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Dog Training with Positive Reinforcement:

By Jeffery
03
Feb 2012

Positive reinforcement dog training is a friendly method of teaching your dog to perform behaviors using dog food, treats and other positive actions in the form of a reward. Rewarding appropriate dog behavior makes that behavior more likely to become a future re-occurrence. This is one of the most powerful tools you can use to reshape or change your dog’s actions. Using positive reinforcement dog training teaches your dog what behaviors you do and don’t desire in a humane manner. This training method will also help to create healthier and much stronger bond between you and your dog.

Training based on physical punishment involves some level of discomfort or even pain and is most definitely not recommended. This also may cause your dog to bite in order to defend himself. Punishment may also be associated with other stimuli, including people, present at the time and occurrence of the punishment. For example, a dog that is punished for getting too close to a small child may become fearful or even defensive around that child.

When getting started, timing is key with positive reinforcement dog training. Your dog must be rewarded immediately for responding appropriately to your command. Every member of your family should use the same command system and of course, never reinforce the wrong behavior. For example, if you command your dog to sit, he should be given a treat the moment his bottom touches the floor. If you wait to long before giving him the treat after he stands up again, the moment will be lost. He will then think he is getting rewarded for standing, not sitting.

Most dogs will gladly work for positive rewards such as a tasty dog treat, play time and toys. We suggest that you choose a treat that is relatively small, soft, and easily broken apart. Treats should be highly valued by your dog as well as easy consumption. It is difficult to train a dog when he spends valuable time chewing and swallowing his reward. You want your dog to quickly eat the treat and look to you for more. Try to experiment with several different types of treats and find out which ones will work best. There are some dogs out there that are not motivated by food. If this is the case, try training using praise or build motivation through the company of other dogs.

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Tips for Avoiding Common Dog Training Mistakes: (Part 1)

By Jeffery
01
Feb 2012

One of the easiest mistakes that can be made when training your dog is not paying attention. If your attention is elsewhere for even a short while, suddenly you may find that your puppy is off doing unspeakable things to you’re your furniture in the living room. You can not properly correct him unless you catch him red handed. All puppies have an incredibly short attention span. So, even just five minutes ago no longer exists. They will not make the mental connection when you are yelling about something they did minutes ago. When you can not pay attention to your puppy, he should then be in a safe place, like his crate, or perhaps by your side at all times.

Your dog will not know he has done something right when you fail to reward him for his good behavior. It is also crucial to communicate your praise to him in a language he can understand. The rewards do not necessarily always have to be something such as a treat. No matter what reward you may go with, your dog will need to connect the reward to his action in order for him to get the correct message. Instant praise is the best reward you could ever give. It’s instant gratification for your dog, and gives you a few seconds to provide the tasty treat reward if you have one. Those few seconds will fill in the gap between “Yay, I did things right!” and “Wow, what did I ever do to deserve an outcome like this?” This is extremely important during the earlier stages of the training process. This is especially true for when you are trying to get your dog to correlate his actions to your commands.

Another common mistake is to put things off for much too long. You may look at your little puppy, and think “it’s not absolutely necessary for him to need to learn anything just yet”. But what about walking on a leash, stay, coming when you call? This is especially true when a puppy’s natural instinct is to generally be by your side anyway, without incentive. But if you let things go for too long, your pup will not want to cooperate any longer. Training while your pup is still relatively young is the most solid way to get the basics into your dog’s head for good.

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Tips for Avoiding Common Dog Training Mistakes: (Part 2)

By Jeffery
30
Jan 2012

Allowing your dog to beg is a common training mistake. A dog that has never received food from you when you are eating at the table will no longer continue to beg. He might try it once or twice early on in your relationship. With consistent “no’s” and “go lay down” commands will quickly discourage him from further attempts. However, if you give in, even just once and give him a piece of you are eating, he’ll know that begging worked. Therefore, with common sense, your dog will gain the idea that what works once, will eventually work again.

Inconsistency may seem like such a small thing, but it may leave you destined to fail. Constantly measured attention is absolutely essential when training your dog. Deviate away from any routine you may have built up will almost always undo all that hard work you have done previous.

Calling your dog for punishment will not get you anywhere. Let us focus on why it’s not good to call your dog to your side in order to get mad at him. Nobody wants to go over to someone when they know they are going to get in trouble. This is even true with adults, children, and especially a dog. People know you’re not likely to forget your anger, but a dog is hopeful, and will try everything to avoid you if he knows you’re angry. In your dogs mind, every time you call him to you in order to do something unpleasant, you are punishing him for returning to you. So, if your dog is in trouble, or you have to do something he won’t like, go and get him, instead of calling him.

