20 Puppy and Dog Obedience Training Tips

Obedience training may not solve all your dog behaviors but can be the strong foundation to prevent your dog becoming a spoiled pet. When you train your dog to be obedient, it’s other way benefit . Your dog understand the quality time you spend with him which will create a deeper bond between you and your dog.

Effective communication is really required to make him obedient and also make him realize that what you want him to do and don’ts. Do you want others to comment like “What an obedient dog”! Then start follow below 20 obedient training tips immediately.

20 IMPORTANT TIPS TO MAKE AN OBEDIENT DOG

1.  You must start your dog obedience training when he’s puppy. So that you can have an effective communication with him when he becomes an adult dog.

2. Puppies are clueless. They are new to your house. It’s your responsibility to make him comfortable. Start his puppy training when you think he’s ready. Some of the training you should start with : Noise Training, Walk Training,Socialization Training.

3. Basically dogs are smart and lovable. But they go out of the rules when they are happy. So make house rules like don’t allow him on your couch, do not bark in the house, no access near the dining table and much more. Take your time to teach him from the beginning.

4. Follow basic Puppy Training Advice to stop struggling to make him listen your voice.

5. Obedience comes with bit of fear. Meaning of this statement never implies to be rough with your dog but make him realize that your his master. This can be done by being gentle and close with him.

6. Basic obedient commands like ‘Sit’,’Stand’,’Come’ can be easy to achieve when you treat him every time he does that. Make your voice and sound familiar. Make your command simple and be patient until you see the results.

7. Most dogs willing to perform commands to earn your attention and love. So make a list of commands you would like to teach him . Start one by one.  Shake hands , hand lick(kiss), roll over, fetch and retrieve are the valuable commands you should teach your dog.

8. Do not worry that your lacking in knowledge on How to train your dog , How to make him obedient. It’s simple when you do small home work. Refer the below articles regarding dog training.

9. You may get the outstanding obedience results by avoiding these 5 mistakes dog owners commonly make.

10. Obedience will not com by restriction . So make the training fun and allow him to be freedom. By the time they  learn your basic commands , they are already familiar with who’s the master and whom should they obey.

11. Do not worry about your dog’s age. Be late than never. Would you like to teach him a new trick , the best time is Right Now. Dog’s behavior is constantly changing . Today a well behaved dog may not be the same tomorrow. So it’s never late to train him.

12. Are you a business man or a person who’ve never had a time to do above mentioned tips! Then Enroll in a local  dog obedience training class. Then you can directly see the best outcomes , also you would be able to teach him something with less effort.

13. Do you want your dog to be obedient in your car? If you suddenly want him to behave normal in your car , you will be disappointed. You should have start those commands long back when he was young and energetic. Do not drive and practice at the same time.Practice it while the car is parked or when it’s driving by someone else.

14. Keep the  dog obedience training session short and sweet. It will be boring for anybody including dogs when you make it tedious and lengthy sessions.

15.”Heel”,”Down Stay”,”Sit-Stay”,”Go find the ball”,”Go get the leash” are the most effective commands which will help your dog not to interrupt your daily routines.For an instance “Heel” from the bedroom to bathroom.  “Down Stay” while your brushing your teeth. “Sit-Stay” while you have your breakfast. “Go find the ball” while you get dressed.

16. Rewards are boosters. Never forget to reward him for his good behavior. The more times he is rewarded , the quicker he will learn.

17. Avoid reprimands while training. Most dogs will face reprimands fro their owners. It’s unnecessary. Instead of reprimand , show him the right way when does something wrong.

18. Be interactive. No dog will listen to you when you suddenly appears and ask him to obey your commands. Make a natural bond by talking with him. Often go out with him. Consider him during your morning walk and jog. Some times allow him to be with you than the extra time he used to be.

19. Socialization training is very important for well behaviors. Bring him to the places where he can see many other dogs like him and let him mingle with other dogs and people. This will refreshment activity for his mind also avoid him being isolated in home.

20.  Make use of the internet. Youtube is one medium where you can get all your doubts clarified with visual representation. Watch some useful videos to make it more easier on obedient dog training.

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Tips to Train Your German Shepherd Dog

Dog obedience training can be a daunting task but with a German shepherd dog, it is a fun and rewarding experience. The German shepherd is a very intelligent breed which makes them easy to train. The German shepherd is eager to learn new things and thrives when kept active and given a job or a task to do.

Training your shepherd will be a growing experience for both of you. The time spent training your German shepherd is a great way for you to bond with your dog, learn his personality and build a trusting relationship. Obedience training will give your shepherd the opportunity to learn boundaries, develop their full potential and become a well-mannered companion to you and everyone else in your family.

It is best to expose your German shepherd to obedience training as early as possible. Start with basic training commands like sit, stay, here, and down. Keep training sessions short, fun and positive. The German shepherd breed is smart and it will not take many repetitions before they have mastered a skill. Take notice of this and always be ready to introduce something new to prevent your smart dog from becoming bored with the same old routine.

When training your German shepherd it is important to utilize these 5 tips:

Patience

Authoritative Firmness

Consistency

Positive Reward

Fun

1.  Always be patient when conducting obedience training. Every dog is unique and learns different things at different speeds. German shepherds are intelligent but are also known to be stubborn. Expect your shepherd to test you and your patience from time to time.

2.  German shepherds are a beautiful, intelligent, powerful breed. They respond well to an owner who has a command presence with an authoritative firmness. Be firm when training your shepherd and be a leader. If you give them an inch they will take a mile, so you have been warned!

3.  One of the most important things to remember when training a German shepherd is consistency. Consistency will eliminate confusion and frustration. Choose commands and boundaries that every member in the household uses and understands. This will keep your shepherd from being confused as to what is expected from them and from whom. If your training expectations are not consistent and sometime you make your shepherd obey a command and sometimes you do not…you have just given this smart dog an inch.

4.  Be sure to lavish your German shepherd with a lot of praise and positive attention for a job well done. Positive rewards and attention encourage positive behavior. Your shepherd will thrive knowing that he has done well and will continue to want to please you. A stern and strict training approach to obedience training with this breed will not allow this dog to be the best that he can be.

5.  Lastly and most importantly, have fun and enjoy your German shepherd while training. You do not want to think of training your dog as a daunting task. To keep your dog’s attention span you need to keep your training sessions short. Your German shepherd is extremely smart and will feed off of your body language and moods. If you keep your training time light and fun, your shepherd will enjoy learning new things and look forward to training time.

Use what you have learned from this article, and before you know it you will have a loyal German shepherd who is outgoing, well-adjusted and well mannered.

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Secrets To How to Reduce Anxiety in Dogs

 If your dog is anxious, he may pant, drool, bark excessively, or hide under furniture. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to respond to your dog's anxiety, including desensitizing your dog and using alternative therapies.

1. Responding to Your Dog's Anxiety

Avoid reinforcing your dog's anxiety. It's natural to want to comfort your dog, stroke his head, and speak soothingly to him. You may even be worried if you're both dealing with a stressful event, like an operation at the vet's. Unfortunately, your dog can pick up on your anxiety, making him feel like the situation is out of control, amplifying his anxiety.

• Don't give your dog treats or respond with hugging or petting. These reward your dog's anxious behavior, which means that he learns to repeat it.

Act as normally as possible. Since your dog will be paying close attention to how you respond to stressful situations, signal to him that everything is fine. If you act as if nothing has changed, your dog will have no cause for alarm. If your dog is showing signs of anxiety, like trembling, shaking, or whining, then ignore his behavior.

• Speak to your dog in a firm but kind voice telling him not to be silly. He'll recognize the disapproval in your tone of voice and understand that you aren't concerned so neither should he be.

Show your dog you're still in control. Your dog may be feeling out of control and fearful. Focus his attention on you and distract him by doing a simple training session, even if it's in the vet's waiting room. Do simple training commands like "Sit", "Down", or "Stay." This tells him you are in control, you are not worried, and that everything is normal.

