Just About Jacks

Archive for September 20th, 2009

Agility training for dogs is a great way to channel all of their abundant energy, and give it a productive outlet. The agility training gets him into the best shape of his life, and also increases his mental sharpness through problem solving.

A great side  benefit of the agility training, is that if your dog is happy and tired out from his exercises, he is also  going to be much less likely to have behavior problems. He’ll be so tuckered out after his exercise sessions, that he just won’t have the energy for mischief.

Of course, not all dog breeds are well suited for agility training. For instance,  dogs descended from the working breeds such as Retrievers, Shepherds, Herding Breeds (collies, cattle dogs) Spaniels and Terriers are physically more suited for the agility training than very large breeds such as Great Danes, St. Bernards or a Mastiff. That is because the larger dog breeds are more likely to tire quickly and don’t have the active personality needed for this activity. In contrast, dog breeds that are too small also physically can’t compete on the agility training courses-the jumps are too demanding.

A dog of the right size with a lot of energy and athleticism is well suited for agility training. Make sure you have already obedience trained your dog before trying to teach him the agility exercises.  Your dog will need to listen and pay attention to you closely so that he can perform the exercises properly.

Besides the regular basic obedience commands such as sit, stay and heel, you need to teach your dog hand signals to turn left or right, to go slow or fast, when to stop, etc. So, get a good foundation first with the general obedience training, before you even start in with the agility training.

Your dog will need to have already reached his full size in order to be physically ready for his agility training. Your puppy will need to be full grown before he can handle the rigors of the obstacle course. Puppies are usually full grown at around 1 year of age, although the larger breeds may grow a little longer. Agility training exercises for older dogs, after about age 8, are not recommended-it is just too rigorous for them anymore.

Check out a Dog Agility Club in your area if you are interested in watching these dogs perform. I bet you will really enjoy seeing the dogs running the obstacle  course. If you have seen a competition on TV, you already know how amazing these dogs are. Obviously the agility training prepares the dogs to do some amazing tricks. Without some very good training and ability, there is no way a dog could perform these courses.

While watching a competition, you can easily see how much the dogs enjoy doing the tricks on the obstacle course.  The results of the agility training are something that would impress any dog owner. No wonder that dog agility clubs are becoming more and more popular with dog owners.

Among other things, the agility training teaches dogs to crawl through a tunnel, jump over hurdles, climb up and down an A-frame structure, weave his way through a series of poles, and walking over a teeter-tooter. All these obstacles together serve to test your dog’s conditioning and agility. By the way, you will get lots of exercise yourself-you will be burning lots of calories while  agility training your dog.

To get started with agility training for your own dog (if he fits the profile of being physically active and the right size for the training) check out to see if there is an agility training club near you. Don’t be discouraged by how hard the tricks seem. You progressively go from exercise to exercise, so you are prepared for the next step.

Hopefully you have enjoyed this article about dog agility training.

Please click here to read my reviews of the best of the on-line dog obedience training programs: Online Dog Training Program Reviews.

If you pick a small dog breed as your pet, I bet it is probably because you just want a little companion to hang out with inside your home. Because your small dog will be a house pet, his obedience training is an important issue.

Many small dogs  are quite intelligent and stubborn, and may make the training a challenging affair. Make sure you make the effort to properly obedience train your little guy, so that he knows you are in charge.

Training your dog when he is just a puppy is the best way to get started-thus avoiding any habituated bad behavior problems. If you have a new puppy, it is a  very good idea to start your little pup’s training  by bringing him to a group puppy training class.

The group puppy classes are great, and they serve to socialize your puppy and also help you get him started with his basic obedience training. The socializing effects of the group puppy classes is a very important step towards reducing a dog’s aggressive urges. The interaction with the other puppies gives him feedback about whether his behavior is appropriate or not. In nature, this feedback is how the puppies learn what there place is within their packs.

If your small dog remains isolated from other dogs or people, he has a greater likelihood of becoming aggression towards other dogs or visitors. Giving  your dog lots of guidance through obedience training is the best way to avoid problem behaviors from occurring. Through a thorough obedience training program you can eliminate all your small dog’s behavior problems.

Just like with the larger breeds, use only positive reinforcement training techniques when training your smaller dog. Be sure never to use harsher correction techniques, such as hitting or yelling at your dog. These harsher techniques will end up hurting your training efforts and are not good for helping your dog trust you.

A good dog training program teaches you how to understand the ways dogs communicate with each other. By understanding your little pet’s world view, you will know how to avoid the very common training mistakes everyone makes.

By training your dog using techniques a dog can easily relate to, you will have the key to getting the results you want. By avoiding mistakes, you will earn your dog’s respect and trust and become the Alpha dog. After your dog has recognized you as the Alpha leader, he becomes very  eager to follow your lead.

Many times, smaller dogs have problems with excessive barking and aggressiveness towards other dogs and even sometimes towards people. The good news is that these  nuisance behaviors can be easily enough corrected and controlled through obedience training. However, if you don’t make the effort to be in charge, these little aggressive dogs may try to take over the household.

Always be consistent and give your small dog lots of praise and rewards when you are training him. You want to encourage your pet with positive rewards so he is eager to do the right thing. The training should be repeated several times a day in order to get good results. Each training lesson should only last around 10 minutes. Stick with the training, and soon your little dog will be acting on his best behavior. And, of course, the better behaved your little dog is, the more welcome an addition to your household he will be.

Obedience training, whether you have a small dog or a big one, is the key to having a great companion . Make sure you trained your dog the right way, so your results are consistently good.

To find the best dog obedience training program for you, please click here to read my reviews of the 5 best on-line dog training programs. Best Dog Training Programs Reviewed.

