Why Train a Dog? | Training is a Means of Communication

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The “STAY” Command Can Save Your Dog’s Life…

IF YOU'RE A NEW PET PARENT STANDING THERE WONDERING WHICH WAY TO GO=> <=

Or If you’re anything like me and you want to have a happy dog, that in turn will make you happy, you need look no further, here you’ll find info and great resources for new and experienced dog owners… For the Love of Fido – Paving the Road to Dog Training Success one Treat at a Time…

Dog Obedience Training 
Dog Training *Puppy Training *How to train a dog *How to train a puppy

Although you CAN teach an old dog new tricks, starting your dog on the right foot in the beginning is key to getting your dog to conform to doing what you expect from him. Puppy training is important to incorporate proper training and teaching for your dog since the beginning…

Dogs can act out in a variety of ways, including damaging things, messing up yards, being aggressive toward others and barking just for the sake of it…

The basic need of the average dog owner (you) is to:

Know how to potty train your puppy

Train your dog to come when called

Train your dog to cease tugging at the end of the leash when out for a walk

Train your dog to stop unnecessary barking

Train your dog to refrain from jumping up on people

Train your dog to sit down and stay when told

Here are some topics that you will read about in this brief guide:

Sit Down And Stay When Told

How to Stop Digging Up Holes In The Yard

How to Stop Aggressive Behavior

Conclusion

Sit Down And Stay When Told

The Sit Command

Watch Dad teach young pup HOW TO SIT…

The sit command is the foundation for all other commands, and most dogs catch on pretty quickly. The sit is a useful distraction for problem behaviors, such as jumping up or bolting out the door. A dog that can sit reliably and politely will be welcomed almost anywhere.

To start, hold your treats in your hand while facing your dog. Then hold your hand with the treat in it above your dog’s nose. Move your hand up over your dog’s head. Your dog will look up to follow the treat and lower his hind legs into a sit. When his bottom hits the ground, say “Sit” and give him the treat. Don’t forget to praise him for being such a good dog.

It might happen that your dog jumps up for the treat. You can physically put him into a sit position by placing one hand on his rump and one on his chest, then pushing down and back, respectively, until he is sitting. While you do this say “Sit” and give him the treat.

The Stay Command

This is a command that can save your dog’s life and can save you from many headaches as well…

As with all training lessons, make the stay command session a short one. Reinforcing the stay is hard, especially for puppies because they are so excited and easily distracted. They can also get bored or frustrated with long lessons. It may take them a while to get the hang of it. If your dog is having trouble with the stay command move on to something that he can do, such as sit, and end on a positive note.

First…

Make sure you have a decent amount treats in your pocket.

Next, place your puppy or dog in the sit position.

Then using a flat hand in front of their face, say “STAY”, and immediately place a little piece of food under their nose for them to gobble.

Then move just ONE foot backwards leaving the other foot right by your puppy.

What you are communicating to your puppy or dog is this.
“DO NOT move and I will return and put food into your mouth!”

Now repeat this 5x times WITHOUT moving…That’s right, DO NOT MOVE AT ALL. This bit is key. Now, hopefully your dog stays there! If so, then you may try moving both feet the next time.

BUT, remember you have to start by moving only tiny distances and coming straight back.Things go wrong when people rush it…then your dog gets confused and you get annoyed, so take it slowly…

DON’T assume your dog has “got it” yet because chances are they’re still learning.

So Remember:

First, put your dog into a sit position, With your left hand, palm facing your dog, slowly move it in front of his eyes and say “Stay”. When your puppy does stay, give him a treat, and praise him. If he breaks the stay, place him in a sit position and start all over again.

For the first few days, do not move away from him. When he’s able to sit and stay for a minute or two, take a small step away from him. If he stays give him a treat and praise him. Over time move further away from him.

Digging Up Holes In The Yard

Walking in your yard, you may find a lot of holes. If your dog stays back there, you don’t have to guess where they came from. This is a behavior that, sooner than later, you will need to correct. Not only is it unsightly but costly (in time or money) to get your yard straightened out.

