Strange Dog

How To Approach Strange Dogs (Part 1)

Knowing the right way to approach a strange dog will go a long way toward ensuring your safety, and the safety of those around you. At the same token, knowing how not to approach one can do the same. Children should also be educated of the correct procedure. Some of their little innocent ways can trigger an otherwise well-behaved dog into aggressiveness and worse, biting.

Dogs normally bite for one of three reasons: Indiscriminate biting, fear biting, and protective biting.

Indiscriminate Biting
Knowing which type of biter you are confronted with depends on the situation you are in at the time. For instance, if you are walking along the sidewalk in a residential street, minding your own business, and a dog suddenly leaves his yard, runs directly at you and bites, this is indiscriminate biting. This is a spoiled dog that is probably the dictator in his household. He is the type of dog that merely allows his family to co-exist with him in the house. It could be any breed, from a Toy Chihuahua to a Giant Schnauzer.

Fortunately, dogs that fall into this category are in the minority and are usually confined and restricted because the owners are fully aware of the their bad behavior. Undoubtedly, they probably have been the recipients of occasional bites from their own dogs whenever the animals didn’t get their way.

Fear Biting
The fear biter falls into another category because his demeanor could be genetically inherited, or he could be a product of under-socialization with different types of people and situations when he was a puppy. He could be in a panic-stricken mind at the time of the bite.

A friendly but injured dog, he could suddenly become a fear biter depending on the circumstances. If you stop on the highway to rescue a dog that has been struck by a car, the dog may think that you are the one who hit him, rather than understand that you are there to rescue him.

Protective Biting
Finally, a protective biter is one that’s unable to reason any farther than the fact that he feels the need to protect someone or something. Usually, the protective biter is in the group known as the working breeds. That is, dogs whose ancestors were originally bred to herd livestock or to protect properties and real estate. Most dogs have this protective instinct but it seems to manifest more predominantly within the working group.

Car Chasing No More - Day 4 (Final Training Day)

This is the day of the final exam, and graduation!

Cut the long line in half, and allow the dog to drag about 15 feet of line. Have a member of your family release the dog in the front yard, still dragging his line.

You should position yourself in the backseat of your assistant’s car. Have your driver make as many passes as is necessary to convince you that your dog has kicked the habit, is now reformed, and views automobiles with absolute disgust.

The most hardheaded, stubborn dog, who views the short line, and your absence, as a reason to go charging, is in for quite a surprise. At his charge, have your driver stop the car.  The shock of you emerging from the car will shock the dog even more than before. Now grab the line, jerk your disobedient dog toward you, making sure that his two front feet leave the ground and remain airborne, while you apply the loudest verbal assault you have even given him.

Really lay this disobedient chewing into the dog, making it count!
Keep in mind that this could mean life or death for your dog in the future so do not feel bad about laying your anger into him in order to communicate through the animal’s mind.

Remember that there can be no such thing as compromise. Your dog will either associate this experience with displeasure, or not. It’s up to you to make sure that it is as displeasing as humanely possible. Send the dog scampering back into his yard as you get back into the car and drive away.

A Final Word For All Of The “Humanitarians” Out There
For the humanitarians who will gasp and point the accusing finger at this perceived “inhumane” way of training a dog, let us remind you that we are literally training your dog to avoid a bloody, painful, flesh-tearing death. And remember that the dog will always be a victim, the car’s occupants will be shocked, and the culprit will always be the dog’s owner.

A few days of jerking your dog by the line, yelling and screaming, and using shock therapy to create the association of displeasure with a moving vehicle, is nothing compared to your family dog lying around on the streets for hours with broken bones, torn flesh, mangled body parts – all the while motorists drive-by without a care in the world until finally somebody stops, only to be too late as your lovable canine passes away.

Isn’t your dog worth it?

