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Positive and Reward-Based Dog Training Schools

By Sally Gutteridge | Posts , Training

According to the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, punishment should not be used as a primary approach to dog training.¹ When an animal is punished, it indicates that the dog knew exactly what was expected of him and disobeyed on purpose. But in most cases, dogs are simply confused and have not been given the proper reinforcement to behave well in the first place.

A dog cannot be successfully trained when he is constantly afraid of making a mistake.

With that being said, choosing a dog training school that uses positive reinforcement can make a world of difference in successfully training your pet. When your dog is rewarded for good behavior, he will make a positive association with the actions he just performed. Once your dog understands that he will be given a treat or reward for good behavior, he will naturally want to repeat the action again and again because of the positive reinforcement.

When you are looking for a dog training school, it’s critical that you understand this concept. There are many dog training schools online and in your local area to choose from, but the style of training that a school uses will determine whether or not your dog can learn new, good behaviors in a short amount of time.

How to Find Positive Dog Training Schools

If you have already started looking online for dog training schools in your area, make sure that you are searching specifically for keywords like “positive”, “rewards”, and “reinforcements”. You can’t just assume that a dog training school will use positive reinforcement. You must actively seek out local dog training schools that use rewards-based training methods to ensure that your dog is in good hands.

Observe a Class

If you still have questions about the style of teaching that a dog training school uses, ask to observe one of their classes in progress. This will give you the chance to understand the process that a training school implements to reward good behavior and discourage negative behavior in a pet.

All methods used by dog training schools should be humane and positive.

It’s also important that class sizes in dog training schools are small enough to provide each dog with the individual attention that they need. If a class is large, it is essential that a dog trainer has multiple assistants to observe and facilitate training in the class.

Most importantly, look for dog training schools that have an attentive, respectful trainer leading the class. Any trainers that use physical force, like pushing, alpha rolling, choking with a collar, or hitting, should be avoided at all costs. Additionally, watch for trainers that talk down to pet owners whose dogs aren’t making progress. A trainer must be patient and willing to use positive techniques to give a dog the opportunity to learn new associations with good behavior.

Here are a few more questions that you can ask yourself when observing classes at dog training schools:

• Are the dogs happy, or do they look stressed?
• Are the pet owners talking to their dogs in positive, happy voices, or are they scolding and yelling?
• Are the dogs’ tails wagging and upright or tucked between their legs?

These visual cues will help you better understand what type of environment a dog training school is creating. Even if a school claims to use positive reinforcement training, if a class environment feels negative, tense, or harsh, it should be avoided.

Finally, take a moment to talk with current students after class. This is your opportunity to get testimonials and receive personal recommendations. Ask students how they are enjoying the class and how they feel that their dogs have progressed so far.

If the pet owners and dogs appear happy and comfortable in a training class and give you their recommendation, then congratulations – the odds are that you have found a positive training class to teach your dog good behavior!

Sources:
1.    “American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior.”www.avsabonline.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2011.

10 Crate Training Tips

By Sally Gutteridge | Posts , Tips

The ultimate goal of crate training should be to provide your dog with a safe, cozy, and content environment that they can go to throughout the day and to sleep in at night. Once you acclimate your dog through crate training, it will also make it easier to travel and transport your dog to the groomer or the vet.

If you’re new to crate training, here are 10 basic guidelines you can use to have a positive, productive training experience:

