Must Know Dog Training Tips and Techniques

December 20, 2009 by Schnauzer Owner  
Filed under Dog Training

There are many dog training techniques and styles and some vary according to the dogs breed. There are various items and training tools to help even the novice train a dog successfully. The one thing that is always required when training a dog is patience, understanding and the ability to read your dog successfully.

There are different types of training and they can differ depending on what you want your dog to do. The most basic of training for all dogs is basic commands such as sit, heel, stay, come and fetch. Another basic training for all dogs is house training. All of these training methods are essential to having a good relationship with your dog.

There are training methods for easing a dog’s aggressive behavior, teaching a dog not to bark or whine, basic behaviors, biting, chewing, digging and many others. All of these, however, should be taught only after basic commands are taught and they are successfully house trained. This stops the dog becoming confused and keeps your patience and sanity intact!

Obedience in dogs is not automatic; while some dog breeds are albeit better than others, they still have to be taught to obey their owners. If they are not taught obedience, the dog may become unruly, aggressive and you may find yourself unable to cope.

Let’s look at housebreaking your new puppy or your rescue dog. When you first get your new dog is when you should start to work on getting the dog broken into the routine. Puppies will want to relieve themselves much more than an older dog, so you have to be able to take note of the times your puppy will want to go.

The usual times a puppy needs to go is straight after food or water, so take care to note what your dog does when. The important thing to remember is to not get angry with your puppy if they do make mistakes or have any accidents. Accidents will happen and they may be plentiful, so stay patient and don’t scold the animal if they get it wrong.

It isn’t until a dog is 12 weeks plus that they will be able to have any sort of control over their bladder functions. This is why it is imperative to start training straight away and get them into a good routine. The dog will soon realize that when you take him outside it is time to go, it may take a while and don’t take your eye off the dog when outside. This way you can be sure it has actually done what it needs to do before you take him back inside!

Other forms of dog training such as agility commands and activities will take time, but they can be a lot of fun and exercise for both of you. You may wasn’t to get a professional dog trainer to help you, especially if you are considering entering the dog into agility competitions.

There are other forms of dog training that are more serious; there are dogs that are trained to lead blind people, help disabled people, the elderly, to help find surviving victims of disasters, fire dogs, police dogs and many more. These are always trained professionally and usually by specialty organizations that deal specifically with training for those occurrences.

4 Dog Training Tips That Work

December 20, 2009 by Schnauzer Owner  
Filed under Dog Training

There are many, many ways to approach training your dog. You could hire out a professional trainer (expensive…ouch!). You could enroll in a less expensive class (time-consuming…ugh!). Or you could carve out the time from your own busy schedule and do-it-yourself (can you spell commitment?).

I favor doing it yourself for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that it’s the best way to get to know your little best friend. But if you’re doing it yourself, you definitely don’t want to waste time or effort, right? So here are 4 time-crunching, zero-wasted-effort dog training tips that will work.

1) Keep Your Sessions Short

Your pup isn’t like us. He can’t “force” his attention on anything for very long. So you need to capture it quickly and work with it quickly. That means keeping your training sessions short…probably never really more than 10 minutes when you’re starting out. You can compensate for the short time by having multiple sessions during the day or evening….think “mini-sessions.” Then, when his attention span starts to stretch, you can stretch your sessions out too. Shorter sessions actually make for faster learning.

2) Keep Your Sessions Fun

Think about this for a second. Since both you and your dog have to go through the same training together anyway, why not make it fun?

Look for ways to catch your dog “doing it right” and pile on the praise when he does. That will be fun for him and his reaction will make it fun for you too. Be positive! Smile! Laugh! Set a “fun” tone. Then don’t be surprised if both you and your dog start to look forward to your sessions together.

3) Hold Your Sessions In Different Locations

Many dog owners have been successful at getting their dogs to understand and obey them over a large range of commands. Then they see it all fall apart as soon as they go to a new location. It happened to me. I had trained up one of my best buddies to the point where he obeyed me almost perfectly. The problem was, I had only trained him inside my apartment and in a small adjacent side yard. Then the first time we went to the park, WOW, it was like I had a different dog!

You see, I’d been working him out in the same surroundings and when those surrounding changed, he thought the rules had changed too. So I learned my lesson and since that time have tried to train my pets in lots of different locations. After a while they learn that the rules are the same no matter where they are.

4) Make Your Sessions Consistent

It’s probably hard to believe, but your dog really wants to know his place in your world…and he’s happy for you to define it. You can define it more easily for him if you’re consistent.

