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Does Petsmart have dog obedience training and nail clipping service?

Does Petsmart have dog obedience training? How effective would it be for a 2 month old Australian Shephard that is out of control. He loves to turn over water bowls (it’s 110 degrees here), jump other dogs and cats. Goes to the bathroom inside the house and tears apart everything.

Oh and how much does it cost?

How much is nail clipping for a small Chihuahua?

Yes, PetsMart does obedience training. Starting at 4 months, as long as your puppy has had rabies shots, you can start your training. We did this with our dog. Best thing ever! Ours was $99, but I do know that they have gone up to around $109.

Go to www.petsmart.com to find your local PetsMart to get the phone number of your local store. You can ask them about the nail clippings.

Jul 18, 2010 | 11 | obedience training

German Shepherd Training – 8 Tips on Dealing With Aggression

In this article I would like to discuss the basics of German Shepherd training, specifically, dealing with aggression in this particular breed. Since the German Shepherd is an athletic dog often times used in protection roles, many feel that they are prone to aggression. This is simply not true.

Let’s get to the basics of training an aggressive German Shepherd:

Canines need to understand that you are the alpha dog in the house. German Shepherds are no different. From day 1 of owning them, your dog should view you as alpha. If you are well into your relationship with your German Shepherd and have not established the alpha role, you may experience some resistance.

Humiliation, abuse, and corporal punishment have no place when dealing with aggressive behavior. A mild shake by the scruff of the neck to emphasize the rules is typically enough.

Reward him for behaving calmly with food treats, praise, and petting.

It is essential to reward calm and good behavior during training. This is positive reinforcement for the Shepherd, and positive reinforcement breeds more good behavior.

All members of your family should understand the idea of “alpha dog”; and dog psychology and socialization. When you’re not around, the last thing you want is for your training to be deconstructed.

Guarding breeds such as German Shepherds need special emphasis on socialization. Make sure he has plenty of interactive with humans and other dogs throughout his life.

Shepherds, as with all dogs, need exercise. Lack of exercise is a major cause of aggressive behavior in canines, German Shepherds are no different. Take your Shepherd jogging, running alongside you as you bike or rollerblade, hiking, etc. Even regular games of fetch will benefit. Consistent exercise is key, strive for at least a 45 minute walk per day.

Take your Shepherd to typical obedience classes and get them to at least an intermediate level. His mind should be stimulated and occupied.

Being the owner, your dog is your responsibility, and training your dog falls on your shoulders. Training, however, shouldn’t be looked at as a burden. German Shepherd training is a mutually beneficial process, and can lead to years of joy with your new best friend.

Chad McAdam
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/german-shepherd-training-8-tips-on-dealing-with-aggression-748570.html

Jul 17, 2010 | 10 | obedience training

This may sound kind of weird, but does anyone know if there is such a thing as Rabbit obedience training?

I absolutely adore my rabbit and I wish I could interact with him more and maybe teach him some tricks. I’ve heard and read about clicker training but I don’t really understand how to do it. I understand the concept and it sounds like a good idea I am just not very good at implementing it. I understand how to train dogs, I have grown up with them all my life, but trying to train a rabbit has proven to be quite a different experience. Any suggestions?

You can find some information here:
http://www.clickertraining.com/node/306

Jul 07, 2010 | 3 | obedience training

Would a new pup disrupt the obedience training we’ve been giving our other dogs?

So we’ve been giving our dogs some obedience training for a few months now, and we have seen some new pups we’re interested in adopting, But we’re worried if it cock up everything we’ve worked for. What’s the likelihood of that happening?

There is a good chance of a new puppy setting your dogs back, yes.
The puppy will have accidents and if they are not cleaned up properly, the scent could encourage your dogs to start peeing in the house.
Also, puppies misbehave, if your dogs see the puppy getting away with normal puppy behavior, they may start to think it’s ok for them to do these things too.

