Thursday, May 8, 2008

House Breaking A New Puppy

So you've welcomed a new puppy into your home, either as a pet for your child, or as a companion for yourself. They're great pets, as we all know, but they also make messes in their early days. You will want to quickly get your new puppy adjusted to it's new surroundings and most importantly, teach your him the appropriate place to do his business. It's not always an easy task, but with a little patience, should be a piece of cake.

The first thing to remember when house breaking your new puppy is that you need to stay committed to a routine until your puppy is fully trained. House training takes patience and time.

The most successful method for training your puppy is the crate method. If you do not have a dog/puppy crate, you can cordon off a small area for your puppy where his is unable to move around. This will be your puppy's sleeping area. Dogs do not soil their sleep area, so keeping your puppy in this area, will help establish this area as a no go zone.

If your puppy does not go in this area, you then move him/her to the appropriate area for eliminating waste at an appropriate time. You should not leave a puppy in its crate/sleep area for an extended period of time, as a puppy does not have a large capacity for waste to begin with. So semi-frequent breaks are required. Each hour if possible.

Once you have taken your puppy to it's appropriate area, wait to see if he/she goes. If the puppy does go, be sure to offer up praise, as positive reinforcement will help establish that the puppy has done the right thing (negative reinforcement with a strong "No!" can be used when the puppy goes in the wrong place). If the puppy does not relieve itself after a sufficient length of time, take him/her back to it's crate/sleep area.

At night it is best not to feed your puppy after a certain time and to be sure your pup has been taken to relieve itself before you call it a night.

As stated, house training takes time and commitment. It may be wise to keep a log of your activities to help establish a routine for your puppy. Keeping a routine feeding time, with time for relieving itself immediately after, can help greatly with a young puppy, as it can help develop a solid route for relieving itself.

If you stay consistent with your puppy, the training process can go by fairly quick and your puppy will develop the awareness needed to go on his/her own before long. You will no longer need to worry about messes in your home and will be able to move in to more advanced training of your puppy, as well as to enjoy your great new pet to the fullest. They truly are man's best friend and with a little patience you will experience this to the fullest extent as you and your puppy grow along together.

Avoiding Common Training Mistakes

Dogs are man’s best friends. When you ultimately made that big decision to own a dog, you expected it to provide you companionship, be a pleasure to show off to your friends and just plainly be a joy to own. So off you go to the pet shop, choose a dog that catches your attention and bring him (or her) home.

But then, the horror begins. The dog you brought home seems to be anything but the adorable creature you expected it to be. His (or her) behavior is terribly unpredictable and can even be downright embarrassing at times. The dog you brought home to provide you companionship just sits around at the corner of your home, seemingly bored at the things happening around him (or her).

So you read all the books and even went to a dog training class to teach your dog a thing or two about obedience, but you still get no good results. This may lead you to think there is something inherently wrong with your dog. Is he (or she) just plain lazy, hardheaded or a little bit slow in the head?

Have you considered its lineage? Some breeds of dogs are simply not born to be followers; making them naturally hard to train.

Have you taken an honest look at your self and your training style? Are you observing the proper dog training techniques? It would be a good idea to make sure that you do, to make both of your lives easier and to make your dog training sessions an enjoyable and fruitful experience for both of you. To help you make your training sessions easier, here is a list of the most commonly committed dog training mistakes. Please avoid them at all costs.

•Not giving enough rewards during the training - Providing treats is one indispensable part of dog training. It gives your dog enough motivation to continue following your commands satisfactorily. However, some dog owners shun this idea. They simply do not want to provide treats during their dog training sessions because they feel that they would not retain authority if ever they do so. They believe that it is the dog’s role to follow their commands and giving them treats would be like bribing them.

•Being too controlling - Some owners simply have a “control” problem and can be quite overbearing, nagging and perfectionist during their dog training sessions. If you happen to be one of these control freaks and you own a hard-to-train dog, you can expect to be in for a very hard time!

•Being a training fanatic - Training your dogs too often, or repeating the same exercises over and over again, may bore him (or her). This is especially true when you own an independent dog, one that was simply not bred to obey his master’s commands. Among these are dogs that belong to the non-sporting, terrier and hound breeds.

