Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Dog Puppy Training

A new puppy in the home excites everyone especially children but make sure you got the puppy for a good reason and not just on a spur of the moment feeling. Like they say dogs are for life not just for Christmas. A puppy can bring lots of happy memories and times but they have a lot of training and work involved to, they are not all fun and no work!

A puppy’s temperament depends on where the puppy has been brought up and what type of breed he is. German shepherds, Rottweilers, bull dogs and boxers are all guard type dogs so tend to be very loving and protective. Border and bearded collies tend to be herding dogs and reared on farms and tend to be quite enthusiastic and never sit still (be aware because they are reared on a farm they may be a little bit nervous around modern day technologies, such as bridges, loud noises etc). Labradors, gun dogs and pointer are all hunting dogs so expect them to be full of energy and laughable moments. Of course these are just general expectations every dog has its day…and its personality!

Puppy dog training is something that can be achieved in a matter of weeks depending how much time and attention you spend on it. You don’t need to train for hours and hours a day, a few minutes several times a day is all it takes. The first thing you need to train your new puppy in is obedience, commands like sit, come, heel, stay and fetch are basic enough for them to learn. As they get older you can incorporate commands like paw, roll over and play dead! Training a young puppy is not as hard as you may think as they are like a blank sheet of paper waiting to be written on. The way and things that that they are taught will stick to them and will influence them later on in life, although training isn’t forever so you need spend a few minutes every day just to keep reminding them what to do.

There are not so nice consequences involved when puppies aren’t trained, for a start your house will constantly be a toiler ground for them and your furniture will have massive holes in it. Puppies are like babies and need to be taught the difference between right and wrong, to do this you need some puppy dog training!

Many handlers experienced or in-experienced are turning towards training products and aids but training can be done without these methods. Just a bit of good old hard work! A puppy may take several months to training but when it is complete the rewards will be well worth it, but don’t forget to top up on your training for several minutes each day or your dog will slowly forget and you’ll have to start all over again, with an even bigger task, training an older dog!

Dog Obedience Training

Getting frustrated that your dog jumps up on people when you are visiting friends? Can’t understand why your dog runs away from you at the park while everyone else’s happily comes back? The simple answer is have you tried dog obedience training? It is simple, effective and very fun to do if you have the right attitude and patience.

The basics of dog obedience training and teaching your dog to sit, stay and come. These basic training commands will be extremely beneficial to you later on in your dog’s life. When you take your dog out you don’t want him to be running muck in the street, you want to show him off for the perfect dog that he is! Dog obedience training can be achieved in a matter of weeks with the right attention, dedication and patience.

There are a lot of obedience classes available. So if you can't teach your dog by yourself there is plenty support at the class, there are also other dogs there. Not only are you training your dog you are socialising him to which of course is the next step after sit, stay and come. Dogs are kind of like children to an extent, except with a lot of fur, they need to be taught right and wrong.

I always find that treats are a great method of dog obedience training; you award them with a special treat when they have done something you have asked them to. If they don’t respond they don’t get a treat. There is no point shouting at your dog as he will only become scared of you and you don’t want that, you want to form a happy relationship with him. Dog’s are a man’s best friend!

When teaching your dog obedience try and teach him away from distractions like his toys, take him to an empty field or park where there aren’t any people, only you and him. Tell him firmly but nicely that you want him to sit, then take your hand and place it on his back and gently guide his bottom down, when it is down say sit and tell him he’s a good boy then award him with a treat. Repeating this over and over again will make him realise that when you say sit you mean for him to sit and he gets rewarded, soon enough he will know to sit when you tell him to and the treats are no longer necessary.

Getting him to stay is another matter, you’ll probably need another person for that. Get him to sit (once he has learned how) and get a friend to hold him. Walk away from him telling him to stay, using your hand hold it up firmly (doing this will make him realise that when you hold your hand up in the future you want him to stay as well, not just when you tell him to) then give it a few seconds and let your friend release him, when he comes to you make him sit and tell him how clever he is! Don’t forget to reward him. While using this technique you are also teaching your dog how to come to you as well, so don’t forget to say "ome" to him, not just his name.

When dogs are born they are like soft clay, they need to be moulded and shaped. You can teach your dog from any age and the younger you start the easier it is. Like they say: you can't teach an old dog new tricks!!!

Dog Kennel Training

There is great controversy about dog kennel training. Many believe that cages, kennels and crates are today’s answer to quick convenient punishment. Although not as much controversy as there is about dog collars that choke a dog and give them electric shocks. Many dogs find comfort in their own place and some find quite strange places to call their own- the washing basket, the tumble drier, the bottom drawer…..

When dog kennel training you must ensure that you do not put your dog in there when he has been bad as tempting as it may be. Also dogs can’t be in the kennel for more than four hours due to the fact that they will need to stretch and need to the toilet. Many dogs start to feel uncomfortable after four hours and then they begin to get anxious. Sometimes the kennel isn’t the godsend some think it is. A lot of people aren’t using kennels properly and therefore end up with more problems then they had started with.

You firstly need to identify the problem that you are using dog kennel training for, it is for housebreaking? Chewing? Making a mess? Once you have identified the problem you then need to utilize the cage to your advantage. All dogs should feel at home when they enter their cage. Food and water should always be available to them and comfortable bedding. For chewing problems chew toys should be available in the kennel and no where else and if he is caught chewing show him his chew toy instead don’t shout at him. Housebreaking is a little bit harder. Most dogs will not do their business where they sleep. So once you notice your dog start to get uncomfortable in his kennel take him out and let him do his business, once he has praise him and continue to repeat. Dog kennel training needs a lot of attention and probably aimed at dogs that are very stubborn and hard to train.

You may think caging up a dog is cruel but in truth its not, what happened to us when we were small? We were left in our cot or playpen to play, that is what you are doing to your dog, nothing cruel or inhumane just practical. Kennels are a little bit expensive to buy so make sure that you want to follow dog training kennels methods to the end before purchasing one.