Dog Collar Training

There are several different types of collars that you can use for training your dog. There is also controversy following the use of some types of training collars. Collars that shock or hurt the dog are used as training tools but some say that they should not be used for inhumane reasons. People argue that you can teach the same things to your dog without harming them through clicker or dog obedience training.

If you are looking for a little help to train your dog, we recommend a premium dog training guide such as Secrets to Dog Training. This is the best guide there is to dog training, and teaches the method we use here to train our dogs. Do yourself a favor and check it out, and you will have a well trained dog in no time at all.

Not all training collars are harmful however; some collars are used for the training and tracking of dogs. We will go over some of the most popular collars and their uses. Dog collar training can be an effective training method.

Dog Shock Collars

The shock collar operates by sending an electronic wave through the collar to zap the dog when they display bad behavior. The shock can come from a transmitter held by the trainer. The shock collar is used in some conditioning and obedience training and the most common is field training for hunting dogs. Shock collars can be used for correcting several unwanted behaviors. Shock collars are also used for larger breeds with aggression problems. The shock collar is also used in some of the invisible fence systems.

 

Dog Prong or Pinch Collar

This dog training collar is the most common training collar and has been used for years. The design of this collar varies but the basic idea is the same, to tighten and jab. The collar consists of usually a chain link style that has prongs on the inside and tightens when the trainer yanks on it. When the collar is yanked the dog gets jabbed by the prongs on the inside signaling a bad behavior.

 Dog Bark Stop Collar

This type of collar helps your dog learn the difference between good barking (for protection) and bad barking (due to boredom or over-excitement). The collar picks up the vibrations from your dog’s vocal chords as they bark. The bark collar senses the vibrations in your dog's throat that happen only during barking. The vibrations cause the collar to send an electronic shock to your dog. Then if the dog continues to bark, they will get a slightly stronger correction. Your dog will quickly learn that barking causes the signal, and that not barking is the way to avoid the signals.

Dog Tracking Collar

This type of collar is used mainly for hunting dogs in case the dog follows a scent out of the hunter’s vision. The hunter can then track the dog s whereabouts. The basic tracking collar consists of a receiver, antenna, and the collar. Some of the newer tracking collars come with built in GPS. The woods are a messy, dangerous place for your little buddy to get lost in. The GPS and the modem synchronously help you find your dog. You can track your dog on your home phone, computer or cell phone. This can be an effective use of dog collar training.

Dog Invisible Fence Collar

The invisible fence collar works the same as the shock collar and the bark stop collar. The main difference is that the transmitter for this type of collar is usually underground. This dog training collar is used for keeping your dog in a designated area. The collar sends a steady currant when the dog is out of the acceptable range allowed and continues until the dog returns to the appropriate area. When your dog wears the receiver collar, he or she hears a tone that warns them that they are at the edge of his or her boundry boundary. They learn very quickly not to go out of their designated boundry.

Dog Reward and Punishment

Most training revolves around establishing consequences for the dog’s behavior. Operant conditioning defines these following four types of consequences.

1. Positive reinforcement adds something to the situation to increase the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again.
2. Negative reinforcement removes something from the situation to increase the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again.
3. Positive punishment adds something to the situation to decrease the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again.
4. Negative punishment removes something from the situation to decrease the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again.

Most trainers claim that they use "positive training methods ". Generally, this means using reward-based training to increase good behavior rather than physical punishment to decrease bad behavior.

Rewards

Positive reinforcers can be anything that the dog finds rewarding - special food treats, the chance to play with a tug toy, social interaction with other dogs, or the owner's attention. The more rewarding a dog finds a particular reinforcer, the more work he will be prepared to do in order to obtain the reinforcer. Just being happy about a dog's accomplishment is a reward to them.

Some trainers go through a process of teaching a puppy to strongly desire a particular toy, in order to make the toy a more powerful positive reinforcer for good behaviour. This process is called "building prey drive", and is commonly used in the training of Narcotics Detection and Police Service dogs. The goal is to produce a dog who will work independently for long periods of time, in the hopes of earning access to its special toy reward.

Traditional forms of punishment is least used by modern dog trainers. A dog is generally only given this type of punishment if it is willfully disobeying the owner and owner needs to guard the dog's safety in a serious situation. Punishment is effectively paired with teaching the dog desired behaviors, but is not a single solution, as it will make the dog fearful or unwilling to cooperate if it is not taught desired behaviors.

Punishments should only be administered as appropriate for the dog's personality, age, experience and physical and emotional condition. Some dogs may show signs of fear or anxiety with harsh verbal corrections. Other dogs may ignore a verbal reprimand. Some dogs develop an aversion or fear of water, when water is sprayed at them as an aversive.

It is highly recommended that punishment only be used under the guidance of a professional if unwanted behavior must be corrected immediately.

Beyond Basic Dog Training

Obedience instruction has become more accessible to common people with the publication of the Diane Bauman’s guide Beyond Basic Dog Training. This book is a door open towards the secrets of an entire training philosophy, and it has been successfully used even for the preparation for canine competitions. Beyond Basic Dog Training helps you understand the principles and patterns on which dogs learn, which is in fact a dual system of trial and error. With Beyond Basic Dog Training you will learn to apply corrections in a positive way, teaching your canine friend not to fear failure.

As Diane Bauman proves in Beyond Basic Dog Training, for a successful program you have to understand that from the two elements involved in the equation, both are thinking. There is the “thinking handler” in charge of the “thinking dog”, so don’t ignore you’re pet’s “feelings”, on the contrary stick to an effective development of the communication level. With Beyond Basic Dog Training you will come to achieve more than obedient behavioral patterns, you will understand your dog and learn to respect and listen to its needs. We’re talking about security, trust and confidence and lots of fun too.

With a guide such as Beyond Basic Dog Training you can have fun entertaining classes with your dog in the comfort of your backyard. At least you’re 100% sure of the methods used, since you are in perfect trust. With Beyond Basic Dog Training you’ll turn your dog into a great companion; therefore it is very good for puppies to benefit from a fast and very humane way of teaching. It is perhaps the time now to answer a simple question: why would anyone go beyond basic dog training? Simple methods will only leave the training process at a minimal level exploiting the specific animal drives as much as possible.

Going beyond basic dog training, means getting to understand the more complex structures that make your dog what it really is; you come to appreciate a wagging tail more than you would have done before. Books such as Beyond Basic Dog Training may prove to be the right choice and the best source of information for strengthening man-animal friendship. Being able to see your dog succeed in performing complex tasks is the reward of every owner and amateur trainer.

Recognizing, preventing, and handling dog aggression

A dog is an instinctively aggressive creature. In the wild, aggression came in very handy: dogs needed aggression to hunt, to defend themselves from other creatures, and to defend resources such as food, a place to sleep, and a mate. Selective breeding over the centuries has minimized and refined this trait significantly, but there’s just no getting around it: dogs are physically capable of inflicting serious harm (just look at those teeth!) because that’s how they’ve survived and evolved. And Mother Nature is pretty wily – it’s hard to counteract the power of instinct! But that doesn’t mean that we, as dog lovers and owners, are entirely helpless when it comes to handling our dogs.

There’s a lot that we can do to prevent aggression from rearing its ugly head in the first place – and even if prevention hasn’t been possible (for whatever reason), there are still steps that we can take to recognize and deal with it efficiently. - Different aggression types - There are several different types of canine aggression.

The two most common ones are :
- Aggression towards strangers
- Aggression towards family members

You may be wondering why we’re bothering categorizing this stuff: after all, aggression is aggression, and we want to turf it out NOW, not waste time with the details – right? Well … not quite. These two different types of aggression stem from very different causes, and require different types of treatment.

Aggression towards strangers - What is it ?

It’s pretty easy to tell when a dog’s nervy around strange people. He’s jumpy and on the alert: either he can’t sit still and is constantly fidgeting, leaping at the smallest sound, and pacing around barking and whining; or he’s veerrrry still indeed, sitting rock-steady in one place, staring hard at the object of his suspicions (a visitor, the mailman, someone approaching him on the street while he’s tied up outside a store.)

