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.

Incredibly Practical Ideas On Training Your Puppy

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All of us dream of parenting the perfect dog, a pup that is a CGC or canine great citizen and is well behaved and dependable at all times. Nicely dreams do come accurate if the training is accomplished with care and dedication. Bear in mind pups understand from day 1 and need to be taught what is correct, what is wrong, and appropriate socialization.

Pups are like kids, they want constant supervision and training. Training a pup want not be an ordeal all you’ll want to maintain in mind are several easy rules. Teach the pup to respect you. Dogs live in packs and instinctively follow a leader. If you establish your leadership in no uncertain terms then training will grow to be easy as the pup will obey you at all times and not challenge your authority. Aids can be bought at any Dog Accessories store.

Use only positive training strategies. By no means shout at, hit, or punish a dog. It is not just cruel but can result in behavioral difficulties. Use of electric shocks, prong collars, sprays, and so on could hurt the animal. Teach the meaning of No, from day 1. Do not encourage behaviors like jumping, mouthing, tug-o-war, barking, or running out of open gates and doors. Praise great behavior and ignore or walk away when there is bad behavior. The pup will understand that if he misbehaves he will lose his playmate.

To correct a behavior you must catch the pup within the act and startle him by rattling a can of pebbles. When you’ve accomplished this make him correct his behavior and right away supply him a treat and praise. Pups do not recall what happened earlier so scolding him soon after an event is of no use. Usually call/use his name positively. By no means say Bad TOM, or No Tom, this can trigger confusion and also the pup will think that in the event you call his name then it is some thing bad. The pup must associate his name with happy events like hugs, petting, walks, treats, and such. If this happens he will come willingly whenever you call out his name. You can get treats from any Online Pet Store

Bond using the pup and both of you will take pleasure in your lessons. The pup must appear forward to spending time with you and not avoid you by running away or hiding. Make sure to socialize the pup early. Socialization is one of the most important lessons. The pup must understand to be about other animals, folks, sounds, vehicles, along with other activities. So, slowly introduce the pup when he is little to everyday activities and sounds. Take him to the mall/ park, introduce him to kids along with other pets, and make him unafraid of the vacuum and garden hose.

As a pet owner it is possible to decide on to train the dog yourself or register at a skilled training school. Training a dog has numerous stages: kindergarten, obedience training, doggy sports, showing and conformation, also as other aspects like therapy dogs, hearing dogs, and so on. What level you decide on to train depends upon you also as the learning abilities of your dog. As you know, distinct dogs like humans have varied talents. Select well and both you and your pup will have fun times together.

How To Banish Your Dog’s Destructive Scratching

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Destructive scratching is related to escape chewing, digging and jumping out of windows. This is a behavior that the dog normally undertakes when he has been confined and wants to escape.

To discover the causes of this destructive behavior, you must determine when and where the scratching takes place. Obvious causes of this behavior is when the female dog next door is in heat, or confinement because the dog is a social problem or is being punished, which are the usual causes relate to confinement alone.

One exception is the dog that scratches on the seats or cushions of furniture or through bedding or mattresses. These excavators are usually digging a hole for themselves to curl up in or are scratching in frustration at their owner’s anal and/or genital scents. When pillows and clothing are the target, the dog may be attempting to masturbate with them.

Scratching in order to escape can occur in dominant or overdependent dogs. In either case, correction involves the same methods as for destructive chewing. The owner must teach at least the “Come,” “Sit,” and “Stay” commands without the use of force. These commands should be used whenever the dog nudges for attention. The dog should be praised for desirable responses. If punishment has been used, this must be stopped immediately, as this is usually counterproductive.

To minimize the contrast between the owner’s presence and absence, all unsolicited attention, such as talking to the dog, petting him or playing with him in response to the dog’s attention seeking, should be stopped. Examples of these activities include tug-o’-war, wrestling, chasing the dog, and playing fetch when the owner must force the dog to give up the ball or stick.

In other words, interactions must involve the dog’s responding to the owner, rather than vice versa. Coming and going rituals must be avoided. It is also helpful to leave a radio turned on at a normal volume at all times to stabilize the acoustic environment and keep the dog company.

If the cause of destructive scratching is known, that cause should be eliminated, if possible. If a confined male dog is scratching because a neighborhood female dog is in heat, the use of some medication for the female dog in heat has proved to be successful, providing her owners are willing. If not, and if the problem is recurrent with a male that is not to be bred, castration has proven helpful if combined with the other steps outlined here. If the dog is unruly or shut away as punishment for some other behavior, the basic behavior problem should be corrected.

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