Pet Training

Whether you have just brought home a new puppy or a rescue dog, training should begin straight away. Your dog can pick up bad habits if allowed to get away with certain behaviour when settling in that you later feel will be unacceptable. For example you allow your puppy to sleep in your room for the first few nights as he is crying, a few months down the line you cannot shut your dog in the kitchen at night because he barks the house down! So decide on the ground rules before your pet arrives and stick to them. You will need patience and a willing pet. You will also need a small, tasty treat to reward your dog with and a quiet room with no distractions to enable you and your dog to concentrate. It can be very helpful to join a training class for guidance and socialisation or work from a reputable dog-training book. Ensure that you have suitable training aids or equipment to hand such as clicker, harness, lead etc. Once your dog is performing a certain task reliably you can start to ask them to do this in a 'real' situation.

So how do you get started?

Like any kind of training, start in an environment that your dog is comfortable and relaxed in. Begin to associate the click with a reward by click-treat-click-treat-click etc holding the clicker out of view. Your dog will eventually begin to associate the clicker with a reward until the click becomes a reward in itself. In obedience training you give your dog an idea of what is expected and then when he does it right you can reward him. For example tempt your dog into the sit position by holding a treat in front of your dog’s nose and move your hand back over your dogs head. As he tries to keep the treat under his nose his bottom will automatically hit the floor, at this stage you can then click and treat. As you repeat this only give treats intermittently and introduce a command. Allow your dog time to work out what you want him to do and be patient.

Clicker Training?

Clicker training is a simple and effective method of training based on a positive reinforcement reward system. The clicker is a simple plastic box with a metal tongue. When compressed it emits a double 'click' sound. The clicker is used to reward a specific behaviour and works on most dogs’ willingness to want to please their owners and earn their prize. The positive aspect of the clicker is that it is specific to the behaviour your dog is displaying at the time that you want to reward. Praise such as "who’s a good boy!" is not as effective in teaching your dog what is going to get it its reward and so it will take longer for your dog to learn. As the click is sounded as the behaviour is happening, there can be no doubt about what the dog is being rewarded for. Clicker training uses your dog’s own natural desire to learn and obtain a reward without having to use any force or punishment. If your dog does not do what you are trying to train, it will not get a click reward and so will try harder to do what you want to gain recognition.

Walking Your Dog

A dog is more than just man's best friend: your friendly pooch is a living, breathing, happy animal who needs all the reciprocal love and attention you can give. Your dog also needs a lot of specific attention to make sure that he stays healthy and happy all year through. Walking your dog is one of the most important things that you can do this summer – make sure that you walk your dog every day, or as often as you can. It is essential that you get a nice, sturdy lead and collar combination that is appropriate for the size of your dog, and that you learn how to use this lead properly. It is required by law that your dog always has a lead on him or her when you go out walking in public areas.

You can choose to use a harness combination which is great for dogs and puppies who are learning how to walk with a lead – it distributes the pressure equally around the harnessed area instead of focusing it on your dog's neck like a collar would.
A plain collar and lead combo is great for well-trained dogs as it gives them a good idea of where they are supposed to be when you hold on tightly to the other end.

There are some places where you can let your dog off of his lead to let them have a jolly good run around and let off some excess steam, but always make sure to have them securely collared up before you leave again! A collar and lead will make sure that you can guide your dog through forests, parks, roads and other public areas without endangering your dog or other motorists and pedestrians.

Breed Spotlight: Transylvanian Hound

There are certain dog breeds that we love and cherish because they hold their own very unique and very special qualities. One dog breed that is revered and regarded as one of the most beautiful dog breeds is the Transylvanian Hound. Regarded as easily trainable this beautiful and lesser known dog breed is great for home and professional dog training.
Originating from Hungary the dog training that the earlier Transylvanian Hound’s underwent was to properly prepare them for hunting and retrieving.

With two varieties: the short-legged and the long-legged, each variant went through specific dog training to make them most effective in their hunting specialties. The shorter-legged dog was trained for hunting hares and smaller animals while the longer-legged dog went through dog training that prepared them to hunt slightly larger animals.

