The prenatal period, is a recognized important period during the development of puppies. It is said that long term effects towards the behavioral development of mammals occur while they are still inside their mommies. Earlier studies often overlooked the existence of this period in a puppy's life cycle since actual observations of the puppies behavior isn't possible. But with the development of the ultrasound machine an unborn puppy can now be observed within its mum even as early as the 4th of week of gestation! In fact, some believe that training a puppy can begin at this time.

They have observed that puppy fetuses react to touch or to pressure from outside their mothers abdomen. It is also theorized that since puppies have a very well-developed sense of touch even at birth, then it could be possible that this sensitivity is also as developed even before they are born. Thus it is also theorized that constant gentle patting of the mother dog's abdomen can help in the development of positive socialization of the puppies with people. After birth and during the first 2 weeks of a puppy's life, which is also known as the neonate period, it is said that puppies can already learn basic associations. Thus, it is considered prime time for training a puppy.

However these early experiences are very unlikely to get carried over to the puppy's later life. So training a puppy while its still young might be a good idea but the chances of this training being remembered when your puppy gets older is very unlikely. The next period in a puppy's development is what's called the socialization. Social investigation, play fighting and playful sexual behavior is adamant to the puppy's ability to develop social relationships during its life. So training a puppy to play fight with other puppies is beneficial to it and should be encouraged.

During the same period, reactions such as getting startled as well as reactions to sudden movement as well as sounds develop. This would help the puppy to differentiate what is dangerous and what is safe as well as which events are insignificant. The development of a puppy's attachment to specific areas in its environment occurs. This could manifest itself through a disturbed reaction in the puppy when something is moved or changed. This thing is called localization and it often happens to puppies between 6-7 weeks old and then wears off as time goes by till it reaches the point when any change is no longer stressful to the puppy.

It is also said that a dog who is petted regularly by its owner especially during the first eight weeks of its life is more likely easier to be trained as well as more ideal to be living with humans. As such, most people believe that puppies should be placed in their permanent home within the first 8-10 weeks of living, although there are some dog breeders that believe that puppies should not be placed on their permanent home when they are 12 weeks, especially if they are of the small breed . There are even laws, in some places, wherein puppies are not allowed to be taken away from their mothers before reaching 8 weeks. Puppies are also more fearful of any change during the periods of 10-12 weeks thus making it harder for them to adapt to a new home.

Starting dog obedience training and puppy socialization is critical as soon as the puppy gets to his permanent home.

Have a great "dog training" day,

Dr. Mayra Alfonso

Dog behavioral training is mostly about learning the right way to communicate with your pet. From our human stand point, the dog trainer or handler is the person who communicates with the pup, and via this communication they "tell" the dog pet which are the positive and which are the negative behaviors. The dog handler should also be knowledgeable about what things motivate the pet, in that way they can reach maximum results.

A dog handler has the responsibility of knowing how to communicate with the pet. A dog can also communicate with the handler, by using body language. For example, a dog can signal to the handler if he is not happy, confused, scared, excited, and so on. A dog's emotional way of being plays a very important factor and should be taken into account when training the pup. If the puppy is stressed out or distracted, he will not learn properly.

Consistency with the dog hand signals and with the use of verbal commands is key to help the pet understand the commands faster and more effectively. It is crucial to understant that the reward of your pet friend isn't the same as the reward market. A reward marker consists of the hand signal that lets the dog know the he has been good and that he has earned a reward.

So, what kind of rewards is appropriate at this stage? A reward can vary from a dog treat, praise, a dog toy or anything else that your dog enjoys and that is appropriate for him to have. If you do not reward your dog after doing the reward hand signal (the reward marker), then the value of the reward will diminish and this will make the training sessions more difficult.

In addition to the use of hand signals, there is also the clicker. Clicker have become very popular lately, and this is when used properly they can be very effective. Mechanical clickers are another type of reward markers. If you are using hand signals, or a clicker, the handler's body language is one of the most important parts in the dog's learning process. The significance of hand signals can be taught to your pooch through constant repetition, in that way giving the pup an opportunity to associate the hand gesture with the behavior that is expected from him.

Dog behavioral training using classical conditioning can also be an important part of training man's best friend the punishment marker in addition to the punishment itself. Everyone agrees that using positive reinforcement is a much better way to train your dog, but there are times in which are necessary to use a certain level of negative reinforcement or punishment. The concept of "cross-contextualization" comes into play when the dog need to recognize that a signal used during indoors training means the same when the training is outdoors. The particular hand signal or command needs to be taught again in every new situation to prevent confusion from the part of the dog.

