Raising Healthy Dogs

Do you ever wonder why your dog continues to carry out the most annoying of actions even when you are trying to teach him something far more useful? Well I am going to let you into a little secret, something that all positive and professional dog trainers already know, your dog is repeating the action because he is somehow being rewarded for it.

Sometimes during training your pet can become confused and worried because he does not realize what you are asking of him. This can be a problem

Handling is something that seems easy and obvious with a puppy. Everyone wants to pick the bundle of fluff up and pass him around. Puppy cuddles are always in demand. It is easy to incorporate necessary handling into this routine and then later on when your puppy has grown he will be relaxed when he needs veterinary treatment, his nails clipped or even ear drops.

If you have an older dog and are under the illusion that teaching him new tricks is impossible then think again. In many ways it is more important to keep an older dog’s mind active because it can help to prevent canine dementia and even depression in his later years.

licker training has been around for a while now and is utilized in many circumstances. Pet dog training classes, professional assistance dog trainers and even some search dog trainers use the clicker to get the best results from their training sessions.

I often think that a dog should be taught this before any other command. For the dog that will focus on his owner and trainer is far less likely to become distracted when being asked to do something else.

Do you have a dog that you would like to do more with? Maybe your dog is perfectly trained and has no behavior problems at all but you think he may be bored and you would like to help him to occupy his mind?

The dog park can be a wonderful place for you and your dog to have fun, socialize, and release pent up energy. However, there this is a public space so you must know the proper etiquette so that you show your respect to the fellow dog owners.

Whether you are bringing a new dog home to meet the rest of your family, or if you are taking your dog out for a walk, you need to know how to safely introduce anyone to your dog.

Adopting a second or third dog can be a great idea. Dogs need a lot of stimulation and companionship, and having another dog around can be a great outlet for their excess energy and provide some much needed companionship. However, the initial meeting between the two dogs is extremely important. You want a great relationship to blossom between the two, but if they are not introduced correctly what you could end up with is a territorial rivalry. There are a few ways that you can make the initial meeting between your two pups go as smoothly as possible so that the two can become fast friends.

Have you ever met a dog that is just incredibly well behaved no matter what is going on around him or her? You start to think that the owners must be incredible at dog training, or that the dog is a genius. You wish that your own dog would act so calmly and politely when in public. Well, you can help your dog learn good basic manners that will make them polite in public and obedient while at home if you enroll the pup in American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen Program.

In many families, both adults work which often means their dog is left alone for some time. This is a recipe for disaster as their pet is bored, lonely and look for their own entertainment. This entertainment can include digging, barking and escaping.

If you own a terrier breed dog, then consider Earth Dog training and trials as a form of both exercise and entertainment for you and your dog. Earth dog trials are open to various breeds of terriers, as well as Dachshunds, and Miniature Schnauzers. These Earth dog tests help to access the natural hunting abilities [...]

Teaching your dog the “leave it” command is much better than just yelling “no” for everything you don’t want your dog to do. If he hears the word” no” too many times, then all that will happen is that he will tune you out when he hears it, and that could be a bad thing in a life or death situation.

The “go to your place” command is a great tool for getting your dog out from underfoot when necessary. It helps to make him a good family member and he could even grow to like his “place” because he knows it is his and his alone. One thing to note is when the dog is in his place, then no one should go bother him, because this is supposed to be his place to go and no one else’s.

Dog guardians often discover that teaching their dogs to shake hands is simple and fun. The dogs easily learn the trick and love the additional attention that they get from training sessions.

The “wait” command also helps make your dog a good citizen of your family and makes him a better-behaved dog. Your friends will be pleasantly surprised when you tell him to “wait” and they don’t get jumped on, or you tell him to “wait” and he pauses before you go through the door.

If you have a dog then you want him to come to you when he is called. Not only is this an important lesson so you can get him to come over to be with you, but it’s also important because you will always be able to get him to come to you if there is a dangerous situation or other reason that he can’t be running free.

One of the first things a new dog owner does after falling in love with their new pet is picking out a name. Of course that name is not going to do either of you any good unless your new friend understands that “Venkat” or “Spot” whatever name you have chosen means that you are talking to him.

