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My Dog Won’t Listen To Me

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Bringing home a new puppy is very exciting but we often forget that a new puppy doesn’t know very much.  He’s still a baby.  His mother and siblings have taught him a few things about being a dog but when it comes to understanding people, he’s a rank beginner.

It doesn’t matter how many times you tell him, “NO!” or “OFF!”  Your puppy hasn’t yet learned what these words mean.  He doesn’t even know his name yet.  He really has no idea what it means when you tell him to lie down or leave something alone.

Your puppy will quickly become very good at reading your body language and understanding the tone of your voice but you will have to patiently teach him each word and phrase that you want him to know.  Puppies aren’t born knowing English or any other language.  It’s up to you to teach him the basic vocabulary.

If you are adopting an adult dog then he will also have to learn some things when he comes to living with you.  He may know some basic words and phrases, especially if he has been housebroken already.  But your family will probably have some words that are unknown to him.  There may be some new rules that he doesn’t know yet.  It will take a little time for your new dog to learn the new words for things.  He may know some things by other names — “bathroom” for “potty,” or “dinner” for “supper,” and so on.  Try different words for things and see if he gives a reaction.  You may find the words that he knows.

On the other hand, there are times when your puppy or dog does know certain words and may choose to ignore you.  If you have been training your puppy or dog and you know that he knows the word “Sit” but he won’t sit for you, then there may be something wrong with your training methods.  Most likely your training is inconsistent.  You may not train very often and your dog doesn’t see any reason why he should obey the command when it is only used once in a while.  In these situations you should train more often so your dog will take the training more seriously.

If you let your dog sleep on your bed six nights in a row and on the seventh night you tell him very sternly that he’s not allowed on the bed, the chances are that he’s not going to take you seriously.  Training is the same way.  If you want your dog to listen to you then you must be consistent in what you tell your dog and in what you expect him to obey.  Be consistent, use the same words for things, and always be fair.  You must also train regularly so that your dog knows you are committed to what you are teaching him.

If you are inconsistent or you don’t train very often, then your dog is apt to ignore you.

Remember that your puppy isn’t born knowing any language at all.  Like human children, puppies have to learn the meaning of words.  They cannot hope to learn any training until they begin to understand some words in the home.  Fortunately, puppies learn very quickly and they can start to learn all that we have to teach them — and some things we don’t mean to teach them.  Your puppy will begin listening to you as soon as he is able.  It’s up to you to teach him things that are worth learning.

My Dog Won’t Listen To Me courtesy Dog Articles.

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Ten Tips for Effective Great Dane Training

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Great Danes are a giant breed of dog. Due to their size and strength, it is very important to train them starting at a young age. 8 to 12 weeks old is appropriate to begin with the basics that any dog should know; come, sit, stay and no. Your Great Dane may need to know a few commands that your average sized or small dog might not need, like heel, down and gentle as well as socialization training and perhaps crate training. Your Great Dane training should contain these 10 tips.

1. Great Danes (as well as any dog with a deep chest) are prone to a medical condition called bloat or gastric torsion. This can become deadly and it is therefore very important NOT to teach your Great Dane to roll over.

2. Do NOT punish your Great Dane (or any dog for that matter). A simple stern “no” is all it should take if they do something wrong. Yelling, hitting or other negative actions can create what is termed as a “fear biter,” and the ones that usually get bitten are the owners or innocent bystanders.

3. The heel command is necessary for Great Dane training. Your Great Dane will need mild exercise at least once a day and the best way to do that is to go for a walk. To teach your new best friend to heel, begin with the sit command and when they are still and calm, begin to walk, give a gentle tug on the leash and say “heel.” If your Great Dane pulls or gets too rough, come to a dead stop and get them to sit again. Lather, rinse and repeat.

4. Counters and tables are the perfect height for most Great Danes. Commands like off, no and down are important to include in your Great Dane training.

5. Your Great Dane training should account for their sensitive nature. Great Danes can suffer from separation anxiety perhaps a bit greater than other more independent dogs. You can desensitize them by leaving the room and coming back when they are calm. Slowly increase the time that you are gone.

6. Crate training is another good form of Great Dane training that may be useful to keep them from getting into trouble or suffering from separation anxiety. Be sure to get a crate that allows them to stand and turn around in.

7. Don’t forget to praise your Great Dane when they get it right. Positive reinforcement works well with Great Danes.

8. Be patient and consistent when you work your way through Great Dane training. Great Danes are smart and learn things well. They want to please their owners and they will understand what you want them to do, eventually.

9. Give them the proper medical attention that they need. Unhealthy dogs are more prone to behavior problems and it’s not their fault. If your Great Dane is urinating in the house unexpectedly, you may want to take them to the vet.

10. Finally, the Great Dane is an awesome pet for the family or the individual. Your dog training should include socialization as they can be protective and territorial. They need to know how to behave around strangers and other dogs as this breed can be a little aggressive towards them. Your behavior and attitude toward them is the best way to instill good Great Dane training behaviors. By following these basic instructions your Great Danes true personality will begin to unfold and you will see a marked improvement in your companionship. As your puppy grows, so will your bond. When trained properly, these gentle giants can leave a lasting impression on anyone they encounter.

Ten Tips for Effective Great Dane Training 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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