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.

Incredible Dog Training Tips That Work!

April 24, 2011 by admin

In dog training, the most simple acts often produce the best results. In any dog pack, the alpha sets the rules and the rest follow. Therefore, by establishing yourself as the alpha, you can be sure that your obedience training sessions will be that much more productive. The following is a list of 8 simple things you can do to teach your new puppy or unruly dog that you are the alpha in your pack.

1. Never feed your dog from your plate while you’re eating. A dog must learn that your are the alpha and that it can only eat when you are finished with your meal.

2. Never allow your dog on the sofa or on your bed. And if your dog sits on your path, gently shove it out of the way with your foot. By setting boundaries, you will instill in your dog that it must obey the alpha.

3. Never allow your dog to chew on your towels, socks, shoes, or clothing. Use bitter apple to discourage these behaviors.

4. NEVER HIT YOUR DOG FOR MISBEHAVING. Instead use the tone of your voice and a collar/leash to teach and make corrections.

5. Never allow a puppy to chew on your fingers. Otherwise, it will become a habit that will be very hard to break when it becomes an adult. Spray you hands and fingers with bitter apple and then allow the dog to proceed. The dog will learn not to bite your fingers without associating any negative thoughts about you as the alpha.

6. Never leave a hyper dog unexercised. Playing ball before you leave for work and after you return can help alleviate your dog’s pent-up energy.

7. Never keep your dog alone in a yard for days at a times. Without proper socialization your dog will become aggressive towards other dogs as well as other humans. A dog needs contact with its own species in order to learn how to behave in a dog pack equally as well as it must learn to behave in a human pack. A dog left alone for long periods of time will believe itself to be the alpha and try to dictate to its master instead of the other way around.

8. Never allow your dog to jump on you or your guests. Its fun when your dog is a puppy, but it isn’t fun when it becomes a 100lb behemoth. Practice with a collar and leash and set up situations where a neighbor rings your doorbell while your dog awaits their entrance. Make a sharp correction and command your dog to “sit” when as your neighbor enters the house. And, of course, don’t forget to praise the dog as soon as it follows your command. Once the dog knows what to do, try the same thing off leash, but this time use a water spray bottle and spray your dogs face with water as punishment for jumping with a stern vocal correction of “NO”. Proceed to praise your dog once again when your dog obeys your command. This way, it will learn to associate praise with correct action.

By following these steps, you will establish yourself as the alpha. And, you will have a head start in training your dog because it will have already learned to respect your authority as its leader.

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Article Source: Incredible dog training Tips That Work!

Filed Under: Dog Training Tagged With: Acts, Alpha 3, Bitter Apple, Dog Training, Dogs, Habit, Hands And Fingers, Long Periods Of Time, Misbehaving, Negative Thoughts, Obedience Training, Proper Socialization, Puppy Dog, Sessions, Setting Boundaries, Shoes, Socks, Sofa, Tone Of Your Voice, Towels

Leash Training 101 – Do You Have The Right Mindset

August 30, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

Leash training your dog is much more than actually following a few steps and guidelines.

It’s the actual mindset of the owner that is the single most important element.

Success or failure, joy or frustration – all depend on how you approach your dog’s leash training sessions.

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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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Start your leash training off on the right paw, so to speak. If you have a puppy that is unaccustomed to a leash and collar, let it first adjust to the feel of a buckle collar only.

Once it is comfortable wearing the collar, snap on a short, light line and watch while it drags that around. Leave the line on for 10-minute leash training sessions a couple of times a day until your puppy no longer pays attention to it.

For an older puppy or adult dog that you have had fitted for a head collar or prong collar, again, let it have time to adapt to the feel of this new device before snapping on a leash.

Do not leave specialty collars on an unsupervised dog. Because both prong and head collars tighten with pressure, a dog can suffer serious injury if the collar catches on an object. Pay close attention to your dog during these get-comfortable sessions.

It’s important that you approach training with the right attitude, because teaching leash manners requires absolute consistency on your part. Every walk becomes a training session, whether you plan on it or not. There is no such thing as “We train when we walk after work, but all the other walks are just walks”.

This is a difficult concept for people, as we are impatient, hurried, and often doing something other than paying attention to our dog as it walks.

While your dog is learning, there should be no rushed walks, no stops to chat with neighbors, no using the time to make a call on your cell phone, etc.

You can’t expect your dog to become mindful of you during a leash training session if you consistently ignore it.

Likewise, recognize that your dog doesn’t pull on the leash to aggravate, annoy, punish or get back at you – it’s simply a matter of cause and effect. The dog is thinking: I pull, you follow, and therefore, I get to where I want to go.

You must reshape this thought process. Put emotions aside when leash training, view your lessons as an opportunity to forge a new relationship and decide that from this day forward you and your dog will learn how to enjoy your walking time together!

