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Socialize Your Dog for Life!

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We tend to forget these days that dogs are pack animals.  Many of us may have just one dog, or even two.  But we don’t see them as they were in nature.  Left to their own devices, dogs join up into a pack, often of related animals.  Like their wolf cousins and ancestors, dogs have a hierarchical structure to their packs, with leaders, assistants, subordinates and followers.  In nature dogs would learn everything they need to know, including dog manners, from their mother and other pack mates.

To live in our world of cars, buildings and cell phones, we have taken dogs almost completely out of their natural world.  In many places they exist without even having fields and forests anymore to share with their humans as they did only 100-200 years ago.  The only way they can exist in our world is if we teach them the skills they need to understand it and to thrive in it.  This means we have to socialize them to the human world and to the people in it.

Socialization means much more than learning a few commands.  Socialization is learning, from birth, to accept humans.  Good breeders begin socializing puppies from the day of their birth, picking them up and holding them, stroking them and talking to them, getting them used to sights and sounds in the house.  This should continue for the first seven weeks of life, with puppies being introduced to new things each week.

From the age of 8 weeks to 12 weeks, the time when many people get their new puppy, puppies are going through a fear imprinting stage.  This means that it is very easy at this time for anything that frightens the puppy to be remembered for the rest of their life.  New owners should take special care during this time to bolster their puppy’s confidence.  Do let puppies see new things and introduce them to new places and people.  Give them time to see that there is nothing to be afraid of.  Give plenty of praise when the puppy is brave and curious about things.  Try not to encourage your puppy to be fearful at this time or reward fearful behavior.  If a loud noise or something frightens your puppy, instead of cuddling the puppy take him to see what it is and show him that it’s okay.  Dance, laugh, be positive instead of petting the puppy for being fearful.  This is the difference between a fearful adult dog and a confident one later in life.

Introduce your puppy to many different people during this time to help him learn that he has nothing to fear from strangers and that he can meet them and be friendly.  Take him for short rides in the car.  Introduce many strange things at this time, such as umbrellas and the vacuum cleaner if he has not already encountered them.  Let him see normal things in unexpected places in the house.  Make sure he gets used to being groomed and bathed during this time.  And, of course, make sure he learns some leash training.  This is helpful since he will be going to the vet for his shots during this time.  Makes these pleasant experiences for him (especially bathing) and your future experiences will be much better.

Exercise basic common sense, of course.  Don’t allow your puppy to put himself in any danger while encouraging him to be confident.  Don’t allow him to wander where other animals have left droppings.  Remember that your puppy is not fully vaccinated yet so limit his socialization time with any unknown pets.  Don’t make your puppy do anything that is frightening for him.  Puppies at this age will remember things forever.  You want to encourage confidence, not ask them to do more than they can cope with.  And, remember that your puppy is just a baby at this time.  He needs lots of sleep and several small meals during the day.  You should only have a couple of socialization sessions per day along with things that occur on their own.

The socialization period continues until dogs are about 20 weeks old.  By that time their basic personality is in place, though socialization can continue for months.  You’ll begin to see your puppy making his own decisions about what he wants to do, what he likes and doesn’t like, what frightens him and what he’s confident about.

Early socialization is an extremely important time in the life of every dog.  You can help your dog adapt to living with humans by working with him during this time and make your future life together a very happy one.

Socialize Your Dog for Life courtesy Dog Articles.

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Corgi Training : Teaching Basic Obedience

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There are two breeds of Corgis, the Cardigan Welsh Corgi and the Pembroke Welsh Corgi. They are both herding dogs, very intelligent and eager to please. When you begin your Corgi training, it is important to keep in mind what these dogs were bred for. The Corgi is a herding dog and thus can learn commands easily. However, when it comes to certain situations, instinct may take over. For instance if a toddler decides to run around in the yard, a Corgi may decide to herd the toddler, which may look cute, but can be harmful.

Herding behavior includes nipping at heels, barking and pulling on pant legs. Excessive barking is probably the most annoying of these behaviors. These are all things that a house pet needs to learn not to do. After all, you don’t want your neighbors hating you because of your dog. However, if you live on a farm and are using your Corgi for what it was bred to do (herding cattle, sheep and other livestock), you need not remove this instinct with training.

One of the ways to curb these herding instincts is with basic obedience training. There are four basic commands that you should instill in your pet during your Corgi training, “sit, come, stay and no”. Actually, all dog training should include these commands. Regarding Corgi training specifically, you may want to add “quiet” to their repertoire, as well as “leave it” and perhaps “gentle.” These last three commands will give you some control over their barking and their potential to focus their herding instincts on inappropriate items, animals or people.

