CLICKER DOG TRAINING

Whatever your pup's pedigree and whatever your goals for him, any puppy is still an emotionally immature animal. At the same time, no two pups are exactly alike and what works for one puppy is not necessarily best for another.

You must constantly be aware of your pup's personality and of how you can get him to pay attention to you. However, there are some general characteristics of puppy training that are important to working with all puppies. These are basic principles which should be adapted by you as the basis of working with your puppy.

After an extensive study on animal behavior and dog training, the world’s renowned animal behaviorists and scientists have developed a typical training procedure.

Clicker dog training is basically a new version of the training procedure that makes training a more enjoyable. Since the first step in training a dog is to communicate with him or her, it is very clear that, the stronger the mode of communication is, more effective the training will be.

Clicker dog training is a highly precise technique and a tremendously effective mode of communicating with the dogs irrespective of the age, gender and breed.
To read the complete article on clicker dog training along with many other interesting articles on all aspects of dog training go to:
Basics Dog Training

Dog Injuries Due To Leash Straining

Basics Dog Training - Tips about Leash Straining

"Who is walking whom?" This question pops into my mind whenever I see owners being dragged down the street by their dogs. There is no need to put up with this. Leash pulling usually becomes a complaint only after a large dog has finally succeeding in pulling its owners off their feet, with resultant injury or embarrassment.

Most cases of leash pulling involve dogs that have accommodated to the discomfort of a choke chain, pinch collar or even a leather collar. Some of them cease pulling only long enough to cough, some even regurgitate or take a few deep breaths, then continue struggling forward.
Most dog owners have no idea that their frustrated leash-pulling dog might actually suffer physical injury during their daily tug-of-war.

However, in a Swedish study by the noted behaviorist Anders Hallgren, of 400 dog owners who agreed to have their dog's spines X-rayed, 63% were found to have spinal injuries. Of the injured dogs with neck (cervical) injuries, 91% had experience harsh jerks on the leash or were serious leash strainers! Among aggressive or overactive dogs, 78% had spinal injuries.
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Collar Training New Puppy

Collar Training New Puppy

On your puppy's first day home take him around the rooms to familiarise him. Try not to use the "no" command at this stage as he will probably think it is his name. Use a growling noise from your throat to warn him if he goes somewhere or does something which is not acceptable. call his name out regularily and when he looks at you praise him enthusiastically, "good dog" in a happy voice.

All you are doing is letting him know by means of prevention (a growl sound he understands) what things he will have to avoid in the future. Let him sniff first because he'll remember the objects more by scent than by sight. He looks up at you and he is praised.

Every new puppy must learn is how to accept the collar. Learning to wear a collar is important to every dog, but many puppies are baffled, frightened and bewildered by this new piece of equipment. Many puppies constantly try to remove their new collar by pawing and pulling at it.


It is important when choosing a collar for your new puppy. A properly fitted collar, chosen for your puppy’s size, is more likely to be comfortable and accepted. While choke collars, slip collars and training collars can be good training aids, they should never be used as a substitute for a sturdy buckle type collar. And of course that collar should have an identification tag and license attached. This identification will be vital in having your puppy returned if she becomes separated from you.

The best way to introduce the puppy to the collar is to simply put the collar on and allow her to squirm, jump, roll and paw at the collar to her heart’s content. It is important to not encourage this behavior by trying to soothe the puppy, but it is just as important not to punish or reprimand the puppy.

The best strategy is to simply ignore the puppy and them her work through her issues with the collar on her own. Introducing distractions, such as food, toys or playing, is a good way to get the puppy used to the color. Getting the puppy to play, eat and drink while wearing the collar is a great way to get her used to it. After a few days, most puppies will not even know they are wearing a collar.

A message from John Mailer
I hope you found the information you were looking for. I know how frustrating it is to have a problem with your dog. Remember your dog naturally seeks your attention and may be confused by YOUR reactions.
Check out my other articles on basic dog training I am sure you will find the answer you are loooking for. If not please feel free to contact me.
basicsdogtraining

Learning About Dog House Training

Learning About Dog House Training

A dog house, to a dog, is his own personal private space and helps satisfy that inherited instinct for den-dwelling.The Advantage of a Dog House Dog house training has some advantages in a practical sense. The dog house is always a place to put the dog when he is misbehaving. It is also a great place to put the dog when you have company or when you are out working. Inside his dog house, your dog can avoid fear and confusion from the outside world.

Placement of a Dog House
When you are dog house training it is very important to keep the dog house in one place. Dogs are social animals so picking a spot for his home should be around where the family spends a lot of time.Make sure that you also place the dog house where the wind is to the back of the opening and place it where there is available shade.

