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Training
Tips
Give your dog plenty of exercise. It is
difficult for him to behave and focus when he has too much pent up
energy, Playing with him will help you bond with him.
Be consistent! - Your dog can’t learn
when the rules keep changing. Use the same command each
time.
Be patient! - Don’t lose your temper.
This will only impede your efforts to train.
Persevere! - Don't get discouraged. Stick with it, he will get
it.
Give your dog plenty
of praise when he responds properly.
When you get your new puppy make
sure he gets proper socialization.
Socialize him from the start. What he
experiences when he is young will stay with your dog his entire
life. Expose him to as many people, other dogs, children, and
everyday situations as possible. But remember until he has all his
shots you must be careful about where you take him and keep him away
from dogs that you do not know. Also, very
important you want these to be positive experiences.
Supervise his interactions with children and other dogs. Don’t force
him into situations that will make him fearful. For example I do not
recommend that you take your young pup to a “Dog Park” . An experience with a large
aggressive dog now could make him fearful, reactive or
aggressive to dogs. And never take a puppy
to a Dog Park until he has all his shots. This is part of his
training, so think about the effect each situation will have before
exposing him to it. Every dog is different. Get to know your pup and
what he might be sensitive to. Early socialization cannot be
stressed enough! More
When
you bring your new puppy home he will need to relieve himself after
the ride home. Take him right to the area in your yard that
you intend for him to use before taking him into your house. This
will get him off to a good start with his house training.
FAQ
How old should
my dog be before I start training her?
Do you use
treats to train dogs?
Can I leave
my dog with you to be trained?
Some people
like the idea of Dog-Parks, others don't, what do you
think?
What
do you feed your dogs?
Q. How
old should my puppy be before I start training
her?
A.You should start
training her as soon as you bring her home. We aren’t talking about
formal obedience training here. Training your new puppy should be
done in a playful and positive manner. Make it fun for her now
and she will always enjoy training sessions. No harsh corrections.
Call her name, always praise her when she comes to you. Teach her to sit (PDF). It soon
will become her way of saying please when she wants something and
give her an alternative behavior when she is doing something you
don't want her to do. Prevent unwanted behavior before it becomes
established. You can help do this by keeping all forbidden items out
of reach, don’t leave food on counters to steal or shoes lying
around for her to chew on. These behaviors are self rewarding. For
example your dog jumps on the counter and steals a steak. She will
not forget and will continue to counter surf. You would have to make
a pretty strong case to convince her that it's not in her interest
to do this. It takes constant vigilance on your part. But it is
easier to keep a watchful eye on her or keep all items out of reach
than it is to eliminate the behavior after it has become
established. A proper sized crate is great for keeping her out of
trouble when you can't supervise her. Also remember that some of the
things she does now that are cute will be considered bad behavior or
annoying even intolerable when she is older. Don’t unintentionally
train her to do these things by encouraging her when she is small.
This is the time to bond with your pup. Praise and affection will
help you bond. The best age to begin formal training is from four to
six months.
7 Tips for training your
puppy
1. Make
training fun for both of you
2. Be patient and progress gradually
3. Keep
sessions short and fun, avoid boredom (for both of you!)
4. Reward good
behavior with praise and treats
5. Never shout
at or punish your puppy
6. Teach one
thing at a time
7. Always use the same
command words for the same actions – and make sure the rest of your
family does too
(Back)
Q. Do you
use treats to train dogs?
A. Sometimes.
Unfortunately when training begins with some dogs (usually older
dogs with bad habits but not always) there is not much to
reward. Bad behavior must never be rewarded; it must either
be corrected or ignored (depending on the specific behavior),
but never rewarded or it will continue. It is nearly impossible
to train a dog that is out of control. In these cases it is better
to take a step back and start from scratch. Treats can sometimes be
added as training progresses.
Some breeds respond
better than others to training with treats. It depends on the
individual dog and the type of training required. Treats and toys
can be very effective tools to teach a new behavior or motivate a
dog to perform an advanced exercise. Treats can be useful
in training for Agility and other Dog Sports. Use treats for
training tricks never corrections. Tricks are meant to be fun.
Learning and obedience
are two different things. Your dog should be expected to obey simple
commands. If your dog will only perform an easy exercise, for
example sit, if you offer him a treat, he is not working for you or
obeying you. He is working for the treat, a bribe. Sometimes it’s
not clear who is bribing whom. If you use treats to train your dog
be certain you are rewarding him, not bribing him.
However each dog is
different. So each dog will require a different approach.
Training with treats would usually be appropriate to train
a shy dog, a fearful (but not aggressive) dog, and dogs
with a history of abuse. Using treats with these dogs can help you
gain their trust and coax them into the proper position.
Unfortunately sometimes these dogs will refuse to take food when in
a frightened state.
Sometimes a
combination of Traditional Training and treats is best. And of
course early training for young puppies should include treats as
well as praise and affection.
Caution must be used when
working with aggressive dogs. Giving treats to an aggressive dog can
make the problem Chances are your dog already knows what
you are asking him to do, and giving him more treats won't make him
more obedient. And training with treats, like any other method of
training, depends on proper timing and knowledge to be effective.
Your praise is the best
reward. If you use treats you must still praise your dog to maintain
a proper relationship with your dog.
This is not to say, don't
give your dog treats. We all like to spoil our dogs and shower them
with affection when they are well behaved. When we do give treats it
is just that, a treat to reward our dogs for good behavior. Be
careful not to fall into the "treat me or you can forget it"
trap when training. (Back to Our
Philosophy)
Q. Can I leave my dog
with you to be trained?