If rewarding the pet, there are occasions in which the trainers go through the process of esentially teaching the puppy to develop a great desire for certain toy or certain treat and therefore this object will become a very strong positive reward for the pet good behavior. This is called "building prey drive", and it is mostly used during the training of police dogs. The purpose of this kind of training is to have the dog work independenlty for prolonged periods of time in the hope of getting the toy or treat as reward.

When it comes to punishing a dog the owner need to consider what is the most appropriate way to do this. Punishment is different for each dog, and depends on the dog's personality, age, experience, as well as their physical and mental conditions. Punishments should be used immediately to correct a negative behavior and not later on down the road, after the behavior has passed. Avoid physical punishment in your dog, this will just make the dog behavioral training more difficult.

There is not one perfect animal. All animals have some kind of problems, sometimes these problems are related to health; other times they are animal behavioral problems. When it comes to dogs it's no different, unfortunately dog behavior problems are more common than what many people think, and it is one of the main reasons why these dogs end up in kennels. There are many reasons for behavior problems in dogs, and to correct them one of the most important things to do is to find out what is the root of the dogs' behavioral problems. One of the most commons issues that owners see is aggressive behavior in dogs. This behavior comprises of excessive barking, compulsive fighting with other dogs, herding or even retrieving other kinds of animals.

One of the most common behavior problems in dogs is that of aggression towards strangers. When a pup does not appear to be comfortable around strangers and shows a level of dislike toward men, people who wears uniform or children it could be related to lack of socialization. Socialization in a puppy is extremely important to avoid these types of conduct. Unfortunately, there is a small window of opportunity when it comes to socializing men best friend, and if that window of opportunity is missed, socializing your dog, will be extremely hard if not impossible. You know if your pooch is well socialized if he acts in a relaxed manner in environments with many different elements, like meeting new people, or new pets, or being in different places. So, how do you socialize your pet? Very simply done, all you have to do is exposed your puppy to different kinds of environments, people and other pets. The more you socialize your pet, the less are the chances of developing behavioral problems with dogs in the future, and the less need will be for correcting dog behavior techniques.

Dog aggression is not always limited to strangers or unfamiliar places or pets. Dogs can also be aggressive towards members of the family. There are two major reasons why these pets can get aggressive towards family members, one is associated with poor tolerance of how their body is handled and the other is protection of territory. Pups will tend to protect the place where they sleep, their food and their treats. This is actually a natural behavior, and there is nothing wrong with it, if it's not done excessively or aggressively. There are measures that can be used to these common dog behavior problems.

So what can an owner do to prevent these canine behavioral problems? One of the most important things to understand is that under socialized dog aggression can be lessened by doing remedial socialization and using classic conditioning. It might be possible that even if these methods are used that the pup might still suffer from the problems but hopefully in a lessened way. The speed and level of improvement will depend on the pet genetics, the severity of the dog or puppy behavioral problems and their age. It will also depend on the pet owner's willingness to work with their flurry friend.

A very important factor to know is to be aware of what the dog's bit inhibition level is. Puppies learn through play biting other puppies of the litter, if the puppy being bitten is bitten too hard he will let know the offender that he was biting to hard by being more aggressive or biting him harder. As these behavior happens on a frequent basis the puppies will learn not to bite to hard and therefore they will be avoid getting hurt and will be able to continue playing. If you stop puppies from play-biting each other, your pup will not learn the "soft mouth" way to bite and could grow up to demonstrate a higher risk of dog to dog aggression. The best way to prevent pet behavioral problems is to train your dog well and stop dog behavior problems even before they start.

Have a great "dog training" day,

Dr. Mayra Alfonso

Many people confuse watchdogs with guard dogs. It is critical for people who want a watchdog to difference between the two. The role of a watchdog is to act more like an alarm system when he sees what he considers a thread toward their master or toward their territory. Some of these events that watchdogs consider threatening are someone getting too close to you, a stranger entering your property or someone walking around your backyard.

If you have a dog that barks to everyone that gets near you or your house, like for example the mailman, someone jogging around or another animal like a cat or another dog, this dog is not considered a watchdog, and what it basically means is that your dog is not well trained.