• With his attention elsewhere, the hormones that make him feel anxious subside so he'll relax.
• Practicing these commands when your dog is anxious can also help you deal with any separation anxiety your dog might have.

Offer a safe haven or crate. Create a place that your dog associates with safety and can retreat to. Plan ahead and train your dog to accept a crate as a safe place.[4] At times of exceptional anxiety, cover part of the crate with a blanket to make it even more den-like. Being in a calming environment will stabilize his anxiety levels.

• Casually place toys in your dog's crate but continue to act normally and avoid eye contact. This way, you won't be reinforcing any fearful behavior.

2. Desensitizing Your Dog

Expose your dog to a small stressful situation. Desensitize, or expose your dog to an ultra-low level of the fearful situation. Do this to show him that nothing bad happens. For example, if your dog is afraid of the vet, walk your dog past the vet's office and get him used to sitting by the entrance. Reward good behavior with a treat and lots of attention before continuing on a fun walk. This way, your dog has positive associations with a previously stressful place.

• You'll need to take this slowly, gradually exposing him from weeks to months and increasing the level of the threat.

Move on to a more fearful situation. Once your dog becomes comfortable with a low-level situation, move on to a more stressful situation. For example, take your dog into the waiting room of the vet. If he goes in comfortably, reward him with treats. Do this a few times before adding a new step to the routine. You might take your dog in and sit down for a while. Again, reward calm behavior. You can start extending the period of time you spend there to make your dog more comfortable.

• These small visits will expose your dog to what he fears. Eventually, he'll build positive associations with going into the vet's.

Directly expose your dog to his fear. Some dogs might be more fearful of sounds or surprises. In these cases, have your dog face his fears. For example, if your dog is afraid of fireworks, play a recording of firework noise very quietly and reward your dog for good behavior. Gradually increase the volume over a length of time. If your dog seems distressed, go back a few levels and start again.

• The same principle can be applied to pretty much anything. If your dog is afraid of other dogs, have a plastic dog set in the distance and reward your dog's calm behavior. Or, if your dog is afraid of riding in the car, start by feeding him in the stationary car. Create positive associations.

3. Using Therapies to Treat Anxiety

Consider using pheromones. You can buy dog appeasing pheromones (DAP, also known as Adaptil), synthetic versions of the pheromones that mother dogs release when nursing their puppies. The DAP can be diffused or sprayed in your home, car, or outside. DAP are thought to make your dog feel safer, reassured, relaxed, and contented, which can reduce anxiety levels.[9]

• Keep in mind that your dog will need to be exposed to the pheromones for around 2 weeks before feeling the effects. Because of this, you may want to use a DAP or Adaptil collar so your dog is continually exposed.

Put blinders on your dog's eyes. Use face blinder caps (similar to horse blinders) to gently cover his eyes. These can reduce anxiety by decreasing visual stimulation and only allowing your dog to see shapes, but not details. These work best for dogs that are fearful of flashes and bright lights, such as thunderstorms or fireworks. Test the blinder caps out before a stressful situation to make sure your dog accepts them and is comfortable, before adding them into the equation of a stressful situation.

• If your dog paws frantically at the cap, stands with his head down looking dejected, or shakes then it is best to remove the cap. Blinder caps can actually increase feelings of anxiety for some dogs, because they feel trapped.

Try alternative therapies. There are several options for non-prescription medications which you can get from the pharmacy or your vet's office. These include:

• Bach Flower remedies: Place herbal drops containing the Bach Flowers (chicory, heather, red chestnut, and honeysuckle) on your dog's tongue at times of high anxiety. The remedy is said to have a calming effect but this is not proven, and very much a case of "try it and see". Some owners swear by its effectiveness, while others report no change.
• Skullcap and Valerian: These herbal remedies are said to have a calming effect and the ability to reduce anxiety and excitability.Follow the package instructions for dosing information, but be sure to give it before your dog becomes anxious. Once your dog is already aroused any potential benefit is lost.
• Zylkene: Scientific studies believe this food supplement can help animals deal with stress. The active ingredient is a refined protein found in milk that acts on receptors in the brain. Give zylkene before a stressful situation, or in the long term, since there are no negative side effects. This makes it ideal for situations such as going into a boarding kennel where the stress could be prolonged.

Avoid using sedatives. While sedatives might seem like a good idea if your dog is extremely anxious or sensitive, there are several harmful associations. Keep in mind:

Sedatives are often addictive and so your dog may become hooked on the medication.

• The effect tends to diminish over time so, you'd need to increase the dose of the potentially addictive medications.
• For the short term, sedatives are supposed to make the dog too sleepy to show outward signs of anxiety. But, his heart may still be pounding away and he has the internal physiological signs of anxiety. He just can't show them.
• The brain has a reduced ability to learn new behaviors. This means that any progress made through retraining is often painfully slow and forgotten altogether when the medication stops.
• Some sedatives cause disorientation and can actually amplify the distress your dog feels when he's anxious.

Try a training tool devised specifically to relieve anxiety. Pressure wrap shirts can reduce anxiety by continuously touching acupressure points that are responsible for creating calming behavior.

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How to Get More How to Travel by Car with Your Dog in One Week

 Here are some safety tips you should think about before traveling by car with your favorite pet, whether they enjoy the journey or not.

1. Preparing to Travel with Your Dog

Figure out how you want to restrain your dog in the car. It is not safe to let a dog roam a car unrestrained. Consider crating your dog if you are driving a long distance or if your dog is a nervous passenger. It is the most effective way of keeping a dog put while you are driving. Having a dog crated will help you to focus on driving instead of on the dog, which is important because distracted drivers can easily cause accidents. It will also keep your dog safe if you have to stop quickly or if you get in an accident.

• If you don't want to crate your dog, at least find a way to confine it to a specific section of the car. For instance if you have a station wagon, consider confining your dog to the back portion of the car. If you do have a large window boot, put up a wire grid to stop your dog jumping over the back of the seats. Line the dog's area with dog blankets or place its bed in the corner so he or she can nap comfortably on the journey. Most dogs find sleeping an easy way to cope with motion sickness.
• You could also purchase a dog safety seat. While it is not as secure as a crate, it will be safer and more comfortable than a car seat for your dog if you turn or stop the car suddenly.
• To ensure that your pet cannot roam around the vehicle, consider purchasing a pet safety belt. These belts ensure that should an accident occur your pet is not thrown from the vehicle or into other passengers.
• Make sure the crate is secured either between seats or on the floor. Make sure it is very secure to prevent it from moving if you stop quickly or get hit.

Introduce your dog to the crate, if you are using one. Present the crate to your dog positively. Allow the dog to sniff the crate before it goes in the car. Once the crate is placed in the car, put your dog in it. Continue your positive attitude about the crate and walk away from the dog in the crate for several minutes.

Exercise your dog before loading it into the car. You need to get your dog tired before crating it. While a tired dog may still be upset about being crated, a fully rested dog will usually be even worse.

Avoid feeding your dog right before your trip. Feed him or her at least a few hours before. This will help your dog avoid getting carsick

Pack appropriate supplies for your dog when taking a long car trip. Make the dog's area comfortable by placing its bed or blankets down for padding. Also bring water, treats, the dog's collar and leash, some of your dog's favorite chew toys, and plastic bags for waste.

Place a few chew toys in the back with your dog to keep your dog occupied. It is better not to give him or her a bone or food treats because if the dog feels sick it will vomit it back up.

Squeaky toys are also undesirable as they will drive you crazy.

Consult your veterinarian if your dog shows signs of car sickness. Never medicate your dog with Dramamine or any other medication without the guidance of your vet. Your vet may have some other suggestions instead.

Address hyperactivity before the trip. If your dog has hyperactivity problems, contact your vet before the trip. See if a mild sedative is available and safe for your dog, especially if it is a long journey. Follow the dosing instructions carefully.

2. Going on a Long Drive with Your Dog

Let a puppy or new pet become accustomed to riding in a car gradually. Begin by allowing your dog to wander around your car with the motor off. Then start with short trips until you and your dog become familiar with traveling by car together.

