Portuguese Water Dog Magazine » Dog Training

Training your dog yourself

Master — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:59:43 +0000

TRAINING YOUR DOG TO BE THE PET YOUR HAVE ALWAYS WANTED

Dogs are intelligent. They have been trained to perform, search and rescue missions, to aid handicapped people, to sniff out drugs and even explosives.

Many dog owners have admitted that their dogs are not portraying these excellent qualities. Complains such as; my dog will not come when I call him, my dog is always jumping on me and my visitors, my dog backs so much that the neighbors are complaining.

The solution to these problems is to give your dog basic obedience training. This can be done by teaching it to respond to simple commands.

Dogs as young as four months old and as old as even ten years. But it is ideal to train your dog when it is still a puppy. At this young age, response by the dog to the teachings you are giving is much more faster than the older dogs.

So how do you instruct your dog to respond to easy commands?

Firstly, you need to make your dog know that you’re the leader. Genetically, life wolfs, dogs are hierarchy conscious. They naturally always live in a park under a leader. In this case, your family is your dog’s park and you need to make it comprehend that you’re the leader.

In a wolf pack, the leader eats first and chooses the most elevated and warmest place to sleep. In the same way, you’ve to behave as the leader. So if your dog sleeps on your bed or eats with you on the same table, it may conclude that it is a leader. Therefore, to make the dog understand that you are the leader, it should have a separate sleeping place, preferably not on a bed and it should not have it’s meals together with you on your dinning table.

Other ways to make your dog submissive is by rubbing the dog’s belly while it is on it’s back. Also, holding it gaze with your eyes until it looks away, your dog will learn that it is subordinate to you.

A subordinate dog will respond to commands given to it by its master. But how do you teach this dog some basic commands?

To instruct your dog basic commands, you need to have plenty of patience. It may take some time before the dog actually starts to comprehend what it mean by the words you say. The following issuggested to make your dog comprehend basic commands:

- Give a simple, one-word command

- Demonstrate the desired action

- Immediately give praise when the action is performed.

Some dogs don’t obey commands even thoughthey understand what you want them to do. They don’t obey orders which they’ve obeyed before. In

Dog training basics: The sit command – Part 1

Master — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:59:39 +0000

Training Your New Puppy To Sit: This Is A Very Simple method of Training!

Two things you must always keep in mind!

1st always remember to praise your new puppy. He/She will need lots of praise-Especially after accomplishing the task at hand.

2nd. Do not use FORCE! Force will only scare your new puppy and you may have tobegin over and this also makes the process much more difficult. Pushing down on the hind quarters is not needed!

To Train Your New Puppy To Sit: This is a very easy method of training your new puppy to sit. It should only take up to 4 to 5 times until he/she has already started to learn the Command Sit!

Starting this at any age is OK. I state as soon as you get your new puppy you can begin. Get your puppy, making sure he/she is standing. You can do this either inside our outside. Placing him/her down, stand right in front of him/her, a treat will be needed for this command.

Taking the treat, placing it firmly in your hands between two fingers, where puppy is unable to grab it out of your hands. He/She will be able to smell it and able to lick it but unable to get it, out of your hand. Place the treat, holding it

firmly in your hand and sticking the treat directly in front of his/her nose and then you slowly raise the treat above his/her nose, up over the eyes, at this point you will notice his/her head willbegin to lift up, as his nose will want to follow

the treat, trying to eat it. Continue moving the treat back as far as you can above his/her head toward his/her back. Saying the command Sit! Your new puppies head willbegin to lean so far back, starring up, that he/she will automatically sit down on his/her own. When this occurs, you must state Sit! Then give him/her the treat and lots of praise. Repeat this again for no more than 5 times in one lesson, as new puppies will get frustrated if you try to train them to much. This is in regards to anything you’re trying to teach your new puppy. They don’t have the patience for this. He/She will be sitting right away. No force should have been used, as people automatically want to push the puppies hind quarters down with there hands. Please Do not do this. Just let him/her sit on there own as you state SIT! You will see how easy it is. He/She will get it by the 5th try. keeping in mind, that a new puppies brain is still developing, so you’ll have to do this for a few days. It will be very simple to do. Especially if you do this with him/her a few times a day for 3 or 4 days, and then you will see that no treat will be needed any longer, just praise. You should always praise your puppy and do not forget to state SIT! When your puppy does sit. Thats it. Very easy and it really works. You just need some patience and praise and allot of love. You will enjoy your puppy much more, when they do what’s asked of you, without force. Puppies love to please there owners. You will notice this and realize that all they want, is to please you. Your puppy now sits on command!

