Posts Tagged ‘Pup’
What You Need To Know When Puppy Training – Part 1
Whatever your pup’s pedigree and whatever your goals for him, when it comes to puppy training they’re still an emotionally immature animal.
At the same time, no two pups are exactly alike and what works for one puppy is not necessarily best for another. You must constantly be aware of your pup’s personality and of how you can get him to pay attention to you.
However, there are some general characteristics of puppy training that are important to working with all puppies. These are basic principles which should be adapted by you as the basis of working with your puppy.
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Do not get tough: Emotionally and psychologically, the puppy is still extremely sensitive. This means that learning takes place quickly, but also that fears can easily occur and inhibit learning. Pups cannot take pressure or harsh treatment. Repetition is the key to puppy training.
Never punish him if he does not do what you want him to do. This will defeat the purpose of the training and cause him to dislike the entire procedure.
Bad behavior during puppy training sessions is more often than not a sign of the pup’s lack of confidence or understanding of what you want him to do.
Therefore, many repetitions will be needed.
Keep it simple: A puppy learns to do things in a step-by-step manner.
For example, in teaching him to stay, do not expect him to stay put for several minutes at a time while you are off someplace away from him. You must first teach him to stay while you stand toe-to-toe in front of him, then to stay when you are standing a couple of feet out in front of him, then to stay while you walk around him, then to stay while you are standing several feet away and not holding on to the leash.
Many pups will take several weeks to progress through these steps, but they are necessary if you want to teach “Stay” effectively. If you tell him to do something before you have properly trained him to do it and then scold him for not doing it, you are asking for trouble. The pup will lose his confidence and will learn not to try.
Be brief: Puppies have a very short attention span. A pup learns only while he is paying attention to you, so it does not accomplish anything to keep on puppy training when he is mentally tired even though physically he is still very lively.
Five minutes at a time is long enough. With many puppies, two minutes is long enough to begin with, gradually moving up to five minutes.
Build confidence: Your puppy needs confidence-building as well as discipline and he will constantly be telling you by his body language which one he needs more at any particular time. Relax while you are with him; smile; speak in a pleasant voice; play running games with him.
In puppy training, building confidence means knowing what you expect from your pup.
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Shocking Diets & Dangerous Eating Habits That Could Literally Kill Your Dog
Once you see where your dog’s mouth has been ? or what’s been in it ? you may never want it kissing you again!
Feces are high on the list of disgusting things dogs love. Horse dung and cat feces are absolute favorites. Rather than butt your head against the wall trying to change your dog’s culinary tastes, it’s far easier to simply keep these delicacies out of reach from your pooch.
However, dog feces is another story; nobody knows what compels some dogs to eat their own (or other dogs’) poop. The best cure and prevention is diligent feces removal. Adding hot sauce to the feces may deter some dogs, but others just gobble it down and run for water. Commercially available food additives can make the feces taste bad ? or least worse ? and will dissuade some dogs.
In some cases the dogs appear to exhibit a compulsion to eat feces; these dogs may be helped with drugs used to treat obsessive-compulsive behavior in dogs. See your veterinarian behaviorist if you’re not sure why your dog eats feces.
Dogs also eat other non-food objects, such as fabrics and socks, sometimes causing obstructions that require surgical removal. Prevent this by diligently removing objects from the dog’s reach. You may also need to supplement it with drug therapy for obsessive-compulsive behavior and training that focuses on rewarding alternate behaviors.
Then there is clothing! More than one dog owner has paled as their dog dragged underpants into the room while company looks on. Without the owner’s interference, the dog would gladly chew them up. Socks are another favorite. They’re less embarrassing but potentially more dangerous.
Swallowing stockings and long socks can lead to intussusceptions, a potentially fatal condition which the intestines accordion upon themselves, requiring surgery. Again, prevention is the best means of control, so pick up your clothes!
What your pup decides to chew might not be just gross ? it can be dangerous. Chewing electrical cords can lead to shocks and electrocution. Eating drugs and poisons has led to the death of many dogs.
Although eating paper currency is an expensive habit, it ’s not life threatening. However, swallowing a single penny can be much more expensive. Unless it is removed, the penny may stay in the stomach and release zinc, which results in zinc poisoning.
My local veterinarian was telling me a story just recently, about treating a Border Collie that gulped down a 3-inch metal anchor bolt. And 2 weeks prior she treated another dog that seemed to have lost its appetite and was loosing weight rapidly. It turns out the poor pooch had an abscess on its back, which turned out to be a 6-inch bamboo skewer that the dog must have eaten a month before. The skewer had migrated through he dog’s digestive tract and into its lumbar muscles, where it caused the abscess.
Is Carsickness A Problem For Your Dog?
Some puppies get carsick just the same as many small children do. If you depend on a car for most of your transportation, you will want to help your puppy overcome carsickness as quickly and easily as possible. You can do a number of things to help your puppy avoid or overcome carsickness.
From the start, help your puppy form a positive association with the car. Without starting the engine, sit in the car with your puppy on your lap for a few minutes every day. Praise and pet your pup. After a week of this, start the motor. Place your pup on the seat next to you. Pet and praise him, making the experience agreeable. After a week of repeating this once a day, get a friend or relative to go in the car with you for a daily ride. Be sure that your puppy has an empty stomach and has had the chance to eliminate before getting into the car. Have your helper sit the dog on his or her lap. The helper must not allow the pup to squirm and wiggle around.
