Discouraging Your Dog From Digging And Dog Clicker Education
Dogs love to dig. Whether it is to bury a bone, look for a bone, or to just see what is underneath the dirt this time, dogs enjoy digging.
This natural behavior can wreak havoc on your yard and garden if it goes unchecked. What is the best way to curb the digging impulse?
As with children, dogs do things for a reason. Why is your dog digging? If you can figure this out, you are halfway to a solution. Does he just love to fling dirt?
There are reasons why your dog may dig in your yard: he may need more exercise and stimulation. He may be hoarding food or trying to cool off or stay warm in the ground. He may be trying to investigate the smell of fertilizer or fresh dirt.
If you have determined that your dog needs more stimulation and is digging as a way of getting attention, you can attack the problem by offering him more opportunities for exercise and interaction. SitStayFetch can be a good technique for solving the problem.
If that doesn’t help, your dog may have developed a digging habit! The following suggestions can help:
1. Find the spots your dog usually digs and bury a balloon that has been inflated. If your dog digs, he’ll pop the balloon. This unpleasant reaction to his digging can deter him from continuing.
2. Fill some of the holes your dog has made with his own feces. When he revisits the holes, he will be disgusted by this. It is enough to deter him from digging.
3. Try burying some chicken wire just below the surface where your dog likes to dig. When your dog pits the wire with his paws, he’ll hate the sensation and stop digging.
4. If you catch your pet in the act of digging, spray him with a water bottle or hose. Dogs hate this (but it is not harmful). They’ll get the message. Do not, however, spray him if you don’t catch him actively engaging in digging. If you do, he won’t understand why he’s being punished.
Digging is natural, but it doesn’t have to ruin your yard. Figure out why your dog is engaging in this behavior and take a little time to work on it with him. You’ll both be much happier. Not unlike puppy training, mischievous habits can be corrected with a little coaching.
Clicker Training for Great Dog Behavior
The use of clickers in dog training has increased in recent years. It is a gentle way to condition your dog to repeat good behavior.
When you use clicker training, you teach your dog to associate good behavior with a treat or reward. This is known as the principle of operant conditioning. How does it work?
You will need a clicker. This is simply a handheld plastic box. A metal strip is attached. Depressing the strip causes a sharp click.
Ask your dog to perform a command, such as sit, stay, heel, etc. When he does, click right away and give your dog a treat. You are pairing the clicking sound with the treat.
Your dog will connect the clicking sound with the behavior he just performed. Since that behavior earned him a treat, he’ll want to repeat it. As the training progresses, you can stop using the treat. The click will be sufficient reward. Soon, you don’t even need the clicker either.
You can often train dogs with clickers faster and more effectively than with other means. Clicking is immediate, so your dog quickly learns that his behavior is producing the treat. This encourages repetition of the desired behaviors.
Dogs want to make you happy, and performing commands is a great way for them to do this. And get a treat in the process. The clicker is a great training tool for encouraging good behavior.
Get the information you need to take good care of your pet with puppy training tips.
January 22, 2009
Walking on a Leash and Staying: Two Significant Commands
Many dogs have an aggressive side, and you often see this when they are on leashes. Dogs that are normally well-behaved can lunge and snarl at other dogs and people as you walk down the street. While he needs exercise, you do not want to put others at risk. What can you do about leash aggression?
Exercise is essential for all dogs, and there are ways you can correct your dog’s behavior so you can both get out and enjoy the fresh air. Walks don’t need to be dreaded, just handled in a careful and consistent manner.
If your dog seems like he is about to become aggressive, divert him with a command like sit or down. This will keep him occupied and should reroute his attention.
Dogs often become very aggressive when they meet other dogs. If your dog does this, it is important that you not physically react when you see a dog on your route. Your dog can pick up on your body signals and will be much more apt to act up. Stay calm and keep the leash firmly in hand without pulling or tensing.
Some dogs may require a gentle leader harness or muzzle. These should only be used temporarily until your dog learns not to lunge. If you have a dog who is a danger, they can keep others safe. This is the first priority.
At this point, if the leash aggression isn’t being eliminated, you might consider a trainer. It can become very dangerous to other people and dogs in your neighborhood.
Many dogs pull on their leashes, especially when they are first being trained. Stopping this behavior as soon as possible is important. It can lead to more annoyance at the very least. At worst, it can hurt a person, pet, and you. Start early before you have to take more drastic measures.
Teaching your dog to stay can be an immensely useful command, and it will definitely impress other dog owners. As always, use goodies and praise to help you teach. You can use dog obedience training to enhance your results.
First, tell your dog to sit or lie. When he does, put your hand, palm towards the dog, and say, “Stay.” Use a firm voice.
When your dog stays, praise him immediately. Likely your dog will only be able to stay for a second or two at first. This is great; it’s a terrific beginning, and he will be able to do it for longer periods as he practices.
Give the release command – say “Ok,” or “Come” - so your dog knows he doesn’t have to lie down any longer. Feed him a treat and lots of praise. Giving rewards is a key element of the process when it comes to things like puppy training tips.
As you work on the stay command, demand that your dog stay for longer periods of time. Don’t give him his treat until he performs to your satisfcation. Have him do a little more each time.
