Archive for the ‘Dog Training’ Category
Room Training
Room training is an imperative component of any comprehensive dog training routine. Select a safe room that when visitors come over whom are not “dog people,” the dog would stay while the visitors are there. It should contain a pee pad and toys. Some puppies pee in their space at first and some don’t, have patience. The point of the room is to discourage peeing for a period of time and keep them out of trouble – first an hour or two and at night, then gradually longer. The point is to take the dog out before it has to go to the bathroom and as time goes by it can hold it longer and longer. Never more than 4 hours except at night, when I recommend you get up twice during the night and let the puppy out; after two days wait and let the puppy out once in the middle of the night, gradually extend the wait time an hour until finally they have gone all night.
The room should be used up to a year when you are gone and at night. The sooner the puppy is trained and you can trust them the sooner they have free roam of the house. Remember to remove food and water an hour or more before leaving the dog, the puppy should be let outside and empty when left in the room. At night, take food/water away by 5pm so the puppy is empty for the night.
Do You Have to Leave Your Pet at Home
1. Please Don’t Go! Coping with Separation Anxiety in Pets
When your dog suffers from separation anxiety, leaving the house can be just as stressful for you as it is for him. No one likes to see a beloved pet upset—plus, any time away from home might be spent worrying what kind of mess awaits your return. Will your pooch tear up the sofa? Chew the walls? Pee on the carpet? Shake, drool and bark for hours?
Overcoming disorders like separation anxiety takes time, patience and consistency, but it can be done! Don’t wait any longer: take control of your dog’s happiness—and your own—just in time for summer travel season. Follow the advice of ASPCA animal behaviorists, and next time you drop off Fido at a friend’s house or the boarding kennel, you’ll feel sweet relief knowing that you miss him more than he misses you.
- Doctor Knows Best
The first step in tackling behavior issues is to rule out any underlying medical problems that might be causing your pet’s behavior. For example, if your pet is urinating in the house, he might be suffering from a urinary tract infection, bladder stones, diabetes or kidney disease. - Keep It Mellow
All greetings—hellos and goodbyes—should be conducted in a very calm manner. When saying goodbye, just give your dog a pat on the head, say goodbye and leave. Similarly, when arriving home, say hello to your dog and then don’t pay any more attention to him until he’s calm and relaxed. - Dogs Need Jobs
Providing lots of physical and mental stimulation is a vital part of treating many behavior problems, especially those involving anxiety. Exercise can enrich your dog’s life, decrease stress and provide appropriate outlets for normal behavior. Plus, a tired dog doesn’t have much excess energy to burn when he’s left alone!
Visit the Dog Care section of our website to read our complete guide to tackling separation anxiety.
Remembering Daddy
Almost everyone that is a dog lover has watched the Dog Whisperer at one time or another. Whether you agree with Cesar Millan’s techniques or not, it is time to celebrate a star of the show, Daddy. We also get to celebrate his adopted “grandson”, Junior, as he carries on the legacy.
I don’t want to do any injustice to the article so I am simply attaching the link.
Is A Halter Better For My Dog?
Many people today want to use the gentlest method possible for controlling and training their dog. Choke collars, pinch collars, and prong collars make many people uncomfortable. Some people prefer to use halters such as the Halti or Gentle Leader for their dogs but there are pros and cons to these head collars. Should you use one for your dog?
A head collar is different from an ordinary collar for dogs. Most regular collars fit around a dog’s neck. Head collars work like a horse halter. They have straps that fit behind your dog’s ears, along the cheeks and over your dog’s nose. It is this nose strap that really controls your dog. There is a D ring on the underside of the head collar where you attach your leash.
It’s important to properly size a head collar to fit your dog. Otherwise the halter won’t be effective at all.
Most dogs don’t like a head collar at first. Some dogs never get used to them. When you put the head collar on your dog you should allow plenty of time for your dog to get used to it. Let your dog wear the head collar in the house a few times before you ever try to take him anywhere wearing the halter. Give him some treats when you put the head collar on. Give treats and take the head collar off. You can do this a few times so that he associates the head collar with something pleasant. You can even put the head collar on before you feed your dog and let him eat while he’s wearing it.
After your dog has gotten used to wearing the halter you can attach your leash and practice walking your dog. You can practice in the house before going in the backyard or on a quiet street.
It’s a good idea to have a standard collar on your dog and an extra leash with you, just in case. It’s always possible that the halter could break and you might need to attach your leash to the back-up collar.
