Keeping the attention of a dog during training is not always easy. Dogs can be easily distracted, and it is important to not allow the dog training sessions to be sabotaged by boredom. Making dog training fun for the dog and the human alike is vital to creating a happy, well adjusted and well trained dog.

Providing random positive stimuli during the day is a great way to keep the interest of the dog. Doing things the dog enjoys, like walking in the park, riding in the car, and playing with other dogs, are good ways to keep the dog’s attention, but you must reward him for small successes.

For example, to thank the dog for coming to you when you call him, ask your dog to come to you, without giving any clues about going for a walk, a car ride, or other treats.

After your dog has come to you and obediently sat down, attach the leash and start the reward. This can be either the afore-mentioned walk in the park, ride in the car, or anything else the dog likes to do.

Providing some kind of reward, whether a treat, a special outing, or just a scratch behind the ears, every time the dog does something you want, is a good method to keep your dog motivated while you are dog training.

If the dog knows something great is going to happen every time he obeys your command, he will be motivated to please you every time.

Distraction training.

When training a dog, it is vital to not allow distractions spoil the training. The dog must be taught to ignore distractions, such as other people, other dogs, other animals and loud noises, and focus on what is being taught These kinds of distractions can also be used as rewards when training the dog to come when called.

For example, if your dog enjoys romping with other dogs, whether it be in a park or with the neighbour’s dogs, let him play with those other dogs. Then go into the park or garden and call your dog.

When he comes to you, give him lots of praise, treats and other rewards, then immediately allow the dog to return to playing with his friends. Do this several times and praise the dog each time he comes over to you.

The dog will soon realize that coming to you means good things (treats and praise) and not bad ones (being removed from the park).

This so-called distraction training is one of the hardest things for your dog to learn, because dogs are naturally social animals, and leaving the pack is one of the most difficult things you can ask your dog to do. Most dogs will be understandably unwilling to leave their canine companions, but it is vital to persist in dog training.

Training your dog to come to you when you call can take some thought on your part at first. For instance, waving a favourite toy, or a lure, is a great way to get your dog’s attention and put the focus back on you. If your dog has been clicker trained, a quick click can be a good motivator too, when training your dog.

Once the dog begins to get the hang of coming when called, you can start to reduce and eliminate the visual cues and focus on getting the dog to respond to your voice alone. It is vital that the dog obeys voice commands alone, since you will not always have the availability of a toy or other lure.

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Fashion appears to decree everything these days. From what you wear to what you name your dog, everything you do is dictated by the need to be cool. Cool dog names are hard to come by and even harder to choose. This is because no sooner is something in fashion, than it is out again.

Who would want to pick a cute dog name that may not be fashionable next year? So, people tend to play it safe, which is why the same names have been so popular for so long. To try and interrupt that cycle, five cool dog names are given below with our reasons why you should pick one of them for your dog.

Phoenix: What could be cooler than a bird that goes up in flames and then rises from the ashes? Phoenix is one of the cute dog names that will never go out of fashion because it is based in history. It has a timeless quality which has somewhat surprisingly failed to boost its popularity.

Star: Star is one of the cute dog names because it has so many meanings and connotations that you can struggle to find out where to begin. A star in the sky is a phenomenon and a star can refer to someone that outperforms in a certain field. It is a high form of praise and thus is definitely a cool dog name.

Lady: Lady is one of the most popular dog names but it is also one of the cool dog names because of the Disney cartoon film, Lady and the Tramp, which was a massive hit. The film made the name popular but also gave it some credibility. In this case, popularity comes second to coolness.

Elvis: The coolest of cute dog names. Elvis Presley was definitely cool and remains cool today even after his death. It is immeasurably cool to call your dog after such a tremendous star who has never gone out of fashion himself.

Shadow: There is a dark and ethereal quality about Shadow that makes it a cool dog name. It would be best used on a big breed of dog however, because it wouldn’t have the same strong effect with a small one.

Whatever cute dog names you use for your pooch, it is a certain method of giving your dog an identity of its own and your dog memorable to others.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Technorati Tags: advice, animals, classes, Dog Training, Dogs, family, garden, obedience classes, other, outdoors, pets, school, self help, terriers

Fashion appears to decree everything nowadays days. From what you wear to what you name your dog, everything you do is dictated by the need to be cool. Cute dog names are hard to come by and even harder to choose. This is because no sooner is something in fashion, than it is out again.

