dog training naming and healthcare

12 Tips for a Well Behaved Dog

I) Start training your puppy early on. While old dogs can be taught new tricks, what's learned earliest, is often learned quickest and easiest. Moreover, the older the dog, the more bad habits will likely need to be "un-learned". When it comes to raising and training a dog, an ounce of problem prevention is certainly worth a pound of cure!
2) Train your dog gently and humanely, and whenever possible, teach him using positive, motivational methods. Keep obedience sessions upbeat so that the training process is enjoyable for all parties involved. If training your pooch is a drudgery, rev things up a bit, and try the "playtraining" approach: incorporate constructive, non-adversarial games (such as "Go Find", "Hide 'n' Seek", retrieving, etc.) into your training sessions.
3) Does your dog treat you like "hired help" at home? Does he treat you like a human gymnasium when you're sitting on the furniture? Does he beg at the table? Jump up on visitors? Demand your attention by annoying you to death? Ignore your commands? How well your dog responds to you at home affects his behavior outdoors as well. If your dog doesn't respond reliably to commands at home (where distractions are relatively minimal), he certainly won't respond to you properly outdoors where he's tempted by other dogs, pigeons, passersby, sidewalk food scraps, etc.
4) Avoid giving your dog commands that you know you cannot enforce. Every time you give a command that is neither complied with nor enforced your dog learns that commands are optional.
5) One command should equal one response, so give your dog only one command (twice max!), then gently enforce it. Repeating commands tunes your dog out (as does nagging) and teaches your dog that the first several commands are a "bluff '. For instance, telling your dog to "Sit, sit, sit, sit!", is neither an efficient nor effective way to issue commands. Simply give your dog a single "Sit" command and gently place or lure your dog into the sit position, then praise/reward.
6) Avoid giving your dog combined commands which are incompatible. Combined commands such as "sit-down" can confuse your dog. Using this example, say either "sit" or "down". The command "sit-down" simply doesn't exist.
7) When giving your dog a command, avoid using a loud voice. Even if your dog is especially independent/unresponsive, your tone of voice when issuing an obedience command such as "sit","down" or ""stay", should be calm and authoritative, rather than harsh or loud. NOTE: Many owners complain that their dogs are "stubborn", and that they "refuse to listen" when given a command. Before blaming the dog when he doesn't respond to a command, one must determine whether or not: a) the dog knows what the owner wants, b) he knows how to comply, c) he is not simply being unresponsive due to fear, stress or confusion.
8 ) Whenever possible, use your dog's name positively, rather than using it in conjunction to reprimands, warnings or punishment. Your dog should trust that when it hears its name or is called to you, good things happen. His name should always be a word he responds to with enthusiasm, never hesitancy or fear.
9) Correct or, better yet, prevent the (mis)behavior, don't punish the dog. Teaching and communication is what it's all about, not getting even with your dog. If you're taking an "it's-you-against-your dog, whip 'em into shape" approach, you'll undermine your relationship, while missing out on all the fun that a motivational training approach can offer. Additionally, after-the-fact discipline does NOT work.
10) When training one's dog, whether praising or correcting, good timing is essential. Take the following example: You've prepared a platter of hors d'oeuvres for a small dinner party, which you've left on your kitchen counter. Your dog walks into the room and smells the hors d'oeuvres. He air-sniffs, then eyes the food, and is poised to jump up. This is the best, easiest and most effective time to correct your dog: before he's misbehaved, while he's thinking about jumping up to get the food.
11) Often, dog owners inadvertently reinforce their dogs' misbehavior, by giving their dogs lots of attention (albeit negative attention) when they misbehave. Needless to say, if your dog receives lots of attention and handling when he jumps up on you, that behavior is being reinforced, and is therefor likely to be repeated.
12) Keep a lid on your anger. Never train your dog when you're feeling grouchy or impatient. Earning your dog's respect is never accomplished by yelling, hitting, or handling your dog in a harsh manner. Moreover, studies have shown that fear and stress inhibit the learning process.