Why does it happen ?

There’s one major reason why a dog doesn’t like strange people: he’s never had the chance to get used to them. Remember, your dog relies 100% on you to broaden his horizons for him: without being taken on lots of outings to see the world and realize for himself, through consistent and positive experiences, that the unknown doesn’t necessarily equal bad news for him, how can he realistically be expected to relax in an unfamiliar situation?

What can I do about it ?

The process of accustoming your dog to the world and all the strange people (and animals) that it contains is called socialization. This is an incredibly important aspect of your dog’s upbringing: in fact, it’s pretty hard to overemphasize just how important it is. Socializing your dog means exposing him from a young age (generally speaking, as soon as he’s had his vaccinations) to a wide variety of new experiences, new people, and new animals.

How does socialization prevent stranger aggression ?

When you socialize your dog, you’re getting him to learn through experience that new sights and sounds are fun, not scary. It’s not enough to expose an adult dog to a crowd of unfamiliar people and tell him to “Settle down, Roxy, it’s OK” – he has to learn that it’s OK for himself. And he needs to do it from puppyhood for the lesson to sink in.

The more types of people and animals he meets (babies, toddlers, teenagers, old people, men, women, people wearing uniforms, people wearing motorcycle helmets, people carrying umbrellas, etc) in a fun and relaxed context, the more at ease and happy – and safe around strangers - he’ll be in general.

How can I socialize my dog so that he doesn’t develop a fear of strangers ?

Socializing your dog is pretty easy to do – it’s more of a general effort than a specific training regimen. First of all, you should take him to puppy preschool. This is a generic term for a series of easy group-training classes for puppies (often performed at the vet clinic, which has the additional benefit of teaching your dog positive associations with the vet!).

In a puppy preschool class, about ten or so puppy owners get together with a qualified trainer (often there’ll be at least two trainers present – the more there are, the better, since it means you get more one-on-one time with a professional) and start teaching their puppies the basic obedience commands: sit, stay, and so on.

Even though the obedience work is very helpful and is a great way to start your puppy on the road to being a trustworthy adult dog, really the best part of puppy preschool is the play sessions: several times throughout the class, the puppies are encouraged to run around off-leash and play amongst themselves. This is an ideal environment for them to learn good social skills: there’s a whole bunch of unfamiliar dogs present (which teaches them how to interact with strange dogs), there’s a whole bunch of unfamiliar people present (which teaches them that new faces are nothing to be afraid of), and the environment is safe and controlled (there’s at least one certified trainer present to make sure that things don’t get out of hand).

Socialization doesn’t just stop with puppy preschool, though. It’s an ongoing effort throughout the life of your puppy and dog: he needs to be taken to a whole bunch of new places and environments. Remember not to overwhelm him: start off slow, and build up his tolerance gradually.

Aggression towards family members

There are two common reasons why a dog is aggressive towards members of his own human family:

- He’s trying to defend something he thinks of as his from a perceived threat (you). This is known as resource guarding, and though it may sound innocuous, there’s actually a lot more going on here than your dog simply trying to keep his kibble to himself.

- He’s not comfortable with the treatment/handling he’s getting from you or other members of the family.

What’s resource guarding ?

Resource guarding is pretty common among dogs. The term refers to overly-possessive behavior on behalf of your dog: for instance, snarling at you if you approach him when he’s eating, or giving you “the eye” (a flinty-eyed, direct stare) if you reach your hand out to take a toy away from him. All dogs can be possessive from time to time – it’s in their natures. Sometimes they’re possessive over things with no conceivable value: inedible trash, balled up pieces of paper or tissue, old socks.

More frequently, however, resource-guarding becomes an issue over items with a very real and understandable value: food and toys. Why does it happen? It all boils down to the issue of dominance. Let me take a moment to explain this concept: dogs are pack animals. This means that they’re used to a very structured environment: in a dog-pack, each individual animal is ranked in a hierarchy of position and power (or “dominance”) in relation to every other animal.

Each animal is aware of the rank of every other animal, which means he knows specifically how to act in any given situation (whether to back down, whether to push the issue, whether to muscle in or not on somebody else’s turf, etc etc). To your dog, the family environment is no different to the dog-pack environment. Your dog has ranked each member of the family, and has his own perception of where he ranks in that environment as well. This is where it gets interesting: if your dog perceives himself as higher up on the social totem-pole than other family members, he’s going to get cheeky.

If he’s really got an overinflated sense of his own importance, he’ll start to act aggressively. Why? Because dominance and aggression are the exclusive rights of a superior-ranked animal. No underdog would ever show aggression or act dominantly to a higher-ranked animal (the consequences would be dire, and he knows it!) Resource guarding is a classic example of dominant behavior: only a higher-ranked dog (a “dominant” dog) would act aggressively in defence of resources. To put it plainly: if it was clear to your dog that he is not, in fact, the leader of the family, he’d never even dream of trying to prevent you from taking his food or toys – because a lower-ranking dog (him) will always go along with what the higher-ranking dogs (you and your family) say.

So what can I do about it ?

The best treatment for dominant, aggressive behavior is consistent, frequent obedience work, which will underline your authority over your dog. Just two fifteen-minute sessions a day will make it perfectly clear to your dog that you’re the boss, and that it pays to do what you say.

You can make this fact clear to him by rewarding him (with treats and lavish praise) for obeying a command, and isolating him (putting him in “time-out”, either outside the house or in a room by himself) for misbehaviour.

- If you’re not entirely confident doing this yourself, you may wish to consider enlisting the assistance of a qualified dog-trainer.
- Brush up on your understanding of canine psychology and communication, so that you understand what he’s trying to say – this will help you to nip any dominant behaviors in the bud, and to communicate your own authority more effectively
- Train regularly: keep obedience sessions short and productive (no more than fifteen minutes – maybe two or three of these per day).

Why doesn’t my dog like to be handled ?

All dogs have different handling thresholds. Some dogs like lots of cuddles, and are perfectly content to be hugged, kissed, and have arms slung over their shoulders (this is the ultimate “I’m the boss” gesture to a dog, which is why a lot of them won’t tolerate it.) Others – usually the ones not accustomed to a great deal of physical contact from a very young age – aren’t comfortable with too much full-body contact and will get nervy and agitated if someone persists in trying to hug them. Another common cause of handling-induced aggression is a bad grooming experience: nail-clipping and bathing are the two common culprits.

When you clip a dog’s nails, it’s very easy to “quick” him – that is, cut the blood vessel that runs inside the nail. This is extremely painful to a dog, and is a sure-fire way to cause a long-lasting aversion to those clippers. Being washed is something that a great many dogs have difficulty dealing with – a lot of owners, when confronted with a wild-eyed, half-washed, upset dog, feel that in order to complete the wash they have to forcibly restrain him. This only adds to the dog’s sense of panic, and reinforces his impression of a wash as something to be avoided at all costs – if necessary, to defend himself from it with a display of teeth and hackles.

Can I “retrain” him to enjoy being handled and groomed ?

In a word: yes. It’s a lot easier if you start from a young age – handle your puppy a lot, get him used to being touched and rubbed all over. Young dogs generally enjoy being handled – it’s only older ones who haven’t had a lot of physical contact throughout their lives that sometimes find physical affection difficult to accept. Practice picking up his paws and touching them with the clipper; practice taking him into the bath (or outside, under the faucet – whatever works for you, but warm water is much more pleasant for a dog than a freezing spray of ice-water!), and augment the process throughout with lots of praise and the occasional small treat.

For an older dog that may already have had several unpleasant handling/grooming experiences, things are a little more difficult. You need to undo the damage already caused by those bad experiences, which you can do by taking things very slowly – with an emphasis on keeping your dog calm. The instant he starts to show signs of stress, stop immediately and let him relax. Try to make the whole thing into a game: give him lots of praise, pats, and treats. Take things slowly.

