Dog Help

If you think about it from a dogs point of view, training a dog is a simple process. Each time your dog does the thing you want, you should reward it and when it does not do it right just ignore it. You can teach your dog in a way that they will associate a reward with a gesture or sound. Lets say you give your dog a treat that you have in your hand and say eat every time. Over a period of time your dog will associate the word eat with food and every time you say this word your dog will be expecting he or she will be getting some food.


Positive or negative reinforcement is where you reward your dog for doing something right or when something not so pleasant stops when your dog does something right.


Positive reinforcement is where you praise your dog every time it does something right. So when you say sit and your dog sits you say good dog and give her a treat.


Negative reinforcement is where you have to help your dog first, lets say you say the command sit again and your dog does nothing so you push down on your dogs hind quarters. Then when your dog sits you stop pushing, that is using the negative reinforcement to strengthen the command sit.


To train your dog you must be consistent all the time, its no good letting your dog do something one day and then changing it the next. Your dog will become confused and will not understand.


To get your dog to obey your command every time you say it you need to repeat it in different environments and situations. If you just train your dog in the back garden and then take him or her over the park and say the command your dog might not do it the first couple of times. Tour dog might think that the commands are just for the back garden only. This process is only to be taught after your dog will obey your command in the back garden, not before.


Skinners conditioning is where your dog will repeat something he or she has done and been rewarded for. Lets say you are having a barbeque and your dog comes over and puts her paw on your leg or knee. You might give your dog a piece of chicken or meat you are eating but your dog will then associate this as a good experience and he or she might do this every time you are eating and expect a reward.

Jeff runs a dog website that deals with different topics to do with dogs you can view these articles at http://www.dogtraininghelp4u.blogspot.com

Dog Help

Have you recently brought home a little puppy? Then you may be interested in giving your dog some basic training. You can get an obedience instructor for the job, or you yourself can train your pet.

The fees of the obedience instructors can differ, and you would also have to take your dog to the class where the training would take place. But if you are the trainer, you can have the whole thing done almost without any expense, and that too at your own home. So if you have decided to be the trainer, you must have some knowledge on dog training first.

You should teach your dog three basic things first – sit, stay, and come. The first thing you need to teach your dog is to sit. The one thing you would surely need for this is dog treats.

Make sure that you choose a quiet place for this training, so as not to distract your dog’s attention. Ask the dog to sit again and again while you hold the treat over his head. Thus, he will have to turn his head up, and will sit there willingly to get the treat.

If he still doesn’t sit, gently push his back down. When you have made him sit, praise him and give him his treat. If you repeat the word ’sit’, your dog will realize that the command is related to sitting and will obey you to receive his rewards.

The next thing you need to teach your dog is to stay. This part of the training can be a little difficult. This is a command which your dog would have to learn when you teach him to “come”. Make him sit in a place without any direction.

Repeat the word “stay” as you gradually walk back. Maintain an eye contact with the dog, and if he rises from his position, say “no” and start all over again. This training does take some time and patience. It would be easies if you initially get someone to sit and hold him back if he doesn’t “stay”.

If he has learnt this part, try walking away with your back towards the dog. He will probably rise now to follow you. Tell him “no” and repeat the process asking him to stay in his position as you move away.

When your dog has passed this test, teach him to come. Make him stay and then call him in a cheerful voice and thump your knee as you repeat the word “come”. Reward him, as he will probably respond to your call promptly enough.

The key word of dog training is praise, and not punishment, as dogs respond more to a positive behavior, rather than a negative one. Keep these tips in mind and you would be able to install these three basic commands into your dog.

If you follow this process of training, you would surely be the proud owner of an obedient pet whom everybody praises.

Learn about dog crate training and info on house training a dog at The Dog Trainer site.

Dog Help

Dog training mistakes are always human mistakes. Surprised? Don’t be. Many pet owners get frustrated when puppies “have accidents” or grown dogs bark like crazy at the doorbell, while, in fact, these and other problems cannot be faulted on the animal. If people don’t know what they want their dog to do instead, like sitting instead of jumping, going to their bed (when the door opens) instead of bolting out the door, dig in a sandbox instead of the garden, chewing appropriate objects, etc., the dog can’t figure it out either.