Rewarding the wrong behavior will happen to all of us at some point or another. This is one of the most common mistakes made when dog training. You may not even think of it as necessarily rewarding your dog. You may see it as a method of comforting him when he’s frightened, or perhaps letting him in when he barks, or even giving him a stern talking to when ever he misbehaves. Attention of any kind when a dog misbehaves is a signal to the dog. The dog may interpret this attention as this works, it’s not quite what I was looking for, but it’s still some kind of attention.” Even negative attention may seem better than none at all.

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Teach your dog to Stand, Rollover, Crawl, Lay Down and Focus:

By Jeffery
27
Jan 2012

Teach your dog to Stand:
Starting from the sitting position, hold a treat right in front of the nose of your dog, then say stand. Then move the treat above him so that he will have to stand in order to reach it. As soon as he stands say good boy! Then wait for him to sit back down to give him the treat. While he is standing you can move just a few steps while holding the treat. Praise him a lot if he follows you.

Teach your dog to Rollover:
Starting from the laying position, say roll over and then proceed to roll your dog over gently. Do this by grabbing his legs and then pull him, or simply push him from one side so that he makes a complete roll. After he has completed the roll, make him sit, praise him and give him the treat.

Teach your dog to Crawl:
Starting from the laying position, say crawl while holding a treat in front of your dog’s nose and move it a few inches away from him. If he begins to stand up, just say no crawl, start from the beginning and have him lay back down again. Praise him a lot and give him the treat as soon as he crawls, even if it’s only a few inches.

Teach your dog to Lay Down:
There are various ways to do this. Begin with having your dog sit then say, lay. Then present the treat in front of his mouth, going all the way down to the ground with your hand. The dog will naturally follow your hand and will end up lying down. Give him the treat only when he stretches his forearms in front of him and then praise.

Teach your dog to Focus:
Begin by sitting or kneeling, in front of your dog. Hide your hands so he won’t be distracted looking at them and then say your dog’s name followed by saying focus. As soon as he looks at you in the eyes start praising him. Always keep eye contact and after a few seconds give him a treat. If he looks elsewhere, just call him again and begin to start over. Try to extend the time while he’s focused on you.

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Helpful Drills for Dog Agility Training:

By Jeffery
25
Jan 2012

Learning to handle your dog properly is a major role in dog agility training. This means communicating what you want your dog to do. Once your dog has the basics down, most errors that occur are due to the handler’s abilities. As a handler, you need to learn how to communicate what you want your dog to do or perform. One way to do that is to practice exercises that teach you how to better handle your dog.

Every dog has his own way of running the course. Some dogs need little guidance while others need the handler by their side at all times. By watching your dog and how much he relies on you to complete the course, you’ll be able to determine how much handling your dog needs.

To properly access the situation, try setting up two basic hurdles side by side and direct your dog to the right hurdle. Study your dog’s reaction as you send him to the hurdle. Does your dog leave your side or does your dog expect you to run or walk with him the entire way?

Then try making the course into an “S” shape where you’ll be starting on the inside line and crossing over in the middle so that you will stay on the inside line. Try first with a fast obstacle such as a hurdle, tunnel or series of hurdles in the center of the course. Send your dog over the hurdles and cross behind your dog so that you switch effortlessly.

Next, put a slow obstacle in the center of the course such as weave poles, a table or contact obstacle. Then continue with your dog until he gets to the downward edge of the contact obstacle. This will most likely be the second to last pole of the weaves. Cross in front of the dog and then continue him over to the next obstacle of the course.

Try handling your dog first using the inside line and then moving onto the outside line to get a proper feel for handling either side of the course. If you have a very fast paced dog, then you will have to slow him down while you take the outer line. Likewise, if you have a slower paced dog, then you may have to slow down on the inside line, then work on speeding your dogs performance.

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Common Mistakes When Teaching Your Dog to “Come”:

By Jeffery
18
Jan 2012

It is ironic that owners go to great lengths to train their dog NOT to come when called, and then proceed to complain about it. They expect their dog to just drop everything its doing and instantly come racing over to them without any proper training techniques. The first thing your going to have to do is undo the methods previously planted into the mind of your dog. Then proceed with kindergarten level obedience before achieving the results you desire.