Make your first few trips in the car to somewhere fun for your dog. Don't go long distances right away, just get your dog used to the space. Take your dog to a park or a field so they associate a car ride with something good rather than just trips to the vet.

Keep your dog's tags on whenever you are driving long distance. There's always a chance, no matter how well behaved your dog may be, that your dog will get out of the car and away from you. Make sure that your dog can be identified if it gets away from you while traveling.

Take breaks. Let your dog run around and tire itself out. You should also give your dog a little snack and a little water while taking your break. Make sure that you stop every hour or so and go for a quick walk, even if its only on the grass by a fast food restaurant on the highway. This lets your dog use the toilet, so you can also give him or her some water around now. Taking your dog on short walks is important as it means that the dog can stretch his or her legs and stops it from going crazy from being bored.

• This is especially important if your journey is more than a few hours. A four hours is your average dog's absolute limit for driving without a longer break. Make sure you stop somewhere grassy and relatively quiet (not right by the road), lock your car, feed your dog some food and water, and take him for a walk so he can let off some of his excess energy.
• If you stop by the highway your dog MUST be on a leash for his own safety.

Don't leave your dog in a parked car on a hot day. Be aware of how quickly a dog can get heat stroke, and die, in a parked car. To be safe, never leave your dog unattended in your car in warm weather for any length of time.

• If you stop for a meal, park your car in the shade, and let the windows down about an inch each to let cool air in. Put a bowl of cool water in the car for your dog and unbuckle him or her if in a dog seat. Lock your car doors, and order your food to go.
• Try to spend no more than five minutes away from the car if it is a warm day, as you don't want your dog to overheat. If your stop will take a bit longer, for instance you are waiting in a long line for food, tie your dog to a post either just inside the front door or just outside in a place where you can see it. At least he or she will be out of the heat while you wait. Make sure to tie the dog with secure knots so it doesn't escape onto the road. Tight knots will also mean it will be less likely for someone to steal your dog.

Avoid comforting your dog if he or she is showing signs of distress. Comforting the dog, as natural as it seems, reinforces the idea that something bad is happening. Do your best to stay calm and normal while paying attention for signs of true distress (instead of discomfort).

Reward your dog once you get to your destination. Take your pup for a long walk immediately on arrival. Give it a treat, assure it, and give it lots of love for making through the journey.

If your dog has a favorite towel or blanket be sure to bring it in order to comfort your pet.

Try to have your (non-toy*) puppy's first car rides be "on an empty stomach" by withholding food for 2-4 hours before the ride. Several rides without nausea will help tremendously to prevent the puppy from developing car sickness.

If you are traveling more than 24 hours, look beforehand for a pet-friendly hotel for you to unwind and for your dog too.

Make sure to bring doggy bags on your walks so you can pick up the pup's business.

Be patient, kind, and loving to your dog. Traveling is as stressful for the dog as it is for you!

Do not let your dog stick its head out the window. A piece of debris could get in its eye or if you got in an accident or stopped suddenly, your dog could go flying out the window.

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Basic Dog Obedience Tips

One of the best ways to teach your dog basic obedience is to take him or her to a training class. Most dog clubs offer them, and they’re a great way to train your dog while socializing him or her as well. You’ll probably even make some new friends.

Now, we have to point out that not everyone has the ability to commit to regular dog classes, and if that’s the case, you can always train your dog at home on your own time.  You can teach your dog basic obedience tips and commands at home in order to be sure that he or she behaves properly when out in public.

The Importance of a Mannerly Dog

You know the importance of good manners. They’re every bit as important for dogs as they are for people. You know how it is with people who don’t have good manners – they are not wanted in social situations, and they may find themselves left out of gatherings due to bad manners.

It’s the same with dogs. An unmannerly dog, one who pulls, barks, jumps, grabs hands or otherwise misbehaves is not going to be welcome among civilized company. Additionally, if your dog is poorly trained, he or she could, simply stated, get you evicted.

Easy Training

It’s not hard to teach your dog basic obedience. Sit, stay, down and come are very basic commands that are easily taught and reinforced, and once they are taught, you will have a well-behave dog who will be welcome in virtually any social situation.

Catch Him Doing Something Right

With dog training, timing is everything. As soon as your dog does what you want, reward him or her, either with words of praise or a treat. For “sit,” simply push your dog’s backside down to the floor, and once that butt is solidly on the floor, deliver praise and perhaps a treat. Your dog will immediately know that he or she has done the right thing, and will want to do it over and over.

Down

Down works the same way. Push down on the hindquarters, and then on the shoulders. When the dog gets it right, the dog gets a reward.

Stay

Tell your dog to sit. He or she already knows that. Now, hold out a treat, but don’t give it. If the dog moves toward the treat, offer a firm “No.” Then reiterate, “Stay.” The dog is going to want the treat desperately, but don’t give it until the “Stay” command has been firmly reinforced.

Basic Training Tips

Always be firm in training, but be kind. Don’t expect too much of your dog. He or she wants to please you, but has the attention span of about a two-year-old child. Don’t forget that.

Also, remember to take your training sessions out to various locations in your house. If you do it in just one place, your dog may think, “I have to do this in the kitchen… but nowhere else.”

If you work daily with your training sessions, eventually your dog will do what you want, everywhere, all the time. Therefore, start with basic obedience training and then move on to more complex training. Your dog will get the idea quickly, and you will end up with a good canine citizen who can move on to more complex training.

The Final Word

The key to good dog training is consistency and caring. Remember that you dog wants to please you, and structure your training program accordingly. With kindness and consistency, you can create a good canine citizen who will fit seamlessly into your neighborhood.

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How to Keep Your Dog from Being Bored

Today, as the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) reports, the most common job description for domestic dogs is being a couch potato. This article offers a number of ways in which you can encourage your dog to lead an active lifestyle and prevent the unpleasant, and sometimes destructive, behavior that results from boredom in dogs.

1. Doing Things Together

Spend time with your dog. When you are not at work or are otherwise busy, organize activities to do with your dog to keep her from getting bored. These activities can range from playing games to outdoor exercises.Spending time with your dog is a great way to keep yourself physically fit while at the same time allowing your dog to enjoy the active lifestyle that she is naturally inclined towards.

Go for a jog or walk together. Try to take your dog for a jog or walk at least once a day. This will keep both of you fit and will allow your dog the physical activity that she craves while at the same time exploring the outdoors. The ASPCA encourages taking a variety of routes and visiting new places ‘so that your dog can experience novel smells and sights.

Travel with your dog. Traveling with your dog is another great way to keep your dog from being bored while spending time together. Depending on how much time you have, this could be as short as a car ride (which dogs love) to the supermarket or even an extended vacation.

• Before going on an extended holiday with your dog, bring her to the vet and ensure that all her vaccinations are up to date. Keep her shot records with you and remember that you require a health certificate for airline travel.
• Buy a crate for your dog. Crates keep dogs safe during travel by automobile and are required for travel by plane.
• Make sure your dog has proper identification in case she gets lost from you during a vacation.
• If traveling by car, be sure to keep your dog safe and healthy. This means you should avoid car sickness by letting her travel on an empty stomach. In addition, keep your dog safe by not let your dog ride with her head out of the car window. Make frequent rest stops, and do not leave your dog unattended in a closed vehicle, especially in the summer, as temperatures in a closed vehicle can get extremely high. 
• Check with your airline, cruise carrier, train line, or bus service as to their rules on canine travel because not all of them allow it and each may have particular rules that apply to such travel.

Play games with your dog. Playing games together will keep both you and your dog active and, therefore, healthy. Doing so will also have a positive impact on your relationship with your dog.

Play tug-of-war. Play tug-of-war with your dog. This game is useful because it allows your dog ‘an outlet for her natural canine urges to grab and pull on things with her mouth.  A helpful guide from the ASPCA on how to teach your dog to play this game is available here.

Play fetch. Play fetch with your dog. This game is good if you do not wish to exert yourself a great deal while at the same time wish to give your dog a good workout. A useful guide on how to teach your dog to play fetch is available here.