Who would want to choose a cool dog name that may not be fashionable tomorrow? People tend to play it safe as a result, hence why the same names have been so popular for so long. To try and break that cycle, five cute dog names are listed below with the reasons why you should choose one of them for your dog.

Phoenix: What could be cooler than a bird that goes up in flames and then rises from the ashes? Phoenix is one of the cute dog names that will never go out of fashion because it is based in mythology. It has a timeless quality which has somewhat surprisingly failed to boost its popularity.

Star: Star is one of the cute dog names because it has so many connotations that you can have a hard time finding out where to begin. A star in the sky is a phenomenon and a star can refer to someone that outperforms in a certain field. It is a high form of praise and thus is definitely a cool dog name.

Lady: Lady is one of the most popular dog names but it is also one of the cute dog names because of Disney. Lady and the Tramp was a huge hit and made the name popular but also gave it some credibility. In this case popularity is second to coolness.

Elvis: The coolest of cute dog names. Elvis Presley was definitely cool and remains cool today even after his death. It is immeasurably cool to name your dog after such a tremendous star who has never gone out of fashion himself.

Shadow: There is a dark and mysterious quality about Shadow that makes it a cool dog name. It would be used to best effect on a large dog however because it wouldn’t have the same strong effect with a small breed.

Whatever cute dog names you consider for your pooch, it is a certain method of giving your dog an identity of its own and your dog memorable to others.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Technorati Tags: advice, animals, classes, Dog Training, Dogs, family, garden, obedience classes, other, outdoors, pets, school, self help, terriers

Keeping the attention of your dog while training is not always an easy task. Dogs are very easily distracted, and it is important to not allow the dog training sessions to be ruined by boredom. Making dog training fun for the dog and the human alike is essential to creating a happy, well-balanced and well-trained dog.

Providing random positive stimuli throughout the day is a great way to keep the interest of your dog. Doing things the dog enjoys, like walking in the park, riding in the car, and playing with other dogs, are great ways to keep the dog’s attention, but you must reward him for small successes.

For instance, in order to reward the dog for coming to you when you call him, ask the dog to come to you, without giving any clues about a walk, a car ride, or other treats.

After the dog has come to you and obediently sat down, attach the leash and start the reward. This can be either the afore-mentioned walk in the park, ride in the car, or anything else the dog enjoys doing.

Providing some kind of reward, whether a treat, a special outing, or just a tickle behind the ears, every time the dog does something you want him to, is a good method to maintain your dog’s motivation while you are dog training.

If your dog knows something good is going to happen every time he follows your command, he will be motivated to please you every time.

Distraction training.

When training a dog, it is important to not allow distractions spoil the training. The dog must be taught to ignore distractions, such as other people, other dogs, other animals and loud noises, and focus on what is being taught These types of distractions can also be used as rewards when training the dog to come when called.

For example, if your dog enjoys playing with other dogs, whether in a local park or with the neighbour’s dogs, let him play freely with those other dogs. Then go into the park or yard and call your dog.

When he comes to you, provide lots of praise, treats and other rewards, then immediately allow the dog to go back to playing with his pals. Do this several times and praise the dog each time he comes to you.

The dog will quickly learn that coming to your call results in good things (treats and praise) and not bad ones (being taken away from the park).

This so-called distraction training is one of the hardest things for your dog to learn, because dogs are social animals by nature, and leaving the pack is one of the hardest things you can ask your dog to do. Most dogs will be understandably unwilling to leave their doggy companions, but it is vital to persist in dog training.

Training the dog to come to you may require some creativity on your part at first. For instance, waving a favourite toy, or a lure, is a great way to get your dog’s attention and put the focus back on you. If your dog has been clicker trained, a quick click can be a good motivator too when you are training your dog.

Once the dog begins to become used to coming when called, you can begin to reduce and then stop the visual cues and focus on making the dog obey just your voice. It is important that the dog responds to voice commands alone, as you will not always have a toy or lure to hand.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Technorati Tags: advice, animals, classes, Dog Training, Dogs, family, garden, obedience classes, other, outdoors, pets, school, self help, terriers

It would be hard to believe that the adorable puppy you welcomed into your house could become a dog that is a single problem away from being given up. It is not a single occurrence that creates aggressive dogs. Dogs aren’t born to be aggressive towards people. Dogs that are properly trained and well cared for rarely become aggressive. If you adopted your dog as an adult you will need to be particularly cautious and be sure that your dog has proper obedience training.