Responsible Dog Ownership

            Responsible dog ownership is something that needs to be taken seriously in this country. For some reason, America, the land of the free, places more restraints on canines than most European countries. In many "old world" countries, dogs are allowed everywhere in public. People take their pets shopping with them, to church with them, and to the pub with them. What made America take on such a negative view of pet ownership, that it started placing restrictions on where we could go and what we could do with our dogs? Could it be that some pet owners, because of their irresponsibility, have caused American merchants and government officials to take on a "better be safe than sorry," and "don't allow them a chance because of what they might do" kind of an attitude? That's a shame, because most of the dog owners I associate with are very responsible, and it's too bad that they have to be "limited" or punished for the past transgressions of others. If we want to turn around the attitudes about dogs in this country, we have to try to make all dog owners take responsibility for their pets and become "model citizens." This is part of the goal of Dog Scouts of America.
What does it mean to be a responsible dog owner?
                 Being a responsible dog owner is easy, but it involves many things. It means making sure that your dog is not a nuisance. Basically this means being a "good citizen." It means making sure that your dog does not roam freely, destroy property, chase livestock, maul children or other animals, leave excrement behind where he goes in public, or become a nuisance barker, or in other ways decrease the quality of life of others in your community. It boils down to proper control, good training, cleaning up after your dog's messes, and providing your dog with enough physical exercise and mental stimulation that he does not create his own "vices" out of frustration. Dogs were meant to share our homes with us and be our companions. That is the right reason for getting a dog. People who get dogs for the "wrong" reason, often end up regretting their decision to get the dog in the first place, and the dog often becomes relegated to the backyard tied to a doghouse and forgotten about. Or, the dog is "thrown away"--surrendered to an animal shelter or dog pound to get rid of the burden. Dog ownership should not be a "burden." If you get a dog for the right reasons and are committed to giving that dog the love, care, attention, socialization and training that he deserves you will be able to honor your commitment to being his partner and caregiver his whole life long.
Some of the "wrong" reasons to get a dog are: For Protection.
                  This is a scenario that almost always goes bad. People think that if they get a dog, it will automatically be protective of their family. This is not true. Some people even keep their dogs away from other people and fail to socialize them properly, in an effort to make them more "protective." Here's a news flash--improperly socialized dogs are not barking because they are protective. On the contrary, they are usually barking out of fear because they have become "wary" of strangers. If left with the choice of defending the owner, or turning and running, this fearful, unsocial zed dog would head for the hills. The other mistake people make is to encourage the dog to bark by tying him outside and creating a territorial aggression problem. This is a lawsuit waiting to happen. What happens when a child wanders up into the dog's territory. There are thousands of cases each year where children are hurt or killed in this unfortunate scenario. If you want your dog for protection, why would you tie him out back to the tree? Do you need that tree protected? If you really want a dog to protect your home and hearth, the place he should be is inside. And courage is something that is only built through proper socialization at an early age, which will make your dog comfortable around all kinds of people. If all you really wanted was a "junkyard dog," don't waste a valuable canine life dooming a dog to that kind of misery. Buy one of those electronic taped "vicious barking" devices which is triggered by motion. It's less expensive and requires no maintenance.