The best way to think about the placement of the dog house is to think of it as your place and make it as comfortable as possible.As a Puppy Dog house training should start as a puppy and his first experience in his “safe place” should be an enjoyable experience; let him know that it is safe for him to enter.

Different puppies learn at different rates. Some pick up what is required almost instantly, others may take much longer. Some take as long as six months or more. A puppy that came from a dirty or cramped kennel is likely to take longer than one that had a better start.

To get him inside, throw his favorite toy inside and encourage him to retrieve it as this will let him know that it’s safe.After he enters, let him come right back out and don’t try to trap him in there by standing in front of the opening.

Once he comes out, praise him and continue to play with him but don’t throw his toy back inside for a little while. Remember, this is a place for him to relax and you don’t want him to associate it with play time.

The biggest influence on how quickly a puppy becomes dog house trained is how much time and effort you put in. More input from you will speed up the time taken to become completely comfortable and feeling secure; while less input will prolong the process.

Older Dogs
You can teach an older dog to adapt to a dog house, but unlike a puppy he may be already set in his ways and might not take to a new environment. No matter the age of your dog, once you have completed your dog house training you need to teach your children that the dog house is his security blanket and when he goes into his home he should not be bothered and that he wants to get away from the outside world.

When training your dog, you need to be consistent. If you never want your dog to scratch the door, do not ever let him do it no matter what the situation is. Dog behavior training is very sensitive to regularities.

Be habitual with your actions. If you do not want your dog to go on the sofa, then he never be allowed on that sofa—or your bed. In dog house training you learn that dogs do not understand the concept of occasionally or “if.” They only understand consistent permission or no permission-- ever.

A dog, no matter how friendly, has the instinct to attack when it feels trapped and if your children are bothering the dog while in a dog house the dog will feel trapped and attack. That’s why dog house training is just as important to your dog as it is to the rest of the family.
Learning About Dog House Training

Healthy Relationship with Your Puppy

Establishing A Healthy Relationship With Your New Puppy

When you bring your new puppy home, you'll want to make him feel good while he's lying down or on his back. Give him a little stroke or an encouraging word. But don't overdo it. If you make the pup stay in that posture and he stays there, it teaches him a lesson both in submission and in dominance. That may seem okay. But the problem is that the dog also learns confrontation, not just with other dogs but also with people.

Dogs can be taught to be compliant without using force and confrontation. Do not shake him by the scruff of the neck and pin him to the ground, even though that's what wolves occasionally do to establish dominance. No matter how many times you've been told that you are the alpha animal, the fact is that people-dog relationships are not like wolf-wolf relationships. Dogs' teeth can inflict more damage than people's hands, so the wise thing to do here is not to start the confrontation.

Instead, start out with a companion-animal relationship where there's mutual respect for each other's roles (yours is to communicate direction, his' is to respond appropriately). Your dog will try to please you and be compliant, and you will praise him for doing so.

This is the kind of relationship you want to start as soon as you bring the puppy home, even before you take him to puppy kindergarten or hire a trainer to get him under control. Don't physically force your new pet to do things that he's not ready to do. Let him get used to one room at a time. Make sure that you keep track of when he is getting overly excited. This is your cue to say to him, "Settle!" or "Outside!" The word or phrase you use is up to you.

Try to go out the same door each time for the same activity. You will need to take him outside and stand there while he sniffs around and pees or poops, and you say, "Good Boy" then go indoors and play with him in a different location, so that he gets the idea that when we go to this one spot it's time to pee or poop, and when we go out a different door to another spot, that's where we play.

As you start to teach your dog good house-training techniques, you will also want to put him on a regular pattern of eating, usually three times a day at first. Occasionally, a pup will not seem too interested in eating. Besides finding out what he was eating when you acquired him, and offering him tidbits of chicken and beef from your fingers to whet his appetite, puppies like some company when they go to the food bowl. So if there is a litter-mate or a neighborhood puppy about the same age as yours who would like a dinner date, let them eat side by side a few times in the location you've chosen for daily feeding.

The idea is to make him comfortable and get him into a routine of regular eating, sleeping, elimination, and walking. Make sure that you don't do unpleasant things with your hands. Don't let your puppy start to chew or nibble on your fingers or hands. Even if the nibbling doesn't hurt now, it will hurt when he gets older and can lead to a bad habit that's difficult to break. Very soon, you'll be getting to know your new pet very well.