The worst practice you as the owner may engage in is letting their dog off leash and unattended. Whether the dog is running in the park, romping up and down the backyard or playing with other dogs, the dog is learning that these good times do not include the owner. In fact, it is always the owner who ruins the fun by ordering the dog to “Come.” When the dog obediently comes to the owner, his leash is promptly attached and he’s on his way back home. This is not a good outcome from the dog’s perspective. So on each successive outing, the dog delays coming when called because by delaying, he is prolonging his off leash experience.

When the owner repeatedly calls the dog and he does not come, then the dog is learning that he doesn’t have to come or at least he doesn’t need to come until he is called over a thousand times. The dog has now learned that ignoring the owner is much more rewarding than to obey. This is definitely a losing situation. If the dog comes, he feels he is being punished for coming because his off leash fun has ended. If the dog doesn’t come, he is learning that by not responding to your command, he is being self-rewarded for ignoring you.

A very frustrated owner feels the need to punish the dog for not coming when called. Because the owner does not know how to punish the dog while it is running away, the owner punishes the dog when he eventually returns. In result, the next time the dog will take much longer to come back because not only does it end the fun but it also now means outright punishment from the owner if he does cooperate. In the end, just remember that you are in fact dealing with an animal mentality.

Category: Florida Dog Obedience Training, Florida Dog Training, Florida Puppy Training, Puppy Kindergarten  Tags: , , ,  Leave a Comment

Training Tips for Successfully Walking Your Dog:

By Jeffery
11
Jan 2012

When walking your dog, does it ever seem like your getting pulled down the street or practically getting your arm ripped off when your dog sees another dog? This can make walking your dog seem like a chore, but with a little work and a lot of love, your beloved companion can be a joy to walk with regardless of where you go. Here are some helpful training tips to help you master the skill of walking your dog.

Always walking side by side with your dog is very important. Never allow him to lead the way, as this is a sign of dominance to the dog. The leader is always in charge. So as long as you continue to give in, your dog will remain in charge and pull you down the street to assert their authority. Keep a treat in hand to keep all the attention focused on you and where you want your dog to be during the walk.

Never lengthen or shorten the leash. The leash should remain the same length at all times. This will teach him that he is only allowed a certain distance from you. Until fully trained, retractable leashes should never be used during dog walks as they allow free range and authority over the walk. Plus, most large breed dogs can easily break retractable leashes.

Don’t give into pulling the leash for the entire walk. If your dog pulls you in a direction, give a snap back on the leash. Pay attention to the signs your dog is giving you and you will be able to predict any pulling. However, if your dog tries to take off, make sure to hold your ground. Plant your feet firmly on the ground, lean back and don’t move. Lowering your center of gravity will offset your dog and give him a good jolt.

Ignore other people and things that will interest your dog. If you give no attention to those things that may grab your dog’s attention, he will soon start to realize that it is not so important to be interested in it. If a dog is passing across the street, keep walking and ignore it. If he pulls towards that direction, keep walking straight and pull him along. After a while, he will see the other dog but it will no longer be of interest.

Category: Florida Dog Obedience Training, Florida Dog Training, Pet Care Tips, k9 obedience  Tags: , , ,  Leave a Comment

Tips for Childproofing Your Dog:

By Jeffery
09
Jan 2012

Do you have young children in your home? If so, it is vital to ensure they are always safe around your dog. With this being said, dogs are not the only ones who need training. Children also need to be given rules about how to behave around your dog. The following tips will help prevent incidents and keep both your children and pup safe.

Most children can’t keep themselves from throwing their arms around a dog’s neck or tugging on a dog’s tail. Try and prepare your dog for this kind of attention before his first encounters with a child. Give him lots of praise and maybe even a few treats while you gently pull his tail, hold his paws, hug him, and check out his ears.

Let’s face it, kids behave differently than adults. They run, move and scream erratically. Try to introduce your dog to some of these behaviors yourself. Teach your dog to stay in one spot while you run around your yard or yell in a high-pitched voice.

You can also get your dog used to typical child behavior by taking him to a park or playground. Keep your distance at first, and slowly work your way closer. If at any point your dog seems concerned, take a few steps back and start over. Keep things fun, have some treats in hand and make sure to praise him.

Dogs often will feel more at ease around children if they have an escape route. Crate train your dog so that he is happy and comfortable in a crate. Make it clear to any children in your home that the crate is off limits to anyone but the dog. This way your dog can interact with the children when he wants to, but he also has a safe place to retreat.

