Successful Dog Training at Home - Having the Right Mindset

by: sdglobal
Deciding to own a dog comes with it many responsibilities. These include feeding, grooming, lots of love and playtime, and keeping up with required shots and vet visits. Dog training is another important responsibility that must not be overlooked. Proper dog behavior training will make life for the dog and its owner much more fun and enjoyable.

Dog training is the act of teaching your dog what is acceptable behavior in specific situations. It is effective communication between you and your dog. Dog training is about you telling your dog what you want, and your dog understanding and responding in a positive way.

Dogs can be trained at any age, but it is most beneficial to start as a puppy, the first day of arrival in your home. This will show your new puppy, from the start, what the boundaries are and can be the beginning of the road to successful dog training. A dog without set boundaries, rules or knowledge of what is expected will only continue to demonstrate unacceptable behaviors. It is your job, through dog training, to teach which behaviors are acceptable.

Some of the behaviors that often need to be corrected are potty training, unnecessary barking or whining, jumping up on your friends and family, chewing, biting on hands and clothing, digging, and aggressive behavior. The more common but also important obedience behaviors that you should teach your dog during dog training is to sit, stay, heel, lay down and walk on a leash properly.

When training your dog, it is important to understand why your dog does the things that he does. Some behaviors are breed specific. Cocker spaniels tend to have weak bladders and will pee when they are excited. Growing up I had a Cocker Spaniel named Blondie that would pee at our feet every time we came home. We quickly learned to let her greet us outside so that she could get excited and do her business. When inside, she was paper trained and would always go in the same spot. Be sure you are fully informed of the behaviors that you may face with the breed of dog you choose.

A dog that digs usually does so out of boredom. It is important to find other activities for your dog to do. I have found that playing with him more, teaching him to fetch, taking him for walks in the park or even providing a place for him to dig will make him feel less cooped up in the yard and stop his digging caused by boredom.

Dog training takes patience and consistent reinforcement of the rules and commands. The best way to train your dog and to get results is through repetition, praise and positive reinforcement. It is important not to get angry or use force as negative punishment when your dog does not do exactly what you ask of it. Dog training does not involve hitting or yelling at your dog when it does something wrong.

B.F. Skinner, one of the most celebrated psychologists since Sigmund Freud, proved that behavior that is positively reinforced will reoccur. He also showed that the best training comes when information is presented in small amounts so that responses can be reinforced (also known as "shaping"). When your dog does something correctly, be sure to use words of praise in an excited voice, followed by petting and rewards with a favorite dog treat. Your dog will be able to feel the emotion and excitement in your voice and actions. This will be the encouragement needed to achieve the positive outcomes of dog training for a lifetime.


About the Author
Scott DeShais is an avid dog lover and has raised and trained dogs for more than 20 years. If you would like more information about dog training, please visit Dog Training and Behavior AL. You can also visit his blog at Dog Training and Behavior.

Dog Training With Dog Training Aids

by: GeraldineDimarco
The art of persuasion is a good skill to develop when dog training. Your voice is the most important aspect of this skill. It's important to use your dog's name before each command, and to use a persuasive tone of voice. Keep your tone of voice low and pleasant, but also firm.

Talk constantly to your dog when dog training. When training your dog to retrieve, you'll need to persuade him to take an item from you. Great dog training aids for this are very light dumbbells. As soon as your dog starts to take the dumbbell, immediately praise him with a happy and excited voice. And don't forget to pet him as well.

Always keep a happy tone with your dog when training. Becoming angry will never assist in your training efforts. It will only serve to confuse your dog and make him anxious.

Always remember that your dog is trying to please you. This is the case even when he is not following your commands. Your dog may not understand what you want of him. He is not being deliberately disobedient.

Once your dog understands what it is you're attempting to train him to do, he will be more than happy to repeat the action - probably over and over again. One thing you can be almost certain of is that you will get bored before your dog does!

If your dog does not understand that you want him to take the dumbbell (or whichever other dog training aids you're using), it may be necessary to gently place the dumbbell in his mouth and then gently hold his jaws closed by placing both your hands around his muzzle. Be careful not to bang your dog's teeth on the dumbbell.

Dog training sessions should be fund. They are a good opportunity to spend quality time - just you and your dog. Dog training certainly takes time and effort. Depending on your dog, you may need to be very patient with your dog training efforts.

Keep placing the dumbbell into your dog's mouth until your dog actually understands what to do.

Once your dog understands the taking of the dumbbell, you need to extend the reach of the item. Place the dumbbell on the ground in front of your dog and ask him to "Retrieve" or "Fetch". Then start moving the dumbell further and further away from him. Your dog will soon get the idea.

About the Author
What are the most important aspects of dog training? Find out what they are, and find out discover how dog training aids can assist when training your dog to retrieve, to fetch, and much more.

Boost the Dog Health through Proper Dog Care

by
Khieng Chho

Owning a pet is perhaps one among the biggest blessings for people at any age. Owners of these pets sometimes treat these creatures as best friends. They can be a food companion and can give an entertainment anyone can’t give. These pets can also make you feel comfortable during your life’s hardest time. Indeed, pets are gifts to humans.

Dog is one among the choices of pets of the people. The owners will learn how to care for their dogs so their pets can be the cleanest and the greatest dogs in the entire world. However, if you want to own a dog you need to be concern about the dog’s health.

You can maintain dog health through proper dog care. It is very important to your dog. By doing the proper health care you will be able to make your dog strong and healthy. The reason why some dogs are neglected is because of selfishness of some dog owners. Only a little time is spent to caring for dogs. If dog owners do not give some of their time, energy, affection and healthy dog habits, this often leads to unhealthy dogs which are prone to allergies and malnutrition.

