Monday, August 28, 2006

Dog House Training

When scolding your dog for doing the toilet on the carpet remember that we were once young and did not use the proper toilet either. Your dog needs to be house trained, and this can be done in a few easy steps, but over a long period of time.

Dog house training may be one of the hardest training techniques as it is the one that requires the most attentiveness and work. You have to be able to read your dog’s body signals as he can’t tell you when he needs the toilet. Many people make the mistake of assuming that their dog will bark when he needs the loo, sometimes they are lucky to find a dog that will but believe me there are many out there who don’t and accidents are found all over the house!

Dog house training requires a few simple steps as I said but they are time consuming ones. Firstly I would recommend putting newspaper in front of the door, that way if you see him doing an accident in the house you can quickly life him there and he will realise that if he needs to go and your not there to let him he has to do it on paper.

The next thing you need to know when dog house training is most dogs when they need the toilet will start to get restless and stat sniffing around, this is when you pick them up and take them outside, when they are really young you should take him outside at least once every hour. When you take them outside you can say things “do the toilet” or “do your business” or whatever command you want to use for your doing going out to do the toilet. Once they have done the toilet you must give them lots of affection outside straight away (of course it’s best to wait until they are done) They will soon come to realise that outside is the place to do the toilet and will after some time start asking to go out.

There are hundreds of books available on dog house training all of which use different techniques and routines. No dog is going to know straight away that outside is the place to do the toilet, they have to learn and you have to teach them (unless you don’t mind accidents all over the place) Oh and don’t forget to scoop!!

Dog Behaviour Training

Bad behaviour in dogs can consist of many problems. Does he bark all night long and keeps you from sleeping? Are you afraid he is going to keep biting? Does he chew everything except his toys? If the answer to any of these questions are yes you need to invest some time into a little bit of dog behaviour training. A little training will go a long way.

Dogs that bark can be extremely irritating but the main thing is not to loose your cool, if you shout at him he will try to shout louder than you. Try and find out the cause of his barking. Is he barking because he is afraid? Is he happy? Is there someone out there? If you can’t find the reason for the barking then he is doing it because he doesn’t know it is wrong to bark all the time. This is where dog behaviour training comes in. There are lots of products available to help dogs with constant barking, there are special collars which gives them the tiniest of electric shocks so they know that it isn’t good to bark.

A biting dog is maybe one of the more serious behaviour problems, especially now that the laws are tightened and any dog that bites someone is more than likely to get put down. Teaching your dog not to bite is one of the most important teachings you can give him. This is where you have to be firm and stick to your guns. When playing with a young dog they will automatically nip and gnaw at your hand this is because when dogs play together they play with their mouths. When teaching your dog not to bite stroke him with one hand while offering something which is acceptable to be bitten with the other hand, something like a chew toy or a raw hide treat. Your dog will soon realise that hands aren’t there for biting. This process has to be done repeatedly for it to take effect.

Dog behaviour training is simple enough for the experienced dog lover but when it comes to beginners all the help available is needed. Accept help from friends and family and maybe even enroll in a dog behaviour training class, this will help you to meet other people, having the same problems with their dogs that you are with yours. You are not alone when it comes to having trouble with dog behaviour problems. Every dog will get them, it's just a matter of how you fix them.

Dog Agility Training

One of my favorite activities is dog agility, it keeps you fit and makes you feel good picking up those trophies at the end of each competition.

Dog agility training is somewhat harder than other training options, but I find it the most fun. Firstly if you haven’t heard of dog agility it is a sport for dogs and owners. It is extremely popular in the UK and now there are reports of it happening in the USA and down under in Australia. It comprises of a main event, of which there are lots of different courses for your dog to run. In the courses there is a set number of obstacles. 26 is the average. Your dog has to complete the course without getting any faults in the quickest time to win. Sounds easy? Think again.

There are certain obstacles included in the course which need much training to master. There are two different types of courses, there are jumping and there are agility courses. Jumping courses are exactly what it says on the box, they are courses full of obstacles which your dog is to jump over, things like jumps (two stands which face each other that hold a pole, the pole stand is around 4ft high) which your dog has to clear without knocking the pole down, there are weaves (the weave is a straight line of poles. They can be 6,8,or 12 poles in length, your dog must weave through this) which your dog must not come out of before the end. In agility courses there are contact points on obstacles which your dog must touch with their paws. This requires a lot of dog agility training.

To run your dog in a show you must be registered with the Scottish Kennel Club (SKC) (or the AKC, the American Kennel Club if you are from the USA) and be part of an agility club. The members of these clubs meet up once or twice a week and train together, they set up practice courses, or just do certain obstacles their dog needs practicing on.

Dog agility training is not allowed in a club before your dog is one year old. Most agility enthusiasts have some equipment at home so they can start their dog from as young as six weeks, of course the poles from the jumps lay on the ground, and they don’t make their dog do anything dangerous. There are companies such as Jax which make obstacles and also training obstacles.

A lot of dog agility training must be done before you enter your first show. Your dog must be able to run a full course.

Forgive me for making dog agility sound like hard gruelling work, not the fun it really is. It is spectacular. The people, the atmosphere, the fun! The dog agility training is just what you have to endure to get there!