dog Agility competitions are seen frequently on television. The eyes of most pet owners have seen this amazing sport and would some how like their dog to be introduced to the equipment for fun and for exercise. The competition size equipment may be larger than the pet owner needs or wants to invest in so , many are introducing their dog to “mini” equipment.
Mini-agility equipment still provides lots of mental and physical stimulation to your dog, but without bulk of competition sized equipment. Almost all types of obstacles are made in a “mini” size. There are mini-A-frames, mini-dog walks, mini-teeters, mini-tire jumps, mini-jumps, mini-tables, and mini-weaves.
The mini-A-frame can be in different sizes, but is often made with two, 4-foot sides, instead of two, 8-foot sides. Mini-dog walks are often made with three, five-foot planks instead of three 12-foot planks. Similar is the mini-teeter, made from a five-foot plank instead of a 12-foot plank. These changes in size make shipping and delivery easier and less costly.
Mini equipment is safer for the beginner handler and dog because the equipment is lower to the ground. dogs and puppies can learn and use the equipment with greater ease and confidence.
In addition to pet owners, breeders, kennel owners, and dog parks are purchasing mini-agility equipment. Breeders purchase mini equipment to stimulate their puppies mentally and physically. Some breeders add railings to their dog-walk for added puppy protection. Kennel and doggie Day Care owners use the equipment to keep their clients happy and busy all day long. dog parks are selecting mini-equipment because it is safer to use by the untrained owner.
Competition agility owners are also selecting mini-equipment for training specific behaviors, using them as training aids, and for indoor training in the wintertime. A contact trainer is a combination of a mini A-frame side attached to a pause table with a mini-dog walk plank attached to the opposite side. Agility competitors often use this apparatus for back chaining their contact behavior.
Dog Agility Training Basics : Teaching Dogs Agility Tricks
dogs usually bark because they are bored. dogs want a lot of attention and they don't know how to behave when alone. Unfortunately, we have usually set this situation up ourselves. You want your dog to be happy, so you spoil him: you give your dogs treats and pat him whenever you wish. It is entirely normal for you to act this way and entirely normal for your dog to complain when he feels neglected.
You must teach your dog that barking for your attention doesn't work. If he is unhappy outdoors and he barks and you eventually bring him inside the house, he will learn that barking gets results. If you yell at him when he barks, your dog also sees that as reward. your dog thinks, "I'm bored so maybe I can get my owner to yell at me again. " When you yell at your dog it just doesn't work. If you use negative reinforcement, it can still be useful. Here is a little story that will help explain what I mean:
Many years ago, I owned a young dog. There were times when this dog barked at night for no apparent reason. My dog was warm and well-fed, and he had plenty of water. His kennel was clean and dry. All he lacked was entertainment, while I sat inside and watched TV to keep me entertained. When I yelled at him to be "quiet", it made no difference and he kept barking.
Let me tell you what did work:
I put a small amount of water in a plastic cup and quietly stood in front of my dog, without saying a word. When my dog started barking again, I would quickly splash some water in his face. I woould then turn around turn around and go back inside and watch TV - all without saying a word. I did this about two or three times during the first night, once or twice during the second night and maybe only once the night after that. After doing this I ended up with peace and quiet.
It is important that you say the word "Quiet" and repeat saying it calmly and clearly once or twice in a normal voice. This will teach your dog to associate the word "Quiet" with water in his face and not with the barking behaviour. What you must do later, in situations where he would normaly bark but he stays quiet instead, is you calmly praise him.
Barking and Growling
If you have a dog that barks and growls and shows his teeth in a threatening way, it means he is getting ready to bite you. Please do not squirt water in his face or up his nose and do not threaten him. You should consult with your veterinarian or dog psychologist.
Barking When You Are Not Home
You need to make sure that you have done the all basic things:
Make sure he has a comfortable place to relax where he can't see people or other pets,
If necessary, bring him indoors.
The chance are high that if your dog is problem barker, he has never learned to be alone. He has become accustomed to your lavish attention without him having to earn it. He thinks he is the center of the world and when he finds himself abandoned he becomes distraught and then he starts barking. This is a natural behaviour for all dogs.
