Category Archives: Dog Training

Dog Chewing Everything in Sight? Remedies and Reasons a Puppy Chews

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Written by Senior Editor Peter Gehr

Is your dog chewing everything in sight? Remedies and reasons a puppy chews. First of all, let’s be sure it’s understood that pups explore just about everything by chewing. One of the best ways to tone down that instant reaction from your little pooch is handling your dog as much as possible. The more human contact he has, the more he learns not to bite fingers, hands, etc. Your new puppy learns how hard he can bite from his mother. Prior to weaning, the mother often chastises her pups when they are being too rough with her nipples when feeding by a quick snap and growl. He also learns by playing with his siblings in play-fighting.

Dog Chewing Everything in Sight? Remedies and Reasons a Puppy Chews

Dog Chewing Everything in Sight? Remedies and Reasons a Puppy Chews

However, once the biting is curbed and he learns that it is not acceptable behavior, one of the next challenges is to stop him from chewing shoes, clothing or any chewable object left laying around.

Dog Chewing Everything in Sight? Remedies and Reasons a Puppy Chews

Puppies are born with the natural desire to investigate which often comes in the form of puppy chewing and digging. This can cause problems when your puppy “investigates” how your furniture can come apart, or digs up your garden. However, punishment is not always the best way to go when it comes to this misbehavior. You will find that reinforcing good behavior can be much more effective.

Puppy Chewing

First of all, when you first get a puppy you must provide him with plenty of chew toys. These will deter him away from the furniture, shoes, socks, flowers and all the other things you prefer him not to chew on. Provide him with a variety of toys to keep them interested and it may be beneficial to reward them when they chew on their toys. If chew toys don’t help, you can use commercial anti-chew sprays such as Fooey Training Spray to keep them away from your belongings.

Chewing is often a behavior associated with dog separation anxiety. You can lessen the problem by teaching your dog that you cannot provide him with attention 24/7. If your dog is constantly following you around, sleeping next to you in your bed… and destroying things when you’re not around, it may signal that you need to take action. Training him to sleep in his own bed or crate as well as exercising him and keeping him preoccupied before you leave may help him to feel more relaxed. It may also help to keep a TV or radio on while you are away. Easing into short departures and eventually longer departures will teach your dog that you will return and it’s ok to be alone for a while. Click here to visit the original source of this post

Dog chewing everything in sight? Remedies and reasons a puppy chews are actually similar to the remedies and reasons a human baby likes to chew everything. It’s all about discovery. However, your puppy needs to learn from the very beginning what is acceptable to chew and what is not. With new teeth growing at a rapid rate, teething problems can accelerate the desire to chew anything in sight. But one of the best ways to curb your puppy developing a bad habit of chewing shoes is to provide him with a better alternative. Dog chews are available and are made from animal hide and provide a great substitute to chewing anything else that you do not want him to chew. These are some basic guidelines, and I’ll be writing more on this topic so stay tuned.

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Dog Training Collars Advice on the Best Device for Your Pet

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Written by Senior Editor Peter Gehr

Dog training collars advice on the best device for your pet. First of all, let me begin by saying that the very best device for your dog training is: you! You are the best and most reliable training device for your dog. I personally do not use an Ecollar, and I find the principal to be somewhat of a cop out for real training techniques that strengthen the bond and relationship between you and your pet. It’s unnatural for your dog to be receiving intermittent shocks for misbehavior, and if your dog learns to only relate to a shock from a collar, it may result in aggression, depression and stress, and a general unhealthy adverse reaction.

Dog Training Collars Advice on the Best Device for Your Pet

Dog Training Collars Advice on the Best Device for Your Pet

Take the time to train your dog properly using traditional methods and create a connection between you and your animal where he/she responds obediently to your vocal commands, and the end result will be much more satisfying for both you and your puppy.

However, since they are on the market, I am offering the details below in order to help you make an informed decision as to whether you will use one or not.

Using a remote, these electronic dog training collars emit an electric shock to your dog. Each time it barks inappropriately, starts chewing your shoes, starts digging a hole in the garden, or begins tearing up the garbage in your yard and being a general nuisance, the shock will alert the dog to associate the “buzz” with the inappropriate behavior.

These devices feature various settings that can be adjusted to suit the needs of your particular breed of dog. There are numerous variables from size of dog, coat type, temperament and age—and more.

I would stress the importance of seeking the help from your vet to determine which settings to use as using the wrong settings could be detrimental to your pet and cause more problems and health and behavioral issues.

Dog Training Collars Advice on the Best Device for Your Pet

Dog training devices are very helpful when you start training your dog. There are several types of dog training devices on the market; some of them help you control your dog’s barking while others reinforce positive actions and discourage undesirable behaviors. Remote dog training devices generally consist of a collar and a remote control. They help you control your dog’s behavior even if you are not in your immediate vicinity.

Remote Dog Training Devices

If you want to train your dog yourself, remote dog training devices can be of help. They usually consist of a collar associated with a remote control. You can choose between electronic collars or spray training collars. The remote control is used by the owner to transmit positive or negative stimulus to the dog depending on the behavior the dog manifests. The remote control has typically 2 buttons, each corresponding to a specific action: reward or punishment.

Remote dog training devices are an efficient way to stop your dog from:

  • chasing cars
  • digging
  • trashing the garbage bin
  • whatever other behavior you consider bothersome

Given that some devices are effective up to a few hundred yards, you do not need to chase your dog all the time. You can just sit, watch his behavior and decide whether you want to reinforce it or punish him.

Dogs only respond to training after a few sessions. Remote training can start when your dog is around 5 months old. Remote training should be preceded by basic commands and fundamental training.

