Dog Training Zone

I don’t mean talking like “good boy” or “go potty” but the body language
that lets your dog know you are in charge.

Most of the behavior problems owners encounter
are the result of owners letting their dogs take control.

This doesn’t mean being a tyrant or using a formal “heel” process; it just
means being the leader of the pack.

Walking is one activity almost all of us do with our dogs, and one that can
reinforce our position as alpha dogs.

What do owners doi wrong?

Poor posture. People slouch, bend to look down at their dogs, fight with
the leash and generally look stressed out or impatient.

What should owners be doing?

Attach a leash to a body harness rather than a collar for walks.

Louise Louis doesn’t like collars for walks because there’s too much danger
of injuring a Toy breed’s neck by pulling on the collar when walking.

She also doesn’t like retractable leashes as they are too long to
maintain control and keep a dog safe on city streets. Some
cities are prohibiting them for the same reasons.

Her recommendation is a leather leash of 4 to 6-feet for city walks.

The leash handle or loop should be slipped over your left wrist.
This provides more control and decreases the chance that the
leash might slip from your hand.

Position the leash itself across the fingers of your right hand
so you can shorten or lengthen it as necessary.

Position your hands in front of you, just below your waist.

The majority of the leash should be between your right
hand and your dog. You only need about six-inches of leash
between your right and left hands.

Keep your head up and maintain a positive posture.

Unlike many trainers who believe a dog should not be
allowed to sniff, roll, and amble at everything they pass, Louise
Louis believes dogs should be allowed to act like a dog.

As long as he obeys your commands when you give them (come, sit,
leave it), she says to cut him some slack!

The only exception is for male dogs that are constantly lifting
their legs on everything in their path. Don’t continually
stop for this.

You need to train your dog to relieve himself at the start
of the walk. His leg lifting has more to do with his trying
to mark his territory than to relieve this bladder.

If you remember nothing else from this, please keep in mind
the words of the late, great Barbara Woodhouse: head high,
hands low.

Louise Louis is a certified canine specialist and
creator of the popular website on small dogs,
http://www.ToyBreeds.com

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Shy dogs are more common than most people think, but unfortunately many dogs who suffer from this affliction are never seen by the general public because of their impairment. Shy dogs range from those who scurry away when someone walks by, to those who bite when approached. No matter how vehement their behavior, however, there are ways of not only managing it, but solving the problem.

Symptoms of a Shy Dog

Most shy dogs will exhibit several different behaviors that show you their true nature. They can display flattened ears, glassy eyes, pant oddly, tuck their tail between their legs, and refuse to make eye contact. They may run away scared, urinate inappropriately (also called submissive urination), bare his teeth, bark, growl, or perhaps bite.

Why is He Shy?

When looking at ways to start dog behavior training, you’ll first need to figure out exactly why your dog is shy. There are two families of debate on this topic; the current model states that shyness is genetic in dogs. However, as always with animal-life behavior, the debate about nature vs. nurture rages on. A mother dog may teach her shy behaviors to her pups, for instance. However, you should also check with your vet to make sure there aren’t any medical reasons as to why your dog seems shy. And finally, you’ll want to observe your dog to make sure that it’s not just dog behavior training that is required - perhaps they never really learned how to socialize properly in the first place. If this is the case, then you should be able to use some very effective dog behavior training techniques to fix this issue in no time.

Methods to Overcome Shyness

The first thing you should do is read as much as you can about your dog, its temperament, breed, and any related issues that may be contributing to his shyness. Also make a point of reading up on dog behavior training methods. Talk to your vet, other pet owners, local dog clubs and the SPCA to get ideas, too.

Then, take your dog to the vet and have him checked out thoroughly. Poor hearing and eyesight can contribute (or even cause) this problem, as can epilepsy, chronic pain or an ear infection.

Then, make sure that you’ve spayed or neutered your animal. Breeding them, unless you are highly trained to do so, won’t help at all. Plus, you’ll be increasing the life span of your pooch in the process.

Dog behavior training is the next step of the process. Learn more about what distracts your dog (both with his individual personality and breed), what motivates him, and whether or not he was bred to work with humans. Determine what his prey drive is (the want to chase things), pack drive (the want to be in a pack, or belong to a human), and defensive drives (fight and flight). Knowing this information will change your dog behavior training dramatically.

Now you can start with the obedience training. Try and look for local schools that can help you get started on this process, because doing it on your own can be a bit overwhelming at first. Let the school know why you want to investigate dog behavior training, and what goals you hope to accomplish with your dog. Also, look at some agility training for your dog as well, to keep his body in tip-top condition.

(c) 2005 dog-training-info.com. This article may be republished as long as these bylines are included.

Kevin Simmons is the webmaster of http://www.dog-training-info.com. Please visit the site for more free dog training articles. Online URL for this article: http://www.dog-training-info.com/dog-behavior-training.htm

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Almost every dog owner will have to use some sort of behavior modification techniques at one time or another when training their prized pet. If you are able to ‘get’ why your dog does what he does, when he does it, you are one step closer to solving the problem. This article will detail ten ways of doing just that, in a general fashion that can be used for a wide variety of issues.

Dog Training Tip #1: It’s All about Control

Let your dog know who is in charge, and you’ve alleviated a lot of problems. It’s not about fighting for control, it’s about knowing who has it. So when it’s time to train your dog, put on his training collar so he’s fully aware of what time it is. Alternatively, use a leash when walking your dog, so that he knows who is boss all of the time.

Dog Training Tip #2: Reframe the Negative

Instead of telling your dog, “NO!” for something bad he’s done, try and reframe the negative into something positive instead. For instance, if your dog decided to run after a chipmunk running across your lawn, try, “Sit” instead of whatever you’d normally use. Now you can praise him as well for his good behavior, instead of yelling at him because he didn’t stop.

Dog Training Tip #3: Allow for Differences in Perception

Your dog may not think that digging is a bad behavior, but you and your garden probably do. Instead of getting upset, why not provide your dog with adequate digging space elsewhere, complete with buried treasures? Then, you can do the same as dog training tip number two, and provide positive feedback when he digs in the allotted space, and not in your flower garden.

Dog Training Tip #4:

Make Sure the Whole Household Acts Consistently
When you are training your dog, make sure that everyone in the house knows what you are doing, and how to provide supportive measures when needed. That means that if you are teaching the word sit, then everyone in the house should know what to do, when to do it, and why if a behavior presents itself where the command should be used.

Dog Training Tip #5: Keep Moving!

Many behavioral issues with dogs lie behind the fact that they don’t get out enough for a long walk or run. Make sure to take them out on a regular basis (daily, if at all possible) to somewhere new that he can explore on his own time.

Dog Training Tip #6: Keep it Simple

The more clear you are with your dog while training him, the better off everyone will be. Show your dog what you are asking him to do, instead of just telling him. Give the command at the same time while you show him (gently, of course) and ensure that your body language matches your words.

(c) 2005 www.dog-training-info.com.

This article may be republished as long as these bylines are included. Kevin Simmons is the webmaster of http://www.dog-training-info.com.

Please visit the site for more free dog training articles. Online URL for this article: http://www.dog-training-info.com/dog-training-tip.htm

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