Car Chasing No More - Day 2 & 3

On the second day of training your dog not to chase cars and other moving objects, the exact sequence should be repeated as day one – with the dog dragging the thirty-five foot line. In each instance where an automobile passes without the dog yielding to temptation, he earns your praise; genuine, enthusiastic praise!

Let him get started with his charge before you make a grab for the end of the line. If he detects you moving for the line and breaks off the charge, you must follow through with the sequence just as if he had gone all the way through the chase behavior. Any dog smart enough to sense a correction coming, and modify his actions accordingly, soon will be playing a game of “catch me if you can”.

Your dog must know that any infraction, however slight, automatically brings the full force of the correction. At the conclusion of the day’s lesson, confine the dog away from temptation as before.

Day 3
By the time the third day rolls around, your dog will be getting the idea that you don’t want him chasing cars, that his actions in doing so displeases you greatly and causes you to get angry.

So far, you have made the first breakthrough in communications with education. On the third day, you must broaden this education to include the automobile as an object of displeasure, and tied this in with your displeasure.

You will need the assistance of a friend or neighbor on the third day, who will volunteer to drive their car. You will also need a few additional training aids. Three or four tin cans tied together on a string should be in the front seat beside the driver, along with an empty aluminum soda can with about 10 or so pennies inside, and maybe a few water balloons.

Allow your dog to drag the line around the yard while you go inside and out of sight. Watch your pet from a concealed vantage point. As the dog charges the car, the driver should let go of the tin cans (without slowing down). You don’t want the cans to actually strike your dog, but rather scare the animal by the loud clinking noises.

This action is followed immediately you, the dog owner, emerging from your place of concealment, grabbing the line, and reeling the dog in for a good shaking and a verbal chewing out.

Meanwhile, the driver circles the block and you should retreat back into the house, leaving the dog alone for the next pass of the automobile. On the second pass, and each succeeding pass where the dog makes no attempt to charge the car, you should emerge enthusiastically, and give your dog an over-abundance of praise.

If the dog chooses to charge the car, the driver should let go with another shocking training aid. Four or five such passes should be all that is necessary. Even if the dog starts to charge, but aborts his goal before he gets close enough for the driver to let go with the tin cans or water balloons, you must emerge from the house, grab the line, and verbally chew out the dog once more.

You may be asking why should the dog be corrected if he changes his mind in the middle of the charge. In the mind of a dog, things are either black or white. There are no gray areas in between. To a dog, and owner who is willing to compromise is an owner who is willing to surrender unconditionally. Therefore, the dog must be corrected for any overt movement toward passing cars, so that he eventually comes to realize the necessity of ignoring the car altogether.

Car Chasing No More - Day 1

As dog owners, we are left with the necessary task of finding a way to educate our pet to let him know that chasing cars, and bicycles, however thrilling and pleasing, simply will not be tolerated any longer.

Because we cannot appeal to our pet’s intellect, and share a cup of coffee together as we discuss the problem of car chasing, we must ensure that each and every instance of chasing culminates in a displeasing (and very humiliating) experience for the dog.

Because no two dogs are exactly alike in personality and temperament, neither can there be just a single method to accomplish educational lessons for all dogs. Your dog may respond to just one particular method, and he may get the message quickly. You may have to use a combination of several methods and the schooling may take up to four days because it takes the average dog approximately four to five days to learn the average thing.

An important key is consistency. Consistency here doesn’t mean selecting one method and sticking to it, instead, consistency is desired in that each instance of car chasing must culminate an unpleasant consequence which the dog must be able to relate to his action of chasing the car.

You can’t run out the door, after the fact, or even during the actual chasing, call your dog to you and beat him senseless, and expect them to learn anything. If that type of action resulted in learning, it would simply be his response in your command “come” would result in getting his brains knocked in. The dog must be able to relate the consequences to the act of car chasing, and nothing else!

Tackling this problem will require time, effort, and perhaps some creativity on your part. If you truly love your dog and are concerned for his safety, the safety of others, and your personal liability, you’ll devote the next four to five days to the task of convincing your dog that car chasing always will conclude in an unpleasant consequence.