If you do decide to get a puppy, make sure you don’t get all caught up in the puppy and ignore what your older dogs are doing. Continue to practice your obedience with the dogs daily, this will keep it fresh in their minds, when the puppy is ready, include him in the sessions. Training never ends, you need to continue training dogs all throughout their lives to keep them sharp.
You will likely be giving a great deal less attention to your older dogs if you get a puppy. Puppies are a lot of work and require a ton of attention. You may feel bad for your current dogs, but don’t. Don’t let them get away with things you normally wouldn’t just because you feel guilty etc.
Also, make sure your older dogs get the same amount of exercise and mental stimulation as they got before you got the puppy.

Jun 29, 2010 | 6 | obedience training

How can I get started in a carrer in Dog Obedience Training ?

Does it require college courses or on the job training apprenticeships?

You need to go to as many different dog training classes that you can. Ask if you can ’shadow’ the instructors to gain from their experience. Then make up your mind who has the best methods.
Read all you can but…..You cannot beat experience!

Jun 18, 2010 | 5 | obedience training

How soon will obedience training be successful with a pup. They say dog’s can’t be discipline till 7months. I ?

I have problems now that I would like to address with my 15 week old dobe pup. He is smart, sweet and I am sure trainable. I can’t afford to take him to training twice. He walks well on a leash already.

I start the moment I bring them home. Ignore them when they jump on you, praise the heck out them when they sit in front of you for pets. teaching them basic commands like sit, down, stay, watch me, walk on a leash, even simple tricks. The earlier you teach them how to learn the easier it will be the rest of their lives.

Debbi V, Why would you have to pay $500 – $600 for training. Contact your local human society or City parks. There are many local low cost training classes that you can take them to. In my area the cost runs around $75 to $100. for 5 to 8 week classes, depending upon the trainers.

Jun 08, 2010 | 10 | obedience training

Training Golden Retriever – 3 Best Training Activities On Roll!

Now that you’ve brought a Golden Retriever into your home and family, you’ll want the reassurance that it will be a positive addition, not a constant bother. Here are some training tips for your Golden Retriever.

When you consider training your new Golden Retriever, know that there are different types of training that address different aspects of your dogs personality and conduct.

Behavior training is the approach where you teach your Golden Retriever to be a good dog in general. This may include house breaking, welcoming visitors (be they people or other animals), leash training, and types of training that make your Golden Retriever a better companion. The way you relate to your dog will determine much of his way of relating to his world. If you’re nervous and excitable and communicate those traits, your Golden Retriever will be nervous and excitable. On the other hand, if you speak softly and remain calm, your Golden Retriever will be a more laid-back dog.

Activity training teaches your Golden Retriever how to accomplish specific tasks like agility training, search and rescue, hunting, disability support, and herding. Golden Retrievers are strong athletic dogs that enjoy frequent exercise. They’re also smart dogs that appreciate being challenged and competing against other dogs for recognition and rewards. Of course, you’ll have the best luck if you select activities appropriate to the breed like guiding people, field trials, and service.
Goldens were first bred in Great Britain in the 1800s as a game-retrieving dog, so games that mimic finding and returning “game” like a frisbee are perfect for your Golden Retriever. Remember that Goldens are high-energy dogs that need to burn a lot of exercise on a daily basis. Active, challenging tasks are perfect to keep them happy and healthy and to maintain a balance temperament. Golden Retrievers are comfortable with routines and adapt easily to schedules where they know what to expect at certain times of day.

Obedience training focuses on the dog’s specific responses to specific commands. Obedience training promotes well-behaved, easily controlled Golden Retrievers. Goldens in obedience training learn how to listen to and carry out your commands (like “sit,” “heel,” and “Stay”), how to interpret hand signals and tone of voice, and appropriate responses to each command. Successful obedience training will give your Golden a head start on other types of training.

You should know that, due to their popularity, Golden Retriever characteristics and health issues have been changing. Possible over-breeding has created some problems not traditionally associated with Goldens. For example, while most Golden Retrievers are happy, socially outgoing, and anxious to please, more and more of this breed are overly aggressive or very shy, contradicting expectations. Because they are so loving, some Goldens suffer from separation anxiety. This can present behavioral problems that need additional or specialized training.