Most people believe that holding a dog so a child can pet him is a good way to introduce dogs and kids. This is NOT true. If a dog is afraid of children, holding him while one approaches to pet him can be a unpleasant experience. A dog that is afraid can become aggressive and growl, snap, or even bite in an effort to escape the situation. Instead allow your dog as much time as he needs to get comfortable around kids, and give him the chance to approach when he feels ready.

Category: Florida Dog Obedience Training, Florida Dog Training, Florida Puppy Training, k9 obedience  Tags: , , ,  Leave a Comment

Practical Tips for Stopping Food Aggression:

By Jeffery
02
Jan 2012

Determine when the best time is to feed your dog. You want to feed your dog at a time when there is relative quietness in the house and when the dog can relax afterward. This brings the stress levels down and allows the dog to relax more and be a less protective. Try to always feed your dog at the same time. In the ideal case that should be after you have eaten, as the alpha dogs eat first and the lower ranking pack members last.

Establish a place and a routine to feed your dog. Always feed your dog at the same place and follow a certain routine. You will imitate the alpha dog that comes back from a hunt and shares the food with the lower ranking members of the pack. Try faking that you are eating a bit first and then giving the bowl to the dog to emphasize this. Make sure that everyone in the household takes his/ her turn to establish the idea in the dog that all humans are higher ranking pack members that share food with the lowest ranking pack member. Soon your dog will understand when it is feeding time for him.

If you have several dogs in the household that are food aggressive amongst themselves, you must know who is the higher ranking member in the “dog only” part of the pack and feed them in this order. If your dogs go through a phase of re-establishing their ranks, feed them apart and out of sight of each other.

Don’t feed your dog at the dinner table while you are eating. The alpha dogs will share the leftovers after they had their fill, not before. Remember that a lot of human food is not suitable for dogs, salt can damage their kidneys. So your best method to follow is not to never feed your dog at the table.

Here are a few more simple training solutions that may help with this common situation. Make sure that your dog gets plenty of exercise. A tired dog is less likely to get aggressive then one that has way too much built up energy. Make known to your dog the proper distinction between food time/ place and other things like time for play. Give the dog the opportunity to alternate between playing and being fed.

Good luck to you, your dog and which ever training methods you take!

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Is Dogs Eating Grass, Harmless or a Health Concern?

By Jeffery
23
Dec 2011

For the most part, dogs are mainly carnivores, but they can and do eat plants and vegetables. One of the more common plants eaten by dogs is basic grass. Raw grass is not toxic to dogs unless it is treated with chemical pesticides and or fertilizers. So if you begin to notice this habit in your dog, don’t panic. The exact reason behind why dogs eat grass and why it makes some dogs throw up is still basically unknown.

Theories about Dogs Consuming Grass:

For years, dog owners and veterinarians believed that dogs with upset stomachs ate grass to induce vomiting or that the grass upset some dogs’ digestive systems. A study has been conducted were approximately 1,500 dogs were examined that had consumed grass at least ten times over the course of a year to get more definitive answers. The study found that less than nine percent were sick prior to eating the grass, and less than one in four vomited after consuming the grass. The researchers determined that grass consumption is most likely a trait that modern dogs have inherited from their wolf ancestors which also ate grass occasionally. Scientists believe wolves generally eat grass to help them purge internal parasites and prevent the parasites from building up in their systems.

When Grass Consumption May Signal an Illness:

Owners who occasionally catch their dogs in the act of eating grass can relax a bit once they understand that this behavior is fairly normal and usually harmless. However, it still pays to watch for any change in your dog’s general behavior and habits after he consumes that grass. If your dog becomes lethargic, has diarrhea, or shows any other signs of illness right before or shortly after eating grass, you should ask your veterinarian to evaluate your pet’s health right away. While grass is unlikely the cause of any illness, any change in eating habits and behavior sometimes indicates a problem. A veterinarian can examine the dog to try to determine exactly what’s going on.

Since the consumption of grass by dogs is generally harmless, there is no reason to prevent your dog from eating it. Unless he eats an unusually large amount each time or it always causes vomiting. Of course, never let a dog eat or play on grass that has been treated with harmful chemicals for pest control or fertilizers.

Category: Florida Dog Training, Florida Puppy Training, Pet Care Tips, k9 obedience  Tags: , , ,  Leave a Comment
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