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Obedience Training Dog obedience training is offered in most areas with highly
skilled trainers who can teach owners how to have an obedient pooch. People should not be embarrassed to take their pooch to obedience training because they believe that it behaves badly or does not like
other dogs. If it has problems with other dogs talk to the instructor in charge before bringing the dog out of the car. Always ensure that the dog is on a leash if it is out of its yard, unless it is
obedience trained. There are also personal training classes that offer one on one training for you and your pooch but obviously come at a more expensive fee. If going to obedience classes is not for you,
then remember that the dog is part of the family and like your children needs guidance and discipline. It is amazing what The Pooch Mobile operator can do with a dog when the owner believes that the dog is
uncontrollable. The Pooch Mobile operators set a standard of behavior with each dog bathed and accept nothing less from every dog. What is expected from each dog is what is achieved. With constant
repetition the dog will get to know many key words. If you are consistent in your approach to the dog each time you have contact with it, it will soon learn what you expect from it. This in the long run will
make the dog a lot easier to work with. The two points to remember when training a dog is to praise or reward the dog for a wanted behavior and to correct the dog or hold back on a reward when
it is doing something wrong. Puppies are easiest trained with food. Make training fun and rewarding for your dog. The best way to train a dog not to do something is to speak sternly to the dog just before
it is about to misbehave. To do this you must watch the dog and know when he/she is about to misbehave. If the dog has begun to misbehave then some of the meaning in your voice will be lost due to the
concentration involved in the activity. If the dog is punished after the incident he/she may be unaware of what they are being punished for. Dogs should be rewarded when they follow commands. Whether it
be a scratch on the head, pat on the back or simply a "good dog" they appreciate that what they did was correct and they were rewarded for it. If you constantly nag a dog to obey a command without
enforcing it they will learn to ignore you. If you ask your dog to obey a command then you should expect it to carry out that task when you ask it, not 5 - 10 minutes later. If you always ensure that it
does as you ask then it will soon learn that it cannot get away with ignoring you. Sometimes you may only need to take five minutes to train a dog a simple task other times it may take days or months before
the dog learns what is expected from it. If your dog is doing something unreasonable look for the reason in doggy terms. This will give you an opportunity to keep calm and deal with the problem correctly.
The patience that results from attempting to understand a dog's point of view will ultimately build a more stable relationship between dog and owner. Of course if we could all be compassionate,
understanding, tolerant, emotionally stable dog owners, some of these attributes might rub off on our human relationships! Remember, they only do what you expect of them. Awareness
Awareness is the key to adult dog misbehavior. Dogs that misbehave or have specific behavioral problems are most often reflecting a problem in their
environment. For some reason, their needs are being frustrated and as a result they are acting out their frustration in ways that are problematic for people around them. The same things happen when people
are locked in a position where they are consistently stressed out and they are not able to do anything about it. They chew (overeat), bark (cry, shout or scream), dig ( go to the gym or do some strenuous
physical activity), run away (go away for the weekend or take a long drive). There isn't much difference except that we have many more options than they do. We can watch television, talk to our friends on
the telephone, read a book, drink alcohol, go to a movie or on a shopping spree. Our dogs, however, are limited to more basic stress relievers. In any case, the reasons for almost all the extra stress in
our dogs' lives is the way we relate to them. If we are unaware of their basic needs and we find a way to satisfy them, our dogs will tend to be relaxed and happy. Without an excess of nervous tension to get
rid of they will not need to act it out destructively. The answer to our problem dogs is our own awareness. The more we know about them and their needs, the less difficulty we will have living with them.
Biting You will always get one dog that will try to
bite. With all dogs you must be aware that any dog any size is capable of biting. Take this attitude with every dog. Being careful and aware is better than being sore after a bite.
Responsible pet Ownership:- Dog Attacks The real culprit in biting problems is the dog owner. There has been a lot of publicity given to dog attacks and to "Pit Bull Terriers" lately. Any dog
attack on a person or other animal is a serious problem, but is wrong to tar all members of a particular breed with the same brush:- either "dangerous" or "lovable/cute". All breeds
are capable of biting but, some breeds (and yes, the "Pit Bull" is included) are a little more likely to have individuals show aggression. It is sensible to be automatically wary of larger breeds,
until the individual animal is found to be okay (When you are bitten by a Rottweiller for example you are bitten, believe it!) To have a dog and to encourage its potential to bite (and ALL dogs have that)
or NOT to control inappropriate biting is being an IRRESPONSIBLE owner. Very few dog owners understand dog psychology enough to be in full command of a "Guard Dog" and true "guard
dogs" are not allowed to be to far from their handlers in public. Properly trained and properly restrained "guard dogs" are good to deal with because they do what they are told.
Incidentally, besides the real attack bite, there is the warning/punishment nip which dogs use to correct other members of the pack. This can be painful, but there is no intention of carrying on with biting
if the offending activity ceases. Mind you, if your pet does this to you, you really need to find out how to establish dominance over the dog. There is little point and it could be dangerous, in having a dog
which believes it is higher than the humans of the family in the "pecking order". Because of the configuration of dog's teeth (designed to scissors and tear), all dogs jaws "lock". Any
dog which is seriously biting is concerned with hanging on; firstly so other members of the pack (real or imaginary) can come and help and secondly because one way of killing prey is to go for the throat and
hang on (blocking the windpipe and thus suffocating the prey) That takes time! Another way is to hang on and shake. Gruesome isn't it? But, remember, domesticated animals are not THAT far from wild animals.
The more people who recognise that inside "Fifi" or "Benji" or "Spot" there lurks "Fang" who is a great hunter and protector of his or her pack, and learn how to
harness and control that attribute, the fewer "Dangerous Dogs" there will be. All behavioral problems should be controlled as soon as they arise. Some tips to help keep dogs under control
include:- Obedience training which establishes the owner as "boss" or "leader of the pack" and reduces aggressive behavior related to defending the territory is essential.
Ensure the house is fully fenced and the dog kept in the yard. Consider a muzzle as a short term solution and better training and or desexing as a long term answer if you have an aggressive dog. Don't
encourage rough games, especially involving pulling at clothing, with your puppy. Supervise young children:- even the most placid family pet can bite if provoked. Find out how your dog spends its day
if you are not at home. Ensure it is not roaming, being provoked by other people or dogs or fouling public places. Digging Holes Ignoring that a dog has dug a hole is not a practical
solution as the dog will feel that this is acceptable and may continue turning the yard into a mine field. If you do not wish your dog to continue it must be taught that it is not acceptable. If your dog is
a consistent hole digger try blowing up some balloons and put them in it's favorite hole and lightly bury them. Bang! Next time your dog tries to dig a hole it will get a shock and usually after a few goes
it learns and gives up. Barking
A dog should be trained by the owner so that he/she knows when it is appropriate to bark and when to be
quiet. Different owners expect different behavior from their dogs. |