When beginning your Corgi training, “come” should be the first training hurdle. They need to know their name and come to you every time you ask them to. You want them to want to come to you, so praise works well as a reward, but tiny dog training treats work well too. You want to start out on a leash and have your Corgi go to the full length of the lead and then say “come.” When they come to you in response to their name and the command, give them a reward. Even if they seem to get it and follow the command every time, you need to keep repeating this all the time. Corgis can often take off after things and need to come back.

As they are already quite low to the ground, the command “lie down” need not be taught, but they should know how to “sit”, and you may have to actually teach them not to jump on people. The Corgi can be a little stand offish to strangers and they should know that it is okay to be nice to those that you accept in your home. So, the “be nice” command may come in handy.

Eventually, you want your Corgi training to create a well behaved dog that will come every time it is called, sit when you ask it to, stay back when you don’t want it to intrude, leave things alone that are inappropriate, is quiet on command, and is gentle and nice to you those around you. The dog training process should be fun and is a great way to mentally stimulate and exercise your energetic little pooch.

Corgi Training : Teaching Basic Obedience courtesy Dog Articles.

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How Important Is Your Dog’s Name?

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When you get a new puppy you of course have to name him or her. If the puppy is registered you will need a name for the official registration papers as well as a call name. Both names are important, but in different ways.

The registered name often begins with the name of the kennel that the dog came from. This is also a part of his show name. All registered names must be original. Although these names have a rather fancy sound to them, when you understand more about how they are given they are actually fun.

Besides the kennel name the registered names can include the name of the dam and or the sire. Any combination of ancestors along with a theme is very common. However, AKC limits the name to thirty-six characters in length, including spaces, so if the names are long it can certainly present a problem. For an extra fee the length can be extended up to fifty characters.

Registered names often have no relationship whatsoever with the call name. Call names should be rather short; two to three syllables is the recommended length. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you have more than one dog the names should be different enough that the dogs can easily distinguish them. For example, naming one dog Holly and another one Molly would not be a good idea.

Many people choose to name their dogs right away; in fact, they may even have the name picked out before they ever see the dog. Other people want to keep the dog a wait or two before naming him so that they can choose a name that matches the dog’s personality. And still others prefer a name that describes the dog’s physical appearance to some degree, such as naming a big dog Bruno or a Black dog Blackie.

Originality is nice but when it comes to dogs, just like people’s names, there are certain names that are all time favorites for particular breeds or dog stereotypes. And just as with human names, dog names sometimes become popular because of a TV show, a song, an actor, a movie, a rock band, etc. Since dogs can live to be up to twenty years or longer it is suggested that the name be one that is somewhat evergreen; simply meaning that the name will have significance in the years to come, even if the namesake doesn’t.

Once you have decided on a name you should begin using it as much as possible. The goal is to find ways to get your dog to associate the name with a meaning. By using his name regularly he will quickly pick up on the fact that the name refers to him.

How Important Is Your Dog’s Name courtesy Dog Articles.

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Why is Puppy Socialization and Training Important?

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So you’ve made a decision to get a puppy, you have evaluated your choices of breed and are ready to bring your puppy home. This is a commitment and one that should be happy and loving for everyone involved. When your puppy is not trained or socialized that relationship becomes strained and begins to lose its fun. Over the course of your dogs life it will meet many people and other animals, it’ll be exposed to people walking their dogs, bike riders, baby strollers, other dogs and cats as well as situations that may cause stress and fear so it is necessary to begin puppy training to socialize them and keep them and you happy and healthy.

When a puppy is not trained it begins to form its own habits based on its environment. Some of these habits may turn into negative behaviors like being protective of food and toys, growling at strangers or even biting them, fighting with other dogs, urinating and defecating in the house, begging at the table and other bad habits that could have been avoided with puppy training. Puppy training can begin with the breeder. Puppies 8-12 weeks are particularly absorbent when it comes to training. Even at birth they have instincts that kick in and begin to learn how to interact with their litter mates, mother and people who handle them. As they grow they go through an imprinting stage when puppy training is more easily accepted. There are four main commands that every puppy should be taught.

