Puppy Education

If you’re like me, not much infuriates you more than a pet who continues to make a messy on the clean carpet. Pets are a joy to have around; they provide companionship, give us a low-maintenance responsibility, and are simply fun to cuddle up with under a warm fleece on a rainy Saturday afternoon. But they are not as trainable when it comes to potty duties. They will occasionally use your carpet or floor as a toilet. It is generally too expensive to call in the carpet cleaners or to replace a carpet each time it occurs, so let’s go over some of the precautions and solutions to dealing with pet mess.

Walk the Walk

Never forget to take your pets on walks. Dogs especially, but cats as well. Do it on a regular schedule so your pet knows exactly when it is about to be taken outside. If you’re a city dweller be sure to keep the neighborhood clean and pick up after your pet does the duty. I use two plastic grocery bags I get from WinCo or Walmart, put it over my hand like a glove, grab the droppings, and pull it inside out so that it doesn’t get on my hands and I’ve got a disposable way to collect pet waste.

Iron/Paper Towel Combo

A friend led me on to this one. When a pet urinates on the carpet, using Lysol or Resolve to scrub up the mess works but there is still just that little bit of waste imbedded in the carpet. A great way to lift those tough to get particles from the carpet is using a hot iron and some paper towels. Get the iron hot, place a paper towel on the carpet, then slowly move the iron across the paper towel in circular motions. The urine will begin to soak into the paper towel.

Apple Bitter Taste Deterrent

Grannick’s Apple Bitter is a great product that can be used for all sorts of pet training. If a pet makes a mess, spray some Apple Bitter on the end of a towel. Take the pet to the area in which it made the mess and put the Apple Bitter towel up to the pet’s nose. Dogs are generally pretty smart about knowing what they did wrong, but I don’t have the experience with cats. Apple Bitter causes the animal to associate the bad action with the Apple Bitter. I was able to train my Labrador after only two Apple Bitter exercises.

Pet Crate

Pet crates can be used to house the animal during long days at the office. While not allowing them the freedom to roam about, pet crates are a way to eliminate a pet’s contact with your floor or carpet. Pets will also not leave waste in the crate.

When all else fails and the mess becomes too much for the carpet, a solid carpet cleaning service for your home might be tough to avoid. While it might be tough to come to terms with, this may be the best option. Be sure to take all the inexpensive precautionary steps so you can save money in dealing with pet waste. If you’re smart about the situation, you can prevent pet mess before it even occurs in addition to train the pet that using your home as a restroom is an unfavorable action.

In the fight against crime, you must do all that you can to protect you and your family. If you have a dog, then he is a great weapon in defending your home from intruders. The idea of someone breaking into your home and stealing things, putting you and your family at a huge risk, is simply awful, but the good news is that with heightened security and a fierce guard dog you will be far safer and less likely to be burgled. In this article we are going to tell you how to train your dog to defend your property – he will probably want to do it instinctively anyway so you shouldn’t find it too difficult. Here’s how:

Take Him to Obedience Classes

The first thing you need to do is to train your dog how to be obedient, and the best way to do this is to take him along for some obedience training. You should be able to find a local training school that will be able to help you with this. The better your dog is at behaving himself, the easier you will find it to get him to guard your house for you. Be consistent in your training and let him know the difference between good behaviour and bad behaviour.

Help Your Dog Understand the House’s Boundaries

Your dog needs to understand exactly where the boundaries of the house that he is to protect actually are. Take him around the property, allowing him to familiarize himself with the gates, fences and walls so that he starts to understand the area that he is responsible for protecting.

Teach Him How to Respond to Friendly Faces

Your dog needs to know that not every visitor is a burglar! Show him who is to be trusted by allowing them to pet him and make friends with him. He will pick up on your vibes, so make sure you are friendly to whoever comes to the door. Reprimand your dog for barking at a friend, but treat him and give him a stroke if he barks at unfamiliar faces such as a delivery man or a random visitor. He will then start to know what he should do if he sees an unfamiliar face in the house when you are not around. Wait until he has finished barking before you give him his treat.