What to expect in a dog training class

Master — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 07:48:43 +0000

Dog training classes can be great fun for the owner and are essential to help socialize your dog.

I would always advise you to go nd watch a lesson first to make sure you like the trainers methods. Do not take your dog with you at this stage.

If you decide to join the group your dog will go into the lowest class for the first week while the trainer assesses your dogs training level.

Most classes startoff with heel work, where you will all walk as a group. The trainer will call out commands, such as ‘turn left’. The heel work allows your dog to settle down and get ready to work without being detracted by the their dogs.

You will then move on to some recalls or down-stays. Depending on your dogs level of training, this may be on or off the lead.

As your dog progresses through the classes, you will probably move on to working your dog off the lead.

Most basic training courses run for twelve weeks, it is then up to you if you want to take your training further.

Some training centers get booked up so you might need to put your name on a waiting list.

All training centers require you to pick up your own dog mess so it is advisable to walk the dog before the class.

If you want to o agility with your dog you usually have t have completedthe basic training course first.

Dog training: Train the owner, not the dog – Part 1

Master — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:48:53 +0000

There are things my dog does that he really shouldn’t. Admittedly fewer than a year ago and a gift away from two, yet none the less he really shouldn’t bark and sniff when someone comes to the door.

For awhile I stood guard. The first to know someone was approaching the door; I could get him sitting and focused before the first knock. The scenario was like I know there is someone at the door and I’m not opening the door until you stop barking. I thought he was barking to tell me someone was at the door, and he was. I also began to sense that he was barking about something about me.

When my ear started recognizing differences in his barking so much so, that I knew who was coming to the door, I realized there where definitely times he barked less, almost as if he had less to bark about. Now, the scenario is more like I know there is someone at the door and I’m okay with this. I don’t care about the unswept floor, the clutter of shoes and the dishes piled on the counter. It’s a day in process. Like everyone’s, it’s messy. And, I’m not opening the door until you stop barking.

I make apologies for keeping guests waiting. Embarrassing as this can be, I’m encouraged when frequent visitors comment that my answer time is steadily decreasing. I’m on sniff patrol these days. There is absolutelyno sniffing above the ankle, nothing too personal. Some visitors don’t mind, and some enjoy, sharing about where they have been and all the things that happened while they were there. Sniffing below the ankle is negotiable. Some visitors have just come to rest a moment. They prefer that you do not sniff.

Now that we can be welcoming and reasonably hospitable we’re working out appropriate invitations to play. I have never stole my guests’ shoes and cantered about the house to incite a game of chase. I’m not sure where this comes from, but sometimes, the expression on his face seems to state ‘careful nothing too personal’.

PWD Fetches the ball in Sausalito Video

Master — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 07:48:54 +0000

PWD’s can be taught how to fetch the ball very well. The breed isn’t well known for this kind of training.
Goj, a 3 1/2 year old male Portuguese Water Dog, brings the ball back, drops it by his owner’s feet, and even puts it in her hand. The Portuguese Water Dog can be trained to fetch very well!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHCJ0b4-mFs

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Reasons for bad behavior in dogs

Master — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 06:48:45 +0000

Idle fingers are the devil’s workshop. It’s true for human beings and it’s true for dogs. Perhaps the finest behaved puppy may well cross the actual wire out of monotony and get into difficulty. Jitteriness could also cause an normally well-behaved dog to turn out to be a demon dog. Assuming presently there are not any actual behavior training difficulties such because any pound doggie may possess, let’s start looking at fatigue and separation stress and anxiety because the two most common causes of poor actions in canines.

Whenever all of us obtained our own puppy, I was on lay off from work for several weeks and I applied that period to train her. When I went back to work, we partitioned a part of the living room and left her during the work day. The first day, she scaled the child-proof gate and pulled all the freshly watered plants off the TV onto the hardwood floor.

The next day, we put her in the lavatory. We came home to a hot bathroom as she somehow got locked in and and turned on the hot water and it was running all day!

She was put in a wire crate the next day. That’s when we discovered she also had separation anxiety. She tore the bars off the door and got out, shredded the couch cushions, and emptied every wastebasket in the house.

