The Secrets To Dog Training http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog Your Dog Training Resource Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:00:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 en hourly 1 What are some good puppy training tips? http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/97/what-are-some-good-puppy-training-tips/ http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/97/what-are-some-good-puppy-training-tips/#comments Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:00:12 +0000 admin http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/97/what-are-some-good-puppy-training-tips/ My family has recently purchased a German Shepherd puppy. We’ll be taking her to Puppy Preschool (dog obedience classes) but I was curious if anyone had some good training tips? Any secrets/favorite methods?

Best advice: Start off right by becoming the dog’s pack leader. Here’s how:

A. Behave like a leader at key points of responsibility within the pack and that makes you the leader.

1. Eat your own meals before you feed your dog. Even if you have to munch on a cracker while he watches, make sure he knows you’re done eating before you allow him to start eating.

2. Make and enforce at least 5 household rules (such as "No begging at the table" and "Stay off the furniture").

3. Lead the walk, with the dog walking beside you, at heel. Never use a flexi-lead because you can’t control your dog if he is 15-25 feet out in front of you.

4. Exercise the dog by a brisk walk with the dog at heel at least once a day, preferably twice a day. A dog can walk for 5 minutes for each month of his life up to the age of 12 months; after that he can walk as long as you want to walk. Be sure to check the surface on which he’ll be walking - if it is too hot or too cold for you to rest your hand on, it will be too hot or too cold for his feet. You can get booties for him at some of the larger pet stores, or try Paw Wax.

5. Playing with the dog is demonstrating affection for him; it’s a bonding time. Be sure you start the play and you end it.

6. Own and provide all resources like food, treats, bones, and toys. Leave food down only 15 minutes then pick up the bowl. Give toys to dog when you want to play; put toys away when you’re done playing.

7. Ignore the dog for at least 5 minutes when you come home so he will recognize that you are "top dog" in the pack.

8. Greet strangers (guests at home, friends and passersby on the street) first and direct the dog how to react to them.

9. Protect the dog from onrushing, off-leash dogs, dogs who are harassing them, and dogs who challenge them.

10. The dog gets NOTHING (except water and potty breaks) unless he works for it. "Working" means obeying whatever command you offer, such as sit, stay, stand, and down. (This is the essence of the NILIF program.)

11. Never pet the dog or comfort it when it is misbehaving. Never talk in a high squeaky voice to a dog. Dogs don’t understand what it means to have their feelings hurt.

12. Don’t let the dog sleep in your bed until you are sure he sees you as his pack leader; you don’t want him to try to own the bed.

B. There are four "MUST READ" books you can probably get at Amazon.com. They will explain all the rituals listed above.

1. The first is "Be The Pack Leader" by Cesar Millan. Teaches you how to be a pack leader.

2. The second is "The Dog Listener" by Jan Fennell. Teaches you how to get willing cooperation from your dog.

3. The third is "The Art of Raising A Puppy" by the Monks of New Skete. Teaches you how to get a puppy started right as a member of your pack.

4. The fourth and last is "A Member of the Family" by Cesar Millan and Melissa Jo Pelletier. Teaches you how to raise your dog from the moment you get him to the moment he has to leave you.

C. You might consider signing up for "Sessions with Cesar" at http://www.sessionswithcesar.com , where you’ll find video and audio lessons, as well as printable materials to help you learn to be your dog’s pack leader and help you learn to handle specific behavior problems.

Good luck!

Apacapacas

]]> http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/97/what-are-some-good-puppy-training-tips/feed/ How do you correct poor puppy potty training? http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/96/how-do-you-correct-poor-puppy-potty-training/ http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/96/how-do-you-correct-poor-puppy-potty-training/#comments Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:00:11 +0000 admin http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/96/how-do-you-correct-poor-puppy-potty-training/ I tried the puppy training pads at an early stage, now my dog will nto go potty otuside at all. We coudl be outside for hours then i let him in and he goes straight to the pad to pee. However i recently tried movign the pad to another location closer tot he door, however he still went to the spot where the pad was. He is trainined that, there is only one spot to go potty pad or not.

Well you trained him to go INDOORS, ON the pad IN a certain area. Back to the crate training and take him OUT to potty this time. He should catch on quickly as he has been through the drill once, already.