They are sit, stay, come and no. It is important to keep puppy training and socialization experiences positive. Introducing your puppy to people is a good way to start the socialization and is fairly easy. After all, who doesn’t like a puppy? By introducing new people, places, things and other animals to your puppy you can prevent a lot of negative behaviors that may develop over time. Through puppy training and socialization, your puppy should learn that you are dominant over them. They should be friendly towards those who you let into your home and not be afraid of them (particularly people with beards and hats). You should be able to take food, toys and dangerous objects out of their mouths. They should not be fearful or aggressive. They should be comfortable on a leash.

They should be housebroken. They shouldn’t suffer from separation anxiety and understand that you will come back. Puppy training your pet to be confident while you are away, not to chew on people or destroy property, to come when called and stay when needed among other things will help to keep your sanity. Puppy training is important to start your relationship out on a good note and keep a better bond between you and your dog for many years to come. Puppy training is essential to your dogs care and the training should continue and be reinforced throughout their lives. Puppy training and socialization is also important in keeping your dog happy, healthy and safe. When they know how to react to certain situations there is less of a chance for a negative incident to occur. Lea Mullins talks about importance of socialization in puppy training.

Why is Puppy Socialization and Training Important courtesy Dog Articles.

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Hunting Dogs and Hand Signals

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Training a hunting dog with hand signals is very practical. This can be mixed with verbal commands, when you are initially training your dog, which will reinforce the hand gestures. Though hand signals can be successfully used as the only training method and is a way to train a deaf dog or one that can’t hear well.

You can cue your dog to take a certain action using hand signals. There are several reasons that hand signals are better than using verbal commands with a hunting dog.

When you are hunting, your dog will many times be distanced from you. He might just take off running. Maybe you are in the field with him or on an agility course and he is too far away to hear a verbal command. If he is trained with hand signals, he will watch for your command. It is more probable he will see the hand gesture.

Hand signals are a way to tell the dog what action to take and be quiet. When dogs are worked up, they don’t respond as well to verbal commands, but they do respond  to visual signals. Their listening response is low, but their desire to watch is up. Dogs sometimes just ignore verbal commands but obey visual cues.

Focus is the basis of training your dog. When your dog  is aware that he must look at you to see what you want him to do, then his focus is attuned to you more than if he is listening for the command. Watching for your command makes him less distracted. This makes training him easier to do. When you train your dog with hand signals be consistent. Use the same hand signal for a certain command at all times.

The reason dogs respond so well to hands signals or cues is that it is a type of body language. Dogs already communicate with other dogs through body language; your dog communicates with you through body language like showing his belly to say you are dominant or nudging your hand to get petted.

These are a few of the usual hand training commands.

– Stay: Stretch your hand out at shoulder height. Your palm should face out towards your dog. It looks like the signal given by a crossing guard for traffic to stop.

– Come: There are two ways to perform this hand command. Hold both arms out in front of you and next bring them in and touch your stomach. Or stretch one arm out parallel to the ground and then bring your arm inward and touch your opposite shoulder. Either method should be performed slowly until your dog has caught on to the signal. After that, you can do it quicker.

– Sit: Put your arm to your side with your fingers pointing towards the ground. Move your hand in an arch that goes across your dog’s face and over his head. Hold a treat so that he will naturally follow the movement of your hand. This will cause him to naturally sit down.

– Down: This can be an exaggerated movement, if you like. Point your finger down or raise your hand up some first and point downward.

Remember to reinforce these hand signals with verbal commands at first.

Hunting Dogs and Hand Signals courtesy Dog Articles.

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Beginner’s Guide to an Australian Shepherd Pup

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The origins of the Australian Shepherd aren’t actually grounded on the continent of Australia. The predecessors to the breed did make a small trip to Australia, but they quickly moved on to the western United States. Since the previous owners came from Australia, the name stuck. With their movements came sheep and that’s what they were trained to work with. In the 1800’s the breed was fine tuned giving it several unique characteristics. It is a nice compact, medium sized dog averaging 45 to 50 pounds in weight and 20” high at the shoulders. Their coats have a soft, thick undercoat with a slightly wiry top coat. This allows them to be physically able to live outside, but they need human contact and thus are not emotionally suited to a life in the yard.

Understanding a dog’s history goes a long way to understanding a breed as a whole. As a herding dog, Australian Shepherds like to herd children, cats, other dogs and anything they may perceive as livestock. This is an instinct that has been selectively bred into the Aussie. You may not see this behavior early on in your puppy’s life, but as they mature, you will begin to notice the signs of herding (like nipping at heels, body slamming, posturing, stare downs and the like). You want to prepare your Australian Shepherd with training to help curb that behavior into an appropriate release – no nipping on human heels. As the Australian Shepherd is a quick learner, you may find your training progresses easily, but don’t let that fool you. Keep instilling the trained behaviors in then, not to prevent their inherent instincts from coming out, but to control them when they do.

