Dog Training: Clicker training – Heel

Have you ever heard of a dog training method called clicker training but never knew how it worked or what was it about?

 

This video is a good example of how to do dog training using a clicker and some rewards.

Dog training using a clicker is one of the many philosophies related to dog training and it’s not better or worse that the others.

When using a clicker what you actually do is you replace the acual phisical reward with a click, thus your dog won’t be dependent on treats to obey you.

In the long run it is advisable to remove the clicker from the ecuation because the goal for your dog training adventure should be that your dog listens to your voice commands without any incentive.

To learn more about training your dog take a look at these  dog training lessons

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Dog Training: Introducing a dog into a home owned by cats

Introducing a dog into a home that cats have already claimed as their own can be a bit of a daunting task if you have a dog with a high prey drive, but normally you can do it if you set your mind to it and you have a little knowledge about dog training.

The easiest  way to do it is to introduce dog when he is still a puppy, because he is easier to control and the dog has less discriminatory behaviour towards cats. An adult dog may have had some bad experiences with cats during his life so far and can be reluctant to accept the cats or even be agressive towards them.

I found an article that describes perfectly the first part of what I did when I brought my dog home and got some very good results as you can see and for more detailed advice you can checkout these  dog training lessons.

 

Exercise your dog before they all meet. A tired dog is a better behaved dog during an introduction to a cat. While he may still get worked up, he will likely settle down quicker if he is tired.

Take it slow. Put the dog in a kennel and let the cats walk around and check out the dog in safety. If you think the cats might be scared though, put them in crates, too, and keep the dog and cats at least five feet apart. This makes them feel safe and gives them time to sniff each other out.

Keep your dog on a leash. Cats will not be thrilled with the newest member of the family, so they may run away when they first meet the dog. When a cat runs this can trigger prey behaviors in dogs, which makes them chase cats. We don’t want your dog chasing the cats, so keep your dog on a short leash for the first few days. By allowing them to see each other without the run-and-chase game, you’re establishing a scenario in which they co-exist peacefully in the house. Do these leash visits several times a day for several days or as long as needed. Never walk your dog up to the cat. Cats will approach if and when they are ready.

Manage your space. Use baby gates to manage some safe space for the cats. I use baby gates at the entrance to the room where the cat’s litter box is located and at the bottom of the stairs so my cat has the top of the house to herself. There is just enough room at the bottom of the gates for her to slip under and get away, if needed. This also taught the dogs they couldn’t go upstairs to see the cat unless they were with me. It establishes boundaries for everyone. Use kennels or baby gates to keep them separate when you are not home or can’t supervise them.

Start basic dog training. Teach your dog to sit and to look at you. Teaching sit is easy. Hold a treat above his nose and move it from his nose back over his ears. When he looks back to see the food, his bottom will automatically hit the floor. Mark the behavior with a word like awesome, and give him a treat. Ask him to sit when a cat enters the room.

To teach your dog to look at you, sit with treats in hand and give him a treat every time he makes eye-to-eye contact with you (and away from the cat). This helps him know you are the boss and establishes his place in the pack.

Blending dog and cat families requires patience, planning and guidance, but rest assured, many families live peacefully with both dogs and cats. In most cases, dogs learn that cats are part of their pack and become friends or, at the very least, amicable roommates. Some dogs with high prey drives may never do well with cats, though. Trust your gut, and if that turns out to be the case, put the dog in a home without cats.

See the Original Story here and if you want to go into more details you can checkout these  dog training lessons.

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Dog Training: 16 week old labrador puppy

T

he dog training presented in this video is both good and bad.

The training technique that is used is excellent for labs but the dog itself is a little to young for such extensive training.

If you are not training your dog to be a blind man’s dog you don’t need to be doing such advance training until the dog is 6-7months old. Until them just having him/her walk nicely on a leash and coming when you call him should be enough for you and he/she could enjoy his/her childhood more.

Every dog needs to be a puppy before being an adult dog.

Another thing is related to the floor  surface where this guy is doing the training: the dog doesn’t really have any stability on it and some dogs will become nervous and/or agitated if made to sit on such floors.

You should always choose a place where your dog won’t slip when he is trying to abey your commands or you’ll have a tough time making him listen to them.

I found a lot of advice that really help me with my dog (the one in the header of the blog)  in these   dog training lessons

Labs and also boxers are not the sturdiest dogs health wise so make sure that your dog  lives a long disease free live by following these steps.

 

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Dog safety|Cat safety in the holiday season

Dog safety and/or cat safety should not be taken lightly during the holiday season because our pets, they don’t have a good understanding of what they are and what they aren’t allowed to do during the holiday season.

For those of us who have been pet owners for a long time, these advices won’t be much in terms of novelty but for the owners who are new in this business they might actually be a life-saver.

The holidays are just around the corner.

For many people, that means cleaning, cooking and lots of feasting. But if you have pets, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.

It’s very important to keep your pets’ safety in mind. What may seem like a special treat for your furry friend may actually be harmful, or even deadly.