Don’t push it too far: if you get nervous, stop. Dogs show aggression for a reason: they’re warning you to back off, or else! If your dog just can’t seem to accept being groomed, no matter how much practice you put in, it’s best to hand the job over to the professionals. Your vet will clip his nails for you (make sure you tell him first that he gets aggressive when the clippers come out, so your vet can take the necessary precautions!).

As far as washing and brushing goes, the dog-grooming business is a flourishing industry: for a small fee, you can get your dog washed, clipped, brushed, and whatever else you require by experienced professionals (again, make sure you tell them about your dog’s reaction to the experience first!)

Dog Destructive Chewing

The act of chewing seems to be a matter of individual preference among dogs: some have an innate desire to chew as a pleasurable activity in itself, and some seem to have no need to chew whatsoever unless they’re driven to it out of sheer boredom.

The phrase “destructive chewing” may sound redundant, because – by its very nature! – all chewing is destructive. Your dog has strong jaws full of sharp, pointy teeth: just about anything she starts to chew on is probably going to show the effects of it inside of a minute. So just to clarify, when I use the phrase “destructive chewing”, I’m referring to inappropriate chewing: the kind of chewing that’s focused on your own possessions and household items, instead of on your dog’s own designated toys and chews.

The three main reasons why dogs chew :

- Most dogs have a natural desire to chew. It’s fun, it passes the time, and it’s a self-rewarding, self-reinforcing activity (for example, if she’s chewing on something that tastes good.)

- Chewing provides a nervous, bored, or lonely dog with an outlet for her emotions. To an anxious dog, the repetitive act of chewing is soothing – it’s the doggie equivalent of comfort food.

- Underexercised dogs often use chewing as a way of burning up nervous energy and giving themselves something to do.

- How to prevent destructive chewing -

Dogs are perfectly capable of learning not to chew your stuff – you just have to put in a little effort first, that’s all.

1. Take control of the situation: manage your own possessions. Your first step should be to dog-proof your home. Even if you have the best-behaved dog in the world, there’s still no reason to test her self-control – after all, dogs explore the world with their mouths.

Dog-proofing your home means taking whatever you don’t want to end up in her mouth, and making it unavailable. Consider her size and agility when deciding whether something’s out of reach: can she jump? Can she climb, or leap onto something else to reach the desired object? How tall is she when standing on her back legs?

Common targets in the home include books, eyewear, clothing, shoes, garbage, and small crunchy appliances like cameras, cell phones, and remote controls.

It should go without saying that all food needs to be put securely away: don’t leave snacks on low tables (or even countertops – you’d be surprised how acrobatic she can be when there’s food at stake!), put all food into containers or the pantry. Rinse your dirty plates clean of any food scraps before leaving them by the sink.

2. Prevent her from learning the joys of illegal chewing. The more times she manages to snatch a jawful of a forbidden substance – a chair-leg, a pillow, a running shoe – the more readily she’ll target those items in future. If you can prevent her from chewing your stuff in the first place, it’s a lot easier for her to understand what you expect of her. Practically speaking, this means confining her in a dog-proofed area until you’re confident of her understanding of the house rules.

3. Don’t set her up for failure by blurring the boundaries between her stuff (OK to chew) and your stuff (not OK to chew). Don’t offer your dog cast-off clothes, shoes, or towels to chew and play with: realistically, you can’t possibly expect her to be able to tell the difference between your current shoes and the one she’s got in her mouth that you gave her five minutes ago.

4. Provide her with lots of tasty alternatives to your stuff. If her environment is relatively barren of attractive, appropriate chewing objects, you can hardly blame her for targeting your possessions. Remember, most dogs need to chew; if she’s an adolescent (under three years) or a puppy (under one year), her needs will be even more pronounced. Go on a toy and chew shopping spree, then give her two or three to play with at a time. Rotating the available toys every few days will keep things novel and interesting for her.

5. Spend lots of time in active supervision. Yes, it might be easier for you to just keep her penned up in her crate, run, or the yard – but that’s boring and horrible for her, and hardly much fun for you either (if you wanted a pet that you don’t need to interact with, you’d have got a goldfish, right?) She can’t learn what you expect of her if she’s spending all her time boxed up in the dog-proof zone: she needs the opportunity to explore the boundaries of your expectations, so she can understand what’s appropriate and what’s not.

6. When you catch her chewing something inappropriate, interrupt her by making a loud noise: clap your hands or make an “Ah-ah-aaaah!” noise. Then, immediately hand her a tasty and dog-appropriate alternative (a rawhide bone or other chew toy); as soon as her jaws close around it, praise her lavishly. There is no better way to get your dog to understand that chewing “her” toys equals praise from you, but everything else equals trouble.

- Maintain a productive attitude -

Above all, remember to keep your expectations realistic. You’re not perfect, and neither is your dog: there’s likely to be at least one incident where a cherished item is damaged by her curiosity.

Particularly in the early stages of your relationship, she’s still learning the ropes: it’ll take awhile before she’s completely reliable (and even then, if she’s left by herself for too long or feels neglected, she may choose your stuff over hers to occupy her time and jaws with.) Remember to give her time to learn the rules, and plenty of ‘you-time’ to help her learn faster – and don’t forget to take precautions and keep things out of reach until she’s got the hang of the chewing rules!

For more information on dog training techniques and how to deal with problem dog behavior (like chewing), check out Secrets to Dog Training. It’s the complete manual for dog ownership and is designed to fast-track your dog’s learning.

Being Your Dog's Leader is Key to Training

Dogs, in their natural state, are pack animals. We tend to think of them simply as autonomous pups and don't often consider their immutable core nature as pack animals, however. This failure to take into account the true nature of dogs can make training more difficult. Likewise, understanding what it means to be a pack animal can unlock one of trainings greatest secrets.

Dogs, in packs, have leaders. The leadership role in dog packs is one of great influence. Other dogs in the pack naturally subordinate themselves to leadership and will look to their leader for guidance and instruction.

Of course, domesticated dogs don't travel in packs. Instead, they build a pack based on those with whom they regularly interact. In essence, the owner and the owners family members or close friends become the dogs pack.

This creates a wonderful opportunity for dog trainers. By casting yourself as the leader of your dogs pack, the dog will naturally tend to follow your lead, will naturally feel inclined to respect you and will demonstrate an instinctive need to learn from you. Since a dogs real social structure will always be seen through the innate canine perspective of packs and leaders, it only makes sense for trainers to take advantage of this by assigning roles for both pet and master that will make dog training especially effective.

There are several things a trainer can do to emulate being a pack leader. These techniques will allow your dog to find what he will rightfully feel is his place in your familys social order and will make him substantially more amenable to your training. Some may say it is as easy as as making sure the dog knows who is the boss, but that is an oversimplification. Being bossy is not the same as being a leader. Simply trying to enforce your will on a dog does not necessarily communicate to him that you are truly the pack leader. The talented trainer will understand this and will take specific actions to emulate a pack leader.

Some expert-recommended techniques include:

Consistency

Good leaders are consistent enforcers of rules and regulations. Leaders who too often look the other way are not taken seriously. A dog will notice whether your rules and expectations are consistently maintained and may even test your mettle upon occasion, pushing the boundaries of established behavioral norms to determine who is really in charge. By being a wholly consistent leader, you are likely to establish yourself as being the head of your pack and your dog will then be much more apt to follow your lead.

Respect

Leaders are respected not just as an arbitrary outgrowth of their assigned position but because of how they behave in that role. A firm, but fair leader is far more likely to be admired and followed. One must be firm with their dog when training, but cannot hold unreasonable expectations or enforce their rules with violence or punishment. A good pack leader can still use the positive-reinforcement techniques that have been proven the core of successful training. Being a respectful leader will create a respectful follower in your dog. Their submission to you should be premised in respect and appreciation, not in fear or humiliation.

Interaction

The successful pack leader will interact with his dog in ways that reinforce the notion of the social hierarchy. Dogs, for instance, look for cues from leadership in the eyes. By maintaining eye contact with your pet during training, he will better understand your role as leader. Likewise, it is desirable to occasionally demand your dogs attention while walking, playing or during more intense training sessions. By commanding your dog to heel and to look at you, for instance, you will further reinforce your position as pack leader.