Don’t vary your training too much in the beginning. Work your lessons in the same way, the same order. Train him in the basic fundamental commands until he starts to understand and obey. Once you’ve established that framework, you can add more commands and a little variety. This will give him a strong comfort level about what you expect from him…and once he knows that, he’ll show steady improvement.

Keep in mind that every owner/pet pair is a unique combination. And for training to be successful, they have to find their own unique “rhythm.” Using these dog training tips will help you find your rhythm quicker…so you and your pooch can build a strong bond that will last for years.

Want to build an Awesome Relationship with your dog?

…check this out on The-Dog-Zone.net

Hunting dog training tips – Part 1

December 20, 2009 by Schnauzer Owner  
Filed under Dog Training

A well-trained hunting dog can make you a better hunter; making your hunting easy, exciting and memorable.

So how do you get a well-trained hunting dog? By training the dog beginning from when it is a puppy.

Training a dog for hunting has stricter methods than training a dog for pet interest. Training a dog for hunting is like training a dog for security, so every atom of seriousness and strictness must be allowed to “react in the process”.

Yes! You will experience all the challenges encountered in training dogs, but at the end of it all, you will enjoy the benefits.

So let’s get down to the tips:

Purchase a good puppy

Start my teaching the puppy basic commands. Your can make the dog understand these commands in your native language. It takes time for humans to learn, and even more for dogs. So be patient! Don’t expect to start seeing results in two days! It didn’t take you two days to learn your mother’s tongue.

At this time, is it advisable to take the dog to hunt? Yes! Even as a puppy, you can take it out for not-too-serious hunting. This will prepare the dog for the future. The dog will gradually start getting acquainted with what you do, the smell of games around, etc. It is safe to take a puppy out for hunting.

Should the dog misbehave, discipline it. “Spare the rod, spoil the dog”. Humans need discipline, dogs need more. You have to discipline the dog. However, such disciplines should become stricter as the dog grows older. As a puppy, the dog is yet to know much, so you can be considerate sometimes.

A dog must love, respect and obey the owner. This process is more challenging. You have to be stricter in this one. A dog learns to obey the owner when it knows that there is a strict discipline for misbehaving. Also, a dog learns to love and respect the owner, when it knows that there is a strong petting, rubbing and loving for obeying.

So love your dog, you gain respect. Discipline your dog, you gain obedience.

Throughout this period of training, take your dog out for hunting. At the puppy stage, you can leave it at home, but as it grows to an older puppy, “not-too-serious” hunting will be handy to expose it to the hunting environment.

You should have a good experience about dogs to be able to do this effectively. When your puppy gets older, almost becoming a dog, more of the training processes should be done in the hunting field. It should start understanding what you do and what you are looking for. Strictness and discipline will also help to effectively pass this across to your dog.

At the end of everything, you will enjoy a very smart dog, fully-alert, and more fully equipped than the owner for a great and memorable hunting.

7 Dog Training Tips to Should Know Prior to Starting Dog Training

December 19, 2009 by Schnauzer Owner  
Filed under Dog Training

Dog training is very important if you would like to ensure that you and your new pet will be able to live in harmony. Dog training can correct or modify a number of the dog’s natural behaviors, making the dog much more suited to life being taken care of in your home. There are a number of different ways available to train your dog and by following these 7 basic dog training tips, you will find that the training goes smoothly and is fun for both you and your dog.

1. If you are unsure of how to train your dog, seek help.

Individuals that would like to train their dog often have no idea how dog training is conducted or how the personality of their dog will factor into the training process. There are a number of different books and reference materials available to help a person train their dog, and if the owner is still unsure or uncomfortable with the training methods, they can ask a professional dog trainer for assistance and additional dog training tips.

2. Negative reinforcement is the least effective training method.

One of the dog training tips that most dog training professionals wish more people knew is that using negative reinforcement or punishment to train the dog is the least effective way to get the dog to obey you, but is the most effective way of making the dog fearful or aggressive towards you and others.

3. Making dog training fun also makes the training more effective.

Another one of the most important dog training tips to remember is that dogs love to please and are eager to learn in all stages of life, so making the dog training fun for the dog not only makes the training more enjoyable but also makes the lesson easier to learn for your dog.

4. Don’t be afraid to use small treats as rewards.

Giving the dog a small treat for a job well done will not hurt the training process and will make the training more enjoyable for the dog. The treat chosen as the reward should only be given during the training process and on the successful completion of the task the dog was asked to do.

5. Research training products extensively before deciding which to purchase.

There are a large number of different training products on the market today and some of these products are intended for a specific use, not for general obedience training. Some of the products will have features that are not necessary to the training that you are trying to conduct, while some others may have features that will make your training sessions easier.