It is very important for you to feed your dog with healthy foods. Never rely on dog foods that are available on the market. They often contain chemicals that will ruin the health status of your pet dog. Feed your dogs with all natural food like meat and vegetables to naturally improve the quality of health.

Never overfeed your dogs. Overfeeding leads to indigestion. It is never easy for a dog to have indigestion. You will need to bring them to a veterinarian to relieve it. Feed your dog with enough food and always on time.

Proper hygiene care is also important to improve your dog’s health. You do not have to take him to bathing everyday. Twice or trice a week is enough to clean your dogs. Use shampoo for dogs as it contains the right pH level for your dogs. Human shampoo can cause some serious problems like excessive hair fall or allergic reaction. If your dogs got fleas, treat them by using and flea shampoo. Some are not effective so you should choose the ones with the trustworthy name.

Never underestimate the importance of dog health. Follow the simple tips so you can improve the quality of your dog’s health.

Khieng 'Ken' Chho is author and owner of Online Dog Health Resources. For related articles and other resources, visit Ken's website: http://doghealth.1w3b.net

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Dog Aggression Training Tips

by: WinstonChoo
If your dog is acting aggressively towards anyone then this is something that you should not tolerate and be dealt with as soon as the problem becomes apparent. But in order for you to be able to find the right type of dog aggression training for your pet in order to bring the problem under control, one first needs to know what kinds of aggression your dog has.

Below we look at what kinds of aggression a dog may suffer from either as a puppy or as a mature dog. But what is important to remember is that some dogs may only show one kind of aggression whilst others may show several.

1. Dominant - This kind of aggression occurs in a dog who thinks that they have the status of being the alpha member of the pack and will want to assert themselves more towards others. They will especially assert their dominance if they feel that the interloper is a predator. This kind of aggression more often occurs in male dogs or in particular breeds, and in order for the owner to bring this problem under control they will need to quickly establish themselves as pack leader instead.

2. Fear - This type of aggression will manifest in your dog when they feel either insecure or frightened by something that they are unsure of. For some dogs, their aggression may manifest when they hear a noise or when they are being approached by someone or something that they feel uncomfortable with. Generally, they will either bark, growl, bare their teeth or snap at what is causing them discomfort. But if left unchecked and the problem allowed to continue, it could result in the animal actually biting someone or attacking another animal.

3. Territorial or Over Protective - This type of aggression in a dog could cause them to be a danger to anyone (not just strangers). They will not only feel territorial about the things in your home, but will also feel territorial when they are out walking with you.

4. Possessive - This type of behavior can turn a loving pet into a real monster and will occur without any prior warning. Normally this kind of behavior occurs in a dog whose owner has allowed them to have their own way and is over something that they consider to be theirs. Such things that may trigger this kind of aggression in a dog is if when playing with them you choose to take away what they have or if you approach them as they eat their food. The only way to prevent this behavior becoming any worse is to immediately react to the situation as soon as you notice it happening.

5. Punishment - This type of aggression normally occurs in a dog where they have been incorrectly punished or their owner is trying to exert their dominance of the animal. Although they may not respond aggressively, in the beginning to such treatment over any period of time, things will change and sooner or later, they are going to turn and become aggressive.

In this article, we have looked at just a few of the kinds of aggressive behavior that dogs may suffer from. It is only once the owner has identified what kind of behavior it is they can then find the right kind of dog aggression training to use. As you will soon find when you search the internet there is plenty of advice and tips on ways of dealing with an aggressive dog.

About the Author
To read more excellent dog training tips please go to Dog Aggression Training and Dog Training Hand Commands Blog

The first thing a dog owner needs to buy

by
Jack Prime

Buying a collar and lead is probably one of the first things a new dog owner does as they are a necessity for proper control of your dog and an essential piece of equipment when training a new dog or puppy.

If you have a puppy then it's likely they will quickly outgrow a collar or lead, so it is perfectly acceptable to buy non-expensive and lightweight equipment during this early stage of their life.

Many people like their dogs to wear a collar all of the time, but some ornamental collars will not stand up to a sudden movement or constant straining. You should therefore consider having 2 collars; one for ornamental purposes and another one for training your dog or puppy.

Even though puppies get plenty of exercise through play you should try and get your puppy accustomed to wearing their collar and lead at the earliest age possible.

Even if you do not intend your dog or puppy to wear a collar all the time you can buckle a light collar around their neck and leave it there for a number of days until your dog or puppy ignores its presence.

Do be aware that the neck hair of a long haired dog will be permanently marked if it wears a collar at all times so use common sense depending on your breed of dog or puppy.

A bolt and spring clip is best on the end of a lead and you should buy clips where the opening does not come at the point of most strain as they are liable to come apart.

Leather and nylon leads are a good choice and although many owners think chains would be stronger they can be very uncomfortable from the owner's point of view.

If you are serious about training then you will be using a slip collar as this will provide you with much more control. A slip collar consists of a chain with a ring at either end, the chain is dropped through one of the rings to form a loop, which is then put over the dog's head.

A pull on a slip collar is slightly uncomfortable for the dog providing focus for training, but when the lead is slack the collar is loose. The slip collar will only work well if the collar is put on correctly so you should practice to ensure the fit is best for you and your dog.

When using a lead take it in your right hand and ensure your dog walks on your left hand side. If using a slip collar the ring through which the chain is slipping should be underneath. Practice as much as possible with your collars and leads so that both you and your dog or puppy become familiar with them and you can both use them in the best possible way.

Once you have the right equipment you can begin basic exercises and lessons to train your dog for obedience, competitions or shows, providing pleasure and companionship for you and your dog or puppy.

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