Unlocking the power of being a pack leader can make training much more effective. With roles clearly established, one can avoid much of the struggle others may experience while training their pets. Additionally, by assigning yourself the role of pack leader you create an environment in which your dog will naturally look to you for its guidance. Pack leadership is an essential component to any fully optimized training program.

Common house training problems

House training is one of the areas of dog ownership that’s most subject to misunderstanding, confusion, and just plain dread!

Today’s newsletter is going to deal with two of the most common problems surrounding the issue of house training:

- Submissive/excited urination

- Scent marking

Common house training problem 1: Submissive / excited urination

What is it ?

A ‘submissive urinator’ is a dog that urinates on the floor and himself (and sometimes on you and any guests you may have!) in situations of extreme excitement or stress - like when you return home at the end of the day, or when he’s being told off.

Why does it happen ?

Puppies are the usual candidates for submissive/excited urination, but it’s not uncommon to see adult dogs with the problem as well: usually, these are highly sensitive and timid dogs, and/or ones from a shelter/with a history of abuse (often these last two go hand-in-hand.)

When does it happen ?
Situations when an excited/fearful dog is likely to urinate:
- Greeting time after a prolonged absence
- Play time
- The arrival of guests
- Stressful situations at home, eg arguments
- During a correction (you’re telling him off)
- Sudden loud noises (thunder, fireworks)

What can I do about it ?

Fortunately, it’s not difficult to “cure” your dog of his submissive/excited urination.

First of all, you should take him to the vet to make sure there’s no medical reason for the issue (like diabetes or a bladder infection.)

Next, it’s time to take control of the problem :

- Limit his intake of water to help him control his bladder more effectively. Don’t restrict his water intake over a prolonged period of time, but if you know there’s a situation coming which would normally result in urination – for example, you have guests coming over, or are planning on a play session soon – take his water bowl away for a period of time (maybe half an hour to an hour) before the event.

- When greeting your dog, keep it calm and mellow. The more excited he is, the harder it is for him to control his bladder, so don’t encourage him to get worked up: ignore him for the first few moments, or give him a neutral “hello”, a quick pat, and then go about making yourself at home.

- It’s important that you DO NOT punish or harshly correct your dog for this behavior. It’s not something that he can easily control, and he’s certainly not doing it on purpose. When you catch him in the act, you can interrupt him (a firm “No!” followed by praise when he stops should suffice) but don’t punish him. Keep your cool, and try to be sympathetic: he doesn’t mean to do it, after all!

- If he urinates out of fear (submissiveness) when scolding him for another offense, try to take the stress levels down a notch by keeping a firm, authoritative, but not angry tone. Remember, you’re dealing with a sensitive, highly-strung dog: if you get angry or worry him further, the problem will worsen.

Comon house training problem 2: Scent marking

Scent marking - where a dog “marks” his or her territory with urine – is technically not actually a house training problem, since it’s based on issues of dominance and territoriality rather than insufficient house training (a dog can be perfectly house trained but still mark inside the house.)

However, because – since the problem centers around the unwanted presence of urine in the house – it seems logical, in a way, to link this problem with house training: and since this is one of the most widespread problems among dog owners, we thought it worthwhile to include some practical advice.

Scent marking and lack of home training: how to differentiate between the two

Your dog’s probably scent marking, rather than genuinely relieving himself, if:

- The amount of urine produced is relatively small, and tends to be directed against vertical surfaces (walls, doors, etc)

- He’s male, unneutered, and at least five or six months old. Unneutered dogs are much more territorial than neutered ones –if you have an unneutered dog in the house, you can pretty much expect a certain amount of scent marking. (Unspayed females also mark, but it’s less common; spayed and neutered dogs can also exhibit marking behavior, but it’s relatively infrequent)

- It makes little difference how often he’s taken outside for a toilet break

- He frequently targets items that are new to the house: new possessions, guest clothing/footwear, etc

- You live in a multi-dog household and there is conflict between two or more of the dogs

- There are other, unneutered or unspayed pets in the house

What to do about the problem ?

First things first: spay or neuter your dog(s) as soon as you possibly can. If you can do this early enough – ideally, at six months of age - this often halts marking altogether; but if your dog’s been marking for a prolonged period of time, he or she may continue to do so after being spayed or neutered, since a pattern of behavior will have been established.

Clean soiled areas thoroughly. Use a non-ammonia based cleaner (because it smells just like pee) and stay away from vinegar too (it smells similar to pee.) Oxi-Clean mixed with warm water is particularly effective; there are also plenty of commercial cleaners designed specifically to lift pet stains and odors, which you can buy from pet stores and some supermarkets.

Because dogs tend to re-mark the same places, you’ll need to redefine the places that you know he’s marked to prevent repeat offending.

You can do this in a number of ways:

- Feed him next to or on top of the spot
- Play with him there
- Groom him there
- Put his bed over or next to it
- Spend time there yourself: hang out with a book or sit down and work

If there is rivalry between dogs in the household, you’ll need to take steps to resolve it. Any conflict is likely to be hierarchical in nature (a “power struggle”), which means that all you have to do to stop the tension is pay attention to which dog seems to be more dominant than the other one (which one eats first, gets the toys he/she wants, “stares down” another dog), and reinforce this position.

How to do this: feed the dominant dog first. Pet him/her first. Give him/her a toy before anyone else gets one. This makes it clear to all dogs in the house which one really is the dominant dog – and when this hierarchy’s been recognizably established, territorial/dominant behaviors like scent marking often vanish overnight.

For more information on how to successfully house train your dog (as well as a whole bunch of in-depth information on house training troubleshooting and related issues) you’ll probably want to check out The Ultimate House Training Guide.

It’s the complete dog-house-training guide. The Ultimate House Training Guide and comes highly recommended.

Dog Training at Home - Home Training Tips for a New Puppy

When a new puppy arrives in the house, it’s an exciting time for everyone. In order for the homecoming to proceed as smoothly as possible, it’s a good idea to spend a little bit of time in preparation.

One of the major challenges of dog ownership (particularly for first-time owners) is the issue of dog training at home. If you equip yourself with some rudimentary knowledge and a positive attitude, though, it’s a lot easier than most people make it out to be.

The New Arrival

As soon as you bring the puppy home, take her outside. The excitement of the car journey coupled with the unfamiliar faces, sights, and sounds will have her needing to go anyway – and if you can orchestrate her first toilet break so that it occurs outside, instead of inside, then so much the better. And not just from the perspective of short-term hygiene, either – the more your puppy relieves herself inside, the more likely she is to do it again.

The homecoming is a great opportunity for you to set a precedent for toilet behavior!

- Take her to your designated toilet area, and put her down on the grass.

- Wait while she sniffs around – refrain from petting her or playing with her just yet, because you don’t want her to forge an association between this area and games. She has to learn that this part of the yard is for toilet breaks only.

- When she begins to relieve herself, say the phrase you want her to associate with toilet breaks: “Go pee” or “potty time” or whatever works for you. It’s best if that phrase is short and easily recognizable – and use the same voice inflection each time, too (so that your dog can easily memorize the meaning of the phrase.)

- When she’s done, make a big fuss over her: shower her in praise and affection, and give her a little treat.

When you take her inside the house, the house training regime you’ve decided upon should start immediately.

As far as house training goes, crate training is generally accepted to be the most effective and efficient means of house training a puppy in a short space of time.

What is crate training ?

Crate-training is essentially the use of a small indoor kennel (the crate) to confine your young puppy when you’re not actively supervising her.

How does it work ?

Crate training is based on all dogs’ inherent dislike of soiling the area where they sleep. Because you’re restricting your puppy’s movement to her sleeping space, she’ll instinctively “hold it in” until she’s let out of the crate (provided you don’t leave her in there too long, of course!)

This is why it’s important that the crate is sized properly: if it’s too big, she’ll be able to use one end as a bed and one end as a toilet, which defeats the whole purpose!

