Free Dog Ttraining

Part1: There is Actually a “Wrong” Way to Crate Train

Crate training dogs, (or crate training puppies) if approached correctly is by far one of the most effective tools you can use to form good dog behavior.

The most subtle mistakes in crate training are sometimes the worst because they go undetected and are repeated over and over again which can make the whole experience of potty training dogs negative and frustrating.

Using the correct method of crate training you can avoid subtle mistakes and have your puppy or dog’s training move along quite smoothly.

Even though crate training dogs is by far the best way to potty train, it can backfire if not done correctly. This is why there are so many pet owners who attempt crate training and wonder why they’re still having problems; because there is a right way and a wrong way to approach the whole process.

My proven methods of crate training make this stage both a positive and rewarding experience for both you and your puppy (or dog).

A Basic Understanding:
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The first step in puppy training or dog training is to learn how your puppy or dog is viewing things, what actually forms his puppy behavior and what you can do to appropriately shape it.

By understanding the canine mindset better, you can make the process a lot easier and faster, which in turn makes it a lot more fun and rewarding for both you and your puppy.

So in order to be successful in crate training dogs or puppies, a basic understanding of “natural” puppy behavior is needed. Here are a few examples:

1. Dogs cannot view things the way we do; and in fact many times situations are just the opposite of what it looks like from our perspective.

2. Dogs do not make connections between cause and effect when any amount of time has passed.

3. Dogs do not understand the spoken language unless it’s paired consistently with something meaningful to them.

4. Dogs are frightened and confused by anger that humans display.

5. When a dog experiences fear and confusion as a result of a human getting angry with him this also slows down the dog’s learning process since effective learning cannot take place under these conditions.

What Dogs Do Understand:
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Some of what dogs and puppies do understand is:

* Instinct and self preservation-(neither of which they have conscious control over)

* Immediate consequence to action

* Positive rewards

* Tone of voice

* Some body language

And they are effected by our emotions even when they don’t understand them.

Dogs and puppies respond more quickly and more reliably to positive incentives than to fear or punishment. And in dealing with puppies, fear and punishment can and will damage their personalities for life.

In many cases, punishment tactics actually cause behavioral problems, can compound existing ones, and can even bring about the opposite behavior than what we are trying to achieve.

Crate training dogs and crate training puppies using positive behavior shaping methods allows you to effectively train your pet without having to use punitive measures at all.

Kathleen Amaro is the owner of http://www.puppy-potty-training.com. Her instantly downloadable ebook “25 Secrets to Raising the Perfect Puppy” not only tells you how to raise the perfect puppy, it presents the exact methods of how to crate train your puppy or dog using only positive and healthy learning techniques.

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The basis of training your puppy is winning his trust,respect,
and confidence. Real training can’t begin until
your puppy has accepted you as his leader, respects you,and has
confidence in you.

A mistake many puppy owners make is confusing love and
affection for respect and confidence. It is important to
love your puppy. It is equally important for your puppy to
respect you, have confidence in you, and see you as the
pack leader. Dogs are naturally pack animals and every pack
member looks to the pack leader for direction. Making
yourself the pack leader is vital to the success of training
any dog. If you don’t, your dog will assume the role. If that
happens, neither of you will be happy.

Failure to gain the confidence and respect of your puppy can
create a dog who is out of control, disobedient, and even
dangerous. It is important to train your puppy correctly from
the start since retraining a problem dog is possible but more
difficult than training a puppy correctly the first time.

It is critical for any new dog owner, whether working with a 12
week old puppy or a 12 year old dog, to get his respect. That
does not mean using rough or dangerous handling methods, but it
does mean letting him know that you are in control of the
situation. Dogs need structure in their lives and they will not
resent you for taking control. As a matter of fact, your dog
will appreciate your taking the role of trainer and coach as you
begin your training sessions.

When you start working with your dog it is important to keep
the training sessions short at first. This is particularly
important when working with a young puppy. Puppies tend to have
much shorter attention spans than older dogs so keeping the
sessions short is fun and essential for proper training.

Beginning training sessions should focus on the most basic
commands. The heel command is one of the most basic as well as
one of the easiest to teach. Start by putting the puppy in a
properly fitted training collar. Be sure to follow the
instructions for fitting and sizing the collar to insure that it
works as intended. There are other articles in this series
about proper training collars. You can also check with your
pet store or breeder.

