Showing posts with label dog training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dog training. Show all posts

Friday, 24 February 2012

Effective Tips For Dog Training

For a good and healthy human and dog relationship, dog training is a must, as it is through the process of training that a dog can be taught the mannerisms it requires to have, to move around in society. But what is dog training and how is it useful for the dog? Here are some free dog training tips that give you an answer. Training dogs involves clicker training, marker training, reward training, collar and leash, positive reinforcement, dog whispering,obedience training for dogs , etc. Dogs are not perfect; well no one is, and they keep doing certain things that may not be acceptable, especially when they are moving around with humans, their masters. These behavior include chewing, digging, jumping, begging, biting and barking unnecessarily. So, training dogs not to bite and training dogs not to bark is equally important. Here are some dog training tips for free, they will certainly help you change the behavior of your dog.

Tips for Dog Training
The sole purpose of dog training is to make your dog well-mannered. Following are the tips that must be followed without fail during the training sessions for dogs:
  • At the initial stage, do not over burden the dog with many commands as they might become frustrating and confusing for their little brains. Always remember to respect the behavior of your dog and plan your training accordingly. Never give a command for the activity that the dog can avoid.
  • You must always praise the dog for his good behavior and performance and reward him immediately so that he can associate the reward and the behavior. Make use of dog treats for this. This acts as a booster for the dog to follow your instructions religiously. This practice should be followed as it helps develop an amicable relation between the dog trainer and the trainee dog.
  • During the process of training, never ever punish the dog. Always focus on praising the behavioral change in the pet.
  • Penalize the dog for his misbehavior. Keep in mind that penalizing and punishing are two different things. Penalty means forcing the dog to do the thing that he dislikes like leash jerk or ignoring him to make him realize his mistake. These free dog training tips will definitely help you train your dog in the way you want to.
Dog House Training Tips
The house training is a must for a dog to make him used to the outdoors and indoors. Crate training is the basic method of training the dog. The pup must be kept in a crate for a short period in a day. If the pup wants to defecate, take him outdoors. Teach him to defecate either in a yard or in a sandbox, if you do not have a yard. You could even use these puppy potty training tips for that. Some dogs jump at their loved ones in over-excitement. It is all right with small dogs, but large dogs might injure themselves or the person they jump on. So, to get rid of this dog behavior ignore the dog instead of shouting and screaming at it. These tips on house training a puppy might prove useful. For the meal time, create a separate meal area for the dog. Make him understand the right time for meals and make sure you stick to that timing. Always remember, never overfeed the dog. The most enjoyable training is dog leash training for both the trainer as well as the dog, as it ensures a safe and enjoyable stroll with your pet. If you clearly understand how to train a dog, and follow these free dog training tips religiously, you will observe a gradual change in the behavior of your dog, a change for the better.

Dog Potty Training Tips
Now we come to the potty training tips. Potty training dogs requires you to be patient and give your dog some time to learn. This training should be given at the puppy stage itself. For potty training older dogs, you need to understand its nature and behavior. The most important thing to be considered during this training is the 'in' and 'out' timings. Usually, they should be taken out after fifteen to twenty minutes of their meal. Use a potty if you plan to let the dog poop indoors. Again don't punish your dog too hard for pooping at the wrong place; and don't forget to reward him for its little acts of good behavior.

So, these are some of the essential free dog training tips that will help you give the basic training to your dog. So go ahead and make your dog a 'gentleman'. You can even get many free dog training tips online. With the use of dog training tools available today dog training can be made easy. But the most important thing about training a dog is you give it your time and treat it with affection and care. That's my dog training advice to you.