Mistake #1: Not Socializing a Dog Properly

Proper socialization is one of the kindest acts people can provide for their dogs. Natural by-products of proper socialization are activity, time with your dog, mental and physical stimulation. A dog that has been taught to socialize properly can adapt to changes in the environment and should be able to deal with a variety of situations. Lack of socialization early on in the life of an animal can lead to fear, anxiety, and aggression. The better adapted a dog is to his environment, the less likely he is to engage in unpleasant behavior.

Mistake #2: Giving Up Too Soon

Being impatient is one of the major problems owners face. Although it’s unrealistic to expect a puppy to be completely housetrained in a few weeks, many owners anticipate just that. It takes time and patience for a dog to understand the basic concept of sitting or staying; it takes even more time to change previous behaviors (such as jumping on the counter) or control urges (barking, digging in the garden, etc). Dogs get the short end of the stick in many situations. People think they should learn things very quickly, but do not always spend the time teaching them. The first step is to be calm and patience when teaching dog training basics. If you’re calm and enjoying the process, your dog will too. Don’t make the training a chore. If you feel yourself getting frustrated or angry, walk away and come back to it later.

Mistake #3: Making Training a Chore

Owners are not the only ones that get frustrated during training. Long or repetitive sessions can also be tedious for the dog. A bored dog usually stops paying attention and will have a harder time learning. Keeping the training sessions short, from 15 seconds up to five minutes a session. Practicing many of these sessions throughout the day is much better than doing one or two long sessions everyday. If you focus on making the session a fun activity instead of a chore, dogs will pick up on tricks faster. Some breeds are more prone to boredom than others, but to be safe, concentrate on making the training session as dynamic as possible.

Mistake #4: Being Ambivalent

Consistency is very important in training. If, at the beginning, of teaching a new cue, sometimes you say “Come” and other times you say “Come over here” you can cause confusion. On the other hand, dogs can understand the meaning of numerous physical and verbal cues to mean the same thing. It is important to teach one cue and then add more later. Confusing your dog will lead to failure. When you stick to a specific command or word, your dog is likely to grasp the concept better. It all has to do with the memory process. Repetition forms a “grove” of sorts in our brain which allows information to flow and connect. The deeper the groove, so to speak, the easier it is for the information we’ve stored through repetition to be accessed.

Mistake #5: Using Physical Punishment

Do do use physical violence ever on your dog! Treat dogs with the same consideration and respect that you would treat your children, grandparents and themselves. Positive reinforcement is the key to success. Training your dog out of fear is wrong! Nonviolent animal training is also more effective than earlier techniques. You can change behaviors such as destructiveness and excessive barking by finding what your dog is doing right and praising him for it. When your dog engages in negative behavior, you can choose to ignore him and hold back praise. Dogs usually pick up on it really fast. Nonviolent dog training allows you to create a partnership with your dog using gentle persuasion based in kindness, respect, and compassion.

People who are too busy or too lazy should reconsider getting a dog or any other pet in the first place. Getting a dog that’s too difficult to handle, either because of breed or size. Some breeds are easier to train than others; some breeds are naturally more submissive. Getting upset and screaming are not appropriate. The last thing you want is an animal that’s scared of being around you.

Joining a class and then giving up after the first lesson because you didn’t like the trainer. Not every trainer is a good fit for everybody. Some trainers are better with smaller dogs while others are experts at managing larger animals. Before signing up, ask to observe a class, see how the animals interact, the trainer’s attitude, etc.

I believe nonviolence fosters nonviolence. Because of the link between dog and human behavior, positive dog training contributes to helping build a world of peace for humans and dogs. When people, especially children, are successful using nonviolent methods with animals, they feel good about themselves and they are encouraged to have a kinder, more positive attitude with their friends, family, and the environment.

Derrick Madison has two wonderful dogs, and shares his dog training methods on his blog. For more information on dog training techniques, and how to deal with problem dog behavior, you can visit his blog at: Dog Behavior Training 101

Dog Help

A calm, obedient and faithful dog – it’s what we all want, right? To begin with, obedient and trained dogs are happier dogs, less likely to get into tussles with people or with other dogs. Another reason is that many communities require that the dogs living in their neighborhoods be well trained. This is especially true for many breeds thought to have aggression and behavior problems – large dog breeds such as german shepherds and rottweilers to name a couple. And of course pit bulls are almost synonymous with aggression in many people’s minds.