Begin to walk and allow your dog to walk beside you. If he
begins to pull, gently pull on the leash. This, in turn, will
tighten the training collar and give your dog a gentle
correction. If the gentle pressure is ineffective, it may be
necessary to slowly increase the pressure. Always be careful not
to over-correct your dog. Using too much pressure could
frighten him and cause him to strain more. If the opposite
problem occurs and the dog lags behind, you should gently
encourage him until he is walking beside you.

Most dogs figure out the heeling concept fairly rapidly and
they soon realize that they should walk beside you, neither
lagging behind nor pulling ahead. You should also pick up the
pace and allow him to speed up as well. Finally, walking along,
changing pace, and changing direction often will reinforce the
lesson the he should always walk at your heel.

From heeling, the next step is for him to halt when you stop
walking. The halt works well as an adjunct to heel. As you are
walking, stop and watch your dog. Many dogs immediately
understand that they are expected to stop when their human does.
Others may need the reminder of the leash and the training collar.

After the halt has been mastered, encourage your dog to sit on
halt. Once your dog has stopped, gently push on his
hindquarters to encourage the sit. Usually after this walk,
halt and sit procedure has been done a few times, he will begin
to sit on his own each time he stops. Of course, it is
important to provide lots of praise and maybe even a treat every
time he does as he is expected.

These three commands should be taught without voice. Get your
dog used to your body language. We will cover halt and sit off
leash in later articles. For now, get your dog to walk beside
you, halt when you stop and sit immediately. You will be so
proud of him and he will be proud of himself.

Join me on the web and sign up for my newsletter at
http://dogsrule.hickorypublishing.com

Cathy Perkins is a dog lover who is allowed to live with her two dogs, Tillie and Pierrot, in the beautiful foothills of North Carolina. Sign up for the Dogs Rule newsletter at:
http://dogsrule.hickorypublishing.com/?page_id=34

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Dog training - dealing with house training issues

The best house training uses the dogs own instincts to avoid soiling its bed to train the dog where and where not to eliminate. That is the basis behind crate training, in which the dog is confined to its crate in the absence of the owner, and den training, in which the dog is confined to a small area of the home. In essence, the crate, or the room, becomes the dog’s den. Dogs are habitually amply clean animals, and they try their best to avoid using their dens as toilets.

This type of training usually works very well, both for puppies and for older dogs. Problems with this type of toilet training are usually the result of not understanding the signals the dog is sending, not being consistent with feeding times, or trying to rush the process.

While the house training process can be sped up somewhat by consistently praising the dog and rewarding it for toileting in the proper whistle stop, some dogs cannot be rushed through this important process. It is always best to house train the dog properly the first time than to go back and retrain a problem dog.

If the dog continues to soil the den area after house training, the most likely reason is that the owner has departed the dog in the den for too long. Another reason may be that the den area is too large. In this case, the best strategy is to make the den area smaller or to take the dog to the toilet area more frequently.

If the dog soils the bed that has been provided in the den area, it is most likely seeing the owner has left the dog there for too long, and the dog had an understandable accident. Or it could be that the dog has not yet adopted this area as the bed. In addition, urinary tract infections and other medical conditions can also cause dogs to soil their beds. It is important to have the dog thoroughly checked out by a veterinarian to rule out any medical doubts.

One other reason for house training accidents that many people overlook is dullness. Dogs who are bored often drink large amounts of water and therefore must urinate more frequently than you might think. If you notice your dog consuming large amounts of water, be sure to take the dog to the established toilet stretch more often, and outfit the dog with toys and spare distractions to eliminate boredom.

Flatness is the rhizome cause of frequent dog behavior problems, not only house training issues. Chewing and more destructive behaviors are also often caused by boredom and separation anxiety.

Fresh dilemmas with house training can occur when the dog’s den is not properly introduced. In some cases dogs can react to the den as if it is a keep or a pain. Those dogs may exhibit signs of anxiety, such as whining, chewing and excessive barking. It is important for the dog to feel secure in its den, and to think of it as a home and not a cage.

The best way to house train a puppy or dog, or to re-house mold a problem dog, is to make yourself alive of the dog’s habits and needs. Creating a clean, safe sleeping and happiness area for your dog, as well as a well defined toilet area, is important for any house training program.

House training is not always an easy process, but it is certainly an important one. The number one reason that dogs are surrendered to animal preserves is obstacles with inappropriate elimination, so a well structured house training edit can literally be a lifesaver for your dog.

Discover how to get more from your dog and they from you at

http://dogcontrol.blogspot.com

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