Tuesday, 1 November 2011

Shih Tzu

  Shih Tzu​ is a tiny breed of dog with its small size and long hairs. Its name is derived from
Shh Tzu Cut Dog in the Box
the old traditional Chinese language. The name Shih Tzu is pronounced as Sheet-sue is the American language. But the actual pronunciation of the Shih Tzu according to the old traditional language is sure-ds. In Chinese language ds is translated in the meaning of lion. So its actual meaning is Lion Dog. But in America wrong pronunciation of sheet-sue is common.   Shih Tzu History:
It belongs to the ancient breeds of the dogs. This breed also has very close relations with the ancient wolves. It shows some genetic similarity also with the wolves. Shih Tzu breed was closed in the Chinese Revolution and therefore it was a drawback for the breed of Shih Tzu. Some dogs were survived throughout this revolution and now you can found many of the dogs of this breed related to these dogs which were survived.
This type of the breed was also imported in the England in 1930 and afterwards its breeds was also started in the England in a club which was named as Shih Tzu Club that’s why these dogs were called Shih Tzu. American Kennel club also registered this breed in the end of 1960’s decade and it was registered in the toy group.
Shih Tzu Appearance:
It is a small breed with the long silky hair. It is not very small but has an average
Shih Tzu Small Puppies
size but you can include it into middle or tall size. Head is slightly round and little bit wide. Nose is also broad and has wide nostrils. It allows it to breathe with great ease while running and playing. The large round eyes are also looks good on the round face which has wide difference between the eyes. Eyes color is different in different dogs. Most common eye colors are black and blue.   It has long hair silky coat on its body which can have several colors. Its hair color can have also different shades. Its ears also hang down just like the hairs on its body. It has good legs which are muscular and make it easy to run fast. Body structure is very good and well boned. Its teeth are also good and enough for biting. Its height can be up to 12 inches and weight can vary between 5 to 7 kg.
Shih Tzu Temperament:
This breed have the alert character and is very talented. It is a good little watch dog which always take care about suspicious persons. It is also very gentle and intelligent and you can make it very good and talented by little training. It can be a good social pet also if you trained it into a professional way you can also get the help of any good breeder which can breed it. But training also depends upon your dog breed, if it belongs to a good breed. Sometimes your pet is not able to attain this training so you should also take care about it.
They are good friends of humans and have very gentle behavior with them. This type of small breed generally have small dog syndrome which allows them to think that they are the leader of the humans. It can also cause some behavior issues with your pet. So you should not allow them to think about this.
Shih Tzu is a nice breed which can be a good watch breed as well. It is also a playful pet as like the other tiny dogs which belongs to the toy group. So you can also enjoy your dog by playing different games. It also can be a walk dog which can be taken easily while going for a morning walk or going for exercise. It can also be kept easily in apartments and in the small houses.
Shih Tzu Health:
This breed don’t have any specific genetic problems but simple health issues which are found common in the dogs can also be found in the Shih Tzu. It can have some respiratory problems. Skin allergy and eyes infection are the common diseases in the long hair dogs.
Shih Tzu Care:
It also needs a little bit more attention and care then the normal dogs as it has long
Shih Tzu Small Cute White PUppy
hair which needs to brushed daily and you should also have to give a bath after the regular intervals of times. This needs exercise to keep itself fit and active. You should also have to take care about its health and feed. Because If you don’t take precautions about these thing it can spoil your pet and cause many other health issues.   Shih Tzu Feed:
It doesn’t need any special type of feed. Just normal feed with the good nutrition quality is required for your dog. You should also take care about the plates in which you give food to your dog it should be clean regularly.
Shih Tzu Expenditures:
It can cost you 600$ to 900$. If you are looking for a puppy it can cost you 500$ to 700$ it is the normal price of the puppy. But if you are looking for this breed with special characteristics then it can cost you 1220$ to 1500$. Yearly expenditures can be near about 1000$.
Overall Shih Tzu is a good pet with the gentle behavior and good watching sense. You can also keep it into the apartments and small houses.

