Apr 28 2012

Expert Techniques For Training Your Dog

Show your dog that you love them and are proud of them. It’s easy in dog training to focus on the negative and try to show your dog that what they are doing is wrong. Make sure that you also work to accentuate the positive and praise them when they are doing well.

Never reward negative behavior. Many dog owners have difficulty training their pet. When a long training session has ended and there has been no progress, they might find themselves tempted to reward their dog anyway. Even if you love your dog dearly, never reward their bad or undesirable behavior.

If you have gotten a new dog or puppy, you should work on training them right away. If they are going to be indoor dogs, you can start crate training them . This prevents bathroom accidents or your items being chewed on. Start off with the right sized crate, so that they have enough room in the crate to move around a bit.

When training your dog to walk on a leash, remember that your dog should follow where you lead, not the other way around. Dogs are pack animals, and the leader of the pack always travels in front. You want your dog to see you as the leader, so they need to learn to walk behind you.

Be consistent in your role as pack leader with your dog. Without proper leadership from you, your dog will see this as an opportunity to establish themselves as the pack leader. Everything you do in respect to training your dog should follow this rule. Being the pack leader with your dog is a lifestyle change that will be rewarding for your pet.

When your puppy is 7 to 12 weeks old this is known as the “fear-imprint period’. If your puppy experiences trauma at this time, he may have the fear associated with this trauma for the rest of his life. Because of this, your puppy’s early weeks should include human contact, and contact with other animals. It should also be a positive experience for him, with little punishing, if any at all.

When working on teaching your dog a command, keep training sessions short. It is much better to train your dog for 5 minutes, 3 times a day, than all in one 15 minute session. This will keep your dog focused. Before your dog gets bored, end the session. This will keep him interested and wanting more.

When teaching a puppy basic commands, start with ‘sit’. This is the easiest one for a dog to master. Hold his favorite snack just above his nose, and firmly say ‘sit’. Most dogs will instinctively sit down at this point. Offer him the treat and don’t forget to praise him profusely. If he doesn’t sit, gently push his rear end towards the floor. After he has been sitting for a few seconds, give him the treat, and like before, remember to praise him.

Staci loves to tune the guitar, ride bicycles and write about dog training read more posts at Dog Walking Jobs. Make sure to check out the blog and tell us how about yourself. Watch out for the soon to be released write on Dog Daycare

Jan 16 2010

Dog Training Shows How Much An Owner Loves A Pet

One of the things that really angers most dog lovers is when they see an animal whose dog training has clearly been neglected. While some people may think dog training oppresses their animals, in fact it’s just the opposite. A truly loving pet owner will see that his or her animal gets the best training possible.

Skeptics might think this is nonsense, but recent research shows otherwise. Thanks to ultrasound machines, which can take pictures of puppies in their mother’s womb, researchers have found that puppies will respond to touch or pressure on their mother’s abdomen as early as four weeks into pregnancy. This amazing discovery has shown that petting a pregnant dog will produce a litter of puppies that are more docile and have a well-developed sense of touch. This in turn helps with relaxation, emotional attachment and most importantly, socialization with people, according to dog experts.

About three weeks after they’re born, puppies entertain into a behavioral period known as socialization. Between three and 12 weeks, the main task of puppies is social play. The investigate, they “play-fight, ” and they mimic sexual behaviors. Their subsequent behavior is shaped by the puppies interaction with their mother and littermates.

Unfortunately for dogs, humans for centuries had an attitude that it was necessary to “break a dog’s spirit” in order to train them properly. This attitude resulted from humans’ sense that they had to dominate their animals in order to control them properly. Thankfully over the last century or so, animal experts have learned much about the natural instincts and behaviors of dogs so that puppy training has advance from this earlier, more cruel attitude.

Without proper training, life with a dog can turn disastrous. It’s not right to blame an untrained dog when it chews up an owner’s belongings, does its “business” in the house, digs house in the garden, fights with other dogs or even bites the hands that feed it. These are all natural behaviors among canines, but without training a dog has no way or knowing when these activities are inappropriate for the time or place.

Dogs that are petted and cuddle by people frequently during their first eight weeks of life tend to be better suited to living in a household as a family pet. Ideally puppies should be situated in their owners’ homes between eight and 10 weeks. By 10 to 12 weeks, puppies can be more fearful or new things and new situations, which can impede their adaptation to their new homes.

Group training classes for puppies may not be available until the pup has had all its vaccinations, which occurs around three to four months of age. However sometimes a kennel or trainer will offer puppy socialization classes, in which the dog can be used to getting along with other puppies. This can be a good first step toward a more structure dog training class in the future.

One thing that is never, never, never appropriate in dog training is to strike, hit or physically abuse a dog in any way. Dogs, especially puppies, quickly become devoted to their owners and physical abuse will destroy that relationship. Always train a dog with firmness, but with patience and lots of love.

Dogs can become more loyal, obedient, and affectionate towards their owners through vigorous puppy training. Enroll your canine companion in some dog training Kelowna today!