Since she was so good and slept all night in the bedroom, I put her in there during the day. She shredded both our pillows and chewed massive hunks out of the furniture and the baseboards.

Then we got smart and put her in day care. My in-laws dog was lonely after their older Poodle died, so every morning we dropped off our dog for the day. She was kept busy all day with their dog, we came home to an undestroyed house, and their dog got exercise as well. It was a win/win/win situation.

She never touched anything when we were home, so I started examiningwhy she got into so much trouble when we weren’t there. She was chewing because puppies chew. I purchased rawhide and plastic bones. She was investigating wastebaskets because she needed intellectual stimulation, so I purchased her puzzle toys like the Everlasting Treat Ball and the stuffed toys with the removable pieces inside.

When we left again, I gave her the stuffed toy and the treat ball with goodies inside and a cap on both ends. The only thing she touched was the stuff I gave her. She’s older now and doesn’t need to chew, but a peanut butter filled bone takes her several hours to finish, and her treat dispensing ball keeps her occupied for several more as she rolls it all over the house, picking up the treats as they fall out.

My advice to any dog at your house owner with a harmful pet is to provide it lots of exercising. Take the dog for a walk before you leave it for any length of time, and maybe play a game of fetch so the dog can work off some energy. Challenge it mentally with puzzle toys or with treat balls. A puzzle toy will keep the dog occupied for a time and keep it out of trouble. Give it something to chew on such as rawhide bones or chew toys. Puppies chew while they are teething, and dogs chew to relieve stress or boredom, so rawhide is the perfect solution. After you return home, adn have allowed the dog time to unwind, greet the dog and give the dog lots of attention. It will go a long way toward satisfying the dog’s pack instincts.

By putting yourself in yoru dog’s position of being alone and bored, you’ll realize how far these simple suggestions will go to turn your devil dog in to an angel.

Assistant dog training: On and off leash

Master — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 06:49:30 +0000

How to train your dog on and off the leash. First, get rid of any retractable wire leash, or anything which expands and contracts. This only instructs the dog to pull against you. The best leash is one that is longer than 10 feet made of nylon with no fancy handle. If you are a disabled person, a plain, lightweight leash is ideal to handle with your hands and/or mouth if needed. The dog’s collar should not be a choke chain, studded with spikes or anything else which causes the dog discomfort. A puppy or very small dog should be using a harness for his own protection, since small dogs can simply slip out of their collars.

Eventually, you’ll want to train the dog off the leash. This can be done by calling the dog to come to you using a whistle, jinggling vehicle keys or even a simple snapping of the fingers. This comes in really handy when you don’t want anyone else to know the dog’s name or command him without your knowledge. You can even train the dog to come to another pet name that only you and the dog know. I have known of Police K9 dogs who were trained to a foreign language to avoid interference by criminals.

You can teach the dog to come to a treat, or by giving a Littletug to the leash in your direction. You should never be pulling or tugging the dog around. The trick is to make him come willingly, either by love or fear of punishment, but in the end “come” is the most important command of all because it could very well save the dog’s life if a vicious animal or automobile is approaching. You can instruct the dog to alert for these by saying to your assistant dog “dog coming” or “big car coming” so he connects the sounds and smells with the object approaching.

When the dog is off the leash, he should be taught to stay close to you or at least in your sight. I trained my dog this way by playing hide and seek. If I disappeared behind a tree, he knows he must come and find me so that we’re in sight of each other. The dog should never be allowed to rush, jump on, or go after other dogs, cats or people. You can startto train the dog this way by asking him to “sit” or “wait/stay” as these approach. It is simple to instruct the dog to stay, since you have control of the lead or leash. Being consistent and working with the dog daily will instill these behaviors instinctually. If the dog pulls or tugs on the leash, simply remind the dog with a little tug back, “no pulling.”

Big dogs like to pull their weight around, but remind the dog you are the boss and don’t go any further in a walk or out the door until the dog sits, waits and knows you are ready to go forward.

The dog is taught to sit by pulling up on the leash, with your hand on their rump, pushing down. Lie down command is done by pulling the leash down from the neck, with your hand on their back pushing down. Always give treats, love and affection for a task well done. In time, the assistant dog will perform well in order to get rewards for the job they do.

Working in a fenced or enclosed area with an untrained dog is best. This way, the dog can only run so far. I have found school yards on Sundays, and off-season tennis courts most helpful. The leash should be long enough to give the dog space, but short enough to have control over the animal.