A. This training
sometimes referred to as Board And Train, Boot Camp or Sleep Away is
usually not effective. The dog is being trained but not with the
owner. The relationship between dog and owner has not changed. Soon
after returning home the dog slides back into his old, poor
behavior. Most dogs know the commands and how to perform the
exercises, but persist in stealing, jumping, chewing and all the
other offending activities. Exactly the kind of behavior that led
their owners to seek training in the first place. I have trained
dogs like this for clients who cannot physically do the lessons
themselves with mixed results. Usually the client calls a couple of
days after their dog returns home to thank me. They tell me how good
“Fido” is and that he is like a different dog. After several weeks I
call to see how things are going only to find that “Fido” has
regressed. When I return for a refresher “Fido” acts like a perfect
gentleman. The client remarks how well he always behaves for me. I
want your dog to behave for you. Most trainers that offer this
service include a lifetime guarantee. But when they return to
“fix” the dog its not certain how long it will last. Also dogs
become more attached to the person that trains them. Even more so
than the person that feeds them. This is why it is better for
you to
train your dog with the help of an experienced instructor who
can explain why your dog is behaving the way he is and help provide
you with solutions to change his
behavior.
Q. Some people like the
idea of Dog Parks, others don't, what do you think?
A. I have mixed feelings
about Dog Parks. They can be a great place to let your adult dog run
and play with other dogs. My dogs and I have shared some enjoyable
times with other owners and their dogs. However you must be very
careful. Not all people are responsible dog owners. I have seen
aggressive dogs that don’t belong there. Some owners completely
ignore their dogs, and their aggressive behavior toward other
dogs. Many owners have no control over their dogs. I always watch to
see who is approaching and I am ready to leave at a moments
notice. The mood of the dogs can change quickly when a new
arrival enters the park. A new female or male entering the
park can change the whole dynamics of the group. Remember dogs
are pack animals and their pack instincts can take over in a group
of other dogs. I do not recommend taking your young puppy to a Dog
Park. You should never take a puppy to a Dog Park until he has had
all his shots. Even then a bad experience at
a young age could cause a puppy to become fearful,
aggressive or reactive to other dogs for the rest of his life.
I would recommend you try to find owners with dogs, that you know to
be friendly, to socialize your young dog. Also it is your duty as
your dog’s owner and leader to keep him safe. The best way to keep
your dog safe is be aware of what is going on and be ready to leave
if necessary. If you don’t, your dog could be injured. Or he could
take matters into his own hands and begin to fight. This could
diminish your standing in his eyes. And of course there are health
issues. Some owners don't even pickup after their dogs. So if you
have a dog park nearby and a dog with lots of energy by all means
check it out, but beware of the potential for problems. I have found
that times when there are only a few other dogs at the park are
the best. (Back
Q. What do
you feed your dogs?
A. I am
frequently asked by my clients, what is the best food to
feed or how many times a day should they feed their
dog. First of all puppies should be fed three times a day. They
should be fed on a regular schedule. This will help with their house
training. Depending on the dog and your own schedule, they could
begin to be fed twice a day from about six months to a year old. I
do not recommend free feeding (leaving their food down for them to
graze on through out the day). This can lead to health-weight and
sometimes behavior problems (with some very dominant dogs it is
better to control the food). However I know some dogs that have none
of these problems with free feeding. Usually you should pick up your
dog's food after 10 - 20 minutes. At one year they could be fed
once a day, but I don't recommend it. For years people fed their
dogs once a day, but I prefer to feed my dogs twice a day. That is
what I recommend. As a matter of fact my dog Sandy had IBS and I
often fed her three times a day. More frequent smaller meals seemed
to help. Once a day feeding can cause problems. Some dogs become so
hungry that they will start to eat things that they shouldn’t.
Others have a hard time eating a large quantity of food at one time.
Some dogs seem to thrive on just about anything, even the cheapest
brand of food. I feed my dogs a high quality natural dry food.
It may be little more expensive than what you would pay
for foods found at the supermarket, but what I save on veterinary
bills makes up for it. Sandy has her IBS problem and she does very
well on this food. In fact she now has no problems at
all. Wilson gets one ear infection after another when fed foods
with grains (Food allergies cause ear infections more than anything
else. The most common foods that dogs are allergic to are wheat, soy
and corn. These are commonly used as fillers in cheaper foods.).
There are many quality brands out there. Everybody has their
favorites and some dogs do better on certain brands. In my opinion
they are all worth the extra cost. I put a dollop of quality canned
food on top. They seem perfectly happy with just the dry food but I
don’t mind spoiling them a little and it adds a little diversity and
source of nutrition. Meat scraps from the table are great as
long as they don’t have sauces and seasonings on them.
Especially onions. Onions are among the foods that are toxic to
dogs. Also be sure to feed any scraps in their own bowl with their
meal so they don’t start to beg for your food. Never feed from the
table. Give your dog plenty of fresh water, especially in hot
weather. Water is also important to help regulate a
dog's temperature when it is hot. I give my dogs
bottled water. I don’t know if there is any scientific proof to back
it up but it seems to help Sandy with her IBS problem. I
believe the chlorine in tap water kills the beneficial bacteria
that help dogs digest their food. And no telling what effect
flouride has. The store brand in the gallon jug is fine. I have
found that a lot of dogs don’t like the taste of chlorine. Many
people remark how much more water their dogs drink when they
come to visit. Below are a few links about dog
food.
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