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Here are some great articals, websites, and info products I have found on dog traning. Hope you enjoy

Sunday, April 27, 2008

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Friday, April 18, 2008

The Center Of The Storm

Once a dog owner's expectations have been shattered it often becomes difficult to move forward. Knowing how to find the calm center within the pack relationship is the first step toward creating a happy follower role for your dog. Context is everything when it comes to understanding behavior. Balance creates balance. Calm creates the same. The mind is a powerful thing and can challenge, strip away power and create role change without ever using a choke chain, remote collar, gadget or device. Devices often shift the focus and interfere with the most important part of creating role change...the power of your mind. The owner's personality, dog's temperament and overall interactions all play a part in the role changing process.

Dogs have a special connection to humans through pack. Certain thoughts, feelings and interactions link to the type of pack energy which can force our dog to take the vacant dominant pack role. Dogs live in the moment and respond through the roles. To understand Pack is to know that hope exists regardless of the past. Pack is about moving forward and beginning again as if waking up to a new day. Over the years dogs have taught me more about myself than the other way around. Only with the loss of my first Police Dog, in that moment, did I truly understand this.

In the end finding the calm center of the storm and moving forward is really more about looking inside ourselves before beginning the journey with our dog.
Author Dale McCluskey
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dale_McCluskey

Obedience Training your Dog

When taking your puppy home, one of the things you need to begin is obedience training. Although this may seem like a tedious process, it will definitely pay off when you have a very well behaved puppy. Whether your dog is a puppy or an adult dog, obedience training is a good way to have successful communication with you and your dog. Although it won't always satisfy all of your dog's behavioral problems, it can take care of quite a bit of it.

Clear and concise communication between you and your dog is the key to beginning obedience training. One word commands tend to help the dog understand exactly what it is supposed to do the moment you say the command. For instance, when you say "sit", the dog begins to understand that when you say that he is supposed to put his bottom on the ground with his front legs still up straight. Remember when you are training your dog, you need to be very sure of the command you are giving your dog and reward the puppy only when they have successfully accomplished the "trick".

Dogs are social creatures and they love being around other dogs and their owners. If you don't train your dog well, then you risk your dog destroying your furniture while waiting for you to come home. Also remember that with your training you must also play with the puppy. All dogs require some type of play time with their owner. It helps the dog to feel loved and appreciated by the owner.

Repetitiveness is also a very important factor when training your dog. For the puppy, it's just like riding a bike; the more you do it, the better at it you are. Giving the dog a puppy treat is also a big motivator for the dog. Every time the dog accomplishes the action you commanded it to do, you should give the puppy a treat. The puppy will begin to associate hearing the different words with a treat and will do the commands you give it even without a treat.

Obedience training is an ongoing process, and you must continue to repeat the training, so that the dog never forgets what each of the different commands means. Dogs often think of the family as a pack. By going through obedience training with your dog, it helps to establish dominance in the group. You always need to establish the alpha males of the house. If you don't do this, you can often have the dog overpowering other members of the family if you don't set everything forward from the beginning.
If you need a veterinarian that can good care of your dog in all situations, contact Austin Veterinarian Clinic at www.Austinveterinarianclinics.com .
Joseph Devine
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Devine

The Dominant Pack Dog

Flooding refers to a dog which is at an elevated dominant state of mind and behavior has become unmanageable. Areas, such as dog parks, and situations, such as meeting another dog, trigger this type of behavior and can turn a situation into a nightmare for the owner of the dominant pack dog. Often dog owners will start to avoid and fear certain areas which in turn shifts and feeds even more psychological power into this dominant role.

Socialization through pack within the context of group training with other dogs and owners is really an energy exercise and an opportunity to create more true role change. Everything must come through Pack Leader. Again, context is everything. The appearance that the dominant dog is behaving when wandering around the house or within other areas is the deceiving part of pack and behavior. Appearances can be deceiving.