•Not giving attention to the dog’s emotions - Some owners neglect to give enough attention to their dog’s feelings during their training sessions. This can be a major problem indeed! Especially during training, it is important to consider how your dog is feeling to get the most out of your efforts. So whenever you observe his (or her) reluctance in doing the exercises, if you notice excessive yawning or that your dog simply refuses to look at you, it may be best to stop and let it loose for a while. Your dog might already be tired or bored from all that physical exertion!

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Dog seat Cover

The family dog is a staple is many households. For a lot of us, our dogs are simply just another family member. We love taking our dog out on walks, running around the backyard and for the occasional road trip. The thing that makes having the dog in the car a bit of a challenge is that unlike the rest of the family, he’s not taking a bath everyday. We needed to find a way to protect the upholstery without having to put the dog in a cage. We found the perfect solution in a dog car seat cover.

We used to use an old blanket to protect the back seat of the car, but that was fraught with problems. Notably the dog would move and so would the blanket. With the dog car seat cover that’s no longer a problem, as it stays put even when Rover is moving back and forth from window to window.

The main different with a regular car seat cover and one made for the family pet is that the latter is easy to remove and made of a different material. Whereas a regular cover is usually made of some plush material, the dog car seat cover is made with plastic. It keeps the car’s seat protected in the event that the dog can’t hold it until we get to where we’re going.

Some animals also get a bit queasy from the motion of the car. It’s very unpleasant having to be the one who needs to clean up the mess. If you have a dog car seat cover, it’s simply a matter of removing the cover, and throwing it in the trash or into a washing machine. You’ll also probably want to leave the car windows open for a time to air out the car.

You may think that the choice of patterns isn’t as varied as they are with a traditional seat cover. In fact, there are many different colors and patterns in a seat cover made for an animal. You’ll certainly be able to find a dog car seat cover to match the inner décor of your vehicle, but keep in mind that it’s not going to be on the seat all the time, unless you take the dog everywhere with you.

Even if the dog doesn’t have any accidents in the car, you need to clean the cover from time to time. Depending on the label, you may be advised to either wipe the dog car seat cover with a damp cloth, hand wash it or throw it into the washing machine. In almost all cases, drying flat is recommended so as not to damage the plastic in the dryer.

If you’ve got a dog that you like to take on road trips, you’d do well to invest in one. It will not only save the interior of your car from accidents, it will help keep the smell of the dog out of the fabric.

Dog Advice

Dog Advice

Those who owned dogs know that sometimes they can be as temperamental as children. I don’t own a dog myself, but my mother has for many years. This dog is often the equivalent of an angel on earth, however, she has her moments when we wonder what she is thinking. When it comes time to ask for dog advice, my mother often asks her veterinarian what to do. This isn’t always an option however, and she may ask me to look for advice online to help her with a specific problem.

You can find all kinds of dog advice online if you were to look. There are many web sites that cater specifically to dog owners. These sites are often run by dog owners, though there are some that are run by veterinarians and other qualified professionals. The dog advice you can find ranges from behavioral issues to health issues, and anything else in between. Chances are good that you can find some solution to almost any problem you may be having.

Most dog advice you find online will be good, however you do have to watch out for bad advice. You should consider the reputation of the site you’re looking at before you decide if the dog advice you are given is good or not. Most people have their hearts in the right place, but sometimes they give false information without realizing it. f you use this false information, you may end up harming your dog instead of helping. Though most behavioral advice would not be dangerous, advice about serious health issues can be problematic. There are some issues that you should always take to your veterinarian no matter how trivial the issue may seem. You wouldn’t treat your spouse’s heart condition with advice from the Internet would you?

If you find dog advice that seems good, but you really aren’t sure, you should make sure you call your veterinarian to find out if the advice is legitimate. You may have wanted to skip calling your veterinarian, but you should never take the chance with your dog’s health. I have seen a lot of dog advice online that may or may not be good advice. I have also seen some that is completely off the mark, and it pains me that someone may see it can take it too heart. I don’t think a lot of people who post online realize the danger of giving faults or un-researched information out to those who are looking for help.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Training A Dog To Jump

If you're like most dog owners, you've dealt with the jumping issue. The fact is, the solution to problem jumping is so simple and so easy that most people don't think it'll work. But before I tell you how to get your dog to stop jumping, here's another fact: If you're like most dog owners, you are inadvertently training your puppy to jump!