Walk your dog on a loose leash and let him walk in front of you. Head collars are great for controlling boisterous dogs and dogs that aggressively pull. They are often chosen by small people with very large dogs since they help them control the dogs better. Your dog should be walking more quietly for you with the head collar.
You can practice walking 10 to 20 feet, then give your dog a treat. Keep this up for a few days and your dog should be walking quietly for you.
Those are the basics of training your dog to walk with a head collar. It’s not hard to teach your dog but there are pros and cons about using a halter on a dog. Some trainers believe that a head collar is a “quick fix” for a training problem. If your dog pulls when you walk him with an ordinary collar, you haven’t really solved the problem by putting your dog in a head collar. You have only increased your control. If you put your dog back in an ordinary collar your dog will likely still pull.
Other people dislike using the head collar because, with the nose strap around the dog’s muzzle, it looks like your dog is wearing a muzzle. This can give people the impression that you have an aggressive dog which makes many owners uncomfortable.
By far the most serious negative about using the head collar is that there is the potential for soft tissue damage and damage to the spine from using the halter. The head collar works on a dog’s nose instead of the lower neck. If a dog moves out to the end of the leash and yanks or is pulled back, or if you simply don’t see what he’s doing, his head can be whipped to the side at the top of the spine. This is similar to a facemask injury in football, with the head being whipped around to the side and it can cause a lot of physical damage to your dog, especially if it happens repeatedly.
And, as already mentioned, many dogs simply seem to hate the head collars. They don’t seem to like having something placed on their nose, especially so close to their eyes. Although the halter is similar in design to a horse halter, the head of a horse and that of a dog are very different.
Head collars are very effective for dogs that pull a lot, especially for small people trying to control large dogs, but you’ll have to make your own evaluation about the pros and cons and whether you think the good outweighs the bad.
<a href=”http://information.i-love-dogs.com/dog-articles/dog-training/4190-Halter-Better-For-Dog.html”>Is A Halter Better For My Dog?</a> courtesy of <a href=”http://information.i-love-dogs.com/dog-articles/”>Dog Articles</a>
Dogs in Desparate Need!!Urgent euth alert:8 to die before Christmas!
Please crosspost everywhere
Please post on BLOGS and bulletin boards
12/16 @ 10 am
Even if you can’t take the dogs until after Christmas, please ask! Another trans can be arranged!
Trans to northeast on Saturday. Still have room to get dogs to rescues in northern MD, eastern PA, central/northern NJ, Binghamton NY & CT!!! We are holding seats on this run specifically for Rowan dogs!
Trans to midwest can be arranged, please ask!
Local foster homes/offers of free boarding very welcome and appreciated! Morehead KY area
8 more to go. Still hoping for a Christmas miracle!
Dogs at the top of the list die first.
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CONTACT INFO
STAR Saving the Animals of Rowan
Sue: s.creasap@moreheadstate.edu (moreheadstate.edu)
606-356-1939 cell
12/14: Sue will have limited internet access for the
next few days, so please cc these also:
barbarawhite@roadrunner.com (roadrunner.com) and
jandacci@roadrunner.com (roadrunner.com)
Jan’s cell 606-462-0375
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STAR Saving the Animals of Rowan
These are the 8 still in danger at the pound.
Listed in order of intake date (top of the list die first):
1. AMBER the cuddlebug – 45/50 lbs – next to die! ~~~ SPONSORED! ~~~
Adopt a Yellow Labrador Retriever: Amber URGENT: Petfinder
She is a happy dog. Her favorite thing is to take her paws and reach through the kennel wore to “touch”. She loves attention and we suspect she will be a real cuddler if given the chance. She plays well with the other dogs in her pen and is not more than 1-2 years old.
“Look at my smile and wagging tail! Please don’t let me die here! They say I’ve been here too long!”
2. Didley, BEGGING! Next to die! Lab mix, friendly, young, and happy, no one looks twice, 45 lbs, 1-2 yrs, pen 7.
Adopt a Black Labrador Retriever: Didley URGENT: Petfinder
“Nobody wants black labs here. Don’t let me end up as another statistic…dead!”
3. Beano, male, stray on 10/2. Next to die! Border collie/lab mix, friendly, 35-40 lbs, 1 yr, pen 7
Looks like he might have some whippet in the mix??
Adopt a Mountain Cur: Beano URGENT: Petfinder
4. Bojangles (needs neuter, fence barks at other males, fine with kennel mates)
mountain cur mix, unusual amber eye color, cropped tail, friendly and no one looks twice!
Adopt a Mountain Cur: Bojangles URGENT: Petfinder
Maybe sponsorship will get this guy neutered and into boarding so his hormones can cool off? If you can help, please ask if that’s possible!
