Dog Training Advice

Dogs dig for a variety of reasons. Once you understand why your dog is digging, you can easily stop this type of dog behavior.

Reasons Why Your Dog May be Digging

Dogs frequently dig as a form of recreation. If the backyard is his kingdom and he is alone, digging is one of the fun ways your dog may while away the hours until you return

Young dogs and puppies enjoy digging as well. What a way to use up all that energy youngsters are famous for ! Some dogs dig because it’s in their genes.” Some breeds of dogs such as terriers are natural diggers….so when your terrier starts digging, he’s just continuing an inherited family trait.

Your dog may be digging because he is looking for a cool place on a hot summer day.

Your dog may be looking for a way to make a break for it.

Ok so it seems that your dog is digging because his parents did or he’s just a fireball of doggy energy.

What you want to know is how to stop your dog from digging.

Here’s a few ideas.

Make sure that your dog gets plenty of exercise. I walk my dogs four times a day. If you don’t have time to walk your dog as much as I do, by all means walk him at least twice daily. When you take your dog for a walk, make sure you spend at least thirty minutes on your walk. This is one of the high points of your dog’s day. He has a natural need for exercise . By providing him with the exercise he needs your dog will be healthier and tuckered out when you return.

As a result, digging won’t appeal to your dog as much as it did before. He’ll be more interested in a nap and some sedate playing until you return home.

Join a group training class with a professional dog trainer. There are many low cost dog training programs in your town that meet once or twice a week. The dog trainer will help you socialize your dog and learn to obey basic commands. By teaching your dog a few commands you will be able to stop your dog from digging whenever he decides to kick up a little dirt.

Divert your dog’s attention when he starts to dig with a toy or a game of fetch.. He may soon decide that running and fetching is a lot more fun than digging through a pile of dirt.

If your dog is a “genetic digger”, who digs because it’s a breed characteristic, there is a way to control this type of dog digging as well.

Provide an area of the backyard that your dog is allowed to dig in. Whenever he starts to dig, direct him to that area and let him have a dirt digging good time.

If he starts to make a move toward another area of the yard to expand his digging territory, stop him immediately. The best way to do this is to give him a strong verbal command such as “NO Digging!”. Use the exact same phrase every time. Your dog does not understand English or any other language. But he will become accustomed to hearing the sounds of those words and the tone of your voice.

Never, under any condition strike or physically punish your dog. It’s cruel, abusive, unlawful and will not achieve the results that this misguided reaction intends. Your dog will only have the undesired behavior reinforced and become fearful of you. Neither is helpful or healthy.. If your dog is just looking for a cool spot, why not provide him a shady area, with cool water and a gentle breeze. If it is too hot for you to be in the yard, it is too hot for your dog as well. Bring him indoors and let him relax in a cool place with plenty of fresh water and food.

About the Author
Is your dog a world class digger? Does he misbehave in any other way such as barking or exhibit aggression toward dogs or people? Whatever the problem, help is at hand. Find out how to easily solve any dog behavior issue at
http://www.dogs-4life.com/disobedient-dog-help.html

John Hocking
http://www.dog-training-advice.com

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Training dogs is not a hard. You just need patience, dedication and some simple tactics and you will teach them successfully.

Here are five top tips on how to train your dogs successfully:

1. To avoid your dog getting confused and so that they can learn to recognize commands easily only one person should be responsible for training the dog initially. If too many people are trying to train the dog at the same time this can stop progress in its tracks.

2. You should use positive reinforcements. If the dog does something good, you should reward this behavior so that he will know that what he did was right. If the dog cannot understand or follow your commands, never push him. Dogs are not as intelligent as humans, they make mistakes. What you should understand is that they won’t easily understand your commands in just one teaching, it takes repetition to train a dog successfully. Do not scold your dog as he might develop fear which will hinder his learning and willingness to be trained. You can use treats in order to encourage your dogs, although don’t overdue it.

3. Teach commands one at a time. Try to teach him one command after the other. If he cannot absorb it, try to stay on that command only because adding additional commands will just confuse the dog. Start with the basics.

4. In executing commands, you should keep your voice cheerful so that the dog will happily follow your commands. Dogs will respond to a low and coaxing voice. If you shout out loud, he may become startled and unresponsive.