Now, I have a rottweiler myself, and she’s the soppiest thing out. So I don’t personally subscribe to the view that particular breeds are necessarily aggressive. But nevertheless, large dogs certainly do need to be adequately trained, just because of their size. Larger dogs can be very intimidating to people.

And of course, training your dog well will also make he or she a much better family companion, especially in households where there are young children. Many studies have shown that proper dog training makes a big impact when it comes to cutting down the number of dog bits and other behavior problems encountered by dog owning households.

When considering training your own dog, or having someone else help you train it, there are certain basic commands that must be mastered in order for a dog to be considered truly trained. These basic commands include:

No – The word No is one word that all dogs must learn. Training your dog to respond to this important word can save you a ton of trouble.

Sit – Training your dog to sit on command is a vital part of any dog training program.

Down – Lying down on command is more than just a cute trick; it is a key component of any successful dog training program.

Stay – A well trained dog should remain where his or her owner commands, so Stay is an important command in dog training. (The Stay command is not used by all dog trainers. Some are of the view that the command to Sit means “Sit, and stay there until you’re given another command” – this makes a lot of sense. But many people do like to use the Stay command).

Heel – it is important that any dog learn to walk beside its owner on a loose lead, neither pulling ahead nor lagging behind

Dog training does much more than just create an obedient, willing companion. Training your dog properly actually strengthens the bond that already exists between dog and owner. Dogs are pack animals, and they look to their pack leader to tell them what to do. The key to successful dog training is to set yourself up as that pack leader.

Establishing yourself as pack leader is a very important concept for any potential dog trainer to understand. There is only one leader in every pack of dogs, and the owner must establish him or herself as the dominant animal. Failure to do so leads to all manner of behavior problems.

A properly trained dog will respond properly to all the owner’s commands, and will not display anxiety, displeasure or confusion. A good dog training program will focus on allowing the dog to learn just what is expected of it, and will use positive reinforcement to reward desired behaviors.

In addition to making the dog a good member of the community, obedience training is a great way to fulfill some of the dog’s own needs, including the need for exercise, the security that comes with knowing what is expected of it, a feeling of accomplishment and a good working relationship with its handler. Dog training gives the dog an important job to do, and an important goal to reach.

Giving the dog a job is more important than you may think. Dogs were originally bred by humans to do important work, such as herding sheep, guarding property and protecting people. Many dogs today have no important job to do, and this can often lead to boredom and neurotic behavior.

Basic obedience training, and ongoing training sessions, provide the dog with an important job to do. This is especially important for high energy breeds like German shepherds and border collies. Training sessions are a great way for these high energy dogs to use up their extra energy and simply to enjoy themselves.

Incorporating playtime into your dog training sessions is a great way to prevent both yourself and your dog from becoming bored. Playing with your dog helps to strengthen the all important bond between you – the pack leader – and your dog.

Brigitte Smith runs two websites dedicated to dog training, dog care and dog health:
Grab your free special report here:
Healthy Happy Dogs>
or here:
Dog Training and Wellness

Dog Help

Reiki (pronounced Ray-key) comes from the Japanese Rei and Ki meaning spiritually guided life energy. Reiki for dogs is a form of spiritual healing that helps harmonize the mind, body, and soul of your pet. It can be used as a treatment for relaxation as well as a tool for releasing negative emotions and limitations.

Reiki for dogs can treat many ailments that may be currently inhibiting your dog, whether noticeable to you or not. It can reduce stress, relieve pain, headaches, stomach upsets, asthma, back problems, sinus, respiratory problems, canine hip dysplasia, anxiety and many more. After performing your first session with your pet, you will see instant results of using Reiki for your dog.

Reiki for dogs is performed with a fixed set of hand positions. Each position is formed to create a specific desired energy outcome to ultimately bring your dog into balance. To understand how to use Reiki for your dog it is important to know the different charkas that are connected to the physical organs of the body as well as the aura.

