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  • 07.18.08 Dog Behavioral Training - How To Effectively Communicate With Your Dog
    07.11.08 Dog Training How To Correct Your Dog Behavior Problems
    07.10.08 Dog Training - What's A Watchdog About?
    07.09.08 Dog Training Tips Dog Owners Can't Ignore
    07.08.08 Dog Training Commands: The Sit Command

    Archive for 2008

    More on Dog Training Hand Signals

    Friday, July 4th, 2008

    In anyone's home, there is usually the presence of dogs. More and more people are becoming hooked on having a dog as their pet which may result for the latter to be considered the most important possession of a person.

    In choosing a particular pet, there should be a lot of consideration to be done and one of them is the ability to react and understand command given by owners.

    If proper training is achieved, after some time the dog may both understand verbal and hand commands. But in most cases, dogs respond better on hand signal than verbal command because of their nature to be very observant of body language.

    Dog hand signals are pleasurable to teach and easy to understand by most dogs. The very fist thing to do is to associate your dog obedience hand signals in gradual repetition then slowly disregard the verbal command. When you are training your pet, it is advisable that the primary command that you should teach is the sit technique.

    Through the hand signals for dog training, you can teach it to sit by starting with your arms placed at your side then slowly move your hand into your chest in such position your palm is faced upward. This training is advisable if you are located inches away from your pet or if not, grab the collar of your pet and slowly push its rear into a sting position. The moment when he had mastered the skill, you can then do it again without the verbal command and if he follows your command, give him a reward.

    The moment when you see that he had already mastered the skill then the dog is ready for a new trick. The down command is the next which will let the dog lay down with head up and paws forward. The hand signal for this kind of trick is to palm down and your finger positioned together, afterwards slowly lower your hand to the ground. When doing this, it is important that your dog is focused because if not, your dog will not obey your command properly.

    After then, you are ready to teach the ‘come' signal. When doing this, you need to call his name first as you say ‘come'. If he approaches you right ahead, give some reward but he is disobedient, you can pull his leash unto you while at the same time calling his name and saying ‘come'.

    When he mastered the verbal command for come, you can then incorporate the hand signals for dogs by bending your right arm at the elbow and then move backward into your left shoulder in a single sweeping action.

    The instant when you observe that your dog had already mastered these three basic dog training hand signals, it is about time to enroll him for more advance lesson. But you can as well do the training all by yourself by researching information from the internet or magazine which tackles about dog training books + hand signals.

    Have a great "dog training day",

    Dr. Alfonso

    Dog Training - Dog Hand Signals

    Tuesday, July 1st, 2008

    Dog owners value their pets immensely, to the point that dogs are not considered pets any longer, instead they are seen one more member of the family. It is of popular knowledge that dogs are the most popular pets. One of the main reasons for this is probably the ability that these pets posses to easily comprehend and follow dog training hand signals given to them by their owners. Proper pup training involves a combination of dog hand signals and verbal commands. A combination of both seems to work the best when it comes to training a puppy. The reason why hand signals for dog training appear to work so well is because these animals are very good at reading body language.

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

    To train your pet with dog obedience hand signals, dog obedience hand signals the stay command, you have to first train him on the sit command. Once your dog has sat, place you arm straight in front of your dog with the palm of your hand extended forward, facing the dog's face. Give the dog the stay command and extend your arm and with your hand perpendicular to the face of the dog, get your hand very closed to the dog's nose, but do not touch him.

    Make certain to stop your dog at once if he tries to snuffle your hand, when you are giving him the stay command, but do it in a firm but kind way. To train your dog the down command, you need to place your arm curved at the elbow and perpendicular to the floor, then with your palm facing down and parallel to the floor give the down command. Some dogs might resist the down command. For dogs to go down on the floor means to lower their guard, and some are just not comfortable with that. Also, remember you might need to teach the dog what the down commands mean, before he can do it.

