Dog Training – Understanding The Principles
February 2, 2012 by Kim Summers
Filed under Pets
By the time you finish reading this article, you will be equipped with the knowledge on how you can train your dog to be more obedient. I am sure you have thought of hiring a dog trainer for your dog, due to unsuccessful attempt of training it before but I am sure after reading this article you can train your pet dog successfully. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s proceed.
There are many methods and techniques involved in training your pet dog. You should not just act like a boss and expect your pet dog to listen to you. You should try to achieve an understanding between you and your pet dog on order to train your dog . So, do not expect your dog to obey you at the very beginning.
So what do you do to make your pet obey? First, you need to have an understanding of the principles of training your pet dog. What are these principles? Basically, there are three simple principles behind dog training and these are reinforcement, punishment and extinction.
With reinforcement, this is about the dog’s reaction to the trainer where behavior either becomes better or worst by means of specific actions. To look at what reinforcement is all about, let’s categorize this into 2 types namely: positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement.
Positive reinforcement is about giving rewards or praise. If your dog behaves or obeys you, then you reward or praise your pet. This good behavior remains because the dog understands it will be rewarded for as long as it obeys or behaves itself.
While negative reinforcement is where the trainer removes an unpleasant situation to make the dog obey, for example if you want to teach the dog to sit, you put pressure on the collar and release the pressure once the dog obeys you.
The next principle that we are talking about is the punishment principle. Again, there are positive and negative punishment. A punishment is seen as a positive punishment when the trainer does something unpleasant and thus it results in the dog’s negative bahaviour to decrease. A negative punishment on the other hand is when a punishment is handed out, the positive behavior is diminished or eliminated.
The third principle is about total elimination of a behavior. This is when behavior is not reinforced resulting to its extinction or elimination. For example, your pet dog is a constant whiner so you allow it to go outside but this time you have changed, your technique so even if the dog continues to whine a lot it is not allowed to go out anymore. Eventually the dog will learn that whining will do him no good so it stops.
For most dog handlers, they believe that positive reinforcement is the best way to train a dog. Yes, it may be for some but this might not work for the others. So before taking on any of the principles discussed, it is still better to have an assessment of your dog’s behavior prior to any training. In this way, you will know which of the principles would give you the best chance of success when it comes to training your dog.
Dog training is not easy. However, if you have a good training guide it will make things easier. Go to our website as we provide expert dog training reviews which you will benefit. Visit us at: http://www.dogtrainingtipsonline.net
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Dominant Dog – Taming it
January 30, 2012 by Kim Summers
Filed under Pets
I may not know a thing about you but I’ll bet that you are very excited when there is a new addition to the household.
However, after picking up your dog and bringing your pet into your home, you realize that your dog is quite dominant and hard to control. What do you do? Some of you may say you will start to train your dog. Wait! Do you know what you are talking about? How do you train a dog? Do you know what you are going to do when the dog keeps barking? Yes, it is not that simple. Just like with any tasks, don’t come unprepared. Understanding and knowledge are both essential so take the time to know why dogs behave that way.
Looking back at your canine friend’s origins, a dog is a descendant of wolves. Basically, although dogs have been domesticated thousands of years before, there are some characteristics similar to a wolf that is by instinct ingrained within your pet. For example, the sense of smell is like reading a newspaper for the dog. It tells everything just with a smell. Unlike for us, we need to see, hear and even feel to understand what’s going on. In other words, although domesticated they still retain some of their most basic instincts. You have to keep that in mind before going off to tame your dog.
If you feel that the time has come to start training your dog and show who’s boss then by all means start teaching your pet but remember three things for pet training: Focus, Take Control and claim all thing as your possession that is inside the house, of course.
Let’s begin with focus. Why do you need focus? Well, if you start training a dog, you may lose your cool as dogs do not understand simple English like sit down or stay. I bet you will find it very annoying. Some people think that the best way to deal with this is to beat the pet or even yell at them, Stop! You should not do that as it won’t do you any good. All you need to do is to be calm, steady and always remain firm. The most important thing that you should remember is that you should always remain calm when training your dog.
Next, take control of the situation. If you are teaching something new to your pet, maintain eye contact. By doing so, the dog will understand that you are in charge and the one in authority. Actually the submissive pet will look away. So if you often gaze away from your dog while speaking, it might come to an understanding that you cannot control your pet hence, remember to keep an eye contact with your pet.
Last, claim all things as yours whether this is about toys, food, rugs and so on stand your ground. Only once your dog understands that you are the one in charge should you allow your pet to share things with you.
So, there you have it. Now that you are aware of these things, all you need to do is to keep these things in mind and start training your dog. It takes time to achieve the desired results but always remember to give tender loving care to your dog.
Dog training is not easy. However, if you have a good training guide it will make things easier. Go to our website as we provide expert dog training reviews which you will benefit. Visit us at: http://www.dogtrainingtipsonline.net
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Importance of Potty Training for Your Puppy
January 14, 2012 by Kim Summers
Filed under Pets
Let’s face it. Many of us enjoy a little companion therefore, some of us keep puppies as pets. But most of us dread having pets as we may think that we are going to burden ourselves with more responsibility. Some of us think that potty training your puppy is a hassel. Let me tell you one important thing; it is best to potty train your puppy while it is still young as when you train it when it is older, you need to get rid of its old habits. These are some ways in which you can potty train your beloved puppy. Read on if you want to find out more.
I shall start by explaining the basics to you. You should first consider the age of your puppy. A puupy which is at least three months old is ready for potty training and learn about cleanup.
First Rule: Remember to keep your puppy’s meal on a regular schedule. You can take your pet out after he is done with his meal. You can also take out your pet after nap, before his bedtime, or when he whimpers during the night.
Second Rule: Do not overfeed your pet while taking him for a walk. Only feed and give your puppy a little water. As much as possible, do not give water to your puppy two hours before sleeping. Trust me, it will save you the trouble of having to wake up in the middle of the night to clean up unnecessary mess.
Third Rule: Your puppy must be tired after playing around. Therefore, you should bring it out on a walk on a leash. This would give your puppy a hint that it’s time to relieve himself.
Fourth Rule: When you bring your puppy out to relieve itself, always bring it to the same spot so that is is able to recognize the spot where it should relieve itself.
Fifth Rule: Try using specific words to command your puppy. Soon enough they will recognize that specific word as a command.
Last: I am sure you like to be praised. Therefore, you should reward or praise your puppy if he relieves himself outside or followed your instructions on potty training.
With potty training, sometimes accidents happen. In case these accidents occur, here are some suggestions on how you can best deal with them.
If you caught your pet in middle of relieving himself, don’t scream or yell. Gently nudge your pet to go outside and after this continue the reward thing by praising your puppy.
I am sure it is frustrating seeng the mess left behind by your pet but you need to stay calm and clean up the mess. After that you should continue the potty training routine that you have made up. After cleaning put the soiled cleaning materials outdoors or where your puppy usually relieves himself, making it easier for your pet to recognize where he should go in the future.
So, what are you waiting for? Use this knowledge that you have acquired and put it to the test. All you need to do is to remember to stick to your schedule and soon, your puppy will get used to it.
It is both a joy and challenge to have a dog and I have covered only potty training. Train your dog the way you want so that you can enjoy its companionship. Check out our Dog Training Reviews at our website for more information: http://www.dogtrainingtipsonline.net
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