You don’t want to practice for an hour though. Keep your training sessions short and sweet. Make them fun for your dog, provide lots of praise and rewards, and you’ll get results. Five to ten minutes is a great amount of time for each training session, and you can do it several times a day.
Another way that dogs are like children is that they have short attention spans! If you require him to train for longer than ten minutes, he is likely to become obstinate and disobedient. Also keep in mind that he’ll have to have a lot of practice in order to perfect the command. Repeat “Stay” several times and be prepared to reteach him the command a few times.
If you keep working, your dog will be able to stay for longer periods. You’ll be impressed when he stays even when you leave the room. Treats will become unnecessary after training, but praise is never obsolete. Let your dog know when he is doing a good job.
Continue learning about SitStayFetch.
January 21, 2009
Help For Making A Purchase Of A Dog Training Collar
When you are making a purchase of a dog training collar, the myriad differences in the specific brands and the choices of collars inside each brand can be overwhelming. Sometime manufacturers tout their differences from the competitors and its difficult to tell how much is real and how much is advertising. One of the ways to determine the real differences is to find and a read dog training collar review. There are several such dog training collar reviews on the internet.
There are other resources to tap to help in making this choice. One of the resources is a local vet, could help you with their opinion. They can give you a view of which choices you should most definitely not make, as not all collars are right for all dogs. Also, many obedience class instructors have and use many of the dog training collars and could give you their opinion or allow you to try the different choices during a training class. Each of these individuals could give you an opinion on the dog training collar review information that you obtained.
All dog training collar review information is not equal, as some are sponsored by the manufactures of the different collars. Once you have your dog training collar reviews, read through consumer reports and customer’s comments on the products you are considering. Amazon.com provides sales of an amazing amount of items, and they keep customer review and many of them, trying visiting their site to check.
Discount any collars which are clearly out of your price range. Do not feel bad about this, there is absolutely no sense in spending more than you can afford when the simple collars can provide what you need. Unless you have a disability that requires you to choice a very high-end choice, you can consider the dog training collar reviews inexpensive choices that may require a little more work on your part.
Check with a local vet or a local obedience trainer and see if they agree with the choice you made. The most likely have experience with the products.
Don’t Do’s In Purchasing
Don’t buy the first dog training collar you see in a store, no matter what the store expert tells you. Always do research in the information they provide, and don’t assume that you got all the salient facts. Even if a dog training collar review agrees with the store expert, spend just a little more time. Store experts may get a commission for certain manufacturers and a dog training collar review may be sponsored by a company.
A last note, if you have a smaller dog make sure what you are looking at is a small dog training collar. You need it positioned correctly on a small dog.
Gasen Redeye is the webmaster of My Dog Collars where you will get more Dog Training Collar information.
January 20, 2009
SitStayFetch Review – How To Stop Bad Dog Behaviour
Dogs particularly from young should be trained to stop bad dog behaviour. I recommend SitStayfetch by Daniel Stevens if you want to learn how to train your dog fast and effectively.
Dogs are loyal companions though sometimes they can misbehave especially young puppies. This may be in the form of barking non-stop, biting things around the house, or digging holes in the back yard. No pet owner wants to have to deal with bad dog behaviors like this. It´s not only frustrating, but it´s time consuming as well, if you don´t know how to effectively correct the problem.
Adopting an animal when it is very young usually helps to initiate a lasting bond. Once a small puppy is taken from its mother, it relies on its owner for direction. It is at this stage that you want to start reinforcing certain things.
One of the most troublesome bad dog behaviors is playing with items the animal shouldn´t be. Typically this is slippers, or small kids´ toys, it can even be expensive purses or shoes. The dog has no idea what is and isn´t a toy, so it just assumes everything is.
The owner should be mindful of what it left within the dog´s reach and if he or she notices the dog picking up something it shouldn´t be, a firm “no” always helps. Repetition is often necessary to ensure the dog understands the rule and to correct this type of dog behavior problems.
Accidents in the home sometimes occur and if they aren´t dealt with swiftly, the problem can be a persistent one. Many puppies relieve themselves wherever and whenever the mood strikes them. This is one of the bad dog behaviors that can really impact your life. It´s important for the owner to take the dog outside at regular intervals when it is young so it becomes accustomed to not going inside the house. If that´s not possible, you can paper train the dog, which is also very helpful.
Biting is another issue that some dog owners find themselves facing. Typically it´s not that the dog is meaning to bite anyone. It´s more that the dog is playing and nips at the person. This is especially troubling if you have young children in the home. Correcting bad dog behaviors like this is really important. You don´t want to end up having a dog that bites people who are at your home visiting. This could have very serious results so you need to work with the dog, by scolding it when it does attempt to play in this fashion.
It´s so nice to have a pet for the entire family to enjoy. With a little work and commitment you can train your dog to be a wonderful and loving companion for years to come. Dog behavior problems can always be corrected if you take the right approach.
I highly recommend SitStayFetch by Daniel Stevens if you want to put a stop to your dog bad behavior. It is one of the best dog training course I have brought.
« Previous Page — Next Page »