Dog Obedience Training

Dog training tips

2008-12-23T07:31:00.000-08:00

Is dog training important ? Yes! Why ? Imagine such situation, you have bought beautiful small puppy. You and your children love it very much. But when it is bigger and you have to go out on a walk with him the problems starts, he is still barking on the other dogs. You almost cannot keep him on a lash because he is still running from one side of the road to another. When you come back home it is not the end. Your best shoes look like old, cheap gym shoes because now they are your dogs favorite toy to chew. Your garden.. oh you even don’t want to think about your garden and all holes made there…
Ok, this story is a little bit exaggerated. I’m sure all that things won’t happen to you in the same moment or at all. Training you dog is rewarding. Especially, if you do it yourself because there will be very strong relationship between you and your dog. At the end of the article you can find some useful links which will help you to train your dog fast and without stress.

Now, when you know why dog training is important it is time for some tips on topic of most common dog behavior problems. As far as I know usually people don’t know what to do when their dog is a) barking b) chewing c)digging. I said “don’t know” because many people take an action like biting, closing in a bathroom etc. which makes thing only worse. Here are some solutions and tips what to do.

Barking is a normal behavior for a dog and you cannot force him to stop barking at all. Barking in dog’s world is normal form of communication. Your pet barks because he wants to get an attention of other dogs, because he alerts that there is a person walking by or a dog entering his territory or he is simply bored and he do it for fun. If he starts to do it once you can be sure he will do it again. Treat for barking is very simple. You have to play with your dog, exercise him, provide with some fun things like chew toys etc. Don’t keep him all the time in the back yard, let him to enter the house, he has to feel that he is a part of a family. Of course you can train your dog to be quiet. Use command “stop barking”, when the dog doesn’t bark for few seconds give him a treat, when he will bark another time say “stop barking” and if he stop for a moment give him a treat. Timing is very important in this exercise, first time give him a treat after 3 seconds of silence than after 5 seconds and than after 10 seconds etc.

Chewing is a part of life of every puppy owner. Puppies has to chew when they are teething and it’s normal. You have to provide your dog with some special toys he can chew. If you don’t have access to any toys you can give your pup a cold carrot to chew or freeze chicken broth in ice cube trays. If nothing helps use Bitter Apple spray to deter him from chewing. If your dog is an adult and still chew furniture and clothes. There is a big possibility he is doing it because he is bored or nervous. The best thing is to exercise and play with him.

Digging, dogs dig from variety of reasons, some do it because boredom, it’s the easiest case you only have to provide him with other type of entertainment. Some of them do it because they want to escape or they want catch some animal living underground. The best thing you can do is prevention. Try concrete or wire mesh buried under the fence where he is getting out. When he is only digging holes in the garden you can train him not to do it. When you see that your dog start to dig turn on a sprinkler in the place where he is digging. If you don’t have a sprinkler you can use a water pistol. Important: dog cannot know you are punishing him, pretend that the sprinkler turned on automatically.

For more information on dog training techniques and how to deal with problem dog behavior (like chewing), check out SitStayFetch. It’s the complete manual for dog ownership and is designed to fast-track your dog’s learning.
You can visit the SitStayFetch site by clicking on the link below:
http://www.kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/

5 dog training myths

2008-12-22T03:04:00.000-08:00

"Fellow Dog Owners and Enthusiasts,
It is with great pleasure and pride I find myself representing a superb
opportunity to assist yet another dog owner in their quest for a healthy,
happy, and willingly obedient companion.
I'm happy to say that since its inception, the SitStayFetch guide to dog
obedience training has been used by over 60,000 dog owners to solve
their dog behavior troubles - or prevent them from occurring from the
start!

Many of their success stories are included on our website with photo
testimonials These clients represent a wide mix of dog owners, from those who are house training a new puppy, struggling with common problems such as excessive barking, destructive chewing, or possessive aggression, to those treating a severe case of separation anxiety or struggling with an adult dog that is simply on a crash course toward "out of control." Over the years our team has grown into respected network of dog trainers, behaviorists, and veterinarians who work under the Kingdom of Pets name. We all share the same commitment to solving your problems so that you can get the most out of your relationship with your companion! Dog owners from all corners of life can benefit from a systematic training program based on sound methods (my own dogs are walking proof) and that's what we're all about providing anyone with a dog they truly care about...