Play hide-and-seek. Play hide-and-seek with your dog. This game will exercise your dog’s mind because it will encourage her to look for you. This game also offers your dog the chance to exercise her sense of smell. A helpful guide on how to teach your dog to play hide-and-seek is available here.

Play find-it. Play find-it with your dog. This game is similar to hide-and-seek except your dog in this game will be looking for items that you hide from her for the purposes of this game. Hide treats for your dog in your choice of hiding spots (e.g. behind furniture legs) and instruct your dog to find these hidden treats. This game also encourages your dog to use her powerful sense of smell. The ASPCA notes that offering your dog the opportunity to use her sense of smell ‘can really wear her out!

Play chase. Play chase with your dog by tying one of her favorite toys to a rope and allowing her to chase the toy as you twirl it in the air or drag it along the ground. You can also purchase toys from your nearest pet store designed specifically for playing chase with your dog

2. Encouraging Active Alone Time

Assign your dog healthy activities to do by herself. One of the best ways of ensuring that your dog will not engage in destructive or otherwise poor behavior when she is by herself is to assign her appropriate tasks to do while you are away. Doing so will ensure that your dog is fulfilling her natural desire to remain active while at the same time engaging in healthy, non-destructive activities.

Buy food puzzle toys. A great way to simulate an environment in which your dog can hunt for food is by making use of food puzzle toys. These are containers that hold food and treats but do not provide your dog easy access to their food. Working for her food in this manner will fulfill her innate desire to hunt for food, simulating an environment similar to what wild dogs experience when scavenging for food.

• Food puzzle toys make your dog work for food in ways that are healthy for your dog because of the skills (e.g. pawing, nibbling, rolling) required to access the food. In addition, these toys also have a calming effect on your dog by encouraging her to engage in chewing and licking.
• Allow your dog time to learn to play with food puzzle toys. Gradually increase the amount of effort required to access the food from her food puzzle toys. If your dog is used to being served food in a bowl, she will take some time to learn to enjoy playing with food puzzle toys. Be patient with her as she learns this skill and do not force her to do too much too soon.
• For detailed instructions on how to stuff a particular brand of food puzzle toy known as a KONG food puzzle, visit this website.

Hide your dog’s food to simulate a hunting environment. Make your dog hunt for her meals around the house by hiding treats and food puzzle toys around the house. The ASPCA suggests that you can hide 'one of your dog's meals right before you leave her home alone, and she'll have great fun hunting her chow while you're away.'You can vary this activity by doing the same in your yard so that your dog can hunt for food both inside the house and outside in the yard. Most dogs love playing the game of looking for pieces of kibble in the grass.

Provide chew time. All dogs have an innate need to chew. The ASPCA observes that chewing helps dogs keep their jaws strong and teeth clean and that both wild and domestic dogs spend hours chewing.Providing your dog chew time with acceptable items to chew on will not only help her in maintaining a strong jaw and keeping her teeth clean but will also prevent her from chewing on items around the house that you do not want your dog to chew

3. Encouraging Activity With Other Dogs

Create opportunities for your dog to engage with other dogs. Dogs, like humans, are social animals who enjoy spending time with others within their species. Allow your dog to play with other dogs by creating opportunities for such social interaction

Get a companion animal for your dog. A companion animal (e.g. a trained dog) for your dog can provide an array of benefits, which include encouraging exercise and physical activity, relieving loneliness, and providing affection and companionship to your dog.

Arrange activities with friends and family who have dogs. A good way to create opportunities for your dog to enjoy time with other dogs is to arrange play dates with friends or family with dogs.Doing so will allow your dog an opportunity to socialize with other dogs and will also allow you to catch up with friends and family at the same time

Take your dog to a park or daycare. You can also take your dog to a dog park or dog daycare to allow her time to socialize with other dogs. You may not have the time or the financial means to take her to daycare everyday but try doing so at least a few times a week if possible. For more information on dog parks and daycares, visit this website. Be sure that her vaccinations are up to date before going to social gatherings of this nature.


If you are struggling to incorporate the above activities in your busy schedule, consider taking your dog to daycare at least a few times a week.
Visit your dog from work during lunch time if you live close to your place of work.
Hire a dog walker to take your dog for a walk or consider asking friends or family if your dog can spend time with them during the day when you are away at work.

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How to Deal With Your Dog's Fear of Vehicles

If your dog is afraid to go near your vehicle, the inability to take her with you to the vet, for outings, and whenever moving will cause a great deal of stress. If your dog runs to the end of the leash in a panic whenever a car passes, it can make walking him almost impossible. The good news is that by training your dog one step at a time and creating positive associations to replace his fearful ones, you can overcome his fear of cars.

1. Overcoming Fear of Passing Cars

Stay calm and cheerful. If you tense up every time a car passes, afraid of your dog’s reaction, your dog will notice. Your anxiety will reinforce his own. Instead, use a cheerful tone of voice and smile as you deal with passing traffic.

• Do not pet and soothe your anxious dog. Petting is a reward, so petting him when he is anxious will only reinforce the behavior.
• Do not scold or physically punish your dog for being afraid. Yelling at him will only intensify his fear.
• Do not try to “cure” your dog by making him confront his fear. This will only increase his fear, not remove it.

Know the signs of fear and of relaxation in your dog. Your dog might bark or lunge at the end of the leash when a car passes, but this is only an extreme display of anxiety. To train him, you’ll need to know when he is even mildly anxious, so you can go slow, and when he is relaxed, so you can move on to the next step.

• Common signs of fear are trembling, panting, whining, drooling, cowering, and tucking his tail.
• Signs that your dog is relaxed include relaxed posture, normal breathing, tails and ears held normally (not tucked or lowered), wagging, and eating at a normal pace.

Let your dog hear traffic noises at home. Start by opening the windows when you are playing with your dog or feeding him, so that he can start to associate the noise of cars with pleasurable activities

Expose your dog to cars at a distance. Once or twice a day, take your dog to a place in a park or a part of your yard that is far enough away from the street that your dog shows no fearful reaction when a car passes.

• Reward your dog with treats every time a car passes and praise him for staying calm.
• Do this for about a minute, then go inside or walk around the park for a couple of minutes before returning to the traffic for another minute.
• In all, expose your dog to traffic for a minute at a time, 5 or 6 times per training session.
• For the next session, increase the time your dog is exposed to traffic to 1.5 minutes. Continue gradually increasing the time from session to session

Add a command. Giving your dog something to do can help to distract him from passing cars. As you gradually move closer to traffic, start giving a command like “touch” or “look here” whenever you see a car coming. Give your dog a treat when he obeys

• If your dog is not able to focus on you or obey your commands because of traffic, take a break, move further from the traffic, and try again.

Wait until your dog shows no sign of fear at each stage before moving closer. Sometimes it might take 2 or 3 weeks of training before your dog relaxes at a given distance. Other times it might happen in days. Always wait until your dog is relaxed and calm before moving closer.

Walk your dog near traffic. Once your dog can deal with near-by passing cars while standing still, it’s time to start practicing while walking. However, if the dog shows signs of fear, do not force him to continue as this will only heighten and reinforce his anxiety. Bring plenty of treats, and just as you did while stationary, have your dog perform a command whenever you see a car coming. Give your dog a treat when he obeys.

Train your dog to walk a particular route. For extremely fearful dogs, it is often best to start with one particular route where they feel safe. If your dog is still having trouble walking near cars, consider conditioning him to walk a particular route – such as the path to your local park.

• Teach your dog to walk home first. Drive a quarter block from home along the path you will take, get out and walk home. If your dog pulls out of fear, stop and wait for him to stop pulling before you start again. Moving towards “safety” is his reward for good behavior. Be sure to keep distracting and treating your dog whenever cars pass.
• Each day, drive a quarter of a block further away along the path until you are driving him to the park and walking him home. Spend 1-2 weeks walking your dog home from the park.
• Next, teach your dog to walk to the park. Start by parking a quarter block from the park, walk him there, play, and then walk home.
• Continue adding a quarter block to your walk to the park each day until you are leaving from your home, walking to the park, and walking home.