Make It Clear He’s There

You may well find that the simple act of putting a ‘beware of the dog’ sign on your garden gate is enough to deter burglars. After all, they won’t want to risk coming face to face with an angry dog so they are more likely to move on and attack somewhere else. Leaving out a dog bowl is another great way to let people know a dog lives in the house.

Having a guard dog in the house offers you real reassurance and peace of mind, especially when you go to bed at night. Be sure to investigate whenever he barks so that you know for sure that the house is safe.

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://pixabay.com/en/dog-cartoon-fido-illustration-163527/
•  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://pixabay.com/en/dog-dogs-portrait-173294/

Is it possible to teach an old dog new tricks? As the old saying goes, some think it is null and void. However, in reality, an old dog can learn new tricks just as well as puppy. Sure, they might have to get over some life long habits, but that does not mean it is impossible. It is never too late to provide an older dog with an education. In fact, it helps them become better mannered pets for people with young children or other animals. The following list will help you re-train or teach your older dog new things.

1) Be Patient

If your older dog has adopted some questionable habits, then it might be necessary to re-teach them what is expected of them. An older dog may have become lazy or tired in its old age. For example, if they are starting to pee in the house, then you need to show them that this wrong. The most important thing is that you remain patient. An older dog might not be able to pick up a new concept as quickly. However, they should be able to pick up old rules and habits with no problem if you are gentle about showing them what needs to be done.

2) Use Other Dogs as an Example

If you own other younger dogs, consider training your old and newer pet at the same time. If your older dog sees his fellow beast doing something right, then they might be more apt to adopting the behavior. Dogs are creatures that want to please you. Therefore, if they see another pet being praised for something, then they will want to receive it as well. Show them what to do with the younger dog. This is a great tool to use when actually teaching new tricks to a dog. For example, if you want to teach an older dog to sit or shake, a rewarded example from a younger dog is a great way to begin the process.

3) Reward for Good Behaviour

One of the most important things to remember when teaching an old dog new tricks is that they understand the difference between right/good and wrong/bad. This is the only way they will learn. However, do not punish your dog by whacking them or yelling at them. They will only become more confused and scared. You need to talk sternly, and reward them for good behavior. This will eventually help them understand the difference between right and wrong.

In conclusion, it may take some time and dedication, but it is possible for an older dog to learn new things. As long as you remain patient and reward good behavior, then anything is possible.

Whether or not to use training collars when it comes to training your dog is definitely a contentious subject among dog owners and lovers and there are people on both sides of the fence. Some feel that the use of training collars is inhumane so they chose not to use them. Others feel that training collars are the best way to train your dog.

It’s true that there are times when the use of a training collar can be cruel but that is always because the owner took it too far, not because that was what the collar was intended to do. Training collars are meant to be used to get a dog’s attention, not to shock them into submission. In order to use them properly, you still have to spend just as much time training your dog as you would in any other situation. The purpose of training collars isn’t expediency but rather to have off leash control of your dog when appropriate. When implemented into your dog’s training routine properly, training collars can actually be much more useful than and just as humane as harnesses.

Using a training collar correctly takes a lot of patience which is where many people get into trouble. So many times, an owner will purchase a training collar and immediately put it on their dog and start pushing buttons to shock them. This technique may work if your goal is to confuse your dog, make him afraid of you and the collar, or cause him to only listen to you when he is wearing the collar. The key to using a training collar successfully and humanely is to take baby steps while being aware of what your dog is communicating with you.

Introducing your dog to the collar

How you introduce your dog to the collar is extremely important. If you pull the collar out of the box and immediately start using it on your dog, he will associate the shocking with the collar, not with his bad behavior. As a result, your dog may begin to fear wearing the collar or only listen to you when he has it on. This, obviously, is not what you had intended when you decided to implement the collar into his training.

Instead of fearing the collar and associating it with being shocked, you want your dog to associate it with something positive such as treats or play time. Before you even turn the collar on, put it on and take it off of your dog several times a day for a couple of days. When you put it on give him a small treat and do the same when you take it off. Always put the collar on him when you go out on walks or out to play one of his favorite games. By doing this, your dog will associate the dog with a fun activity or treats instead of a form of punishment. He will even begin to get excited whenever you pull the collar out.

