Before choosing a particular training method, carefully examine the technique to ensure that it will communicate proper associations. Certain methods may not communicate what you intend. A dog-aggressive Akita was enrolled in a training program that his owner thought was reputable. The trainer convinced the owner that the only way to break the Akita of aggression toward other dogs was to let a more dominant dog put him in his place. The trainer’s dog displayed dominance toward other dogs, so she placed him in a room with the Akita and left the two dogs to work things out. When the trainer heard a window crashing, she opened the door to find that her dog was injured, and the Akita had been richly rewarded for his aggressive behavior with a nice victory under his collar.

If this method does not make sense to you, it probably won’t make sense to the dog, either. One trainer sent around a flyer giving free advice to the general public on how to stop dogs from digging. The trainer suggested filling the newly dug hole with water and taking the dog over to the hole by the scruff of the neck to dunk his head in the water filled-hole. The next sentence on this flyer cautioned the owner that the dunking probably would not stop the dog from digging; instead, forcing the dog down to the water by the scruff of the neck was a demonstration of dominance, a root cure-all for problem behavior. The trainer thought through the method far enough to figure out that the water would have no effect on future digging. Unfortunately, he did not explain that the dog would learn to mistrust his owner for trying to drown him. Shortly after this flyer was distributed, another trainer was indicted for animal abuse for employing this very correction technique.

Occasionally, even thinking through a method does not result in a clear understanding of how it works. One day a fellow drove up to class in a pickup with his dog in the back. The dog trainer explained to him that it was very dangerous to have the dog in the back of an open pickup. He went through the normal lecture on how the dog’s nose and eyes could be damaged from debris in the air, the danger of the dog being thrown out of the truck in an accident, etc. The fellow proudly said, “I fixed the dog from jumping out of the truck. He was jumping out and I would throw him back in. We did this for five or six times when I finally got really mad and threw him in the truck for the seventh time and stuffed a piece of horse manure in his mouth for good measure. After that the dog never jumped out again, and the next time he does something bad, I am going to use that manure trick again.”

It was really hard to determine if the dog stopped jumping out of the truck because he got tired of being thrown back in, or if he was grateful for the gourmet horse manure treat. If you are not sure about exactly how or why a method works, it is probably best to avoid the technique altogether. Even the most popular methods use techniques that may not be suited for every breed or temperament of dog. A trainer who evaluates each method based on the efficacy of the associations and motivators will be better equipped to match the appropriate obedience method with the dog’s individual temperament.

href=”http://bernesemountaindogsecrets.com/”>forgreat (dogcare)clickhere

And while I'm on the subject, what other foods have the ability to make a dog sick?

From what I've seen (my dog once ate a whole bag of mini snickers bars) the most common side effects from dogs eating chocolate are: lethargic, having the runs, drinking excess water, sometimes vomiting and hyperactive (it can differ depending on the dog).
As for other foods, it all depends on the dog. I've come across dogs that could eat any and every type of people food without getting sick and other dogs that couldn't handle any type of people foods. The only food that my vet has ever cautioned about has been chocolate.

powered by Yahoo Answers

Ok, so you’ve got a problem. Your dog is using those shiny, pointy teeth of his for something other than chewing his kibble.

What can you do about it?

Well, as a concerned dog owner you need to figure out the cause…what’s triggering this behavior…I mean, if my dog bites, I need to know the reason right?…and so do you…and you need to address that reason as well as the behavior itself…otherwise, you won’t change it.

First, let’s look at some of the usual reasons.

Fido may be nipping because he’s afraid of something. If you acquired an adult dog, maybe he was abused and now fears anything on two legs. Maybe he fears his new surroundings. In any case, you’re going to need to soothe those fears away.

At first use your voice; just talk to him quietly and calmly for a few minutes, several times a day, and from a non-threatening distance. Over time, work your way closer. Then, when he’s ready (not you), use your touch. Pet him gently while you’re talking. You’ll be making deposits into his “trust bank” and, when the balance is high enough, you’ll start to see a change.

Maybe your dog bites when he gets too excited. If you play rough with him for too long, you’ll likely over-stimulate him. Then he might lose his “doggy cool” and take a shot at you. Not good, and especially not good if your kids are the ones doing the stimulating.

So learn to stop sooner than later and give your buddy some time to “chill out” before you handle him again. My father, a pretty good amateur handler, used to tell me this over and over when I played rough with our dogs. Then finally, (tired of me not listening), he just let me learn the hard way. I still have a little scar on my right hand to remind me.

Lastly, maybe your dog is biting because he’s going through a challenging phase. He might be challenging you or your family members in order to earn a higher position in “the pack.” Remember, he thinks everyone in the house has a certain rank and his nature is to challenge that notion every so often. He wants to raise his own rank…he wants to be the “Top Dog.”

