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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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7 Reasons Dog Training Goes Wrong For Owners:

By Jeffery
20
Jan 2012

Allowing your dog to think it’s the leader of the pack. Your dog is an animal and a far different species to us humans. They do not share the same thought processes and the ability to rationalize like we do. Dogs live in packs with a clear hierarchy. There is an alpha or “pack leader” in every pack. You must make clear that you are in fact the alpha dog. You control every aspect of your dog’s life from exercise, feeding, and making all the decisions. Be the dominant leader, not your dog. if you allow your dog to take control he will develop behavioral problems. This will become an issue that is going to be much more difficult to solve as your dog gets older. Start out right from the beginning.

Try not to have training sessions last too long. Do not have high expectations of your dog to understand the training right away. Some dogs will learn and understand faster than others. Keep training sessions short as dogs generally have a much shorter attention span than we do. Teach your dog in a way that is fun, so both of you can enjoy.

Lack of exercise is often to blame. Exercise is very important to your dog, both physically and mentally. All dogs need their exercise. Different breeds have different requirements in duration and type of exercise. Taking a walk with your dog allows time for the two of you to bond and interact. He can meet other dogs and people. This will also allow him to take in all the different smells and sounds of the outdoors, which promotes healthy mental stimulation. Not give your dog daily exercise can lead to boredom and frustration which can lead to depression.

Don’t try to teach too much, too soon. When your dog begins to learn, he very quickly associates getting reward for following a command. This will help him to better understand the meaning of the command. However, even his favorite treat may not always get his attention. He could have been distracted by a strange noise or see something which caught his eye. Do not be too quick to give him a correction as this will only hinder any progression in the training. He is young and needs time to get used to what all the commands mean. Treat him as you would like to be treated, give clear commands, and always be kind but firm.

Category: Florida Dog Obedience Training, Florida Puppy Training, Pet Care Tips, k9 obedience  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.

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Tips to Dog Misbehaviors When Visitors Come Over:

By Jeffery
06
Jan 2012

Many people seem to think that when their dog is jumping or barking at company, they feel the need to scream at the dog. A much more affective method would be to give your dog something more productive to do. A good start is to teach him to “lay down” or “stay”. Then once the dog understands these simple commands, then work towards having someone ring the doorbell or knock. Try keeping your dog on a leash and collar when practicing. When approaching the door, have the dog do their ‘lay down’ and if they are too excited, give them a small tug as a little bit of motivation to ‘lie down’ and ‘stay’. Then try opening the door. It’s often too much to ask expecting the dog to know what to do right away. You will need to guide your dog and show him what is more appropriate then just barking.

As for when to take the leash off, try to do this in stages. The first couple of times you will go through this, the dog is on leash. Once the dog gets used to the idea that this is what we do instead of jumping on friends or family, we drop the leash but he is still wearing it. If the dog decides not to obey these commands, you are still able to give him another small tug on the leash. Once you are convinced that your dog is starting to listen well, you may continue your practice without the use of the leash.

When giving the “lay down” or “stay” commands, try attaching something physical to the dog such as the leash and giving a small tug now and then. This way you are attaching something physical to the words you’re using and puts you in a position where you don’t have to yell, you don’t have to scream, you can simply get your dog to just simply lay down. Easier said then done, it does take constant repetition and does take a lot of work but doing it in those stages you can work your way to having your dog off the use of the leash. Now you have accomplished reversing the unacceptable response to when the doorbell rings, the dog lays down. That becomes the natural behavior instead of your dog going insane, barking, and jumping.

Category: Florida Dog Obedience Training, K9 Private Lessons, Pet Care Tips, 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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Common Mistakes When Training Your New Pup

By Jeffery
26
Dec 2011

Puppies are capable of learning simple commands from a very young age. Don’t try to give your puppy a meaningful training session if he is highly excited, occupied with exploring, or tired. You need his complete attention. Otherwise you’re wasting both your time and his. You can build up to training sessions in more distracting environments once your puppy is reliably responding to your commands when at home.

When it comes to home training, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand the concept, what goes in must come out. If you feed your puppy a quality, nutritious and balanced dog food and stick to regular meal times (3 times a day for young puppies, dropping down to twice a day for older dogs), then your puppy is more likely to have regular potty habits which means you’ll have a much better idea of what time to take him out. If, on the other hand, your constantly offering your puppy with treats and tidbits and feed him at random times of the day, you can expect your puppy to need to potty at any time of day too.

If you’re expectations are too high of your puppy to master all of your commands in the first couple of weeks, you are sadly mistaken and will be disappointed. Young puppies, in particular, have a lot of information to take in the first few weeks as they get settled into their new home away from their mom and siblings. Try to start off with two or three commands at the most sit. “Come” and “down” should be of top priority. Don’t move on to new commands until you are confident enough that your pup has mastered the basics.

Like an adolescent child, puppies have short attention spans and get tired very quickly. Remember, when training your puppy, keep sessions short. 5 to 10 minutes should be sufficient enough time. Two or three short training sessions every day is ideal. You can build in the command “come” throughout the day such as when you want to feed your puppy or take him outside.

A pup will learn much faster and affectively through the association of an action with a positive reward. However, our attention can also be very rewarding to a puppy. This can also include negative attention such as yelling, scolding, or punishment.

