Be Your Pet Dog's Best Friend

To have a really great relationship with your pet dog, you need to work on that relationship constantly. It's not enough to build a few foundations and expect your relationship to blossom with little or no extra effort. Time spent reinforcing the bond between you and your pet dog is time well spent, and will enrich your relatonship providing you both with the fun and rewards that pet dog ownership brings.
Make sure that you spend quality time with your pet dog. As pet dog owners we are all aware of the need to exercise and train your pet dog. The time spent on these activities will vary according to your pet dogs needs, however, this time should be rewarding and enjoyable for your pet dog. When walking with your pet dog, make sure that you talk and interact with your pet dog. Play a game of fetch or chase. All pet dogs love to chase, and taking an active role in this game will not only keep you fit, but will help you engage with your pet dog in a fun and simple way.
Be animated when you communicate with your pet dog. During the day, your pet dog will hear you converse with many different people, either on the phone or in person, and will generally filter out most of the conversation. With your tone of voice you can communicate to your pet dog that something is interesting or fun, or that something is undesirable or naughty.pet Dogs have extremely sensitive hearing and are very much attuned to your moods and tone of voice, use this to your advantage. Attract your pet dogs attention by using a friendly voice that is slightly higher pitched than your normal speaking voice.
Never forget the importance of physical contact. When your pet dog is near, make the effort to stroke their head or neck and talk in a soothing voice. If you are in the park, and your pet dog bounds over to you, make a fuss of them, make being near you a rewarding experience for your pet dog. This will not only reinforce the bond you and your pet dog have, but it will also aid recall. If you have problems recalling your pet dog, practice this when they are off the lead. Several times during the walk, call your pet dog to you and reward them for coming with a treat or a cuddle, and then let them carry on with what they were doing. If you only recall your pet dog when they are naughty or to put them on the lead, your dog will associate punishment or the end of the walk with coming when called. If you have been out, greet your pet dog properly when your return - being away from you is never enjoyable for your pet dog. Make the time to cuddle or play a quick game to celebrate your return. This is very natural for pet dogs, they will do this to other pet dogs they know and like, so this behaviour is something they understand.
Ask yourself, if you were your pet dog, would you enjoy the time you spend together. Try to be fun for your pet dog. We all have busy days, bad days and sad days, but your dog relies upon you to provide the love and support it needs, and will give you loyalty and friendship in return. Your pet dog doesn't need or understand your stress, but they are affected by it. On a bad day, make a point of having a game or cuddling with your pet dog, and you'll probably find it helps you too.
By: Jane EarleyAuthor Bio

Sep 29, 2008

how to train your dog

House training is one of the most important parts of training any dog to be a valued part of the family. As with many other aspects of dog training, the best way to house train a dog is to use the dog's own nature to your benefit.
The great thing about dogs, and the thing that can make house training much easier, is that dogs are instinctively very clean animals. Dogs would rather not soil the areas where they sleep and eat. In addition, dogs are very good at developing habits regarding where they like to urinate and defecate.
For example, dogs that are used to eliminating on concrete or gravel will prefer to eliminate there rather than on grass or dirt. It is possible to use these natural canine habits when house training your dog.
Setting up the training areaThe first step in house training your dog is to set up your training area. A small, confined space such as a bathroom, or part of a kitchen or garage, works best as a training area. This method of training differs from crate training. Crate training is great for puppies and small dogs, but many larger dogs find a crate too confining.
It is important for the owner to spend as much time in the training area with his or her dog as possible. It is important for the owner to play with the dog in the training area, and to let the dog eat and sleep in that area. The dog should be provided with a special bed in the training area, anything from a store bought bed to a large towel to a large box. At first, the dog may eliminate in this area, but once the dog has recognized it as his or her own space, he or she will be reluctant to soil it.
After the dog has gotten used to sleeping in the bed, the owner can move it around the house, relocating it from room to room. When you are not with your dog, the dog should be confined to the training area.
Setting up the toilet areaThe second part of house training is to set up the toilet area for the dog. It is important for the dog to have access to this place every time he or she needs to eliminate. It is also important for the owner to accompany the dog each time until he or she gets into the habit of eliminating in the toilet area. This will ensure that the dog uses only the established toilet area.
A set feeding schedule makes the house training process a lot easier for both the owner and the dog. Feeding the dog on a regular basis will also create a regular schedule for the dog's toilet habits. Once you know when your dog is likely to need to eliminate, it will be simple to guide the dog to the established toilet area.
Once the dog has established a toilet area and is using it on a regular basis, it is very important to not confine the dog without access to the toilet area for long periods of time. That is because if the dog is unable to hold it, he or she may be forced to eliminate in the training area. This habit can make house training much more difficult.
Continuing the house training processAfter the dog is consistently eliminating in the toilet area and not soiling the training area, it is time to extend that training area to the rest of the home. This process should be done slowly, starting with one room and slowly expanding to the rest of the house. The area should only be extended once you are sure of the dog's ability to control its bladder and bowels.
When you first expand the training area to a single room, let the dog eat, play and sleep in that room, but only when supervised. When it is not possible to supervise the dog, place it back in the original training area. Then, after the dog has accepted the room as an extension of the original training area, the area can be extended.
Speeding up the processIf this process is too lengthy for your needs, it can be speeded up, but it is important to proceed cautiously. It is easier to take your time up front than to retrain a problem dog later. One way to successfully speed up house training is to praise and reward the dog each and every time it uses the established toilet area. It is also important not to punish the dog for mistakes. Punishment will only confuse the dog and slow down the house training process. Author Bio

No comments: