Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

Puppy Training – Teaching Your Dog To “Leave It”

August 1, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

Along with many crucial commands used in puppy training, there is one command that your puppy needs to learn for his own protection, and that is the safety command of “Leave it.” You are out for a walk and puppy comes upon a roadkill or carelessly discarded garbage.

For the sake of his health, you puppy training command, “Leave it!” and you will need to enforce it with a gentle snap-and-release of the leash.

If he does not hear (or understand) the “Leave it” command, get his attention followed by “Leave it.”

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Puppy Training Tips To Get Your Dog To Obey!

If you’d love to discover EXACTLY how to get your dog to stop urinating on your carpet and actually ring a bell when he needs to potty. . .

Train puppies to NEVER chew on furniture or expensive rugs – even when you aren’t there to supervise. . .

Learn simple techniques for getting any dog to stop barking at strangers or from begging you to let him back inside –

Plus a TON more step-by-step dog obedience strategies THOUSANDS of regular people are already using, check out –

The Hands Off Dog Training Method

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This one is so important that at four to six months of age you can even use an entrapment as a teaching tool. When the puppy cannot see you do it, plant a piece of trash, maybe an empty cereal box, on the floor and stick around until the pup goes to investigate. As he goes to sniff it, shout “Leave it!” and as he retreats at the force of your voice, say “Good dog.”

It is an extremely versatile and useful command. It also has an amusing side effect. Many young puppies respond to the extreme urgency in your voice and not only “Leave it” but do an instant Down flat on the ground! It’s a two-for-one in puppy training!

Filed Under: Puppy Training Tagged With: Amusing Side, Cereal Box, Dog Obedience, Dog Training, Empty Cereal, Entrapment, Extreme Urgency, Garbage, Health, Pup, Puppies, Puppy, Puppy Dog, Puppy Training, Puppy Training Tips, Retreats, Roadkill, Rugs, Sake, Six Months, Snap, Teaching Tool, Trash, Urinating

Dog Training: How To Make Dog Training A Family Affair 2

July 2, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

Making dog training a family affair is a fun and rewarding experience for everyone. To start, you must commit to declaring the rules that will govern your dog’s behavior, and let everyone know that these rules must be followed by everyone – because family-wide consistency is essential to achieve good results from training.

Establishing The Rules

Make sure everyone knows and follows the same rules with your dog, or your best-laid dog training plans will unravel. If one person allows the dog to jump on them or play rough games, for example, your dog will try these behaviors with other people. And when your family isn’t consistent about keeping the rules, don’t expect your dog to either!

The best time to establish rules is before  you bring your puppy or adult dog home. That way, everyone can be consistent right from the start. Chances are pretty good, however, that if you’re reading this article now, you probably already have your dog at home with you. So the best thing to do is to start right away – establish your “good dog rules” today, make sure the whole family knows what they are, and have everyone agree to follow them, starting immediately.

Family Meeting Time

Call the whole family together to create a list of the important rules regarding the dog. Encourage each person, including the children, to offer ideas and describe how they’d like the dog to behave so everyone will feel included.

Discuss reasons for each rule you decide to implement so its importance is understood. Big rules – such as not feeding from the table or the types of play that will be allowed – must be the same for everyone.

Write down your list of agreed-upon rules and let the children illustrate the page by drawing pictures of your dog being good. The more personal involvement each family member has with the list of dog rules, the more likely everyone will be to abide by them. When your list is finished and illustrated, post it in a central location, such as the refrigerator, so no one forgets the rules (or pretends to).

I cannot stress enough just how important it is for your children (and everyone else in the house) to all have the same mindset and understanding of how you want your dog handled during training.

In the next article we will discuss how to teach the rules, how to initiate training games, and how to keep dog training consistent – all of which will fail if you do not set the entire family on the same path.

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Click Here Now to watch Chet’s Free Dog Training Video.

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Filed Under: Dog Training Tagged With: Adult, Best Time, Central Location, Consistency, Dog Behavior, Dog Training, Family Affair, Family Dog, Family Fun, Family Meeting, Family Member, Meeting Time, Personal Family, Personal Involvement, Pictures Dog, Puppy Dog, Rewarding Experience, Rough Games, Training Dog

Dog Training – Use The Right Body Language So Your Dog Understands

June 28, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

Dogs are highly intelligent creatures and many  owners do not give them enough credit when it comes to dog training and how they can read and understand our body language.