1. Use the right size crate. The crate should be big enough for your dog to stand up and turn around in comfortably, but it shouldn’t be so big that they can run or jump inside. If the crate is too big, the dog will not see it as a bed and will be more likely to soil in one corner and sleep in the other.
2. Don’t reward barking. When you first approach crate training, your dog will probably bark or whine to get out. Do not under any circumstance let your dog out of the crate if he is barking because this will reinforce bad behavior.
3. Always leave a water bowl inside of the crate. The whole purpose of crate training is to provide your dog with a secure, comfortable environment. It’s also important to give your dog access to water when he is crated for several hours at a time.
4. Don’t leave your dog in the crate for too long. This is where crate training can quickly turn from a positive to a negative experience. Do not leave your dog in the crate for more than four hours at a time. If you have a puppy, don’t leave it in the crate for more than three hours. If you work long hours, consider hiring a dog walker or checking your dog into doggie daycare so that he doesn’t remain confined in a crate all day long.
5. Take your dog outside immediately. Crate training can be used for several purposes, but it should always go back to housetraining. Even as your dog gets older, he should be taken outside immediately after opening the crate to reinforce this behavior.
6. Keep the crate in a quiet place. This will help to teach your dog that his crate is a place for comfort and rest. Loud noises and distractions will only be likely to agitate and upset your dog while he is in the crate.
7. Choose a comfortable dog bed. Your dog will need something comfortable to sleep on in the crate; a soft, plush dog bed will make your dog more attracted to his crate as a place of rest.
8. Don’t let children or other animals play in the crate. Your dog must see the crate as his sanctuary, and once he does, he will likely become territorial. Respect your dog’s private space by keeping children and other pets out of the crate at all times.
9. Choose a simple command to encourage your dog to enter the crate. You may want to use clicker training to train your dog to enter the crate or a short command like “House”. Once your dog enters the crate, praise and reward him with a treat.
10. Don’t rush it. Crate training is a process that will take time and will provide the best results when it isn’t rushed or forced. If your dog seems uncomfortable entering the crate at any time, back up in your crate training method to allow him to acclimate.

Start slowly by keeping the crate door open with treats inside. After several days of this, close the crate door with the dog inside, and then let him out. After several more days, leave the dog inside for longer and longer periods of time until he becomes comfortable in his new environment.

How to Deal with an Aggressive Dog

By Sally Gutteridge | Behavior , Posts

When you talk to another person in day-to-day life, you pick up on hundreds of body language cues without even realizing it. But did you know that your dog gives off the same cues regarding their temperament, mood, and behavior by using their body language?

When it comes to managing an aggressive dog, understanding body language is key. Assessing the body language of an aggressive dog can mean the difference between getting bitten and stopping a violent situation before it starts.

Here are several basic body language cues in an aggressive dog:

• Ears – Back or forward, pulled close to the head.
• Eyes – Narrow or staring.
• Mouth – Open lips, snarling teeth.
• Body – Tense, rigid, in a dominant position.
• Tail – Fur sticking up, tail sticking straight out.
• Behavior – Snarling, growling, barking.

Some of the behavioral cues listed above are obvious, like snarling or growling. Other behavioral cues from an aggressive dog are more subtle, like narrow eyes and a rigid body position.

Defensive Aggression versus Aggressive Attack

There’s a dramatic difference between defensive aggression and an aggressive attack. If a dog feels like they’re in danger, they will exhibit a fight-or-flight response, similar to humans. An example would be if a dog is on a leash and becomes frightened by another dog. His natural instinct will be to flee, but he may be forced to go on defensive attack if he is held captive on a leash.

Many people believe that a dog this situation is an aggressive dog, but this dog is actually fearful. This behavior is what is known as defensive aggression.

Here are several behavioral cues to make a distinction:

• Ears – Back
• Eyes – Pupils dilated
• Mouth – Tense, teeth exposed
• Body – Tense, fur raised
• Tail – Down and between legs
• Behavior – Snarling

Clearly, the body language between a defensive and an aggressive dog is quite different. A defensive dog is reacting out of his flight instinct; an aggressive dog is reacting out of his fight instinct.

How to Prevent a Dog Bite

Whether a dog is defensive or aggressive, he may be prone to bite if he feels threatened or attacked. Understanding both of the behavioral cues listed above will make it easier to manage a situation if a dog is snarling and showing signs that it may bite.

According to the Humane Society, the worst thing that you can do when faced with a defensive or aggressive dog is to turn your back and ran away.¹

This again plays into the natural instinct of a dog to chase you, catch you, and bite you. Another fairly obvious tip to prevent a dog bite is to never disturb a dog when it is eating, sleeping, chewing on a toy, or caring for puppies.

