April 3rd, 2009 by admin

Dog leash training promotes exercise, which is a major part of our dogs’ lives.

Cesar Millan, the “Dog Whisperer”, tells us that to maintain a healthy relationship with our beloved pooches, that relationship should consist of 50% physical exercise, 25% discipline, and 25% affection. That’s a lot of exercise!

In order for us to be able to enjoy exercising our dogs as much as they need, it’s important for them to behave well both on the lead. Unfortunately, there are many dogs out there who are afraid of the leash itself – resulting in neurotic, fearful, submissive behavior whenever the lead comes out.

In this newsletter, we’ll take a look at the most effective way to deal with fear of the leash.

Fear of the Leash: dog leash training>

The majority of the time, the sight of the leash is enough to bring on a fit of joy – the dog knows that leash = walk, and reacts accordingly.

For some dogs, though, the leash connotes fear and submissiveness more than anything else. Perhaps the leash was used in a negative way with a previous owner – as a tool for dragging the dog around. Perhaps it was used to confine the dog for long hours at a time. In some extreme cases, dogs have even been whipped with the leash as punishment. Or perhaps your dog is just very highly strung, and is prone to developing phobias seemingly arbitrarily. dog leash training>

Although fear of the leash can have a severely negative impact on your walks with your dog, the good news is that it’s easy to cure. You just need some patience and some basic equipment.

What you’ll need: dog leash training>

- A leash, made of webbing or leather. Approximately 5 feet (1.25 meters) is a good length, as it enables control without risk of the dog getting tangled in the leash when out walking. Chain-link leashes aren’t recommended, as they’re hard on the hands – and also can flick the dog in the face, which isn’t something you’d want to inflict on any dog, let alone one that’s suffering from fear of the leash!

- A good-quality collar, again made of leather or nylon webbing. If you’re using one with a snap-lock, make sure it’s safety-approved and won’t come undone under pressure. Slip-chain collars (also known as ‘choke-chains’ or ‘check-chains’) should never be used on an unattended dog, as they’re a training tool, not a real collar.

- A little bit of time, and a little bit of patience.

What to Do: dog leash training>

- Your aim here is to accustom your dog to the lead a little bit at a time, keeping him well within his comfort zone at each step of the way. Because he’s already got a fear of the leash, some discomfort in its presence is to be expected, but watch out for signs of extreme fear: hyperventilating, drooling, submissive urination, rolling eyes (often showing the whites). So step one: remember to take baby steps at all times!

- If he’s really afraid of the leash, you’ll need to accustom him to it very slowly indeed. Practice leaving it out in full view, preferably in ‘fun’ places: next to his food bowl, in preferred play areas, near his bed. dog leash training>

- Once he’s stopped reacting to the sight of it, introduce the leash to him in a more active manner. You can do this by wrapping it around your hand as you pet and groom him. Hold the leash in your hand as you prepare his food; sit by him and stroke him, with the leash wrapped around your hand, as he eats. Keep this up until he’s stopped showing any signs of discomfort – it may take some time, but remember that you’re aiming to accustom him comfortably to the leash. Any rushing is counterproductive.

- When he’s not showing any signs of nervousness with this level of progress, you can start attaching the leash to his collar. Put him in a sit-stay, using a firm, calm voice, and clip the leash on. Don’t make a big deal out of it: your dog will take his emotional and psychological cues from your behavior. If you act as though it’s not a big deal, he’ll follow your lead.

- Once the leash is on, give him some time to get used to the sensation of something hanging off his neck. He may get a little panicky at this stage, and start pawing at his neck and trying to rub the leash off along the ground. If he’s showing signs of nervousness, distract him with a game: a short game of tug-o’-war (providing he knows to drop the toy when you’ve had enough) is a good idea; if he can run without getting tangled in the leash, play a short game of fetch; or, if the two of you are outside in a safely enclosed area, you can go for a short walk. Don’t attempt to touch the leash at this stage, just let him walk around freely. dog leash training>

- Take the leash off after five minutes or so, and praise him lavishly for being such a good boy. Give him a couple of small, tasty treats, and lots of petting.

- Repeat these last three steps several more times before progressing to the next level: you want to give him plenty of opportunities to get used to the sensation of the leash itself before you start using it to control his walking. The more positive associations he forms with the leash (which he will do through the games, walks, and treats while wearing it), the better for his progress. dog leash training>

- Next, it’s time for a short obedience-training session while he’s wearing the leash. Five minutes is plenty: practice a sit-stay and the recall command (“come”) while he’s wearing the leash. This will reinforce your authority and leadership, and remind him that he’s still expected to obey you while wearing the leash.

