DogTrainingPlace

Dog Crates

Dog crates are an excellent way to train your dog and while many people misunderstand the use of dog crates, the fact of the matter is that most dogs do enjoy dog crates as their own particular space.

Dog crates can represent a place of security for the dog and provided they have been trained correctly most dogs will use their dog crates with their own free will.

Dog crates are not only handy for transportation but they can also ensure that your dog knows to stay in a particular part of the house or your property at specific times of the day or night.

Obviously there are many different types and styles and sizes of dog crates and you need to get one that is suitable for your animal in the size that it might grow to when it is fully grown.

Some dog crates allow the ability to section off a part of the crate when you have a puppy and remove that section as the dog grows bigger which reduces the cost of buying new dog crates as the dog grows.

Dog Kennels

With such a large variety of dog kennels to choose from it can be difficult sometime to determine which one will be the best for your animal.

When buying dog kennels you need to consider not only the size of your dog now, but also the size that it might grow to if it is not already fully grown as you don’t want the additional expense of having to purchase more dog kennels as your dog grows bigger.

There are dog kennels that can suit almost any style of house and often this is a major factor that needs to be taken into account when purchasing dog kennels.

You need to consider the comfort of your dog both now and in the future, and also where the kennel will be situated on your property.

As dog kennels should last for the life of your pet, you need to make an investment in a good kennel that will go the distance even if you have to pay slightly more money initially.

Some of the cheaper dog kennels won’t last the life of the dog and you will need to make another purchase in the years to come.

Dog Whisperer

The dog whisperer program that appears on the National Geographic Channel focuses on the ability of overcoming dog behavioral problems.

While the program shows the use of techniques that appear to work there are many people who disagree with the methods and believe that they could be doing long-term damage to the dog’s emotional state.

Cesar Millan, the dog whisperer disagrees and proves on many occasions that his techniques help to remove aggression in dogs allowing them to live with one another and not have any problems.

The dog whisperer helps people who have problem dogs by teaching them how to resolve these problems and in some circumstances where the dog is particularly aggressive or has problems that the owners cannot sort out for themselves he will take the dog home with him for a period of time until he is satisfied that the dog’s behavioral problems have gone.

The dog whisperer certainly does show on many occasions that he can deliver the results and whether people agree or not there is no doubt about the fact that the dog whisperer does overcome dog behavioral problems.

Training your dog is an art, not just something mechanical you do in order to get them to behave. And the most overlooked part of dog training knowledge is understanding that dogs speak eloquently to human beings in a language of their own. In order to effectively train your dog in a positive manner then you are going to have to learn to “read” your dog’s body language.

Having proper two-way communication with your dog can only be a result of you properly understanding your dog’s “language”, which is a non-nonverbal language of body and facial movements. A very good way to start learning about your dog’s body language is to take time to observe him and other dogs communicate with each other. This makes it very important to have your dog socialize with other pet dogs on a regular basis.

Watch how they interact with each other. Take stock on what body language is being used and how he reacts to certain movements from another dog. Check out how your dog greets familiar dogs in comparison to how he treats strange dogs. What is the difference? What was the reaction? Did the dogs play chase games with each other? How did they start the game and with what body language?

These are all questions that you can ask yourself as you are learning about how your dog communicates with other beings, both people and other dogs. In addition, you can also absorb an enormous amount of information by reading and studying books on dog and wolf behavior.

You may be asking “why study wolf behavior?” Well the fact is that wolf behavior and dog behavior are very similar. And since they are both very similar, the interactions of wolves in the wild give scientists a chance to observe communication in a pure form, as it exists without human interference.

For example, most dogs, if not all of them, have a habit of licking people’s faces, especially their mouths. Now although the origin of this face licking behavior is rarely seen in dogs, but observations of wolves have shown that wolf puppies are fed by regurgitated food by the older wolves. This regurgitation is triggered by the wolf pups as the jump up and lick the older wolf’s mouth. So the licking of the mouths persists as they get older as a way of greeting another animal.

When it comes to dog training, there are some rules that should apply to every situation in order to make dog training a better experience, for both you and your dog. For example, whenever you are training your dog a new command, you should be instructing your dog in an area where there will not be anybody or anything to distract him. If at all possible, strive to train your dog inside and make sure that you are the only person in the room.