So what are the things you need to know when training a watchdog? A very critical fact is that you need to go toward your dog every time he barks. You have to be consistent and do this every single time your dog barks. Depending on what your dog is barking at you will need to praise him or discourage him from barking. For example, if your pet is barking at something you want him to bark at, you should give him lots of praise and maybe even a treat. If your dog is barking at something you do not want him to bark at, then you need to put your hand around your pup's mouth, look at his eyes and say the word "quiet". You need to make sure you are consistent at this, until your dog really understands what you are trying to tell him.

To speed the training of your watchdog it is suggested that you set up different situations with friends, neighbors or family members to give your dog the opportunity to react toward the situation and so you can correct him or praise him accordingly. The more you practice this with your dog, the better he will get at it. Remember to reward your dog every time he barks for the right situation.

There are some dogs that are natural watchdogs; some other dogs are not cut off to be watchdogs. You can't expect a dog that is not a watchdog to become one. If what you want is really a watchdog, make sure to do the appropriate research on the breed of dog you are considering to get, to make certain that the dog have the watchdog skills that you are looking for. A great quality for a watchdog is a dog that barks selectively, and not to everything they see or hear, that is why some it is important to apply the right dog training techniques as mentioned above to get your dog properly trained.

If you get to your dog's site every time he would bark, then he will learn to take his job as a serious issue. The dog will love the attention and praises that he gets from you when he is barking for the right situation and you will see more of this behavior, in contrast the dog behavior to baking at everything and anything will start extinguishing.

Have a great "dog training" day,

Dr. Alfonso

There are a lot of dog training methods and techniques and a few of these techniques change depending to the breed of dog. There are several dog training tools to assist yet the most novice to train a dog with success. Some things that are required when training a pet is patience, understanding and the ability to interpret your dog with success.

There are multiple ways of training and they can differ dependent on what you desire your best flurry friend to do. The most familiar way of training for all pets is composed by the dog basic commands. These commands include sit, stay, heel, come and fetch.But the most important of all basic training for all dogs is house training. All of these training methods are all important to developing a great relationship with your pup.

Additionally, there are training techniques for relieving a dog's aggressive behavior, instructing a dog not to bark or whine,and diminishing basic behaviors as digging, chewing, biting and many others. All of these, nevertheless, should be taught only after the most basic commands are instructed and the puppies are successfully house trained. This prevents the pup from becoming confused and keeps your patience and sanity intact!

Obedience in dogs isn't natural; although a few dog breeds are easier to train than others, they still have to be taught to obey their masters. If they're not instructed in obedience, the dogs might become disobedient, hostile and aggressive and you may find yourself incapable to deal with the pet.

Let's take a look at house-training your new puppy or your rescue dog. When you first adopt your new dog is when you ought to begin to work at getting the dog broken away from the bad habit of doing his stuff inside the house. Pups might want to alleviate themselves much more than an elder dog, so you've to be capable to notice the times your pup might want to release himself.

The habitual times a puppy requires to go is straight after eating or drinking water, so take care to be sensitive to what your dog does and when. The crucial thing to keep in mind is to not get aggravated with your dog if he makes mistakes or have any accidents. Accidents and mistakes will occur and they may be ample, so stay tolerant and do not nag your pets if they get it wrong.

It isn't until a puppy is 12 weeks plus that they'll be capable to have any kind of control over their bladder functions. This is why it's important to begin training immediately and get them into a good routine. Your flurry friend will shortly realize that when you take him outdoors it's time to go. Remember that it might take a while and don't remove your eye away from the dog when outside. This way you'll be able to make sure it's in reality done what it needs to do prior to you take him back indoors!

Additional forms of dog training such like agility training and activities will take longer, but they can be a lot of fun and exercise for both of you. You may prefer to hire a professional dog trainer to assist you, particularly if you're looking at getting the dog into agility competitions.

There are even more forms of dog training that are more difficult and challenging; there are dogs that are trained to lead blind people, assist handicapped people, the senior, to assist find surviving victims of catastrophes, fire dogs, police dogs and many more. The list of things that dogs are capable of doing once trained properly is very long. These types of trainings are always done professionally and typically by specialty organizations that deal specifically with training for those happenings.

So, unless you are looking to train your dog in agility or to become a service dog or a rescue dog, you might be able to train your dog at home, especially if you are just looking at doing the basic dog training. For more advanced training, hiring a professional dog trainer might be the way to go.

Have a great "dog training" day,

Dr. Alfonso