How do I choose a crate ?

As a general guideline, it’s more cost-effective for you to choose a crate that’s big enough for her to grow into. It should be big enough for the adult dog to stand up comfortably without crouching, turn around in, and stretch out – but no bigger (so that she doesn’t choose one part as her bed, and one part as her toilet!)

Because the adult dog is likely to be considerably larger than the puppy, it’ll most likely be necessary for you to use a barrier to reduce the internal size of the crate. A wire grille or board will do just fine.

Alternatively, you can use a cheap crate (or even make one yourself) and replace it with a larger model as your puppy grows.

Using the crate for house training

Crate training works like this: your puppy is in that crate at all times unless she’s sleeping, eating, outside with you going to the toilet, or being played with (active supervision.)

You’ll need to be consistent, or else it won’t work: you can’t let your puppy wander off through the house unless you’re focusing your complete attention on her.

If you allow her access to the house before she’s thoroughly house trained, you’re basically encouraging her to relieve herself inside – and remember, each time she does this, it’ll be easier for her to do it again (and again … and again …)

Sample schedule of a morning's crate training

7am: Wake up. Puppy comes outside with you for a toilet break.
7.25: Breakfast time.
7.45: Back outside for another toilet break (accompanied by you, of course.)
7.50 – 8.45: Play-time! Puppy is out of the crate being actively played with, cuddled, etc.
8.45: Outside for another toilet break.
8.50 – 11: Puppy goes back in the crate for a nap
11 am: Puppy comes outside with you for a toilet break.
11.05 – 12.30: Playtime! Puppy is out of the crate being played with and petted.
12:30: Lunch time.
12.45: Puppy comes outside with you for a toilet break.
1 – 3.30: Puppy goes back in the crate for a nap.

… and so on throughout the day.

Crate training generally takes one to two months (depending on the breed of your dog and how much time you spend on the training process.) As the puppy grows older, you can begin to reduce the amount of time spent in the crate – but beware of doing this too soon!

Other crate training rules

- Your puppy probably won’t be too happy to go in the crate the first couple of times she uses it. She wants to be outside, being showered with affection and attention, and hanging out with you (of course!) But it really is for her own good – in a surprisingly short time, she’ll come to accept the crate as her own personal haven where she can go to relax and get a couple hours’ uninterrupted sleep. It’s important to persevere: do not respond to any whining or crying.

- The best place for the crate to be is the hub of the household: usually the den or the kitchen, anywhere where people tend to congregate. Just because she’s in the crate doesn’t mean she can’t still feel like part of the household; it’s important for her not to feel isolated or excluded.

- The crate should be a welcoming, inviting place for her to go. Lay a couple of thick blankets or towels on the floor, and place a few toys and a chew or two inside it as well. The door should be invitingly open at all times (unless she’s in there, of course, in which case it should be securely shut.)

Some toilet facts about puppies that will come in handy

- Puppies’ bladders and bowels are so small and weak that they have only a very small window of opportunity between knowing that they need to go, and having that need become an immediate reality. Because of this, it’s imperative that you take her outside as soon as she wakes up (she’ll let you know she needs to go out by pawing the door and whining), and within ten minutes of eating or playing.

- Behaviors that indicate she needs to go outside include sniffing the ground and circling. Again, because she’s only little, she won’t exhibit these warning signs for very long – so as soon as she starts, take her out straight away. Better an unnecessary trip to the yard than an unnecessary wet patch (or pile) on the carpet!

- The maximum amount of time that a puppy can be crated at one time is figured out using the following equation: her age in months, plus one. So, a three-month old puppy can be crated for a maximum of four hours. However, this is likely to be physically pretty uncomfortable for her (not to mention hard on her emotionally and psychologically: it’s tough being cramped up with nothing to do), so you should really take her out at least once every two hours during the day. If she’s sleeping, of course, just let her sleep until she wakes up naturally.

For a more indepth look at house training, as well as a great deal of useful information on canine behavioral problems and the most effective training techniques, check out The Ultimate House Training Guide. It’s the complete dog-house-training guide..

Dog Separation Anxiety

Separation Anxiety Separation anxiety is one of the most common problems that dogs develop. It’s an anxiety disorder, and is defined as a state of intense panic brought on by the dog’s isolation/separation from her owner(s). In other words: when you leave for work in the morning, your dog is plunged into a state of nervous anxiety which intensifies extremely quickly.

Dogs are social animals – they need plenty of company and social interaction to keep them happy and content. No dog likes to be left alone for long stretches of time, but some dogs do a lot worse than others: these are the ones most prone to separation anxiety.

There are a number of contributing causes to the condition:
- Some breeds are genetically predisposed towards anxiety and insecurity, which is something you should consider when deciding which breed you’re going to go for (particularly if you’re going to be absent for long stretches of time). A few of these breeds include Weimaraners, Springer Spaniels, German Shepherds, and Airedales
- A significant proportion of dogs from shelters develop separation anxiety. Most of these ‘shelter dogs’ have undergone significant trauma in their lives – they’ve been abandoned by their previous owners – and thus they have little trust that their new-found owner (you) isn’t going to pull the same trick.
- Dogs that were separated from their mothers and siblings too early have been identified as being especially prone to separation anxiety. Puppies from pet-stores are a perfect example of this: they’re usually taken from their mothers well before the earliest possible age (which is 8 weeks), and confined to a small glass box in the petstore for anywhere between a few weeks to two months. This early weaning, coupled with the lack of exercise and affection while in the petstore, is psychologically traumatic for the dog.
- Neglect is the number-one cause of sepration anxiety for dogs. If you’re absent much more than you’re present in your dog’s life, separation anxiety is pretty much inevitable. Your dog needs your company, affection, and attention in order to be happy and content.

The symptoms of separation anxiety are pretty distinctive: your dog will usually learn to tell when you’re about to leave (she’ll hear keys jingling, will see you putting on your outdoor clothes, etc) and will become anxious. She may follow you from room to room, whining, trembling, and crying. Some dogs even become aggressive, in an attempt to stop their owners from leaving.

When you’ve left, the anxious behavior will rapidly worsen and usually will peak within half an hour. She may bark incessantly, scratch and dig at windows and doors (an attempt to escape from confinement and reunite herself with you), chew inappropriate items, even urinate and defecate inside the house. In extreme cases, she might self-mutilate by licking or chewing her skin until it’s raw, or pulling out fur; or will engage in obsessive-compulsive behaviors, like spinning and tail-chasing. Upon your return, she’ll be excessively excited, and will leap around you in a frenzy of delight for a protracted period of time (more than the 30 seconds to one minute of a happy, well-balanced dog.) This extended greeting is a source of some misunderstanding: without realizing that such a greeting actually signifies the presence of a psychological disorder, some owners actually encourage their dog to get more and more worked up upon their return (by fuelling the dog’s excitement, encouraging her to leap around, paying her protracted attention, and so on.) If you’re behaving in this way with your dog, please stop. I know it’s tempting and very easy to do, and it seems harmless – after all, she’s so happy to see you, what harm can it do to return her attention and affection in equal measure? - but in actuality, you’re just validating her belief that your return is the high point of the day. So she’s as happy as Larry when you return – but, when it’s time for you to leave again, her now-exaggerated happiness at your presence is under threat, and she gets even more unhappy when you walk out that door.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to minimize your dog’s tendency towards anxiety. Here’s a short list of do’s and don’ts: Do:

- Exercise the heck out of her. Really wear her out: the longer you expect to be away, the more exercise she should get before you leave. For example, if you’re leaving for work in the morning, she’ll probably be by herself for at least four hours; and, if you’ve got a dog-walker to take her out mid-day instead of coming back yourself, she won’t see you – the person she really cares about - for at least nine hours. So she needs a good, vigorous walk (fifteen to twenty minutes is the absolute minimum here!) before you walk out that door. More is even better.
- Distract her from her boredom, loneliness, and anxiety by giving her an attractive alternative to pining, pacing, and whining. All dogs love to chew – why not play on this predisposition? Get a couple of marrowbones from the butcher, bake them in the oven for 20 minutes (so they go nice and hard and crunchy – and so she can’t smear marrow all over your furniture), slice them up into chunks of a few inches long, and give her one about 15 minutes before you leave. It’ll keep her happy and occupied, and will act as a smokescreen for your departure. - When you leave, put the radio on to a soothing station: classical music is ideal, but any station featuring lots of talk shows is also ideal. Keep the volume quite low, and it’ll calm her down a bit and give her the feeling that she’s got company.
- If at all possible, supply her with a view: if she can see the world going by, that’s the next best thing to being out and about in it. - Acclimatize her to your leaving. Taking things nice and slowly, practice getting ready to go: jingle your keys about, put on your coat, and open the door. Then – without leaving! – sit back down and don’t go anywhere. Do this until she’s not reacting any more. When there’s no reaction, give her a treat and lavish praise for being so brave. Next, practice actually walking out the door (and returning immediately), again doing this until there’s no reaction. Gradually work up – gradually being the operative word here! – until you’re able to leave the house with no signs of stress from her.