    The hand signals for training dogs are an effective way of teaching your dog to become vigilant of all your hand gestures. Using hand signals for dogs is very beneficial when training the dogs, especially if you add verbal commands, this will improve the pet's comprehension. Using both verbal and hand signals for dogs will also accelerate the training time for the pet, because the he will easily understand and comprehend your commands than if using dog hand signals or verbal commands alone.

    As you feel comfortable with your pet learning the basic dog training hand signals, you can start advancing his training to more complex task, other than the basic dog training techniques. To learn more advance techniques you can combine dog training books + hand signals you have learned, these are a great combination.

    So Which Dogs Are Good for the Young?

    Saturday, June 28th, 2008

    Owning a family dog can be a wonderful experience, many dog owners swear by it. Dogs can be fun and give the family unconditional love. They mean well and they never answer us back when we are mad at them. But dogs are also a great responsibility for its owners, they require care and attention.

    Choosing a family dog might be a challenging task, there are so many breeds out there that it's difficult to even decide where to start. Selecting a dog for the family is even harder if there are kids in the house, or if the potential for having children in the future exists. Some breeds are considered family and kid friendly, others are not. When bringing a dog home one of the most important and critical things to do is to allow the dog socialize and get to know each family member, from the youngest one to the oldest one.

    When looking for a family dog, you have to choose a breed of dog good with children. Some breeds are not very patient when it comes to the little one and they can pose a threat to them, therefore you should make your diligent research when choosing a dog for your family. Finding a dog that is good with kids is a most is you have little ones at home.

    A very popular family dog is the Golden retriever. The Golden retriever is a large dog, but is also a gently one. He is of very good natured and submissive with the family members. These dogs tend to be calmer than the Labrador retriever and they also intelligent and playful. The Golden retriever because of their long coat will need regular grooming, which can be time consuming.

    In addition to the Golden retriever I just mentioned above, there is another big dog that is a great family dog and very good with children, and this is the Labrador retriever. The Labrador retriever can be hyper as a puppy, but tends to calm down as he matures and grows older. They are active dogs, therefore good play pens for children. They require a lot of exercise, so if your kids do not like to play outside or if you are not an active type of person do not get a Labrador. Without proper exercise the Lab will get bored and will tend to become destructive.

    Another dog that is very good with children is the Shih tzu. Shih tzus are small dogs, with big hearts. They are very friendly and love everyone in the family. They tend to be stubborn, but if well trained they can turn into great companions, not only for kids but also for adults and elderly. The Shih tzu is not a whiny dog, they tend to be very proud and very stoic. They love the attention but they have their time when they like to be by themselves. If you ask the Shih tzu for some time out he will give it to you. They are gentle and because of their small size, from 10 to 16 pounds, they are easy to manage. If you have very small kids the Shih tzu is not recommended because the puppies are very small and could get harm easily.

    If you want to have a dog good with children, make sure you do your good share of research to make certain that you are going to bring home a pet that will be safe for you and your children. Not two dogs are alike, even if they are from the same breed. So, even if you decide to get a dog from one of the recommended breed you have to be careful that this particular dog does not have any behavioral problems.

    Some Dog Training Success Tips You Should Know

    Friday, June 27th, 2008

    Can dog training be done at the comfort of your own home? The answer is yes, there are several puppy training or dog training methods that you can definitively apply at home without the need of hiring a professional dog trainer. One of the benefits of training your pet at home is that you could potentially save money and time. A critical factor to remember when training your dog is that it isn't a onetime thing as dog's attitudes tend to change over time.

    What is what makes dog training difficult? Why it's that many dog owners give up in training their dogs? Well the answer is that even when training is a simple thing, the dog owner need to apply the dog training success tips consistently. Training a dog to do something today, and not trying again for another four or five days is a sure path to failure.

    What is the first tip that you as your dog trainer need to be familiar with? To successfully train your dog there are three criteria's that are critical: patience, consistency and persistence. Without these three your dog training efforts will most likely be unsuccessful.

