Pack Structure
You can feed and love your dog, but if you don’t establish a pack order, with you as pack leader, he will like you, but he won’t respect you.
Bonding with your dog is as important as feeding your dog. Bonding with a dog is different than bonding with your child or your cat. Dogs need structure and whether they live with humans or amongst other dogs or both, they need to know their place in the pack. Cats may live in a pack as well, but in a cat’s mind she is the leader and everyone else lives to serve her.
It’s quite the other way around with dogs. Dogs need you to be the pack leader and if you are not, this can create a confused and aggressive dog. Bonding, as such, is two-fold.
Playing with your dog is an important part of being a pack leader. You can feed “Jake” and then turn around and ignore him.
It’s important to realize that ALL dogs must be in a pack structure, be they large or small breeds. Whether Jake is a Maltese or a Bull Mastiff, he needs to know his place in the pack. This may seem complicated to you, but don’t worry, your job is only to establish yourself as pack leader. Dogs are always below you and if you have multiple dogs or cats in your home, regardless of age, breed, size or gender, they’ll work out the order amongst themselves.
For example, say you own two dogs, both the same age and the same gender, female. A potential threat has just caught their attention – a falling leaf from a tree or a moving cloud is making its way across the sky. One will lead the brigade to put that leaf in its place or bark at the cloud above. The other will sit there and occasionally let out a yelp but annoyed that her sleep was disturbed. Clearly the diva is going to be fine being relegated to number two amongst themselves. If you have a cat, although there may be some resistance, all end up being below your cat, even you at times.
Becoming a pack leader involves adopting the attitude of a pack leader. It does not involve aggression towards a dog, it doesn’t involve rolling him on his back, hard leash corrections or even raising your voice to the dog. It involves adopting a leader's attitude. This is something that new dog owners must learn how to do.
Here are some easy things you can start doing right now to establish yourself as pack leader:
- Always make your dog sit before going through a door.
- Never allow your dog to go through a door before you.
- Make sure you call his name and “allow” him to go through the door, always after you.
- When you are eating, the order is, pack leader (s) is/are served first, then dogs.
- Eating with your dogs is recommended, serve yourself first, then your dogs.
- Praise them for finishing all their food.
- Never give them table scraps.
Photo Credits: nicadlr
This post involves:
... and focuses on:
Posted by Dog Training Pet on September 2, 2010 in
Canines
Don't feed me anything on this list!
Whether you are a brand new dog owner or have owned dogs for years, the list of foods that as a dog owner you are supposed to avoid feeding your dog can be confusing. Here is a complete list, with consequences for you to hang on your refrigerator.
- Alcoholic Beverages
- Can cause intoxication, coma and death.
- Apple Seeds
- Apricot Pits
- Cherry Pits
- Avocados
- Fruit, pit, and plant can all cause difficulty breathing, fluid accumulation in chest, abdomen and heart.
- Baby Food
- Can contain onion powder, which is toxic to dogs.
- Not all baby food does. Check the label.
- Broccoli in Large Amounts
- Candy with Xylitol.
- Cat food
- Can cause diarrhea and/or Pancreatitis from the sudden change in diet.
- Chocolate, Coffee, Tea and Caffeine Products
- Caffeine, Theobromine, and Theophylline can be toxic and affect the heart and nervous system.
- A note about chocolate: It is NOT cute to see a dog in seizures who’s just eaten chocolate. NEVER feed your dog chocolate. At best your dog will suffer seizures, at worst Jake can die.
- Citrus Oil Extracts
- Fat Trimmings from Leftovers
- High fat content can cause Pancreatitis -- especially COOKED fats.
- Grapes and Raisins
- An unknown toxin can damage the liver.
- Hops
- Causes panting, increased heart rate, elevated tempurature, seizures and death.
- Human Vitamin Supplements with Iron
- Can damage the lining of the digestive system and be toxic to liver and kidneys as well.
- Large Amounts of Liver
- Can cause Vitamin A toxicity, which affects muscles and bones.
- Macadamia Nuts
- Unknown toxin can affect the digestive and nervous systems and muscle.
- Marijuana
- Can depress the nervous system, cause vomiting, and changes in heart rate.
- Moldy or Spoiled Food
- Can cause vomiting and diarrhea, and also affect other organs.