Do not:
- Act overtly sympathetic when she’s crying. Although it sounds very cold-hearted, trying to soothe and comfort your dog by patting her and cooing over her is actually one of the worst things you can do: it’s essentially validating her concern. Make sure she can’t tell that you feel sorry for her: don’t ever say, “It’s OK, good girl” when she’s upset! If you’re interested in getting a more detailed look at how to deal with your dog’s separation anxiety, you might like to check out Secrets to Dog Training. It’s a great learning tool for anyone who wants to learn how to deal constructively with their dog’s problem behaviors.

All of the common behavioral problems are dealt with in detail, and there’s a great section on obedience commands and tricks too. You can visit the Secrets to Dog Training site by clicking on the link below:

The First Few Weeks with a New Puppy

The first few weeks with your new puppy can be the most trying of the training process because of potty training and the puppy’s sleeping patterns. The best thing to start with is to be relaxed yourself at all times as the puppy can sense excitement. The puppy can be really cute and cuddly until you get them home from the kennel, pet store or breeder. Puppies that come from kennels and pet stores can be a real hassle to train so you should be prepared to spend some extra time with these puppies compared to a breeder puppy. The puppy is going to be scared and amazed by their new environment and it’s important to remember that they are only babies and they don’t know right from wrong until you teach them. The first week should be a time to grow trust between you and your new puppy. Getting a new dog can be exciting, but also a lot of work.

The day you bring puppy home should not be a time for visitors. The puppy can become confused about whom to come to and feel safe with. The safe feeling a puppy gets from you and your family will eventually become the bond that ties the puppy to you. Puppies have the same attention span as a human baby, and that is not a very long time so don’t try to work on one command too much at once. If your puppy wanders off during a training session do not get upset. Give them a break and come back to the command later. Once again do not get stressed out. The puppy can sense this and become agitated themselves. If the puppy becomes agitated by the training process, their training and your bond together can be jeopardized. The puppy may even avoid anything that you are trying to teach them because they know it upsets you.

One of the hardest things to accomplish is usually puppy potty training. During the first weeks wiht a new puppy, you should spend a lot of time outside so that when the puppy does its “business” you are in the appropriate place. Right after the puppy eats they should always go immediately outside. When your puppy has a full belly this can push on the bladder and cause an accident. Another thing to remember is having treats with you at all times in order to reward good behavior. I usually carry a ziplock bag of treats wherever I go with my dog. This is a practice I have continued with that seems to work pretty well. When and if your puppy does have an accident, do not yell at them as this will only cause the animal to fear you. If your puppy doesn’t understand the potty schedule yet this can also make the puppy associate going potty with you yelling at them. Understanding that when you take on a puppy this is going to happen from time to time so you should be prepared to clean your carpet.

Another topic that is worrisome during the first few weeks is the sleeping arrangements. Setting up sleeping arrangements is one of the most important things to establish in the 1st week with a new puppy. If a puppy is going to sleep in your bed be prepared to have a full size dog in your bed with you later on. If you are going to crate train your puppy it is a good idea to start that immediately. Most puppies will bark or cry for the first few nights no matter where you put them. Once again, do not yell at the puppy. Barking through the night during the first week or so is normal. The main thing to do at this stage is to ignore the bad behaviors and reward the good ones. Laying the groundwork for good training later is the key here. If your puppy finds that if he or she does a certain behavior that gets your attention they will continue that behavior. If you ignore the bad behavior they will eventually learn that it does no good and they will focus more on the behaviors that get treats and praise.

You may want to start to socialize your puppy about a week after you get them. This can be a little tuff in the beginning because the puppy has no manners. Remember that what we as pet owners think is cute and playful may not seem so cute to some of the guests in your home. This is especially true with some of the larger breeds. This can be a good time to establish a time out area. A time out area should not only be for bad behavior but for somewhere the dog can be away from people alone. Puppies can become too excited and can also become aggressive with children. An area that is set aside for them besides a crate can be a very good idea. I use a baby gate in the laundry room that seems to do the trick. Socializing with other dogs that don’t live in the home can be tricky and should be saved for after the puppy feels comfortable with its owner. If the puppy is socialized before growing a bond with its owner, dominant behaviors can become an issue. Socializing the puppy with other people supervised by you is the best way to show them that other people are not there to hurt you or them.

Chewing and biting in the first few weeks depending on your pups age is going to be normal because of teething. Basically it is your job to make sure to put anything that the puppy shouldn’t have out of their reach. You have to supply the puppy with a chew toy of some type so they don’t think that you or your furniture is acceptable to chew on. Something to touch on also is that you do not want to give the puppy anything like a sock tied in a knot or an old shoe this can give them the go ahead to chew your clothes and shoes. Find a chewie that they find interesting and stick mainly to that. The best chewie to start with is the rope type, or one designed for teething puppies that they can’t shred. Rawhide can be dangerous for puppies and their digestive systems.

Now that you have a new puppy, we highly recommend trying the Secrets to Dog Training guide by Daniel Stevens. You will learn all the secrets to bringing your new puppy up right so he or she will obey and respect your rules. We know many happy dog owners that have used this eBook to train their new pets with great success.

The information we have given you here should get you started to training your new pet without over doing it in the first few weeks. Once a few of these basic “new puppy” problems are solved, you will be able to move on to other training like basic manners, sit, and stay. Always remember never yell at them, they are only babies. Rather than yelling at your pet try to distract them to a good behavior. A puppy's first weeks are always hard for you and your new pet. You will be a happy pet family in no time. Thank you for allowing us at help with pet training to assist in the proper training of your puppy. We have found the best pet training and we are glad that we are able to share it with you and your pet.

Pet Basics

As a new pet owner there are some basic rules and principals that need to be observed. These pet basics are the staples of well taken care of pets. You must abide by these basics as a pet owner to achieve an environment that breeds love and trust. When you have your pets love and trust good training becomes fun for both of you. Without these basic supplies and principals you can become overwhelmed by the arrival of your new pet. You can be ready for your new pet to come home if you follow these simple steps.

Choosing a pet for your family can be a hard decision and should never be made in haste. Deciding whether to get a puppy, a kitten, full grown dog or cat can be a hard question. What your lifestyle is like will predict what animal and breed will work for you. Your lifestyle has a major role in choosing the right pet. If you are an active person whom likes the outdoors then a dog with lots of energy to burn would be perfect for you. If you are elderly and rarely go for long walks outside an adult cat may be right for you. If you are a family with children then a sturdy well tempered cat or dog would be good. If you live in an apartment or small house, a large dog may not be the best choice. As long as you and your family do research before attempting to adopt a pet of any type it’s bound to help with training.