So you have begun to notice that your dog is good inside but when he gets outside you observe that he has picked up the annoying habit of digging.  Some dogs are trying to dig a tunnel under the fence while other dogs have left behind what seems to be a yard filled with potholes.  A couple of other reasons why your dog is digging besides the one where he is trying to get out would be, he saw something go into a hole and he is determined to get it out or he is looking for a place to bury a toy or a bone.  Some dogs dig just for the fun of it.  Even though this behavior goes back many generations, there are ways to stop dog from digging.

Stop Your Dog From Digging

Punishment?

When you set out to stop this bad behavior, it really should not involve any punishment.  Punishment is not usually the best way to go in correcting any bad canine behavior problems.  Remember that your pet is not digging just to get under your skin, it is part of his instinct and he just doesn’t understand yet that this is an unacceptable behavior.  Instead of punishing your dog,(he won’t no why you’re punishing him anyway) try to figure out WHY he is digging and then begin looking for a way to address it.

Get Your Dog Some Exercise

When some pups start the digging thing it could just be because of boredom.  Inactivity could be one of the reasons for the digging,so one way to stop dog from digging would be to find some opportunities to give him some more exercise.  One thing you could do is take him for a walk around the neighborhood, find a local dog park or go out into the yard and play ball with him for 25-minutes or so.  You really need to try and release some of the boredom so just go out and do something with him.

Small Animals

If your dog is digging because he is after a small rodent, a prairie dog or a snake then the best way to stop dog from digging in this scenario would be to eliminate the small animal.  Cunsult an expert if you don’t think that you can get rid of the small animal problem but at least try to eliminate this temptatiom.

Stop the Digging Now

It Is Too Hot Outside

When the temperature begins to rise your dog is going to look for a cool place to go and if he does not have one he will try to dig one.  Your best chance to stop a dog from digging would be to give him a way to get out of the heat, get him a doghouse or try and put up some shade.

Digging is just bad, not only does it make youryard look like a mine field, if your pup should dig himself out he will be putting himself in harms way.  Do your best to find the cause of your dogs digging and then apply some of the above tips to eliminate it.

Good Luck

Stop the Digging Now

Owner’s need to work with their dogs, so behavior problems won’t develop. Training puppies early will help prevent behavior problems later. Don’t worry, you still have time. It’s worth the time and determination to teach you dog. Every owner wants a dog that is well behaved.

Change Dog Behavior Problems

Training Method

In training either a puppy or dog, the best method is positive training. Positive training methods gives treats for good behavior. This is how the dog will know when he has done something right. Remember to train in short sessions to start. One step at a time for slow consistant progress. Learning takes time, it’s a gradual progress. There are a few things you as a dog owner can learn about unwanted behavior; prevent it, ignore it, or teach an alternative behavior. Teaching dogs positive behavior over negative ones is best. It’s up to the owner to correct any undesired behavior that a dog has picked up. Dogs need to be rewarded for only good behavior, never the bad.

Behavior Problems

Stopping bad behavior is first solved by understanding the cause of it. A lot of owners want to know why is my dog doing these bad bahaviors?  Most of these behaviors are caused from aggression, boredom, or possessiveness. Most of these behavior problems can be solved by finding out why the dog is reacting this way. Behavioral problems can be corrected with a little patience from the owner. Certain behavioral problems can take more time then others.

Change Dog Behavior Problems

Who is the Leader?

Dog are known for their pack animal instincts. There is always a leader in the pack. The owner has to establish himself has the leader. Establishing the leadership control over your dog will allow for easier training down the road. Building a partnership with your dogs can help solve problems later on. Building trust with your dog is best, so he will want to please you.

Training can fix many dogs with behavioral problems. Improving the bond between owner and dog increases by using the positive training method. A dog will listen better and be easier to be around when fixing behavioral problems. Focusing on what you want your dog to do is all about positive training. Bad behavioral problems can result from a dog not knowing his role. Obedience training is the best way for a dog to understand his role.

Dog’s Bad Behavior Solutions

The weimaraner is a high-energy sporting dog that feels at home with like-minded human companions. It is thus quite obvious what sort of people successful weimaraner owners are. If you think you are an able manager of the energy of this first-class all-purpose dog, then the weimaraner is for you!

Knowing that well-behaved weimaraners usually start weimaraner training at a puppy age, you naturally need to get in touch with a breeder with many weim puppies to choose from. If you are going to ring up a local breeder, you thus need to check and double chedk if the breeder is registered. A visit to the breeder for a look at the puppies need to turn up animal facilities that are spic and span. But if the facilities are ill-maintained, this speaks volumes about what kind of dogs come from there. To sum up, you need to be sure that the breeder is caring well for the puppies, and that they are being provided with a healthy environment most especially in the first few weeks.

When you have finally selected the breeder to transact with, you can now start dealing about weims. One of the many things a good breeder will talk to you about is what kind of work or activities do you plan to involve your weim in. Share all your reasons for getting a weim. On your part, listen carefully to what he or she advises, checking on just how knowledgeable he or she is about raising this breed. Be careful about presumptions about the personalities of weims, since even highly trained and disciplined weims do not have similar personalities. A hunter weim has a lot of differences from a pet weim, and both differ from a police dog weim.

If you are keen on a weimaraner for competition or for show, you then all the more need to take time making a prudent choice. As you look among the puppies for the potential show dog that is also receptive of weimaraner training, you obviously have already studied what kind of standards do competitions ask of the participants. Any of your doubts are of course best fielded by the breeder, who is capable of valuable advice to help you choose.

In choosing your dog, you also need to take a look at the pedigree and the talk about the relatives. Asking about the ancestors’ activities and characteristics will help clarify the puppy’s potential. A positive sign about a certain breed are titles attached to the names of parents or grandparents of the weim puppy.