Dog Training

Archive for November, 2008

Bruce and his family enjoyed Matt, their yellow Labrador, but they sometimes had a problem when the kids would play in the backyard with the dog. Matt would frequently knock them down and when Bruce would play with them the dog would try to mount him. At times if Bruce scolds his children to reprimand them, Matt would get distress and start growling. Bruce tried spanking Matt or tapping him on his nose, but nothing seemed to be curbing the dog’s aggression.

Gab was almost ready to give up on Teru’s behavior. But during a get together party, he found himself talking his frustration over Teru’s aggressive behavior with a family friend, who recommended him to hire a dog trainer. His friend advised him that the trainer would visit them in their house to work with Gab and his family to aid them curb some of Teru’s alarming behavior.

Gab automatically phoned the trainer and they both agreed on having him come over when everyone is at home to make observations on Teru’s behavior. Upon witnessing how they move, act around their home, and relate to each other, the trainer quickly knew what is happening and further explained to the family that Teru have a pack mentality. Pack mentality is the type of attitude wherein one dog has dominance over everyone. Teru’s behavior was a way of him presenting he was in charge. That’s why the trainer suggested that the family stop allowing Teru to claim that he was the Alpha Dog. Knowing about this, Gab would need to establish himself as the leader of Teru’s pack.

Bruce followed the trainer’s advice and started taking control over everything. The trainer explained to Bruce that Matt should wait first for permission to use any toy or even to eat. Matt needs to acknowledge that Bruce and his family were in control. Bruce put up Matt’s toys and refrain form letting him to jump up on the couch or bed unless he sat first.

When Teru would want to play or go out, Gab began training him to sit in front of the toy box or doorway. For when he sat on command, Gab would let him play with a toy or open the door for him. If Teru would not follow, Gab would not give Teru what he wanted. Gab also instructed his kids how to do the same thing. At first the dog would not respond, but realized that he was not getting what he wanted, so he would follow to commands.

The trainer suggested games of fetch and using other active toys to excite Teru other than playing tug-of-wars. Even though this was one of Gab’s favorite games to play with his pet, he observed that Teru’s behavior worsened after they played this particular game. The trainer cited that these kinds of games are instinctual ways for dogs to assert dominance in the pack and should be avoided until Teru completely understands or acknowledge he’s not the alpha dog in the house.

A few months later, Teru’s aggression dissipated. Time and time again, Teru would try to reassert himself as the alpha dog, but the family now knows not to give in to any of his demands. Teru had truly improved and had matured for he no longer knocks down the kids when they would play, and he certainly stopped mounting on Gab. Gab even teaches Teru other tricks that he never thought he was capable of learning.

The key to Bruce’s success with Matt was that the family had to institute dominance over Matt. As soon as Matt realized his spot in the hierarchy, he was better behaved and the aggression subsided. Don’t even think about bringing your beloved dog back to the pound or worse… We have solutions to any kind of dog problems you can ever think of!

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Coaching your dog to stop biting does not need to occur after a biting incident, it would need to start from when your dog is a puppy. The earlier training begins the less probable it is that a bite will occur. However, even dogs that are loving and sweet all the time may one day have a biting incident. Training your dog early will help to prevent it, but it never gives a 100% guarantee that there will never be a biting incident again.

Start Early
When puppies are small, many people wait until the biting behavior stops, because the puppies are so cute. Little nips and growling around food or children seem adorable. However, it is important for puppy owners to visualize their grown dog doing the same thing. Then it is not so cute after all. In fact, the thought of the behaviors continuing should prompt training to start immediately.

Tip #1: Inhibit Biting
Part of the lesson in dog training to stop biting is to coach your puppy to restrain biting. Generally, dogs would discover to inhibit their bite from their mother before they even reach the age of four months old, we as dog owner observe it once and decide to put a stop to it before it even starts. It is essential to practice this training, since the mother dog and siblings are not present to do it.

Tip #2: Make Your Dog a Social Butterfly
Letting your puppy socialize is the natural way to control biting behavior. Puppy tends to play rough when allowed to socialize with other puppies and dogs, but learns to control their biting so they do not hurt each another. If dogs bite too hard, it gives negative reaction to other dogs, but still is acceptable as it is a natural process. Socialization with others is a natural structure of training, as you can do nothing, or say as a person to educate them as socializing does.

