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.

Choosing Cool Dog Names

December 20, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

One of the best things about getting a new puppy is choosing a name. Except sometimes the right name seems impossible to find. You just can’t seem to find a name that works.

Weeks later, your puppy is still nameless, and you’re still clueless as to what you should call him.

In your desperation you eventual settle for a so-so name, a definite dog naming faux pas. Think about it, you’ll be spending a lot of years with your dog and calling his name thousands of times. So wouldn’t it be a good idea to pick a name you actually like?

Need some help? Then read our top 10 dog naming tips below.

1.You can’t go wrong with a one or two-syllable name. They are simple, easy to say and recognize, and there are literally millions of choices!

2.I’m not suggesting that you shun more exotic and unusual names. However, it has been suggested that names that are difficult for the dog to recognize have a big impact on training. So if you decide on call your dog Zerxes because you are fascinated by Persian history, that’s fine. But think about a nickname for calling, something like “Zerk” perhaps.

3.Names that are similar to voice commands are generally not a good idea if you plan on training your dog. Think about names that could be confused for a command, like “Ray”, for “stay”.

4.You’d also be well advised to steer clear of names that can be confused with that of another pet or a member of your household. Not unless you want to confuse everyone.

5.Don’t give your dog a name that will embarrass him. Beavis may be okay, but Butthead certainly isn’t! Dogs have feelings too.

6.Consider choosing a name that in some way describes your dog – think about his size, breed, any special markings. “Titan” doesn’t really work for a Yorkie, does it? Neither does Sweetpea suit a Pitbull.You could of course go for one of these names if you have a penchant for the ironic.

7.Remember that dogs don’t stay puppies forever. “Fluffball” may seem like a good idea for your cuddly little St. Bernard pup, but may be less suited, once he grows into a 250-pound adult.

8.Another good source of names is the breed’s original home country. Your breed’s home country has lots of famous people, places and traditions that will give you tons of dog name ideas.

Need some examples? How about, “Guinness” for an Irish Setter, “Yoko” for a Shibu Inu, or “Louis” to a French Bulldog.

9.You’ll also find myriad ideas by delving into your own interests. Lets say you’re nuts about football – you could try Marino, Namath, Montana, or just pick your own favorite player.

Now think about what interests you and you’re well on your way to hundreds of great names.

10.I find that it’s always a good idea to understand the origins and history behind your dog’s name. That’s pretty easy these days, but you don’t have to go searching Wikipedia for hours on end.

Just visit us at Puppy Names HQ. We have thousands of the very best dog names on the web. And all you have to do is pick your favorite.

Filed Under: Dog Information Tagged With: Choosing A Name, Cool Dog Names, Desperation, dog names, Dogs, Feelings, Getting A New Puppy, Nickname, Penchant, Persian History, Pets, Pitbull, Pup, Puppies, St Bernard, Syllable, Titan, Unusual Names, Voice Commands, Yorkie, Zerk, Zerxes

Dog Training – A Vital Component of Your Dog’s Life

April 11, 2011 by admin

A dog is one of the best pets anyone could ever own. They are a companion, a friend, and most importantly a huge part of your family. It is extremely important to train your dog right in order to get maximum enjoyment out of your dog. Here are some tips below on how to help you easily train your dog!

1. Trainer Awareness

When you are training your dog it is a MUST to give your dog your 100% attention when training them. Focus 100% on your dog with minimal multi-tasking. If you can give your dog 100% while training them, you will get much quicker results.

2. Control Your Voice

One of the most important parts of training any dog is voice control. The trainer of a dog MUST use his/her voice in order to train a dog properly. To get a dogs attention the trainer must use a short and firm command mixed in with excitement in you trainers voice to get the dog to come to you. Use of a quick command will get your dogs attention and should be used for that purpose ONLY! Once you establish voice control, it is smooth sailing with training your dog. It is important to show your dog who is boss right away, otherwise the dog will not obey you one bit.

