Training your Dog To Be Left Alone

You get a new puppy. Unfortunately you are not going to be able to be with him all day long every day. You are going to have to train him to be left alone. You may want to use a crate or keep him confined to one room in the house. Or you may want him to stay outside in the yard. Whatever you decide – you want him to learn early that being alone is not a bad thing and that you are going to come back.

You also want to be sure that while you are gone, your dog is behaving in an appropriate manner. You do not want him, barking, digging, chewing or destroying things while you are gone. Many dogs exhibit these behaviours because they are bored, and not out of spite as many owners believe. They also might be nervous about being alone so it is up to you to teach or train your pet to understand that that alone time can be fun time. [Read More ...]

Why Put Your Dog On a Leash?

As a responsible pet owner you should never allow your dog to run free, or even be off leash while you walk together. If you have not considered the many reasons why your dog should be on a leash than consider these reasons..

1) Dogs who are off the leash may cause injury to a person.

This does not necessarily mean that your dog has bitten someone. Injuries to people can come in other forms. What if your dog scares an elderly person and they fall down? What if your dog knocks a small child Read more

Dog Leash Training: Dog Pulling on Leash

Your daily walk in the park has turned into a battle. You and your dog are constantly engaging in tug of war. Other dogs can walk nicely on a leash, why not yours? Perhaps it’s time to start looking at some dog leash training methods and put an end to the nonsense once and for all.

Many owners find that their dog behaves really well at obedience class but the minute he goes out for a walk he turns into a demon. Maybe it is not the dog who changes but you. Is it possible that during training sessions you treat the animal one way and another when he is out for his daily walk? Or maybe you treat the animal one way and your partner or children treat him another. If so, your poor dog is receiving mixed signals.

Training is not going to involve just you and the dog but everyone who has to walk the dog. Consistency and patience are the keys to training any animal. And this means that all the people who walk the dog must follow the same procedures with the animal, all the time. And you must all use the same commands.

Once everybody has agreed to work together, you can start to look at the dog’s behaviour. If he likes to pull it is probably because he has learned that if he pulls he gets to go where he wants. Simply put, he is getting rewarded for pulling on his leash. You have to teach him immediately that dog leash pulling does not get rewarded.

The moment that your pet decides to pull on the leash STOP. Do not move. Do not pull on the leash. When your dog eases up on the leash take a step. If the pulling starts again stop. Once you have puppy focused on you, begin to move. Puppy will soon realise that if the leash is tight nobody goes anywhere.

As your puppy learns this concept, be sure to offer lots of praise and rewards. When the puppy turns to you to find out why there is no movement you might try backing up a step. Reward the puppy as he returns to you. A great way to get your dog to stay focused on you is to alter direction. Try not to walk in a straight line. Walk backwards; make sharp turns, both left and right. Be sure that at no time do you pull on the leash. Instead Stop. Remain frozen in place until the tension on the leash eases up.

You may not get far on your first few tries but if you are consistent you will see results. Remember that everyone who walks the dog must practice this technique, all the time. This is not always easy to do. There are times when you are in a hurry and taking the time to stop is annoying but remain unremitting.

These lessons are extremely important. You do not want to rely on choke collars or halties to get your dog to behave. You want the dog to stay close to you because it is the best place to be. Training collars are just that, for training. You want your dog to behave even when you are not doing a training session. You want to have control of your dog at all times.

If you remain persistent with your dog leash training exercises you will be surprised at how soon your walks become a joy instead of a chore.

Dog Leash Training: Training a Dog To Heel

Any dog owner who has a pet that can correctly ‘heel’ will no doubt be able to tell you all the unseen benefits of this behavior. A dog that can perform this skill is a very well mannered and disciplined pet. This is an animal that will not jump on people or approach them without his owner’s consent. He will not go near other animals, or urinate in unwanted places nor will he eat any of that nasty trash laying around.

Training a dog to heel is not a difficult task. But it is going to require that you be consistent and patient. Training dogs to heel correctly involves a number of things. Having the dog sit at your side until you are Read more

Dog Leash Training – Getting Your Puppy Used to The Leash.

Once you have picked out a proper leash you will probably want to start training your puppy to walk with it attached. This is not a difficult thing to do and you should begin your training as soon as possible. Not just for you, but to make sure that puppy doesn’t get into danger. The last thing you want is puppy running on the road or eating something dangerous.

Start by getting the new family member comfortable with his collar. Put it on him when he is in the house playing. Be sure that the collar fits correctly. Your dog may try rolling or pawing to try to get it off. Being able to put two fingers between his neck and the collar is usually a good measure. Watch to make sure that he cant get it off. Some dogs are real escape artists. Try and keep him distracted, and give lots of praise. Make it a positive experience.

The next step is to attach the leash. A short, light leash is the best to start with. Let the puppy smell it and get used to it. Allow him to drag it around the house. He will soon loose interest in it. Make sure that you do not leave the animal alone with his leash dragging.

Once you have gotten him used to the leash, pick it up. Remember, this is not a game of tug of war. If your puppy starts to pull, STOP. Do not move. Call the dog and get him to focus on you. Do not pull back on the leash but don’t move. Once you have the puppies attention continue moving. Keep treats handy during this stage and give lots of praise as the dog follows you around the house.

If your puppy decides to sit down, don’t start yanking on him. Call his name and reward him when he comes to you. If you have to get down to his level and have a treat or toy handy. Keeps these initial session short and fun. There should be no pulling done either by you or the dog. If he starts pulling, stop. Call his back and praise. You want him to learn that walking with a loose leash close to you is when he gets rewarded.

Training the Family as Well as the Dog

You have added a new member to the family, a bouncing little puppy, congratulations. Now that he is home it is up to you as an owner to start training him. But before you can even start house training a dog you have to train the rest of the family. This is especially important if you have young children in the house. Puppy training can be relatively easy but everyone in the family must work together.