There are seven centers of energy in your pet. Reiki for dogs focuses on changing the energy from one center to another to bring about balance. The hand positions control the Chi and ultimately free your dog’s aura while allowing for a continual energy flow. The seven centers consist of the Root chakra, Navel chakra, Solar Plexus chakra, Heart chakra, Throat chakra, Third eye, and the Crown chakra. These charkas are specifically connected to different glands in your dog. Reiki for your dog will make the glands release hormones directly into the blood stream and control all aspects of your dogs daily activities and healthy thinking.

Freeing the aura is a major part of using Reiki for dogs. Before Reiki, your dog’s aura might only extend a few decimeters outside the body. After performing Reiki on your dog its aura will resonate about 2-3 meters. There are several different layers of body in the aura that Reiki will expose for your dog.

Physical Body: the most tangible part of your dog’s body. Here, Reiki for your dog will ease some of the most common fears about the physical body-sickness, aging and death.

Etheric Body: connected to the Root chakra, it is made up of a thin invisible layer that is only 2 cm thick that surrounds your dog’s body. This is where the energy is reflected when Reiki for your dog gets it flowing from chakra to chakra. Many of your dog’s dreams are found here.

Emotional Body: connected to the Navel chakra it serves as an egg shaped emotion reflector that contains the other two bodies. Emotions like hope, happiness, love, anger, and sorrow are all found here. Reiki for your dog can release these emotions from past problems your dog has suppressed and create an empty canvas for your dog to express freely.

Mental Body: connected to the Solar Plexus chakra, reflects logic, mind, and intelligent thinking. Reiki for dogs helps shape their reality.

Astral Body: the bridge between the spiritual realm and the physical world. Reiki for dogs will help them express unconditional love.

Etheric Template Body: connected to the Throat chakra, this is where your dog has its thought processes. Reiki for your dog will connect its past, and present to its future.

Celestial Body: connected to the third eye chakra, mirrors the subconscious mind. It uses your dog’s intuition to bring about higher feelings. Reiki for your dog will allow your pet to have a love that goes beyond individual to universal.

Casual Body: connected to the Crown chakra, is the last body where the initial creative impulses begin. Reiki for your dog will have your dog’s soul communicating with its conscious mind and mental body.

Reiki for your dog is a gentle but powerful healer. It will balance your dog’s energy, organs, and glands. Reiki for dogs has proven to strengthen immune systems, relieve pain, clears toxins, and enhances personal awareness while relaxing your dog.

Ruby Fayed is an avid dog lover and premier article author for http://www.tailoredtail.com. For more information on dog carriers, dog beds, and dog clothes, please visit our website for everyday savings.

Dog Help

Dogs are always the most honest  friends to human. While dogs give unconditional love, loyalty and friendship to their owners, the owners are, in turn, responsible for their proper care, such as food , water, shelter, safety, regular veterinary care and exercise. In this context, there are some dog-care basics that you need to follow. In order to help you out in the task, we have listed a number of dog caring tips, in the lines below. 

How To Care For Dogs

One of the main points that you need to keep in mind, while taking care of your dog, comprises of its diet. Remember, a nutritionally balanced diet, with constant access to fresh water, is as good for your dog as it is for you. Before deciding on the proper diet for your dog, it is advisable to consult a veterinary doctor.

Bathing your dog at regular intervals is necessary. However, giving it a bath on an exceedingly frequent basis can dry out its skin and coat and result in skin infections. The best bet would be to bathe your dog once in a month. In case it gets too dirty in-between, rub it with a damp towel or wash just the paws. 

Also, it is necessary to undertake a proper physical examination of your dog on a monthly basis. Check the pad of its feet for any injuries and also undertake an oral examination of its mouth. At the same time, make sure to keep its ears as well as teeth clean. You need to take your dog for regular veterinarian check-ups as well, say every 2-3 months. At present, many pets owners treat their dogs as their children. They buy beautiful dog clothes for them as well as small shoes which are special designed for pets, please note: not discount ugg boots.

If you want your dog to remain fit and healthy, then you need to make sure that it gets a lot of exercise. Keeping its busy physically will also help keep behavioral problems at bay. You can take him for walk twice a day or play with him. In this context, remember that the level of exercise that your dog should get depends upon its breed and age.

At last, provide proper shelter for your dog too, mainly in the form of a dog house. However, most of the dogs crave companionship and do not like to be alone for long periods. So, try to spend as much time with your dog as possible and make it go into the dog house at night only. 