Dogs are thinking like their ancestors when they are digging up holes in the yard. One thing that you cannot do is to impose punishment to get them to stop.If you do try to punish them, you may face the dog rebelling against you.

Here are some things that you can try to get your dog to stop digging holes in your yard:

“NO”, leave it” accompanied by a loud noise, such as clapping your hands, should do the trick. When he stops reward him. Make sure that everyone in the family does this consistently. Training is wasted if one member of the family is permissive while the others are not.

Dogs don’t like the heat, so they will dig holes and use the dirt to keep them cool. If you want to stop them from digging, give them a place where there is shade and provide them with plenty of water.

Your dog may feel that he is not getting enough exercise or that you are not interacting with him enough. Spend more time playing with him. Make sure that your dog gets plenty of exercise. That can help him to stop thinking about wanting to dig holes in your yard.

Place barriers in the areas of your yard where he likes to dig holes to keep your dog out. Once he realized that his favorite areas are blocked, he will stop trying to gain access to dig more holes.

You may want to have a sprinkler that will spray water on your dog. Dogs are not too keen about suddenly having water sprayed on them.

One of the main reasons that they do it because they get bored. Your dog should have plenty of toys to keep them busy. Make sure that they have a variety so that they won’t get bored easily. If you see that your dog is bored, you will have to find more activities for them to do. Or you will need to spend more time with them doing the activities that they are already engaged in.

Make time to play with your dog. Spend quality time with him. When they know that you are investing time with them, they will be less likely to think about messing up your yard. Dogs are like children; if you don’t spend the time with them, they will get into things that they have no business getting into.

If playing with them and taking them out for regular exercise is not enough, you may want to get your dog a sandbox. Or you can section off a portion of your yard where they are allowed to dig. You can also allow them to have toys and treats in that area. Once they get accustomed to it, they will not see the need to dig holes anywhere else in your yard.

One thing that you can do to keep or stop your dog from digging may not be a pleasant one. However, you may be surprised to find out that it can be effective. You can place some waste in the holes that are being dug up. Once the dog gets to the waste, they will want to stop digging up holes in your yard.

Aggressive Behavior

You may have a dog that is aggressive in their behavior. This can be a scary situation if you don’t know when they want to attack. Aggression encompasses a range of behaviors that usually begins with warnings and can culminate in an attack. dogs rarely bite without giving some type of warning beforehand. A dog that shows aggression to people usually exhibits some part of the following intense behaviors beforehand an attack:

Becoming very still/ rigid
Threatening guttural bark
Growl
Showing teeth
Snarl (a combination of growling and showing teeth)
Lunging forward/charging at the person with no contact
“Muzzle punch” (the dog literally punches the person with her nose)
Snap

If your dog has been aggressive in the past or you suspect she could become aggressive, take time to evaluate the situations that have upset her. Clarify the circumstances that trigger your dog’s aggressive reaction. You need an accurate diagnosis before you can hope to help your dog.

Learning the answers to these questions can clarify the circumstances that trigger your dog’s aggressive reaction and provide insight into the reasons for her behavior: Who bore the brunt of her aggression? When and where did it happen? What else was going on at the time? What had just happened or was about to happen to your dog? What seemed to stop her aggression.

There’s always risk when dealing with an aggressive dog. In many cases, the only solution is to manage the problem by limiting a dog’s exposure to the situations, people or things that trigger her aggression. Pet parents are responsible for their dogs’ behavior and must take precautions to ensure that no one’s harmed. A qualified professional can develop a treatment plan customized to your dog’s temperament and coach you through its implementation.

Recommendations :

Aggressive dogs should not be punished in a physical manner. That only escalates the problem.

It’s important that you consistently maintain control over the situation, regardless of whether you are at the park, at home or wherever you meet up with other canines.

When you take your dog outside, or to the park, try to keep him away from other dogs as to prevent an attack on other dogs or people.

See how your dog reacts when meeting another dog. If you see that he’s not too pleased, then move on. Some of the signs are growling, stiffening or pulling on the leash to get closer to the other dog. It’s better to be proactive than reactive.