In order for your puppy to learn anything he has to be given clear, precise and consistent commands. This applies to everyone in the house including the children. You will also have to get everybody in the family to treat the dog the same way. You will probably find it harder to train the human members of the family than the dog.  Read more

Puppy Leash Training – Getting Started

So it’s time to start leash training the new puppy.  But before you begin you should make sure that you have the right dog equipment for training.

The first thing you are going to need to begin dog leash training is a proper collar for your dog. Before going out and buying a choke or pinch collar see how well your dog adjusts to simply using his everyday collar during training sessions. Some larger dogs or difficult to train dogs may require a gentle leader, haltie or choke collar for training but, you may find out that this is not the case with your pet. One thing to remember is that you should never leave a training collar on your pet when you are not around. Always be sure that you put their regular collar back on when the training session is over. Read more

How To Tailor Your Training To A Rescued Dog

Training a dog requires many hours of dedication and patience. But you will need double the patience and dedication to train a rescued dog. However, the rewards will be worth the effort.

The practice of neutering and spaying of dogs has been around for many years but unplanned births continues to be a reality. As a result of this there are just not enough homes for all of the puppies that are born. And if you combine this with dogs that are lost or have runaway, the animal shelters are spilling over. Many of these dogs will never find homes in time and be euthanized.

Some of the lucky ones will get a second chance. Some will be adopted into the care of a loving family or rescued from the street. The new owners, however, are often not quite sure how best to deal with the rescued dog.

By the time dogs find their way to a shelter they are usually in poor shape. It is not uncommon for them to be victims of neglect, abuse of even terrible living conditions. Sometimes these dogs can even be let go into the wild and they will have to fend for themselves.

A dog’s nature is to be a pack animal. Even wild dogs don’t do well on their own. Domesticated dogs are used to human and animal interaction so do poorly when released to the wild. Dogs such as these can still learn to be less fearful with proper training.

A rescued dog will need a full examination by a vet as the first step in the rehabilitation process. If the animal is sick or in pain your training efforts will be wasted. It is very important to give the dog enough time to regain weight and energy.

It can be difficult to find out the history of the dog but any information can be of use. The information you gather about the animal’s medical history, past abuse or general temperament will aide you in training.

It is important to establish trust with a rescued dog slowly. It is important not to force yourself on the dog. The animal will begin to seek you out once they have learned to trust you. A suggestion would be to work on trust with a treat. Try stepping back a bit after putting a treat on the floor. Staring directly at the dog should be avoided at this point. It is important to praise them once they take the treat.

Some rescued dogs will seek physical contact right away. Some can take weeks or more. But once you have established it, try to roll the dog over onto his back and place your hand on their chest. You can expect that the dog will either resist if they tend to be aggressive or a fearful dog will accept. Neither aggression nor fear is good. Forcing an aggressive dog into a submissive position is done under normal training. A rescued dog will not respond well to this. Take your time and establish trust. In the fearful case, the rehabilitation will be easier and you can calm the dog by providing a belly rub and speaking softly so that he learns that being on his back does not mean punishment.

Be patient as it is often difficult and slow to train a rescued dog. A rescued dog is often a mix, older and has a stubborn temperament which adds to the challenge of training. Hang in there. The dog will reward you for your perseverance.

Don’t feel sorry for the dog. Training can be hindered by doing this. Be in control but also offer love and caring to them. By letting the dog know that you are in charge you are establishing yourself as the pack leader.

Your rescued dog will reward you with unconditional love.

 

Stefan Hyross writes for the site All About Dogs ‘N Puppies. Correct common dog behavior problems and other issues. Visit the site to  discover proven puppy potty training methods and other tips and trick for you and your pooch.

The Potty Trained Puppy – What Does It Take?

When you get a new dog it brings with it excitement and fun for your family but there is one major worry for dog owners and that is the issue of potty training. It is a very important task you must accept when you get a new puppy. Without it you may have your soft furnishings smelly and damaged so get it done properly. Puppy poo smells don’t just stay in the room where the puppies are and it travels all over your house. No pet owners want this so the best way to avoid such an annoying situation is by potty training your new puppy properly.

Dogs are quick and intelligent so it is obvious they won’t want to be dirty and they want to learn potty training quickly. Your new puppy doesn’t have a lot of time between the feeling of the need to go and his body waste being excreted so keep a close eye on him at all times. The most likely signs at such times are that your dog will start doing circles and sniff and scratch at the door. Once you can recognise these signs your potty training for your dog should be straightforward.

Doggy doors were a great invention and they make life a whole lot easier as your dog can go outside when it feels the need without you needing to be involved. If you can train your dog to use the puppy door he will be able to go outside anytime he feels the need without you needing to be involved.

A regular routine of taking your puppy for a walk both in the morning and evening is a great way to get his body regulated. You will have to show your dog the appropriate place to do pee and poop and spend a little time there and congratulate him if he does his business.

It is important that you praise your pet when he urinates at the designated place. The more encouragement he receives when he gets the place right for his ablutions the better he will remember next time. Avoid punishment if he gets it wrong but try to show him you are not pleased if he makes an error. Over time his nervousness will disappear and he will become more trustworthy as you reinforce his learning about where to go for potty training.

You must keep a watchful eye on your puppy all the time while you are training him. You may find your patience tested but a dog can only learn at his own speed of learning. As you train your puppy you should give him lots of affection to show you love him and he will want to please you.

Yes potty training your dog can be rather tiresome and repetitive. Potty training will prove it’s worth one day when you realize that your puppy is house clean. The stink of the untrained puppy will disappear and you will have a clean home once again.