Keeping Your Dog Motivated

Keeping the attention of a dog while training is not always an easy task. Dogs are very easily distracted, and it is important to not allow the dog training sessions to be sabotaged by boredom. Making dog training fun for the dog and the human alike is essential to creating a happy, well-adjusted and well-trained dog.

You should provide random positive stimuli during the day in order to maintain the interest of the dog. Doing things the dog enjoys, like walking in the park, riding in the car, and playing with other dogs, are great ways to keep the dog’s attention, but you must give him rewards for his successes.

For instance, to reward the dog for coming to you when you call him, tell the dog to come to you, without giving any clues about going for a walk, a car ride, or other treats.

After the dog has come to you and obediently sat down, attach the leash and start the reward. This can be either the afore-mentioned walk in the park, ride in the car, or anything else the dog enjoys doing.

Giving some kind of reward, whether a treat, a special outing, or just a scratch behind the ears, every time the dog does something you want, is a great way to keep your dog motivated while you are dog training.

If your dog knows something great is going to occur every time he obeys your commands, he will be more motivated to do want you want every time.

Distraction training.

When training any dog, it is vital to not let distractions disrupt the training. The dog must be trained to ignore distractions, such as other people, other dogs, other animals and loud noises, and concentrate on what is being taught These kinds of distractions can also be used as rewards when training your dog to come when told.

For example, if your dog enjoys playing with other dogs, whether in the local park or with the neighbour’s dogs, let him play freely with those other dogs. Then go into the park or yard and call your dog.

When he comes to you, provide lots of praise, treats and other rewards, then immediately allow the dog to return to playing with his pals. Repeat this several times and praise the dog each time he comes to you.

The dog will soon realize that coming to you means good things (treats and praise) and not bad ones (being taken away from the park).

This so-called distraction training is one of the most difficult things for your dog to learn, because dogs are social animals by nature, and breaking away from the pack is one of the most difficult things you can ask your dog to do. Most dogs will be understandably unwilling to leave their doggy companions, but it is important to persist in dog training.

Training the dog to come to you when you call may take some thought on your behalf at first. For instance, waving one of his favourite toys, or a lure, is a good way to get your dog’s attention and put the focus back on you. If your dog has been clicker trained, a quick click can be a good motivator as well in dog training.

Once the dog begins to get used to coming when called, you can begin to reduce and then stop the visual cues and focus on getting the dog to respond to your voice alone. It is important that the dog responds to voice commands alone, since you will not always have a toy or other lure to hand.

Does your dog need training? If you need further information on dog training, then go over to our web site entitled Successful Dog Training

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Dog Names

Dog owners will explain that there is no proven formula for picking a good name for a new dog or puppy. Whether they need to come up with girl or boy dog names, they will normally pick a name that sounds cool or a name they like rather than putting some thought into what the name really means. Popular boy dog names have meanings, as do human names, so more often than not the meaning will not suit the dog it is given to. Here we give a list of the top five boy dog names and what they actually mean.

Generally, first thing you have to do when you obtain a new dog or puppy is pick a name for him or her. For most dog owners, this doesn’t require much thought. They just choose a dog name out of thin air and that is the name by which the poor animal will be known forever. However, there is something you should think about when going through dog names in order to make sure that you choose a suitable one.

Firstly, dogs can sense attitude and tone of voice better than we can. If you choose a dog name for comedy value or after someone you dislike, your dog will see straight through you. As a result, their attitudes may change or they may refuse to respond to your commands. Dogs’ names should mean something but should not be detrimental to their development so you should really take the decision of the dog name seriously.

Although dogs are very clever animals, they can’t understand the same amount of data that we can. Therefore, dog names ought not be more than two syllables long. If they are more than that, most dogs will not respond. Max, Sam, Becky, Lady, Molly and the like are excellent dog names because they are short and the names are easily heard. They respond to these dog names and that will improve your chances of training them successfully.

However, dogs’ names should help them form an identity of their own. Common names don’t really allow them to do that, so finding something simple but unusual can help their characters a great deal without damaging their ability to respond to a command.