If you pull the leash straight, you are giving your dog control. Keeping the leash sideways ensures that your dog will have less control. If another dog is approaching your direction, pull sideways on the leash.

If you feel your dog starting to act up, try to distract him by making noises that he would respond to. However, don’t scream or yell.

Slowly keep your dog away from other dogs. When you see he is starting to change his behavior, give him a treat.

Just because your dog wags its tail does not mean that they are interested in being friendly with the other dog.

See if you can find other dogs that you are willing to connect with your dog

Get together with another dog so that they can meet. Keep your dog on the leash. Find a place that your dog is not familiar with. Your dog will become territorial in familiar place and feel threatened by the other dog.

Avoid playing tug of war with your dog. Many dogs love to play tug of war; it’s a healthy display of their predatory nature but, there has been some debate over tug of war and dogs. Some feel the game causes aggressive behavior and dominance.

Provide your dog with plenty of physical exercise (playtime with you and with other dogs) and mental stimulation (training, social visits, etc.). Make sure he gets out for a good play session before you leave your dog alone for more than a short period of time.

If your dog still has aggressive tendencies, get him in a dog obedience school. There are specialized dog trainers that can work with your dog in a group. A lot of times a group setting can be better therapy for them.

If your dog is stressed, consult with your veterinarian. Once your dog gets in that mode, he can become aggressive and put others in danger, including the dog himself. A veterinary behaviorist (Dip ACVB) can provide your dog with medication to calm him down.

Check out, Finding Professional Help, to learn how to find a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB or ACAAB), a veterinary behaviorist (Dip ACVB) or a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) in your area.

Consider neutering your dog if it’s a male (but do not do it until well into their second year. See why).

To avoid having an aggressive dog, behavior modification should start 
"preferable" when the dog is young

Aggressive dogs should not be punished in a physical manner. That only escalates the problem. It is never necessary to resort to physical punishment. Withholding praise, ignoring behavior, or using a rebuking tone or even a reproving “NO” are usually punishment enough.

In this case, timing is important. The correction must always be while the dog is misbehaving. Your dog cannot connect the punishment with a misdeed committed even a few minutes earlier. The word “NO” is the indication to the dog that he is doing wrong. “NO” (in a stern, reproving tone) is one of the best words to use as a negative command.

A handler never slaps a dog with his hand or strikes him with his leash. The hand is used only as an ‘instrument’ of praise and pleasure. The dog must never be allowed to fear it, and striking a dog with a leash will only make him shy of it and lessen the effectiveness of its legitimate use.

The moment he is sure the dog understands, the handler must insist that the dog obeys him. The dog should never be allowed to suspect that there’s anything for him to do but obey and that he will eventually have to carry out the command fully, no matter how long it takes! Laxity on the part of the handler on even one occasion may result in an attitude or mood of disobedience that means difficulty and delay in the continuation of the training program.

Conclusion

You can help your dog change their bad behaviors by consistently working with them. Once your strategies and training is etched in stone, your dog will start to get used to them and eventually will get rid of the bad behaviors.

Dogs are like children—you have to keep nurturing them and providing them with love and support. At the same time, they must realize that they have to accept correction in order to become a member of your family.

Consistency is the key in order for your dog to make the change that you would like to see. Stick to your rules and don’t allow anyone else that comes in contact with the dog to deviate from what you have taught.. You will have a difficult time with a dog that does not want to follow your orders and refuses to conform.

REFERENCES

The Guide to Training Your Own Dog – T.F.H. Publications Inc

eHow.com:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4701209_stop-dog-chewing.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_5024509_stop-aggression-towards-other-dogs.html

How To Do Things:

http://www.howtodothings.com/pets-animals/how-to-stop-your-dog-from-begging

How Stuff Works:

http://www.howstuffworks.com/how-to-solve-dog-behavioral-problems.htm

Dog Problem Solutions:

http://www.dogproblemsolutions.com/how_stop_dogs_from_digging.php

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