Tip #3: Build Trust and Respect
Building trust and respect with your puppy is the best and most effective way to put a stop to biting behavior. One good reason for biting and aggression amongst dogs is to show that they are the alpha dog of the household, and consider their owners and family members as part of their pack. An added basis for dog bites is fear, and dogs naturally aggravates when they feel pressured. But nevertheless, building trust and respect becomes a vital element of dog training to impede biting, and allowing it would make the dog feel comfortable and unafraid but without crossing the boundaries of respect with authority. Reprimands are important part of training, but reprimands without respect actually hinder progress. Interact with your puppy so that you form a bond, but let them know you have control over everything, including toys, food, bed, walks, and praise.

Keep in mind that essentially starting early in training minimizes the chances of dog bites that might occur later. Letting your dog socialized is the most natural way to inhibit biting behavior. On the other hand, when you allow your puppy to feel that they are loved and cared for and you institute a sense of respect for your authority, training the dog to stop biting would be a breeze.

Don’t even think about bringing your beloved dog back to the pound or worse… We have solutions to any kind of dog problems you can ever think of!

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The Bichon Frise is a wonderful dog by any standards. It is loving, sweet and cuddly. Very often you can say that it resembles a powder puff in its looks, and an angel in its temperament. These dogs get very attached to their owners and suffer from terrible separation anxiety when left alone for long periods of time. During this time, they tend to destructively chew on whatever they can get their teeth on, bark incessantly or whimper in a loud and pitiful voice.

If you are a person who needs to stay out of your home for ore than three hours at a stretch on daily basis then the Bichon Frise might not be the dog for you. You will also need to know that in spite of being such sweet pooches, the Bichon Frise obedience training is quite tough. But training is not impossible with patience, consistency and positive reinforcements.

The most important and critical aspect of Bichon Frise obedience training will be to housebreak them. This is in most cases extremely difficult, as the Bichon Frise tends to show an extremely stubborn streak in this particular task. You will need to be very firm and use the crate very often to impose on your pup the importance of total obedience. Unfortunately, in spite of the best efforts many Bichon Frise dogs will never be completely housebroken.

There are two main things that need to be addressed with Bichon Frise training ? the most important is housebreaking and the other one is controlling its barking. These dogs tend to bark whenever they get upset and this can be when you are out of the house for a little longer than three hours or when you have too many people in the house or when children play too loudly, too.

The third part of the training should cover socializing. These dogs are normally shy and introvert. They prefer to be around their owner and do not usually like to socialize with other humans or animals. You need to be careful that they are socialized enough or you will have a skittish and hard to contain dog when in company.

The Bichon Frise obedience training is much easier with positive reinforcement than any other method. Be sure you keep your dog aglow with praise, love and plenty of tidbits. They catch on fast when they are petted and praised when they perform. Commands like come, sit and stay can be taught much easier than quiet (to stop the bark) or go to your place when guests are in.

A professional trainer is always best in this case because they have well tried methods and more experience than you will have in this aspect. It will be even better if you get a trainer who has trained previously Bichon Frise dogs, as these are temperamentally very different from other dogs.

The good news with this dog is that they are very responsive to love and attention. Very often what you cannot do with a stern hand, you can achieve with positive reinforcement and love.

Mary Stevenson is an avid lover of the Bichon Frise and owns a popular website that can show you how to have a happy, healthy and well behaved Bichon Frise. Among other topics there, you will find out more about Bichon Frise Obedience Training plus a whole lot more.

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It’s important to keep your pet happy and healthy, but how do you know when it’s time to change your dog’s diet? Who can you talk to in order to learn more about your dog’s diet and what needs to be altered?

It may seem that your dog is doing great on whatever bag or can of dog food gets into your cart at the grocery store, but how do you know for sure that your dog’s diet is right him/her? Take note of some simple things about your dog. The dog’s diet affects all aspects of life, so observe your dog before jumping to conclusions.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when trying to decide if your dog’s diet needs a change. How does my dog act? Is your pet always scrounging around the house for crumbs and scraps? Can your pet rest comfortably following a meal?

A dog who is full and content will be less likely to scavenge and will be able to take a nap after a good meal.

Are your pets outputs runny, thin, or firm? A dog’s diet will dramatically affect their outputs. You will be able to tell if your dog’s diet is appropriate for them by monitoring potty stops.