You Should Be a Good Role Model
Your dog only hears, "blah, blah, blah", when you talk to him. The important thing when communicating with your dog, is the way you say the words and the body language you display when saying the words. If you make a big deal of things by repeatedly reassuring your dog that everything is ok and you'll be back soon, then you really are making things worse. If you then excitedly greet your dog when you arrive home, it reinforces the idea in your dogs mind, that when he stays alone all day, it really is a big deal.
This is an important thing that is not easy to do. it is important that you do it and that the whole family follows this rule. In order to train a more obedient dog, you should only touch your dog when he has responded correctly to a command. Teach your dog to sit and when he sits praise him with a simple "good dog" and a pat on the head. You can gradually work up to longer sit times and evetually your dog can be relied upon to sit and stay in all situations. The bonus is that your guests will appreciate this obedient behaviour. You often see dogs jump up to greet their owners. A lot of dog owners believe that since they enjoy this type of greeting then other people enjoy this greeting also. Unfortunatel, this is just not true.
How To Practice "Being Out of Touch"
Now that you are nott patting, stroking and fondling your dog all the time, he will be learning now that it's ok to be "out of touch" for a short while. You should get him some good toys he can chew, such as Nylabones and Kongs. You should let your dog become distracted with a chew toy and then calmly and quietly leave the room, closing the door behind you. After a few minutes, preferably before your dog has become distraught about your absence, you can come back into the room and resume what you were doing. You should move calmly and not say anything. If your dog races over to greet you, you should ignore him completely not say a word. Don't even look at him. You need to teach your dog that your separation was completely unimportant and natural to you. This will then train your dog to think the same way.
When you are about to leave your dog alone for the day, you should start your morning schedule about ten minutes earlier than normal. Make sure your dog as been fed and try to get him settled in with a chew toy. You should get completely ready to walk out the door and then just sit down with the newspaper or a magazine. Make sure you just ignore your dog completely. After you have had several minutes of calm separation you should quietly walk out the door and go to work. Make sure you do not say good bye, to your dog and do not even look at him. Even though you are leaving for the day, you do not want to make this is into a big deal. When you return home later in the day, you must be equally calm and not make a big deal. Just ignore your dog and do not pat him. Do not get excited about greeting him. Go inside and change your clothes or whatever you do when you get home. Once your dog has settled down then you can acknowledge him by telling him to sit. Only after he sits doeshe get a pat on the head and a simple "good dog". It is no big deal, you were only away for the day.
If you leave your dog alone during the day, then he is in an unnatural situation. He is all alone with nothing to do. If you want to avoid having a dog that barks and tears up your house, then you need to keep your dog busy.
There are many great toys on the market such as Kong chew toys with hollow and openings at both ends. You can put food or dog treats inside these toys. You can try putting a dog biscuit in there at first, then later you could try packing it with canned food and freeze it, so it takes your dog a long time to get the food out. This is a great way to keep your dog busy while you're gone and at the same time your dog must work to earn some food. You can buy several Kongs and hide them in different places. In order for this exercise to work, your dog must be feeling hungry.
If your dog is overweight and getting too much food, you can find adjustable feeding balls that also work with dry food. In order for your dog to get to the food, he ust roll the ball around so that the food falls out through the holesmin the toy. You can make sure that getting a full meal takes a long time. Another method you could try, is try leaving the TV on for entertainment while you are away.
You need to make something mysterious or unsettling happen or something so puzzling that your dog forgets to bark for a while. If you make a short sharp unidentifiable sound, it should distract your dog. You will have to use your own ingenuity, but here is a suggestion:
Head off to work as you usually do in the morning and calmly ignore your dog. get in your car and drive away then quietly return, approaching from downwind. If your dog barks you should make some sharp noise. You may have to repeat this over several days.
Great Dane Honey - teaching your dog to pick up his toys (clicker training dog tricks)
dogs do not come with an instruction manual around their necks. dogs need time, patience, and understanding. Therefore new owners need information to train, and help cope with the difficulties of the newest member of the family.