5. Train your dog in various places. If you keep your dogs in a certain place like your home, he will not be able to adjust with the environment new people. Take him to the park or through the neighborhood. This will help your dog associate with other dogs and people.

Training your dog can sometime be tough, but it will be worth it. In the end, you will be the one to benefit when your dog is trained. You don’t know he might even save your life one day and pay back everything you taught him.

About The Author
Simon Oliver has an interest in Recreational Activities & Hobbies. To find out how you can get more information on successfully training your dog please visit this http://www.boxer-dog-guide.com site.

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People frequently ask how a Dog Behaviorist and Dog Obedience Trainer relates to dogs and earns their respect and control . . . and especially that of the Dominant Dog. The first part of that answer is simply stated but difficult for many people to internalize and act upon: To relate to a dog, you must first see and treat him fully as a DOG.

Before you can deal with a dog dominance issue at home or in dog obedience training, you must recognize that dog behavior and dog communication are not in line with human psychology. After all, your dog is a canine(canis familiaris of the Family Canidae), not homo sapiens. So he thinks like a canine, not like a person. Your dog responds as one might in a wolf pack, not as a human family member. He or she has real emotions, but they are canine emotions, not human emotions, and not to be mistaken as such.

The basic communication system of dogs involves three critical elements: silence, submission, and leadership, sometimes referred to generally as the dog whisper technique with elements of wolf pack communication. We will use these elements in this and subsequent dog training articles about solving Dog Dominance problems. You and I need to understand, “read,” and use your dog’s own communication system for optimal effectiveness in working with him.

Dogs have an inherent “pack psychology” which governs their thinking and actions. In a pack, there is one dominant one, and the rest are all followers. There is one “Alpha male” and one “Alpha female.” To relate to a dog from a position of strength, respect, and control, YOU must be the “Alpha Leader,” the “Pack Leader,” and you must use pack psychology and pack communication.

Often we see dominant dogs taken home as young pups, because people are amused by their spirited behavior. Actually, they are usually the first puppies chosen, the proverbial “pick of the litter.” However, if this “high-spirited nature” is not controlled, then things get out of control quickly . . . becoming worse over time . . . until the situation sometimes becomes dangerous. Dominance can lead to “violence.”

So you might look for a mature dog, such as a Shelter Dog or Rescued Dog. However, looking for a less dominant pet is not so easy in shelters. There a dog’s true nature is difficult to discern without the aid of an experienced person. While in the shelter, the dog rarely has an area or anything that is under the dog’s control, so there is little opportunity to observe possessiveness and dominance problems.

Nor are dogs cooped up in shelters able to burn off excess energy. It’s very hard for an untrained eye to differentiate between an excited “please take me home” and the more troublesome “I want to control you!” of the hyper-active, dominant canine.

But the dominance problem quickly becomes evident when you go home and relax, for dominance shows up where “weakness” is present. For example, petting your dog when it is submissive (e.g., sitting or lying down) is appropriate and desirable, but not when it is in an aggressive or dominant stance.

If you display any sign of soft laxity at the wrong time because of your affection, that will be interpreted by your dog as weakness . . . and then, “Katie bar the door!” With dominant types, you simply cannot afford to let down your guard, or to make an exception “just this once” because the pup is so cute.

You must establish and maintain firm, consistent control of the Dominant Dog at all times. These eye-catching, spirited animals are highly intelligent and have great potential, but they also are usually very willful, stubborn, born leaders who seek to control you, other animals, and their environment. They want to rule the roost!

You cannot give them an inch . . . . or they will take it, and take it, and take it . . . over and over, time and again. These dogs are persistent!

For example, one friend had an Old English Sheepdog puppy, an “Alpha Female” about eight months old, who had a very bad reaction to a toxic flea dip in the 1970′s. As the puppy started to tremor, the frightened owners lifted their darling onto the foot of the bed, both for her comfort and to ease their own backs as they nursed her.

MISTAKE! That one incident led that puppy and her litter-mate to sneak onto the bed whenever possible . . . a pattern the owners never succeeded in terminating for the rest of the dogs’ lives!