- Mushrooms/ Toadstools
- Toxins may affect multiple systems, cause shock and result in death.
- Mustard Seeds
- Nutmeg
- Can cause tremors, seizure and death.
- Onions and Garlic
- Sulfoxides and Disulfides, which can damage red blood cells causing Anemia. Garlic is less toxic than Onions.
- Persimmons
- Seeds can cause intestinal obstruction and enteritis.
- Pits from Peaches, Pears and Plums
- Cause obstructions and contains cyanogenic glycosides, which result in cyanide poisoning.
- Potato, Rhubarb and Tomato Leaves, Potato and Tomato Stems
- Contain oxalates, which can affect digestive, nervous and urinary systems.
- Salt
- Can cause electrolyte imbalances when eaten in large amounts.
- Tobacco
- Nicotine affects digestive and nervous systems. Can result in rapid heartbeat, collapse, coma and death.
- Walnuts
- Yeast Dough
- Can expand and produce gas in the digestive system, causing pain and possible rupture of stomach or intestines.
Photo Credits: justLeesha
This post involves:
... and focuses on:
Posted by Dog Training Pet on September 2, 2010 in
Health and Medical
If you've ever called your dog using a command phrase like "come here!" only to watch your dog give you a blank stare like you're an idiot, then this article is for you. We're going to learn exactly why dogs give you this blank stare, and how you can fix this so that your dog can respond more effectively when you call it over.
A dog can intuitively respond to nonverbal communication, but verbal communication has to be taught. It's easy for dogs to pick up words like "sit" because we're willing to teach them simply by patting them until they sit while repeating the command. But what about commands that some dogs don't seem to respond to?
Oftentimes, the problem isn't the dog; it's that we haven't trained the dog to respond to a new word. We as humans know what "come" means, but there's no reason to expect a dog to know that. A dog responds to what it has learned, plain and simple.
Have you ever notice that if you have a treat ready and you say "Rex!" expecting the dog to come over, the dog will come over? But if the dog is staying still and you say "Rex!" again, trying to get it to come, the dog looks at you without understanding? It's because of what the dog already knows - if you have food in your hand, some other communications are being sent out like your tone of voice or the sound of a treat wrapper.
But if you call for a dog using its name at another time, the dog only hears its name, not what you want it to do. If I were to come up to you and start shouting "Bill! Bill!" would you understand what I meant? Then why should a dog understand that?
That's why you have to train the word "come" to have a specific purpose and meaning for your dog. Just like "sit," you'll want to constantly reinforce the word "come" when your dog responds to a call. At first, start repeating "come" when a dog does come to you; reward the dog with affection or a treat when it comes the whole way over and completes the action. Eventually, the dog will begin to associate "come" with moving over to you. It may seem like the dog understands the word, but really it is simply responding to a taught command.
It's easy to be tough on our dogs if they don't seem to respond to us; sometimes, however, we forget that dogs might want to respond to us and simply don't know how to. Train your dog with patience and ask yourself how you can teach it a new word.
Photo Credits: greg westfall.
This post involves:
... and focuses on:
Posted by Dog Training Pet on September 1, 2010 in
Dog Training, Tips for Dog Owners
Dog Walking.
When you're walking a dog, it's inevitable that you're going to encounter some familiar and some not-so-familiar faces along the way. While you might be a dog lover, it's important to remember that not everyone else is a dog lover; and even the other dog owners should have their own personal space to be respected. If you're going to walk your dog effectively, it will help to know some simple rules of dog walking etiquette.
1. Don't let your dog control you.
If you're going to enforce any rules of etiquette with your dog, you have to get used to managing your dog's boundaries; not the other way around. This means that you should be used to correcting a dog if it makes a mistake like veering off into a neighbor's yard and going to the bathroom. Be quick to gently poke or prod your dog into walking in line with you; this will have enormous benefits when you try any of the other rules of dog etiquette. It will also help your dog to socialize with people and other dogs without getting aggressive, as you'll want to reinforce a happy, relaxed mood in your dog.
2. Clean up after your dog.
This isn't the prettiest rule of thumb, but it's something you should do out of respect for your neighbors. Follow the golden rule here: if someone let their dog excrete waste in your yard, you'd want them to pick it up. Do the same for your neighbors - they'll be less likely to complain about your dog and will feel that you've got things under control.