You need to keep in mind that chocolate, grapes, onions, garlic, raisins are all bad for your pets. Also be warned that bones should not be fed to your dog.

Keeping your pet’s safety in mind may require some changes to your normal decorating or dining routine, but these reminders can help you create a pet-safe holiday that is fun for the whole family.

Be sure to never leave any fire unattended particularly when you have pets in the house. Not only can curious whiskers get burned, but if a candle is knocked over by a wagging tail, it can lead to a serious fire.

It’s tempting to give your pets a taste or two from your plate, but too much human food can be bad for your pet’s health.

Holiday feasts can mean bringing out treasured items like fine china or stemware. Just remember that your beloved pets don’t know the value of these items, and they could get broken. So if you have favorite, breakable decorations or table settings, be sure to keep them out of reach.

Many holiday plants, including mistletoe, holly, poinsettia and even that beautiful centerpiece of lilies can be toxic to pets. If you must decorate with these holiday pet dangers, keep them well away from curious paws and mouths.

When you raise that glass of holiday bubbly, be sure to place your unattended alcoholic drinks where Fluffy or Fido can’t sneak a taste. Alcohol and pets simply don’t mix. If ingested, your pet could become weak, ill, go into a coma or worse.

Many people like to leave out chocolates for visitors throughout the holidays, but it’s very important to remember that these sweets are major pet dangers. Chocolate is tasty for you, but it’spotentially deadly for your pets!

String your lights with caution. Twinkling lights make a shiny toy, but they’re not safe to play with or chew on. Keep your celebrations shock-free by hanging lights up out of your pets’ reach.

Strings of cranberries and popcorn can be a beautiful way to liven up your household and a fun project to do with your kids, but they’re holiday hazards for pets. Even if the food on the string isn’t toxic, your petsmay end up eating the string, and that can cause serious health problems.

Tinsel is more than just a glittery decoration. If your pets eat it, it can cause intestinal problems that require a trip tothe vet.

If you like to display your holiday presents, watch out for ribbons, bells and other small toys that can present a choking hazard for your pet. If there are any dangerous-looking gifts, it may be a good idea to hide them safely in a closet until it’s time to open them — or just open them right away. After all, no one can accuse you of being rude if you’re doing it to have a pet-safe holiday.

See the Original Story here

I love my dog so I put a lot of emphasis on dog safety in my home not matter what the season.

I managed to get my dog to stay away from all the dangerous stuff with some advice and a lot of hard word.

And since I take care of him not to get hurt I also take care so that he lives a long disease free live

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Cat person or dog person?

People tend to think that owning a cat or a dog is the same thing because they are both pets, they are both mammals and they are both really really cute.

If you think that also that you are terribly wrong, and I will tell you what kind of person is needed for each of these two pets.

(This doesn’t apply to all cats and dogs, because exceptions always exist , but it applies to the majority of them.)

To happily own a cat you need:

1. Not to be allergic to cats. A lot of people buy cats and don’t realize that they are allergic to them until the first couple of weeks go by and the kittens start cleaning themselves more and more. The allergic reaction is usually to the Fel d 1 protein from the cat’s saliva, saliva which ends up on the cat’s fur when it cleans itself and from there it goes to wherever the cat is rubbing against. More about allergies in a future post.
2. To be able to never close and/or lock a door in your house ever again. Cats are very curious by nature and they take every locked door as a personal affront. And if you happen to be behind that closed door, you better be ready to suffer her meowing wrath.
3. To be able to have a free hand to pet the cat whenever you are sitting/laying down somewhere at home. Cats love sitting on your lap or on any other part of you as long there is petting involved. You will love your cat for warming you up on cold winter evenings.
4. To have somebody to come over 2 times a day every time you leave town. Most of the cats don’t like leaving the house/apartment they live in and you probably don’t want to take your cat with you on your vacation in Thailand, but the cat needs to be fed, cleaned after and loved, because without the her/his daily fix of petting the cat’s ugly side will come out and your sofa will be gone by the time your return.

 To happily own a dog you need:

1. To have 3 hours a day dedicated to your dog, everyday, for the next 10-15 years. To have a balanced adult dog you need to keep the following schedule
• Morning:  30-45mins walk, 15mins feed dog.
• Afternoon: 20mins walk when you get home
• Evening: 1-2hours power walk and/or playtime in the dog park, 15mins feed dog
2. To be prepared you take your dog everywhere you go. If you keep the above mentioned schedule its almost certain that your dog will adore you, so leaving him/her at a pet hotel for the weekend will result in you finding a dog who is really stressed and who probably lost some weight.
3. To always be able to remain in a calm mood when your dog is involved. Your dog knows the way you feel even before you do, so if you want your dog to behave, you always need to be in a calm mood but you also need to be assertive. I’ll go into more details about this in a future post.
4. A few more things depending on the breed and age of the dog. This will be the subject of a future post.

Now that you know some of the main things you need to be a dog or a cat owner, which one do you think you are?

Fell free to drop me a comment with your answer.

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