Dog Training - Treats

There are many choices when it comes to rewarding your dog with a treat for obeying your commands, and these treats make a big difference in your dog’s attitude towards you in learning new tricks, and why wouldn’t they? To get anything in life you have to give something back and dogs are no different, you help them and they’ll help you. Simple.

But what are the best rewards and treats to give your dog in times of good behavior? Well for starters you won’t be short of treats to try, the markets as it is now is full to the brim of all the fancy rewards and treats you could ever think of.

One of the favourite for dog owners is to treat their dog to homemade treats from recipes that can be found across the internet in many places, some of my favourites and personal recommendations are listed in the products page of www.dog-behavior-training.co.uk along with other tips on dog training there.

Consumer products are also a good choice when rewarding your dog; these include chewing toys which can be very rewarding for puppies and dogs alike. Saving one of their favourite toys for when they behave well makes everything more exciting for your dog and causes them to want to perform more for this reward.

If a chew toy is not to your dogs liking then they may instead enjoy a tug toy, tug toys are good for your dog’s teeth the same as chew toys are and it enhances the relationship between you and your dog as you play with them. Be careful while using these toys as some dogs may think of this game as good behaviour and will start tugging on trousers or other annoying or destructive things.

The last toys I am going to talk about are the throwing toys; these are good to calm your dog down when they are over active or if you just want to reward your dog with quality playing time for their good behavior. These toys range from a simple tennis ball to special durable dog Frisbees and help you to react with your dog wile also training playing the ‘fetch’ game.

There are lots more dog toys available, probably at your local pet shop. It is a good idea to keep in mind what textures and current toys your dog likes to play with or chew before making your choice but as long as your dog enjoys it, it can be used as a good reward and training method.

Dog Training - Dog No Command

The ‘no’ command is a widely used command throughout dog training and is used to tell your dog not to do something or to stop them in their tracks to avoid dangerous situations or general bad behavior.

I think of the no command as more of a training technique rather than a command and to perfect the technique you will need to be consistent for most of your time with your pet dog. The no command isn’t like other commands and is taught over several years rather than a ‘learn it and forget it’ dog training technique.

You can start to teach your dog the no command as soon as you see your cute little puppy doing something wrong for the first time, to most people the command will come naturally when they see their dog causing terror in the house and it will not be too hard for them to remember how to execute the technique.

The no command should come part and parcel with punishing your dog, the idea behind the no command is to teach your dog that ‘no’ means bad behavior and punishment, after teaching this command the end result will be that your dog should stop whatever they are doing when you say ‘no’.

So to make this command work you will need to enforce and recite ‘no’ in a very assertive way whenever you are punishing your dog or see your dog behaving badly that will result in punishment. By doing this your dog will associate ‘no!’ with being punished and making you the owner, unhappy.

If you do this consistently through your dogs earlier years, especially when your dog is a puppy and very impressionable you will gain respect from your dog and just saying ‘no’ alone will be enough to stop your dog in its tracks and save you punishing your dog.

Leash Training – Dog Training

Leash training or lead training is the discussion of many dog trainers in this modern age and discussions of how to train your dog in the nicest possible way are aplenty. These discussions are brought about by people and dog trainers believing that pulling on the leash to correct a dog’s behavior is causing injury to the dog.

I’m not here to discus this also, but I certainly don’t believe there is anything wrong with leash training if it is done in the correct way and care is taken not to hurt the dog or give any sudden forceful pulls on the leash.

Leash dog training is equally as popular as any other form of dog training within the expert dog training community because when done properly it gets results quickly and effectively.

Leash training is used by correcting your dog’s movements and gently tugging on the leash to force the dog to go in a way they would not have originally gone and to direct them in the favoured way for the training exercise in hand. Often the problems of leash training are with getting your dog comfortable with the leash and collar so I will briefly discus the key aspects of getting your dog to behave when going for walks on a leash and the problems you might face.

Some dogs are excited to get their collar on and other are not so fond of it, train your dog to sit and stay first before learning to take your dog on a leash, many dogs like to wriggle around and run about wile you try to put a collar or lead on them so the sit stay commands will be essential.

