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  • 01.04.09 How Do We Solve a Problem Like Dogs?
    12.21.08 Dealing with Dog Separation Anxiety
    10.24.08 Hand Signals for Dog Obedience Training: What Should You Know?
    10.21.08 Understanding the Basic Dog Obedience Training Process
    10.18.08 House Training Your New Dog

    Archive for May, 2008

    Different Hand Signals for Dog Obedience Training

    Saturday, May 31st, 2008

    Pets are considered to be one of the most valuable and priceless possessions of a person. This has been the notion of different people throughout the years. No matter how many pets are available, dogs are still the more preferred pets of this new generation. One of the main reasons might be the ability of dogs to easily comprehend and follow commands from their owners. If these dogs are given proper training, they can easily grasp the language of both verbal and sign commands. This can be very helpful especially the use of hand signals that are gleaned to be easier than words spoken as dogs are very keen of body language.

    Since there are no official hand signals for dog obedience training you can also make use of commonly used basic commands which comprise of the heel, sit, stay, down and come. Through these hand signals, you can be able to teach your dog to sit by starting with your arm at your side. Next is by trying to move your hands toward your chest and facing your palm upward. This is an ideal way if you’re inches away from your pet.

    Next is to teach your dog to understand heel with your arms coming straight in front of your dog with your palm extended forward. You can then try to make some orders to stay by gradually extending your arm and your hand perpendicular with the palm right next to your pet’s nose without any form of contact.

    Another thing is when your dog attempts to snuffle your hand, stop him in a gentle manner. Also, if you want your dog to lay down with its stomach on the floor, do it with your hand open flat, the palm facing down and equivalent to the floor, with your arms curved at the elbow in a descending far-reaching motion.

    These hand signals for dog obedience training are a good way of teaching your dog to be aware of different hand gestures. It is therefore sensible to bring together the verbal command coupled with hand signals to improve your pet’s comprehension in general. Your dog in no time will immediately act in response to any of the verbal or hand signal gestures. Once they learn to get acquainted of your hand signal with the desired action, it would be easy for the owner to make commanding orders in any way that dogs would easily comprehend and understand.

    It is also best to know that if you want your pet to learn whilst enjoy the hand signals for obedience training, giving them a treat or some form of praise will be an inspiring and motivating factor for your dog to do well. However, if your dog deliberately refuses to comply with your commands, physical punishment is not the solution. Positive punishments should be the primary way of enhancing your pet’s good behavior.

    If your dog made successful basic hand signals for dog obedience training then your pet is very much ready for the an advance and complex duties.

    Have a great “dog training” day,

    Dr. Alfonso

    Aggressive Dog Training

    Wednesday, May 28th, 2008

    Are you an owner of a dog? Are you looking for ways on how to correct your dog’s aggressive behavior? Oftentimes, you’d see the signs of your dog’s aggressiveness - the baring of teeth, hostile growling, and biting. You wonder where your dog’s aggression is coming from. Getting an idea about the underlying causes or reasons for your dog’s aggressive behavior and letting your dog go through aggressive dog training. It is important that you get to the root of your dog’s aggression. This is the first step to helping your dog become a happy dog.

    Reasons for Dog Aggression

    There are various reasons for aggression; and by knowing the cause of your dog’s aggression would help you find treatment or help for your dog. This would give focus to the aggressive dog training.

    The reasons for aggression include dominance, territorial and fear aggression.

    Dominance aggression occurs when the dog desires to assert his dominance. This is oftentimes exhibited towards humans and other dogs. Basically, dogs are pack animals and they recognize hierarchy within his pack. Dogs consider their owners as members of the pack. So, they will try to assert their dominance over their pack.

    Territorial aggression occurs when the dog becomes protective of their home and their owners. When dogs feel that someone or something is threatening his possession or family, he would exhibit aggressive behavior.

    When your dog gets scared, he could also exhibit aggression which is prompted by his fear. When a dog feels cornered, he would lash out. This could be misinterpreted as direct aggression rather than a reaction to his fear.