Day 1
Tie a length of clothesline rope to your dog’s standard slip-chain training collar. About 35 feet of line will do just fine. Allow the dog to drag the line around the yard. Position yourself close to the end of the dragging line to await for your “opportunity”.

Act relaxed, but keep one eye on the dog and the other on the end of that line. Do not give any attention to your dog so when an automobile approaches, watch for the moment he starts his barking charge. You want your dog’s attention focused entirely on the car during that specific moment.

When that moment has arrived, pick up the end of the line and jerk it as hard as you can, giving it everything you’ve got. This jerk should put a shock into your dog as he is stopped in mid-air. Pull the line and when your dog is at your feet, give the animal an abrupt shaking, enough to really give him the message. Verbally shock him as well, with loud, angry words, showing your complete and total displeasure.

The foregoing procedure must be fast accomplished. Remember, the dog must be able to relate this displeasing series of events with his act of chasing the car. If you’re too slow to jerk the line then the dog’s mind will sidetrack to something else. And just as the timing of the pool is important, so is the importance of your verbal assault, ensuring that he knows you are unhappy with his decision to chase the car.

A Guide to Dog Training Possibilities

You need to be aware of your options before beginning dog training. Nowadays, there are a lot of types of dog training available, and these types of training vary in terms of what they have to offer as well as how much they cost. This article will cover the various options that are offered.

• Puppy preschool: This dog training course is for puppies between 6 weeks to 5 months of age. The classes offered by these schools don’t normally last longer than 6 to 8 weeks. Your puppy will learn how to sit, stay, come and socialize with other puppies as well as people.
• Basic dog training: This dog training course is for dogs who are at least 5 months old. Classes normally last between 8 to 10 weeks and include basic training such as walking properly on a leash, sitting, staying, coming and heeling.
• Intermediate dog training: This dog training course is for dogs who are at least 5 months old and have completed basic dog training or have been trained for the basic commands by their owner. Classes normally last between 8 to 10 weeks. This course is similar to the basic dog training course except that it is more detailed. Dogs learn to stay for longer periods of time and they learn to follow other people’s commands.
• Advanced dog training: This dog training course is for dogs who are at least 5 months old and have completed intermediate dog training or have been trained by their owner. Classes normally last between 8 to 10 weeks. This course is similar to the intermediate dog training course except that it is more detailed. Dogs learn to sit and stay seated even when people are out of sight. Dogs also learn to walk beside their owners without a leash. This course can prepare your dog for the Canine Good Citizen training course.
• Canine Good Citizen training: This dog training course is the last training course for dogs and dogs must have successfully passed all previous courses in order to attend this training course. In order to pass this course, your dog will have to learn 10 necessary aspects. The test is fairly difficult and only well-behaved dogs can pass. The length of the course will vary based on how soon your dog can pass the test.

Now that you know a lot more about various dog training courses, you should be able to decide which dog training course is more suitable for your dog. You can always ask for the dog trainer’s opinion too! A lot of trainers offer free consultation. Hopefully this article took your dog a step closer to beginning his training.

Find Out Just What Dog Training Is All About

There are many misconceptions about dog training and, more specifically, effective dog training. This could be part of the reason there are so many untrained, misbehaving dogs frustrating their owners. If you are a dog owner, there are many things you should know about training your dog successfully.

For instance, many dog owners make the mistake of pushing their dog as a way to teach them what to do and what not to do. This approach will only go so far. In fact, you will probably be talking more to yourself because your dog will likely not respond as you had hoped. The best way to get a dog to heed to your direction or pay attention to you is to spend some time bonding with your dog so they can learn to trust you from the beginning.

Many dog owners are under the impression that yelling at or spanking their dog is the only method to get them to listen to their command. But, this is far from accurate. The most effective dog training revolves around praise and rewards regardless of what it is you are trying to teach. This is the best way to achieve results, unless you want to spend a fortune on a professional trainer to take over job.