Here's how: Whenever he jumps on you, you are turning to your pup, or talking to him, or yelling at him, or worst of all you're actually petting him whenever he jumps on you. This is most likely true if he's under 5 months of age because he's so cute you can't help it.

If your dog is jumping up, and you don't think you're giving him attention for jumping up, believe me: Denial ain't just a river. Set up a videotape recorder for a few days to record you and your family with the pup. You'll see.

The Training Rule

The cardinal rule in dog training is this: Any behavior will increase with reinforcement, and any behavior will decrease without reinforcement. So the way to stop your puppy from jumping is to simply ignore him when he does. Turn away, fold your arms and stand still while he jumps. When he gives up and is back on all fours, quickly get down to his level and give him attention until he jumps up again. And when he jumps, quickly stand up again and turn away until he stops jumping.

Repeat the sequence several times until he stops jumping. In this exercise you are reinforcing the desired behavior (not jumping) and ignoring the undesired behavior (jumping). Practice this every time he jumps up, particularly when you are coming through the front door or entry door and when you are outside or somewhere in public.

Jumping on Your Family, Friends, & Kids

Again, the reason your dog jumps on family and friends is the human reaction he gets. So when they visit, be firm. They'll tell you "oh, it's ok, I love dogs", but do not let them talk you into letting your pup jump on them!

If necessary - and it usually is - leave a note with these jumping instructions outside your entry door. Speak sternly to them if they can't comply with your rules. Tell them this is not about them or what's OK with them - it's about the next elderly person who visits and what's OK with them.

It's the reinforcement that's causing the jumping. Kill the reinforcement, and you kill the jumping.

Tell your children to "be a tree" and have them practice standing still, arms folded and turned away from the dog. It can also be helpful if the child can face a wall while he's "being a tree" for stability and to stop the pup from jumping into his face.

Jumping Exercise 1

This exercise will stop your dog from jumping when someone approaches him (ex., when you come home from work).

Put your puppy on a 4-6 foot leash, and tie the end securely to a doorknob . Put some dog food in your pocket and move about 15 feet away from the pup. Walk slowly but enthusiastically toward the puppy as if to greet him, saying "Hi, Rover, how're you doing buddy?" etc.

As soon as he jumps, stop walking and take a step backward away from the pup. When he stops jumping, start to walk toward him again in the same manner, moving backward one step the instant he starts to jump. Continue this method of approach until you can touch the pup without him jumping up. Praise and feed from that position, moving back again if he jumps up in excitement.

Important: Practice in a wide variety of locations inside and outside your house. Dogs are bad generalizers. If you don't practice outside, he won't stop jumping outside.

Jumping Exercise 2

This exercise will train your pup not to jump on people who approach you while you walk him. You'll need another human to help you, and it's good to practice this exercise with several different adults and children so that your pup will begin to generalize it to the whole population.

Put your dog on leash as you do when going for a walk or to the vet. Have your helper approach from about 15 feet away, slowly but greeting the dog in the manner described above. When the dog starts to jump, your helper stops and takes the penalty step backward. (It's a penalty because your dog really wants to meet this person.) Your helper waits for your dog to stop jumping, and then proceeds.

When your helper gets all the way to your pup, you praise and feed him. This teaches him how to nicely greet people on walks, and to pay attention to you rather than them.

Note: Although many pups will voluntarily sit as they learn this, you should not give the Sit command in these exercises, nor should you require it for praise and food. If he sits, fine, go ahead and reinforce. But if he simply stays on all fours without jumping, you should reinforce that. The point is to teach him to not jump. Sit will come later, and you could easily dilute the power of the word Sit by repeating it ineffectively in a jumping scenario.

Key Features Of Dog Training And Behaviour

I have a Beautiful Collie Dog, but she was only beautiful to look at. No matter what toys I bought her or how many times a day I took her for a walk, she still thought it was her job to make myself or my guests lives a nightmare, Barking, Jumping etc.