2. Overcoming Fear of Car Travel

Check for travel sickness before assuming your dog is afraid of the car for any other reasons. If not addressed, a simple case of motion sickness can be compounded by anxiety brought on by associating the car with sickness. See your vet for advice about medication that can alleviate the motion sickness. Some symptoms of motion sickness include:

Whining and pacing

Excessive drooling

Lethargy

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Make your car comfortable for your dog. Creating an environment that is comfortable and enjoyable for your dog will make overcoming his fears much easier and in some cases, may solve your dog’s dislike of the car.

• Ensure that his harness fits properly or that his crate is the right size.
• Provide a blanket or toy that is special for your dog to help reassure him and to give him something to concentrate on.
• Ensure adequate air flow and a cool temperature. Never leave your dog in a car with the windows closed because the car will overheat and can kill your dog.
• Get rid of air fresheners. Any overwhelming smell in a car can be too much for your dog’s sensitive nose. Also avoid wearing too much perfume in the car.

Watch for signs of fear and of relaxation in your dog. To train him, you’ll need to know when he is uncomfortable, so you can back off, and when he is relaxed, so you can move on to the next step.

• Dogs who are afraid will often tremble, pant, whine, drool, cower, or tuck their tails.
• Relaxed dogs will adopt a relaxed posture, breath normally, hold their tails and ears normally (not tucked or lowered), wag, and eat at a normal pace

Do not take your dog on car trips if he is afraid. Trips in the car will only reinforce his fear, so avoid them, save for emergencies, until you've overcome his fear through desensitization (making him less sensitive to the experience) and counterconditioning (creating pleasant associations with the car to replace the negative ones).

Start by teaching your dog to approach the car without fear. When you go for a walk, give your dog a treat as you pass near the car. Play games like fetch or tug-of-war near the car. Feed your dog near the car, starting further away and moving the bowl progressively closer. When your dog shows no anxiety while eating or walking near your car, you are ready for the next step.

• Train your dog to spend time in the car while it is not moving. You may need to lure your dog into the car with treats at first. While he is in the car continue to give treats or give him a chew bone or treat filled KONG. Leave the door open, and take these treats away when your dog leaves the car. Practice this once or twice a day for a week or two.
• If it the engine starting that frightens your dog, try turning the car on before he gets in. You can attempt to desensitize him, or simply continue starting the car before putting your dog in it.
• When your dog is comfortable in the car, start closing the door.
• As your dog’s comfort increases, try feeding him in the car.

Turn the ignition on. Once your dog is comfortable in the car, try starting it with him in it. If your dog shows anxiety, then you might want to desensitize him. Start by starting the car with your dog nearby, but not in it. Have someone give treats as the car starts. Once your dog is comfortable, move him into the car and repeat the process

Move the car a few feet and back. Drive your car down the driveway or a few feet down the street. Stop and with the engine running give your dog some treats or have a quick play session. Move back to your parking spot and end the session. Continue this until your dog is totally relaxed during these sessions

Take short, fun trips. You want to make your dog’s first training drives in the car short, with a fun destination – preferably a park or hiking trail your dog enjoys. If there is one within a block or two, head there. If not, get in your car without your dog and drive it to within one or two blocks of your destination. Then, walk your dog to the car and drive the short remaining distance. Afterwards, walk your dog home.

• Continue until your dog is comfortable with this short trip.
• Park further and further away as your dog grows comfortable in the car.

Add more fun destinations. You want your dog to see the car not as a place of fear, but as a place of treats leading to wonderful destinations. Once your dog can handle short trips, try gradually longer ones to places he loves like friend’s houses, pet stores, or other parks.

Drive on the highway. Uninterrupted motion makes dogs sleepy and will help your dog to relax in the car. The highway is a great way to get your dog accustomed to longer trips in a relaxed manner

3. Introducing Your Puppy to Car Travel

Familiarize your puppy with the vehicle as early as possible. A puppy under three months will be easier to train to get used to a vehicle than an older dog. The best way to overcome fear of your car is to avoid it in the first place with early training

Teach your puppy that the car is a fun place. Before you take any trips with your puppy, introduce him to the car so that he can grow accustomed to it. Especially in the summer, make sure the car is running so you can keep it cool. This will also help your dog grow accustomed to the sound of the motor. To help your puppy get comfortable:

• Place a bed on the seat so your dog is comfortable and doesn’t slip on the upholstery.
• Feed you your puppy meals in the car.
• Give your dogs treats, such as a stuffed KONG or bone to chew on.

Get your puppy accustomed to being restrained in either a crate or under a harness for travel. Always travel with your dog restrained for his safety. When introducing your dog to the car, it is important that he wear the same restraint he will when traveling, or go in a carrier if that is how you will transport him.

• If using a harness, you can practice putting it on in your home before trying it in the car. Give your dog lots of treats when you put it on, then take it off. Gradually increase the amount of time he wears it, eventually giving him a bone or chew toy to play with while in the harness.
• If using a crate, you should crate train your dog before trying the crate in the car.

Start with short rides. Dogs often suffer from motion sickness during their first few car rides, so you’ll want to keep your puppies first trips short. Start with just going in and out of the driveway and gradually build up to more.

• For the first 2-3 days, just back out of the driveway or drive a few feet down the street, then return to you parking place. Do this once or twice a day.
• Next, try driving around the block for a couple of days.
• Move on to a five minute drive. As long as your dog shows no signs of anxiety – panting, trembling, whining, cowering, or drooling – you can slowly increase the lengthy of trips over several weeks.

Take your dog to places he likes. If you only use the car to take your dog to the vet, your dog is not going to like the car. Especially when you dog is a puppy, try to have most car trips end somewhere fun, like the park, the hiking trail, a pet store, a friend’s house, or a dog park. If your dog is anticipating the destination, he won’t mind the drive so much

Have your dog get in and out of the car by himself as soon as he can. Especially for bigger breeds, teaching your dog to get in and out by himself will save you a lot of back pain when he is full grown.

• Getting In – Pick a command word like “in” for entering the car. If necessary, use treats to lure your dog into the car at first. Be sure to use the command word as your dog enters, so he starts to associate the word with the action.
• Getting Out – Pick a command word like “out”. It is very important to teach you dog to wait to leave the car until asked. Teach your dog “wait” at home. Have your dog wait in the car, then get out on command. Practice with a leash on at first, to be sure your dog won’t run off.

Be patient. All training takes time. It may be weeks until your dog is comfortable with cars.

If at any time your dog has a meltdown, you'll need to return a few steps to build up her courage again. See this as a temporary detour in the learning process

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How to Calm a Nervous Dog in the Car

If you love your dog and you want to take it places with you, learn how to manage and overcome its nervousness in the car.

1. Traveling Successfully With a Dog

Make sure the dog is comfortable but safe. Always travel your dog in a crash-test approved safety device, such as a travel pod (small dogs), harness (medium-sized dogs), or crate (large dogs.) This keeps the dog safe and prevents it from distracting the driver by actions such as climbing onto his lap.

Avoid giving the dog a large meal prior to travel. A good compromise is to feed the dog 3-4 hours prior to travel. You can also wait to feed your dog when you get to your destination, if your trip is short.

• Remember that a dog may feel sick even if its stomach is very empty.

Give the dog plenty of opportunity for breaks. Your dog will need toilet breaks if you are taking it for a long ride. You should also carry water and a bowl so it can have a drink during breaks in the journey.

• Get out and take your dog out to stretch its legs. This will go a long way toward soothing its sickness or nervousness.
• For long journeys exercising the dog before hand will help to burn off excess energy and help it to settle en route.

Make your dog as comfortable as possible. Don't over heat the car or smoke during the journey, as this may induce nausea even in a seasoned traveler. Consider using pheromones in the car, such as an Adaptil collar on the dog. This gives off hormones that reassure the dog and reduce anxiety, and may well help with his distress at being in a vehicle.

• Take along something the dog finds comforting, such as a blanket that smells of home, or a favorite cuddly toy.