While doing any pre-leash exercises or walks if your dog misbehaves by being too excited you should simply remain calm and not go for walks until they are acting appropriately, this should calm your dog down and act as a light punishment for them.

When starting leash training, begin in your own home and then work your way up to more populated and new and interesting places, if your dog misbehaves or is pulling on the leash constantly when they are out then discipline accordingly, and as always practice will be the deciding factor to how quickly your dog will accomplish good behavior.

which dog can i have? i have asthma

Which dog can I have? I have asthma!

I have been wanting a dog for over two years but unfortunately my husband suffers with asthma badly, and can tell if an animal has lived in a house as soon as he enters even if they are no longer there!!

So, after a lot of research into dogs I have found one that will not affect his asthma. Meet sherbet our 15 week old puppy, he is a Bishon Frise and they have very tight curls so that their hair does not shed. The hair only comes out when you brush it. This in effect is what reduces the asthma or allergies.

Allergies actually comes from the pet dander which is actually the skin, and where we get the name dandruff from, all pets have it obviously and when hair comes out it will have a bit of dander or skin on it, which is what causes the allergies.

By having to take the hair out yourself you are obviously eliminating the ability for the dander to get everywhere carpets cushions furniture clothes etc.... and we are all well aware of how difficult hair can be to remove from furnishings so it stays there causing a reaction for the asthma or allergy suffer, every time they go near it. The only way to take away the reaction is to get rid of the dander or neutralise it somehow.

And the big question has it worked? Well yes is the answer it has, at first he was still getting some problem and could feel him asthma flaring up but sometimes I feel that this can be brought on by the thought of an animal rather than the animal its self. I also as a precaution bath Sherbet every couple of weeks and have bought a product called pet cleanse which goes on each week very easy to use and this neutralises the dander. I have had no problems at all since and having got him at 8 weeks we are 7 weeks on and have the beginnings of a happy family.

The last note that I would like to add is the importance of training your puppy, as although asthma and allergies are predominantly brought on by dander they can also be brought on by saliva and urine, by training your dog properly to wee outside and to not jump up etc.... you can eliminate any further problems, this for us is on going at the moment but we did get this online book which has helped us immensely, as I had no idea of how to train a dog. It teaches you very quickly how they do not know what you are saying but will read your body language and it is amazing how we can be saying one thing and our body language is telling something altogether different!!

How To Use A Check Cord

A check cord is a valuable tool that can be used to train your dog for simple commands as well as hunting abilities. A check cord slips around the D ring in the leather collar on your dog. It is made of strong nylon that is easy to handle and will not bend like a rope. When you tug on the check cord, you are letting your dog know that he is doing something wrong.

When you are training a hunting dog, you want him to close to you. There is a point when you are working with your dog when he will have to be away from you. This is where the check cord comes in handy. You should use several drills to use the check cord to train your dog on basic commands.

The check cord should be used in quartering drills. The dog should not tug on the cord to try to take off running. He should quarter in front of you. You can use the check cord to get him to turn when you want as well as to sit and come to you. The check cord should ideally be about 20 to 25 feet in length. The purpose of the cord is to tug at the collar, giving your dog a reminder that he is doing the wrong thing. When the cord does not pull, he knows that he is behaving accordingly.

There is a bowline knot at the end of the check cord that will keep the cord from getting tangled. The D ring should be at the back of the collar of the dog. When you are using the check cord, you should be careful not to tug on it too hard. You should give a brief tug when the dog steps out of line. Using a check cord is similar to using an electronic dog collar in that you want to give gentle reminders to the dog when you are going through drills. If the dog takes off running, you can then pull firmly on the check cord.

Your dog should walk in front of you at about ten and two, as if comparing to a clock. When you first put a dog on a lead, his instinct will be to pull at the lead and try to move further away from you. One of the first things that you need to teach a dog is how to quarter. This is imperative for a hunting dog and also for any dog.

Sitting is another drill that you can practice with your dog using the check cord. You can also teach him to retrieve in this way. Instead of using voice commands, however, you are better off to start using voice commands to sit and come after he has gotten used to the check cord. This will make it easier for him to make the connection to the verbal command and will also make training easier.