Getting your Golden enough exercise and enough mental stimulation is critical to good behavior. A Golden who’s left indoors or alone much of the time is likely to be nervous, temperamental, and hard to handle. Daily walks are critical, and more vigorous exercise is advisable.

Goldens are also very smart dogs. They pick up new behaviors quickly and remember them well. They are anxious to please and will respond well to generous praise and affection as rewards for jobs well done. With proper training in all three areas – behavior, activity, and obedience – your Golden Retriever will be an ideal companion that will share many happy years with you.

Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/training-golden-retriever-3-best-training-activities-on-roll-753327.html

Jun 07, 2010 | 0 | obedience training

Is dog obedience training worth the money?

I found a dog obedience class (beginner) that is 6 weeks long (meets 1 hr a week) and costs $150. This seems to be the average price. I want to know if others have been pleased with the outcome of their dog going through this?

I greatly enjoyed going to my first obedience class, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Today, I’d do things a little differently. I’d go to watch a few classes before I paid my fee, to see if I liked the methods by which the dogs were being trained. For example, does it seem too rough? What is the main training tool, a choke chains, or a clicker? Something else?

It is no secret that I favor clicker training but that is not to say that other methods don’t work, too. I would prefer to keep training as much fun as possible for my dog and I, without using avoidance techniques. You’re entitled to your opinion, too.

May 30, 2010 | 10 | obedience training

When to start obedience training?

What age do you think I should start obedience training my pup [sit, lay down, stay, come]? I’ve already started "manners" [no bite, no jump, etc.].

And how do you suggest to train a puppy not to nip. I have been saying no bite whenever she nips at me or whoever else. She seems to be pretty much ignoring it. I’ve also tried yelping, it works sometimes. And what should I do after? Ignore her?

The sooner the better. Most breeders start teahing their pups before they go to their new homes.

You probably aren’t yipping in a high enough pitch or loud enough. If she stops you praise her, if she doesn’t you yip again.

May 19, 2010 | 14 | obedience training

Dog Training Basics

When training your dog it’s important to always remain patient and level headed. Remember your dog is a dog! He doesn’t understand things the same way that you do. He will not understand if you yell instructions at him. He will only become scared of you if you do this. This is not a good way for him to learn.

Dogs are very habitual. Their lives revolve around ritual and their internal body clock and routine. They anticipate your return from work at a certain time. They expect their meals at a certain time.

You can use this information in your dog training. This sort of habitual behavior is part of why dog’s are easy animals to train (compared to other animals.) Of course the goal of dog obedience training is for the dog to respond with a particular reaction to a particular command.

Because of the habitual nature of dogs it’s important that you be extremely consistent in your training. Do not change things up on your dog! This will only confuse him. You should go through your routines with him the exact same way every time. When you tell your dog to sit you need to make sure that he does in fact sit before going on to the next command. This consistency will help your dog training efforts be more effective.

Perhaps the most important point with dog training is to keep a level head. You cannot allow yourself to let your temper flare or to yell at or hit your dog. Not only for the obvious moral reasons that you wouldn’t want to treat your dog in this way but also because this sort of behavior will make it much more difficult to train your dog.

Your dog doesn’t know how to learn from this sort of behavior. Your dog will only become afraid of you and it will make it harder to train him in the future.

Another important point of dog training is to make sure you reward your dog for a good behavior or for doing a trick in the correct way. This is important because it helps build your relationship with your dog and lets them know that you like their good behavior. Like with all aspects of dog training you need to be consistent with rewarding your dog.

Of course this does not mean to give your dog a food treat every time they do something right because that would not be good for them and would also become very expensive. You don’t need to give your dog the same treat every time just some sort of treat whether it’s letting them play with their favorite toy, giving them a friendly pat on the head with encouraging words in a friendly voice, or giving them a food treat.

For more indepth dog training information: http://www.DogTraining-AtoZ.com

Matthew Yoho
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/dog-training-basics-98612.html

May 17, 2010 | 8 | obedience training
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