Dog Training Easy Ways

Dog Training Easy Ways

Wednesday 24 July 2013

A Primer on Training Aggressive Dogs

A Primer on Training Aggressive Dogs



While some owners get a dog to help with security issues by letting their pet be watchdogs, they still do not want their dogs to be unnecessarily aggressive. Hence, if your pet is exhibiting signs of growling, biting and excessive barking, you need to consider getting help on training them.
If you have just gotten a dog or are planning to get one, it is best to work on avoiding problems on aggression. To do this, the owner needs to the following right away: set rules, work on obedience training, expose your pet to people and to other dogs or animals and use positive reinforcement.
Setting rules
You may not need to experience training aggressive dogs if your pet dog knows his limits early on. An aggressive pet is usually one that's been spoiled or given everything it wants. Hence, the owner will have a hard time controlling his animal and will just eventually give in to its every whine.
Obedience Training
Another way to avoid aggression in dogs is to do obedience training early on since it is the best way to acquire good habits and behavior. Training your dog while it's young will allow it to control his impulses and will spare you from worrying about having to worry about training aggressive dogs.
Let Your Pet Socialize
If your dog is not exposed to people and to other dogs or animals, chances are, he'll think that everyone and everything it is unfamiliar with is an enemy. Oftentimes, aggressiveness is like a dog's defense mechanism. Allowing him to socialize is a good obedience training and will not let you deal with training aggressive dogs in the future.
Positive Reinforcement
Dogs become more aggressive if you use harsh methods of correcting their behavior. Training aggressive dogs is more effective if you show your pet that you support his learning good behavior. Never resort to physical means of teaching or disciplining or you will be faced with a more aggressive dog that you may never be able to handle.
Hunting canine training, as with the other aspects in dog obedience training should be kept simple and fun. Canines are smart and know that they are appreciated for trying and for following orders. Make sure to reward your pet and let it feel appreciated. Then, before you know it, you'll have a mighty hunter at your beck and call.
At the end of the day just make sure you and your pet are happy!


How to Train a Dog - General Considerations 2

How to Train a Dog - General Considerations 2



Puppy Training
In the former paragraph I mentioned three "goals" for educating your dog. Priorities change over the lifetime of your dog. With a puppy the establishing mutual trust and respect has the highest priority. You achieve this by being consistent. Consistency means that a specific behaviour of your dog is always followed by the same consequence.
As an example if your dog wants to chew your shoes he's always stopped to do so. Always! And if your dog responds to a command from you he's always rewarded. No exceptions. That's what consistency means.
From this you can imagine that it's best to take a vacation as long as possible when bringing a new puppy home and stay around it all the time.
How to Train a Dog to Stop
This is another thing you have to start with as soon as you have your new dog at home. The secret here is to stop the unwanted behaviour and channel it to an accepted one. Puppies are used to explore their environment with their teeth. So it's quite normal for a puppy to chew on shoes and furniture and what not.
Distract your puppy with a sharp "No" or "Off" and offer her something more interesting like a toy or a chewing article like a dried chicken neck.
Watch out that your dog doesn't make it the game of doing something forbidden is rewarded. With a puppy the risk isn't very high but with elder dogs this is what normally happens. In this case you should make the unwanted behaviour more repellent.
I'm not talking about physical punishment. What I use is a throwing chain which lands in the vicinity of the dog when she does something forbidden. Since the chain is a small one it can't hurt the dog even if she's hit. But it scares her from what she's doing.
There are other methods which I'm not going into here.
How to Train a Dog to do
After having established mutual trust and respect and have educated your dog to behave well to do training will cover the most time. Puppy training is more or less a preparation of what's to come.
I am not going over specific training here like how to train a dog to walk on a leash. I'm rather covering general aspects which are common to whatever training you have in mind.
If the action you want from your dog is simple like sit or lay you can go right into the training. If the action is a complex one e.g. sending your dog over a hurdle to fetch something and bring it back over the hurdle you have to break this down to simple actions like jumping over the hurdle, sending him over the hurdle, retrieving etc.
Now even before introducing a command you have to bring your dog to show the required action. There are different methods for different actions which I'm not going to cover here. General rule here is: let the dog find out as much as possible for himself but give help before he gets frustrated. Your fantasy is asked for here and of course thorough knowledge of your dog.
If you get the wanted reaction praise your dog and reward with treats or playing. Repeat and reinforce by praise and reward. If your dog seems to understand start accompanying the action with your command. On the repetitions give the command more and more towards the start of the action until the command triggers the action.
Now you are done.


Residential Service Dog Training

Residential Service Dog Training



When the time comes for a dog to undergo training for its future role as a service dog, there are many different theories on which training method is the best, and there are almost as many theories as there are breeds of dog in the world! It seems like there is a newfangled service dog training method coming to the fore each and every week.
Praise and Reward
Praise and reward is more typically known as positive reinforcement and put simply it means that instead of chastising the canine when it does something wrong, it garners praise when it does something right. There are more and more professional dog trainers who are now swapping their old methods of chastisement and who are now using the praise and reward system instead.
A Tighter Emotional Bond
One other aspect to the praise and reward system is that the emotional bond between the trainer and the dog will be so much stronger and will in fact last much longer. The trouble with punishment during training is that it tends to make the hound associate you with pain and terror and that can have a bad negative impact on the dog when it is near its owner.
Be aware that using positive or negative reinforcement the wrong way can lead to very troublesome behavior. It's always best to consult with a qualified dog trainer.
Of course there are plenty of old school dog trainers who say that the old methods are in fact the best and that compulsion training is one of the best ways to train a dog. There are many implements available to these old school dog trainers that they tend to use to keep their dog under control include such items as the shock collar and the choke chain. These are seen as being cruel by those people who advocate the reward and praise method yet seen as an essential tool by those dog trainers who prefer the more strict method of dog training.
However, those people who do not agree with the stricter approach to dog training wonder why someone would want to deal with their dog in such a harmful way such as inflicting varying levels of pain. Both you and your dog can benefit from using the praise and reward method rather than a training method that relies on installing fear and pain on to your faithful companion.
Hopefully this article has gone some way to helping you to choose the best way to train your dog.