1 . Not enrolling with the dog in "obedience school".
In any good school you can expect your dog to learn basic commands and proper behavior. "Heel! ", "Sit! ", "Stay", and "Come! " are all examples of these commands. The dog will learn how to associate with other animals and people. Don't make the mistake of sending your dog to obedience school alone. If you do, you will have a dog more obedient to the teacher, instead of you.
2 . Self-training using improper techniques.
Physical punishment and yelling are not good methods of training. The best methods are stimulation and reward for good behavior. This way the dog will be motivated to carry out commands because it knows it will receive attention and maybe a yummy treat. For this to work, it is important to be patient and consistent.
3. Not researching breed characteristics.
When choosing a dog, do not judge by appearance alone. Take some time to do research on several breeds, to find one that will make a good match for you and your family. If you have a small apartment, for example , a large dog may be a poor choice.
dogs are social animals and naturally live in packs. Spend plenty of time with your dog outside. Play together, make your yard a fun place, not a doggie prison! If your dog is not active enough, is bored, gains weight, gets sick, gets into all kinds of mischief, barks too much, or bites: It is your job to understand why it is happening and make it better.
dogs need an area that is only for them. When it gets nervous or scared it will have a place of refuge. Make it a comfortable place for your dog. It doesn't have to be fancy, just comfortable. Just like people, every living creature has times when it just wants to be left alone to sleep or relax
The leader in your house is you, not the dog! Your dog will receive food and attention when you decide. Not whenever it wants. Your dog must earn its rewards, they are not a gift.
7. Making 'goodbye' a big event.
Do not make a big deal out of having to leave the house. This is not the time to lavish extra attention on your dog. It will only be aggravated after you leave. A good idea is to leave your dog with fresh food and water, and maybe a toy.
Constantly feeding a dog table scraps can be very unhealthy for dogs. They are not recycle bins! There are many very good dog foods available - buy those for your pet. People do not eat dog food, why should it be the other way around?
9. Having unrealistic expectations.
Though at times it may seem like it, dogs are not human. dogs need logical and consistent training to live well with people. They do not understand when you explain to them 'why'. When your dog misbehaves a simple "Don't! " or "No! " is enough and suitable.
Avoiding these mistakes will assure you and your dog live a long and happy life together.
K9 Dog Training Club - 100% turn your dog from bad to good
Therapy dog training, while important, is something with which many people are not familiar. A therapy dog is one that is used to do animal assisted therapy and activities. Organizations train the dog to help people in hospitals, schools, nursing homes, and virtually anywhere people need some sort of therapy. So , then, how do dogs become therapy dogs? It is a fairly simple process.
A Good Citizen
Though the requirements for therapy dog training vary from state to state, it is almost universal that the dog must be certified as a canine good citizen. In order to receive that, you have to train your dog to be focused and well behaved around distractions. Generally your local animal shelter or even a therapy dog training center will have classes available for you to learn how to turn your dog into a canine good citizen.
Classes for Therapy
Therapy dog training can start as soon as your dog has been certified as a canine good citizen. The training consists mainly of teaching your dog how to ignore things like hospital equipment and school noises that he or she may not be used to being around. They also train the dog to help with simple activities and therapy with those who need it. However , in many cases, the therapy is really just the presence of the dog. Those using the services of dogs trained in how to perform the therapy can be anything from walking them, to reading to them, to simply being around them.
Where to Go
If you are interested in therapy dog training for your four legged pal, then you should check out the internet or your local yellow pages. Whether you live in Virginia, California, or anywhere else, there is an organization in your area that will help you not only teach your dog how to become a therapy dog, but also get him out in the community and doing his part. Additionally , you can volunteer to help with everything from training to the therapy itself. Just get in contact with your local organization.
Therapy dog training can be incredibly rewarding. When you teach your dog how to react to the situations with which he will be presented, you are putting him in a situation to be more than just a pet. You and your dog together can be real additions to the community and help your fellow man.
