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Tips on Training a Dog
Last updated: Saturday March 06th 2010
Among the several key responsibilities dog owners have, training a dog is among the most essential. A dog that has been trained properly will be able to form a more fulfilling relationship with its owner and other people or pets. This article will give you some tips and advice on how to train your dog.
First of all, you need to realize that training a dog is not simply about telling your dog what to do and expecting it to follow suit. Training your dog will require you to first understand how dogs behave. The behavior of a dog is the outcome of several factors. These will play a role in affecting the outcome of your dog training.
Some Advice On Understanding Dog Behavior
Note that dogs are individually different. Thus, you should get to know your dog as much as possible before training. For instance, try to find out why your dog keeps barking. There are numerous reasons for excessive barking, and these include separation anxiety, protection of territory, fear, and so on.
Observe your dog in social settings. Behavior is never completely acquired or inherited, but rather progressed based on the merged influences. Socialization is important in a sense that you”ll be able to observe how your dog will adjust in a dynamic environment and effectively handle unacceptable behavior.
Know that dogs are thinkers as opposed to animals that simply behave. While dogs are unable to solve complex problems, they are not behavioral robots, either.
Steps To Training A Dog
Understand that there are 2 parts to training, and these are behavioral training and command-response training. The first part is to correct behavioral problems (such as aggressive behavior) and the latter is to teach a dog to obey commands.
Prepare a quite place that has minimum distraction. During training, state your command in a loud (but not frightening) and firm manner. The usual advice is to use the same hand movements together with each command. Repeat yourself until your dog obeys your command. Every time it does, reward with a tidbit or nice pat. Of course, you should already have an idea what type of reward your dog is most motivated by. Maintain 10 to 15-minute training sessions at least twice a day. As you go along, work your way to training your dog in more public, less-confined locations.
Tips
Generally, reinforcement through consistency and repetition is key in training any dog. Both good and habits are developed when an activity is repeated over and over again consistently. So while training your dog, it’’s important to be persistent and even if your dog already excels, training should be a continuous practice.
Tips For Training An Aggressive Dog
Behavioral training is slightly different in a sense that you’re attempting to modify your dog’’s behavior. In any case, the very first thing to do is to spot exactly what is causing your dog’s unacceptable behavior and eliminating it or slowly turning it into something positive. For instance, if your dog has a fear of strangers, properly socializing it with other humans or dogs may help. Of course, this needs to be done with safety precautions, by using a muzzle first for instance. Behavioral training can be extremely challenging, thus, an advice would be to check out some dog training schools for assistance.
About the author:
Roger Thompson writes articles that offer the best tips on training a dog. His carefully thought articles about the topic will surely help you make your dog extra-obedient.
Boy or Girl Cat?
Last updated: Sunday July 06th 2008
Here’s a way to test out your ability to tell the sex of a cat from the face. Take the He-cat or She-cat quiz. The page lists photos for you to select whether the cat is a male or a female. If you need more mindless entertainment after the quiz, there’s an option to sign up for the site’s weekly Friday newsletter with more fun.
Try it: He-cat or She-cat photo quiz
Patron Saint of Dogs
Last updated: Tuesday October 16th 2007
I have always loved animals-primarily dogs. I have had four dogs in my life and each of them brought a different strength to my life…not to even mention the unconditional love. If humans were like dogs, the world would be a much better place.
I have always loved animals-primarily dogs. I have had four dogs in my life and each of them brought a different strength to my life…not to even mention the unconditional love. If humans were like dogs, the world would be a much better place.
With that in mind, I began wondering if dogs had guardian angels looking over them. While I was always sure that they did, I wanted to know if there were any Saints, as recognized by the Catholic Church, that particularly aided dogs. Here is what I found Read more
Daily Dose of Zap
Last updated: Saturday September 29th 2007
If you want a pick me up in the “awweee, how cute” department, head on over to Daily Zap! for daily pictures of Zapata the Chihuahua.
Mapping of the Cat Brain
Last updated: Tuesday August 28th 2007
Dog Pack Attacks Gator In Florida
Last updated: Friday June 29th 2007
At times nature can be cruel, but there is also a raw beauty, and even a certain justice manifested within that cruelty. The alligator, one of the oldest and ultimate predators, normally considered the “apex predator”, can still fall victim to implemented teamwork strategy, made possible due to the tight knit social structure and “survival of the pack mentality” bred into the canines. Read more
More Pet Food Recalled
Last updated: Sunday April 22nd 2007
The list of recalled pet food keeps growing. On the latest from the Humane Society:
Rice protein concentrate used in pet food has been contaminated by melamine, testing confirmed on April 18. Melamine was also found in corn gluten in pet food in South Africa on April 19. Melamine contaminated wheat gluten has already caused more than 100 brands of pet food to be recalled. FDA suspects that the melamine may have been intentionally added to the pet food ingredients to boost the protein content although that theory has not been confirmed.
Keep an eye on the list of recalled pet food to make sure you aren’t feeding your pets tainted food. There’s a recalled list here: Recalled Pet Food and Treats. Also important to visit (and sign up for the email updates) is the Ten Things You Should Know about the Pet Food Recall page.
Two brands that offer safe, high quality pet food are Wellness Food and Innova Pet Foods.
