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Tips for Training Your Dog

February 4th, 2012 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Uncategorized

A crucial and beneficial task to undertake with your dog is to train it properly. Training allows you to connect with your dog through communication. This connection is vital in directing your dog to follow your commands, as well as establishing a good lifelong relationship. Training is not the panacea for all behavior issues, but it’s a good foundational start.

Dogs are definitely social beings, but behave like wild animals when not provided the proper training. This means your dog will bite you, fight with other dogs, dig in the yard, bark too much, damage your property and dirty your home. These canine behavioral issues are actually normal dog activities, but the timing and the subject of focus is all wrong. To illustrate this, a dog must do its business outside, but does not wait and goes on the rug instead. Perhaps the dog does not just bark at a suspicious prowler, but barks the entire night instead. Or, the dog prefers to gnaw on your shoes instead of the toys you’ve provided. The critical message you must impart to your dog is that these behaviors need to be redirected to the proper time and place.

Training establishes the “pecking order” too. Your dog shows respect to you just through simple compliance for commands like “sit” and “come.” However, you and your dog should derive rewards and fun times from training. Proper training makes living together a pleasurable and rewarding experience. The well-trained canine actually can be given more freedom and is a much more confident pet as compared to a dog with no boundaries on behavior.

Your home is the venue where you should do the training. Don’t pick an area with a lot of distractions for your dog; it should be an area your dog is used to. Once you are confident that your dog has mastered a few compliance commands, you can then move on to different locations. Remember that you want people who visit to see your dog comply with all your commands. What’s the point if your dog sits on command in the backyard, but does not do so when visitors are at your home? The big test of success is to see your dog respond to commands in public places.

Dog obedience training lessons should be short on time, but long on results. Scheduling long and meticulous sessions will only become tedious and unproductive in the end. The best way to schedule is to integrate it within day-to-day activities. Your sessions should be structured so that both you and your pet derive benefit from it. Integrate sessions during activities your dog loves, and your dog will associate those favorite activities with the training. From your dog’s perspective, it should see that everything is training and training is everything.

You will find that the most profound theme in that should be rewarding to your dog for the appropriate responses. The speed at which the dog learns is directly associated with the frequency of rewards. This means that practice will involve rewarding good behaviors in quick succession. Never take your dog’s good behavior lightly and make sure that praise is given quickly. If a dog barks too much, it always gets attention, but we fail to notice our dog acting properly at times. It is human nature to focus on the bad behaviors and ignore the good. But with dogs, a system of proper actions and quick rewards are vital for the prevention of future problems.

Dogs get exasperated too when all they hear is, “No, get down, bad dog!” The constant nagging also has a tendency to make a dog apathetic to your commands. If there is a consistent system of rewards for appropriate behavior, then when your dog behaves badly and gets scolded, it has a greater impact. Remember to not just scold your dog, but show what you desire from it and immediately reward the behavior when done right. For example, you can show your dog its own toys right after scolding it for chewing on some household item. You can get excited about the dog’s toys and give a reward when the dogs play with them.

The tone of your voice, if used properly, is all that is needed for correcting bad behavior. Stick to reprimands that are concise, short and quick, and avoid nagging. Do not scold your dog if you have not caught the wrong behavior right away, as it will have little meaning after some time has passed. Late reprimands do little good and can even worsen the wrong behavior in your dog. Inappropriate reprimanding can make your dog aggressive, timid, afraid of the raised hand, apt to chew and bark excessively.

Jason Ryan is a longtime dog lover and pet owner. He has a great deal of experience raising dogs, and has written numerous articles on training-a-dog.com how to train dogs. Visit the website training-a-dog.com training-a-dog.com to read about the most effective training-a-dog.com guides.

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Alternatives to a Dog Training PA Service

February 4th, 2012 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Uncategorized

In Pennsylvania, which is a large state with lots of rural land, it can be difficult to find a good obedience school where you can get your furry companion cared for and trained the way you want. Instead of driving hours to have strangers teach your dog, perhaps you should consider being your own service PA. By following a few simple tips, you can be on your way to getting your dog obedience trained from the comfort of your own home.