Take someone else with you until your dog gets used to being in the car. Your dog can easily distract you if it is moving around a lot in the back of the car and if it is whining or barking. Obviously any distraction while you are driving can be dangerous.

• If the dog is sitting in a rear gate, have someone pat the dog (if able) every so often. Move it if this location causes undue stress.
• Talk to your dog to reassure it. Use a calm voice and don't show panic or annoyance if it is doing something you don't want it to do. Just keep calmly talking to the dog and telling it how good it is being.

Take a bag of supplies with you for your journey. It should include treats for rewards, a good strong leash, fresh cool water and a bowl to drink from, a toy or two, and plenty of cleaning up materials, such as cloths, spray cleaner, poop baggies etc. It is likely that your dog might have an accident in your car in the early days just due to plain nervousness. If you have cleaning products at hand, the long term damage to your vehicle will be minimized and you and your dog's comfort can continue for the rest of the journey.

2. Addressing Motion Sickness

Assess whether your dog has motion sickness. Some dogs are nervous about car travel because they feel nauseous and associate journeys with feeling ill and travel sickness. Recognize the signs of motion sickness, the most obvious of which is heavy drooling. Strings of saliva hanging from the dog's lips is a sure sign of motion sickness. In addition, all dogs react differently but some hang their heads and look troubled, others may try to pace, and some will whimper.

• Those dogs who suffer from motion sickness will need medication to travel well. You will need to speak to your vet about a safe medication to counteract the nausea. It might be that the dog always needs medication for long journeys, but you may well be able to retrain it to accept short journeys without illness.

Be prepared for the dog to be sick. Do not shout or chastise the dog if it vomits. It cannot help being sick and being chastised only adds to its apprehension and increases the trauma of the experience, which will make it even more anxious.

• If you know your dog gets travel sick but have to make a journey, such as to the vet to get travel sickness meds, then seat it on a puppy pad so that the mess can be easily cleaned.

Place your dog in a spot in the car where it can see out. It usually helps a dog if it can see out of a window. If you have a toy or small dog, consider getting a travel pod which raises it up off the seat in a safe way, so it can see out. For medium sized dogs, have a certified crash-tested harness and seat the dog on a back seat so it can see out. For large dogs, consider putting the dog in a crate, so they are safe and can see out.

• You can also put a blanket underneath where the dog will be sitting. It should be a blanket that the dog uses regularly, so its smells will be familiar to the dog.

Consult with your vet about whether your dog needs medication to prevent nausea. Avoid using human anti-motion sickness medications unless you have checked it out with your vet first. These are not approved for use in dogs, so the side effects have not been fully tested, and the possible reactions with other drugs is unknown. On a practical level, dogs metabolize drugs differently than people, so there is a distinct possibility that those human drugs won't be effective.

The best medication for motion sickness is a prescription drug called Cerenia (maropitant) which is available as an injection (given by the vet) or tablet. Both forms work for 24 hours. This medication is superior to others because it acts on the nausea center in the brain, and switches off all feelings of nausea and sickness.

Consider alternative treatments. Some owners find giving their dog Bach flower remedies, commonly known as Rescue Remedy, helps, but this is anecdotal. This is a liquid and you place a few drops on the dog's tongue. That som dogs seem to benefit is that they are given the equivalent of a small alcoholic drink.

3. Retraining a Nervous Dog

Figure out if your dog is simply nervous, as opposed to nauseous. Some dogs dislike car journeys because they feel fearful or anxious because they had a bad experience in a car, such as being involved in a crash. It could even be that a dog is hesitant to get in the car because it got too excited and the driver shouted at it.

• It is immensely helpful to retrain the dog so that journeys become associated with a pleasant experience and therefore something to be looked forward to.

Avoid long journeys while retraining your dog. If your dog hates car travel, then try to avoid long journeys while you are retraining it.Your aim is to build new associations with the car so that the dog thinks the car is a great place to be. This is a gradual process that can't be rushed, and will actually be set back if you rush it.

Begin exposing your dog to positive experiences in the car. Start with the car parked and with the engine off. Open a door and put an extra tasty treat inside. Encourage the dog to jump into the stationary car and give it lots of positive attention when it does. Then let the dog come out and do something pleasurable afterwords, like take the pup for a walk.

• Then start feeding the dog meals in the stationary car. Protect the upholstery with a towel or puppy pad, place the food bowl on top, and get it used to taking meals in the stationary car.
• Consider stuffing a Kong and giving it to the dog in the stationary car. Think of different activities which your dog enjoys and make them happen in the car. It could be it takes weeks or months until the dog is willingly jumping into the vehicle, in anticipation of the "good thing", but eventually he will learn.

Transition to pleasurable experiences while the car is on and moving. Once the dog is comfortable in the stationary car, start taking ultra short trips. Initially, these are as limited as starting the engine, letting it run, then turning it off. Then try backing out of the driveway, and straight back in.

• Build up to a short trip round the block. Then a short drive round the neighbourhood.
• This is all about gradual adjustments, so don't rush it. Make sure your dog is really comfortable with a phase before moving forward.
• If you can have someone go with you to watch the dog for signs of distress or nausea. If this happens, stop the car, take the dog out and let it walk around for a bit to give it relief. Complete the journey and next time don't go so far.
• In these early days, try to visit places that are fun, so the journey has a reward at the end of it, such as a park or woods.

If you have two dogs that are used to each others company, try putting them together so that they can comfort each other on the ride.

If you get your dog as a puppy, for its first couple of car trips take it somewhere fun, like a field or a park, instead of a "bad" place like the vet.

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How to Help a Blind Dog

If your dog goes blind don't despair, there are plenty of ways you can help it cope with its blindness and help it to lead a full and happy life.

1. Assessing Whether a Dog is Blind

Pay attention to your dog's eyesight, as you do with your dog's overall health. Dogs that slowly lose their vision over weeks, months, or even years, have a chance to adapt. They are so good at compensating with their other senses that sometimes an owner doesn't notice. An owner may only realize something is amiss when the furniture is rearranged, the dog bumps into the sofa, or the owner changes the dog's regular walk and the dog is reluctant to move.

Look for specific signs that your dog is losing its sight. You want to make sure that your dog is having problems with its eyes, and not other issues. Clues your pet may have impaired vision or be blind include:

• Difficulty locating objects: Taking a while to find things that the dog should be able to see on the ground, and locating them mainly by sense of smell. Pay attention to zig-zagging to-and-fro while sniffing heartily, rather than locating them immediately by sight.
• Seeming 'lost': If you are at a distance in the park and call your dog, a partially sighted or blind dog may stand stock still and 'stare' around as if lost. Try waving your arms and see if the dog then finds it easier to locate you or not.
• Bumping into things: Try placing unexpected objects in the dog's path, such as placing a suitcase in the middle of the lounge where the dog would normally walk in a direct line from one door to another.
• Reluctance to move when in a strange place: Being in an unfamiliar place results in many blind dogs being hesitant to move because they are fearful of their footing.
• Clumsiness: The dog may bump into objects, trip on small steps, or even tumble down unfamiliar staircases.
• Dilated pupils: This is not a universal sign, but look to see if the dog as large round black pupils in bright light. If the retina is damaged the message from the back of the eye that to the brain, telling the pupil to constrict, does not get through and the pupil remains large, which is inappropriate in bright light.

Consult your veterinarian. If you suspect your pet is loosing its vision you should seek the opinion of a veterinarian. Your vet may refer you to a veterinary ophthalmologist for a definitive diagnosis. Being forewarned that the dog has poor and deteriorating vision gives you a head start in helping it to cope and adapt.

• However, conditions such as PRA are progressive and there is no cure. It may be a good idea to have realistic expectations about what referral will achieve.

2. Making a Blind Dog Comfortable

Commit to making the dog's environment comfortable. The environment the dog lives in should be as comforting as possible. The dog is likely to spend a lot of time within the familiar safety of the home. There are lots of things you can do to help the dog navigate around the home and feel confident.