A message from John Mailer
I hope you found the information you were looking for. I know how frustrating it is to have a problem with your dog. Remember your dog naturally seeks your attention and may be confused by YOUR reactions.For further information feel free to browse through my other dog articles at my basics dog training site.
http://basicsdogtraining.com

Basics Training Commands

Simple Command Words That Your Dog Should Learn

Many dog owners are at a loss for words when they wish to communicate with their dogs. Of course, your choice of words is not the issue. What is important is that you pace your vocabulary lessons in such a way that your dog absorbs the first few definitions before you go on to the text.

Since dogs are learning English as his second language, you must be very consistent in your teaching. In fact, in time, your dog, once started on the road to a better, richer vocabulary, will understand long sentences and life-saving orders.
Listed below is a sample of words to use on your dog. With these words, any dog can live in harmony with his human family, more or less.

No (Permission denied). This is probably the first word a puppy hears, or at least that registers as a word. It is important for every dog to know a word that stops him from urinating on the carpet, hogging the bed, running out into traffic, nabbing that piece of chicken, and chewing on the sofa or your shoe. “No” is that magic word.

Ok (Permission granted). In order to have a balanced, happy, obedient pet, approval is just as important as disapproval. You can give your pet permission to do something he'd do anyway, just to show him it's ok with you. This reinforces your position as the leader. It also increases the amount of positive reenforcement in your dog's life. You can use this release word to let him out of work, out of the house, into the car, at his dinner, and onto your bed. Dogs learn “Ok” instantly.

Good Dog (Approval from the top). By saying “Good Dog” in the proper tone, you dog will give you everything. Saying “Good Dog” is the most important tool any owner has in training his pet.

Bad Dog (Disapproval from the top). “Bad Dog,” from the right lips, can be more powerful and more effective than any leash correction, any shaking, any cold shoulder, any confining, any anything you would think of doing to your disobedient dog. He must have your approval.When you deny him that, you have already made a serious correction. No puppy grows to adulthood without hearing his share of “Bad Dogs.”

Sit (Plant your rump). Even an untrained dog should know “Sit” and “Stay.” How else can you have any order or control? Your dog must sit while you wait at the vet, while getting his collar put on, while waiting for his bowl to be filled or the traffic light to change, and while being groomed.

Come (Join me). The “Come” command is a crucial word in every dog's vocabulary. You need to be able to teach your dog to come quickly, cheerfully and willingly when he is off leash, out of doors, and playing with his friends.

Off (Get off). The command “Off” is the proper word to say when you find your pet eating a greasy bone on your brand new white couch or shedding in your bed. It's also good for correcting jumping or any other situation in which the dog's big, hairy paws are on something they should be “Off.”
This article is from a selection of basics dog training articles on commands which also include a free online training lesson.
Basics Dog Training

Teaching Your Dog to Lie Down

“Lie Down, Lie Down - Good Dog!”

One of the first things to teach your puppy is to lie down upon command or signal. If you can teach him to do this at an early age, life will be much easier for both of you. There will be many times during the course of the day when this simple exercise will prove its worth.

Have a nylon choke or buckle collar on your puppy and attach a short leash to it. Have your puppy Sit as you stand directly in front of him. Hold the leash short in your left hand as you give him the verbal command "Down" in a quiet but firm tone of voice. Also give him the Down signal by raising your right hand where he can see it as you pull him down with the leash. Quickly place a treat between his paws as you stroke him on the withers saying, "Down, good. Down, good." Try this three more times, giving him a treat each time and praising him in a happy tone of voice.

The fourth time you try it he will probably go down by himself. Get excited and tell him what a good boy he is, using a very exuberant tone of voice accompanied by a treat. Just be sure that your puppy looks at the palm of your hand when you give him the Down signal.

This exercise will make your puppy feel very special. Just be sure that he doesn't crawl forward but Drops straight down. Try this several times the first few days so that he will learn to Drop on either your voice or the hand signal. A week or so later try giving him the Down command a few feet from you. Then gradually increase the distance until you are about ten feet from him. You must continue to run up each time he Drops and praise him very enthusiastically and give him his treat reward.

When you have accomplished this, try training him to lie down off leash. You must continue to praise him extravagantly and give him the treat. At first it is best to train him to Down indoors. Then, when he is reliable, train him outdoors. Several months later you can teach him the Drop on Recall, but be careful not to overdo it. Puppies should be very eager and willing to do straight
recalls before they are taught the Drop on Recall.

In the beginning it will be necessary to bend over a little as you give the signal. Later when he knows the exercise, you can stand up straight and give the signal. When you pull the puppy down, you should pull the leash either straight down or slightly back away from you. If you pull the leash down toward you, the puppy will move forward. You do not want him to do this or he will crawl between your feet. He should go down exactly where he is sitting without moving forward.
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