A Companion for the Kids.
                 Another poor choice. Children often beg their parents for a dog, promising to take responsibility for the care of the animal. It takes a few days to a few weeks for this to wear off, and the dog's care ends up the responsibility of the already overworked and too busy homemaker (usually the "mom"). Since it was not the mother's idea to get the dog in the first place, she often tires of taking on the added duties of canine care and maintenance. She doesn't have time to properly train the dog, and he starts to develop bad habits that the average owner has no idea how to "fix." This is often how dogs end up in the shelters and pounds. People underestimate the commitment of being responsible for a dog's upkeep, and they just "give up" and throw away the dog. How convenient. What about that loving animal who you promised you would love his whole life long? What is he thinking when you drag him off to a dog pound and drive away without him, leaving him in that strange place filled with the smell of other abandoned dogs and the dead ones which have been "put to sleep" (a euphemism for executed--KILLED--because their owner could not or would not take responsibility for his welfare any longer. Did you know that 80,000,000 dogs each year are killed in pounds and humane societies because they developed "behavior problems?" It's the number one reason for surrender of an animal. If you're not prepared to train your dog to be a well-mannered member of the family, then perhaps you should get the kids a stuffed dog, instead. They don't require much effort to maintain.
To Breed.
                If you're a hobby breeder, then you already realize the huge undertaking this is. You realize that you must spare no expense to keep your dog in top condition, feeding the best premium dog foods. You know that before you breed, you must research the dog's background thoroughly to make sure the animal does not potentially carry any undesirable hereditary health problems, like hip displasia, elbow displasia, night blindness, deafness, or predisposition to any number of other hereditary problems, like seizures or rage syndrome. You know that you must also carefully research and require proof of clear hips, eyes and other potential problems from the person whose dog you plan to breed to. You also realize to raise a healthy litter of quality puppies, you do not make money. At best you are prepared to break even, but will probably not come out ahead. As a hobby breeder, you are not in this for the money, anyway, but because of your love of the breed, and the desire to perpetuate the excellent traits that your dog possesses. Dogs weren't meant to be puppy making machines. This is dog abuse. Places which maintain dogs strictly for the production of offspring to sell to pet stores or other buyers are called "puppy mills." Dogs used to "manufacture" the product (a constant supply of cute puppies) are kept in deplorable conditions. Anyone who purchases a puppy at a pet shop is guilty of perpetuating this heinous activity. Responsible dog owners will caution their friends about this problem, and will never purchase a puppy from a pet shop. Most responsible pet owners try to "boycott" the perpetuation of this animal cruelty for the sake of making a fast buck, and will not purchase ANYTHING at a pet shop which sells puppies. If you just bought a nice, pet quality dog, and don't want to show it in the breed ring at dog shows, the best thing you can do for your pet is have it spayed or neutered. I will repeat the statistic that 80,000,000 dogs are killed in shelters and pounds each year. There is a serious pet overpopulation problem in this country. There just aren't enough homes for all of the dogs which are brought into the world. Don't contribute to the problem. If you don't have a plan for finding excellent homes for all of your puppies, and aren't prepared to keep them all yourself, think twice about breeding your dog.

The right reason to get a dog is the same as the right reason for having a child. You intend to do all that you can to make him a productive member of society. You are committed to properly socializing him during those all-important "critical periods." You intend to take him to dog school, to teach him how to behave himself in everyday situations (obedience training is not just for people who want to enter dog shows and compete!). You will become involved in activities you and your dog enjoy, which will provide physical activity and socialization as well as mental stimulation (like agility, Frisbee fetching, jogging, swimming, and learning tricks). You will protect him from harm, try to instill manners and teach him right from wrong. And most importantly, you will sign on for a lifelong commitment to care for and love that dog, providing proper nutrition, good hygiene, physical exercise, mental stimulation, getting regular health checks and vaccinations and providing medical care when needed.