Remove obvious hazards. Take a look at each room from a dog's eye view and look for things that could injure the dog if it ran into them. Look for sharp edges, such as table legs or the glass edges of coffee tables. Improvise a way of protecting the dog should it knock into them.

• Children's safety devices can be useful, such as rubber tubing to wrap round sharp edges or padded corners that fit over table edges
• Things like electric bar heaters should be removed. While the dog will sense the radiant heat, if the dog is startled and moves in haste it may run into the heating elements and get burned.

Don't Move Furniture Around. Now is not the time to go for a radical makeover and move around all the furniture. The dog will be familiar with the layout from previous experience and use that memory to move around.

Keep the place tidy. Dogs can trip and fall just like people. With any luck the dog won't seriously injure itself but it may lose self-confidence and be more reluctant to move around freely if it fears falling over.

Do not startle your blind dog. Since a blind dog cannot see you coming, it may be easily startled. This may frighten the dog, which in turn may make it jump and possibly snap out of fear. It is especially important that children understand this and never approach a blind dog without talking to it first and making sure that it has registered their presence.

• When approaching a blind dog, speak to it first. Once you have the dog's attention, reach out your hand in a fist for the dog to sniff. Avoid putting your hand straight onto the dog's head, as this can startle them.
• Get into the habit of talking to your blind dog as you move around the house, so that it knows where you are

3. Helping a Blind Dog Navigate its Home

Use auditory markers. It can help the dog to orientate itself if you leave a radio switched on low volume in each room, but tuned to a different channel, say a voice channel in one room, classical music in another, rock music in the third. This way the dog will learn to associate certain rooms with certain sounds and orientate itself more easil

Use different textured rugs. As the dog walks from one room to another it may not know which room it is entering. Put a different textured rug at the entrance to each room. This helps the dog 'feel' where it is and know using the touch of its paws on the rug, as to which room it is about to enter or leave

Put a bell on other pets. If you have other pets, put a collar and bell on them. This helps the blind dog to know who is around, where they are, and helps to avoid surprise

Put plants on ground level to mark hazards. Consider putting some plants beside particular hazards, such as sharp corners. This will help the dog because it will feel the plants leaves, gets an early warning of where it is, and avoid the hazard

Make adjustments in your yard, as well as your home. For instance, place a wind chime by the back door. This will help the dog to locate the door after it has finished in the yard

4. Training a Blind Dog

Adjust your dog's training if it goes blind. When you train a sighted dog it is common to inadvertently (and deliberately) use hand signals. Also, the dog will use sight to locate you in the park when off lead. You will need to change the way you train and interact with the dog.

Losing its sight can make the dog appear to become disobedient, whereas in reality it is just likely confused and disorientated.

Take the obvious precaution of keeping the dog on a leash when out and about. This is especially important when walking beside roads, as the dog will not see hazards. The dog is also more liable to be startled and bolt, and then lose its bearings, so keeping control with a leash is essential.

Have regular one-to-one training sessions with you. This helps builds the dog's confidence and reassures them that you are in charge. In addition building a solid, "Sit", "Stay", and "Come" give you a good degree of control over the dog when you are out and about. If the dog learns to obey your instruction instantly, this allows you to be the dog's eyes and keep him out of trouble.

Consider clicker training the dog. The penetrating click-clack of the clicker will help the training and also help the dog to locate you. Consider using a whistle when out and about, as the high-pitched noise will help the dog to locate you in a busy environment, where there are other noises competing for the dog's attention.

Be aware that blind dogs are more vulnerable to attack from other dogs. This is because the blind dog doesn't see and read the approaching dog's body language, which can result in miscommunication that is interpreted as a challenge by the approaching dog. Try not to react fearfully around other dogs as this makes the blind dog anxious, but be prepared to intervene at an early stage and ask the other dog's owner to put their pet on a leash (and explain why) before things escalate

Be aware when traveling by car, your blind dog may be caught off balance when you turn sharp corners. It is good to give the dog verbal cues that a corner is coming, such as a new spoken command "Corner", so that it can brace itself. Blind dogs soon pick up these cues and learn to compensate.

Use toys that crinkle, rattle, or squeak, so that the dog can locate them. Also, the dog will develop an excellent sense of smell, so consider laying scent trails with a favorite toy or even food that the dog can follow to a reward.[10]

• Don't forget to play with your dog. Blind dogs like to play, however, they can feel insecure when tearing around in case they bump into something. Consider getting a large rug or runner, and play with the dog on this mat. It will soon learn where the edges are and know it is safe to stick within it's area.

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SOME EFFECTIVE DOG TRAINING TIPS FOR ALL DOG LOVERS

Importance of dog training tips

Dogs require early training for proper growth, so for this these dog-training tips will help you a lot to put your efforts in growing your pooch as an obedient, healthy and happy pooch. In case you are a first time owner, these tips will work wonders.

First thing, one needs to understand is that training a dog is not at all difficult, or a waste of time.  Just like a child, what a pooch learn in his beginning will remain with them throughout his life. Ensuring the right puppy training tips will make an optimistic effect on how one approaches training and how well his pet accept it.

Puppy training tips

The connection and communication that one has with his dog through discipline, affection and exercise is the base of training. Below are five dog-training tips that may help one to effectively train his pooch.

Socialization: it is a method of exposing a new pup with the variety of practices in a comfortable, safe and positive way. The biggest fault that a puppy owner makes is that they think their pooch is too small to be trained and they should keep at home until they grow old. However, they are wrong puppies under the age of 14 weeks are best to train and more confident. Therefore, it is better to carry your puppy with you wherever you go.

Disease Prevention:small dogs do not have a good immune function and hence should be protected from dogs of unknown vaccination or are of contaminated areas. Consult your vet before taking your pup to a dog park. Make sure of a puppy socialization class and take him to play with the known dogs only.

House Breaking: An effective way to house break a dog is crate training. Crate training is not at all cruel. In fact to a crate trained dog  his crate will feel comfortable. This is his “safe place” and children -or adults – should leave him alone while he is staying in a crate.  A crate rained dog can go anywhere with his owner.

Destructive Behavior: canines have a habit to chew like crazy and this will continue until the adult teeth come out. Detain the puppy in an X-pen or crate, while they are unsupervised so that they cannot chew anything. Give your pup a wide range of chew toys. If a puppy is mouthy over anybody do not punish him instead put him away and give him something to chew.

Begin Training on Day One: Ideally, a dog should be trained from the first day he opens his eyes. The earlier a dog is trained is better, because this will develop a creative and intelligent dog earlier.

While applying all given puppy training tips, practice patience, and do not be too tough on your dog! Always keep in mind that all efforts you put in today will help you in future.

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DOG TRAINING TIPS THAT WILL SAVE YOU GRIEF AND TIME

Dog owners have many methods of training their dogs to choose from today. A number of these methods use only positive reinforcement; others utilize positive and negative reinforcement while others use incentives like treats. The difference in dog training techniques mainly lies in the specific procedures and commands that the dog is being trained. The most appropriate training technique for a dog depends on the dog owner’s or the trainer’s preference and the desired end result.

No matter the training method, these tips will substantially assist you understand and choose the best training technique for your dog.

Dog training Tip 1
Start the training when the dog is still as young as possible. However, it is not practical to train a dog younger than 49 days.

Dog training Tip 2
At the beginning, the training sessions should not last over 15 minutes. At advanced stages, dog training may go on for up to several hours but a beginner dog has a short attention and interest span. Even after the dog is accustomed to the training, obedience training should not last over twenty minutes. If you suspect that the dog is losing interest, end the session.

Dog training Tip 3
End all dog training sessions on a positive note. It will not go well if you end the session with a bad note, like after you just disciplined the dog. If necessary, create a positive situation just before you end the training session.

Dog training Tip 4
Schedule the dog training sessions at a certain time of the day. After awhile, the dog will learn the timing and will even show excitement when it is almost time for the next training.

Dog training Tip 5
Use light weight leashes or leads that are about six feet long for all training sessions. Using heavy leather leashes are heavy and very distractive.