The real issue is how he is she perceives the dog owner within pack every moment of the day. Even a aggressive and dominant dog will appear alright as long as no one is stepping out of their role and the script is being followed. Attempting to assert energy and authority onto a dog when he or she is flooded can often trigger an aggressive response from the dominant dog.
Often dog owners will wait until something bad is happening before responding. Applying method when the dominant dog appears alright is the best time to begin the process of role change. What is seen from the surface doesn't necessarily reflect what is happening within Pack. Changing the dog owner from onlooker and referee to assertive and calm Pack Leader is the first step towards creating a happy and balanced relationship.
Author Dale McCluskey
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dale_McCluskey

Thursday, April 3, 2008

How To Stop My Puppy From Chewing

Everyone loves to get a new puppy after all they are cute and cuddly. However now that he has been in your home for awhile you are beginning to find things that have been chewed like; shoes, soap, pillows, books etc. This article is aimed towards helping stop the puppy biting so you will not have to continue asking yourself "how to stop my puppy from chewing."
First off you should understand that puppies and dogs begin chewing for several reasons:

Lonely or boredom.

Separation anxiety, often occurs if you work long hours away from home.

When they are teething.

Through fear or a phobia.

Seeking attention.

Some dogs will begin chewing in anticipation of your coming home
Dogs will chew anything that they can get their mouths around. However you can learn how to teach to stop this behavior before they hurt themselves and you have to take them to the veterinary to have something removed from them.

This is a for dogs and puppies to explore what is going on around them, it is a common development in their growing up. They are just like children and they get into everything it is up to you to begin telling them NO when they begin getting into things you do not want them to.

They do not understand what is safe and what is not.
When they have a shoe, or book in their mouths take the item away from them and tell them "No bad dog" while giving them one of their toys. After you do this several times they will begin to understand that they can only chew their toys. Give them praise whenever you see them chewing their toys.

Give them plenty of exercise and tire them out. If you are walking them for at least 30 minutes a day they will be too tired to chew anything and will spend more time sleeping while you are gone for the day.

Training them should be done on a consistent basis; puppies and dogs learn from repetition. If you only discipline them once in in a while you will never break them of any bad habit.
Buy your dog or puppy some toys that are meant for chewing. Do not give them a toy that looks like something you do not want them to bite. However if you begin giving them toys they enjoy they will eventually stop making a mess of your home. You can create a pleasant environment for you and your puppy to live in. You will not have to worry about your puppy getting a hold of something that can cause harm to them.

If you found these tips useful then visit our website below and get more valuable information that can help you with other dog behavioral problems. With proper dedication to applying the training you can teach your dog to become a disciplined part of the family. They can be easy to train if you understand the proper methods on how to instill the training.
Did you find these tips on How To Stop A Puppy From Chewing helpful?
Get your FREE 6-part mini-course that will teach you little-known Dog Obedience Training Secrets to correcting dog behavior problems using REAL-LIFE scenarios.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_Velez

Stop Aggressive Dog Behavior Towards People

Sadly, every year thousands of dogs are sent to their deaths at animal shelters because of their aggressive behavior towards people. Although dogs are instinctively aggressive creatures, the overly aggressive or vicious behavior some dogs exhibit can be prevented if you take a proactive approach.

In nature, aggression comes in handy and is in fact necessary. Descending from wolves, dogs needed to defend themselves against other animals, had to hunt and protect resources and of course find a mate. Lets face it-dogs are well adapted to do some serious physical harm- take a look at your dog's teeth! Some of a dog's aggressive nature has been minimized through selective breeding but you can't change the fact that dogs are hunters and had to be aggressive to survive.
The easiest way way to stop aggressive behavior in dogs is to not let it form in the first place. Count yourself lucky if you are reading this while your furry friend is still a puppy because really all you have to do is what I call diverse socialization. Let your puppy see and play with a wide variety of people: babies and toddlers, old people, young boys and girls, men with beards, other animals and even the mailman.(Don't laugh-according to the US Postal Service every year 2,851 mail carriers get bitten by dogs)

Your dog depends on you to broaden his social horizons. If you give him many positive socialization experiences with a wide variety of people and animals he will feel more relaxed when he encounters a stranger or unfamiliar situation. He has learned that new people and situations are fun and interesting, not scary. He has to learn this through experience and the earlier you start him on this "socialization training" the better. It is not enough to put your adult dog in a room full of strange people and tell him to "Relax, settle down Rufus, it's alright". He has to learn this himself. If you don't have time to do this yourself there are "puppy preschools" that encourage socialization with other dogs and their owners. The environment is safe and controlled and your dog will get exposure to wide variety of different, friendly faces and other dogs. This way he will learn that he doesn't need to fear new faces.