]]> http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/96/how-do-you-correct-poor-puppy-potty-training/feed/ Do you think £70 is too much for obedience classes? http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/95/do-you-think-70-is-too-much-for-obedience-classes/ http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/95/do-you-think-70-is-too-much-for-obedience-classes/#comments Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:00:10 +0000 admin http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/95/do-you-think-70-is-too-much-for-obedience-classes/ The local dog school/hotel/spa place said a 7 week basic obedience course for my 3 year old dog is £70, its in a class of 8 with 1 instructor. Is this too expensive? The dog already knows sit and can be recalled.
oh and the classes are an hour long

It does seem a little steep, but what you need to look at is exactly what you are getting for your £10 an hour. Is it working towards competition standard obedience? If so then i suppose that could be about the right sort of price. If all you want is a well mannered, obedient dog I’d look on the aptd website for a trainer in your area that runs classes.
No-one can guarantee that you’ll end up with a super reliable recall,stay,etc every dog is different and will learn at a different rate. Also, every handler is different, some are just naturally able to communicate well with their dog, others need a bit more practise. Some people will practise at every opportunity, others won’t bother to do any training with their dog until the next class. Dogs do need to be socialised too, so training classes are important in that respect.
I’d ask a few more questions about the classes before committing yourself, such as what qualifications the instructor has. They don’t necessarily need qualifications, experience counts too!
Hopefully these training classes use kind, reward based training. the days of dragging and jerking dogs around on a choke chain in a village hall are long gone…………….or should be! lol
Good luck :)

]]> http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/95/do-you-think-70-is-too-much-for-obedience-classes/feed/ Did you take your dog to obedience classes? http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/94/did-you-take-your-dog-to-obedience-classes/ http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/94/did-you-take-your-dog-to-obedience-classes/#comments Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:00:09 +0000 admin http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/94/did-you-take-your-dog-to-obedience-classes/ Did you take your dog to obedience classes?

No, not unless it was absolutely necessary.

]]> http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/94/did-you-take-your-dog-to-obedience-classes/feed/ How can I stop my dog biting the lead and shaking it?!? http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/92/how-can-i-stop-my-dog-biting-the-lead-and-shaking-it/ http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/92/how-can-i-stop-my-dog-biting-the-lead-and-shaking-it/#comments Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:00:08 +0000 admin http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/92/how-can-i-stop-my-dog-biting-the-lead-and-shaking-it/ I have a dog that has been seriously abused. She cant walk very well but needs to go out all the same. She jumps up and snaps at the lead, bites it, rags it and shakes it. She’s almost possessed as soon as the lead comes out and I try to put it on her. I cant walk down the road - its embarrassing. Is it stress? How can I make her calm down and stop it? Many thanks for any suggestions.

she just doesnt like being controlled.

You should first let her sniff the lead before you put it on her. give her a treat for just sniffing. if she bites it then take it away.

bring it back and try it again.

do that like 5 times.

then put it on her collar.

if she doesnt mess with it then give her a treat.

take it off

then do it again

3 times

then go outside in your backyard.

if she bites it take it off.

put it back on and if she doesnt bite it give her a treat.

keep doing more and more and soon she will be a perfect angel on that part

ahah

i would use treats she likes a lot…or some boiled chicken in tiny peices works wonders.

you can switch from treats to praise to treats…helps ween her off.

]]> http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/92/how-can-i-stop-my-dog-biting-the-lead-and-shaking-it/feed/ My dog is biting everything can any1 help? http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/93/my-dog-is-biting-everything-can-any1-help/ http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/93/my-dog-is-biting-everything-can-any1-help/#comments Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:00:08 +0000 admin http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/93/my-dog-is-biting-everything-can-any1-help/ My dog bites everything from couches,bed sheets,us,everything and i dont know how to train him
even when we look at him he growls and crap plz help.