Dog training Tip 6
Consistency in the command you use to train the dog is very important. The dog gets accustomed with certain words that it takes as keywords. For instance, if you train the dog to understand “sit” to sit and “Dowd” to lie down, it would be very confusing to it to tell it to “Sit Down”. Try as much as you can to avoid using negatives. The best example is telling the dog “Don’t Sit”. It will just grasp the word “Sit” and do what it understands by it. Other phrases that should not be used are phrases like “Please sit”, “come and sit”, “Sit boy” etc.

Dog training Tip 7
Play the dog’s favorite game for at least 5 minutes after the training to make the dog excited about the training. This will boost a positive experience and make it look forward to training sessions.

Dog training Tip 8
Use the same volume and tone in instructing the dog. You can make a special “command tone” so that the dog can have an easy time understanding the commands each time. However, after the training, practicing with different tones, volume or even by different people will assist reinforce the commands.

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Nice Post on Dog Development

We hope you enjoy our dog development post and, if so, don’t forget to browse through our collection of stunning dog coats, waterproof dog collars and dog beds.

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TIPS FOR AVOIDING AGGRESSION FROM STRANGE DOGS

If you plan to spend some of your summer afternoons at Scarborough Bluffs Park or another popular outdoor destination, chances are high that you’re going to encounter a dog or two during your outings. Most people have good control of their pets, keep their dogs on leashes, and have friendly pups who would just love to get a belly rub and a treat. Unfortunately, not everyone has their canines under control. Dog bites are the most common animal-related injury we deal with as a Scarborough injury law firm. If you’re concerned for your own well-being or for your family, here are some tips to keep in mind when you see dogs out and about.

Never Approach a Dog Without an Owner Nearby

This one may seem obvious, but there are a surprising number of people who willingly bypass this rule. Sometimes kids get overly excited and forget to be mindful of strange dogs, but more often adults think that they are exempt from the rule because they’re older and feel more confident in their ability to handle animals. A dog that doesn’t know you may feel threatened when you approach it without its owner around for protection and guidance, and can lash out at you if you breach its personal space and try to pet it. Not only that, but it’s disrespectful to the owner of the animal to pet a dog without getting express permission first.

Pay Attention to Body Language and Watch Children Closely

There are many times that, although you be able to make a legal claim that the attack was unprovoked, dog bites are preventable. It’s important to pay attention to the body language of unfamiliar dogs, whether they belong to a stranger on the street or to the friend that you’re visiting. A tense body and tail, wide eyes, and pulled back ears are all indicators of a stressed out canine who is likely to lash out. Keep an eye on kids and make sure you’re always on hand to sweep them away if you start to notice anxious behavior in a dog. It’s better to get your child out of the situation preemptively than to let things escalate to an attack that could cause physical and emotional damage to your child.

Do Not Approach a Dog, Let Them Come to You

If you or your child has been given permission to pet a dog, remember to let them come to you first. Hold out your palm and allow them to walk up to you and get to know your scent. Observe their body language and only continue if the dog is relaxed, comfortable, and happy. If the dog shows signs of nervousness, stop and give it some space.

Approaching a dog can be perceived as an attack and may cause them to lash out, so let them get to know you at their own pace.Don’t Run or Scream Around Unfamiliar DogsDon’t let your kids run wild around dogs that can attack them. Running and screaming can trigger a dog’s instinct to chase and hunt, and even “play” can become dangerous when a big dog doesn’t understand how to treat small children. Always remind your kids to exercise caution around new animals.

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Tips Train a Dog

1. Obedience training really is not for the dog...it's for YOU. This training teaches you how to communicate what you want your dog to do in a way that he understands. If you send your dog to someone else to train them, they learn to work with that person, not you. Take the time to learn how to train your dog, don't pass the responsibility off to someone else. In some cases, you may need to have your dog learn the basics from someone else. But then, you should have the trainer work with you AND the dog together. This will make sure that you have the ability to continue the training at home. Check back in with the trainer for “tune up” sessions for you and your dog to keep everyone on track.

2. Don't let your dog do something bad too many times because they will get into a bad habit.
Remember that every dog is different. One dog might learn at a slower pace than another dog, and that's okay. There is no such thing as an untrainable dog!

3. Remember that dogs do not communicate the same way humans do. It's up to you to learn their "language" not the other way around.

4. Do not let your dog "lean" on you either when you are standing up or sitting down. This is not a sign that they like you. This is a sign of dominance. The dog is encroaching into your space. You are the leader. Stand up and let your knee or foot nudge them out of your space. Praise the dog for getting up. 

5. Give the dog a command to lay down on their bed or go to their crate if you need to manage your personal space more effectively.

6. If using hand signals, be sure they are unique and distinct for the dog to see and differentiate. There are standard dog training signals used for basic commands like “sit,” “stay,” etc. If you are unsure, ask your trainer or look online or in a book for a clearer picture of the body language to use.

7. Use a harness instead of a choke chain.

8. When using voice commands, use a firm voice. You mean for this dog to sit, so speak with meaning. 

9. Do not continue to repeat a command over and over again hoping the dog will eventually perform the command. Reinforce the command within 2-3 seconds if the command is not done and then praise the dog. You don’t want to be one of those people you see repeating “sit” 20 or so times until the dog sits. 

10.You want a sit on the first command, not the twentieth.

11. Do not allow your dog to bite you, even playfully. This sets a bad precedent and it will be difficult for you to break them of this habit. Dangerous, aggressive dogs will need special training from an experienced dog trainer. In some cases, a veterinary behaviorist will need to become involved. At no time should you take on an aggressive dog without the proper training. It is too dangerous.

12. Be consistent. Make sure the command and hand signal use is the same each time. 10-15 minutes per day day is all that it takes.

13. If your dog is out of control, another good way to correct the behavior is to isolate them from the rest of the "pack". Put them in their crate or kennel and ignore them. Isolation from the pack is dog language for "your behavior is unacceptable and we don't like it." Your dog will understand the message. They may whine and howl, but you have to ignore it. Think of it as a "time out" for your dog. When they are quiet and settled, let them out of the crate. Don’t forget to keep your dog exercised to help manage their energy level. Playing “fetch” is a great way to get the dog tired.

12. Speak with a nice firm voice to your dog. Your usual “indoor speaking voice” will do just fine.

15. Praise your dog often and lavishly.

17. Training dogs requires a large amount of patience. It can be frustrating if you choose a breed wrong for your skill level or lifestyle. If you find you have made a poor choice, ask professionals for guidance. You may need to find a new home for the dog. Call your local rescue organization or veterinarian. Don't wait until you and the dog have suffered. If you just don't have the patience, then get yourself some personal one-on-one training from a reputable dog trainer. Nobody is a “born” dog trainer without getting educated.

18. Don't be cruel to your dog or hit them. If you strike your dog out of frustration, he will only learn to fear you.

19. Clean up after your dog if they defecate on someone else's property or in a public place. Doing this will ensure that others enjoy your dog as much as you do.

20. If he takes things that don't belong to him, say, "drop it."

21. Try not to get mad if the dog does not follow the rules.

22. When teaching your dog to speak, howling/barking yourself might make your dog bark.

23. Give the dog a treat or reward if they listen! Remember your dog will easily be attracted to you if they know you love them.

Memorize

1. Use a collar and leash that is appropriate to your dogs size. Too loose or too tight collars can cause injury.

2. Having a dog requires almost as much responsibility as having a child. If you're not ready for that, don't get a dog until you have done your research, and make adjustments to allow a dog into your life.

3. Keep regular vet visits and stay up to date on vaccinations. You should also keep current on license requirements, and have your pet spayed or neutered as soon as they are old enough.

4. Regular exercise for your dog will prevent him from being destructive in your home. Dogs get bored.

5. When they get bored, they find ways to "entertain" themselves. That may include chewing your favorite shoes, destroying furniture, or barking nonstop. Avoid this problem by taking them for regular walks (twice a day is best). And it's good for you too! “A tired dog is a good dog.” Exercise to the point of being tired is different for each individual.

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