- When he’s readily obeying your commands with the leash on, you can take him for a short walk while he’s wearing it. If he’s jumpy, do not reinforce his nervousness by rewarding him with attention. Simply ignore him and carry on walking. Remember, he takes his cues from you, so keep calm and wait for it to pass. dog leash training>

- If, at any point, you feel that he’s simply too nervous to proceed (for example, if he’s still panicking after three or four minutes of walking on the leash), go back to the level at which he was last 100% comfortable. Wait a few days at this stage before attempting to proceed.

Things to Remember: dog leash training>

- Remember to be patient! Don’t attempt to rush your dog’s progress: using force is counterproductive to your end goal. You’re teaching him to relax and be calm around the leash – if you get stressed or frustrated with his lack of progress, he’ll be able to tell, and his anxiety levels will increase, not decrease. dog leash training>

- Remember not to indulge his nervousness or coddle him if he plays up or gets nervous. If you react to his crying and trembling with petting and cooing, you are telling him that it’s OK to feel like that. If he’s nervous, either ignore it and carry on, or distract him with a game or short walk. If he’s still panic-stricken after three or four minutes, revert to the previous step and give it more time.

- This should go without saying, but never correct or punish him for skittishness or nervous behavior – again, it’s counterproductive in the extreme.

April 3rd, 2009 by admin

Now you can teach your dog to stop barking. As everyone knows, barking dogs can reek havoc in their owners’ lives. More than one barking dog has certainly strained neighborly relations. Products and solutions have sprung up everywhere but, like most things in life, there is no one sure fix for a barking dog.

In order to come up with a training plan, you must first identify why the barking is occurring.

The most common types of barking:

1. Breed related barking: Some dogs simply bark more than others by genetics. Herding breeds and terriers rank higher on the barking list and lower on the “stop barking” list.

2. Territorial or alert barking: It is not unusual to have this type of barking when strangers pass by the window or walkway.

3. Loneliness barking: A dog separated from the pack will often bark or howl to find you.

4. Attention barking: This is the kind of barking that occurs when the dog wants something from you, and often, it has learned that it gets it this way.

5. Random barking: This is sporadic barking that happens off and on or out of excitement. This is often related to lack of exercise and hyperactivity.

If your dog has lots of energy and has random barking, you need to step up the amount of exercise your dog is receiving. If your dog is lonely and spending a lot of time away from the family or pack, give it the opportunity to be more a part of the family. Either of these activities should help your dog to stop barking.

Here are two other solutions you can install in your training plan that will help in a variety of situations:

Teaching the “Quiet” command:

Instead of yelling at your dog to shut up, ignore its barking. Have plenty of treats ready because you will be rewarding the moments does stop barking. The moment your dog isn’t barking, say “Good quiet,” and give a treat immediately while he is still quiet. He won’t full understand what the treat was for, but the more times you reward the quiet moments, the quieter he will become. Remember to say “Good quiet” so that he hears that word with the action. Soon, you will be able to say just “Quiet” when he begins to bark, and he will silence himself.

Training a whistle “Come”:

This works for a lot of different things, but it is great for a dog that barks at fence-lines or windows and is a distance away. Get a whistle; either a regular whistle or a dog whistle will work. Get plenty of a really valuable food item your dog really likes and wants. He will only get it in combination with the whistle, so make it very good, something like diced chicken, cheese, lunch meat, or whatever works. Take your dog, whistle, and food in an area that is quiet and he can concentrate. Blow your whistle, he will look at you, give him the treat. Do about 10 repetitions this way so that the sound of the whistle becomes paired with the treat.

Start moving farther and farther away from him to blow the whistle. You can move to being hidden or out of your dog’s sight. He will come find you. You can apply this to barking in that if your dog is down at the fence-line barking at a passing pedestrian, blow your whistle to interrupt his barking, and he will come to find you. This is an easy way to interrupt his actions in a positive way, and the whistle can also be used as a nice tool for “Come” at a distance too.

By identifying the reason for the barking, you can tailor a program for your particular issue. Once identified, teach a “Quiet” command and teach a “Come” to the whistle to interrupt the barking. Both of these tools work wonders to train a dog to stop barking.