    Training Your Aggressive Dog

    Aggressive dog training is not easy. It has vexed quite a lot of dog owners since aggression in dogs is a serious problem. People can be held legally liable for the damages their dog’s aggression could cause. If your dog injures anyone, he’d most likely be put down. This is aggressive dog training is important. Indeed, you can curve your dog’s aggressive tendencies. It is important that this kind of behavior be curbed before it caused any serious damage.

    Your veterinarian may have some suggestions on aggressive dog training. He could suggest a qualified trainer who is experienced with dog’s aggression. Unless you know how to train your own aggressive dog, you might just have to put out a substantial amount of money to have your dog undergo aggressive dog training. Opting for professional help would oftentimes yield great results. This type of training however is a special kind of dog training. This may not be available in traditional dog obedience schools. Your dog may even be denied admission if you go to this kind of training schools.

    When you’re choosing the aggressive dog training facility or school, however, you should take note of their training techniques. Make sure that your dog trainer will not use obsolete methods. This may caused your dog more harm than good.

    Have a great “dog training” day,

    Dr. Alfonso

    How To Succesfully Train A Deaf Dog

    Tuesday, May 27th, 2008

    Just like people, there are dogs that are born deaf but this disability should not hinder us from training these endearing animals to do what we want them to do, especially if they serve to be our companion in our homes.

    Deaf dog training is just the same as training a healthy and hearing dog. The basic concept of training is to reward the dog for behavior that you want to see them doing, and not rewarding them for the behavior you do not want them to do. Dogs understand commands this way as they will repeat whatever behavior wherein they get something in return for.

    The only difference of deaf dog training from normal dog training is the way of communicating your dog. As normal hearing dog training is training where commands are spoken, with deaf dog training, the commands are more on the visual signals. When dealing with deaf dogs, you can take advantage of their vision, sense of touch and ability to smell.

    Since dealing with deaf dogs involve hand signals, you have to make sure that the visual signals you use will be clear, consistent, visible even from a distance, and are distinguishable from other signs and gesture. Your body language and facial expressions are also important since your dog will base their reactions to your commands using these.

    First step in training a deaf dog is to establish a sign that means good job. You may use any hand signal that you want but you have to make sure that you are consistent in the signals that have a positive meaning. Every time you use this signal, it is important that there is a reward attach to this so that the dog will understand that this signal means he has shown you the correct behavior. In training the dog, make sure you include toys, games, and lots of petting. In time, your dog will recognize acceptable behavior by repeating the sign that means good job.

    After sign training your dog, you can now teach him to do what you want. You will need other forms of hand signals to command the dog to pay attention. Or you can use your foot to create vibrations on the floor that your dog can identify as to telling him what you want him to do. You can also use a vibrating collar to be able to aid your dog in following your command.

    Being fair with your dog is also an important step in the training process. You have to correct his mistakes before scolding him, although it is not really advisable to scold your dog because he may resent being scolded and hamper the training process. Rewarding and praising the dog during the time you actually catch him doing something nice is very effective in dog training.

    These are just some of the things to remember in deaf dog training. As you may notice, these training tips are not so different from training a normal hearing dog.

    Have a great "dog training" day,

    Dr. Alfonso

    Key Concepts of Basic Dog Training

    Saturday, May 24th, 2008

    Dog training is the only way to get the most out of your pooch. It will save you from all the frustrations that taking care of a dog brings. Even if your dog is an adorable one, if they remain untrained, you might even think of giving them away. So if you want to get the most out of your dog, and have them for life with minimal problems, then it is just right to indulge in basic dog training.

    Basic dog training is a series of training commands and signals that you make your dog understand and follow. The length of the training usually depends on the character and ability of your dog. If you choose to have your dog professionally trained, then you will have to invest a lot in its training. However, basic dog training can be done in your home and it just takes a few little mindful reminders in to successfully training your dog.