Dog owners continually relying upon ineffective techniques usually end up giving up the training process which is, certainly, not going to do the owner or the dog any good. As the dog owner, the best approach is to stop by the store or library and pick up some books on dog training so you can strap yourself with a good amount of knowledge on dog training techniques, what works, what does not work and what is best for the different types of dogs. You should be able to get enough knowledge from such books to be in a position to properly and effectively train your dog.

It is also important to remember that you should not over train your dog, no matter what the circumstances are. Limit the amount of time you spend each day working on the techniques you researched. Practice them with your dog, then leave them until the next day even if your dog has not yet learned it. If you try to teach your dog too much at one time, the chances of success are far less than if you keep it simple. Just as you would with a child, stick with a routine. This is the best way to successfully train your dog without the need to hire a professional and costly trainer.

The Basics of Training a Dog

Did you recently bring home a new puppy? If so, you may be looking for information on how to train your dog. You can hire an obedience instructor to train your dog or you can do it yourself. Fees charged by obedience instructors vary greatly and you’ll also have to take the dog to dog school. If you decide to train your dog yourself, you can save a lot of money and you can do it at home. You can begin training your dog now but you need to know how to go about it. There are three basic commands that your dog must learn: sit, stay and come.

You should start with “sit”. You’ll need lots of treats to reward your dog when he learns to sit on command. Are you ready? Pick a quiet place for this training session as you don’t want your dog to easily get distracted. Say the “sit” command over and over again and hold a treat just above his head. To get the treat, he will have to turn his head up. He should sit to get the treat. If your dog isn’t sitting, delicately push his back down. Praise him when he sits and give him a treat. Repeat the word “sit” and repeat the whole process again. Reward him every time he sits when you use the command “sit”.

When your dog can sit on command, you need to teach him to “stay” and this one is a little harder but your dog should learn it before “come”. Start by getting your dog to sit somewhere. Slowly walk back while repeating the word “stay”. Maintain eye contact with your dog. When he stands, say “no” then repeat the “sit” command and slowly walk away while saying “stay”. You will need to be patient as it will take some time for your dog to get it. If you have someone else with you, you can ask this person to sit and hold your dog back to help your dog understand. Once he has learned to stay while you maintain eye contact. Teach him to stay while you walk away with your back towards the dog. Once again, this command is tricky and your dog will stand to follow you. Tell him “no” and repeat the whole process again.

After your dog learns to sit and stay on command, you can teach him to “come”. Start by getting him to sit and stay while you walk away. Then, say “come” in an enthusiastic voice and thump your knee at the same time. Repeat the command until he comes. When he does come, give him a treat and play with him a little.

You should always use lots of praise during training and avoid resorting to punishment. Dogs learn faster with positive reinforcement. Remember this easy tip for all your future training sessions and work hard to teach your dog to master these three basic training skills. By following the advice contained in this article, you will soon be the proud owner of an obedient dog.

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Learn to Train Your Dog Effectively

All dog owners have to train their dog. It takes time and effort to properly train dogs. If you don’t spend enough time and effort in the beginning, your dog will develop behavioral problems that will be harder to fix. This is why you need to start training your dog as soon as possible. Do you know how to go about it?

You can experiment with a large number of training techniques. Every person is different and you may prefer a technique over another one because of your personality and the dog’s personality. You can even mix and match techniques to create your own training technique that works. What is important is that your dog must get trained effectively. Here are a few alternatives for dog training:

You can let a professional train your dog for you. This option is particularly appealing to those who spend a lot of time away from home or don’t have the stamina or time required to train their own dog. A downside to this option is that it can be a little expensive. Ask around for a few rates before settling on a particular trainer.

Another option would be to use a training collar as an additional tool to train your dog. A few types of training collars exist. Some create a sound that is painful to the dog and others send a small electrical shock. Obviously, you would only send these signals if your dog is doing something wrong. These techniques can be useful if they are not abused and they are considered safe for dogs.