6. Dog training takes time.

Just as you didn’t learn how to read in a day, your dog will not master a command or a trick within the space of a day. It takes time for a dog to remember and execute a desired behavior after it has been introduced to them, so this important dog training tip is to give the training time to work and the dog time to understand what you are asking him to do.

7. If at first you don’t succeed, try again.

This last tip of the important dog training tips is that if your dog fails to understand a training method or a command, try a different teaching method. Just like different people learn in different ways, different dogs learn in different ways as well.

My Favorite Dog Training Tips

December 18, 2009 by Schnauzer Owner  
Filed under Dog Training

 

A few sources echo similar techniques that ensure success when training your dog. After scouring the web and throughly researched the issue, I have tried many tips and found a few that actually yield results.

Always reward good behavior. It may seem obvious however, many pet owners find themselves unconditionally pleased with their pet. For instance it may be easy to notice a behavior such as laying down and rolling over as adorable and reward the animal with attention and positive feedback. Other situations it may be less obvious that your dog is actually carrying out desired behavior. When potty training, after a long day when your dog eliminates outside for instance, make sure you do not abandon the dog at this time, remind it that it is doing the right thing verbally.

Never reward undesired behavior. A dog will learn with consistency and love. Don’t fall for cute tricks. Only encourage desired behaviors. Follow through with commands. If you instruct your dog to do something, make certain that it does. In other words, do not give commands that you are unwilling to take the time to enforce. Follow through with your instructions even if you have to physically, gently of course, place the dog in what ever position you stated. If this is consistent your dog will learn much more quickly and be obeying you in no time.

Proper exercise. When given a chance to expend energy and the freedom to walk or run your dog will behave much differently in the home. This is crucial to a having a healthy pet as it is a fundamental need of the animal. Although dogs are domesticated they still flourish when outdoors.

Avoid double commands. Do not instruct two things at one time. It is beneficial to your dog to be able to follow through with a command and then be rewarded. Multiple commands are fine as long as they do not overlap.

These are just a few of my favorite dog training tips. Ever since I started I’ve noticed a world of difference. They are simple, to the point, and effective.

 

Dog Training Tip Do This And Reach Success!

December 16, 2009 by Schnauzer Owner  
Filed under Dog Training

First and foremost the most important thing that can be mentioned as a dog training tip is patience. It is of course very easy to become frustrated and want to give up on your dog, as you yell at them for the 10th time for going to the bathroom in the house. However there are many things that can help you, many useful dog training tips that will make your life much easier for the next few months.

There are books to read, and classes to take, and people to talk to. Believe it or not training your dog involves a lot more than teaching him/her to go to the bathroom outside. There are other very important accepts of having an animal. You are going to have to train the dog not to jump on the furniture (should that be your wish). Maybe you want to train them to heel and come, sit and lie down always come in handy too. Well how do you do this? And I don’t mean the type of training that works 1 out of every 5 times, I mean really train your dog. Well there are many tips to be found everywhere. The American kennel club provides some on their website and there are many, many books out there to be read, all with helpful dog training tips and methods.

If you want the information it is not finding it that is difficult, it is deciding what school of thought you agree with, and yes there are schools of though for dog training. Do you want to use a crate? Or just rewards for good behavior? In order to make the best out of the situation and develop and truly respectful relationship with your animal training is important and you must decide how to go about it. Careful research is the only answer.

Pit Bull Puppy Problems: Dog Training Tips

December 11, 2009 by Schnauzer Owner  
Filed under Dog Training

There are a few different problems that are seen commonly in puppies who are six months of age or younger. These problems include submissive urination, urination when getting overly excited, and problems with nipping and chewing. If your Pit Bull terrier pup is having problems in any of these areas, don’t worry. I’m about to reveal exactly how to correct it.

If your Pit Bull puppy tends to squat and urinate when you approach him, this is a problem with submissive urination. This behavior shouldn’t be confused with a potty training problem, it is associated with insecurity if you punish your puppy or use negative reinforcements it will more than likely worsen the behavior. Submissive urination occurs when a dog is scared and feels intimidated when being approached by an individual.

To solve the problem of submissive urination, calmly approach your puppy. Try not to tower over him, crouch down so that you’re not as intimidating. If your puppy begins to urinate, try offering him a treat next time. The way to correct submissive urination is to get his focus away from whatever is causing his reaction.

If your puppy has difficulty controlling his bladder when getting excited, it is known as excitement urination. Again, never punish your puppy in this situation as it will only cause problems to get worse.

The fix for this problem is easy. Ignore it. Excitement urination usually disappears as a puppy matures and his bladder control strengthens.