Also, you can help avoid this problem by housebreaking your dog and training it so that it knows to only go in your yard. Make sure that you watch your dog use the bathroom in your yard and reinforce this behavior through a positive reward like a treat or some affection.
3. Help your dog socialize and immediately correct aggressive behavior.
The reason it's so crucial to have good control of your dog is that an encounter between two dogs can turn bad quickly - even if your dog is well-trained. You'll want to make sure you've trained your dog to respond to social situations by being relaxed and deferring to you. If your dog starts to growl, don't just admonish it; get its attention through a quick tug on the leash and let it know that you won't put up with that mood. If your dog is having too much trouble, remove it from the situation as quickly as possible. Remember, you set the rules.
Photo Credits: danagraves
This post involves:
... and focuses on:
Posted by Dog Training Pet on September 1, 2010 in
Doggie Exercises, Tips for Dog Owners
Make my home safe!
If you choose to keep your dogs indoors the majority of the time, there are certain things you will want to do to ensure the safety of “Jake”. You don’t want him getting in the cabinet under the sink and accidentally drinking drain cleaner or electrocuting himself or knocking over your prized Ming vase.
"Baby Proofing" Your Home
To minimize vet visits and you being angry with Jake, follow these simple steps:
- Don’t place breakable things on your coffee table or anywhere that’s within tail-wagging distance.
- Electric sockets not being used should have plastic inserts.
- This is especially important if you have new puppies.
- Cabinets should have baby proof slide locks.
- Use baby gates to keep dogs out of specific parts of your house.
- This will assist you as you are house-training Jake.
- Crate your dogs when you’re not home to avoid coming home to your favorite pair of shoes ending up tossed.
- Offer your dog bones to avoid them chewing on your favorite shoes or phone.
- Deer antlers are all natural and have bone marrow in them, which is better than brushing Jake’s teeth.
- Deer shed them naturally and these are not removed in an inhumane fashion.
- They can be found on eBay or by Googling deer antler.
House Training Jake
This is very simple. 95% of inappropriate elimination is the owner’s fault. It is very possible to train Jake to be house-trained, but this takes time and won’t happen until he is at least six months of age. Even after training and age six months, accidents can happen. To avoid this you can do the following:
- Use baby gates to keep dogs confined to one area of the house, such as the kitchen.
- Install a “doggy door” to your back yard (provided it’s confined or fenced in).
- Crate Jake while you’re at work or out of the house.
- Take him out regularly and take notes when he eliminates.
- For example some go like clockwork after eating.
- Many dog owners report that they’ve never had inappropriate elimination in the house.
- This is by no means by accident.
- Many dog trainers suggest praising Jake when he eliminates outside. This can be done by simply saying, “good outside” or “good girl” or “good boy”. They associate hearing good with eliminating appropriately. If you say bad when they eliminate indoors, they too make the association. Dogs don’t want to be bad.
Photo Credits: jennikate
This post involves:
... and focuses on:
Posted by Dog Training Pet on August 31, 2010 in
Canines, Tips for Dog Owners
wow
When you get a new puppy for your household, sometimes the excitement of the moment can replace your concerns. But when it comes down to living with this puppy in your everyday life, you realize that there's more to this "dog ownership" thing than you originally thought. One important part of working with a puppy that you just welcomed into your house is housebreaking.
Bringing up a new dog in your family environment means that you'll see the dog grow up alongside your family. But it also means you have a lot of responsibility to make sure that dog grows up happy, healthy, and exhibits controllable behavior. So it's time to learn how to housebreak your puppy in the most effective way possible.
Tip #1: Like humans, dogs are creatures of habit.
You won't get anywhere unless you can be consistent with your puppy and being consistent means that you'll have to follow through yourself. You can't let the puppy "slip one by" by any means; this will just communicate to the dog that your rules can be broken. That's the last thing you want your actions to say. Instead, remain consistent. Unless you can build up a new habit for yourself, you can't expect to build one up for your puppy, either.
Tip #2: Taking your dog outside isn't enough.
You have to remember that dogs don't speak English, nor can they read your thoughts. Just because you're bringing a dog outside doesn't mean it will know what your intentions are. Rather, you should work on stopping your dog at the point of using the bathroom and make sure that it goes outside. Keep the dog on a leash initially if you have too much trouble with it. You can't "convince" a dog to do something; you can only work with its habits in real-time.