After you have practiced training your dog for a lengthy period of time without any distractions, it is then time to add distractions slowly to the dog training atmosphere. This will enable your dog to keep up with the commands he is being taught while learning to ignore whatever small distractions that you have placed within the confines of the area.

And better yet, once he can handle obeying the commands indoors with a few distractions, then move the dog to training outside of the house. This will put on further added distractions that your dog will have to deal with while learning to obey the same commands outside that he did inside.

In an nutshell, your goal is to have your dog respond to commands anywhere and at anytime, regardless of the conditions. Over time you will have your dog learning to obey your commands in many different places that contain all of the distractions that normal everyday life will offer.

Also, you need to learn how to anticipate your dog’s mistakes so that you can prevent them from happening. This is an essential part of learning how to read your dogs behavior, personality, and communication. For example, if you have given the command to sit and stay sat, then you will want to correct him when he thinks about getting up, not after he as already gotten up. That would be too late.

Your dog will definitely give you signs that he is about to get up. He may lick his paw, shake his rump, or make small movements with his head. Whatever his behavior is that gives him away, it is your duty to have learned this and use it as a positive tool for proper dog training.

Other types of problem behaviors that can occur during the first six months of your puppy’s life are usually related to the following areas: Problems of submissive urination, problems of excitement urination, and problems of chewing and biting. If your puppy is experiencing any one of this behavior, try to determine exactly what’s causing the behavior to occur.

Below is a more detailed description of the behavioral problems and suggestions on how to solve it.

Submissive Urination: This is when your puppy squats and urinates whenever you approach him. This behavior should not be confused with house training problem. This type of behavior is initially associated to insecurity and punishing your puppy will more than likely aggravate the behavior. This problem happens because a tiny puppy is likely to be scared and intimidated when approached by a person, especially a stranger with outstretched arms and making strange noises.

To fix this problem, carefully approach your puppy and keep your body outline small by stooping a little as you get close to him. If the puppy still reacts apprehensively and starts to urinates, make your approach more pleasant by offering treats while crouching down further. The essence of controlling submissive urination is to not point it out to your puppy but in trying to get him used to whatever is causing the reaction.

Excitement Urination: This behavior results in your puppy having no control over urination when he is excited. This is caused by immature control mechanisms. Punishing your puppy is never a good idea and in this case, will only lead to submissive urination or attempts to get away.

The best way to deal with this problem is to ignore it. This behavior usually disappears once the urinary control mechanisms in your puppy’s body mature.

Chewing and Biting: Puppies usually chew and bite to ease their discomfort of teething, but can be quite annoying nonetheless. Give your puppy chew toys instead, particularly the type that squeaks when he chews it. Tug of war toys are highly recommended and puppies like it. Some people thinks that this behavior causes aggression, but the growling that they make is nothing more that play – growling.

It is common for puppies to be lively and mischievous. They are energetic, very playful, and quite a handful. These kinds of behaviors are generally normal for puppies. Certain behaviors, however, are to be discerned as disorders. These behavioral problems usually happen within the first six months of the puppy’s life.

These behavioral disorders have to be addressed and corrected. If your puppy has been experiencing any one of these traits, try to figure out what’s causing them and then correct the situation. Correcting the situation, however, does not have to involve punishment. Below is a more detailed description of two behavioral disorders and what you can do to fix them.

Aggression: The typical type of aggression we see in puppies is possessive aggression that occurs during feeding. This behavior is not normal and should not be accepted. Tolerating this kind of behavior in puppies can lead to a potentially dominant aggressive dog that can be dangerous.

This is one behavior where slight punishment works and should be enforced. This can be done by performing a training exercise. Give the puppy food and then interrupt him while he’s eating. Take the food away if the puppy starts showing signs of aggression or misbehaves and offer him a treat for staying calm. Do this repeatedly until you establish your dominance.

Separation Induced Behavior: This occurs primarily when the puppy gets separated from his mother and breeder to be with his new owner. The worst time for this new puppy usually happens during bedtime on his first night. This frightening experience usually shows in the form of howling and yapping, urination and defecation, and destructive activities.

Do not take this sign as simply signs of teething or a breakdown in housetraining. You need to address this problem with great care. Often times, coming home to see a crying puppy in bed triggers excessive excitement. Owners find this act gratifying and pet the hyper puppy or give him a treat. This can lead to reinforcement of the behavior that can also lead to excitement urination.