Being the Alpha Dog

If the dog you are looking to train is a puppy, the first thing you need to do is establish yourself as the alpha dog in the pack. Once the puppy knows that you are the leader, the obedience training becomes much easier than it was before. This, in fact, is a great reason not to drop your little one off at a PA school where they will be the alpha dogs, not you.

If you have a grown dog, teaching him or her that you are the leader is still imperative, though it may not be as easy. At least early on, make sure you are the one feeding and caring for the dogs. Once they see that you are providing for the pack, you will quickly become the alpha dog and the training gets easier right away.

Nothing is Free

A concept taught in most PA services is the idea that nothing is free. You can use this same idea in your home as you teach your dog obedience. Reward with treats, but never give them for just any reason. When you allow the dog to understand that treats, and nothing else for that matter, are not free then he will always be looking to please you. This method is as close to universal as anything in dog obedience training.

Be Consistent

If you are going to be your own PA facility, then you need to adhere to the consistency such places will give your canine companion. Be sure that you do your activities at similar times each day. In addition, do not accept behaviors that are not acceptable and do not reward when a reward is not due. The consistency will help your training as well as your activities go much more smoothly overall.

Training your dog at home can really save you on travel, especially in a state like Pennsylvania where many of the facilities are so far away. In addition, you will save on money and time. However, perhaps the most important part of training your dog at home is that you get to bond with your pet.

Dean Iggo is the webmaster of dogtrainingadvisor.com/Dog-Training-Schools.html” target=”_blank DogTrainingAdvisor.com providing tips and advice on dogtrainingadvisor.com/Dog-Training-Schools.html” target=”_blank schools, obedience, and more.

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How to Deal with Dog Separation Anxiety

February 4th, 2012 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Uncategorized

A dog suffering from separation anxiety can cause many problems for you, your dog, and your neighbors. These dogs love their owners and they hate being away from them. You probably give your dog all the love that you can, but when you are away they become little destroyers who chew your shoes, urinate on your furniture, and bark for hours. Some breeds of dogs are predisposed to this behavior. If you are looking into getting a dog and you know that you are frequently gone, you will want to avoid breeds that have dependency problems. Many dogs that were not weaned properly will also develop a dependency on humans at an early age.

There are various symptoms of separation anxiety and it is important to note that most of these actions occur as soon as you leave your house in the mornings. Symptoms of separation anxiety include:

• Scratching at doors and windows (your doors will look like they tried dig through them)
• Urinating on the carpet and furniture
• Chewing and destroying furniture, clothes, shoes, bedding, etc.
• Excessive barking, and howling
• Chewing or excessively licking themselves
• Follows you throughout your house and demands constant attention

If your dog only exhibits these behaviors while you are gone, the dog is most likely suffering from separation anxiety. Most dogs will act fine when you are with them. They will generally only be destructive for the first thirty minutes you are gone, but may continue to howl, bark, and whine all day long. These dogs will not benefit from punishment, as they are suffering from an anxiety disorder and not intentional bad behavior. They will not be able to associate punishment with their acts, as it may have been hours since they were being destructive.

Your veterinarian may be able to direct you in how to deal with dog separation anxiety. Many dogs with severe cases may require anxiety medication. They will also require behavior modification training. The combination of medication and training is the best. Behavior modification training will teach you how to react to your dog and his problems, as well.

In changing your dog’s behavior, you will first want to avoid making a big deal about leaving and coming home. Many dogs are able to recognize when their owners are leaving and their anxiety will begin to build. Avoid saying anything to your dog as you leave and come back home. Try to ignore them for as long as possible when you come home. This will help make your arrival and departures low-key events with minimal excitement. Try to find what triggers your dog’s behavior. Notice your dog’s reactions to you picking up your keys, purse, and briefcase. After determining what sets your dog off, repeat those actions without leaving your house, as this will help to desensitize your dog.

Be sure that your dog is receiving plenty of exercise to reduce his amount of energy. Start by gradually leaving your dog for short periods of time and then extend those time limits gradually. You may also want to give your dog toys that hold treats so that he will be busy for hours. You can give these to him as you walk out the door in the mornings. Crating your dog does not generally help, as they spend their time trying to escape and destroying their crates. You may also choose to leave a radio or television on, as the noise helps to calm these dogs. The process is a long adjustment period but, with work, your dog will become less dependent on you and less stressed.