If a dog has shown aggressive behavioral cues, you can use the following tips to prevent an attack:

• Do not scream or run away.
• Keep your hands at your sides, stay still, and avoid eye contact.
• Allow the dog to lose interest.
• Slowly back away from the dog.
• If the dog lunges to bite, throw a jacket, bag, bicycle, or another object in his path.
• If you are knocked to the ground, curl into the fetal position, place your hands over your ears, and stay still. Try to react as little as possible.

If your dog is showing signs of aggression, the best thing that you can do to prevent him from biting or attacking is to socialize him. Find a trainer that works well with aggressive dogs in order to slowly condition your dog to accept new dogs and strangers.

Additionally, if your dog has not been spayed or neutered, this could greatly reduce aggression and make it easier to socialize your dog in new situations. A routine procedure like neutering will make your dog less likely to fight with other dogs and bite strangers.

Make no mistake – aggression is a serious issue that needs to be addressed immediately. Avoiding or ignoring the behavioral signs listed above will only make the problem worse and could endanger those around you.

Sources:

1. “How to Avoid a Dog Bite: The Humane Society of the United States.” The Humane Society of the United States: The Humane Society of the United States. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.

How to Train a Puppy During Your First 30 Days

By Sally Gutteridge | Posts , Puppies

Bringing a puppy home for the first time is a fun and exciting occasion. That is, until reality sets in, and you realize that you have quite a bit of work on your hands when it comes to house training and stopping a brand-new puppy from chewing and barking.

The first 30 days are the most critical when it comes to how to train a puppy after introducing it to your home. These 30 days will make or break the relationship you have with your pet for the rest of its life. The good news is that you can use helpful training tips to greatly reduce a number of common behavioral issues in new puppies, like:

• Biting
• Chewing
• Barking
• Housetraining accidents

But where to begin? You must start training your puppy from day one. To train a puppy, you need to communicate in a way that it can understand – which is always in the moment. A puppy can only learn by what you reinforce with a reward or when you punish it for doing something wrong.

Chewing: If your puppy is playful and spends time playing with its new toys, you can use that opportunity to reinforce. Give a treat and lots of praise and petting to show your puppy that its good behavior has been rewarded.

On the other hand, if your puppy starts to chew on your sofa, punishment is important to stop the behavior in its tracks. Punish by saying an “AHH!” word to startle it and redirect attention to a chew toy. Once the puppy starts chewing on the toy, reward it immediately.

 

Housetraining: The only way to stop a puppy from soiling in the house is to catch it in the act. This is then the opportunity to punish by startling the puppy in the same way with an “AHH!” word and then take it outside. Once the puppy successfully uses the toilet outside, it should be rewarded with a treat, praise, and petting each time.

Crate training can be used to effectively establish a housetraining routine for your puppy. Puppies naturally won’t want to soil their sleeping area, so keeping your puppy temporarily crated will make it easier to place it on a toilet schedule. When your puppy doesn’t soil the crate and instead uses the toilet outdoors, praise and reward to reinforce this action.

Biting and Barking: In order to avoid aggressive behavior toward humans and dogs, your puppy must be socialized as soon as possible. Then it can learn how to interact with other dogs and humans of all sizes. This can be best done by taking puppy training classes and even spending time in front of a public place like the supermarket so that your puppy can learn to meet strangers.

Once again, reward all good behavioral interactions immediately; punish the puppy by startling and redirecting attention when you catch it in the act of biting or barking at a stranger.

It’s important not to punish your puppy with hitting or harsh words. Instead, focus most on rewarding good behavior and use the startling technique to redirect and punish bad behavior.

 How to Train a Puppy: 3 Important Rules

Timing: As you learn how to train a puppy, keep in mind that timing is of the utmost importance. Make sure to tackle the task of training within at least the first 30 days after bringing your puppy home. If you put it off, your puppy is going to dominate your house and further solidify any bad behaviors it has learned.

Even though you may want to cuddle with and pamper your puppy, training from day one in your home is critical. When it comes to timing to train a puppy, make sure you steer clear of training if your puppy is overly excited, tired, or exploring. If you don’t have the complete attention of your puppy, you will be wasting your time in your training sessions.

• Balanced Diet: What does a balanced diet have to do with how to train a puppy? Everything!  If you’re giving your puppy table scraps regularly, not only will this affect its health, but it will cause it to have serious problems with household accidents.