Once you have found a pet and breed that seems to fit with your lifestyle you can start to look more seriously at adopting a new pet. Visiting a shelter will help in the decision making process also. Whatever you do, do not adopt a pet because they are “cute”. I have made this mistake and felt like a bad person when I had to find my dog a new home. I did no research on my first dog and bought him at pet shop because he was cute and on sale. This dog turned out to need constant attention and grooming that I could not give him at the time. Because he came from a pet shop, this was another reason he needed more attention and was much harder to train. Pet shops in places like a mall are the worst place to purchase an animal for many reasons. The main reason is the problematic training process. Some of these animals have been treated poorly and have aggression issues already. This hinders the training further.

You should have a quiet place set aside in your home that your animal can be alone and content. I like to use a baby gate in my laundry room. When the animal gets too excited or needs a timeout, they can go to this area and not feel abandoned. You will also want to make sure that you have an area that you can go to get away also. Your pet shouldn’t follow you everywhere; this could become bothersome later when the pet is bigger and even can be dangerous in places such as stairs.

You should also give the animal their own bed. If your pet sleeps with you as a puppy or kitten they will sleep with you as an adult also. It seems alright in the beginning but the animal is like your baby and if you don’t teach them right from wrong you may have to re-train your pet later. Sleeping with a puppy in bed is no big deal but sleeping with a full sized dog is another. This goes especially for the single pet owner whom may acquire a family later on in life and the pet may no longer be welcome in the bed anymore. If this was allowed to happen the animal may get confused and act out in many ways.

The next thing to be concerned about is the accessibility to fresh water and nutritious food. Always have a fresh bowl of water for your pet at all times. If you travel a lot this is important because the animal can’t ask for a drink. Even if you are a homebody you must remember to refill the bowl every day. Animals that drink out of the toilet can get diseases so this is not an acceptable substitute. Making sure that the pet does not have access to poisonous things such as plants and cleaning products is also very key. A good rule is that if you wouldn’t let a human baby have something don’t let your pet have it either.

Nutritious food is a very important pet basic. You should talk to a breeder or expert about the needs and requirements for your particular pet before deciding on a pet food. The main thing for pet owners to know about their pet’s food is whether it meets the requirements of the pet’s nutritional needs and the cost effectiveness. Never switch your pet’s food without doing so gradually this can be bad for the digestive system. Some cats are very susceptible to this because of sensitive urinary tracts and the results can be painful for the pet and costly for the owner at the vet.

Last but not least you should never get a pet of any kind if you can’t take care of it physically or have the monetary ability to give the animal all of the requirements and vet checks that they need. You as the pet owner are the main source of life and well being for this animal. You have to be able to take necessary responsibility of scheduled shots, checkups and physical requirements that the pet may have. You can’t expect to live in a tiny apartment with a Rottweiler and be happy ever after. I’m not saying that this can’t be done, but shouldn’t for the sake of the pet. This doesn’t usually make for a happy pet or owner. You should also be prepared to have a kennel or friend that is willing and able to take care of your pet if you are out of town. Never leave your pet alone for an extended period of time. Cats and dogs require a lot of maintenance and love.

These are just the basics and skim the tip of the basic care and needs of pets. Depending on the pet their breed and many other individual needs depicts your pet’s routine and maintenance. If you follow these basics for new pets you are sure to do a great job training your pet with our help and caring. When you are ready to go more in depth on preparing for a pet and the most effective, fool-proof way to train your dog, check out Secrets to Dog Training by Daniel Stevens. This is the guide we have used and highly recommend it. For the cat owners out there, we recommend Cat Secrets Reveled. This eBook will help you train your new cat very quickly.

Remember your animal is your responsibility and by adopting a pet, you agree to this basic care and needs. Never ever strike a pet. These are just babies and the can be hurt very easily. Striking your pet will also promote violent behavior and aggression that may be taken out by chewing or scratching.

Dog Obedience Training Tips:

• The ideal time to start training is when a puppy is about 6 weeks old
• Praise and reward your dog when he does what is asked immediately after he does it
• Provide appropriate corrective actions to your dog or puppy immediately after he does something wrong
• Use a happy, friendly voice for commands such as come and heel
• Use a lower, firmer voice for stay, down, and sit
• Never hit or swat at your animal when they mess up, as this will only teach them to be afraid of you
• Your dog can sense your emotions, so make sure you go into the dog obedience training with a positive attitude
• 15 minutes at a time is the appropriate time for training for simple commands
Dog obedience training may take some work, but it will pay off in the end!
• Choose a quiet spot free of distractions for your training sessions, such as the back yard
• Work only on one command at a time, and make sure your dog has this command mastered before moving on to the next command
• Test the commands in different situations and with different distractions to make sure the dog really understands
• Never try to correct a behavior you did not catch in the act, as this will do more harm than good
• Try to incorporate dog training as part of the daily routine, such as having your dog follow a command before you feed him or her
• Be patient while training, despite how frustrating it can become
• Obedience training is a time where you and your pet learn each other’s personalities, and you will be creating the bond that will last a lifetime

If you find you just don’t have the knack for dog and puppy obedience training, or have a dog that is particularly hard to train, there are many classes you can take your dog to and let an expert train them. I personally feel it is best to train the dog yourself, in his home. I encourage anyone have problems training their dog to first read a good dog training book such as Secrets to Dog Training before sending your dog off to someone else for training.

Remember, dog training can be fun. Spending time with your dog and creating that special relationship is the reason you got your dog in the first place, so really enjoy this time. Dog obedience training can be fun.

Pet Training Made Easy

Welcome to HelpWithPetTraining - a site for the sole purpose of helping you with your pet training needs. As pet owners, we know the importance of a well behaved animal. Having a pet who responds to you in the ways you want, and obeys the rules of the house makes for a much more enjoyable life between owner and pet.

This site can help you with the tough problems that both cat and dog owners face. Whether you are a new pet parent, just trying to teach an old dog some new tricks, or simply having trouble teaching your cat to use the litter box, we can offer guidance to help you out. Our dog training tips and cat training information has been proven to work time and time again.

Our goal is to make pet training easy and fun, and help to restore or create a lasting bond between you and your pet. If a pet goes untrained, the consequences can be devastating, such as coming home and finding your couch torn to shreds. Pets without proper training can destroy a home and make life for the family unpleasant. That’s why pet training is priceless and lasts a lifetime for you and your pet.

If you are an existing pet owner who is looking to change some behaviors in your animals, we invite you to check out the many pages of this site for free pet training information by top trainers. We hope you will be pleased by the accuracy and ease of use in these training guides we have put together. We take great pride in the free pet training guides we provide, and encourage you to check out the premium dog and cat training guides that we recommend, as these guides provide all the information you need to have a well behaved pet. We only present you with guides that we use ourselves.

Dog Commands: Speak the Language

The choice of language in teaching a dog is a powerful training tool. German dog commands have long been considered especially effective because the words employed are short and forceful. This is not to say, however, that English does not work equally well, but using a foreign language as the basis for dog commands does give an owner unique control over their animal. All commands, whether they are service dog commands or basic dog commands should be tailored to the unique relationship between a given animal and its master.

 

The Common English Dog Commands

Basic commands in English form the foundation of your communication with your pet.

The Dog's Name

A dog is an intelligent animal. It will respond to its name quickly. Initially, when naming an animal, use the name you choose consistently so the dog learns the word and associates it with himself. Later, when the dog is more mature, you can use affectionate variations. Dogs are at least as intelligent as young human children. They will quickly figure out that when you say, "James Dog" you mean businesses whereas "Jimmy Pup" is probably an invitation to go play ball.

Good

Saying "good" to a dog means you are praising him. This should be your consistent "praise" word and can be accompanied by a treat as reinforcement. (Reinforcement is a key concept in successful dog training. You should always reward your dog for following commands and exhibiting good behavior.)

No

Any parent will tell you that "no" means "no." Your dog should understand this as well. The word is short, forceful, and can be accompanied by a disapproving stare, but not by a threatening physical movement.

Off

"Off" is a good, short word indicating the dog should put down what it's doing or move away to another area. (This would be an appropriate command if your dog is made to jump up on people, for instance.)

Wait

"Wait" should tell the dog to stop and wait your further instructions. It doesn't matter if the dog is sitting or standing, but it should respond by being absolutely still.