Tip #3: Watch the puppy's preexisting habits and work around them.
If you notice that your puppy has to use the bathroom at a specific time in the morning, this would be a good time to take the dog outside for a small walk or simply moving around in the yard. This will help the puppy to begin associating the outdoors with using the bathroom. Once your dog makes this association, you might notice that it begins to wait until you let it outside in order to go. Congratulations! Your dog is housebroken.
Remember that with dogs, actions speak louder than words, and consistent actions will determine your amount of success. Don't try to convince or bribe your dog to make the right decision; guide it so that it makes simple associations like "outside" and "bathroom."
Photo Credits: Scarleth White
This post involves:
... and focuses on:
Posted by Dog Training Pet on August 31, 2010 in
Puppy Training, Tips for Dog Owners
Dog, man's best friend?
Your dog isn't your friend. This may fly in the face of conventional wisdom -
"dog is man's best friend" - but a better word for a dog is
"companion." Why is this? Is it because I hate dogs? Hardly. When it comes to dog
training, one of the first mistakes many people make is to treat their dog as a friend rather than a companion. If you don't understand the difference, keep reading. It will become clear soon enough.
If you have a friend over to your house, would you expect them to follow your commands such as "sit" and "shake"? If you were to bark out those orders, they'd just look at you oddly and wonder when the next train out of town leaves. Similarly, it's just as odd to treat a dog like a friend who's staying at your house. "Companion" can refer to something that keeps you "company," while friendship should be reserved to your real human friends.
This is because many dogs respond instinctively to a pack mentality. Many of the behaviors that you think are "friendly" to dogs are in reality simply convincing the dogs that you are a submissive member of this pack. When the dog thinks it's in charge, it feels free to bark as loud as it wants, behave as it pleases, and try to control you. But when you treat a dog like the companion it is, it understands that it has a role in your house, and that role is not "leader."
When you think about dog training from this angle, it's easy to wonder the point of even owning a dog. "Gee," you think, "if that's what it takes to train my dog, maybe I'd rather just have him be my friend." But in many cases, you can have your cake and eat it, too. For example, when your dog is more well-behaved because of the standards you set for it, your affection toward your dog will only serve to reinforce that good behavior.
Many people make the mistake of believing the dog is a friend and using affection to goad and bribe it into good behavior. But if you take on the mentality of a dog trainer, you can both inspire good behavior and show your dog affection - without the nasty side-effects that come from making your dog out to be a person.
Photo Credits: vieux bandit
This post involves:
... and focuses on:
Posted by Dog Training Pet on August 30, 2010 in
Canines
Good boy!
Many people who don't have a lot of experience in a skill often go about learning the skill in the wrong way - they often look at the tips and techniques without pausing to examine the underlying foundations and principles that make the tips and techniques work. This couldn't be more true than with dog
training, in which your dog seems to only respond at certain times. If you want your dog to respond to all of your training, it's time to start applying one rule or principle that should guide all of your dog training actions.
Are you ready for it? That rule is this: set your standard and adhere to it relentlessly.
It doesn't exactly sound sexy, but this one rule will probably change the entire way your dog responds to your training. Even in human beings, studies have shown that consistent practice that looks to adhere to a certain "standard" is the most effective kind. But what exactly does "setting a standard" mean?
Let's take an example of what not to do. You're training your dog to sit, and while you keep pulling down on the leash and saying "Down!" your dog doesn't seem to cooperate. The dog just seems to want to get away and fool around, and none of your training seems to have any effect. Deciding not to waste any more of you or the dog's time, you take off the leash and let the dog go free.
Guess who just won that interaction? The dog! You set a standard (wanting to train your dog to respond to "Down") but you didn't adhere to it. Instead, you let the dog dictate what was going on. In beginning dog trainers, there is too much of a need to be "liked" by your dog. It's far more important that your dog respect you and your standards. It needs to feel that when you're training it, there's no way on earth you're going to give up until your dog does what you want it to. When your dog feels this and senses it, eventually it will start to make the connections you've been trying to teach it all along.
Does this mean you should over-train? Of course not, but there needs to be a strong element of discipline in a dog's life if it's going to train and become adjusted to your home. You can either have two dogs: a dog that doesn't respect you but sure likes you when you have food, or a dog that listens to you when you call. It's your choice.