Some people have no idea that the body language that we display has a major impact on how well a dog will listen to us and obey our commands. Using the correct form of body language can also quickly stop your dog from displaying an improper behavior.

Let’s use a very common example, such as the overexcited dog who likes to jump on every guest that comes to your door.  We all go through this with our puppy or adult dog at some point in time.  As soon as the guests arrive your dog is overwhelmed with happiness and excitement about who is at the door and whether or not they are going to play with him.

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Click Here Now to watch Chet’s Free Dog Training Video.

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Do they have dog treats? What do they smell like? Do they want to play? How about I just jump all over them and see? This is exactly what your dog is thinking if we were to decipher his emotional behavior.

And meanwhile, you are giving every command possible to get your dog to stop being so excited and jumping on everyone.  You try shouting but it only makes him more excited.  You try giving harsh and loud “Off” commands but it’s not working.  Eventually, you are so stressed with yelling and trying to pull your dog off that it turns into one big chaotic party.

And yes, the term “party” is a great way to explain it because to your dog you are just joining in on the fun and excitement that he is feeling. Can you see now how your body language and the way you are communicating with her voice comes across to your dog? You are only adding to the situation as opposed to changing our dog’s behavior.

Communicate better with your dog by using the following body language tips

In the above example of the overexcited dog who can’t seem to stop jumping all over the house guests, you understand now that your body language and excitability only made your dog feel more enthused about what it is he was doing. Therefore, you must take a different approach to the situation, regardless of what action you are trying to communicate with your dog.  Below are a few basic body language tips that you can use:

1. When you’re angry at your puppy or adult dog, do not chase him around the house.  You may be upset with them, but to your puppy, he thinks you’re playing a game and he will run around forever.

2. When you give your dog a command, display a very bold and upright body position.  Stand up, chest forward, and head back. Your dog will have more respect and a slight bit of intimidation, which can help with training him.

3. If your dog is extremely excited then do not add to the problem by getting feisty.  Instead, move slowly and talk in a soothing tone of voice.  Display the same behavior you wish him to use.

Doing so will calm him down and it will be much easier to change his behavior. during your dog training

Filed Under: Dog Training Tagged With: Adult, Body Language, Chet, Dog Behavior, Dog Training, Dog Treats, Dogs, Emotional Behavior, Excitability, Excitement, Free Dog Training, Free Video, Happiness, Improper Behavior, Intelligent Creatures, Language Tips, People, Pet Owners, Point In Time, Puppy Dog, Training Video

Puppy Training – How To Teach Your Puppy “Down”

June 21, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

As you start your puppy training session, put your puppy in the Sit position.

Hold a motivator to your puppy’s nose and let her smell it.

When she is really interested with what you have by licking or pawing at your hand, slowly lower your hand to the ground. Aim your fist between her front paws.

When your hand is on the ground and your puppy’s nose is also to the ground, her body will collapse to the ground.

Her chest must be touching the floor.

————————————————————–

Puppy Training Tips To Get Your Dog To Obey!

If you’d love to discover EXACTLY how to get your dog to stop urinating on your carpet and actually ring a bell when he needs to potty. . .

Train puppies to NEVER chew on furniture or expensive rugs – even when you aren’t there to supervise. . .

Learn simple techniques for getting any dog to stop barking at strangers or from begging you to let him back inside –

Plus a TON more step-by-step dog obedience strategies THOUSANDS of regular people are already using, check out –

The Hands Off Dog Training Method

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Once she is in the down position, say “Down,” and give her the motivator while she stays in this position.

Puppies are smart – they will learn it is to their advantage to get into the down position to get the reward.

If your dog resists the Down command during puppy training and stands back up, put her back in the Sit position and again work the Down command.

Initially when puppy training, it is far easier for pups to go into a down from a sit position rather than from a stand position.

Filed Under: Puppy Training Tagged With: Aim, Carpet, Discover, Dog Barking, Dog Obedience, Dog Training, Down Position, Fist, Furniture, Love, Motivator, Paws, Potty Train, Puppies, Puppy Dog, Puppy Training Tips, Rugs, Training Puppy, Training Session, Urinating

What You Need To Know When Puppy Training – Part 3

June 14, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

After the pup has a good idea of what you want him to do when puppy training, begin to ease off using tidbits every time.