Monday, 31 October 2011

Border Collie

  Border Collie​ is one of the herding breeds which were used as the herding dog at the
England Scottish Borders. These were usually used for the sheep herding. It is also the most popular and famous collie breed. This is the most intelligent dog of the world, as they have a lot of intelligence, extreme energy and athletic characteristics as well. When we talk about the intelligence Border Collie is at the first number.   Border Collie History:
Border Collie belongs to the Herding Breed. This was used by the Scottish people of the England Borders which used these dogs as the herding of the sheep. So first part of the name of this dog Border is taken from the region of England Scottish Borders and collie is taken from the old Scots language. It was brought to the united kingdom in the start of the 30th century and was registered by the International Sheep Dog Society first time in the history. Furthermore other clubs also registered this breed lately.
Border Collie Appearance:
This breed is one of the most intelligent and energetic with the medium size and extreme energy for work. Its body is longer as compare to its height. It has good body length and has good muzzles. Its skull is near about flat and the head is little bit rectangular. Its eyes are oval shaped and have often brown color. Other colors can also be seen in this breed but it just depends upon the variety of this dog. It has wide space between his eyes. It has back nose and wide nostrils which helps it to breathe fast.
It has medium sized ear which are at their regular places. It has medium sized hair coat on its body. Usually the color of this dog is black and white pattern so the coat can be black or the white patterned. This coat allows it to be saved from the severe weather conditions and the cold air in winter. Coat colors can be varied in different varieties as you can see tri color, red and brown and other colors and patterns in this dog. Tail is also of medium sized and has the same coat hair just like its body coat. It height can be between the 20-23 inches and weight normally lies between 32-44pounds. There can be weight variation between the female and the male dog as well as this variation can be found in height.
Border Collie Characteristics:
This breed is the good energetic and intelligent which can do several works as it
Border Collie with Black and White Color
has the athletic characteristics as well. IT is also easy to train due to its intelligence and picking power. It can be trained in a good manner. You can get your favorite characteristics by training it with a proper way or you can take the breeder help to train your dog. This dog can also do several tasks on the citation of the human words. One of these types of dog has learned more than thousands of words on those words citations it can do the different tasks. They can easily show their abilities in the different dog shows athletic games and other excellent skills.   This breed is very sensitive so you should take care about the breeding of this breed as you negligence can be result the several problems in this breeds e.g. shyness. They can be a good partner of the human and you can use it as the walk dog as well. This breed needs daily exercise and the mind creativity games to maintain their health and intelligence level. If you don’t do this you can spoil it as it can be dangerous for the normal behavior and it can be changed due to these matters.
This pet is lovely and affectionate. You can also use it as the home pet but you should train it to have the better pet as compare to other pets which are not trained in a better way. It can be easily maintained in the small apartments also. It is also good with the children and the family members.
Border Collie Health:
Border Collie has not any genetic health issue if it belongs to a good breed. Other problems just like eye issues and allergies can be happen as like the other dogs in this breed. But still you have to take care about its health because it is the main thing to maintain its fitness and activity. You should provide it hygienic environment to avoid the health issues.
Border Collie Feed:
Border Collie don’t require any special type of feed but you should always try to provide the good feed to it. The nutrition level of the feed should be checked before providing it. It will also maintain your dog fitness and activity. Overfeed should be avoided to keep its activity normal.
Border Collie Care:
Border Collie need a lot of attention, you cannot leave it alone for a long time as it will cause the behavior problems. You should also take care about its fitness and the health. Daily exercise, Coat Brushing and also you should give it a bath after the specific intervals of time.
Border Collie Expenditures:
Cute Border Collie Puppy
  Border Collie purebred pet can cost you up to 700$ this breed will be save from any specific health issues. Also it can be a puppy of registered parents. This is a good thing if it has the good background. It will also help you to train it easily. Border Collie young dog can cost you near about 2200$ It all depends upon the characteristics and the breed as well.
Border Collie is a good pet with the best characteristics and a lot of intelligence which can also help you in your daily life. With little bit care you can make it sociable and can have many other benefits as well.