One of the most important things to teach an Australian Shepherd puppy is the “come” command. As herders and subtle guardians, they need a good recall instilled in them. Aussies are not only intelligent, quick learners, they are problem solvers. This ability allows them to make decisions, some good and some bad. Other commands like sit, stay, no, run and fetch are great to teach them early on. You also want to get them used to a routine. Set up play time, run time and relax time and stick to it. This will help you to keep your Australian Shepherd out of trouble as they will know what to expect and can look forward to it.

When they grow up, your Australian Shepherd will need to be exercised on a daily basis. This is where extensive training comes. You can begin to train your puppy to stay for longer periods of time before they chase after that tennis ball. They can be trained to perform helpful tasks like pulling the kids up a small slope on a sled. Agility training is also a great and fun outlet for their energy and mental stimulation.

An Australian Shepherd makes a great companion for families, individuals, farms, etc. and with the proper training and exercise can be lifelong partners (their average lifespan is 13 years). So, be sure to start training early, set up a schedule that is enjoyable for all and most importantly have fun with your Aussie.

Beginner’s Guide to an Australian Shepherd Pup courtesy Dog Articles.

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The Right And The Wrong Way To Teach Your Dog To Come

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The best way to teach your dog anything at all is to try looking at things from your dog’s point of view.  If you want to teach your dog to “Come” then you need to make it worth his while.  That means you need to avoid doing what most owners do.

If you simply go outside and yell for your dog to come to you then chances are that your dog is going to ignore you, especially if you have a puppy.  Your puppy is exploring the world and there are at least 100 things more interesting in your backyard than coming when you call.  Your puppy could be chasing a bug, digging for a rock, or watching a bird.  All of those things are more interesting than seeing what you want.

If you get mad when your puppy doesn’t come to you then you are giving your puppy even more reason to stay away.  What puppy in their right mind wants to go to an angry owner?  None.  All you’re doing is teaching your puppy to associate the “Come” command with being angry and bad things.

If you go outside and chase your puppy with a leash your puppy might think its fun for a little while — until he sees that crazy look in your eyes.  Again, you are teaching your puppy that training is something bad and to be avoided.

Anytime that anger is involved in training, especially when you’re training a puppy, you are most likely teaching the opposite of what you want to teach.

The best way to teach your puppy to come to you is by calmly attaching a leash or long cord to your puppy’s collar.  It’s best to do this when your puppy is still in the house and not distracted by other things.  Then the two of you can go outside in an enclosed area such as your backyard.  You want to work in a place that is relatively free of distractions at first.

When you’re outside with your puppy let him move around and play a little, especially if he is on the long cord.  Then tell him to come to you.  Remember that he doesn’t know what this means at first.  So, gently pull him toward you with the cord or leash.  When he reaches you reward him and praise him for coming.  Keep repeating this a few times until he begins to associate “Come” with actually coming to you and getting his praise and rewards.  Keep things positive and cheerful.

Practice this lesson everyday with your puppy on the cord or leash.  It will be some time before you are ready to try it off-leash.  Remember to let your puppy move around the yard and get interested in things so he’s not paying attention to you when you ask him to come.

After your dog is coming to you quickly when you give him the command you can try moving on to doing the command off-leash in the enclosed area.  Make sure the area is enclosed because you don’t want to risk letting your puppy or dog get loose where he might get lost.  Give the command off-leash and see how your puppy or dog does.  Praise and reward when he comes to you.  He should know the command by now so he will probably come to you.  It’s a question of how quickly he comes and whether he comes directly to you.  You will need to practice off-leash in the enclosed area for a long time before you try this some place else.  When you think you’re ready to try it elsewhere, try it on-leash for the first few times.  It’s not easy to get a reliable recall when there are distractions.  You may want to try it in a neighbor’s yard if they have a fenced yard or someplace else where your dog will be safe if you try it off-leash.

If you teach the Come command without getting angry and, instead, use lots of praise and positive reinforcement, then your puppy or dog will be glad to learn it.  Just make sure that you don’t try to teach your puppy or dog using anger.

The Right And The Wrong Way To Teach Your Dog To Come courtesy of Dog Articles.

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