So now that I've answered the question, "WHY should I listen to you?" - it's time to get on with WHAT I've got to say... time to get into the meat of the matter"
Daniel Stevens "5 dog training myths"

"5 dog training myths" is a great book about training your dog. You can find there useful advices, do's and don'ts but the most impotant thing is that it is completly FREE.
You can download it here (right click > save as..): "5 dog training myths"

Few dog training tips

2008-12-10T03:22:00.000-08:00

If you've just become the owner of a puppy remember to start training as soon as possible. Training young dog is much easier than training an adult dog. You have to prepare to invest some time, effort and of course some amount of money. Obedience training is very important because when dog doesn’t obey his master he can be unsafe to the society. Dog can be a danger to children (even in your house), neighbors and other dogs in the park. What do you have to remember when training your dog? Here are few tips:

TIP 1: Don’t ignore any type of behavior, whether desirable or undesirable. When it is desirable make sure to use positive reinforcement. When it is bad don’t beat the dog it’s the worst thing you can do. (The only thing this will do in the end is teach your dog to become afraid of you)

TIP 2: Never punish your dog after the fact, when you discover something broken few minutes after, you can’t do anything with that. Dogs associate punishment with what they're doing at the time they're being punished.

TIP 3: Be patient, Dog are incredibly smart but they cannot learn everything in a second. Practice is the key to train your dog. Don’t get nervous because our dog will pick up on your emotions.

TIP 4: Don’t extend. Fifteen to twenty minutes is the right time for learning simple commands, so focus on a single command a session and end it on a positive note. When the training session ends remember to play a little bit with the dog. He will associate training with something positive.

TIP 5: Try to find a place without any noises, toys ad other pets. It would distract the dog.

TIP 6: Make obedience training part of your every day life. Use command like “sit” or “stay” in everyday situations.

TIP 7: Use only simple commands and make sure that everyone in your family knows them. You don't want to end up with a dog that's totally confused because every one in the house has their own methods of training.

For more information on dog training techniques and how to deal with problem dog behavior (like chewing), check out SitStayFetch. It’s the complete manual for dog ownership and is designed to fast-track your dog’s learning.
You can visit the SitStayFetch site by clicking on the link below:

http://www.kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/

Tips to Stop Your Puppy's Destructive Chewing

2008-11-30T09:39:00.000-08:00

Puppies are like small children. They explore the world through their mouths, puppies explore and learn by chewing. Puppies are teething until they're about 6 months old, unfortunately, unlike children, puppies won't "outgrow" these behaviors as they mature. You must tech your dog which behaviors are acceptable and which are not. But, how to do it? Here you’ve got some tips.

TIP 1: Puppy-proof your house. Put all things which can be chewed out of reach (hide shoes in a cabinet, don’t let your children to leave toys on the floor, hide all socks, eyeglasses, TV remotes)

TIP 2: Buy several toys he can chew on. (Don’t use old socks and shoes etc because he won’t know that he can’t play with your new socks and shoes). Remember, soft squeak toys are fun for small puppies and for games of fetch, but are not sturdy enough for chewing exercise for older pups.

TIP 3: When you have to leave your house for longer, limit access to living room, bedroom, etc you can use baby doors or simply close the door.

TIP 4: If you catch your puppy on chewing something he shouldn’t, interrupt the behavior with a loud noise, than give him one of his toys he can chew. Remember, you have to be rather calm and dependable than emotional.

TIP 5: Teach your puppy not to bite any part of human body. Did you know that biting family members is an attempt to establish dominance ?

TIP 6: If your puppy is teething, try freezing a wet washcloth for him to chew on.

TIP 7: Never punish your dog after the fact, when you discover something chewed few minutes after, you can’t do anything with that. Puppies associate punishment with what they're doing at the time they're being punished.

For more information on dog training techniques and how to deal with problem dog behavior (like chewing), check out SitStayFetch. It’s the complete manual for dog ownership and is designed to fast-track your dog’s learning.
You can visit the SitStayFetch site by clicking on the link below:

http://www.kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/