Archive for October, 2009

Training Your Small Dog

If you pick a small dog breed as your pet, I bet it is probably because you just want a little companion to hang out with inside your home. Since your little pet will be in the house a lot, his training is an important thing to consider.

Often a smaller dog is both intelligent and headstrong, and will probably try to test you to see how much they can get away with. You need to do a good job obedience training your little buddy, to let him know that you are the leader.

Training your dog when he is just a puppy is the best way to get started-thus avoiding any habituated bad behavior problems. If you have recently gotten a new puppy, enrolling him in group puppy training classes is a very good idea.

In addition to beginning to train your new pet, the group puppy training classes also do the import job of socializing the puppies. Socializing your puppy helps him avoid becoming aggressive later on. By being in social groupings with other people and their puppies, he learns more about appropriate social behavior. Dogs living in nature learn their place within their packs through this type of social interaction.

Isolation from contact with other dogs and people increase the chances of a dog growing up to become aggressive. In order to stop this from happening you will have to give your dog lots of guidance- and obedience training is the best way to do that. As long as you do a good job with your obedience training you will find that any problem behavior is solvable.

Just like with the larger breeds, use only positive reinforcement training techniques when training your smaller dog. Be sure never to use harsher correction techniques, such as hitting or yelling at your dog. These harsher methods end up making the training efforts that much more difficult.

A good dog training program teaches you how to understand the ways dogs communicate with each other. By understanding your little pet’s world view, you will know how to avoid the very common training mistakes everyone makes.

You must use the right dog training techniques to get the fast and effective results you need. Because you do the training the right way, you will earn your dog’s respect and trust by learning and using good communication and training methods- making it possible for you to become the Alpha dog. After your dog has recognized you as the Alpha leader, he becomes very  eager to follow your lead.

Many small dog are prone to nervousness, and act out with aggression or excessive barking. The good news is that these  nuisance behaviors can be easily enough corrected and controlled through obedience training. Without proper training a little aggressive dog may try to run the whole house with its barking and growling.

To get good results always bee consistent and use only positive training-giving your little guy plenty of praise and rewards when he performs his training exercises. Your little dog will want to please you to get the positive reinforcement. Repeat the exercises frequently-several time a day-to get the best results. Each session should be limited to about 10-15 minutes. Stick with the training, and soon your little dog will be acting on his best behavior. Having a well behaved small dog will make him the companion you had hoped for when you first adopted him.

The key to having a great pet is obedience training, no matter what size dog he may be . Make sure you trained your dog the right way, so your results are consistently good.

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The Basics Of House Training Your Puppy

Puppies should be housetrained as early as possible. Over 80% of dogs in the U.S. are kept inside the home by their owners. Failing to properly teach them to control their bladders and bowels will have frustrating consequences later. Fortunately, providing a healthy does of consistent discipline, patience, and attention upfront can help ensure your pup is housebroken early. There will be accidents, so plan for them. In the same way toddlers eventually learn to use the toilet, your puppy will also learn to avoid making a mess in your home.

In this article, we’ll describe two important ground rules that you should follow when housetraining your puppy. We’ll also explain why establishing a routine is critical and how to handle the occasional accident when it happens.

Establishing The Ground Rules

Owners who are trying to housebreak their puppies often punish them when they make a mess, even if they don’t catch them in the act. Avoid doing this. If you see you pup having an accident, a stern “no!” is good enough. There’s no need for punishment; in fact, punishing him can have a negative effect.

Also, be generous with your praise. If your puppy is doing things properly, let him know. Remember, dogs need positive reinforcement from their owners. If you only reproach him when he makes a mess and neglect to recognize his successes, it will have a lasting effect.

The Value Of A Simple Routine

The importance of a regular routine when house training your pup cannot be overstated. The repetition reinforces positive behavior. First, make sure you’re providing your pup with plenty of opportunities to go outside; once every two hours is appropriate because they cannot control their bladders for long. Second, choose a specific spot outside that he can use to eliminate, and stick to it. If he has an accident, place the rags you use to clean it up in that spot. The odor will remind him where he is supposed to eliminate.

Third, establish a routine that includes regular feeding, playing, and walking time for him. That will help him adopt a consistent elimination schedule.

Paying Attention And Dealing With Accidents

When your pup is indoors, watch him. Don’t allow him to roam freely throughout your house. That is an invitation for him to leave a hidden “surprise” for you. Instead, confine him to a certain area and pay attention to signs that he needs to eliminate. When you notice those signs, take him to his designated elimination spot and praise him for his success.

As noted, your puppy will have a few accidents. Don’t punish him. If you catch him making a mess inside, interrupt him without scaring him (avoid yelling or chasing him). Take him to his designated area so he can finish. Then, praise him for it. Too many owners are quick to punish their puppies for having an accident. The result is that a pup learns to fear his owner.

Housetraining a puppy requires patience and diligence. However, if you approach it in the right manner, your pup will not only learn to control himself, he’ll learn to trust you in the process.

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How to Stop Dog Biting The Simple Way

When your pet first starts to nip at you, you may not think much of it.Don’t you expect your puppy to do this? Then, as they get older, the nip begins to get stronger and you start to feel some pain and discomfort As doggy grows up, those little teeth might become a bit of a liability. Take note that this is not only a problem that big dogs have. Small dogs have it as well and they are as guilty as those big guys. Folks, stop a dog biting is a big must.

For more information on how to stop dog biting click here

If you have a puppy that is nipping at you, its better if you start whilst they are young. If they are to realise that they shouldnt bite then they need to be told. They may think you are playing games and they enjoy that. Calling a halt to this at an early stage is recommended.

If you don’t train your puppy you may end up with a misunderstood adult dog. It isn’t the dogs fault if they have developed thinking that biting is a game.In order to stop a dog biting it is best to start early but you can still teach an old dog new tricks, it just might take longer. There are a few methods to try to stop a dog biting

First of all, pay attention to the communication. Do you know that communication is a very important aspect in training a dog? When you are playing with your puppy or dog, when they start to nip at you, you will need to communicate to them that it is hurting you. You should not yell at them. Instead, the next time they are bitingat you, say “ouch” and let out a loud yelp

When you yelp, they will understand that it is painful and this will discourage your dog from biting, because they do not want to hurt you. A high pitched “ouch” would actually do the job. When you decide to use this technique, you should stop playing with them right away and turn your back on them. When it comes to that dog, body language and tone are both important.

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Divert the attention – This is another way to stop your dog from biting. When he or she is chewing at you, try diverting their attention to something that they are allowed to chew on, such as a chew toy.

Ensure that the toy is to hand al all times when your dog may bite you. If you put it in their mouth after they are done biting you, then this may not get the point across.

Your dog is not in charge of the pack you are.Think about what Cesar Milan the dog whisperer says about pack animals.

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