For more information on tips and tricks and latest
and best ebooks visit dogtrainingbookreviews.com/dog-training-book.html dogtrainingbookreviews.com/dog-training-book.html

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Why Not Consider a Career in Dog Training ?

February 3rd, 2012 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Uncategorized

If you’re considering a career in , then there are a few things that you should know.
A dog trainer is expected to use various ways to teach dogs, not only obedience, but some dogs
have to be taught security, performing and assisting people who are disabled. Just to train a dog
for obedience won’t cut it on today’s market. It may surprise you to know that, although there
are some people working in this field with a high school education, there are some cases where a
bachelor degree would be required.

It is not only the education that makes the trainer, but you also have to be sensitive and patient.
You have to be good in problem solving and obedience. There is no law stating that you have to
have a certification for . There are several schools that offer training programs where
you can earn a certification. The outlook for the future looks bright for this type of career as
more people have animals and seek the help of a trainer with the obedience of the animal.

When you become a dog trainer, you will be expected to get the dogs accustomed to your voice
and contact. You will have to condition them to respond to commands and give the animals
positive reinforcement. You will be expected to provide dogs with mental stimulation, physical
exercise, and hands on care and you will also have to see to their diet needs. All of these
attributes come into play when you have to get a dog ready for a dog show or some other
competition

If you are good at what you do, this will show when your dogs keep winning at dog shows. This
is where all the traits of a dog stand out and the time and effort you have put into the animal
shines through, not only for the owner but for you also. Some dog trainers get very well known
as excellent trainers through the dogs that they teach and appear as winners in dog shows time
and time again.

For lots of information on
yourdogtrainingguide.net/certified-dog-trainer.htm becoming
a certified dog trainer and other related topics, visit the Dog Training
Guide at yourdogtrainingguide.net
yourdogtrainingguide.net yourdogtrainingguide.net

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Dog Training - Understanding Your Dog’s Behavior

February 1st, 2012 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Uncategorized

Whether you just got a new dog and want to show everyone that it can do more that lick itself and wag its tail, or you have an older dog that you think you can show some new tricks to, benefits everyone. Not only will your dog be better behaved, but it will also bond better with you. You will benefit from a calmer more controllable dog and so will all your friends and family when they come to visit you.

To start out, you really need to understand why your dog behaves the way it does. Most dogs only care about two things, food and play (depending on your dog, it could be in any order). All dogs are “pack animals” albeit more domesticated; they are quite similar to wolves. They consider you and everyone in your household as part of their pack. Most dogs do not want to be the leader of this pack, but just like in the wild, if no one else is stepping up to the plate, they will feel obligated to assume the leader, or “boss” role.

In order for you to train your dog successfully, you must become the leader of this pack, or at least outrank your dog. Dogs want someone that they can look to for leadership and protection. It is up to you to assume this role if you want to be able to successfully train and live with your dog in the household. You need always to be firm and consistent with your dog. If you are not, or have not been, you can still become the pack leader. Things such as making him wait for you to exit the door first, or feeding him after you eat will help establish this role. Do not be afraid to “pull rank” on your dog occasionally either. If he is used to sitting on one side of your couch, make him get up and take that place, or if he hogs the covers in your bed, roll him off the bed from time to time. It may seem a little mean but establishing this “chain of command” is very important.

You should never abuse or hit your dog, no matter how frustrated you may be with training him. This does nothing to help and only makes matters worse. Your dog will sense your frustration and become nervous itself and loose the concentration needed to improve and pick up on your training. It is also illegal to strike any dog.

With any training program, consistency is the key. Keeping focused and not swaying from the tasks will help you to teach your dog. Any habit, whether good or bad is formed when an action is repeated time and time again. Do not give up on any routine until your dog has understood what you are trying to teach him. Even once they understand, it’s a good idea to reinforce the habits from time to time. Just like humans, dogs forget too.

Understanding how your dog’s mind works, is the first and most important step to staring any training program.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to dog-training-guided.com/ Dog Training

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