Take a short ride around the block. Each week increase slightly the distance that you travel. (One-week intervals for each of these steps are not cast in stone. Shorten or lengthen the time depending on your pup’s reaction.) Be sure that when you ride with your puppy, you have someone in the car to help control him. If that’s not possible, put the puppy in a crate in the car.
Do not let your puppy ride on the driver’s lap or crawl under his or her legs. This can become a bad habit and is very dangerous. Once your puppy begins obedience training and understands to lie down and stay, employ this exercise in the car when traveling. Associate trips in the car with fun. Every car ride should not end up at the veterinarian, groomer, or boarding kennel. Use the car to take your dog to the beach, park, or woods.
Most puppies, like most children, outgrow carsickness. In the interim, doing the right things can minimize messes, limit nervousness, and shorten the time it takes for your dog to learn that car rides can be a lot of fun. If none of the above steps seems to help, contact your veterinarian. He or she can provide medical solutions, such as mild tranquilizers, that will help avert sickness when the dog must travel in the car.
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Puppy Grooming Socialization: Nail Trimming Conditioning Steps For Young Puppies
Young puppies are just too curious and active to sit still still and quite while you groom them. But the ones that learn how to sit nicely while being groomed will eventually learn to tolerate and even enjoy being brushed, bathed, trimmed, and clipped. A puppy that experiences all forms of being handled at an early age will be easily trainable and better socialized when around veterinarians, children, groomers, and pet sitters.
The key activity is to simply handle your puppy as often as you can during the day while concentrating on one particular part of the dog’s body for each session. Spend a few minutes handling his feet, then the ears, etc.
Getting Your Pup Used To Nail Trimming
Of all of the grooming activities that we must engage our pets in, nail trimming is probably the hardest for your puppy to get used to. And if you neglect to practice trimming your puppy’s nails at an early age, it may be virtually impossible to do so as he grows older.
Here is how to get your puppy accustomed to having his nails trimmed:
1. Touch your puppy’s paw and then click your clicker while giving him a treat. If he pulls back nervously then go a little slower next time. Your goal is just to be able to touch his paw without him pulling it back from you.
2. Once your dog is comfortable with having his paw touched, push the envelope a bit further by picking up his paw and moving it around. Whenever he lets you do so without flinching, click and offer a treat.
3. The next step is to start fondling the toes by separating them and wiggling them around some more. Press on his paw pads. Go slow and take your time.
4. Now it is time to introduce the nail clipper to your puppy, but do not click just yet! The first stage in the process is to get the dog used to having this shiny piece of metal up and close around its paws. Whenever he sniffs at the nail trimmer and does not appear to be scared, click and offer a treat.
5. Still yet, do not clip! The next baby step in this process is to fit the nail clipper over each of your puppy’s nails, but without clipping. Just add a little pressure. And again, click and treat when he appears to accept this activity.
6. Now it is time to make the cut. Clip the first nail, click your clicker, and offer a treat to your puppy. Be sure to be enthusiastic with lots of affection. When you feel he is ready for the next nail, move forward and clip the rest in a timed fashion. Remember to go slow and make the process fun.
Timing: One Of The Most Important Aspects Of Dog Training
Timing is probably the most important factor in how fast your dog learns something. What we mean by timing is this: Let’s say that your dog put his nose on the hot oven door. A few moments later he walked into the family room, looked at the TV, and then felt the burning sensation on his nose. He would associate the burning sensation with the TV. Because of the lapse in time, he would never in a million years associate the experience of his burned nose with the oven door.
Timing is vital when teaching your puppy the rules around your house, such as not to chew the rug. For example, say you walk into the living room five minutes after the puppy has finished chewing the rug. You find him sleeping in the corner and drag him over to the rug. You point to the rug and scold him. Your correction is too late. Your pup will never figure out that the disagreeable experience he is having now has anything to do with what he did five minutes before.
Correcting a dog more than a few seconds after he does a behavior is too late. He will no longer associate your correction with his previous deed. Of course, if you come into the room even many hours later ranting like a maniac, your dog is going to cower and act apprehensive. Do not misinterpret apprehension for “guilt”. To help your dog learn rapidly and efficiently, it is up to you to develop good timing.
So what is good timing? Good timing is correcting or praising your dog as he is thinking about doing a behavior. That’s the best way to get a dog to associate your correction or praise with the behavior you are trying to influence. You do not have to be a dog mind-reader to know what your dog is thinking. Canines are open, honest creatures. Everything they are about to do is written all over their faces.
The ability to anticipate a dog’s next move is called “reading the dog.” It’s not as hard as it may sound. The more time you spend with your dog, the better you will become at “reading” him. Imagine this scenario: You are expecting company and put out a plate of cheese and crackers on the coffee table. Your dog looks at the cheese and takes a few steps toward the table. Now is the time to tell him “Naaaa!” Chances are good that he was thinking about taking the cheese. Well-timed corrections will teach your pet to avoid stealing food.
The next best time to correct your dog is just as he is doing the unwanted behavior. Using our example, this means a tough “Naaaa!” just as the dog’s mouth is reaching for the cheese. The worst time to correct is ten seconds after the dog has done the unwanted behavior. Yelling at the dog when you discover an empty cheese plate will not effectively teach him to avoid stealing the cheese in the first place.