Too many owners just coddle the two-and-three month old “babies” and think that puppy training can start later. NO! The intelligent, spirited ones, especially, must be “trained” from day one with consistency, with You clearly as the Master

Because of their high intelligence, they are ready much earlier than others for more formal types of training, too. Training helps remove boredom and release energy, while giving the prideful animal a proper goal for which to strive, and achievement about which to strut with regal, dignified, proud bearing and the clear satisfaction of pleasing.“Don’t move with them, you lose them!”

I, too, have had a trying personal experience with an aggressive “Alpha pup.” I brought home a beautiful “Rescued Dog,” a retriever puppy from the Humane Society. She turned out to be the most willful and stubborn dog I have ever seen, striving for dominance in all things! There is no way she would have lasted in a “normal” home. However, because of my sheer determination with consistent, proper training, she is becoming a loving, playful, and obedient “sweetheart” who, without loss of any spunk or pride, nevertheless submits to my command by a mere glance. I am her undisputed “Pack Leader.”

Still, it wasn’t easy to get her to that state. In great frustration, I eagerly sought the advice of two other trainers with vast puppy experience. So I say to beleaguered Owners of aggressive, dominant puppies and dogs, Don’t be embarrassed. This can happen to anyone! Never be ashamed to ask for help from a Dog Trainer.” (Just make sure they really understand pack psychology.)

If you have a dog dominance problem, there IS a specific training technique that will work for you, and it centers on “FOCUS.” It applies the communication system of “silence, submission, and leadership,” and is a dog training technique which is effective with most dog dominance issues. [It's much more effective and pleasant than hitting and yelling!]

So get help with control of the dog dominance behavior, and restore a right relationship with your pet, and peace and harmony in your home!

About the AuthorRena Murray is a Dog Obedience Trainer and Dog Behaviorist with extensive Dog Behavior Modification experience. With practical self-help articles and a free email newsletter, Rena will help you select, train, communicate with, and control your dog. Turn your Dominant Dog into a lovable, obedient pet. Visit the Dog Dominance Behavior web site today!

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You’ve probably had a day or two when you felt like your dog just wasn’t paying any attention to you at all, right? You talked, you yelled, you shouted, maybe you jumped up and down and waved your arms, but she just wasn’t interested in anything you had to say to her in any tone of voice. You’re not alone.

1. Your dog isn’t human.

Unless you believe in pet psychics, there’s really no way for you to read your pooch’s mind and figure out exactly what she’s thinking. The good news is that, like many dog owners, the problems you’re having can probably be traced to one simple thing: you’re trying to communicate with your dog from a human standpoint, and your dog isn’t a human. Sure, you know that, but lots of humans try to relate with their dogs in the ways that they think are rational as humans. The problem is that dogs are driven in every act and every moment by very strong instincts. Deciphering those instincts and leveraging them to build a productive relationship is like finding the keys to the city.

2. Your dog doesn’t speak English.

Take the word “no,” for example. Does your dog speak English? Not understand English. Does she speak it? What’s meaningful to her is your tone of voice, not the word itself. Now let’s think about that – we’re taking up excess time trying to teach our dog a word she’ll never speak and that probably doesn’t mean much to her anyway. Sure, it’s meaningful to us, but that’s only one side of the equation. What about something that’s meaningful to both human and dog?

3. You know what a growl means, and your dog knows what a growl means.

If you think that mutually meaningful language doesn’t exist, you’re not thinking creatively enough. What does it say to you when a dog growls at you? Anything from “get away from my food” to “back off, dude,” right? Yet in every case, a dog’s growl typically means that she is not happy with whatever you’ve done. And you’ve seen dogs react to other dogs’ growls, right? So you know what a growl means, and your dog knows what a growl means. Where’s the disconnect? Growl at your dog!

No, seriously. The next time your pooch starts stepping outside her bounds or doing something you don’t like, growl at her. A nice, strong, guttural growl that would put the alpha wolf in a pack to shame. While you’re growling, look directly into her eyes. You’re almost guaranteed that she’ll back off.

4. Instincts save time and communicate effectively.

See that? You worked with her instinct and the information hardwired into her brain, and the result was instantaneous. Why spend tons of time trying to work against that instinct and end up frustrated, angry, and still not communicating This approach works in everything from basic discipline to full-on obedience training. You just need to figure out how to apply it in each of those situations.

About the Author
John Savage is a dog lover through and through and currently lives with 2 beautiful canines.

If you would like to read about an excellent system of dog obedience training please Click Here to visit my Blog

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