Max: This is probably the greatest boy dog name and the meaning is surely the reason why many people choose it for their mut. It literally means “the most”. After all, every dog owner thinks that their dog is the ‘most’.

Jake: Jake is short for Jacob, which means “conqueror”. This is a suitable boy dog name, if your puppy takes over the house within moments of setting foot inside it!

Buddy: Buddy is a variation of Budd, which means “messenger”. This boy dog name would be apt for a farm dog or one you might possibly train to retrieve the newspaper from the porch in the morning. It is a very popular boy dog name throughout America.

Bailey: The boy dog name Bailey is French and means “steward”. This is pretty apt if your dog is responsible and sensible, so it is probably not suitable for a Jack Russel puppy, for example!

Sam: Sam apparently means “an answer to prayers”. This is a great name for dogs that are obedient, easy to train and are largely quiet!

Very few people consult the meaning of names when choosing boy dog names, so instead of going with your first thought, it may be worth taking the time to find a dog’s name that really suits your dog. It costs nothing to spend a little time in thought about your dog’s name.

Does your dog require training? If you require more details on dogs in general, then visit our website entitled Successful Dog Training

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The Reasons Why Dogs Snore

We all know that it is not unusual for pet owners to allow their pets to sleep with them at night. In deed, one third of pet owners have at some time, permitted their pets to sleep on their beds. Dogs provide a companionship that can’t be shown by any other breed of animal. However, this doesn’t mean to say that some people do not let their cats or another pets sleep with them too.

It is facilitated too by dogs having a sleep pattern that is very similar to our own. Dogs usually trust their owners completely, which makes them a bit more relaxed during the night. This explains why most dogs fall asleep easily and later on, enter into a deep sleep where REM sleep activities can occur. In fact, once a dog enters this stage, the owner may need to call them several times before they can truly be woken up.

Certainly, many of us have seen a dog paddling during sleep and barking while asleep too. These dogs are said to be dreaming. Breathing patterns can also be observed among dogs while they are asleep. For instance, there are breeds which breathe heavily and there are breeds which breathe more lightly. The dogs that are heavy breathers are much more likely to snore than those which do not breathe quite as heavily.

Often, dogs that snore can be rather a nuisance during the night, depending on the degree and frequency of the phenomenon. Like with humans, there are various considerations why dogs snore, although most deal with the obstruction of the passage of air in the throat, which in turn is caused by the collapse of certain areas along the throat. It is the same problem as with humans.

A dog that snores very loudly ought to be examined for different issues to see which treatment could be best applied. Some dogs are especially susceptible to specific allergies that can cause obstruction in the airway. It may also be that there is some excess tissue in the areas that are inhibiting correct breathing. It is best for a veterinarian to check out various factors through careful evaluation of the dog’s anatomical features and physical symptoms in general.

Maybe, your dog is overweight. Like with humans, obese dogs are more likely to snore during the night. This is because they have more flesh surrounding their throats. Therefore, they have excess tissue that hangs around the throat which can potentially cause the obstructions. Once this problem is corrected, the risk of snoring will be decreased. This would not only be healthy for your dogs, you may eventually enjoy nights of restful sleep too.

Snoring also has something to do with the general facial features. Some dogs seem to have pushed-in faces which narrows their air passages to a certain degree. The construction of their nasal passages also largely contributes to their difficulty in breathing. They are pretty much like humans with a cold, who are forced to breathe using only twenty-five percent of their nostril capacity. Dog breeds with shorter faces need to expend lots of effort to breathe properly. It costs them more work to control breathing and they are also more prone to snoring.

Minor surgery can afford your dog great relief. However, be certain that, before you take any decision, you are well educated about the potential risks and consequences of surgery to stop your dog snoring. Most procedures are irreversible, so careful thought must be given to any operation you permit. In fact, it is best to accept the guidelines provided by your veterinary surgeon.

Does your dog require training? If you require more details on dogs in general, then go over to our website entitled Successful Dog Training

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