for the safety and enjoyment of your dog, especially during the holiday and travel season.

There are many training methods available. You need to find the method that will work for you and your dog, (a humane method of training, of course.)

I was thinking about this as I was taking my 3 dogs (one is blind) out for a walk today. Just as we were getting into the jeep (I drive to where I walk), a lady pushing a stroller came past my house.

Now, you need to understand, that my now golden retriever, Nikki, seems to think the whole world is out to play with her. She is only 1 1/2 years old. I thought to myself…WOW! What if she had decided to take off and play with the lady and her stroller? Would she have come back to me instantly when called? Stopped instantly on command? I am not sure. This gave me reason to reflect seriously about obedience training. Now, you may be thinking that because she is a therapy dog, she is a well behaved trained dog. And yes, she is. But even a therapy dog gets their moments when out and running lose. And for some reason, my dogs can be total pests at home, and total angels when visiting the seniors.

A dog must, for their own safety and security, and I will repeat myself here, a dog MUST stop and come on demand. This can never be an option. Whether your dog is a therapy dog, like mine, or a house pet the same rule applies.

Check your neighborhood for training classes. Also, there are many different types of programs available, including online downloadable programs, which are very,very good.. Check them out. Find the one that suits your lifestyle. And, do it. Both you and your dog will be happier!

My two passions, health and pets.

Doing therapy dog work is one of the most rewarding activities I can do with my dogs. Pet health care is one of my passions.

http://www.mimfreedom.com/dogtherapy.htm

There is a puppy and dog lovers book that is destined for stardom. It is written in a very practical way. Its so easy to understand and to implement the instructions.

This book was written out of love for puppy and dog lovers. The practical tips and tricks explained will help anyone with puppy and dog challenges.

Puppy And Dog Training Secrets takes training to another level. In order to ensure the success of you and your pet, the author even throws in a set of videos to help the both of you achieve victory.

Obedience

This is the biggie with any animal you’re going to train. Puppy And Dog Training Secrets certainly places obedience at the top of the agenda. But the breed and temperament is also taken into consideration.

For instance, bulldog or Rottweiler type breeds are generally guard dogs. However, Collies are used to herding. They love wide open spaces, enjoy running and have oodles of energy.

Your approach may have to be tweaked a bit when training the different breeds. Puppy And Dog Training Secrets take this into consideration.

Obedience is not shoved down the animal’s throat, but rather is incorporated into the things that are done daily. Puppy and dog lovers know that training must be consistent. It also involves diligent and sometimes hard work. But in the end, it is very rewarding.

House Training

Break that puppy early. House training can turn into a lengthy procedure. But it doesn’t have to be. Puppy And Dog Training Secrets advocates seeking an early breakthrough in this area.

They give you proven methods and techniques to help you achieve that sought after early breakthrough. If your puppy or dog presents a challenge, they have prepared well for that also.

Commands

Puppy And Dog Training Secrets will give you strategies on getting your pet to obey you the first time, every time. Their method at getting your pet to obey the toilet command is a sure one. Have you ever seen your puppy so excited to see you that he wets himself? Or he wets even you? Puppy And Dog Training Secrets addresses that also.

Conclusion

Puppy And Dog Training Secrets assures you of a well trained puppy or dog. For me, their techniques took time. I did finally get the results I wanted. I was happy with that.

I like the way the author encourages the pet owner to be sensitive toward their pet. Trust building is encouraged throughout. Yes, Puppy And Dog Training Secrets is a wonderful book to have if you are a puppy and dog lover.

Here is my DOG tip for the day. You remember (Dog Owners Guide) DOG:

When friends or relatives come over for a visit, no matter how friendly your pet is, put him away. Something as simple as a hug from an adult relative can spark a pet to protect a child. Even if your pet is good with children, the best you can say is he is good with your children. Don’t take the chance. Put him away.

Wycliffe Williams has always had animals in his family. One particular puppy Herman was especially dear to him as a child. Do you have a puppy? Are you feeling controlled by your puppy? Do you want to be informed about your puppy? Empower yourself now!
Puppy And Dog Training Secrets will give you excellent training techniques. To get them click here.