    Basic dog training is basically teaching your dog to follow certain commands that you will give him. The way to training your dog is similar to the way a teacher helps her students understand the subject at hand. The concepts are even more or less the same; the only difference is that this time you are teaching a living thing that bases its learning from constant repetition and habitual commands. There are several concepts that can be used in training your dog and the six major concepts into doing this right are timing, consistency, praise, firmness, and fun.

    Timing is an important concept because as dog trainer, you have to get the right time into praising your dog as well as correcting its behavior. Praising a dog must happen when he does what you want him to do. It will be too late to praise him or correct him if proper timing is not observed and in the end, will make training an even bigger task.

    You also have to be consistent in the ways you want your dog to act. For example, if you do not want your dog to eat on the carpet, then you must not give him food where the carpet is. It will end up being very confusing for your dog if you allow him to do forbidden things sometimes because dogs only understand always or never. The consequence of your being inconsistent in the manner that you want your dog to act is that eventually your dog will lose respect for you.

    Praise as a positive reinforcement is important for dogs. Dogs love being praised for the things that they do correctly so as home trainers, make sure that every now and then praise is given to your dog. Even a simple "Good Dog" will do.

    Being firm in the commands you give your dog does not mean giving our harsh commands. It just implies that you have to tell your dog to do a certain thing, not ask him to do something. If the dog does not do what you are trying to tell him, then you can assist in showing him how to go about the task.

    Of course, since dogs are fun loving animals, you also have to inject some energetic games in the training of your dog. Just like humans, dogs will get bored and will be stressed if there is a strict routine in training. Besides, playing with your dogs will also give you a boost of the happy hormone.
    These are just some of the key concepts of basic dog training and following these concepts will surely end up with successful home training.

    Have a great “dog+training’ day,

    Dr. Alfonso

    The Importance of Dog Obedience Training

    Friday, May 23rd, 2008

    Dog obedience training is probably the best gift you can give to the new addition to your family — a newly acquired puppy or dog. It is not only a gift for your pup but also for yourself. It is wise to note however the dog obedience training will not solve the all behavior problems but it will serve as the foundation for solving most of the basic behavior problems that dogs have.

    The most important thing in dog obedience training is communication. Training opens communication lines between you and your dog. The opening of these communication lines during training is necessary since it will be the mode of learning for you and your dog. It is in these communication lines that you will learn to command your dog, with the result of the dog aptly responding to the commands you give him.

    Dogs are animals so no matter how adorable they get, if they aren’t properly trained, they will act like animals. And acting like animals mean that they have the tendency to soil the house, destroy your belongings, chew your furniture, bark terribly, fight with other dogs, or even bite you. These are quite understandable behavior since it is their natural instinct to do so, however, if you want a domesticated pet to live in your abode, then it is wise to teach your dog in redirecting his natural behavior to a more acceptable one for domestic setting.

    Dog obedience training is also the best way to introduce domestic hierarchy. When the dog adheres to your command of ‘come, sit, or stay’, he is acknowledging your role as leader and is showing respect and conformity to your authority. You can get this type of attention without even resorting to drastic measures like the alpha roll-over. Most dogs love performing tricks, so this is one way for them to execute a command they get from you and makes them know who is in charge.

    Training your dog must be fun for both of you since it allows more bonding and thus creating a close relationship between pet and pet owner. A well-trained dog has the definite advantage over an untrained one. And they will even enjoy the amount of freedom that is given to them than the untrained dog that will not come when called.

    People often wonder about the training process of dogs and if it is possible to train dogs of different ages. With a good trainer, it is possible to train puppies and even teach old dogs new tricks. If you are worried that your dog may not be trained because of his age, don’t be because anytime is the right time to train your dogs because like people, dogs’ attitudes constantly changes.

    If you want to train your dog in the comforts of your home, what you can do is read printed materials on the ways to do so or even enroll yourself in a local dog obedience training class to learn the basic steps in dog training, and from there, start training your beloved companion.

    Have a great “dog training” day,

    Dr. Alfonso



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