There are so many different ways to train dogs that it gets extremely confusing for the new dog owner and the dog. What do you do? What is best for your dog? Below I give my opinion on some common training methods. Thoughout my site I explain the different training methods I use to train dogs. Below I discuss some methods I use and explain other methods which I disagree with using to assist with training dogs. My opinions are based on my personal experiences with using them on many dogs and seeing them used by many dog owners and trainers.
Proper training is training performed with or without the proper training tools to produce the desired behavior.
Improper training is training performed with or without the proper or improper training tools, that worsens the dogs’ behavior problem.
Halters: The Question Of Pleasant Or Effectiveness
I would be lying if I said halters are totally comfortable or any method of training but something needs to be used to correct bad behaviors like biting. Sure there are more comfortable training tools out there, but what will work best for the problem, is the question that is most important for achieving the proper correction sufficiently. Another words sure you can choose a more comfortable tool but what is most important is the effectiveness the tool has for that particular problem. And from my own experience most more comfortable tools and correction methods don't work much or if they do, it only lasts for a short time depending on the dog. Then the owner has to find another method anyway. The Halti is a very effective tool because it is not too comfortable or too uncomfortable. It applies the proper amount of correction to get the best and sufficient correction to stop the bad behavior. Halters whether uncomfortable or not, don't cause pain, so if the end result is a non-biting dog then that's wonderful to the owner.
Any training to a dog is not going to be totally pleasant either physically or mentally or both but this is necessary to correct a dog. That is what correcting a dog is all about, especially if it is stopping a biting dog. When I state physical corrections, I am not talking about abusive actions. Abusive actions are very improper training and should never be used.
The Jolly Routine and Pavlov Method
The Jolly Routine is not like the Pavlov method because you are doing training at the same time and you are diverting the dog's attention from its current behavior to another more pleasant behavior. Pavlov tricks the mind and we are not tricking the mind into thinking something untrue to the dog naturally. The Jolly Routine takes what is in the dog naturally and uses an item(s) or a different situation that trigger happiness to train the dog to see the situation to be pleasant.
Food Rewards
I'm a trainer who uses food treats or rewards as a last resort because it takes away from the main focus which is you. I feel that food rewards take away from the bond of you and your dog because the dog is only responding to the food and not you. Sure they will obey with food. They'll do anything to get the treat because the food reward is the focus and not the person holding the treat. I believe in focus training through your pure love and affection or rather the bond between you and your dog. This is more powerful than a treat. You want the dog to respond to you and not the treat. To do this, forget the food rewards and start rewarding your dog with your love through lots of petting praise and lots of vocal praise. This is just my personal opinion. If you still want to use it, then go on ahead. You just won't find me using it during a dog obedience training lesson unless all other dog training methods have been tried. However, the use of treats in dog shows and for the pure purpose of coaxing and calming the fearful or nervous dog when not in a training session, is a good a way to use food treats. I truly agree with using treats this way. Some dogs, especially the fearful or nervous dogs, won't have any interest in eating the treat but the sight of it may raise their spirits. The some nervous or shy dogs may not be at all interested in the treats.
Clicker Training
As far as clicker training, I've never tried it and won’t. I really don't believe it works because once the dogs become accustomed to the noise they will stop obeying this sound. Well as far as the use of treats with it, I’ve already explained my opinion on this in the paragraph above. I tried a similar method without treats. The dog gets used to the sound and does not respond to it anymore.
Paper Training
My feeling on paper training is controversial. I feel paper training backfires because you are teaching the dog to go in the house or an apartment. This makes it too easy for the dog to feel as if it can go elsewhere in the house. For some dogs it may work, but others will have trouble distinguishing the difference. If you are able to get your dog to strictly go on the newspaper and not on the carpet then good. If you have a paper trained dog, is the dog able to distinguish the difference between other paper and newspaper? I'd like to hear from you if you are able to leave both regular paper and newspaper out on the floor and your dog does only go on the newspaper. Well, if it works for you and your dog then by all means continue with paper training. However, in my opinion, it's overall better to teach the dog to go outside to relieve because you won't have to smell it in the house. It just seems overall healthier for you and the dog to have your canine family member go outside to do it's duty.

Bitter Apple
I've tried Bitter Apple and with me it didn't work. Some dogs can tolerate the taste and continue to chew over it. Maybe it is more effective with small dogs but not always working with larger dogs. However, if you find it working for your dog(s) then that's great. There are several things, though, that I don't want to put this stuff on, so I do what I say in my Solving Chewing page.