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Easy Dog Training & Tips:

By Jeffery
09
Dec 2011

Dog training has long evolved from its roots as simply a way to get your k9 to perform acceptable behaviors. It has become a full fledged science. This particular topic has been well studied and researched to create several known aspects about the art of dog training. Here is a list of several dog training facts that are interesting to know about dogs and their behaviors.

According to their size, larger dogs age faster than smaller dogs (large dogs at 7 years per human year, small dogs at 5 years per human year). However, all dogs age roughly 12 years per year over the first year of life. By 2 years old, all dogs are roughly the equivalent of 24. But at 12 years old, large dogs are 94, while small dogs are only about 74.

Dog tricks are more effective when you use a single syllable command (Sit, Stay, etc.) rather than a two syllable command. On the flip side, however, your dog is more likely to know its name if its name consist of two syllables. “Marley” is easier for the dog to understand than “Spike” if you want your dog to know you are referencing to him with each use of the name. When your dog knows its name, training is much easier. Training is more effective when you use your dog’s name before the command, instead of saying “Sit!,” say “Marley, Sit!”

Dogs are more prone to learning behaviors when they have received a sufficient amount of exercise. If you want your dog to learn a new trick, make sure you are taking your dog on frequent walks. Dogs learn in context. As a result, if you only train your dog inside, your dog may not understand the commands if you try to do them outside, because the context of the command has changed. It is best to train your dog in multiple locations to help make the training more context neutral.

If you own more than one dog, you should know that it is healthier for your dogs if you do not treat them all as equals. Every dog pack has a hierarchy, and dogs that know their place suffer from less anxiety (reducing illness) and exhibit more desirable behaviors. Watch your dogs closely, figure out where each of them appears to fit in the pack, and treat them as such. This greatly improves your success with obedience training.

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General Guidelines for Effective Dog Training:

By Jeffery
07
Dec 2011

No matter what type of dog training you prefer, it is important to know the general rules and policies for dog training. Knowing these rules does not just entail effective training but also make the process a whole lot easier. Below are some useful examples that every dog trainer should learn to follow for effective dog training.

-Make sure that every dog training session is short and fun. Animal behavior experts say that short periods of training is always better than long periods of time.

-Reward your dog. Give him treats or chew bones every time they follow your orders and commands.

-Try not to punish dogs by shouting or yelling at them if they don’t follow what you want them to do. Doing so will only make them aggressive.

-Be consistent. Remember that your dog will never learn the things that you teach them right away. Consistency is the key here. Do the same thing again and again until they’ve learned your orders and commands by heart.

-Teach him tricks and commands one at a time and make sure to start from the simplest one before moving on to more complicated ones. Teach them a new trick or command only if they’ve mastered the previous one.

-Learn what motivates your dogs to behave and be obedient. It can be in the form of dog food, treats, or toys.

-Never hit dogs every time they do something wrong or unwanted. Ignoring them is the best way to let them know they will never get anything if they keep on doing whatever it is that they’re doing.

-Test their obedience in various situations. This is the best way to ensure they still follow your commands and orders even when they are outside and around people.

Whatever dog training method that you may go with, it is critical that you make them feel you are the leader in your dog-owner pack. It is also important that you make them understand what are good and acceptable behaviors and what are not. Training your dog to become a good and well-behaved citizen may not be easy, but all your time, efforts and patience will certainly pay off. Remember that there’s nothing better than a dog that knows not just how to protect their owners but also follows orders and commands and knows how to behave in different surroundings and situations.

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Effective Training Techniques for Dogs of all Shapes and Sizes:

By Jeffery
30
Nov 2011

The term obedience training is generally used for the various methods of helping your dog to behave in a more expectable manner. There are many different methods in dog training techniques such as positive reinforcement, reward training, collar and leash, marker training, dog whispering, and clicker training.

Accomplish the following with the right dog training:

Your dog wasn’t born programmed to meet your behavioral standards.  So don’t expect your dog to know everything right away!The key to training your dog to respond to verbal commands is repetition and consistency. He is looking to you as a guide to lay a good foundation for behavior.

The best corrective measures are rewards and praise. Unlike children, dogs don’t have the mental capacity to fully understand the consequences of their actions. Time outs and repeating “NO” may not be as effective as you would like. Instead, praise your dog when he has done what you have asked of him or her, and offer an appropriate reward. When your dog doesn’t follow commands, provide appropriate correction. Balance is a strong key when doing this.

Don’t punish for unacceptable behaviors your dog has committed when he has no way to know any better. Punishing your dog for a behavior that you have not spent time on or he has not been properly trained to do, if you ask me, this is unfair to your dog.

Make obedience training sharp and short for the both of you to enjoy. So take things slow. Having your dog to follow commands and respond the way you expect doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time. It’s easier for your dog to master one command at a time then move to the next one, and build on the foundation you all have established. Stimulate and challenge your dog throughout the obedience training process.

The Benefits:

Effective dog training is the best possible thing you can do for you and your dog. This will allow for a very rewarding relationship. With the right kind of obedience training can make your dog an absolute joy to be around. When well trained, he is more trustworthy, and you as the owner can feel confident in your dog and his abilities as you extend more and more freedoms to your canine friend. Trust, respect, and boundaries are all keys for unlocking a healthy owner-dog relationship.

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