By using this same set of commands in another language, you can help to insure your dog's obedience to you and to you alone. If this is your goal, then you should start using the language in the beginning to train. Dog commands should only be taught once to avoid confusing the animal. Many owners who choose to use a different language opt for German dog commands.

Best Tips for Training Companion or Working Dogs

Dogs are a man's best friend and this is apparent with the working dogs you see mostly in the countryside. Dogs are social animals and have been domesticated for centuries; to the point that we sometimes forget they are still animals. Clicker training dogs and employing other methods to establish a pattern of good behavior based on a command structure helps to mesh their animal habits with the needs of the humans with which they live. All of the behaviors to which dog owners object - soiling the house, barking, digging up the yard, fighting with other dogs, and biting -- are all normal canine activities. The point of a training program is to teach your dog how to channel those urges into better behaviors so you will have a sociable pet that responds to commands. Trained and learned behaviors are the factors that distinguish wild and domesticated dogs. 

What are the Core Principles of Dog Training?

Redirection of natural behavior is the first principle of dog training. Dogs are intelligent creatures that, if they lived in the wild, would be part of a pack with a dominance / submission social structure. There is always an "alpha" dog in the pack. Dog training places you in the alpha position. This does not mean that you have to be in any way aggressive with your animal. There is no need to take cruel or extreme measures. By your behavior you tell the dog you are the leader and by his nature the dog will want to follow you and please you.

Smart dogs quickly catch on to the principles of a training routine, especially if they see that what they are doing is pleasing to you. Your dog sees you as a friend. Give him the same respect you would give to any friend and he will give you the same loyalty and more. The image of dogs working to delight their masters is a common aspect of this centuries old relationship between man and animal.

There are some key things to remember to make training working dogs, specialty dogs, and household pets a success.

Four Basic Fundamentals of Dog Training

Well-trained pets make for much more pleasant companions and are better behaved around family and friends. Basic dog training tips to stop dog barking and other undesirable behaviors enable you to teach your pets to interact well with other people and to be equally at home both in the house and out of doors, Dog Beds. Dog training is not a breeze, however, and can be harder than you might expect,Natural Dog Supplements. Many people think that dog training is nothing more than providing dog toys or shouting commands, which the dog will instantly understand and obey. Instead, there is a system to training dogs and to Need a Pet & Dog Beds Sitter or a House Sitter? With a Training Collar you can stop dog barking incidents, chewing, jumping up,Natural Balance Food, digging, and other problem, Digital xray behaviors that to the dog seem perfectly normal!,Dog Training Tips,dog dandruff.

Basic dog training techniques are designed to make the process easier for both you and your dog. Following standard procedures does not mean you have to go out and spend money on a trainer, only that you need to spend some time educating yourself for your benefit and for your pet's, Natural pet food and Pet Supplies .

Basic Fundamentals of Dog Training

Fundamental dog training Tips for Housebreaking a Puppy consistently mention the following key points.

Make the dog recall or know his or her own name

Your dog should know his name so that he can respond to it properly. You can do this by calling him repeatedly with the name you assigned him or just by talking to him (which you should do anyway. Dogs have an amazing capacity to amass working vocabularies on their own.) Try to squeeze the animal's name into every "conversation" you have with him. This step may take a lot of reinforcements, but once the dog acquires the ability to positively respond to his name, the next commands will be relatively easier.

Housebreak your Dog

Housebreaking simply means teaching your dog not to relieve himself inside the house. Anyone who has ever tried the process knows that it isn't easy to house break. Puppy logic is simple, "I have to go. I'll go here." How you housebreak your dog may establish the command dynamic between the two of you for the rest of the dog's life.

Routine is absolutely key to housebreaking. At first you may have to take your puppy out every hour. Get in the habit of taking your dog out first thing in the morning and just before bed time. Be patient with accidents. Yelling and screaming at your dog is pointless and scaring the young animal may increase the frequency of accidents. You must teach the dog where and when to go and if the animal is obviously "asking" to go out, don't ignore it.

Puppy House Training - The Best Method 

When you first bring your new puppy home, you're going to be thrilled. But the moment your puppy makes the first mess on the floor, you're going to realize puppy house training is a serious need.

So, puppy house training is one of the first things you need to do. You'll see instructions about this everywhere, but I've used the house training methods below on dogs of many different breeds, and it always works. Just remember a few important things:

Watch your puppy at all times, always show them you're very pleased when they get it right, and never blame the puppy - just keep working your puppy house training program until it sticks! 

Rules for the Trainer: Puppy House Training

• Puppy house training is a family activity. Everyone in the house needs to know this stuff.
• Remember you're building new habits for your dog. Expect that to take some time.
• It must be done in a positive way. Avoid yelling or scolding which only makes things worse.
• The puppy instinct doesn't include, "I need to learn where the right place to poop and pee is." You can't judge your puppy for not knowing this before you teach him.
• Simply letting your puppy outside is not an effective way to house train your puppy. It doesn't teach them anything.
• You will be cleaning up some mistakes at first, so plan ahead for this. Have the proper cleaning and deodorizing products available to clean up the mistakes when they do happen.
• Young puppies have poor bladder and bowel control. If left inside alone, they're going to use the restroom indoors. They won't have a choice. Don't blame them.
• A puppy can hold their business for about one hour per month of age, plus another hour.
• Your puppy has a natural cycle: Food goes in, water goes in, poop comes out, water comes out. Consider removing their food and water bowl at night, to prevent accidents while you're asleep.

 Training Method: Puppy House Training

Let's go over an actual plan for how you can quickly house train your puppy. I suggest you mix house training with puppy crate training, and get a good quality crate to use in these steps. The crate is not a place for your puppy to use the restroom - as you'll see below. For a more detail look at puppy house training methods check out this awesome resource: Puppy House Training

1. Go outside and figure out where you want the puppy to go to the bathroom. Choose this in advance.
2. Restrain your puppy any time he's unattended, via the crate or a penned-in room. This helps you with your basic obedience training, as I've discussed in other articles.
3. Take the puppy outside about once per hour, either by carrying him or walking with a leash. Go pace around in the area where you want them to use the restroom (step carefully!) ;)
4. As your puppy starts to realize that he or she needs to go to the bathroom, and starts to do so, start establishing a verbal command, for example, "go potty." While your puppy is in the act of going to the bathroom, repeat the command over and over. Only associate that phrase with actually relieving himself. Congrats, you are mixing basic obedience training into the task!
5. Once they finish doing their business, heap praise and love on the puppy and perhaps reward them with a cookie. It's good to spend a little time playing with your pup right after a success, to reinforce a job well done. Then, take them back to the confined area, such as their crate.
6. Continue doing this each hour. (Obviously, they may not need to eliminate during every trip outside, so only use the command phrase when they do.) Also, don't assume that this scheduled trip outside will satisfy their needs - keep a close eye on the puppy so that you can react when they decide it's time to relieve themselves. Nature calls on its own schedule.
7. Plan to wake up during the night and repeat this puppy house training program, once or twice each night. You sleep six-to-eight hours per night, and your puppy cannot hold their business that long. So, overnight, it's important to give them the chance to be a good dog - by taking them outside and repeating the above steps. Set your alarm once or twice each night for this.

Don't forget: puppies have to use the bathroom soon after each meal or drink. After each meal, take them outside and use the steps above, with a reward for a job well done. This needs to happen about 10-20 minutes after having food and drink. Obviously you can't be there every single second of the day. Most people use a layer of newspapers or cardboard to provide an indoor bathroom for their puppy. I use the Wizdog Indoor Dog Toilet for that. Important: this area should be at least a few meters away from their bedding and food. If it's too close to their bedding and food, they won't want to use it. When you return home, resume the puppy house training steps above.

After a week or two, of the above you will see good results - if you've been consistent, using command words to encourage the act, and rewarding success. Soon, your puppy will start asking to go outside whenever they need to go to the restroom, freeing you from this schedule. Then, you can switch to asking your dog - "Go potty?" - and they will go to the door if they need to.