When this situation occurs, do not restrict your puppy in a smaller bed area. Doing this often results in psychosomatic diarrhea and/or hyperactivity once the puppy is released. Punishing your puppy is not only cruel but it can also add to the degree of attachment or causes your puppy to attempt to escape.

A dog that runs away from home has somewhere to go. It is quite amazing that in most cases the owners cannot tell where their dog goes. The usual answer is, “Just out in the neighborhood to see the other dogs or something.” These dogs have a definite objective in mind and usually cover the same route during each journey. Why is that route or objectives more appealing than his home environment? It must be that his environment is lacking in some respect. The root of the problem usually lies with the owner. The dog is often either over- dependent or is not in a subordinate position in relation to the owner. All corrective procedures must start with the relationship between dog and owner, except when minor external environmental adjustments are needed, such as gaining a misguided neighbor’s cooperation to stop feeding the dog when he comes around.

The relationship between dog and his owner must always be considered first when solving a runaway problem. When the dog is over-dependent or too independent, he must be taught, without physical manipulation, to Come, Sit and Stay on command. The owner must make a general environmental adjustment and avoid all fondling or other stimulus-response situations that subordinate the owner to the dog’s whims. For example, a dog that nudges for petting, food tidbits, or to be let outside must be given some simple command, and then told “Good dog” and petted briefly when he obeys. The pet should then be ignored while the owner continues whatever activity was interrupted by the dog’s solicitation. This helps reorient the dog to his owner’s control and reverses the leadership position. Combined with daily training sessions and other corrective measures, this procedure produces results within one and three weeks.

Owners who allow their dogs to roam free in the neighborhood are contributing to the runaway problem, and should be made aware of the dangers related to this practice. The pet’s safety and health are at risk because of poisoning, road accidents, fighting, and diseases contracted from other animals. The animal may become lost, picked up by animal control officers or stolen. What is seldom considered also is that the owner may be subjected to civil suit or criminal charges if the wandering pet causes destruction of property, including fights with other dogs, or human injury.

If an owner cannot appreciate the folly of allowing a pet to roam, any attempt at teaching the animal to behave at home is wasted. When the dog has been taught to accept the confines of his own property, the problem of running away is solved, and such associated problems as dashing in or out of doors, jumping fences, and other escape behavior can be dealt with effectively.

What is in the dog’s mind when it attacks every dog it meets or just has one enemy around the corner? Most of it is show of strength, very often a cowardly show of strength aimed at other people’s toy dogs who can’t answer a bully back. Face that same bully with a big dog likely to answer back and it will disappear into the distance, for the dog knows who will be boss even in its own race, and if it senses superiority of physique or brain, it will automatically be subservient.

That is why young dogs lie on their backs, all four feet in the air, when they meet an older or stronger dog; they know who is boss and are showing the other dog so by exposing the tummy to an enemy. That is why dog owners should know that this trick is not a nice one really and should be checked at an early age, for it is purely one of a weak animal giving in to one stronger in mind and usually an enemy at that.

Few owners would like to think their dogs look upon them as enemies, but that is the case. When a dog no longer looks upon you as a potential enemy it stops this lying on its back as protection, although many dogs in later life do it because their owners have scratched their chests, which they like, and they hope for it again. But primarily it belongs to the defense mechanism of the dog tribe. The mind of a dog that fights always has at the back of it the wish to be the boss of the tribe, and he fights other male dogs who are sexually mature to make sure there is no risk of his being questioned as “lord of all he surveys.” Muzzle that dog and let him loose with the dog he has previously fought and nine times out of ten he will realize he is at a disadvantage and show no signs of aggression.

That is why dogs with fighting problems should be muzzled and then freed with trained dogs or non-fighters. They then learn to enjoy themselves in a community and the wish to fight goes away. Often, having muzzled, introduced and trained them for a short time together, formerly bad fighters are lying side by side without muzzles after a few minutes.

Your own personality needs to be strong to deal with fighters, because fighters are usually adult dogs. Few puppies fight, few females fight; therefore your mind must be stronger than that of the potential fighter so that you are the boss, not either of the dogs. If the dog is sex-mad you can do nothing but neuter it. Muzzling is only a stopgap, not a cure. Owners who won’t have their fighting dogs neutered should always have them muzzled in public places.