Do not let yourself use tidbits as a bribe. It is very easy to fall into the trap of thinking that if you give a puppy a treat he will be good. But from the dog’s viewpoint, it looks like you are treating him as top dog and whatever he wants to do is okay with you.

So only use tidbits when puppy training a specific thing and only long enough to be sure he has learned it and associates the act with the word for it. Then ease off to the point of stopping the use.

Do not expect overnight results: Puppies learn in spurts and starts. One day he may know absolutely everything and perform to perfection.

The next day it is as though he never had a moment’s training. Too many owners make the mistake of thinking that if their puppy does it right once or twice he knows it forever, but it really takes hundreds of repetitions for a puppy to learn something.

A puppy or a dog needs at least one month of consistent daily repetition before any action becomes a part of his routine.

Train the pup consistently for one month, then continue for one month longer than you think is necessary.

Then you can expect him to know what you are talking about, but you must continue daily use of the commands, using an occasional reminder when the pup is having an “off” day.

Be consistent: There is a wide range of individual approaches to working with a puppy. Each person will be guiding his own puppy to live in harmony with the lifestyle of that particular home.

Similar to raising children, there are many different learning environments that can, each one, be successful. The key to success in puppy training is to be consistent in your demands and your discipline.

Puppies need feedback: A puppy learns by getting feedback from his owner. Praise him so he will know when he has done something right. Otherwise he will never learn what it is you want him to do.

Then he will get confused because you keep nagging him and hollering at him and he does not know why. He will turn into a hyperactive nervous wreck. So let him know when he has done a good job.

Hands off: Keep your hands off the puppy as much as possible except to pat in praise. It may be necessary once in a while to manipulate him with your hands, but this should be the
exception.

It is easy to get into the habit of constantly grabbing, pushing and pulling. A puppy is not learning unless he is actually doing the action himself.

This is why it is so important to guide him into doing what you want. The actions (sit, heel, come) that he repeats under his own power quickly become a part of his conditioning and he will begin to repeat them willingly.

If you take all the previous points into consideration, you are automatically teaching your puppy to pay attention.

By adhering to his physical and psychological needs, you will find that he will respond when puppy training to you and you will be well on your way to building a good puppy-person relationship.

————————————————————–

Training Tips To Get Your Dog To Obey!

If you’d love to discover EXACTLY how to get your dog to stop urinating on your carpet and actually ring a bell when he needs to potty. . .

Train puppies to NEVER chew on furniture or expensive rugs – even when you aren’t there to supervise. . .

Learn simple techniques for getting any dog to stop barking at strangers or from begging you to let him back inside – Plus a TON more step-by-step dog obedience strategies THOUSANDS of regular people are already using, check out –
The Hands Off Dog Training Method

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Filed Under: Puppy Training Tagged With: Bribe, Discipline, Feedback, Harmony, Learning Environments, Lifestyle, Mistake, Occasional Reminder, Overnight Results, Pup, Puppies, Puppy Dog, Puppy Training, Repetition, Repetitions, Spurts, Success, Top Dog, Train, Viewpoint

What You Need To Know When Puppy Training – Part 1

June 12, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

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.

————————————————————–

Training Tips To Get Your Dog To Obey!

If you’d love to discover EXACTLY how to get your dog to stop urinating on your carpet and actually ring a bell when he needs to potty. . .

Train puppies to NEVER chew on furniture or expensive rugs – even when you aren’t there to supervise. . .

Learn simple techniques for getting any dog to stop barking at strangers or from begging you to let him back inside – Plus a TON more step-by-step dog obedience strategies THOUSANDS of regular people are already using, check out –
The Hands Off Dog Training Method

————————————————————–

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.

Filed Under: Puppy Training Tagged With: Bad Behavior, Bad Puppy, Behavior Training, Carpet, Dog Obedience, Dog Training, Fears, Harsh Treatment, Immature Animal, Lack Of Confidence, Pedigree, Personality, Pup, Puppies, Puppy Dog, Puppy Training, Puppy Training Tips, Repetition, Repetitions, Rugs, Sessions, Step Manner, Urinating, Whatever Your Goals

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