Showing your dog right away who is the boss and who is the pet is important to make sure that housebreaking is an easy job for the both of you. Dog training is important for more things than just making sure that your dog no longer chews on your shoes. You have to make sure that you stop your pet from becoming one of the thousands of aggressive dogs out there. Many terrible things can happen when a dog is allowed to get into dog growling or dog biting. Neither one of those situations is a result from proper dog training.

Problems Experienced from Aggressive Dogs

* Neighbors, family, or friends may sustain physical injuries

* Emotional injuries to young children

* Damaged personal property

* Lawsuits that stem from all of the above situations

* The dog being one of the many that are euthanized every year

If you are truly a loving and caring pet owner, you must take responsibility and ensure that your beloved animal does not join the legions of aggressive dogs. Looking for outside help is ideal if you think you can’t control the situation by yourself. There are numerous professionally-trained dog trainers out there who specialize in aggressive dogs.

The best thing to do is read up on all of the training information you can find out there on aggressive dogs. Learn the correct ways to punish a dog besides striking it. Violence will only breed violence so make sure that you are not taking part in the making of aggressive dogs. You may have luck with the books and videos out there but you will have a much better chance at solving the problem, or preventing one from ever happening, by bringing an expert into your home.

Getting More Help

Whether you are training your dog yourself or with a professional trainer, nothing is more critical than taking the utmost responsibility for your pet. The people who own aggressive dogs are the ones who are responsible, so ensure that you won’t have to deal with these legal or moral situations.

You still have a little time if your dog hasn’t shown any of the aggressive dog signs yet. It is best to start immediately, especially if your dog has aggressive or rough tendencies.

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Technorati Tags: animals, dog obedience, dog obedience training, Dog Training, Dogs, home, housebreaking, obedience classes, pets

You should waste no time starting the process of housebreaking your new dog — once you have him home, you are ready to begin. One that can only lead to confusion for the dog later on is giving your new dog a little time to get to know the family and the house before laying down the law. Truthfully, you cannot expect a dog who has been allowed to have full run of the house to suddenly accept new rules and adapt quickly to housebreaking.

It’s Never Too Late to Start

You can still get your dog to behave properly, even if your level of control has been low up to this point. It is never too late to start dog training your puppy, unlike the common belief out there. Whether your puppy is young or old you can still include housebreaking into his/her daily routine. Whether your problem is dog chewing, dog biting or dog growling, you need to focus on the unwanted behavior that is your highest concern. It is important to work on housebreaking these behaviors first, then move on to other things.

In order to make sure that your pet never becomes one of those aggressive dogs you always hear about on the news, you have to start housebreaking as soon as possible. If your biggest problem at the moment, especially if you have a puppy, is where the dog is and is not allowed to go potty then you will need to start with that.

Housebreaking Tips

* Restrict food and water to the appropriate meal times

* In the event that you are utilizing pee pads, choose a single spot and make sure to place the pads only there

* You should praise your pet when it displays good behavior

* Never strike or slap the dog if it misses the pee pad

* Take the puppy to the pee pad within fifteen to twenty minutes of drinking or eating

Food and water is kept out for their dog at all times by many people. Although this is an acceptable routine for older dogs who are more accustomed to holding their bladder, it is not advisable for puppies who do not yet know how to. Even if they really wanted to, younger puppies just are not able to hold their bladder until they become a bit older. This can result in accidents in the home for which you cannot really blame your puppy. Thus, keeping their food and water bowls full at all times is not conducive to your housebreaking objectives.

Place the pee pad in the spot of the home where your puppy goes if he continues to miss the pee pad. At this point in housebreaking, you should really just be getting the puppy used to going to the bathroom on its puppy pad. Once your pet is used to this, you may progress the housebreaking by moving the ‘pee pad’ a small distance every day until it is eventually located where you want it.

While this housebreaking process may seem like it takes forever, it is extremely important. You certainly do not want your puppy or dog going to the bathroom everywhere. You also want to make the housebreaking process as easy as possible for your dog so it does not become discouraged. Seek outside help if need be. Just know that housebreaking takes time, no matter who is in charge of doing it.

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Technorati Tags: animals, dog obedience, dog obedience training, Dog Training, Dogs, home, housebreaking, obedience classes, pets