Jun 22 2010

Build Confidence In Your Dog With Agility

Is your dog sensitive to sounds or is it timid around other dogs. Then agility training can provide the right environment and a good structure to build the necessary confidence in your dog. The classes are great places to learn about the training and sport. But it can still take a long time, before the dog is ready to leave your lap or the hiding under the chair.

A timid or shy dog can only learn inside their comfort zone. So, training must begin where they feel safe and behaviors must be taught in very small increments. Home will probably be the best place to train and have learning takes place for your dog.

But how do you train your dog at home? You need two things: guidelines and equipment. You can find multiple websites with information on agility training. Other options are books and videos with details, visual aids and lesson plans for both beginners and experts.

There is a variety of equipment that is useful and helpful to have at home. Equipment recommendations are based on your available space and location of training. Do you have a large yard that will hold 10 obstacles? Do you have a small yard where you will need setup equipment and then tear down before you can setup again? Will you be training in your garage or basement, or as some agility addicts, in your living room?

For the timid dogs make sure your equipment is safe and sturdy. The pause table is a good place to begin your agility training. A 12″ high pause table, with adjustable legs for later use, is a good starting place for all size dogs. Remember with your shy dog, setup your table in an area that is very familiar to your dog. If your dog barks at anything new, just leave your pause table in your house or yard for several days, let your dog inspect and smell it on his own or with a little coaxing, but don’t push to fast, remember baby steps with the insecure dog.

With treats in a dish or his favorite toy placed on the table encourage your dog to get up on the table. This may take more than one lesson, be patient. If your timid dog looses interest in food or toys when you attempt something new, trying holding him and you sit on the table. If your dog is too big to hold, have him on leash and you sit on the table. If he backs away coax him, only treat or reward him when he comes to you, never when he’s pulling back away from you or the table

Eventually, you want your dog to be able to jump on the table with your cue word like Table (or whatever word you use), Stay to have it stay on the table as you back away and then Come when you call. Build your distance slowly so that your dog is not pushed too soon.

You can follow the above techniques introducing new obstacles as your dog is able to succeed. As your dog succeeds on each new piece of equipment you will see his confidence grow.

Martin Elmer is the editor of Hundefan – a website about hunde udstyr. Here you can also read about transportbur.

categories: dog,agility,equipment,training,dog agility,agility equipment,dog agility equipment,dog training,dog training equipment,dog table,pets,confidence,timid

Dec 18 2009

Build Confidence In Your Dog With Agility

Is your dog timid around people or other dogs? Is your dog sensitive to sounds? Agility training can provide the environment and structure to build confidence in your dog. Agility classes are a great place for people to learn about the sport and learn how to train, but the timid dog may take a long time before he is ready to venture from under your chair or off your lap.

A timid dog is only ready to learn from inside its comfort zone. So the best place for training is probably the home, where it feels safe and the learning can be done in small increments.

So, how do you train at home? You will need guidelines and equipment. There is a multitude of websites that can give you information on agility training. There are also books and videos that will give details and visual aids and lesson plans for beginners thru expert levels.

There is a variety of equipment that is useful and helpful to have at home. Equipment recommendations are based on your available space and location of training. Do you have a large yard that will hold 10 obstacles? Do you have a small yard where you will need setup equipment and then tear down before you can setup again? Will you be training in your garage or basement, or as some agility addicts, in your living room?

For the timid dogs make sure your equipment is safe and sturdy. The pause table is a good place to begin your agility training. A 12″ high pause table, with adjustable legs for later use, is a good starting place for all size dogs. Remember with your shy dog, setup your table in an area that is very familiar to your dog. If your dog barks at anything new, just leave your pause table in your house or yard for several days, let your dog inspect and smell it on his own or with a little coaxing, but don’t push to fast, remember baby steps with the insecure dog.

With treats in a dish or his favorite toy placed on the table encourage your dog to get up on the table. This may take more than one lesson, be patient. If your timid dog looses interest in food or toys when you attempt something new, trying holding him and you sit on the table. If your dog is too big to hold, have him on leash and you sit on the table. If he backs away coax him, only treat or reward him when he comes to you, never when he’s pulling back away from you or the table

Eventually, you want your dog to be able to jump on the table with your cue word like Table (or whatever word you use), Stay to have it stay on the table as you back away and then Come when you call. Build your distance slowly so that your dog is not pushed too soon.

If you follow the above instructions, you can introduce new obstacles that can give your dog a new success. When it success a new piece of equipment, its confidence will grow.

Martin Elmer is the editor of Hundefan – a website about hundeudstyr. Here you can also read about hundetasker.

Nov 01 2009

Dog Training For Beginners

The first time you bring home your dog, it can be a very overwhelming experience. All dogs need care and attention, so you will make both your own and your dogs life much easier, if you learn it to behave right from the beginning. And that is done best with the right training.

It looks so simple, when experienced dog trainers trains dogs. But you will probably find even the simplest methods to be difficult in practice. But before you give up, you must remember that a dog try to please its owner. So spend a lot of time with your dog. Then it will both love and obey you.

The best time to start training your dog is between the age of 3 and 16 weeks. Here the bond between it and you will take hold. So if you earn its respect as the master, the training will be easier in the future.

The first thing you need to learn your dog is to obey commands. And again it looks easy when the experienced dog trainer does it. But when you are trying the same, the dog might just look stupid at you and ignore your wishes.

The secret is in the tone of the voice. Professional dog trainers do not posses special animal talking skills; they are just experienced in dog behavior and know how voice can get the dog to do, what they want. And you can learn the same by practicing.

Your command tone must be firm; but also non-threatening. You must show who is the dominating part in the relationship between you and the dog. If you not do so, you will not be able to make your dog obey. And you cannot do it by threatening or yelling at your dog. It will only make it fear you.

Instead you should praise your dog, when it is doing something right. A positive attitude is the most effective thing in dog training. A dog is able to distinguish between right and wrong; but it is not capable to understand the difference without the proper feedback from the trainer.

So use your voice to tell the dog, if it is doing things right or wrong. This way it can learn what is good behavior. The dog is really trying to follow your instructions to please you.

When you master the tone of the voice, you can start to search for more complicated training methods to take the training even further.

And a final advice; all dogs have different temperament and intelligence. So what might work on one dog, is not always working on other dogs. So find the methods that work with your dog.

Martin Elmer is the editor of Hundefan – a website about tilbehoer til hunde. Here you can also read about hundetaske.

categories: dogs,training,dog training,beginner,methods,commands,tone of voice,praise,intelligence,temperament