3. Body Language

One of the most important things to use when training a dog is body language. Using hand signals will help your dog understand the command you are telling it to do. Eventually you can do away with the hand signals and use only voice commands. When starting out, hand signals definitely make it easier to train your dog. For example, a proper hand signal to get your dog to speak is a slight twitch of your wrist. By slightly twisting your wrist, your dog should be able to speak on command.

4. Treats

One of the best ways to train your dog is using treats as a reward for a job well done. The use of treats can have a great effect on training your dog. When training your dog, you should NEVER feed them before training them a new trick. They need to be hungry and want that treat you are going to give them for listening to your command. Treats are one of the surefire ways to get your dog to listen to you in a heart beat.

Many trainers fail to use treats as a means of positive reinforcement for your dog’s good job in obeying a command. Out of all the different dog training techniques, using treats as a positive reinforcement for a job well done is the best and easiest way to train your dog. If you ever take your dog to a dog training school to get your dog professionally trained, you will see that treats are the main ingredient being used in your dog’s proper training success.

I wish you the best of luck in training your dog and if you use these 4 techniques listed in this article, you definitely will have great results!

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Article Source: dog training – A Vital Component of Your Dog’s Life

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Filed Under: Dog Training Tagged With: Bit 3, Body Language, Boss, Companion, Dog Training, Dogs, Excitement, Hand Signal, Hand Signals, Important Things, Job, Maximum Enjoyment, Multi Tasking, Pets, Sailing Training, Smooth Sailing, Twitch, Vital Component, Voice Commands, Voice Control

Dog Training – Why You Should Never Shout At Your Dog

July 20, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

If you have a new puppy in the house and are unclear about whether or not you should use yelling as a way to get him to stop doing something wrong or barking too much, then this dog training article should clear up your confusion about proper dog training.  If anything, you should learn the simple fact that yelling at your dog it does nothing to fix a problem, stop what he’s doing, or induce any type of positive reinforcement.

Yes your dog may stop doing a certain activity temporarily after yelling at him, but he will only return to whatever behavior he was displaying which made you angry in the first place. Why? Because when you shout at your dog it does nothing to fix the issue, yelling only works as a temporary solution.

Most puppies think of their owners as other dogs. And when you start yelling at your pet, it only increases how excited he is about the situation. You also cause your dog to create a negative association between yelling and how he feels around you.  He will soon start to connect yelling with the idea that he is disliked or unwanted, and will not have the ability to know that he is actually breaking a rule that you are trying to establish.

Not All Loud Dog Training Voice Commands Are Bad

Even though yelling at your dog is considered to be of poor communication skills, there are definitely times when dog training you need to firm up the tone of your voice and change the way you come across to him.  There are three general forms of communication in terms of the way you speak to your dog that you can apply:

1. The soothing tone of voice. A soothing and delightful tone of voice should be used whenever you want to give praise to your dog. When you communicate this way, you should be able to relax and soothe him as opposed to creating excitability. Speaking to your puppy in a soothing tone of voice makes him feel secure and proud knowing that you are happy with him.

2. The second tone of voice used when communicating with your dog is more of a direct tone. A direct tone would be the same way you give commands to your puppy when you want to get his attention. It should be short, firm, and authoritative.

3. The third general tone of voice you can use with your dog is more of a disciplinary tone. However, you must learn when dog training to draw a fine line between a disciplinary tone and a yelling tone.  Remember, you do not want to yell your dog but there are certainly times when you need to get across to him to back away from something quickly or to stop doing something immediately, all without actually scaring him off with shouting. Personally,when dog training, I like to use two syllables such as “DOWN BOY” or “SPARKY NO”.

Filed Under: Dog Training Tagged With: Confusion, Dog Training, Dogs, Excitability, Forms Of Communication, Loud Voice, Poor Communication Skills, Positive Reinforcement, Puppies, Puppy, Simple Fact, Temporary Solution, Tone Of Voice, Tone Of Your Voice, Voice Commands

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