4Knines Blog Home Page
Why You Need to Teach Your Dog Tricks
When was the last time you taught your dog a new trick? Been a while? Sometimes when we get a new dog/puppy we spend a lot of time teaching tricks and behaviors and once we feel the dog is “trained” we… well stop. Dogs love, love, love to train and learn behaviors. The AKC has launched a new trick dog program and it is just the ticket for some fresh new ideas. Why train tricks? Dogs love to learn new things Mental stimulation and activity helps improve your dog’s overall behavior New tricks prevent boredom (which can lead to bad … Continue reading → The post Why You Need to Teach Your Dog Tricks appeared first on 4Knines Dog Blog.
Learn more
How to Train Your Dog to Heel on a Loose Leash
To train your dog to walk to heel, it is vital they are calm and responsive. This allows them to have the focus to learn what you are asking of them. To accomplish this, it will help to plan the walk in a series of stages, starting off at a place with minimal distractions so you have the dog’s attention and...
Learn more
The Truth Behind Loose Leash Walking
As a trainer, often I get asked how a client can teach their dog to walk on a loose leash. Dogs sometimes pull on the leash because the dog walks at a faster pace than the person or because he has been inadvertently rewarded for pulling (like when they see someone they like and pull toward them and then get a greeting from the person) or perhaps the dog is very interested in the environment and pulls to investigate odors and other things he is interested in. Not only is this often uncomfortable for the person at the other end … Continue reading →
Learn more
How to Teach Your Dog to Stop Barking in the Home
In the home, when visitors approach, the dog has nowhere to flee, so it will often choose the second defense response – to freeze, which can manifest itself in the form of barking. In a moment when danger presents itself you need to display a calm reaction to show your dog that as its leader, you are aware...
Learn more
What to Do When Your Dog Won’t Listen
Let’s face it, we’ve all been there. That dog that was so well trained has now stopped listening, doesn’t come when called and basically does what he wants. It can happen for a lot of reasons: Not practicing Not enough positive reinforcement Changes to your daily routine Not asking enough of your dog I have a multi-dog household, so sometimes if practice or training time is limited on my part, they start to slip and the pack can take over in no time. Sometimes you need to just hit the reset button and re-start your training (and your mindset!). Our … Continue reading →
Learn more
5 Effective Ways to Calm a High Energy Dog
A dog with a high energy level can be a challenge to deal with on a daily basis. Depending on the breed, certain dogs require more mental and physical exercise. Otherwise, their pent up energy may lead to destructiveness, nervousness, separation anxiety, and aggressive tendencies. Not only is it important to drain your dog’s energy physically, it is also important to drain your dog mentally. Below are five solutions for satisfying your dog’s mental and physical needs: A Calm Dog Walk First and foremost, frequent dog walks are very important, between 20 to 45 minutes a day, multiple times … Continue reading →
Learn more
The Evolution of Dog Training
Over the years dog training has evolved just like almost everything else in the world! Although evolution and change can be scary, it is an important part of our lives. As humans, we are constantly striving for “something better” or to learn more about things. Because we have a desire for “something better,” we have eliminated deadly diseases, we have mini computers in our pockets, we can travel around the world and we live much longer. These changes did not come easy and many people feared the changes. Change can be scary and if we learn that we have … Continue reading →
Learn more
How to Give Your Dog Choices and Listen to What They Want
How often does your dog refuse to do what you ask? If you are like most people I have worked with, at some point you get frustrated with your dog. I have always owned Siberian Huskies and they are known for their independence and stubbornness. Some dogs love to please their owners, some dogs work for food or toys, and other dogs want to do what they want to do. I have one of the latter and he has taught me to let him make his own decisions about some things. As an example, I have a friend that … Continue reading →
Learn more
How to Handle Dog Barrier Frustration & Aggression
We often use barriers for the dogs’ protection but at times these barriers can have side effects; one side effect is barrier frustration. The challenge to owners is missing the right cues and trying to fix the wrong component. Barrier frustration can be stressful for dogs and owners alike. In this article we’ll take a look at one common barrier and its side effects. Leashes are used to keep our dogs safe and near us as well as to respect the space of others and their dogs, etc. Many places have leash laws requiring dogs to be on leash in … Continue reading →
Learn more
Should Your Dog Sleep In Your Bed With You?