Puppy chewing can be extremely annoying, especially if your Pit Bull is destroying things of high value to you (I’ve lost my fair share of eyeglasses for example). Puppies use chewing and biting as a way to ease teething pain. To solve this problem, give your puppy lots of toys to chew on instead. Kong toys are popular, as are stuffed squeakers.

If you’re having problems in these areas with your new Pit Bull puppy, have patience and take the time to work with your new buddy. He’ll get through these tough times with a little love and understanding.

7 Important Dog Training Tips for You

December 8, 2009 by Schnauzer Owner  
Filed under Dog Training

Dog training provides your dog with important lessons. They can save his life and they can protect you, your family, your neighbors and your household items.

Sadly, many dogs end up at the local pound because they never learned how to adapt to life within human society. This is often because owners don’t know proper dog training methods. When their dogs seem unable to make the transition, owners feel their only alternative is to let the dog go.

This doesn’t have to be the case for you. All it takes is knowing the right dog training techniques that work, how to apply them effectively and where to look for help.

One of the first lessons is for you.

Make dog training fun and enjoyable for you and your dog. That way, neither of you will become stressed or frustrated. Remember that dogs pick up on your emotions, the energy you emit. If you become tense, your dog becomes upset too. In this state, he is confused and unable to learn.

It takes time for a dog to learn and retain what he’s learned. He might succeed admirably on your first training session, but the next day he’s just as likely to have forgotten it. He might seem to have it down for an entire week or more and then fall back into his old habits.

He has a lot to learn in his youth. Because a dog’s natural instincts are far stronger than any training you might apply, it’s easy for him to slip back at this early stage.

This is a normal part of dog training, but it’s not impossible to overcome. Simply reassert the training as a refresher course. Don’t think that he just can’t learn, because he can. He proved it by getting it right the first time.

Puppies love to play and interact with humans. While this is fun to observe and experience, it can present a problem during training. For an especially exuberant puppy, make extra effort to calm him whenever he loses focus.

You can do this by helping him expel some of that energy. Chase him around the yard, toss the ball, play tug-of-war, and anything else that will drain him. After about 15-20 minutes, or when you see he’s slowing down, take a 5-minute rest and then begin the dog training.

Keep your training sessions short, especially at the beginning. He’ll learn much better if you keep each lesson to under 10 minutes. Take a break, an hour or so, and start again.

Here are 7 basic dog training tips that will make training fun for you and your dog.

1. Seek out trained professionals. They can shorten the learning curve for you and your pet by using only the most effective dog training methods. No guesswork, just results. Refer to any of the great dog training books that are available for proper techniques.

2. Use positive reinforcement during the dog training sessions. Negative reinforcement, such as hitting your dog, can bring the opposite results to what you’re trying to achieve. As well, negative punishment can make your dog fearful and even aggressive.

3. Make it fun! Dog training doesn’t have to be a gruelling task. Dogs love to please their owners, so if the learning environment is relaxed and fun, your dog will learn much more easily.

4. Use small treat rewards to help make the training enjoyable. Choose a special treat to use only for the training process when your dog has completed a lesson correctly.

5. Choose appropriate training products. Speak to your dog trainer or pet store professionals for advice on the proper product for your specific needs. For basic training, you need the right collar and leash, which can be a clicker collar or one of the different types of harnesses.

6. Remember that it will take time for your dog to absorb and understand your dog training lessons. Allow him the time he needs but also remember to reinforce each lesson by using the same methods every time. This will help his retention.

7. Know when to change your teaching method. While you’ll want to stick to one method, it must be one that actually works. Try different methods until you find one that gets the results you want, and then continue to use that method.

Once you see some results, you’ll realize that dog training can be a rewarding experience.

You could consider it an art form or special talent reserved for people like you who have the envious ability to connect with their dogs on a unique level.

Done well, dog training is like poetry in motion.

Dog Training Tips – Part 4

December 8, 2009 by Schnauzer Owner  
Filed under Dog Training

The worst thing about having a dog is the training part. Just imagine how bad an untrained dog is. An untrained dog could litter anywhere in your house. This gives you’re a house a foul odor that is pretty difficult to figure out where it is coming from. Aside from that untrained dogs could be so active that your house may turn into a mess. All of these things could all be avoided though with proper training.

Proper training or disciplining your dog can help lessen the hassles. However training a dog is no easy task too. A dog may be smart for an animal but it will still take time and hard work to get your dog trained. Here are some things that make your dog’s training be more effective though.