Feed your puppy high quality, nutritious dog food three times a day; reduce feedings to twice a day as the puppy grows older. This regular feeding will make a puppy’s bathroom use more predictable so that you can schedule times to take it outside to prevent accidents.

• Short and Sweet: When it comes to how to train a puppy to sit, heel, or go outside to use the bathroom, you can liken your puppy to a small child. Puppies have a short attention span of only 5 to 10 minutes. Use these short blocks of time to train a puppy two to three times per day for the best results.

So … What’s next?

Here at the Dog Trick Academy we’re a bunch of dog lovers who enjoy helping new dog owners like you, learn how to train their dog. And we don’t limit ourselves to the basics, oh no, we train all sorts of cool tricks and behaviors that would make your friends amazed.

For more information on how you can start training your dog today, visit our Dog Forum!

7 Reasons to Teach Your Dog New Tricks!

By Sally Gutteridge | Posts , Tricks

Teaching your dog new tricks might not be the easiest thing in the world, but it’s highly beneficial to you and your dog. Teaching your dog new tricks can help strengthen your relationship with your beloved pet in many ways. Below are some great reasons why you should start teaching your dog new tricks.

1. Make everyone safe– While learning to teach your dog new tricks, you learn many training techniques which can also be used to gain control over your dog. Teaching him basic tricks like sit and stay can also be used in life situations like crossing the street or entering a store.

2. Give Your Dog Something to Do– It doesn’t take long before your dog gets bored and decides to take on a new hobby of chewing anything in sight, including your brand new sofa. Teaching your dog new tricks will keep him focused on the task at hand, and will entertain him for hours!

3. Help Keep Your Dog’s Mind Sharp– Training your dog will keep his mind active and responsive. As dogs get older they become less physically active, but learning tricks will keep his mind active and alert.

4. Help Create a Better Bond between You and Your Dog– Your dog will look up to you as being the pack leader, and will listen to you instead of trying to get your attention in destructive ways. Best of all, once you teach your dog new tricks, the both of you will become a team.

5. Show Off– You can show off your dog if you teach it some cool tricks, and your dog will get people’s attention. Dogs love attention and they love being in the spotlight so they will like performing in front of your friends and family. Of course, you will also get the recognition of being a star trainer.

6. Make Vet Check Ups Easier– Both the veterinarian and you dislike it when your dog can’t control itself during a checkup. If you teach it to be calm during the check up, it will make both of your lives easier and you won’t be embarrassed that your dog is acting up.

7. Gives Your Dog a Hobby– We all have hobbies we like to do such as watching TV or playing games, but dogs also need things to do. Training your dog new tricks is a great way to pass the time on a rainy day when you can’t take him for walks.

If these reasons have inspired you to teach your dog tricks, then you’ve come to the right place. We have a great dog forum that is full of dog owners training their dog new tricks every day!

 

Foods Poisonous to Dogs

By Sally Gutteridge | Food & Treats , Posts

With the recent food recalls in the news, and E.Coli infections, it’s obvious that food poisoning can happen to humans. However many dog owners don’t know that certain food can also be poisonous to dogs. Although a lot of owners love to give their dog table food, some different types of food can be poisonous to dogs and very dangerous. Here is a list of some of the major foods poisonous to dogs:

1. Chocolate– While most of us enjoy eating a delicious piece of chocolate, chocolate can be very lethal to your dog. It’s not the chocolate itself which is harmful to your dog, but rather the theobromine contained within the chocolate. Theobromine can cause different reactions in dogs; if your dog has epilepsy, then theobromine can trigger epileptic seizures. Other effects include cardiac irregularity, internal bleeding, cardiac arrhythmia and death.

2. Walnuts– Walnuts are considered a very healthy food for humans; however walnuts (amongst many other kinds of nuts) can have harmful side effects on dogs and are considered poisonous to dogs. Because of their high phosphorous content, walnuts can potentially give your dog bladder stones.