Photo Credits: niseag03
This post involves:
... and focuses on:
Posted by Dog Training Pet on August 30, 2010 in
Dog Training, Tips for Dog Owners
Leader of the pack.
In dog
training, there's an old concept that says, quite simply, that the owner has to train himself before he can expect to train his dog. Why is this? Why can't you simply learn some techniques, a few commands, and expect your dog to know them and respond to them? Well, if you've ever owned a dog before, you know why: a dog has to respect your leadership before it agrees to be led. And if you're going to be a good leader in your "little pack," then you have to train yourself to be one. And that means training yourself to be a good pack leader.
First, understand that dogs respond to pack leaders. It doesn't really care if you're a dog or not - it will respond to commanding behavior from a human. If your dog is constantly aggressive, always lashing out, and frequently ignores your commands, it's safe to say that your dog doesn't respect you as a leader. Many dog owners would prefer to be friends with their dog. What they don't realize is that the dog sees this submissive behavior and begins to think that it is the leader. Who's the leader? You are, and that's why you need to train yourself to be one.
Second, you have to know how to be a pack leader. The first rule to establishing yourself as a leader is having a code of conduct for your dog. If your dog does something you don't like, do you simply yell at it, but never correct the behavior? The dog doesn't know what your words mean, so there's a good chance it will end up displaying the behavior again. However, if you have a code of conduct and your dog violates it, you should get up and correct the behavior - sometimes, simply standing or sitting up and being firm is enough. The bottom line is that your dog should know that you are willing to enforce certain standards of behavior.
A dog that sees it has limits with you will begin to understand that you are the leader. So you have to train yourself to be consistent. Only reward dogs after they have produced a behavior you want, and have done so calmly. Don't ever "bribe" a dog to do something - people bribe political leaders; is your dog a political leader? No. You're the leader in your house, and you get to say when the rewards are doled out: when actions have been completed to your satisfaction. Treat yourself like the leader, and the dog will follow. Then you can train the dog with less effort.
Photo Credits: Greencolander
This post involves:
... and focuses on:
Posted by Dog Training Pet on August 29, 2010 in
Dog Training, Tips for Dog Owners
Correcting Behavior
When it comes to dog training, perhaps the most overlooked aspect of working with a dog is understanding how to correct it. It takes more than simply knowing the right way to do something; you have to be able to "translate" what you know into something that the dog will clearly understand.
Many people make the mistake that dogs are more intuitive at understanding human behavior and communication than they are. Granted, dogs can be oddly in tune with what you're feeling, but they still don't understand words, and they can't always understand why you do something. That's why this article will explain how to really correct your dog in a way that leads to long-lasting, positive behavior.
First, you have to understand that positive reinforcement is more powerful and healthy than negative reinforcement. Why is this? Surely any dog will go out of its way to avoid pain! But that ignores the fact that dogs may not know the reason they're being punished. If they try to come up on the couch and you go overboard with the punishment, they may not get the message. What if they believe they're being punished for something else they had in mind?
Instead, you should correct your dog's behavior by establishing clear boundaries and not getting upset. If a couch is off-limits to your dog, simply remove that dog every single time it tries to climb up. Before the dog tries to climb up, make a firm and clear stand - put a hand up and make a loud noise that says "No." They won't necessarily always understand the word "No" but they will get a read of your voice and they'll get the message loud and clear: this couch is not for them.
Next, realize that it's much easier to lead a dog in the right direction than it is to constantly correct them to the direction you want. If a dog feels that it will be rewarded for staying calm, or going on a walk with you, it will feel much more excited about displaying those behaviors. If, however, a dog simply knows that it will want to avoid the opposite, you aren't replacing any negative behaviors. You're simply eliminating them, giving new places for the dog's anxiety and psychology to find expression. Remember: energy goes where attention flows. Reward good behavior, and don't punish bad behavior: simply stop it.
If you follow these principles, you're much more likely to raise a healthy, happy dog. Be sure that you understand that a dog isn't a replacement for a person, but simply a loyal friend that requires a certain way of behavior from both you and itself in order to have a healthy relationship.
Photo Credits: zenera
This post involves:
... and focuses on:
Posted by Dog Training Pet on August 29, 2010 in
Dog Training
Stumble
Reddit
Digg
Del.icio.us
Propeller