Although not used for hunting today these beautiful Transylvanian Hounds still maintain their ancestral good dog training and training abilities.
Hence they are known to be extremely good natured as well as obedient and they take very quickly to any good dog training.

The sad thing about these gorgeous Transylvanian Hounds is that they are hardly found outside of Hungary and are dwindling in numbers. So if you are looking for a great family dog that is great in dog training, why not take a serious look at the Transylvanian Hound?

Dog Training

The saying goes that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but what if, you may ask, you have recently adopted an older dog that has not had sufficient dog training and that you would love to teach basic commands to? Well, if you have a new that happens to be older if you have your own dog that has grown up with you but has never had dog training it is never to late to teach your dog a few tricks. You might not get you older dog doing overly energetic leaps and bounds but with some love, patience and consistency you can still teach your dog to listen to you and you could get them to obey certain commands as well.

Whether or not an animal will listen to you has a lot to do with your treatment of the animal. If you are loud and abrasive you may get a response from a dog but it is very unlikely to be the response that you desire. Effective dog training requires a gentle and loving approach that can be both stern as well as fun. Importantly your dog should trust you and with a good owner – dog relationship you can still give a shot at dog training and you may be pleasantly surprised that you can indeed teach an old dog new tricks!

Dog training

Dog training can be a very important part of you and your dog getting to know one each other. Your dog is more than just a new animal around the home; they are, as the cliché tells us, your best friend. And who better to spend time with, having fun and learning together, than your new best friend? So, as important and as practical as dog training your dog may be, it is good to now that you can and should have fun while you are training your dog.

Dog training is best started when your dog your dog is still a puppy, this will teach from the get go what they may do and how they may do things.
Getting your dog properly trained when they are older is just a little more difficult, but not at all impossible. The older dogs get the more set in their ways and habits they become, so getting your dog to know your boundaries and teaching them better habits from a younger age through good dog training habits will do them and you a lot of good.

When you want to start training your dog, find out about local dog training centres or even trained and qualified private trainers, and remember to be consistent with whatever you teach your dog and to take the training habits home with you after any dog training classes.

Dog training basics - get to know your dog!

If you have a problem with your new puppy or dog because he or she keeps on grabbing at things and pulling things off of tables then take a look at he problem from a new point of view. Instead of leaping into specialised dog training classes just get down onto your hands and knees and move around your house for a while to get to see the world from your dog’s point of view. It may feel slightly silly at first but it works. Soon you will notice what it is and how it is that certain things catch your dog’s eye.

Seeing your house from your dog’s perspective of the world you will find what is not only eye catching to your dog but you can also get a very good idea as to what sort of things around the home may be potentially hazardous to your dog. After this little self dog training exercise you might have found electric cables and other cords that could trip your dog up, that they could get tangled in or that they could chew. You will also notice the heights of chairs and tables from their perspective and will have a much better idea as to where and where not to leave your valuable possessions that you would rather keep unchewed and out of the garden.

Dog training myths

Dog training is a bridge that all of us dog owners need to cross at some point in time. Although we may not go all out in training our dogs we still need certain elements to be covered. There are however tried and tested ways and means of teaching our dogs the things that we need and want them to know. Some techniques however do more damage than they do any good. Here are two dog training myths that you need to try and avoid when you do train your dog:

Dog training myth number 1: you need to yell at your dog to get them to listen to you.
Yelling rarely helps and if it does work it will be a short lived form of help that is not guaranteed to always get the best results. Yelling can lead to over excitement and can get the dog thinking that something is wrong without effectively letting them know what exactly is wrong.

Dog training myth number 2: you need to dominate your dog by using physical force.
As with yelling you may think that this is effective but in long term view it is extremely ineffective in keeping your dog in order. When training your dog you need to be calm, consistent and fair – it’s the only way to get them to learn how and what to do.

SPCA annual Mutt of the Year!

