Pet training has many advantages. It allows animals to exercise their intelligence in constructive ways, stops them from engaging in destructive behavior and keeps them under your control. Learning to perform actions or tricks on command can be fun for pets if they get plenty of affection and encouragement in the process. This is why the most successful form of training uses positive reinforcement.

Training with positive reinforcement involves rewarding pets when they perform the right action, rather than punishing them for doing something wrong. Rewards are typically in the form of small food treats combined with praise. Once animals learn to associate certain actions with positive consequences, they become eager to repeat them.

You’ve probably already trained your pet through positive reinforcement without realizing it. If a dog or cat scratches at the door and you open it, they learn to associate the behavior of scratching with the reward of going outside. You reinforce the behavior every time you let them out when they scratch.

Intentional, rather than accidental, training involves getting pets to respond on command. Envision the specific action you want the pet to perform and come up with a single word to trigger it. Cue words of one syllable such as ‘stay’ or ‘come’ are less likely to confuse an animal than more complex commands.

Each time your pet displays the desired behavior in response the cue word, you should praise him and immediately feed him a treat. Speed and consistency of reward are important to learning. If you are teaching a dog to lie down, reward him while he is still on the floor in the right position. If you wait until he is sitting up to give him his treat, he won’t know which action to associate with the cue word ‘down’.

To teach an animal to get off the bed or sofa, chose a simple command like ‘off’. When you find your pet sitting on the furniture, get a food treat and hide it in your hand. Stand over the animal, loudly and clearly say ‘off’ and gently push her to the floor. Immediately praise her and hold the treat to her mouth. Do this every time you catch her sitting where she’s not allowed. Eventually, she will jump off the furniture in response to your command, without the accompanying push.

Once an animal has learned to perform the required action in response to the cue word, gradually stop giving the treat reward, but continue to let her know you are pleased. Dogs respond well to verbal praise and physical affection such as a scratch on the ear. After training, this is usually all the reward they require. Some cats and birds also crave their owner’s affection and can be taught to perform on command without a food reward.

Pet training requires patience on the part of both the teacher and the pupil. There will be good days and bad days. Do not continue with a dog training Kelowna session if your pet seems tired or distracted. Never resort to scolding or punishment for bad performance. This will cause your animal to associate the cue word with negative consequences. Training should be an enjoyable experience that both you and your pet will be keen to repeat.

Training a puppy can be frustrating, dog training requires discipline and consistancy. When experiencing problems, consult a professional. Bark Busters offer a reliable and affordable service for house puppy training.

Because pop culture is so prevalent in our every day lives, we often look to celebrities for hints and ideas on how to live our lives. Perhaps it’s the idea of living glamorously, or maybe for sheer lack of creativity , we often emulate our favorite actors, actresses, t.v. stars, musicians and even politicians. Choosing and naming our pets is no different! We’ve all seen them, out and about at the dog park or shopping out on the town , celebrities love their pets! Whether you’re a pop culture buff or not, if you’re considering getting a dog, you may be inspired by whom and what some well-known personalities call their ‘best friends.’

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal is ‘best friends’ with a German Shepherd named ‘Atticus’ and a Puggle named ‘Boo Radley.’ ‘Bambi’ is the Pit Bull that keeps tennis star Venus Williams safe at night. Actress Sienna Miller keeps it simple with her mutts named ‘Bess’ and ‘Porgi.’ Actress Minnie Driver loves her Black Labrador named ‘Bubba.’ South African actress Charlize Theron owns two mutts named ‘Delilah’ and ‘Denver.’ Actress (and daughter of Goldie Hawn) Kate Hudson pampers a Pomeranian named ‘Clara Bo.’ Reese Witherspoon’s two French Bulldogs each have a first name and a last. Meet ‘Coco Chanel’ and ‘Frank Sinatra.’

Courtney Cox Arquette and her husband David Arquette have two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels named ‘Harley’ and ‘Hopper.’ Actress Eva Longoria loves her little Maltese, also known as ‘Jinxy.’ Hilary Duff has lots of (little) fun with her Chihuahua, ‘Lola.’ Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner named their Golden Retriever after the ultimate domestic diva: ‘Martha Stewart.’

Talk show hostess and all-around star extraordinaire Oprah Winfrey has three Golden Retriever. She calls them ‘Luke,’ ‘Layla,’ and ‘Gracie.’ Actor Adrien Brody has two Chihuahuas named ‘Ceelo’ and ‘Lolly.’ Actress and wild child Lindsay Lohan has a Maltese named ‘Chloe.’ Who can forget Ozzy Osbourne’s wife Sharon Osbourne’s tiny Pomeranian, ‘Minnie?’ Jessica Alba named her two Pugs after the tragic couple , ‘Sid’ and ‘Nancy.’ Joan Rivers, of most recent ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ fame owns a Pekingese she calls ‘Max,’ a Boston Terrier named ‘Lulu’ and a Yorkie named ‘Veronica.’ Jimmy Buffet calls his Golden Retriever (what else?) ‘Cheeseburger.’ Basketball star Ken Griffey Jr. has a Rottweiler named ‘Akeiba.’ Mel Gibson’s Australian Shepherd is named (simply) ‘Patch.’ Who says small dogs aren’t manly? Pro football player Bret Favre has a tiny Yorkshire Terrier named ‘Jazzmin.’

Sir Paul McCartney’s Sheepdog is named ‘Martha.’ Author Stephen King keeps company with a Pembroke Welsh Corgi named ‘Marlowe.’ Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer and infamous for his stunts on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ has a Shar Pei named ‘Coco Puff.’

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have tow Rottweilers, named ‘Indo’ and ‘Zhaki.’ Actor and comedian Jim Carrey’s best friend is a Great Dane named ‘George.’ Matt Lauer, host of the Today Show on NBC has a Golden Retriever named ‘Walden.’ Her Bull Mastiff, ‘Koko’, protects Singer Christina Aguilera. Scarlett Johansen’s miniature best friend is a Chihuahua named ‘Maggie.’ Actress Gwyneth Paltrow is often seen out walking her Black Lab, ‘Holden.’ Mary Kate Olsen of Mary Kate and Ashley fame owns a Chocolate Lab named ‘Luca.’

So if you are looking for that special pooch to call your own, consider the personalities of the celebrities listed above. Do you identify with any of them? If so, you may get along with the type of breed that your ‘hero’ or ‘heroine’ has. If you’ve recently adopted a dog training and are stumped for a name, you may find a great idea from a great star.