If this is the case, you need to put him in his place. He needs to know that everyone else (and I do mean everyone) in your family has a higher rank than him.

Start off by ignoring him…don’t let anyone give him any attention unless he earns it by obeying a simple command or two first. Later on (days not hours) you can give him more attention, but only when he’s not actively seeking it. In this way he’ll start to get the idea of who’s really in charge.

Another powerful technique to teach your dog his place in your “family pack” is to feed him last. Make sure the entire family has finished eating before you feed Fido. This might sound cruel, but it’s not. Out in the wild the “Top Dog” eats first and when he’s finished, the rest of the pack eats according to their rank. Your dog will have enough instinctual memory to understand this. And he’ll get a strong message.

Oh, and don’t let him beg or get excited before you feed him…make him sit or lie quietly for at least a few minutes before he gets his meal.

Now, let’s look at how to address the behavior itself.

You want to give your dog a “correction” and to do that you must catch him in the act. If he bites and you wait (even just several seconds) before making your correction, it will do you absolutely no good. Ten seconds later, your dog’s brain is already on to his next thing and he won’t make the connection between his bite and your correction.

And how do you make the correction you ask?

Well, first, resist the urge to punish him with a smack. He’ll get mixed signals from this and you might make things worse.

A better way is to challenge his biting behavior immediately with a loud, long “Nooooo.” Or my personal favorite; growl at him (and show some teeth when you do it!). Then chase him away, back to his bed or into a corner.

And then ignore him.

This will let him know that play-time just ended. Don’t give him any attention for awhile, and then, make him earn it by obeying a command or two.

This approach can have a very positive effect on a lot of biting behavior. But remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day and the same goes for your relationship with your pooch. You’ll need to use patience because you may need to repeat these techniques for days or even weeks before you see the results you want.

I hope this helps a bit and that “my dog bites” soon becomes “my dog used to bite”…thanks for reading.

Did you know that biting is just one of the five most destructive and embarrassing behaviors your dog can exhibit? Need help with the other four? Then check out  The-Dog-Zone.net.

My dog loves going to the off-leash dog park but one of the park rules is that any dog exhibiting aggressive behavior should be removed immediately. What exactly is considered aggressive behavior?

My dog runs up to other dogs while making growly noises with no teeth bared and then trying to make the other dogs run with him and chase him. Sometimes other dogs initiate play with him and he runs with them while growling. Is this considered aggressive behavior? I just need to know where exactly to draw the line.
Bluebell: He's a 2-year-old German Shepherd mix.

There's a big difference between play growling and aggressive growling. If your dog is running around playfully, rather than remaining still and stiff, he's most likely play growling.

Behaviors I consider aggressive are:
Growling
Beared teeth
Barking with offensive posture
Barking with growling in between
Stiffness when approached
Frozen stance when toys or food is approached
Fixed stare

powered by Yahoo Answers

dog obedience training is one of the best things you can do for your dog and yourself. Obedience training doesn’t solve all behavior problems, but it is the foundation for solving just about any problem including soiling your house, destroying your belongings, barking excessively, digging holes in your yard, fighting other dogs and even biting you.

For most dog owners, dog obedience training is a daunting task. However, training your dog is about to get much easier, if you follow my advice below.

Here Are My Top 10 Tips for Training Your Dog

1. Dog training should be an enjoyable experience for you and your dog. If you are not in the right mood for training, don’t even start.

2. Keep dog obedience training sessions short (5-10 minutes) to maintain your dog’s motivation. Dogs will learn much more from regular short sessions than from longer, less frequent ones. Once the dog has learned several useful commands on the continuous reward schedule, the schedule should be changed to one of intermittent rewards.

3. Always end training on a positive note. Ask your dog to respond to a command you know he or she will obey. Then reward your dog for a job well done and issue a finish command such as “free” or “release.” Avoid common words such as “okay.” Following a training session, both owner and dog should be left with feelings of accomplishment.

4. Keep in mind that your dog’s motivation to respond to a command decreases as the complexity of the task increases. If your dog doesn’t respond appropriately to a command after several attempts, don’t reward him or her. Resume training a few seconds later using a simpler command. Return to the more complex task later.

5. Remember, the odds of success hinge not only on the degree of sophistication of the task, but also your dog’s motivation to respond. From a dog’s perspective the question is, which is more rewarding: chasing the squirrel or returning to the owner? Understanding this aspect will increase your patience and chances for dog training success.

6. Training should not involve any negative or punishment-based components. There should be no yelling, no hitting, no chain jerking, no hanging, and absolutely no electric shock. Remember that the opposite of reward is not punishment; it is no reward. If you ignore unacceptable responses, your dog will not be rewarded for his or her failed response. Most dogs want to please their owners or, at the very least, to obtain highly valued resources (food, attention and toys).