Wednesday, 28 September 2011

Bullying or punishing a dog for inappropriate fearful behavior

My preference is not to use physical manipulation when working with dogs, but I will gladly employ emotional manipulation. One of the things a fearful, anxious or shy dog’s brain is good at is reacting in a fearful way. The practice of bullying or punishing a dog for inappropriate fearful behavior only helps their already adept-at-feeling-scared brains, keep feeling scared or aggressive. By tapping into their brain’s reward system we not only help them learn new behaviors, we can begin to manipulate them emotionally. We start helping their brains get better at feeling good.
Our brain’s reward system has so much control over our behavior that we can end up doing too much of a good thing. Eating, drinking, smoking, exercising, sex, even working can all be rewarding to people and taken to unhealthy extremes. When working with dogs the most obvious reward we can start with is food and no need to worry about them raiding the refrigerator at night for that last piece of cheesecake. When we control the rewards that our dogs value, we become part of the ‘chain of feel good’ that we use to train and modify behavior.
By systematically creating conditioned reinforcers (reinforcers increase the likelihood that a behavior will be repeated) we have a grab bag full of ways to change how our dogs feel. A conditioned reinforcer is anything that has been associated with a primary reinforcer (food and play are both primary reinforcers). I like to start with a clicker with dogs that are not sensitive to the sound. Click/food, click/food, click/food. Down the line the clicker morphs into a great training tool, but to begin with it helps to change how a dog feels. Saying a dog’s name and tossing them a treat turns their name into a conditioned reinforcer. Praising a dog and tossing a ball, makes praise a conditioned reinforcer. Studies have shown that the ‘anticipation’ of a reward causes more dopamine (our brain’s ‘feel good’ neurotransmitter) to be released than the reward itself. That’s pretty cool beans if you ask me.
If you are adverse to using food when working with fearful dogs, or any dog for that matter, I recommend that you read The End of Overeating, by David Kessler. The first half of the book looks at studies done with animals regarding food, motivation and performance. Written to address weight loss, the book makes a case for just how powerful food is for controlling our behavior. If we control our dog’s food, we control the behavior.
There is a new book out called The Compass of Pleasure which looks at the neurobiology of our brain’s reward system. I’m looking forward to reading it, which is pretty rewarding. You help fearful dogs by giving them things to look forward to, rather than worry about.

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

How we behave with dogs


Yesterday I attended a seminar with Suzanne Clothier to learn more about her Relationship Assessment Tool. It was, as expected, informative and thought provoking, but that’s not what I’m going to write about. I’ll save that for another post.
The seminar was held at the Monadnock Humane Society in Keene NH. It’s a pleasant facility with lots of outdoor space for dogs and an open, cheery entry way, which happened to also be full of cages of cats. Even for a ‘dog person’ it’s hard to see so many beautiful animals, some struggling to engage with visitors, stretching their paws out of cages, mewling and making what felt like pleading eye contact, others seemingly resigned to their lives in captivity. There were play rooms full of cats as well. Too many cats and kittens. I was told that many would be adopted but others might live there for years. But this is also not what I was planning to write about either.
Outside of the dog kennels were containers of treats (good treats in some cases, not just dry biscuits) and on the containers were the instructions- PLEASE FEED ME TREATS EVEN IF I AM BARKING. Huh? Feed them treats even if they’re barking? Won’t that just reinforce the barking behavior? I mean that’s the way it works right? Dogs repeat behaviors they get rewarded for, so giving them treats even if they’re barking means everyone who approached the cage would be teaching the dog to bark, right? Wrong!
What the good folks at the shelter understand is that dogs in shelters, and other stressful situations, are most likely behaving out of anxiety and stress. Some may be concerned about people approaching. The treats are not being used to address the behavior the dogs are displaying but rather the emotions the dogs are experiencing. Feeling a bit nervous about people? What better way for a dog to feel less concerned about people than to pair their approach with something the dog enjoys. Wanting out in a bad way and feeling frustrated and trapped? A treat may not be the perfect solution but it sure beats nothing. Some of the dogs were obviously fearful of having people approach their cages, but none so much that they couldn’t gobble up treats tossed to them. Many then sat and looked expectantly for more.
One of the big challenges fearful dogs face is their handler’s inability or unwillingness to acknowledge that every behavior has an emotion attached to it. We are always addressing the emotion when we handle or train dogs. Sometimes we use their enjoyment and excitement for a reward to get them to perform behaviors, withholding rewards until we get or improve behavior. Sometimes we see that the behavior is driven by fear and use rewards to change how the dog feels realizing that when the fear subsides the behavior attached to it is going to change as well. And importantly, for the handling and training of any dog, understanding we are also causing emotional responses to certain behaviors. How we behave with dogs, whether we shout, yank, hit, ignore, shock, praise or reward, affects how they feel about particular behaviors, not to mention how they feel about us.