In addition, some people prefer to keep their dog free throughout the day, others prefer to keep it tied for majority of the time. It is advisable not to keep your dog constantly tied up, as this will lead to boredom and result in bad temper of the dog as well. As much as possible, keep your dog free of the leash.

 

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Cat Care

When my kids came home begging me to get them a cat, I had no idea what to expect or how to care for a cat. Before I relented, I did some research and found out that there are some cat care basics with which I needed to be familiar before we would bring a cat into the home. We had to make decisions about food, litter, cat furniture, toys, fleas, grooming, and vet care. It was not a decision to be taken lightly, but it was one we decided to take on.

Here is some of the information I uncovered doing my research before we brought our new cat, Tommy, into our home.

Cats need a specific diet. Not all cat foods are good at meeting the natural dietary needs of cats. You would think that if a manufacturer says a food is good for cats, it has to be good for cats. But determining whether or not a food fits the dietary needs of your cat is up to you. The manufacturer is trying to sell his product, so do your homework.

Dry foods have different health benefits and drawbacks than canned foods. I didn’t know that! Cats don’t need a lot of vegetable fillers in their diet. I didn’t know that either! Cats need a high-protein, high-animal fat diet. That sounded a bit off until I thought about it. Cats are carnivores in the truest sense of the word. They eat only other animals when they are in their natural habitat. Now I understand why I need to read labels and choose the diet that is best suited to Tommy’s natural needs.

Another area I looked into was what toys are best for a cat. I saw a lot of really cool, colorful, texture-rich toys in the pet store. They would be great! Any cat would have so much fun with such a toy. Not so. Cats are not completely color blind, but they do not make much distinction in colors. A colorful toy has little influence on its attractiveness to a cat.

I also thought a big ball of yarn would be fun until I found out that cats can ingest yarn and it embeds in the lining of their stomachs. That is not a scenario I wanted to know about personally! The cool crinkly toys I saw have had problems with the crinkly part coming out when the cat plays with it. Again, ingestion of the material can cause serious health risks. I had a lot of things to consider if I was going to have a cat and provide safe, fun toys for him to play with.

Do you know how many kinds of cat litter are on the market? Did you know some cats won’t use certain types of litter? Some of them are very expensive, and others have a more reasonable price tag, but while some cats enjoy the more expensive, others will only use the cheapest kind of litter. I was getting quite tired just thinking about how many experiments we might have to do if we brought a cat home. How much clean up was I willing to do if the cat didn’t like the litter I bought?

Cat furniture is another issue I researched. I know cats scratch, and I had heard that declawing is an unpleasant and unnecessary procedure. I wanted to know what my options were and how effective I could be in preserving my furniture and carpets. There is a large variety of options for furniture. There are textures cats prefer, along with structures that they enjoy. I learned that most important was to provide variety in any furniture I chose. I also learned that it is significantly cheaper (though requires an investment of time) to build my own.

Finally, I turned my thoughts to the physical health of a cat. I know worms can be a problem for a lot of cats. What I didn’t know was how easy they are to treat if you are diligent about keeping up with the general health of the cat. I also learned that there are things you can do to make your cat’s habitat less conducive to picking up worms. Cleanliness is important in the house as well as the yard!

And what about fleas? While fleas can be a problem, and they can cause some other health issues if they get out of control in a cat, they are also a minor problem if you are taking charge of your cat’s overall health. There are many monthly-use products that keep fleas at bay just by being faithful to giving them to your cat.

Ultimately, I learned a lot about taking care of a cat. My kids were asking me almost daily until I gave in and we brought Tommy home. I have been diligent about providing for his needs. He sees the vet on schedule. He has a healthy, protein-rich diet, he has toys that cannot hurt him, and we did finally find a litter he will use! He has quit scratching the furniture, and we are all enjoying having him in our home.

Be diligent in your research about cat care basics. If you will pay attention to your cat’s needs, you will be able to avoid illness, injury, and outrageous vet bills!

Kelly is a frequent contributor to www.freecathealthtips.com, a website that provides free information on cat care and cat health tips. You can learn more about cat care and cat health tips for free at: Cat Care