Aggressive Dogs - How To Train Them

Aggressive Dogs - How To Train Them




How to Tackle Dog Aggression
You've probably heard stories in the news about aggressive dogs biting children or attacking their owners. While these stories are sad (and disconcerting) they should not color your opinion of dogs as a whole. It is important to realize that most dogs are not aggressive by nature - their aggression is often a result of certain environmental factors and the way in which their owners handle them.
If your dog begins to display signs of aggression, do not assume that the only option is to put him down before he hurts someone. In this article you will learn how to identify the source of your dog's aggression and what to do about it.
Causes of Dog Aggression
Though it is true that some breeds of dog are more prone to aggression than others, most dogs do not display aggressive behavior unless they are incited to do so. One of the most common causes for dog aggression is fear. When your dog feels threatened by the presence of another dog or a stranger, he may become aggressive out of self-preservation. Many dogs feel protective of their owners and their perceived territory and display aggression toward people and animals that they feel are a threat.
Sometimes, aggression is a learned behavior that dogs display in response to certain training methods or behaviors you display toward them. If you or a family member teases the dog by taking away his food bowl while he is eating, he is likely to become protective of it. If you train your dog using punishment-based training methods, your dog may not understand why he is being punished and will simply learn to regard you as a threat.
Dealing with Aggression
The first step in dealing with your dog's aggression is to identify the triggers - the situations which cause your dog to become aggressive. When your dog begins to display aggressive behavior like barking or growling, take a moment to determine what instigated the behavior. Did a stranger walk by the house? Did another dog approach your dog while you were taking him for a walk? Once you've identified the trigger for your dog's aggression you can take steps to avoid the situations which involve that trigger.
After you've identified the trigger, you can condition your dog to respond in a different way. If your dog feels threatened by strangers entering the house, encourage your guests to "introduce" themselves to your dog when they first arrive, maybe even give him a treat to show that they are not a threat. If your dog feels threatened by other animals entering the yard, you can simply draw the curtains so he cannot see them.
Dealing with your dog's aggression can be a challenging process but do not be discouraged. It is important to realize that aggression is something that can be addressed - you do not have to assume that your dog's behavior is beyond the point of repair. Remember, in many cases aggression is a conditioned response so it is possible to condition your dog to have a different response if you are patient and consistent in your training.

How to Choose the Right Dog Toys For Your Dog

How to Choose the Right Dog Toys For Your Dog



They come in all shapes and sizes. They bounce, roll and fly about. They provide joy to your dog and peaceful moments during your busy day. Toys, ultimately, make a dog's life go round. But, there is so much to consider - safety, size, style, the list goes on. How do you choose the right dog toy for your pouch?
Here is a list of the factors that you will want to consider.
Factor #1: Size
Size is everything when it comes to dog toys. If your dog is a five pound Chihuahua, you don't want to give him a heavy or large toy. The opposite is also true. You must find the proper-sized toys to meet your dog's needs. In just about every style of toy, you will be able to find a toy to match your dog's needs.
Factor #2: Activity Level & Play Preference
Your dog's activity level affects every part of his - and your - life, especially his play time. Depending on your pouch's activity level, his play preference may vary. Here are various play preferences, accompanying descriptions and recommended dog toys.
Chew:
If your dog likes to chew for entertainment, it's time to save your furniture from disaster! There are numerous dog chew toys to match your dog no matter his aggression level.
  • Low Chewing Aggression: Soft, squishy toys made of vinyl or latex; puppy chews (non-treat chews)
  • Medium Chewing Aggression: bone-hard chew toys, rope, durable rubber toys
  • High Chewing Aggression: bone-hard or durable rubber toys
Chase:
For active dogs that love to run and chase things, you may want to have a variety of toys. You might want to include a flying disc and bouncing balls in your collection.
Cuddle:
Your dog may like to cuddle with his toy, so you may want something soft such as a toy made of fleece or plush. There are numerous dog toys available that look similar to stuffed animals - even some having battery operated heart beats and heated stomachs.
Cure Boredom:
Yes, you can officially cure your dog's boredom with an appropriate dog toy. The most effective dog toys for doing this are treats that offer your dogs rewards for chewing. In other words, these dog toys have a treat inside that the dog chews and licks until it is rewarded. Kong toys are the most effective toys in doing this.
Factor #3: Safety
As a pet owner, safety is the most important factor to you in choosing the right toy for your dog. From simple choking hazards to toxic dyes and preservatives, dog toy safety has hit the main stream media as of late. Specifically, there has been widespread concern about a string of Chinese exports that have been deemed toxic with such heavy metals as cadmium and lead. Despite these concerns, there is hope. There are many products available online that are completely safe for your pet.
Use these three factors to aid you in choosing the right toys for your dogs. Your first focus should be finding dog treats that are safe. Then, combine the other factors and you will be good to go. You can now rest assured that you are prepared to find the perfect toy for your dog!