Training a dog with a check cord is not difficult and should be a practice for all dog owners. A check cord is easy to use and will help you train your dog in basic command drills.

Dog Training Techniques - Does Offering Food Treats Work?

Many years ago the idea of using food treats in conjunction with training was looked down upon. It was considered spoiling the dog. Nowadays offering food treats is one of the most popular dog training techniques.

I use dog treats because they get the dog's attention faster than any other single training tool available. With some good dog treats you can teach a dog to focus on you and ignore distractions in just a few moments. After he's learned to focus on you, you can expand his learning and teach him other things. Without the food treats the training takes much longer.

You can use food treats in several ways:
1. Rewards - When your dog does something correctly, he will be given a piece of the treat as a reward.
2. Lure - A treat used to lead the dog through a movement or motion is called lure. After the dog follows the lure, he is given it as a reward.
3. Target - A treat is placed on an object or in a place to show the dog he needs to move to that spot or touch that object. When he gets there, he gets the treat.
4. Jackpot - When the dog does something extraordinary, or has a training breakthrough, he should be given a handful of treats or some special treats. This super-size reward is called jackpot.

In order for this dog training technique to work, the food treats must be something your dog likes. Some dogs will be happy with their dry food, while some others need something a little more special, like freeze-dried liver or homemade cookies.

You need to remember to always use your voice when using food treats. For example if your dog does something correctly, praise him as he does so, and then give him the treat. Your voice marks the good behavior, the treat rewards it.

Understanding Basic Dog Training

Dogs make wonderful pets and give loyalty and companionship to the whole family. Unfortunately some people make the very basic mistake of underestimating the importance of properly training their dog. It is unfair on both the owners and the dog to neglect a proper training schedule, which gives the dog boundaries and allows good communication between dog and owner. In many cases a dog that is seen as misbehaving or unruly simply doesn't understand what is being asked of it and has no structure in it's life to adhere to. Dogs need to have a role within the family unit even if it is something simple like fetching the post in the mornings, this will help them feel part of the unit.

One common mistake is to delay training puppies on their arrival in the home. No matter how young a dog is, you need to start training it from the day it sets foot in your house. Puppies are so adorable that everything they do is seen as cute or playful and as such they can get away with almost anything. This is where problems start to set in, as puppies are learning constantly. If they get away with things they remember this and will continue to behave in an undesirable fashion - both puppies and dogs think nothing of pushing their luck, and so long as they are getting away with things they will push further and further. Suddenly your adorable puppy is a fully grown dog that likes to steal your food or muscle you off the sofa and it isn't so cute and playful anymore.

Dogs don't speak human, so until they are taught what a word means, they will have no idea and this is really important to remember as you are training your dog. Associations between words and actions will form very quickly in your dogs mind, they will know when a word equals a treat or a telling off and this is why in the early stages of training it is very important to use positive association. A dog will not respond to "sit" or "here" if it thinks bad things are going to happen.

There are a few basic commands that all dogs should be taught. No, sit, stay, come or here are the most important as they allow you to have control over your dogs movements. Reward based training is one of the fastest ways to get a dog to learn, and doggy treats are always going to be a winner. Sit is probably the best place to start, as once you have taught your dog to sit, you have it's full attention and you can teach it other things from there such as lie-down, stay etc. First you need to get your dog or puppies attention, then you need to tell them to sit, now we know they don't understand us so this is where using firm but gentle pressure to push your dogs bum to the floor gives the dog the association between the word "sit" and it's bum being on the floor. Repeat the word sit as they are sitting, then reward the dog. You will have to repeat this a few times, depending on the willingness and ability of the dog to learn, be patient. The correlation between "sit", bum being on floor and treats being giving will set in pretty quickly and your dog will sit perfectly for you every time.

This reward-based training can be used across all the commands, of course when your dog has mastered a technique the rewards are no longer needed, but with each new command there will be rewards and this can make a dog very keen to learn! Remember, training doesn't have to be a boring chore, make it a fun activity and it will be much easier to help your dog learn and a well trained dog is a happy dog.