Dog Training Tips

Showing Your Dog Who's Master
Before you begin schooling your dog, decide who is in charge of your "pack." Deal with that issue with leadership exercises so that the actual training can really be as much fun as it is supposed to be. You may do an easy four-week leadership program that consists of the thirty-minute “Down” and the ten-minute “Sit,” each practiced three times a week, on alternate days. Both can be done at any time of the day, as long as you keep an eye on your pet. During the first week, sit your dog at your left side. Kneel down to him, both of you facing in the same direction. Hook your left arm across his shoulder and hold your hand, palm up, behind his left foreleg, just under the elbow. Place your right hand behind the right foreleg. Supporting your dog's forelegs on your palms, lift him into the begging position and lower him onto the ground with a “Down” command. As you lift him into the begging position, maintain your thumbs either up or folded in your palms so that you cannot accidentally apply pressure on his forelegs. Take your hands off him and remain still. Every time your dog gets up, put him back. After thirty minutes, announce the release word "Ok," even if he has fallen asleep, to let him know the exercise is over. Do this exercise three times during the training week, on alternate days. Most dogs, after several tries at getting up, resign themselves to remaining in position for the thirty minutes. Some, on the other hand, kick and scream almost the entire time. It is the latter who need this discipline the most and you will have to be patient and calm. Increase the frequency of this exercise, and do it every day. If your dog is very bouncy, you may want to teach this exercise on a leash. Sit in a stool next to the dog and then sit on the leash so your hands are free to put him in position. The idea of this exercise is to teach your dog who is master and for your dog to accept you as pack leader. Your ability to physically place and keep your dog in the “Down” position is a necessary component of that purpose. Once your dog accepts you as leader, all further training will go smoothly. During the second week, sit in a chair next to your dog as you practice the thirty-minute “Down”. For the ten-minute “Sit,” place him into a “Sit” as follows: With him upright at your left side, both of you facing in the same direction put your right hand against his chest and your left hand on his shoulders. With your left hand, stroke down the entire length of the dog's back, over the tail all the way to the dog's knees. With equal pressure of the right hand and the left, fold him into a sit with the command "Sit." Take your hands off the dog and keep still. Every time he moves, place him back. After ten minutes, use the release word "Ok" to let him know the exercise is over. Practice the thirty-minute “Down” and the ten-minute “Sit” three times each, on alternate days during the training week. On week three, when you practice the thirty-minute “Down” and the ten-minute “Sit”, sit across the room from him. Make sure you put him back if he should move. On week four,move about the room while he remains in position, but do not leave the room. After you have successfully completed this four-week exercise, your dog will understand that you are in charge.
 Information provided by Sam Kuback of ohmydogsupplies.com , search for current deals on unique dog toys online.

Building Trust and Respect Makes Training Easier
Training isn’t only about giving your canine a verbal command and making him respond to it. It is a process that involves other elements, such as trust and respect between the dog and owner. If your dog doesn’t respect you or feel a connection with you the teaching process can become a struggle. This is because you will have a difficult time getting him to do what you want, as he will put up a resistance. Hence, it is imperative that you build a strong relationship with your pet and show him that you are the leader he should follow. How can you achieve this? You can start by building a bond and giving him reason to respect your authority. How can you build a bond? • Engage in play – Enjoy games, play fetch, run around and be silly with your pooch; have fun! • Exercise – Take him on daily walks, swimming, jogging, etc. • Groom him – Caring for his coat and handling his mouth, ears, paws and other sensitive areas develops trust. • Physical contact – Pet him and give him a good scratch and rub out of affection. • Include him in your life as much as possible – Take him on as many outings as you can. How do you make your dog respect you? • Be consistent with your rules – Don’t let him get away with unwanted behavior even once and always praise him when he does something that pleases you. Do not send him mixed signals because this generates confusion and frustration. • Don’t lie to him – say what you mean and do what you say. In other words, don’t tell him you’ll take him out for a walk and not follow through with it. If you make a habit out of lying and disappointing your dog he won’t take you seriously and will stop listening. • Display your dominance – Be a true pack leader and don’t allow him on your bed; eat before you feed him; walk through doors first and never give him the attention he wants without first giving him a command. Always exercise your authority and control. He needs to know what you want comes first.
Article provided by Jess Reid of ohmydogsupplies.com, where you can find a fantastic collection of coats for dogs online.

Nothing But The Basics Part 1
          Experts often say all dogs can be trained. This may be accurate, but some of the most loveable dogs, unfortunately, are trained after much hair pulling and tongue biting. Some canines really do take a lot longer than others of the same species. It helps during these sometimes trying times, however, if you start off on the right paw. When it comes to training, the very first thing you need to do is to get the canine’s attention. In order to do this, you also have to know what motivates him or her. In most cases, the answer is simple. It is FOOD. Dangle a treat in front of Fido and he or she will do just about anything. There are variations on this theme, for sure. Sometimes, praise will make a dog happiest. Other times, throwing a ball, a favorite toy, a tummy rub or a walk is what works. It is often best to combine praise and the motivating item. The optimal time to start training your dog is when he or she is a puppy. They are still exploring the world and learning about life, the universe and everything. They want to know it all and, generally, are most malleable at this stage of life. Use this time to yours and their advantage. Now is the ideal time to help your puppy learn the basic commands. Preparing Yourself For The Process The commands you need to teach your puppy are simple. There are, however, several things you need to know. Before you start training your puppy, stop and think about what it will involve.
1. Training a puppy takes time. You need to devote a certain amount of time daily to training your puppy. Be sure you can do this. If not, turn it over to another family member or to a trainer. If you need a structured learning environment, enroll in puppy classes. Yet, even with the help of lessons under a qualified instructor, you will still need to practice at home to reinforce the learning process.
2. Know your puppy. He or she may seem to be the brightest puppy in the world - to you. To others, your pup may be as dumb as a stump. Understand this and work with it.
3. Different puppies learn at different rates. Some learn quickly. Others are slower at picking up on commands. Some puppies may progress at a rapid pace until a certain stage is reached in the training; others may move slowly then pick up speed.
4. All puppy training requires equal amounts of love and fortitude as well as a huge dollop of PATIENCE.
5. Training should be fun for you and your puppy. It may be trying at times, but do not let this get in the way of your enjoyment in spending quality time with your puppy. Learning can be fun - serious fun, but fun nevertheless.  
6. Did I mention Patience?
 7. If you become frustrated, stop all training. Take a deep breath and proceed. Yet, never, ever end the training session on an unhappy or unsatisfactory note. If things are going bad, stop trying the new command or exercise. Return to a command the puppy already knows and can do. This will make both you and the puppy feel better. It will prove that the puppy is learning. It may also indicate that you both need a break.
8. I did mention PATIENCE, right? Conclusion Training a puppy involves spending time with your adorable companion. It also involves frustration and time spent trying to make your puppy understand what you are saying and doing. Training is about patience. And more patience. It is about realizing this is a puppy with a set attention span. It is about a person who wants their puppy to learn and a puppy who may or may not grasp this concept. It is about having fun learning. It is about exerting patience - lots of patience. In the next section of the article we will look at the basic commands you should teach your puppy. Content written by Barry Kerrigan – for more information by Barry, check out additional topics on elevated dog feeders & suggestions on dog training.




                                                                         
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