If your pet is routinely feeling under the weather or becoming ill, you may want to consider what is in the dog dish. The dog’s diet is what feeds the immune system and keeps your pet feeling healthy. A diet lacking appropriate vitamins and nutrition will not keep your pet functioning at his best.

As your pet grows and matures, you may need to change your dog’s diet. A puppy has different health requirements in regards to diet than does an adult dog. Older dogs may require senior diets to help combat weight or medical issues.

How is your pet’s energy level? Does your dog seem lazy or high strung? The dog’s diet may be influencing this fact. If your dog and you take walks for several miles, you may need to adjust the dog’s diet to suit the increased level of activity.

Whether you keep your pet inside or out may also make a difference in your dog’s diet. Pets staying outside in the winter may need extra food and more calories to stay warm during the cold winter months.

If you are ever in doubt about what type of diet is right for your dog, talk to a professional. Your veterinarian should always be advised of any medical or health concerns. He or she will be glad to discuss with you various dog diets and their specific advantages and disadvantages. Nobody knows your dog better than you and your vet. Work together to determine if your dog is showing signs that his diet needs a change.

Many factors can influence the need to change your dog’s diet. Health concerns, age, and even the weather can be cause for your dog’s diet to require alteration. Speak to your vet about the best diet for your pet dog. Good observation and education will help you to decide if your dog’s diet is right on track.

Rottweilers have been one of the most popular dogs in America for over twenty years. But not every person who has gotten a Rottweiler should have gotten one. These dogs are abandoned by the thousands of people every year to animal shelters and Rottweiler rescues, usually through the stupidity of their owners and not through any fault of their own. Rottweilers have different needs than other breeds, which is why some kind-hearted saints have started non-profit Rottweiler rescues.

In this way, most Rottweilers and Rottweiler mixes that wind up in Rottweiler rescues or your local animal shelter arrive through no fault of their own. Rottweilers have also been abandoned just because they somehow physically do not measure up to the breed standard. Some are abandoned because they have health problems prone to big dogs like hip dysplasia that the previous owners could not be bothered to pay vet bills for. Very, very rarely do Rottweilers enter shelters or rescues because of being vicious.

Good Rottweiler rescues are easy to find in almost every state in America. You can ask for a recommendation from anyone you know that has adopted a Rottweiler you admire, from your vet or from your local animal shelter. You can also check the classified of dog magazines. But the fastest way to find Rottweiler rescues is on the Internet.

You will not be allowed to adopt a Rottweiler for free. The adoption fee is about three to four hundred dollars, much less than buying a purebred Rottweiler puppy. The fee just barely covers the expenses needed to rescue and rehabilitate the dog.

But the fastest way of finding a Rottweiler rescue is online. If you go to a website called “Rottweiler Rescue Groups Nationwide” there is a comprehensive list of Rottweiler rescues in America. Keep in mind that there is no oversight organization for any animal rescue center, including Rottweiler rescues. However, they all must be non-profit organizations that can show you their registered charity number.

You should never be allowed to immediately take or “reserve” a dog to be shipped to your home from legitimate Rottweiler rescue groups. If you come across a website claiming they are a Rottweiler rescue, with puppies available for a price with no questions asked, then this is just a front for a puppy mill or for a dog thief. It should take at least two weeks from you filling out an initial adoption application to bringing home a Rottweiler.

You will be vetted and have more background checks done on you than when you applied for a mortgage. This is a sign of an excellent Rottweiler rescue. They will check your home, that you are not in trouble with the police for animal cruelty charges, and often need a letter of reference from your veterinarian before you can even meet a prospective Rottweiler for adoption.

Although that situation became ridiculous, most Rottweiler rescues are pretty levelheaded and believe in compromise for the welfare of the dog (and their own sanity).

Sharon Davies is an avid lover of the Rottweiler and owns a popular website where you’ll discover how to have a happy, healthy and well behaved Rottweiler. Among other topics there, you can also learn all about Rottweiler Rescue plus a whole lot more.

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Watch out! The Chihuahua puppies are coming! Are you ready? Are you sure? Any puppy is a lifetime commitment, including a Chihuahua puppy, but no puppy will be as small as a Chihuahua. Because of their tiny size and their complete lack of fear, they will get into trouble that can get them killed. The good news is that all of these dangers are preventable.