3. Onions– It’s not like your dog will enjoy eating those stinky things anyways, but you should definitely avoid feeding your dog onions. Onions, especially raw ones, are known to cause hemolytic anemia in dogs. Hemolytic anemia is where red blood cells are removed and destroyed from toxic compounds.

4. Potatoes– Poisoning from potatoes have been known to occur for both humans and dogs. This is from the Solanum alkaloid that is found in green sprouts and green potato plants. However, this doesn’t mean that all forms of potatoes are bad for your dog. Mashed and cooked potatoes are actually quite nutritious and healthy for your dog, but stay away from raw uncooked potatoes.

5. Turkey Skin– When Thanksgiving rolls around, the last thing you want to do is feed your dog leftover turkey. Turkey Skin has been found to cause acute Pancreaitis in dogs. Pancreaitis is where the pancreas becomes inflamed and can lead to bleeding in the gland, tissue damage and infections.

6. Sugarless Candy– Candy may be a great treat for kids, but they are definitively a big no-no for dogs. Some candies contain a compound called xylithol which can lead to liver damage and death in dogs.

7. Sugar-Free Gum– Another one that most people don’t know about is sugar-free gum, specifically those that contain xylitol as the artificial sweetener (xylitol can also be found in human toothpaste and mouth wash). It can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) for days, thereby causing seizures, and sometimes even liver failure. Both of which can cause death in severe cases.

8. Grapes– One grape wouldn’t be toxic to your dog, however one study which was done by the ASPCA handled a study of 140 dogs and the effects of grapes on the dogs. A third of them developed symptoms of vomiting to kidney failure – however they say that the dog had consumed between 9 ounces to 2 pounds of grapes.

If you’ve fed any of these foods poisonous to dogs recently, it’s recommended you contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. It is important to note that different types of foods can have different effects on your dog. Some dogs may be more tolerant than others, so please be very cautious when giving your dog any type of food that he doesn’t regularly eat.

How Hunting Dogs Hunt in the Wild

By Sally Gutteridge | Breeds , Posts

Hunting dogs have 25 times more smell receptors than humans do and can smell odors at concentrations that are 100 million times lower than what we can. This great sense of smell is what enables hunting dogs to hunt very well in the wild. We all know that domesticated dogs get their food from their owners, but how do hunting dogs in the wild hunt for their food?

There are many types of hunting dogs that hunt naturally in the wild, and they all have different hunting techniques. However, most of them follow a general hunting procedure of hunting in a pack. One of the most avid hunting dogs would be the wolves. Understanding how wolves hunt in the wild will provide insight on how other dogs hunt also.

Not only do wolves have a great sense of smell, they’re physically built for hunting in the wild. They have strong, long legs that can outrun the fastest prey and tough jaws to chew up their victim. Their fur also blends into the background making them invisible to their unwitting prey. Besides all that, wolves also have three layers of fur making water run off their fur like they’re waterproof. Not even a group of hunters could out hunt a single wolf.

Even with all this equipment for hunting in the wild, wolves never hunt alone. Instead, they hunt in packs led by the alpha dog or leader of the pack. The alpha dog is the strongest of them all and is like the king. All the other wolves must listen to the alpha during a hunt.

Before a hunt initiates, the pack howls together to warn other packs to stay off their territory. The pack will then search for prey until they find a good victim. Once they find a good meal, the pack then moves in from the opposite direction the wind is blowing. This way the animal will not smell the wolves advancing on it. Once they get close enough to the prey, the chase initiates. A lot of the times the wolves will travel in a single-file.

If the hunt is successful, the wolves will then weaken it by biting the sides of the animal. When the animal is weak enough, the final blow will be given by delivering a strike the throat. Then the wolves feast on their catch. If the hunt is unsuccessful, the pack will then search for another animal. Contrary to popular belief, wolves can go without food for weeks at a time.

Besides wolves, there are many domesticated dogs can be hunting dogs and become an asset to hunters. Some popular breeds that aide hunters include: Terriers, Retrievers, and Spaniels. With the right training, your dog can help you during your hunting expeditions.

Do Dogs Dream?