Filed Under: Dog Training Tagged With: Absolute Consistency, Adult, Attitude, Buckle, Carpet, Cell Phone, Dog Obedience, Dog Training, Eff, Element, Failure, Frustration, Head Collar, Head Collars, Leash Training, leash training 101, Manners, Mindset, Minute Sessions, Neighbors, Paw, Paying Attention, Puppies, Puppy, Puppy Dog, Rugs, Sessions, Snap On, Teaching Manners, Training Session, Urinating, Walks

Dog Training: Getting Your Dog’s Attention (Part 3)

August 24, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

On the fourth day of dog training, as you repeat the procedures of the first three days, you’ll discover that there’s no more opposition and no games. This is simple enough, unless your dog happens to become momentarily distracted and forgetful.

And that is just exactly what you want to happen, so that he will learn to overcome momentary temptation and distraction and keep his attention focused on you. After all, dog training is needed particularly in time of emergency, and since you are going to build obedience as well as character into your dog, it is not too much to ask, that, at a time when other dogs would yield to distraction and temptation, your dog has his attention totally focused on you.

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Dog 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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Your job from day four until your pet learns to ignore temptation is to use distraction and temptation during your fifteen-minute training sessions. The procedures will be nearly the same as the first three days, except that you will walk in the direction of the distraction or temptation and hope that your dog will rush recklessly toward it.

You will of course have chosen that precise moment to wish him goodbye on his journey, turn, and walk fast in the opposite direction. And, as you may expect, his journey will be short (fifteen to twenty feet) before he turns around and walks toward you. Your dog will not hate you for having to turn around because he won’t associate his abrupt change of direction with you at all.

What Your Dog Will Know For Sure

The last four days have shown him that you will move whenever you choose, and in whatever direction you choose without first checking to see if it’s alright with him. Your dog knew this. What happened was his fault because he took his attention and eyes off you for a moment and gave in to temptation. It was just “coincidental” that you decided to move, at that same moment, and in the direction opposite to that in which he was heading.

You know that the move wasn’t really a coincidence, but your dog doesn’t know this, and will never know. What he will come to realize is that when a distraction or temptation appears, that is the exact moment that you will choose to reverse your direction of travel.

If you do your work well for the next few days, your dog will come to consider every temptation or distraction as a reminder and a cue to keep his eyes and attention on you. Distractions and temptations include people and things such as a skateboarder, a strange cat, another dog, a rolling ball, or a plate of food.

The list can go on and on, depending on your dog’s personality. However, to have someone call your dog by name in an attempt to distract him must be considered unfair. You must stick to other situations and things.

In Conclusion

To conclude this part of training, remember to always walk briskly in a straight line, with confidence in your movement. If you hesitate or walk slow, your dog will not develop the necessary confidence. Never give your dog training commands when working with him on the long-line. You’re not teaching him to heel yet.

For now, you’re teaching him four things. First, when tied to a person, he must move with that person. Second, your determination, will, and status are such that you will walk anywhere and at any time without first checking to see if it’s alright with him. Third, in order for him to be aware of your movement, and in which direction you’ll be walking, he needs to pay attention to you during dog training because you won’t let him know in advance. Fourth, when distraction or temptation appears, they are not excuses to be inattentive. On the contrary, that is the stage in dog training when he must be the more attentive and focused on you.

Filed Under: Dog Training Tagged With: 2c, Abrupt Change, Carpet, Change Of Direction, Coincidence, Discover, Distraction, Dog Job, Dog Obedience, Dog Training, Dogs, E2, Furniture, Games, Job, Journey, Minute Training, Obedience, Opposition, Precise Moment, Puppies, Rugs, Rush, Sessions, Temptation, Train, Training Day, Training Dog, Training Job, Urinating

Dog Training: Correct Heel Methods (6)

August 19, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

Now it’s time to find out if your dog has truly learned how to heel and execute an automatic sit after the many sessions of dog training.

Give him the command “Heel” and make any necessary corrections for poor heeling or lack of attentiveness to bring him up to the proper mental level of awareness.

Come to a stop and command “Sit”. Watch your dog do it all by himself. Get down to his level and praise him enthusiastically.

————————————————————–

Dog 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

————————————————————–

For the stubborn or uncooperative dog who would rather be helped for the rest of his life, you’ll be surprised to see that he is going to graduate from being spoon-fed whether he wants to or not.

How do you do this?

When you come to a stop and command “Sit”, silently count to three. If your dog is not seated by the time you get to three, place both hands on the leash, making sure that there’s a little slack in it, and jerk straight up!

Your dog will immediately sit if you make the correction strongly enough.

Don’t forget the praise when you’re done.

If he still refuses to sit after the initial correction, consider that correction ineffective.

An ineffective correction is inhumane because it means that you will have to keep doing it. This is unfair to your pet and will only create resistance.

If you simply tighten the collar around his neck by pulling up slowly on the leash, the only thing you can accomplish is constriction of your dog’s breathing, and you have caused your dog’s training collar to turn into a choking chain.

This is your fault, not his, and he is going to wonder why you have suddenly decided to choke him. So, in all fairness to your dog, make a humane correction by an emphatic and upward jerk of the leash using both hands. Make the correction properly the first time, and chances are you will not have to make it again. Remember to follow the correction with loving praise the moment your dog has responded correctly.