It is simple to train the dog, if you’ve the right equipment and environment.

Training Your PWD Puppy

Master — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 06:48:55 +0000

Portuguese Water Dogs might be trained but you need to be quick considering with this breed. Porties are extremely clever. As a puppy my k9 Goji was responsive to dog treats, so you could reward him with food if he did some thing on command. This breed is too clever for that human trick to last for lengthy. Here’s what I did to start out training my standard PWD:

It really is a beneficial good~beneficial} conditioning for him. I took mine on the Marin Humane Society. Truly the class is most effective for training the owner. I needed some catching up in the latest instruction strategies for dogs. Nowadays you do not punish the dog if he does a thing bad, but only reward him for doing anything good. That reward can be a treat. That is certainly what the class taught me. Socialization is what the class taught Goji, though he was well socialized at his breeder, Toraq. I learned to unlearn the education approaches I did with my black labrador retriever in an earlier incarnation. I was told to not negatively discipline my k9. It was tough for me to teach my pals not to discipline him when the mouthy puppy jumped on them and nipped their skin. I asked my family members and buddies to become assertive and to knee the dog if he would jump up. It can be essential that the pet know who is in charge appropriate from the commence.

A month or so later he went into the Family Dog I course at the same also on the Humane Society. This taught him some commands and obedience, and that continued while using the Loved ones Pet II course. I don’t think he genuinely learned too a lot of commands there, but we did learn to obtain along greater together, which was extremely good.

The Portuguese Water Doggie is definitely a lot more inclinedto care about praise much more than a handle, as an adult. My k9 is pretty picky about treats now; when we go into a pet store plus the shopkeepers offer him a deal with, he regularly refuses it. Porties are very unique about their food, unlike other breeds. Here’s what he like today:

Dried liver for example liver biscuit
Dried salmon sticks
Charlie Bear treats
Bil-jack biscuits
Fois Grois and Caviar
Red Barn rolled beef hide with chicken inside
Dried Kangaroo meat
Dried salmon tenders

Females train these dogs better than men, in my opinion. The porties are much more responsive to their high pitched voices than men’s. I also think Portie’s prefer the smell of women above adult males. But this doesn’t mean that they don’t extremely respect male masters; they do. They require the master to have a total life. In fact, they have to possess a functioning “captain with the ship” and also you discover that extremely fast when you have a single of these dogs living with you.

One factor that the Portuguese Drinking water Pet will not seem to own to study is devotion towards master. We speedily realized that it truly is as if he thinks he is living with a fisherman, and he is on a boat with the fisherman and becomes extremely devoted to him. Goji despises boats, so the devotion isn’t actually to a working fisherman, but to some master. This has been built into Goji since he came to our house at age 9 weeks. This unlearned trait seems to become only improving above the years. If you can’t handle this extreme devotion don’t bring a PWD residence.

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You should be consistent in your approach towards your dog
Keep intonations, gestures and words for expressing dissatisfaction and praise consistent; then you will be help him understand commands by associating wtih the way it really is said.
If you issue conflicting commands your doggie will be confused compared to just one who has learned the same command around and around. One example of getting consistent is to let him out the same door every time he has to do his business. In this way he associates that door with needing to go out and will let you know by going to that door instead of somewhere within the house.
Remember of course that after every command that he successfully does, shower him with love and affection. Treat him once in a while when he does appropriate because like a child it needs to be appreciated and given praise.
There are a lot of technques to doggie exercise from positive reinforcement, understanding when to reward and when to punish, the effective way of punishing, howTo ceaseexcessive barking and chewing and aggression to name a few.
Doggy instruction is an on-going process but one which is full of rewards. You will create a bond with your pet that is certainly unbreakable. You will have a loyal companion for life and a friend forever.
There are quite a few dog education ebooks, cd`s, dvd`s, seminars, groups and tips on education your doggie that you can find online. Find one distinct that you’re comfortable with and provides all the necessary tools to help you in k9 training.

Does A Training Dog Collar Help You Or Your Dog?

Master — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 18:48:45 +0000

Obtaining a dog collar to insure control of one’s dog is a single of
probably the most essential aspects of dog safety which you must
think about. Securing a training dog collar is dependent upon the sort
of training you are expecting for the dog. A instruction
dog collar for any police dog is various than a education dog
collar for a house pet. making that distinction is important
for you personally to make in order to comprehend what you will need to have
to make life comfortable for you personally and your pet dog. this
article will go into researching dog training and how
selection of a instruction dog collar is really essential.