Obviously, you can also use your own training techniques. You can reward your dog when he follows your commands. If you feel overwhelmed with dog training, there is no shame is asking for help from others. It’s important to get your dog trained properly!

Use Dog Training To Turn Your Dog Into An Amazing Dog

Many people say that they have a horrible-mannered dog. The main reason why these dogs aren’t well behaved is that they were poorly trained by the owner. It’s not the dog’s fault if he doesn’t know what good manners are and if he doesn’t follow your commands… As a dog owner, you must be responsible and take care of your dog. This responsibility includes training your dog properly. There is a lot of information available on how to properly train dogs and you can find out what works and what doesn’t.

Once you start training your dog using the right training methods, your dog can also become a great dog. You’ll definitely enjoy spending more time with your dog once he’s better behaved and you’ll be proud of both your accomplishments and the dog’s accomplishments. You need to spend time and effort while training your dog and your dog too can become an amazing dog.

Your dog must learn to follow your commands and understand the various tones of your voice. Start with the basic commands: sit, stay and come. Once your dog masters these three commands, you can move on to more difficult ones. By spending more time with your dog and discovering what makes him tick, you will start seeing awesome results quite quickly. But it will require time, determination, patience and consistence from you. All dogs, from mutts to pure breeds are capable of becoming well-behaved canine companions.

During your training session, always use positive reinforcement and NEVER use physical violence. It doesn’t matter how irritated or frustrated you are, it is simply not acceptable to cause bodily harm to your pet. Instead, use a louder voice with the appropriate tone and your dog will understand. You need to catch him in the act as well if you want to reprimand him.

So start with the basic commands and use positive reinforcement. You and everyone around you will soon see an enormous difference in your dog’s behavior. Reward your dog whenever he follows your command and does something right or listens to you. You can give him a treat, pet him or play with him. Dogs love to be praised. You too can be proud of your dog!

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Understanding the Differences Between Various Dog Training Courses

All dog owners must train their dog if they want him to behave well and respond to their commands. Training is the hard part. Enjoying the benefits of training is a pure pleasure. There are various options when it comes to dog training courses and not all of them are suitable for your particular dog. Dog training can accommodate varying development stages in dogs. Some dogs haven’t been trained at all while others have received various levels of training. This is why it’s important to compare the various dog training courses that are offered so that you can pick the right one for your dog. Here are your options:

Basic Dog Training Course. This is the most basic dog training course and it is aimed at beginners. The students can be puppies or grown-up dogs that haven’t been trained before. This course will teach rudimentary skills such as sitting, staying and coming when called. The course also includes teaching the dog to properly socialize with people and other dogs. The socialization aspect is particularly beneficial to puppies. This course is perfect for your dog if he has never been trained before.

Intermediate Dog Training Course. Once your dog has completed the basic course, he can move on to the intermediate course. This course is for adult dogs that have either taken the basic course or learned the same basic skills from their owners. This course teaches dogs how to heel, properly walk while on a leash, fetch objects and bring them back. The course also reviews the basic sit, stay and come commands.

Advanced Dog Training Course. Once your dog has completed the intermediate course, he can move on to the third and final type of dog training. This course reviews the content of the basic and intermediate dog training courses then teaches dogs how to come, stay, heel, fetch, lie down, and a few others while using hand signals. By learning these hand signals, the dog gets to learn how to walk and stay beside his owner without a leash. The course also teaches dogs to pay attention to their owner and to not be distracted. This level of training course is best suited for dogs who are already obedient and well-behaved.

Good dog training will include positive reinforcement like prizes and rewards. Hitting and yelling at your dog isn’t the best technique to use to train a dog. If you choose negative training techniques, you will likely fail. Stick to positive reinforcement techniques, pick the course that is most suitable for your dog and your dog will soon be very well behaved.

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