The heel and sit combinations should be continued for one week, after which time you will notice that it’s no longer necessary for you to command “Sit” every time you stop. Your dog will realize that this is what is expected when he is out on a walk and you suddenly come to a stop.

At the end of a week, you can begin dropping the command “Sit” since he will be doing it automatically anyway. Be sure, however, that anytime he fails to sit, make the correction immediately, followed by praise.

Congratulations!

Now you have the proper tools to teach your dog to walk beside you and to sit automatically at your side each time you stop.

Why is this crucial?

In addition to getting your dog’s attention, which is necessary in order to take him to more advanced levels of dog training, it will make all the difference in the world when you take him for a walk down a busy street or a crowded place.

Should you stop to talk to someone, your dog is trained to sit at your side patiently, rather than jumping on the person you’re talking to or wrapping the leash around your legs and making a nuisance of himself.?

Always remember, don’t undo the dog training you’ve spent hours on!

Filed Under: Dog Training Tagged With: Attentiveness, Carpet, Combinations, Constriction, Dog Barking, Dog Collar, Dog Obedience, Dog Training, Fairness, Furniture, Level Of Awareness, Love, Necessary Corrections, Puppies, Resistance, Rugs, Sessions, Sit, Slack, Spoon Fed, Step By Step, Train, Training Collar, Urinating, Watch Dog

Dog Training Distraction Tips

June 17, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

A distraction is anything that interferes with your puppy’s focus on you during dog training. She will be easily distracted by noises, other people and items around the house which will take her attention away from you.

Use a motivator to bring her attention back to you.

In puppy class, the main distractions are other puppies and their owners. I always tell owners to bring their puppies’ favorite toys or treats to fight distraction.

Because of the many distractions in a puppy class, it actually makes a great place for dog training. It will help desensitize your puppy to these distractions as well as to new ones in the future.

When there is a distraction, move your pup away from it in the beginning, if possible.

For example, if you are training your pup near your kitchen table and she is distracted by something on the table, then move her further from the table.

Eventually, after countless dog training sessions, you will be able to bring her closer to the distraction and still hold her attention.

————————————————————–

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: Dog Training Tagged With: Attention Training, Carpet, Distraction, Distractions, Dog Barking, Dog Obedience, Dog Training, Favorite Toys, Furniture, Kitchen Table, Love, Motivator, Pup, Puppies, Puppy Class, Rugs, Sessions, Step By Step, Train, Urinating

What You Need To Know When Puppy Training – Part 2

June 13, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

It is important for your puppy to feel he is a valuable individual, so  try to have your puppy training sessions in a relatively quiet place.

Because he is so playful, he can be easily distracted by other people and activities. If he is constantly being bombarded by other sights and sounds, it will be difficult for him to get the message from you that you enjoy being with him.

Use words:The only way he will learn to associate the command with the action is if you use the word every time you guide him into doing what you want.

A puppy can learn a very large vocabulary with such words as “Outdoors,” “Bedtime,” “Go for a walk,” as well as the basic commands.

Reward your pup: To teach him anything, you must first have his attention and then you must reward him as soon as he has done what you ask. The reward can take three forms; a
tidbit, a pat, or your voice.

Consider the use of tidbits a highly successful means of puppy training. By guiding his behavior with it, you can avoid pushing and pulling with your hands and all of the jerking and pulling on the leash.

A puppy learns much more quickly when he performs the activity himself rather than being pushed or pulled into doing it. Then, as he begins to understand what you mean by “Sit” or “Come” or whatever, you can use your hand or leash to perfect the performance, thereby keeping handling at a minimum.

Timing is of the utmost importance when using tidbits in puppy training. Obviously, your puppy is not going to know what you mean by the different commands when you first begin to train him, and the only way he will learn that he is doing the right thing is when he receives the reward at the moment he does it.

An example in using tidbits is to teach the command “Sit.” If you have a puppy who prefers bouncing around and absolutely hates sitting, you may have to begin by rewarding a bending of the hind legs.

If you were to wait until he sits all the way down with his bottom on the floor, you would never get the job done. After a few rewards for partial sitting, the puppy will suddenly sit all the way, at which time you will not only reward him but tell him how marvelous he is.

Another example of rewarding with tidbits is with the heeling exercise. This is the most difficult thing for most puppies to learn. Too often, it involves excessive jerking on the leash.

The more a puppy is being pulled, the more he resists and pulls in the opposite direction. Their natural tendency is to run off and sniff around.

Cheese tidbits is very effective in overcoming the problems of teaching a puppy to walk beside us. It works even better off-leash (but only for a minute at a time).

As you begin walking, the instant the puppy begins to look away from you, get his attention with your voice and give him a tidbit. This will keep him at your side for another few steps.

Repeat this a few times during each session, reversing your direction and taking some turns.

Then stop while you are both still performing well and give him lots of praise with your voice along with some pats then consider your puppy training complete for the day.

————————————————————–

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: Bedtime, Doing The Right Thing, Hind Legs, Pup, Puppy Training, Quiet Place, Sessions, Sights And Sounds, Sit, Tidbit, Train, Training Puppy, Utmost Importance, Vocabulary

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