A dog will become more trained and disciplined if what you are doing becomes a daily ritual. Making the training very ritualistic will make the dog remember the training slowly. So it is important to train your dog daily. You would need to sacrifice a few weeks of doing this to get your dog trained. When doing this, it is better to make daily short sessions compared to a weekly long one.

When training the dog, it is best not to use harshness that much. Instead try to use love and appreciation. If your dog follows the things you ask him or her to do give a doggy treat. Don’t give the treat until the task is done. Try doing this whenever you have free time during your day.

Remember that you are talking to dog. When training a dog give simple commands, don’t give complex commands such as “prepare me dinner” or “wash your own ass” while the training is still at an early stage. It’s better to give simple commands such as sit and come.

Try not to confuse your dog when training. Only use one word for one action. I.e., when eating try to only say “eat” not “chow”. Try to use different words for every different action you’d want your dog doing.

When training a dog you and your family must be on the same page. You may be training your dog to stop digging at the garden. But your son still says it’s ok to the dog. When this happens the training may just be useless. So when training a dog, it’s best to have the family members cooperating.

Training a dog is not an easy task really. But that is the sheer reality that you must now face when owning a dog. You must now be responsible for the dog’s life and attitude and that includes you training him or her.

Essential Dog Training Tips

December 5, 2009 by Schnauzer Owner  
Filed under Dog Training

It has been discovered that the amount of touching a pregnant dog receives determines how well its puppies are able to tolerate people touching them after they are born. Puppies who have little or zero tolerance for people touching them probably had no contact while in their mother’s womb.

Usually, it isn’t advisable to start training your dog when its immune system is weak because it will not respond well. A dog should begin training after it has been vaccinated against certain ailments. At most, start training your dog when its risk of getting a disease is low.

Make sure that your dog knows when it has appropriately responded to your command by rewarding it. Dogs need to be rewarded for good behavior in order to encourage it. Treats are put in place especially to help a handler reward the dog for good behavior.

The choke collar is a training tool for dogs that is usually applied to communicate your displeasure to your dog when it exhibits undesirable behavior. The choke collar is the length of a chain with a large circular ring on the other end and is a good dog training tool. The choke collar tightens on your dog’s neck when you give it a tug thereby letting your dog know that what it is doing is not acceptable.

It is not enough to train your dog to obey your every command as you will also have to get it to love you as well. A relationship between you and your dog that is based on love and trust can enhance your training sessions. If your dog is terrified of you, training it may not be a raving success.

Your hands should be an integral part of training your dog. Dogs are skilled at reading body language and can easily understand any signal you send to them using your body. Non-verbal gestures are excellent dog training communication modes.

When the world’s greatest dog trainer came on the Oprah show, it started a flurry of eager dog owners standing in line to have their dogs trained. A trained dog gives you the best of itself and its services. An untrained dog in your home can be more of a curse than a blessing.

Never use any dog-training device that you are not sure of. Dog training tools can turn to lethal weapons in the wrong hands. Make sure that you know the function of each tool for dog training before you use it.

It has been discovered that the amount of touching a pregnant dog receives determines how well its puppies are able to tolerate people touching them after they are born. Puppies who have little or zero tolerance for people touching them probably had no contact while in their mother’s womb.

Usually, it isn’t advisable to start training your dog when its immune system is weak because it will not respond well. A dog should begin training after it has been vaccinated against certain ailments. At most, start training your dog when its risk of getting a disease is low.

Make sure that your dog knows when it has appropriately responded to your command by rewarding it. Dogs need to be rewarded for good behavior in order to encourage it. Treats are put in place especially to help a handler reward the dog for good behavior.

The choke collar is a training tool for dogs that is usually applied to communicate your displeasure to your dog when it exhibits undesirable behavior. The choke collar is the length of a chain with a large circular ring on the other end and is a good dog training tool. The choke collar tightens on your dog’s neck when you give it a tug thereby letting your dog know that what it is doing is not acceptable.

It is not enough to train your dog to obey your every command as you will also have to get it to love you as well. A relationship between you and your dog that is based on love and trust can enhance your training sessions. If your dog is terrified of you, training it may not be a raving success.

Your hands should be an integral part of training your dog. Dogs are skilled at reading body language and can easily understand any signal you send to them using your body. Non-verbal gestures are excellent dog training communication modes.

When the world’s greatest dog trainer came on the Oprah show, it started a flurry of eager dog owners standing in line to have their dogs trained. A trained dog gives you the best of itself and its services. An untrained dog in your home can be more of a curse than a blessing.

Never use any dog-training device that you are not sure of. Dog training tools can turn to lethal weapons in the wrong hands. Make sure that you know the function of each tool for dog training before you use it.

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