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Dogs - Winning Sled Racing Tips
Making your dog win in sled races
So, you decided to train your dog to win in sled races. Here are
some tips to do it.
1. Provide dry and clean bedding.
If you want to have a winning dog, provide him first with a
clean and complete...
Easy Steps to Stop Your Dog from Jumping on You
When you bring home that adorable puppy her dog behavior is so
cute. She puts her feet up on you to get your attention, jumps
in your lap, jumps up and down on her hind legs begging to be
picked up.
And what do you do? You reinforce all...
Grooming Man's Best Friend
Proper grooming for your dog does not only have aesthetic
purposes but also adds to your pet's holistic growth - physical
and psychological. Since dog hair can interlace due to dirt and
grime in the coat forming mats and tangles, they would need...
How To Build "The Bond" With Your Dog
Building the bond with your dog is really quite easy. If you recognize that you have a relationship with your dog, then building the bond comes down to nothing more than increasing the strength of that relationship. And as with any relationship,...
Quickstart Guide to Making Your Own Pet Food at Home
As a pet owner, no doubt you want to give your dog or cat the best care possible. And caring for your pet means feeding him the best diet you can. By making your own pet foods, you'll be saving money, up to 80%. And to top it off, it's easy; making...
Teaching A Shih Tzu Puppy To Accept His Collar And Leash
Teaching a Shih Tzu puppy to accept his collar and leash
Learning to walk on a collar and leash is the basis of all
further training for every Shih Tzu puppy. Until the Shih Tzu
puppy has learned to accept the collar and leash, it will...
The Case for Mutts
Certain dog breeds enjoy steady popularity, the laborador
retriever being one of the most popular. There are also
trends and fads in dog breeds just as there are with
clothing and music. Cerain breeds such as chihuahuas,
dalmations, and...
West Highland White Terrier - Westie Grooming
Westie Grooming – When your west highland white terrier becomes part of your family, it deserves the care love and support that is given to all members of your family. As part of the package, this would include the grooming of your Westie. I am not...
Westie Rescue Centres
The aim of a Westie rescue centre such as the one at: http://www.westierescuescheme.org.uk/ is for rescuing and re-housing unwanted westie dogs. There are many other westie rescue sites such as the one at:...
Why is an All Natural and Holistic Approach to Pet Food Gaining Importance?
Why is an All Natural and Holistic to Pet Food Gaining Importance?
There is a significant increase in the market share of Natural and Holistic Pet Food, and it is predicted to double over the next five years. But why the sudden increase in our...
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Obedience Training Your Dog – The Importance Of Rewards
Rewards just may be the single most important motivator in dog training. Obedience training through the use of rewards and other positive reinforcements has long been recognized as the most effective method of reaching most dogs and getting the best possible results.
Making obedience training fun, and even making it a bit of a game, can be very important to keeping both the dog and the handler motivated and willing to learn. Incorporating a period of playtime at the beginning and end of every training session will make sure that every session begins and ends on a good note.
The most basic of all obedience commands is heeling, or walking with the handler on a loose lead. This is usually the first obedience behavior that is taught, and it is an easy one to teach through reward training. Begin by fitting the dog with a quality, properly fitted training lead and training collar. If you are unsure of how to fit the training collar, be sure to ask a dog trainer, or the manager at the store where the equipment is purchased.
Start walking with the dog, always being cognizant of the dog’s position relative to your own. If the dog begins to forge ahead, gently pull on the leash. This will engage the training collar and give the dog a gentle reminder to slow down. It may be necessary to apply greater pressure at first until the dog learns to accept the correction.
If the dog begins to fall behind, slow down and gently urge the dog forward. The use of a lure, or a favorite toy, can be very useful when teaching the dog to walk at your side. By keeping the lure at the desired position for the dog, he or she should quickly learn the desired location.
Always be sure to provide plenty of praise, treats, toys and other rewards when the dog does what is expected of him. Dogs learn best by positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement means that when the animal does what the handler wants, it receives a reward, which can be anything from a pat on the head to a treat to a favorite toy. At the beginning of training, even the slightest attempts to please the owner should be
rewarded.
Training by using reprimands and punishment is not nearly as effective as training by using rewards. Dogs can become discouraged and confused by excessive amounts of punishment and reprimands. Reprimands may be required from time to time, to correct potentially dangerous behaviors like chasing or biting, for instance, but reprimands should be short and directly attributed to the problem behavior at hand. After the immediate danger has passed, the training should continue with reward based training and positive reinforcement.
For instance, if you come home and your dog is chewing the furniture or other inappropriate item, immediately give the dog a sharp “No” or “Off” and take the item away. Then immediately give the dog one of his toys or other items that he is allowed to chew on, and praise the dog enthusiastically when he takes the toy and begins to chew it. This will teach the dog to associate chewing some items, like his toys, with praise, and chewing inappropriate items with reprimand.
It is very important for the dog to make these associations, since it is very hard to change negative associations once they have formed. It is always much easier to train proper obedience behaviors the first time than it is to go back and retrain a problem dog later on. That does not of course mean that retraining is impossible, it simply means that it is more difficult.
Teaching a puppy, or an older dog, to associate the behaviors you value, such as coming when called, sitting on command, walking at your side, chewing only on toys, etc. with happy, fun times is the basis of all successful dog training.
About the Author: The Free Dog Trainer has extensive experience in all aspects of dog training and puppy training.
His website is: http://www.Free-DogTraining-Tips.com/ PS: He is giving away a free ebook (valued at $37) too all his newsletter subscribers!
Source: www.isnare.com
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