7. Ensure that your dog’s motivation for reward is highest during a training session. If food is the reward, train before a meal, not after. If praise, petting and other aspects of your attention are to be used as a reward, schedule the training session at a time when your dog hungers for your attention (for example, after you have returned home from work).

For complex tasks, such as the off leash down-stay, your dog will be more motivated to comply if he or she has received moderate exercise before the training session. Asking a dog that is bursting with energy to remain in a prolonged reclining position is asking for failure during the early stages of training.

8. Make sure the reward you offer in training is the most powerful one for your dog. Food-motivated dogs work well for food, but the treats used should be you dog’s favorite food. If praise is used as a reward, deliver it in high singsong tones, which are most pleasing for the dog. Also, enthusiasm in your voice will be much appreciated. If petting is to be used as a reward, it should be in a way that the dog enjoys, such as stroking the dog’s hair on the side of his or her face in the same direction that it grows, or scratching him or her on the chest.

9. After a correct response, reward your dog within ½ second of the command. This will ensure your dog makes the connection between the behavior and the reward.

10. Use short commands such as sit, down, leave it, quiet, out, and off. Say the word once. Do not repeat the command. Dogs will remember a command for about two minutes before the notion is lost. Shorter words are better than longer words and words that end in a hard consonant (C, K, T, X) are better than those that end in a vowel because you can “spit” them out.

A Bonus Dog Training Tip:

The “Holy Grail” of training is to have the dog reliably obeying commands off lead, even when other things are going on around him or her. This level of training can be achieved, but only after a lot of hard work and investment of time. It’s something to strive toward.

I've heard that you can stop bad behavior in dogs by shaking pennies. But, what do I put the pennies into? Does this actually work? Has anyone ever tried this?

Unless you have a very noise sensitive dog, generally this type of 'training' does not work. The basis behind the pennies in a can is to throw them off guard and stop them from displaying a particular behaviour at that moment in time. It may startle them at first, but tends to lose its effectiveness after a couple of times when they realize that the noise is the only consequence for their behaviour. A much BETTER way to deal with the situation is to verbally correct them and then re-direct their attention onto an object or behaviour that IS acceptable.

powered by Yahoo Answers

If you are a new dog owner or simply need to give your dog some additional training one of the first things you need to think about as a dog training collar. Back some years ago there weren’t many options, but today there are many different kinds of training collars and, depending on the task at hand, you may need to buy one particular type or many.

All dog training collars and not created alike in some may be more appropriate for the type of training you need to do if your dog. Here’s an overview of some of the different collars available and what they are best suited for.

Martingale collars are best described as a limited to choke collar. These are similar to a choke collar, however they will not constrict smaller than the size of your dog’s neck, therefore will not roughly choke your dog. They do get tight enough so the dog cannot wiggle out of them and are great for agility training. this type of collar is great when you need to call it that you dog cannot wriggle out of but also did not want to worry about your dog accidentally getting choked.

The head collar looks kind of like a horse halter and goes around the dogs face with the leash attachment under the muzzle. Many people mistake this for muzzle but in fact it is not keep you dog from biting but so that you can lead him from the head. When you read your dog bites had his body has to follow and therefore you have good control over getting your dog to go where you want them to go. This type of collar can feel really weird to dog might take awhile to get used to it. Training with the head collar can be tricky since you don’t want to simply lead to your dog around like a pony or he will become dependent on you meeting him and won’t have a mind of its own!

The pronged collar is good for dogs that are very strong and have a muscular neck. This is a good collar to use if your dog is really wild and you have trouble controlling him. The collar has prongs which poke out into the dog’s neck – not sharp prongs, but more like fingers in the applied pressure helps to control the dog. Some people feel that these collars are cruel (they do look kind of mean, but are not as bad as they look) but they can give you an edge until you can get enough training under your belt to be able to control your dog with a regular collar.

The choke chain used to be really popular caller and leash control device but it’s not use too much today. this is basically attain a ghost or rank and when you make on the chain it tightens up on the dog’s throat. they are out of favor today as the type of training you get by using this kind of chain is usually based on punishment in today’s way of thinking is that positive reinforcement is way better way of training your dog. These can also be very dangerous if the chain gets stuck your dog can literally choked to death. If you do use the choke chain you need to make sure you are with your dog at all times and never leave him change out anywhere with a choke chain collar on. the variation to this, the limited choke collar, is made up of a nylon strap and has the ring sewn into a piece of material so that it cannot move as far and could never choke your dog.