You didn’t give very many details about the situation, but here goes…if your dog is less than 6 months old he/she could be chewing to relieve teething stress. Confining a puppy to one small area with lots of chew toys can help this. Dogs, like kids, need to learn limits for their own saftey and your sanity.
If the dog is older, you have some behaviour problems that aren’t going to go away without the help of special training for obediance and behaviour modification. Ask a vet, a local kennel owner, or look in the yellow pages for info on dog trainers in the area. Then do some calling to talk to the trainers and discuss your dog’s actions. Obediance training is great for both the dog and the owner, because it will teach you how to teach the dog! The part of your message that sends out the alarms is that your dog growls at you when you look at it - this might be a harmless invitation to play if it’s coming from a puppy, BUT - if the dog is older, he’s probably telling you that HE’S the boss in the house, and if you don’t act like he is, he’ll bite you to back it up. The sooner you can get him into training to educate him out of this notion the better (and safer) for you. Also, if it’s a male get it neutered - if it’s female, get her spayed. Un-neutered male dogs can be very aggressive, and there’s no room in the world for more unwanted puppies. Good luck with everything!

]]> http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/93/my-dog-is-biting-everything-can-any1-help/feed/ Taking a dog to potty while living in an apartment? http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/90/taking-a-dog-to-potty-while-living-in-an-apartment/ http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/90/taking-a-dog-to-potty-while-living-in-an-apartment/#comments Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:00:07 +0000 admin http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/90/taking-a-dog-to-potty-while-living-in-an-apartment/ I am going to move into an apartment sometime around May, and I’m just interested in any ideas on how to easily allow my pomeranian potty breaks. She’s very well housetrained, and i know that I’ll have to walk her everyday…

What’s you’re "technique" for walking your dog in an apartment situation?

With my dog I, um… er… put his leash on and take him outside. I take him on short/around a block or two walks a few times a day, and one long (45 minutes to 2 hours) walk a day. And it works wonderfully.

There’s no real "technique"… it’s not at all complicated. Put them on a leash, take them outside, and they go to the bathroom.

]]> http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/90/taking-a-dog-to-potty-while-living-in-an-apartment/feed/ How do you bell train your dog for potty time? http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/91/how-do-you-bell-train-your-dog-for-potty-time/ http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/91/how-do-you-bell-train-your-dog-for-potty-time/#comments Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:00:07 +0000 admin http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/91/how-do-you-bell-train-your-dog-for-potty-time/ How do you teach your dog/puppy to ring a bell that I hang from the door nob when he needs to go potty?

Funny you should ask this, my friend’s dog is trained this way. She has the bell on the door and every single time the dog is taken out to potty, ring the bell, every time. She put a cord on it so eventually her dog grabs the cord and rings the bell to go out. Works great for her!

]]> http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/91/how-do-you-bell-train-your-dog-for-potty-time/feed/ How do you go about training boxer puppies? http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/88/how-do-you-go-about-training-boxer-puppies/ http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/88/how-do-you-go-about-training-boxer-puppies/#comments Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:00:06 +0000 admin http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/88/how-do-you-go-about-training-boxer-puppies/ I have a 8 wk. old boxer puppy and was wondering if there were any specific techniques that I should be using for her training. She likes to bite and when we pull back or say no she just gets more aggressive.

Puppies explore the world with their mouths. Its a game to her, you pull your hand away, she chases it! what fun! Buy LOTS of toys and REDIRECT all the time. A simple ‘ah uh!’ and show her the toy then PRAISE when she gets the toy.

]]> http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/88/how-do-you-go-about-training-boxer-puppies/feed/ Is training Shiba Inu Puppies with the dog whisper method recommended? http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/89/is-training-shiba-inu-puppies-with-the-dog-whisper-method-recommended/ http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/89/is-training-shiba-inu-puppies-with-the-dog-whisper-method-recommended/#comments Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:00:06 +0000 admin http://www.sitstay-fetch.com/blog/89/is-training-shiba-inu-puppies-with-the-dog-whisper-method-recommended/ My fiancee and I just got a Shiba Inu Puppy and we were looking for the best ways to train our puppy to his new environment. Shibas are very agressive and stubborn animals so we want to know what’s the best way to approach his training. I heard alot about doing the dog whisperer method but I’ve read at some places that that method may not be good.

Even his show says not to try this at home, and the AVSAB (American Vet Society of Animal Behavior) agrees- they recommend not using his methods.

Positive reinforcement training using a marker (clicker training) works well with all breeds, when applied correctly. It has been used successfully with hundreds of species from birds, felines, marine mammals, dogs, pigs, horses, even invertebrates.

Learn about clicker training and how training can be a cooperative effort shared by two species, instead of a confrontation.

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