The SPCA is holding its annual “Mutt of the Year” competition on Sunday the 16th of March 2008 - that is in two days time. The competition is open to any one who owns a mixed breed dog, or mutt, and is a competition that requires no formal dog training. It is a great way to show off your dog and their beauty, their character and is a wonderful opportunity to spend the day in the company of other mixed breed dogs with their loving owners. Categories in the competition include:
Dog with the longest tail
Animal/Owner look-alike (both looks & personality)
Bark like a dog
Best Pup and the prestigious title of Mutt of 2008

Mutt of the year competitions are quite widely held and they celebrate the love for your dog no matter what kind of mixed breed he or she happens to be, whether they have had dog training or not. Specific breed dogs can be beautiful and are acknowledged for their usual grace and beauty but there is nothing like a ‘pavement special’ or a mixed breed and the extra special animal character that comes from a loving and lively mutt.

For more information contact the SPCA on (021) 700-4141 / 082-921-3347 or visit their website at http://www.spca-ct.co.za/ for information and entry forms.

The importance of dog training

Having pet insurance means that you can protect your dog from succumbing to certain ailments ensuring them a happy and long life. But along with pet insurance having a trained and obedient dog can make your life with your pet much more enjoyable. Through training your dog will learn to listen to you, and learning a couple of tricks means that you can both bond together and then be able to show off your tricks to others. You can teach your dog by yourself at home or, it could be helpful to even take your dog to specially formulated dog training classes.

The added benefit of having an obedient dog also means that you can protect your dog from certain dangers. Essential things that your dog will need to be taught is to listen to you so that you can keep command and keep your pet out of harms way. This means that in dog training your dog can be taught to obey certain commands when you are out of the home environment, in this way you can teach your dog to stay near to you, to not run across roads and thus prevent them from being hit or injured by moving vehicles.

The importance of getting your dog into good behavioural habits

Dog training can be loads of fun! The time spent with your dog during training can lead invaluable times of bonding. You and your dog will both benefit from the time spent with each other.

Dog training can start when your dog is still very young. If your dog is trained and get used to certain good habits as a puppy it is generally easier to maintain those good training habits throughout your pet’s life. From house training to obedience you can set up a special relationship and bond with your dog. Many dog’s will also usually only respond to their owner’s once trained, so you can setup specific commands and between you and you dog.

You can teach your dog many things with just the two of you in the comfort of your own home. It is also a good idea to take your dog to a dog training school where knowledgeable instructors can guide both you and your dog in the best ways of training your dog.

Whether you want you pet to obey simple commands such sit, lie down and wait or if you are looking for some more advanced training and some good show off type tricks taking your dog to dog training is a good idea.

The website http://www.dogworld.co.za/ offers a comprehensive list of dog training schools in all of the different SA regions if you are thinking about taking your pup to training school. Check out the direct link at http://www.dogworld.co.za/departments/clubs/obedience.html.

The benefits of giving your puppy his/her own space

Many dog and puppy trainers will preach the benefits of teaching your dog where his or her own dog cushion is in your home. By ensuring that your pooch has their own little space that they can go to in order to feel comfortable, you make sure that the dog is comfortable, relaxed and at ease in your home. This can also prevent unexpected sneaky excursions into your bed in the middle of the night, and, with proper training, can even help to stop your dog from sitting on your furniture.

A dog cushion provides more than just a comfortable place for your dog to enjoy – it also provides them with a place of obedience. This means that your dog will learn to associate certain actions or rules with their comfy cushion – such as ‘stay’ or ‘lie down’ when you have guests. This can be achieved with the proper training. Cushions, leads, collars and other accessories can be great aids for training your pup to have good dog behaviour.

There are many different styles of cushions to choose from. Many pet owners choose their dog cushion to suit their home décor, but you can also choose fun patterns to suit your dog’s personality if you would prefer. Choose something soft and comfortable that your dog will look forward to lying down on, and see how much happier it will make them. Whether you choose a dog bed or a dog cushion, it is essential that you provide your dog or puppy with their own space where they can enjoy their lazy days and relax in style.