You will find various types of dog education plans which are
employed to make certain that your dog comprehends your commands
and does what it’s supposed to do. 1 of these
methodologies uses traditional dog education techniques. This
method uses 3 kinds of reinforcement factors. Positive,
negative, and positive negative reinforcement as a means to
relay to the dog whether they did good, bad or require more
discipline. Now depending on the type of education your dog
is going through will determine the kind of instruction dog
collar is best suited.

The traditional dog training method was first developed and
used in World War I. When the military saw the usefulness of
these dogs in battlefield situations, plans were made to
expand the program to include the use of these dogs using
this education method for World War II and the Vietnam
conflict. This instruction method utilizes negative
reinforcement and punishment as a means to train the dog to
betotally obedient to the handler. Handler and dog were
inseparable and they could count on each other for impending
dangers in the bush. Now the type of training dog collar
would be a lot various for training this sort of dog
versus a home dog for which you keep as a pet. I will go
into this distinction later on.

The most common sort of dog collars used in education with
this method would be choke chains, prong collars and shock
collars. These kinds of dog education collars would be
considered the mainstay because training dogs of this
caliber requires complete obedience and compliance between
the dog and the handler. There is no room for hesitation
when a command is given to the dog. If the dog fails to
obey, it could mean the lives of the handler, the dog, and
the platoon of men that may be following them. So when a dog
is trained with this technique the kind of instruction dog
collar needs to be fast, hard and to the point of whether
the dog does what it’s told. This method provides instant
feedback that it works and also be aware of the fact that
these dogs have a high tolerance for pain. So while it may
seem to the casual observer that these dogs may yelp from
time to time that its just part of the instruction program and
that no long lasting injury will become of this to the dog
itself.

So to end this post with the information that you are
looking for in the type of training dog collar is best for
your dog. It is dependent upon the sort of education that you want
your dog to go through. You can find a variety of selections on
the market Todayand the choice is yours.

Dog collars have been around a long time.

The risks of letting your dog run loose

Master — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 06:48:50 +0000

Dusty & Tess The Lost, Stolen, and Sold on the Internet Pups Return Home

Police returned Dusty, a sandy-colored, 6-month-old West Highland terrier to his rightful owner in a tearful and tail-wagging reunion. Dusty and his mom Tess were lost, stolen, and then sold on Craigslist. But a persistent police investigation recovered the dogs, turning them over to their owner, Theresa Abrams.

The dog snatching caper started when Dusty, Tess, and a third dog, Salina, escaped February 4 from the backyard of the Abrams’ house in Columbia, a small town located on the Susquehanna River about 20 miles south of Harrisburg. Salina, a pit bull, returned the same day, but there was no sign of Dusty or Tess.

They were next seen when a family friend of the dog’s owner spotted a for sale ad with photos of Dusty and Tess on Craigslist. The Abrams family eventually learned their dogs were being sold on the Internet. The Abrams contacted the dog sellers via e-mail, but there was no answer. They sought help from the local media and requested police assistance to get their dogs back.

Police state a neighbor who found the two stray dogs sold them to separate families. Brandi S. Anderson, a 27-year-old Pennsylvania woman who is a neighbor of Abrams, is in the doghouse for selling the pups for $150 each to two separate families. Anderson lives in the same block as Abrams, but theyDidn’t know each other.

Before Dusty and Tess escaped, their owner had bathed them. They weren’t wearing their collars or IDs. Anderson said she thought the dogs were abandoned because they’d no tags or collars.

In the advertisement, Anderson wrote on the Craigslist posting that the dogs belonged to her grandmother who had recently died. She later explained that she did that because sheDidn’t think anyone would want stray dogs. She claimed that charging $150 was to ensure the dogs went to families who wanted them, and not a laboratory or someone exploitative.

“It’s not like we intentionally kept their dogs,” Anderson said.

Columbia police Officer Brent Smith filed a charge of theft of lost property against Anderson. Smith stated he tried for days to persuade Anderson to provide the buyers’ contact information, but she would not.

“I gave her every opportunity,” Officer Smith said. “She should have cooperated fully from the start.”

Smith stated it is clear from the e-mail records he obtained from the dog’s buyers and by court order from Craigslist.org, that Brandi