Once your dog is comfortable wearing the collar you can slowly begin to start using it. That doesn’t mean you can turn the collar onto the highest setting and shock your dog whenever he does something you don’t like. Instead, you need to be patient and reteach him all of the commands that he already knows but use his training collar in conjunction with the lead rope that you usually train him with. When used properly, you will be able to completely replace your dog’s leash or lead rope with a training collar.

How to Determine Collar Settings

Most training collars come with multiple settings going from just a small stimulation to a large shock. Some even have a noise option. When you first start using the collar set it on the lowest setting possible because every dog’s threshold is different and you don’t want to go too far. I personally recommend starting with the noise option and then moving up from there.

When you activate the collar, your dog should respond to it like a minor nuisance or a twitch. If they don’t acknowledge it all feel free to adjust the collar up a level. If your dog ever verbally acknowledges the collar and lets out a yelp, that is your queue that you went up too high. Adjust the level down.

Pressure on/Pressure off

Leash training consists of applying pressure to move your dog in the direction you want and then releasing the pressure once he completes the command. You should employ the same techniques when using a training collar.

When you use your leash to have your dog sit, you generally pull up on the leash and might even push down on his back end with your hand. That is the pressure on part of the command and then once your dog sits you release the pressure, pressure off. The same basic idea applies when using a training collar. When you give a command, activate the collar but once your dog obeys the command, let off of the collar.

Never hold the shock button down once your dog has obeyed your command. Doing so will confuse your dog and make him question his basic training. Your dog needs to know that he has the ability to make the pressure or collar stop by obeying your commands. Over time, your dog will begin to do as you say without you needing to apply any sort of pressure at all because he will realize that he is in control of it. In this way, you will have complete control of your dog’s behaviour on and off leash.

Patience and Consistency

Training your dog isn’t the easiest thing for either you or your dog. Don’t spend more than five minutes at a time training a young dog or he will become frustrated. At the point where you become frustrated, take a time out and come back to your training other time. Frustration will only lead you to anger and anger won’t do you any good when it comes to training your dog.

Bringing home a new puppy is a joyous occasion. Unfortunately, potty training your puppy is not always as pleasant. Thankfully, there are many methods to choose from when potty training a puppy, and here are two of the best:

Crate Training:

This method is successful because it takes advantage of a dog’s natural reluctance to soil the same place they sleep. To begin this method, introduce the puppy to the crate slowly. Do not force the puppy to enter the crate. Instead, place treats inside, and allow them to wander in on their own. When beginning this process, occasionally place your puppy in the crate when you are home. If you fail to do this, then the puppy will associate going into the crate with you leaving and thus not like it very much.

Before crating your puppy, make sure they have gone to the bathroom. Never crate your puppy for longer than 5 hours aside from their overnight stay. If the puppy has an accident in the crate, simply clean it up with odor neutralizer, and do not punish him. Eventually, the puppy will no longer soil its crate.

The Bell Method:

Another method that is gaining popularity for puppy potty-training is the bell method. Begin this method by hanging a bell on the door jam or close to the door low enough for the puppy to reach. Every time you take your puppy out to the bathroom, make the puppy ring the bell. Make sure he sees that the bell is rang before proceeding to take the puppy out. When this process is repeated enough times, the puppy will begin to ring the bell on its own to communicate its need to go out.

In some cases, the puppy will have difficulty learning the bell method. If this happens, smear a little cheese on the bell to entice the puppy’s interest. Then, allow the puppy to touch the bell. Once the puppy has touched the bell, give him a treat. This will teach the puppy that a treat follows touching, or ringing, the bell.

Finally, to complete this method, open the door, and drop a treat on the outside of the door. Make sure the puppy sees the treat. Then, close the door, and encourage the puppy to ring the bell. Once the puppy rings the bell, open the door, and allow the puppy to get the treat on the outside of the door. This will teach the puppy the way to get out the door is to ring the bell.

These are two wonderful methods for potty training your puppy. Keep in mind that patience is necessary when going through this experience. Eventually, your puppy will catch on, and you will have a successfully potty-trained puppy.