Saturday, 24 September 2011

Dogs with behavioral challenges

When the term ‘less adoptable’ dogs is mentioned different images come to mind. Some might think of dogs with physical disabilities or old dogs. Others might think of dogs with behavioral challenges, dogs that don’t get along with other dogs or certain members of the human race. When I think of less adoptable dogs I have to admit that almost any dog over 6 months of age comes to mind. Everyone loves puppies.
There are those of us who would rather not adopt a puppy, we have had this experience and as fun as it might have been, are happy to forgo it, thank you very much. But as a friend involved in a recent adoption event commented, “it was like a fire sale on puppies,” people almost can’t help themselves from snatching them up. This is not always a good thing. Puppies get older.
The difference between an adoptable dog and a less adoptable dog is often just one thing-skills. Give a dog a few skills and they go from being ‘one-eyed, old and not quite what I was looking for’, to, ‘OMG isn’t he clever!’. Teach a deaf dog to sit and look expectantly up at a person and they move up a peg on the adoptability scale. Teach them to ‘down’ or ‘shake hands’ and potential adopters can think they are looking at the equivalent of a doggie prodigy. These skills can help get a dog adopted, other skills can help them stay adopted.
I am aware of the limitations of time, energy and money rescue groups and shelters face and so training dogs themselves may be a limited option, but it still surprises me that more that could, don’t require that new adopters take a training class with their dogs. Some shelters include the cost of these classes in the adoption fee. A trainer friend offers a 75% discount for a private, in-home lesson, to anyone who adopts a dog from our local shelter. In five years she has had 2 takers. Whether this is due to a lack of marketing the offer to new pet owners by the shelter or simply a disinterest on the part of the owners, I don’t know. But if the shelter made training mandatory (oh the dreaded word) perhaps more would have taken her up on the offer.
I frequently hear groups cheering about how many dogs they’ve adopted out but none shouting out the numbers of those animals that are still in the original home 2-3 years later. Judging by the number of times some dogs go through the system I’d guess that a note-worthy number of dogs are not. Dogs who are unsuccessful in their adoptive homes continue to drain the resources of the rescue system. Then there are the dogs who end up being passed on to another home, despite any clause in a contract requiring the dog be returned to the shelter where the adoption originated, the dogs who end up dead because of behavioral issues, the dogs who are never seen again after fleeing not long after adoption and the dogs relegated to a life on chain because of unresolved behavior issues.
Here’s my dream-large rescue groups, shelters and humane organizations change the culture of dog adoptions and make it fun and sexy to be required to attend a training class as a condition of adoption. Dog trainers are some of the most caring and giving professionals on the planet. I can’t think of one who I have met who wouldn’t support making it financially available to new pet owners to attend their classes in obedience, agility, nosework, rally, manners, tricks, CGC, you name it. Getting ‘less adoptable’ dogs into homes is just the first step. Keeping them there is the next.