When you teach a dog to go “down” you will be using both a verbal command and a hand signal command in combination. First, have your dog get into a sit position. Praise him for sitting and then show him another treat you have in your hand.

The main objective of the “stay” command is to teach your dog to maintain her position no matter if she is sitting, standing, lying down or whatever, until you release her. She is to freeze in position and await a further command from you.

Teaching a dog to sit is one of the very first exercises most dog owners start with when beginning obedience training with their pet. The “sit” exercise is also a very good one since you can use it to position your dog and uses it to help him learn other commands like “sit-stay.” It’s also [...]

Winter often forces even the most active dogs and owners indoors. Skijoring can be a wonderful way to make the most of the snowy landscape and beat the winter blues. Skijoring is great for those who already love cross country skiing, If you have never tried it, you should. It is the ultimate “mush”…I mean rush…on a cold winter’s day.

Agility is a tremendous amount of fun for dogs, handlers, and spectators. The dogs always have a few surprises for their handlers that were not expected. The most important thing about agility training is to expect the unexpected. The one thing that you can count on is that you and your dog will have fun!

There are many options to explore in new dog sports. Many of these sports have official competitions and meets where you and your dog can compete with and meet other dog owners who share the same interests.

ll in all, one of the main causes guardians get rid of their dogs is when dogs have separation anxiety and exhibit behavior problems while they are at work or even just gone for a few minutes.

Begging is a habit that most, if not all, dog owners are going to see their dog do at one point or another. Whether or not it continues or you put a stop to it is up to you, but if you don’t, the problem isn’t going to go away by itself.

Why Do Dogs Bark? As speech is with humans, so barking is with dogs; it is a form of communication.  When a dog barks, it is trying to convey some thought or emotion.  Probably the greatest reason why dogs bark is because they are giving warning of an intruder or other danger.  Dogs have given [...]

From the beginning, puppies interact with their litter mates by playfully chewing and nipping each other. This is actually very important because the pups learn just how hard they can bite before the other pup yips and stops playing. The pup that nipped too had now knows that if he bites that way again, he won’t have anyone to play with. Soon, he learns other

The bottom line is that dogs chew. It’s just something that they do that humans need to learn to handle. Owners need to be observant and try to understand the dog’s reasons and find the appropriate way to solve it.

So, you just filled up yet another hole that your dog dug in your yard and you are wondering what to do to make him stop digging. Some studies have been done that show that 83 percent of dog owners admitted that their dogs dug holes in the yard, with digging being one of the [...]

There are many ways in which you can train your dog. Some techniques use correction and punishment when your dog does the wrong thing. Other training methods use rewards and praise when your dog gets it right. It’s not difficult to see that reward based training not only gives your dog more information about what is expected of him, but also makes training fun. He will look forward to his training sessions and be more willing to please you.

January is National Train Your Dog Month and if you are like me, you may have dogs that aren’t perfectly trained in every one of the 10 American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen requirements. OK stop laughing.  Anyone who knows me is probably thinking of phone calls where you are sure to hear “oh Chester, [...]

By having a consistent schedule for feeding, play and outside to go time, your pup should be housebroken in short order.

Introducing a new puppy or dog into your home can definitely be an exciting time.  But having a well trained dog does not happen overnight and it does not end after the initial puppy classes.  Many dog guardians will get a puppy or a dog and take it to the obligatory set of training classes [...]

Clicker training is growing in popularity as the preferred method of training of dogs no matter the age or the breed. It is easy to do, often without the expense of a professional trainer. But what is Clicker training? Clicker training is a way to train your dog using positive reinforcement. Clicker training has grown [...]

So this is a topic I have gone back and forth on over the years but today and I am sure, forever more, I am an advocate of crate training and generally crates for dogs.  Let me explain why. My Crate Story: When I got my first pet ever, the breeder told me to get [...]

There are a number of important guidelines that you need to keep in mind when teaching your puppy the basics about good behavior. Exercising the right training techniques is what will make or break your training regimen with your dog. Follow these five important guidelines and teaching your puppy will be easier than ever. 1 [...]