5. Bola, male lab mix, beautiful spray of white speckles on chest, pen 7, sweet disposition, good with other dogs, approx 60 lbs
Adopt a Black Labrador Retriever: Bola URGENT: Petfinder
6. Point, male, lab/something mix, This boy wandered in as a stray. He plays well with other dogs and loves kids. He has medium length coat and weighs about 50 lb. Pen 7. BREED ID? Lab/what? Ears don’t hang like a lab’s…body is stocky like a possible English lab?? English Lab/Shep???
Adopt a Black Labrador Retriever: Point URGENT: Petfinder
Looks like a friendly guy…his tail is always up for photos. Love those ears! Little batwings on that big body! LOL
7. Hoolihan, pointer mix, very friendly, likes to give kisses, 50 lbs, 1 yr, pen 6
Adopt a Pointer: Hoolihan URGENT: Petfinder
8. Nemoy, feist, 15 lbs, pen 5, cute as can be and a stocky little fellow about 6 months old. Lots of fun!
Medicated Dogs?
Genuine separation anxiety can be a serious problem for a dog. It is much more than simply having a dog that barks and cries when you leave the house. With genuine separation anxiety your dog cannot stand to be away from you even when you’re home. He follows you from room to room. He may become so stressed about being near you that he will use the bathroom in the house. He can even bark and cry for you when you are gone and there are other people present. And he will do these things if you are gone for 30 minutes or less. Dogs with separation anxiety may also dig, chew, scratch themselves, or exhibit other kinds of destructive behavior. Separation anxiety is a psychological condition and it may require medication for treatment.
Separation anxiety can occur with any dog but it is most common with dogs who have been abused, abandoned or with those which were not properly socialized when young. No one knows exactly what causes it but you should know that it is an actual anxiety condition. When your dog does these things he is not disobeying you or being deliberately destructive. Even if he is housebroken or normally well-behaved, he cannot help his behavior when he has this much anxiety. A combination of medication and behavior modification can allow him to live a normal life again.
If you suspect that your dog has separation anxiety you should first consult with your veterinarian. He or she can rule out any physical reasons for your dog’s problems. Your vet may recommend a complete blood count, urinalysis and other tests. Once other causes are ruled out your vet may prescribe one of the medications often used for separation anxiety, such as clomipramine and amitriptyline. These drugs should be given exactly as prescribed. They must be taken regularly and not just when your dog is showing symptoms of anxiety. It may take several weeks for them to begin to be effective so it’s necessary to follow the prescription and directions precisely.
Once your dog begins to respond to medication it’s a good idea to consult with an animal behavioral consultant. This professional can try some behavior modification techniques to try to help your dog. Your vet may also be able to help you with these behavior modification exercises. These exercises will work on some of the behaviors your dog exhibits under stress, such as barking or housebreaking problems. Your dog may not be able to respond to these exercises until he is taking medication to reduce his anxiety. That’s why behavior modification usually comes after medication has begun.
It’s also a good idea to make sure your dog gets plenty of outdoor exercise. Exercise in general will be good for him and it will help provide some positive stimulation for him. Don’t forget mental stimulation, too. Do things at home with your dog. Provide toys and chews for him so he won’t get bored.
If you still must leave your dog during the day while you work (and most of us do), consider taking your dog to a doggy daycare where he will be around other people and dogs. Or think about taking him to a friend’s house during the day, or getting a pet sitter to come to your house. These things will all help your dog cope with your absence; at least until his separation anxiety is under control.
Genuine separation anxiety is a serious psychological problem and it needs a combination of treatments. Don’t give up hope. Your dog can be treated and live a normal life again. You will be able to leave the house without your best friend falling to pieces. It just takes patience and treatment.
Let’s Play!
I started working with Dogs and Horses at a very young age. Was taught to ride a horse and how to barrel race, which was a blast. Had some of those horses that, I will just say, were a challenge. But, whether it was training a horse or a dog the agility was the most important part.I will talk about the very first dogs I trained for agility, Duke and Dolly. Duke was a mix and Dolly was a german shepherd. They were so patient with me.
I started out with wooden poles and blocks of wood and tires. I didn’t have the great equipment they we have now. It probably took me a little longer than normal to get them to do things because all I wanted to do was play with them and pet them. It was really hard for me to be stern about anything, especially at a young age. But when they did what they were expected to do it was the most amazing and thrilling experience. Using the products that I do know makes it a little easier because they don’t cause the injury, to me or my dogs, as my old equipment did.