September 29th, 2008

How to Teach your dog to be “Tricky”

Dog Training: What Is The Best Way To Teach Your Dog New Tricks?

When teaching fun and useful tricks, keep your training sessions short and sweet, no more than five minutes each, and repeat the sessions one to four times during the day. For example, some days I’m busy and I only get one lesson in. Other days I have time for two or three. My dogs are up for anything and yours will learn, too, as long as you’re positive and use a positive step-by-step approach.
 
It is better to schedule training around feeding times. For example, before breakfast I’ll do a lesson. Both my dogs love treats, and since they are hungry they’re even more spunky. I end the lesson on a positive note and reward them with a yummy meal. Good dogs!
 
Always Use The Step-By-Step Approach
 
You might be asking, “what is the best step-by-step approach?” The answer is fairly simple. Each new routine has steps to follow, and you need to perfect each step before moving on to the next. But to give you a quick example, suppose you want to teach your dog how to jump through a hoop. The steps are:
 
Step One: Use a broom to create a low jump across a threshold, like a doorway. Prop up the broom with two objects of equal height, such as soup cans or, for a small dog, toilet paper rolls. Let your dog sniff the setup, then take him five strides and command "Over" as you take the jump together. Good dog! When you’ve perfected this you’re ready for Step Two.
 
Step Two: Show your dog the hoop, placing it flat on the ground so that your dog can step around and sniff it. Holding the hoop at ground level, lure your dog through with a toy or treat. As he walks through, he should hear the command "Through."
 
Step Three: Recruit someone to hold the hoop at the broom. The bottom of the hoop should be at the same level as the broom. Take your dog back down the runway, instruct "Over-through," and run up to the obstacle and encourage your dog through.
 
Step Four: Continue to work in the same threshold. Remove the broom. Encourage "Through." Good dog! Slowly raise the hoop to the height of your dog’s elbow (or hock). Once your dog perfects it here, you can branch out to other thresholds in the house. Got that? Now you’re ready for the big time! Encourage your dog to jump through wherever the hoop is placed.
 
So, teaching how to jump through a hoop is a four-step program. Because your dog can’t master an entire routine in five minutes, you’ll need to isolate each step and build on your dog’s successes.
 
For more great information, check out More Tricks for You and the Dog.

 

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September 21st, 2008

It’s a Private thing

Dog Training: How to Train Your Dog to Stop Licking “Private Places”

A nose thrust may be acceptable among dogs, but it’s not so pleasant for the two-legged visitors in their lives. Every dog can learn to greet people in more acceptable ways. The secret is to teach them an alternative to that ancient, secret handshake they know so well.
 
Start with a Shake
 
The standard greeting among people is the handshake, and dogs can learn it too. Have your dog sit, then stick out your hand, putting it slightly below her nose. Most dogs will instinctively raise a paw to meet it. If your dog doesn’t get it and won’t raise a paw, pick up her paw for her and give it a shake. Then say, "Good shake!" and give her something to eat. Keep practicing, and have other people do it too. As long as there’s the potential for food, dogs will remember this trick and try it every chance they get.
 
Take her Everywhere
 
Dogs spend most of their time at home, and when they do get out they’re so excited and hungry for information that they can hardly keep their noses to themselves. Take them out in public more often so they meet a lot of new people. Eventually, they’ll start getting used to everyone and everything, in part because they’ll have collected so much information in the past that they won’t feel the burning need to collect more. This will make it easier for them to remember to sit and shake rather than lunge and sniff.
 
Quick Tip
 
Dogs despise the smell of minty breath spray, and you can take advantage of this to discourage them from sniffing people. When you’re going to be in a situation in which your dog will be meeting new people, arm yourself beforehand with a canister of breath spray. When she moves in for the inevitable sniff, quickly spritz some of the spray toward her mouth. Aim downward so that the irritating spray doesn’t hit her eyes. The unpleasant smell and taste, combined with the psst sound, is a very strong discouragement.
 
This type of "aversion therapy" works because dogs link the unpleasant experience with the behavior that caused it, and the memory will stay with them. For the most part, however, dogs learn fastest when they’re praised for doing things right, rather than scolded for doing them wrong. So reward your dog well when she sits and shakes. You should even reward her when she does nothing at all. As long as she’s not sniffing, she’s being a good dog and deserves a special treat.
 

 

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September 11th, 2008

The Underlying Anger Issue

Aggression – What is Territorial Aggression & Why Does It Make A Dog So Angry?

All dogs have one form of aggression or another and to some degree, it is perfectly natural. However, since our pets are domesticated then there is a certain level of calmness that we should expect from them. The most common aggression behavioral problem that dogs display is called "territorial aggression". To sum up the definition of territorial aggression, it simply describes a dog that goes absolutely crazy whenever a stranger approaches their home.
 
What encourages a dog to display such aggressiveness?
 
As we stated earlier, it is natural for your dog to want to defend his home and make it known that the area is his territory. However, the following scenarios may cause your dog’s aggression over his territory to escalate:
 
1. Aggression is reinforced in a dog whenever, for example, a delivery person approaches the house and then after dropping off a package he leaves the territory. Your dog actually thinks that he drove the stranger away and this in itself creates more aggression.
 
2. When riding in a car, a dog with extreme territorial aggression tends to bark incessantly at every person he sees and every moving thing outside the window. He is saying to them "stay away, this is my territory!" And of course nobody is going to approach the car so your dog actually thinks he is "winning". Therefore, the dog will bark even lower to celebrate his victory.
 
3. Another very common reason why a dog may increase his levels of barking and aggression is whenever he is acting up and barking at the door (for whatever reason) and the owner starts to yell at him in order to shut him up. Most dog owners do not realize that yelling at their dog is doing nothing but creating more aggression. A dog will think that you are "supporting" his aggression towards the approaching stranger or delivery person.
 
4. A fourth reason why a dog may have heightened levels of territorial aggression is whenever he is isolated or locked up when there are guests and strangers inside the house. When you first think about it, it seems very reasonable to take your barking dog and lock him up in a room or crate whenever you have guests. However, during this time, your dog can smell the "intruders" and since he can do nothing about it, is aggression levels can rise dramatically, causing stress and anxiety, which of course leads to more behavioral problems.
 
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