Electronic Collars

Electronic training collars work with batteries and they send a low intensity level electrical shock to the dog. You should only activate the collar to make the dog refrain from an unwanted behavior. The shock released by the collar is not meant to cause pain, but to startle your pet. In time, your dog will associate the bad behavior with the discomfort produced by the collar and will refrain from doing it.

Safety When Using Electronic Dog Training Devices

Remote training devices are considered safe. However, it is recommended that you consult your veterinarian if you decide to use electronic training collars. You should make sure that the intensity level of the electrical shock is not too high for your dog.

You should choose the collar size that fits your dog best. If the collar is too large, the dog might attempt to take it off. It could also get caught and strangle your dog. If the collar is too tight it might cause discomfort and injuries. Generally, collars are waterproof so your dog will not be injured if he gets wet. Click here to visit the original source of this post

Dog training collars advice on the best device for your pet is a matter to take into serious consideration. There are Ecollars available that vibrate on your dogs net rather than shock, and this may be a much better alternative if you are unable to attend to your dog at every turn or at every “infringement.” The vibration system is designed to communicate a negative response to his/her actions in an attempt to deter the behavior you deem unsatisfactory. There are several types available and some work better than others. The Petsafe dog collar is one of the most popular types that, at the time this article was written, is reduced in price by more than 50% and has pretty solid reviews.

Click here for more details, or click on the picture below

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How to Teach a Dog to Sit On Command in 4 Easy Steps

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Written by Senior Editor Peter Gehr

How to teach a dog to sit on command in 4 easy steps

How to teach a dog to sit on command in 4 easy steps

One of the first things everyone wants to teach their new puppy is how to sit. This is surprisingly easy if you follow the two “Ps”, practice and patience. The how to teach a dog to sit on command in 4 easy steps will come easy by staying calm and finding a place without distraction. It’s very important to keep in mind that your dog does not speak any other language other than dog language. In other words, contrary to what a lot of people think, your pet does not speak English. Yes, he/she responds to different commands, but don’t mistake this for actual literal comprehension of English.

I’ve said this before and will repeat it here again; it’s the association to the sound of the word that your dog responds to, not the word itself. As an example, if you approached your dog and said in a loving, kind and gentle tone, “I hate you, I hate you”, chances are your dog will respond with wagging tail and loyal enthusiasm. On the contrary, if you were to approach your dog in a gruff, stern and angry tone and shouted “I love you, I love you!” your dog will probably cringe and turn away thinking you are angry.

In other words, it’s the tone, and the association that your dog interprets.

A dog looks for signs, familiar sounds and body language.

How to Teach a Dog to Sit On Command in 4 Easy Steps

The well-respected and popular dog expert Cesar Millan has the following advice:

The communication and connection we have with our dogs through exercise, discipline, and affection is the foundation for what I call conditioning, or dog training. I like to teach about dog psychology, and I am more concerned about a dog’s overall balance in order to prevent or correct problem behaviors than I am with the dog’s ability to answer basic commands, like sit, stay, come, down, and heel.

Of course those are important behaviors for any domesticated animal to know and obey, but for me, it begins with that foundation – pack leadership. I raise all of the dogs in my pack using energy and body language, touch and simple sounds, in a way that is more in tune with the way dogs communicate naturally. Dogs don’t understand the meaning of “sit” any more than they understand the word “birthday” – we condition them to understand what that sound means to them.

When teaching any new command, it’s important to have your dog’s attention and to stop before you lose their attention. You want to keep them wanting more. If a dog runs away from you and goes to romp around the yard after a training session, you know you’ve done too much. This isn’t the dog saying, “I’m free! Yippee!” This is the dog saying, “I’m over-stimulated.” This is especially true of puppies, which are already in a hyperactive, over-stimulated state. The goal is to move them into a more relaxed, calm, and submissive state through your conditioning and leadership.

Teaching “sit” requires a lot of patience, repetition, and reward. I encourage people to teach “sit” with silence – using energy – before adding a sound, or saying the word “sit.” When the dog sits, reward him with a treat. Each time he repeats the behavior for you, reward with a treat. (For some dogs that don’t respond to food, you can try a toy or a belly rub, but don’t overdo the affection. Remember, this is discipline time!) And then end your session with a success and do the exercise again later.

There are many different techniques for teaching basic commands like “sit.” Some of the trainers I know and respect use what is called “clicker” training, where they make a “click” sound to acknowledge that the dog has done the behavior desired. And then they give the reward. The dog begins to associate the sound with a treat, and when they do something that gets a “click,” they want to keep doing it over and over again. Think about it as though the clicker is a camera, and you’re “capturing” a wanted behavior. (Original article here)

Step one: With a treat in hand, move your hand over the dog’s nose and head. Be sure not to hold it too high and avoid the dog jumping for the treat.

Step two: Repeat this motion as many times as necessary, and this will encourage the dog to raise its head back and arch its back.

Step thee: As you move your hand over the nose, over the head and towards the back of your puppy, he will naturally begin sitting.

Step four: As soon as he sits, say the word “sit” and reward with the treat.

Practice this as much as you need to in order for it to become familiar to the dog, and he will soon learn the association to the word.

Make it fun, and don’t get frustrated. Some dogs pick it up very quickly, and yet others may take some time to get it right. Keep your voice calm, and don’t push your puppy for too long. The best puppy tips on how to teach a dog to sit on command in 4 easy steps will be rewarding for both you and your dog as long as it’s done patiently and in brief training sessions. It’s a form of discipline, so keep the affection to a minimum, but do praise and reward accordingly.

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