Dog Obedience Training Blog
Are You Being Positive or Just Permissive?
Image: federico stevanin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Using positive training methods to train your dog is the only way to ensure that the behaviors you train are predictable and repeatable. However, there is a big difference between being positive and letting your dog get away with just anything. Read Gillian’s article to learn more.
Why is a Positive a Negative?
March 10th, 2010 by Gillian Ridgeway, Dog Star Daily
Why is it that the word “positive” can strike such a chord in a dog owner’s mind? Having been involved in the dog world since 1972 and spending the great majority of my adult life working with dogs, it has been an uphill battle to increase awareness in the theory of learning for dogs. There has been a vast increase in awareness of this theory for children, but the dog owners are still lagging behind. Although, giving credit where it is due, it is leaps and bounds better than in the middle 1980’s, when dog training took a surge from being a novelty to a necessity.
Positive doesn’t mean permissive. That sentence, while not originated by me, is a powerful message and one that all dog owners can relate to. Positive means helpful and constructive, and a positive response from a dog owner to his canine companion means that the dog will receive something pleasurable after he does the desired behavior, which in turn will increase the likelihood of the behavior re-occurring. Sounds simple? The more you give your dog positive feedback for what you want, the more likely it is that he will repeat that exact behavior.
Your Dog’s Ears
Grooming is a very important part of caring for your dog’s health, and keeping your dog’s ears clean and free from infection is probably the most important part of a good grooming routine.
Basic Ear Care for Dogs
February 18, 2010, basicearcarefordogs.blogspot.com
Your dog’s ears can be prone to infections and ear mites because of the natural way their ears are constructed. The curves and twists can hide mites, ear wax and irritation. Careful cleaning and maintenance can help to ensure that your best friend has healthy ears. The ASPCA gives easy tips that any pet owner can use safely.
Busted!
courtesy of www.fugly.com
“What, steal the hamburgers? No, honest, we were just going to fetch them for you!”
Featured Dog Breed – Collie
courtesy of www.justdogbreeds.com
If you loved Lassie, then you’ll love reading more about the breed.
Collie Temperament
A well balanced, sociable, and intelligent breed, the Collie is a dog that makes an excellent family pet, offering a good natured personality, plenty of affection and devotion, and bags of loyalty for the right owner. The Collie is a breed that tends to get along with everyone, from children and adults to pets and even strangers. These are sensitive dogs, and need plenty of attention and love from owners. The Collie loves to spend time with his family, and will enjoy getting involved in a range of activities from exercise activities to play and recreation.
Dependable, responsive, and intelligent, the Collie is a dog that has a well above average learning rate which makes him easy to train using the right methods (positive reward based training). These dogs are well suited to the more inexperienced dog owner as well as the experienced. The sweet nature of the Collie means that some dogs in this breed may be timid, and this means that early socialization is important in order to build confidence. The Collie will bark in order to raise an alarm if something is amiss, and this means that he can be an effective watchdog. The Collie does not like to live in an environment that is noise and fraught with tension, and a calm household is the ideal environment for this breed.
Seborrhea in Dogs and Vitamins
Learn more about this skin disease, and what to do about it.
Seborrhea in Dogs and Vitamins
liquid-vitamins-minerals-humans-pets.com
Seborrhea in dogs is a skin disease that can cause your pets skin to be very dry and flaky, or it can be just the opposite, very greasy. It is believed to be an inherited disease as it generally has a family history.
It usually starts to form when a puppy is between the ages of 12 to 18 months old. The term Seborrhea actually means a scaling or flaking of skin.
There can be two major causes of this condition; primary, which is genetic and thus inherited, or it can be secondary and the result of several underlying causes, but in most cases it will be a nutritional deficiency. With the secondary form, it can affect any breed of dog.
The breeds that seem to be the most affected genetically are German Shepherds, Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Dachshunds, Basset Hounds, Terriers, and Spaniels, especially American Cocker and English Springer’s, and well as Miniature Schnauzers.
However, it can also be found in obese dogs of any breed as they will have a more difficult time in properly grooming themselves.
Types of Seborrhea:
There are three types of Seborrhea in dogs; Seborrhea sicca, which is the dry form and will demonstrate dry and scaly conditions in your pet, Seborrhea oleosa, which causes an overproduction of oil in the skin which makes it stink and actually helped to coin the word smelly dog, and Seborrheic dermatitis, which demonstrates both conditions.
Dog Saves Cat
courtesy of www.fugly.com
MY HERO! I wish I could say I would have done the same for you!
Canine Arthritis
courtesy of www.remarkabledogs.com
Most aging dogs become susceptible to arthritis. Read this article to find out how to spot some of the early signs of its onset.
How To Spot Canine Arthritis
The Daily Wag
Like your dog’s pet parents, one of the inevitable issues of old age is arthritis and achy joints. Dogs feel the same type of pain associated with old age as we humans do. Our dogs cannot tell us when they hurt so the task of discovery falls on the pet parent.
Conscientious pet owners are aware of every nuance of behavior their dog demonstrates. The trick is to spot the signs of canine arthritis early so your dog continues a great quality of life throughout their golden years. Here is what to look for:
- Reduced playtime
- Lack of enthusiasm when the leash comes out
- Difficulty getting up
- Climbing stairs one at a time
- Excessive licking of paws or joints
- Less energy and lethargic
The Power of Positive Reinforcement
When I first starting training dogs, over 16 years ago, dog training consisted mostly of compulsion: a strong, usually irresistible impulse to perform an act, especially one that is irrational or contrary to one’s will i.e. force. Back “in the day” we taught our dogs to vehemently wait for a command so that they could comply.
The tools of the trade were choke chains, prong collars, throw chains and shake cans. I understudied at a dog training establishment in Wisconsin for over a year while I learned how to train; most puppies and adult dogs were fitted with prong collars. Then I moved to Colorado and began training with an organization that trained Service Dogs for adults and children with physical disabilities, and I was introduced to positive reinforcement and clicker training.
What a novel idea, to motivate an animal to work? Our physically disabled clients, after all, couldn’t force their four legged companions to comply to their every command; the dog had to “WANT” to comply to fulfill the job requirement and continually work throughout the day.
Socialization
courtesy of www.dogstardaily.com
You are probably aware of how important it is to socialize your puppy. Having good socialization skills will help your dog respond with acceptable and healthy behaviors when faced with situations that may be disturbing or disrupting to their normal routines.
Siblings and Roommates Don’t Count
posted by Cindy Bruckart, February 24th, 2010, dogstardaily.com
I’m often asking dog owners about their dog’s socialization history. Even if the dog owner tells me that their dog is “good with other dogs”, I have to ask more questions. Time and again, the dogs that their dog is good with include the siblings he played with at the breeder’s home, the dog he lives with and a relative’s dog. That’s it.
When I tell them that siblings and roommates don’t count, we get to the truth of the matter. The dog may be nearly a year old and have only met one or two other dogs, besides siblings and roommates. Now, I know that dog owners reading this might not see this as a big problem, as long as the dog was good with those dogs, we should be able to assume he’d be good with others, right? Wrong.
Who knew?
courtesy of cheezburger.com
They had been planning their revenge for weeks!