As a trainer, I get this question all the time: “Should I let my dog sleep on my bed (or couch)?” In general, my answer is always – “It is up to you.” However, I also advise that there may be a few situations when you may not want to share your resting space with your dog. If you have a Great Dane puppy or other large breed puppy, you need to remember that the pint-sized pup will eventually be an enormous adult. Your sleep is important to maintaining a healthy life and you may not be able to … Continue reading →
Learn more
Dog House-Training, Potty Training, Housebreaking, Oh My!
A common source of frustration for the puppy or newly-adopted dog owner, let’s simplify potty-training! Potty training, house-training, the traditional term “housebreaking…” It’s all the same thing, isn’t it? It means teaching new puppy (or dog) – we’ll call him Bellhop for the purposes of this article – to eliminate in some places, and not to eliminate in others. As a general rule of thumb, you can assess that your puppy can probably “hold it” for the number of months old he is, divided by two. (So a two month old puppy can probably only hold it for about an … Continue reading →
Learn more
5 Tips for Polite Leash Walking Like a Pro
5 Tips for Polite Leash Walking Like a Pro Has walking your dog become a battle of wills over who will be dragging who in what direction? Polite leash walking can be a frustrating endeavor for many dogs and owners but the good news is by following a few tips, you can help your dog learn how to make walks more enjoyable for the both of you. 1. Walking outside with all the new sights and smells can be highly distracting for dogs who are working on their polite leash walking. To help your dog focus on what you are trying to teach them, try working in a more neutral environment where there are less distractions such as in the backyard or even in your house. 2. Dogs need to be motivated to have good manners and that means you need to plan ahead by bringing high-value treats along. A treat pouch offers a great way to easily be able to reward good choices. When choosing a treat make sure that you pick something that will be motivating for your dog even when distractions are present. Typically moist treats are your best bet and they can be cut to a small size (fingernail size) so that you can reward a lot without overdoing how much food your dog is getting. 3. If getting the leash put on sends your dog into an excitable frenzy, the likelihood that you will then be able to go for a calm and well-mannered walk drops. Often times the best way to start preparing for a polite walk is by practicing “getting dressed” (putting your dogs walking leash and or collar on). The key here is to not continue to go for the walk until your dog has calmed down sufficiently and can listen to instructions. So if you have put the leash on and your dog is acting wild, simply ignore them and wait for that behavior to stop before starting your walk. At first, this may take some time while your dog tries to understand these new rules but in no time they will learn that the only way they get to go on their walk is if they keep their cool. 4. Sniffing is an incredibly important part of being a dog and dog owners who attempt to prevent their dog from sniffing are really setting themselves up to fall short. This doesn’t mean however that your dog should be dragging you to go check out exciting smells. Instead, have your dog earn sniff breaks by responding to a command like a sit or come. When your dog performs the command successfully, give them a cue like, “go sniff” and allow them to get their nose on their ground to investigate. By utilizing sniff breaks you can allow your dog to be a dog while also developing a relationship where they don’t just pull you all over the place to check out their surroundings. 5. The last tip is easily the most important… make sure pulling doesn’t work! If your dog has learned that by pulling towards things, they get access to them you have inadvertently taught them to pull. Whether it’s to greet a person, dog, go through a door or whatever your dog wants to pull you towards, make sure that you don’t allow them to drag you where they want to go. Instead, turn and go the other way or simply stop until your dog gives up and then you can practice walking towards the thing that they want with a loose leash. Each time your dog pulls, you show them that pulling is not effective by stopping or turning around. Yes, this requires some patience and consistency early on in training but that dedication will be rewarded during the lifetime of your dog through relaxing walks. As Spring brings sunshine and nicer weather, it’s definitely the time of year to get outside and start walking our dogs! Keep these tips in mind to ensure your walk can go smoothly and that your dog is practicing good manners with you rewarding their positive choices as you go! Erin Kramer Erin Kramer is a professionally certified dog trainer who works as the owner and lead trainer for Tug Dogs a dog training business located in Sacramento, CA that specializes in behavior modification for dogs with fear, aggression, and anxiety issues. Erin has a lengthy canine training resume including training and handling dogs for use in TV and film, training for competitive sports such as AKC obedience, livestock herding, protection sport, and scent tracking, working as an evaluator for both service and therapy dogs, testifying in court as an expert witness in canine aggression and training, and working internationally as an instructor and now owner of trainer’s school. Erin is known for offering clear and easy to understand advice that helps dogs and their owners meet the challenges of helping dogs who are facing problem behaviors at home in a thoughtful and effective manner. You can learn more about Erin, her business Tug Dogs, and see training updates in action by visiting the Tug Dogs Facebook page at: facebook.com/teachtraintug :|zpendofcontent|:
Learn more