It is best to continue with a dog's socialization as an ongoing lifetime effort. If he looks like he is being overwhelmed just back off the training a little bit until he can build up his tolerance.

Aggression Towards Your Family Members
In some situations an adult dog will show aggression to someone in your own family. This type of aggression is usually a behavior that dogs exhibit when they are trying to guard a resource from what they perceive as a threat. He may be guarding his food, or his territory from a perceived threat-you or another family member. Some dogs will growl if you approach them while they are eating or may give you a "staredown" if you try to take anything away from them such as a toy. This behavior is commonplace and it relates to the social behavior of dogs. Dogs are pack animals and live in a structured, hierarchal society. Each individual in their society has a certain status or rank. The highest ranking dog, the alpha, is the leader of the pack and gets his choice of food and mates. Each dog knows his rank, or dominance in relation to every other dog. So he would know which dog he can easily push away, which ones he can muscle in on, and which ones he must back away from in a confrontation.

Your dog also lives in a pack-your family. Your dog already has everyone ranked in the family in his social schema. The problem that can occur here is that if he thinks that he has a higher rank than you or another family member he may act aggressively. This aggressive or dominant type behavior is the "right" of a higher ranking animal. Only a higher status or dominant dog would act aggressively this way. In other words, if your dog understood that he was not the alpha dog in this situation he would never aggressively try to prevent you from taking his food or toy. A lower staus or ranking dog would simply go along with what the higher ranking dog (you or your family) does without a fight.

The best way to stop this is with some obedience training which will make him understand that you and your family are the leader of the pack and not him. Don't take this to mean you have to beat your dog if he disobeys-this can lead to fear biting and other problems. It's better if you spend a couple of short sessions a day-say 10-15 minutes and reward him with praise and food treats for following your commands and putting him in isolation when he disobeys. Your dog wants to be an accepted part of the pack.

Some dogs, especially dogs that have been abused and abandoned in shelters may be especially aggressive and fearful. He may be too much to handle for you. If you have the heart there are professional dog trainers that can help train very aggressive dogs.
If you want to stop your dog's aggressive or unwanted behavior towards you or a family member visit us here: http://www.easiestdogtraining.com
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Frank_Bommarito

7 Dog Training Tips

A Pup demands particular dog training in order to acquire all the skills it requires. It can be difficult for a fresh dog owner to get by the puppy stage. Here are seven tips to help train your puppy.
1. Build beneficial Habits early
Your domestic dog will be a great deal more compliant later if you start it off with effective habits. Don't allow the puppy to do anything that you would not wish it to do once it's a adult dog .
2. Make Your Puppy socialise
If a pup achieves maturity and has not experienced a lot of contact with other dogs, it might not respond well to them. The dog could bark or even bite other dogs. You don't need this to happen so aid your pup by bringing it to the park to come across other dogs or to an acquaintance who also has a dog .
3. Acquire Your Puppy's Trust
If your dog does not trust you then it won't abide by your commands. Rebel dogs are unsafe dogs. To nullify this, acquire your young dog's trust prior to doing some kind of dog training. Caressing the dog could assist with this. This will make the chore of training it a good deal easier.
4. Apply Positive reenforcement
Puppies enjoy treats. They'll do whatever they can to acquire those goodies. Therefore, make them do what you require, and feed them a treat once they perform it. This will help their brain associate beneficial habits with payoffs.
5. Don't Drag Your Pup About
Your hound won't care for this and it will just offend your dog . If worst comes to worst just carry the puppy around. It will not be excessively heavy yet and so this will not be too difficult. Dragging your canine will only exacerbate it.
6. Don't allow Your Dog To Chew upon Anything
If you allow the pup to gnaw on anything it desires, then it could do that in adulthood too. This isn't desired. Chewing upon a few things could also be harmful to the puppy .
7. Train Your Dog Yourself
If you don't experience what you're doing then you've to learn 1st. Acquiring a trainer is one choice, though that's pricey. You are able to actually train your dog by yourself with the correct information. This way, you're there for the entire dog training procedure and could build up faith with your dog whilst conditioning it. Sit Stay Fetch is one guidebook that can help you train your dog . Made by experts, it's the authoritative guide about dog training.You can obtain this guide at my web site below.
Get more Information On Sit Stay Fetch Dog Training. For A Puppy Dog Training Guide Visit: http://www.teachthatdog.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nnamdi_Iregbulem