I thought she was just an out of control Naughty Dog & I was starting to have second thoughts as I had a Baby on the way. I then decided to take Drastic Action and searched the Internet for an easy to follow, Dog Training Programme.

Heres Some Key Features..

1. How To Communicate With Your Dog
2. Works On Any Breed Of Dog
3. Fun For Your Dog & Yourself
4. Easy To Understand
5. No Expensive Equipment To Buy

In just a few weeks My Dog was Totally Transformed, not just beautiful to look at anymore but beautiful to be with too. Now my Baby Daughter is here and my dog won't leave her side. My house is so much less stressful and I can come home to a very excited family pet instead of worrying what Damage my dog had done while I had been out. I found the Training Programmes very easy to use and I even enjoyed spending quality time with my Dog instead of shouting at her most of the time.

Dogs are Mans Best Friends and with a little help can be the best companion you could have. It feels so much better when you actually understand your pet.

If you've got a Dog that could benefit from a Little Training, And a Spare 30 minutes, why not take a look at my Dog Training Reviews, I don't think you will be Disappointed.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Dog Training Physical And Mental Exercise

Does your dog pull you down the street, jump on people who come to visit, or behave in other embarrassing ways? No matter how educated or successful we may be in our life we can sometimes come up short when it comes to understanding how to train our dog. You are not alone! Luckily there is a lot of information out there today that can help us learn to understand our dogs better.

Training your dog on your own may seem like a big task but it can be a very rewarding one. There are a lot of benefits to doing it yourself too, one of the most important being that your dog will respect YOU and listen to YOU, not just the dog trainer. The process of teaching your dog obedience can bond your relationship even tighter. And, you will feel a great sense of accomplishment if you do-it-yourself!

Obedience training is a way to communicate to your dog what you expect of them in a way they understand. It gives you the tools to do so and it replaces behavior you don't want with behavior you like! So, for example your dog is jumping on your newly arrived guests; you instead train them to sit quietly to receive attention. They really do want to please you and when they don't it is usually a result of one of two reasons; either they don't understand your needs, or you have not met their physical and mental needs first.

The keys to having a well-trained, happier dog include:

  • Meeting your dog's physical and mental needs first; through exercise, obedience, play and affection.
  • Decide on what your goals are and stay consistent with your expectations of your dog. Your dog will be as consistent as you are.

A well-trained dog is a happier dog because they get to spend more time with you!

Dog Training Collars From Pet Mart

I love my dog! In fact, I actually consider him a family member. If you have a pet, I'll bet you feel the same way. We tend to get attached to our animals like this. They become such a huge part of our lives. At times it's difficult to even recall what it was like without them. My daughter barely remembers life without our black lab. We adopted him when she was three years old, and he's been with us for the past five years. But one thing I've come to terms with is that not everyone likes pets, and not everyone will appreciate your animal like you do. Some might even fear them. This is not so odd. If you encounter a large dog out in a park, who happens to be strolling with the owner, you won't necessarily trust their actions. Not if you have children. A part of you becomes alert. You know in the back of your mind that the dog could possibly react in some negative way toward you or your child. Hey, animals are unpredictable like that. And this is why dog training collars were invented.

You love your German Sheppard or Rot Weller, right? If this is really the case, you'll consider controlling them when out in public. You can do so with dog training collars. If you don't care to put your pup on a leash, you can always purchase a shock collar. These devices work off of a remote control, which the owner keeps in hand. If the dog should decide to disobey, the owner can send a small shock to the K-9 via the collar. In return, the dog will begin to behave. I believe these dog training collars are crucial for the dog and the owners' safety. As far as the dog is concerned, this is the perfect way to keep them from bolting out into traffic. And in regards to the owner, the remote shock collar will grant you the ability to stop your dog if he/she decides to abruptly leap at some other animal, or worse, a small child. Like I mentioned before, animals are unpredictable.

Try your local Pet's Mart for dog training collars. They generally offer quite a selection. This is where I purchased a shock collar for my dog. And if the dog collar fails to work, you can always return it. I did exactly this with a cat shock collar once. Now remember, keeping your animals safe means keeping you safe as well.