Electronic dog collars can be an effective training device if used properly. Personally, I wouldn’t really want to shock my dog but many people do report that these work great and lessen the training time. The way the callers were is the caller has a receiver that can admit a small jolt of electricity. The trainer holds a remote and when your dog starts to exhibit undesirable behavior you press a button on the remote ( or turn a knob) and he gets a jolt. Eventually he learns when he exhibits the undesirable behavior, he’ll get an unpleasant jolt and therefore this discourages him from repeating this type of behavior. The problem is that many people use this as a punishment when in fact it is intended to simply get the dog’s attention. Don’t wait until your dog is barking excessively and then administer the punishment. In order to properly train your dog you need to be observant and see when he is about to bark and then give him the shock to distract him from the barking behavior in the first place.

No bark collars are intended to discourage a dog from barking. they do this by sensing the vibration of the bark and then providing some sort of deterrent. The chart can be one of three things either shock, a noise, or puff of citrus spray. Once you dog associates back to barking with one of these unpleasant occurrences he might think twice before he barks again. While this might work to discourage her dog from barking, you may be better served by figuring out why he’s barking and trying to eliminate the behavior that way.

Choosing a dog training collar as a matter of personal preference and the needs of your dog. When training, always remember that positive reinforcement is better than punishment and in fact punishment rarely works. Be kind to your dog, be persistent and be patient and you’ll soon have a well-trained and obedient companion for life.

When I am walking my dog and he sees either a child (sometimes on a bike or just a little kid with his parent) my dog has a barking fit (i guess to keep them away). I used to drag him away and not say anything to him but now I have been trying a stern "no" or a "leave it" and when he does i give him a "good boy".

Is there anything else that I can do to help my dog get over his fear of little ones? We don't have any kids in the house.

Some ignorant person is going to say "Socialize him with kids!"…kids x a dog who doesn't like kids = Kid with a face that'll be scarred for life….On the walk the dog should be focused on you and only you. Put a training collar on him, when he barks give a stern correction and a firm "NO". Do this every time he barks at somebody and he'll stop.

powered by Yahoo Answers

I really want to adopt a small chihuahua mix dog from a local rescue, but I'm not sure how much of the dog's behavior can be shaped or altered with patience and training, and how much is the nature of the breed. The dog is very energetic and doesn't show much interest in interacting with people. Not hostile, just indifferent. Dog is one year old and has had no socialization with people. Is it unrealistic for me to hope that the dog might calm down with time and training? I have not adopted the dog yet.

You can try to work with this dog, but it will take training, time and patience. There is no way to know how far you can get with it. The dog may be afraid of people so seems indifferent. Scared dogs will often zone out or shut down rather than run away or growl. They seem nicer, but they can be just as scared. Please visit this site to learn how to work with this dog should you decide to get her.

The page on games & exercises has good tips for how to start off with her.

www.fearfuldogs.com

powered by Yahoo Answers

dog training Los Angeles?

Is certainly a lot more fun for you to have an obedient and trained dog. Not only that, but trained dogs, are happier dogs.

They are less likely to get into fights with other dogs and will tend to socialize better with dogs that they meet in public.

It is particularly important to have a well-trained dog if you have young members of the family or children in the neighborhood.

Just like having well-behaved children, a well-trained dog makes for a happier household.

The time that you spend training your puppy initially will impact on the pleasure you can get from your dog for the many years of its life.

Taking the time to train your dog will strengthen the bond you have together and this will ensure a long and happy friendship where both you and your dog benefit.

Considering the amount of time that you will be with your dog the time involved in training is minimal and well worthwhile.

There are a few basic commands that need to be mastered and they are all relatively simple.

These commands are…

Down: this is where you teach your dog to lay down on command, and is one of the main aspects of any successful training program.

Heel: this is where you teach your dog walk beside you at the same pace without pulling on the lead.

Learning the ‘No’ word: this is a particularly important word for your dog to know and can save you a lot of trouble. In fact it is probably one of the most important aspects of training, if you can get your dog to understand and respond to the word no.

It can certainly save you a lot of trouble in the future.

Sit: sit is one of the most basic of all dog training commands and is one that you’ll want to teach from the outset to maintain control of your dog’s behavior.

Stay: and finally ’stay’ – this is important to ensure that no matter where you are, you’ll know that your dog will stay precisely where you want it.

If there is nothing else that you train your dog to do beyond these basic commands, it will certainly improve the relationship you have with your dog and the enjoyment and happiness that you and your dog will have together.

It is well worth the time while still a puppy, as it will improve the quality of life for many years to come.

Training will also let your dog know that you’re the boss and in doing so eliminate many behavior problems.

dogs that are untrained can often get depressed, despondent, and unhappy and display symptoms of anxiety and confusion.

You are actually giving your dog a purpose in life, where they will get pleasure out of the fact that they are pleasing you.