Simply being stepped on can kill a Chihuahua puppy, because they are so small. If you have ever taken care of a hamster, gerbil, rat, mouse or guinea pig, then you already have a good idea of what is involved. Unfortunately, you can’t keep Chihuahua puppies in a cage indefinitely, but you can crate them or seclude them in one room if rowdy visitors drop by. Chihuahua puppies think they are immortal, so you need to look out for them.

You need to call your Chihuahua puppy away from potential dangers such as chocolate, cleansers, slug bait, other dogs, laundry machines and even a fall out of a window. Keep treats on you or a special little squeaky toy to reward your Chihuahua puppy for looking at you and then coming over to you. Never hit or yell at the pup after they have obeyed and come over ? even if you feel like it. This will teach them that coming to your side will get them smacked or screamed at. Would you want to go near anyone who did that to you?

You need to have your Chihuahua puppy in a secure crate or a reasonably bare room when you cannot be home. They can find nooks and crannies in any home that you had no idea existed. Better yet, get down on your hands and knees and see if there are any cracks, sharp edges or household plants the pup could get into. You will also need to open any doors very slowly until the pup is an adult.

Keep an eye on your Chihuahua puppy for health problems, especially for vomiting or diarrhea. Because of their small size, they can die of dehydration very quickly. Feed them small frequent meals of quality puppy food for small dogs until they are about six months old, when they can be fed twice a day.

You need to have a vet before you bring any kind of puppy home to deal with emergencies, vaccinations and neutering. Keep the vet’s number by the phone.

Chihuahua puppies are actually stronger than some other slim breeds of dogs, namely the Italian Greyhound. They are also one of the most intelligent breeds of dog and learn about house safety in a matter of weeks (as opposed to years in a human child). Teach your puppy his or her name as soon as possible.

The only thing your dog will learn is that you babble like an idiot and will ignore you. For your sanity and the pup’s safety, pick a reasonable name of two syllables or less for your puppy.

Sandra Dean is a passionate lover of the Chihuahua and has a popular website that can show you how to have a happy, healthy and well behaved Chihuahua. Among other topics at this website, you will find out more about Chihuahua Puppy Information plus a whole lot more.

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Boston Terrier rescues are dog rescue organizations that specialize in rescuing purebred Boston Terriers from cruel and neglectful situations and then placing them in loving homes. Many of the rescued Boston Terriers come from puppy mills or abusive owners. Some of the rescued Boston Terriers suffer from mental and physical problems.

Because they are so experienced with the breed, the Boston Terrier rescue is better able to address the dog’s medical needs. Once a dog is deemed healthy the mission of the Boston Terrier rescue facility is to find a nice family who will love the dog for the rest of its life.

People who adopt a Boston Terrier from a Boston Terrier rescue normally feel that by improving the dog’s life they are doing something to make the world a better place. Many of the people who get a dog from a Boston Terrier rescue are pleased to be getting a purebred dog for a relatively small adoption fee.

The average Boston Terrier is a wonderful family dog. They seldom bark. They are good with children of all ages. They love people. They are gentle and intelligent. Because they are a short haired breed of dog they require a minimal amount of grooming.

Although they have a hardy appearance there are several health issues people need to consider before bringing a Boston Terrier home from a rescue. The strange shape of their nose often causes the Boston Terrier to wheeze, sneeze and snore when it sleeps. Boston Terriers do best in moderate climates, they have hard time breathing when the heat index is high and during cold snaps they also have difficulty breathing.

Boston Terriers have delicate digestive systems. It is not uncommon for a Boston Terrier to have serious issues with the patellas in their hind legs, a condition worsened by the breeds curved confirmation.

In addition to the medical issues commonly found in Boston Terriers many of the dogs who find their way to a Boston Terrier rescue may have additional physical issues as a result of abuse suffered at the hands of their previous owners. The people at the rescue should be able to give you most of the information you will need to make sure the dog leads a long and happy life with you.

Once the dogs physical health has been addressed the rescue then takes the steps needed to learn what the dogs personality is like and if there are any environments that it can’t cope with (such as small children, cats, or other dogs).

Before officially adopting the dog bring a copy of the Boston Terrier’s medical records to your veterinarian and find out what whether they think you will be able both the day to day care the dog requires as well as any future medical bills the dog may acquire.

Wendy Caples is an avid lover of the Boston Terrier and has a popular website where you’ll discover how to have a happy, healthy and well behaved Boston Terrier. Among other topics there, you can also learn all about Boston Terrier Adoption plus a whole lot more.

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