By Sally Gutteridge | Personal , Posts

You’ve seen your dog pawing, yipping and even barking in his sleep. Every time it happens you wonder if your faithful dog could be dreaming. We’d like to think that our beloved pets are able to enjoy the fun and mystery of dreams, but we’re not sure if the brains of dogs work the same way ours do. Do dogs dream?

Yes, say the experts. Scientists have studied many kinds of mammals in order to answer this exact question. And these same scientists have found significant evidence that dogs do in fact dream. In fact, almost every pet is able to dream.

Dog Sleep Basics
Dogs have the same kind of sleep that human do. They have rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and slow movement sleep (SMS.) During REM sleep, the brain processes events of the day and stores new material. This is true in both humans and pets. Dogs spend 10-13% of their time in REM sleep, and puppies can spend even more. Of course puppies have a great deal more information to process.

Dogs Dream
Humans have consistently reported dreaming when woken up during REM sleep. The brain is actually working the same way during REM sleep as it does when you are awake. Dogs have the same REM sleep and the same brain patterns during that sleep that humans do. Therefore, scientists are confident that dogs dream. In fact, they feel confident that almost every mammal dreams excluding the duckbilled platypus whose brainwaves are different than other mammals.

But what do dogs dream about? That is something scientists don’t know. It is reasonable to assume that dogs dream about their experiences and adventures during their waking hours. After all, REM is when the brain is working to organize information, so it is logical your pet might be reliving experiences.

Most of our dreams stem from our experiences combined with our imaginations. But we’re not sure if dogs actually have imaginations. So we don’t know if they are branching out beyond the walk through the park to new realms during their dreams or if they just get to enjoy their bone one more time.

But one thing is definite. Dogs do in fact dream. So the next time your pooch is twitching, yowling or running in his sleep – don’t wake him. He’s simply reliving his most exciting experience of the day.

Share your thoughts… What do you think dogs dream about? Leave a comment below!

How to Take Care of a Dog

By Sally Gutteridge | Posts , Puppies , Tips

Are you a new dog owner looking for information on how to take care of a dog? I have written this short article specifically for you so that you can give him the care and love that he needs to thrive in your home and bring you as much joy as possible.

Food
Food is among the most basic necessity to take care of a dog. Puppies eat two or three times a day and grown dogs eat usually once or twice a day. You should feed your animal a high quality dog food, preferably the hard kibble to help keep his teeth clean. Dogs don’t need variety in their diet but for a treat you can offer occasional fruits or vegetables. Avoid feeding table scraps as these can be unhealthy. Chocolate should be avoided at all costs as it is poisonous for dogs in large quantities.

Shelter
Your dog needs a safe, dry place to sleep at night and during the day. If your dog stays inside, invest in a bed that is the right size for your him and put it somewhere that is out of the way and comfortable. Dogs can also be content to sleep in a crate if they are crate trained, but place a towel or mat into the crate to help them stay comfortable.

If your dog is an outside dog, think carefully about the amount of care they are receiving. Many outside dogs aren’t as comfortable and content as they should be. Your dog should have shelter in the form of a dog house, and plenty of fresh water. Watch weather conditions carefully and if possible, allow your dog to spend the night inside your home or garage for its safety.

Hygiene
Dogs need to be cleaned and cared for. Regular baths will help with shedding and unpleasant odors. Trim your dog’s nails on a regular basis to avoid painful breaks or scratches. Long haired animals should be groomed frequently to prevent matting and to keep shedding to a minimum. You should also pay attention to the dog’s teeth. Certain bones, food and chew toys help keep dog teeth clean, but you might also consider brushing them if your dog is comfortable with it.

Health
As the owner of a dog, it is your responsibility to keep him healthy. Take him to the vet regularly to stay current on shots and flea medicine. The vet can also give you advice about feedings and grooming. You should prevent any dangers to your animal such as removing or avoiding certain plants, foods or household items that can harm him.

Love
Finally, dogs need love and attention. Your dog will love you unconditionally, and expects love and attention in return. Part of loving your animal is training him regularly. Once he knows your expectations, he will be more content and the two of you can live together in happy harmony.

It is rather easy to take care of a dog once you know how, and if you have any questions or comments please leave it below and I will try to address it to the best of my abilities.