    Being the alpha or leader of the pack is something that you need to achieve fast when it comes to your relationship with your dog. Do not assume that because your dog sees that you provide him with care, food and love that this automatically turns you into the alpha. Not a chance. When dogs see that their owners provide them with all the things they need, they will ask for more and become more demanding. This is particularly true if you do not show your dog who the leader is.

    No dog is perfect, the same way that no owner is perfect, but one thing is certain the more you show your dog the right things to do, the better both of you will be. A dog that misbehaves does not need to be scolded, hit or yell at, he needs to be shown the right way to do the things you want from him. If you see your dog making a mistake and you wait until a few minutes later to correct him, he will have no idea of why you are correcting him. Remember, dogs have very short attention span and short memory.

    A critical aspect of dog training when applying these dog training tips is to reward your dog lavishly every time he shows a behavior that you expect. This positive reward can be in the form of treats, praises, even his favorite toy. When you get into the habit of rewarding your dog each time he dogs something good your will create a snowballing effect that will create more opportunity for you to reward your dog, and for him to get more of what he enjoys.

    Have a great "dog training" day,

    Dr. Alfonso

    What Separation Anxiety and Dog Aggression Have In Common

    Monday, June 23rd, 2008

    Dogs are man's best friend for a reason. They deserve that title. Dogs are indeed man and woman best friend because of their loyalty and their dedication to their owners. Dogs can also be very helpful when it comes to release stress. It has been proved that dogs can help release stress and lower blood pressure. Some people who are fortunate enough to be able to take their dogs to work swear by this. Dogs can also be a lot of fun. There is nothing more enjoyable than playing with a young puppy, or playing hide and seek with your older dog. Unfortunately, not everything is color pink, dogs can also be destructive beings.

    Many dog owners think that dogs misbehave because they go to work and the dogs have all the liberty to do everything they want at home. The truth of the matter is that dogs, misbehave because they are energetic beings, especially at a young age, and they need to burn all that energy that they carry with them. That is were exercise comes into place for your dog.

    Due to the fact that dogs can or will misbehave when left alone at home, it is imperative that the owner realize that the dog needs activity. If the owner ignores these behavioral issues, they can eventually turn into more serious problems, which could include aggression and even anxiety. Aggression can be defined as dog to dog aggression or dog to human aggression.

    Dogs that are aggressive do not necessary want to harm, sometimes they act aggressive because they are fearful. Other times dogs can show signs of aggression because they might have hormonal imbalances or other medical problems or are in pain. Dog behavior experts consider aggression as intent to harm. You can tell when a dog is acting aggressive just by looking at it. The dog barks excessively, howl and growl. He might even show you his teeth. In a dog that aggression is not controlled this behavior could lead the dog to harm somebody.

    On the other side, another issue with dogs that can be very detrimental to the dog-owner relationship is anxiety. Anxiety in dogs can be a very difficult condition to treat. Many dogs these days suffer from separation anxiety. An owner knows when a dog suffer from separation anxiety when the dog, cause destruction to the house, including damage to the furniture, the rugs and even the walls.

    Remember that dogs want care, love and affection and that their destructive manners should not be considered a way of the dog paying back the owner for being left alone at home for many hours. In addition, dogs who suffer from anxiety might have other reasons why they suffer from this condition, and do not always have to be associated with the owner leaving the dog alone. Other reasons for separation anxiety in dogs include abuse by prior owners, been scared of loud noises or even been removed from their mother to early as a puppy.

    If dog aggression and anxiety do not get corrected early on, these two problems have the tendency to worsen and over time they will become a major headache for the dog owner.

    A way to help a dog with separation anxiety is by training him. Dog training can, if applied early on, help dogs with these two problems and might be useful in preventing these two conditions from worsening down the road. Dog training might not be a magic solution but it might be beneficial. Remember that if training your dog does not help with these issues you might then consider going to the veterinarian and asking for some medications that could help controlling your dog.

    Have a great "dog training" day,

    Dr. Alfonso



  • 2008
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