Dog Obedience Training

I have a school report on puppy mills. Any resources please?

so, i need websites or books. But my school doesn’t allow us to use wikipedia so, I’d like detailed stuff too please. thank you.

http://www.stoppuppymills.org/inside_a_puppy_mill.html

Don’t Let Fido Pull You!

How often have you driven around and saw a dog taking his owner for a quick run around the block? This might well be the single most frustrating problem most dog owners experience with their dogs. They then take their dogs to doggie school, where their dogs heel perfectly after a few lessons. But the moment they take their dogs for, what is suppose to be an enjoyable stroll around the block, the marathon race starts all over again. Most dog owners just want their dogs to walk next to them with a loose leash or even without a leash. Nobody wants a dog pulling them around the block.

So how can you teach your new puppy to walk next to you and not pulling on the leash?

Here are a few points to remember:

1. You will start all your dog training in a low distraction area in your house or garden.
2. You should change direction very often. That will ensure that your puppy will be more focussed on you.
3. You do NOT allow your puppy or large dog to pull you NEVER! You should either stand still or you change direction, but you do not move in the direction the dog is pulling.

With that in mind, you start again with the clicker in one hand. You can hold the clicker and the leash in your right hand and treats in your left hand. You just start walking and with an exited voice encouraging your puppy to walk with you. The exact moment your puppy is in the heel position, you click and give him a treat. You do that every time he is in the correct position.

Your puppy will most probably jump up to try to get to the treat. Just ignore that and just click and treat when he is in the heel position and not when he is jumping. He will soon realise where he should be to get that treat. The moment he walks in front of you, change direction. Do not say anything. When he comes into the heel position you can say “heel”, click and treat. The moment he starts sniffing, again you change direction and repeat the above process.

You will follow the exact procedure when you walk out the front gate. Just remember there are lots of distractions, smells, other dogs behind fences, people, traffic and so on. So keep training sessions very short and start out in a quiet street where there are not many dogs and traffic. Take it slowly and do not expect too much too soon. Do not get frustrated if your first walk in the street is only 5 meters. The important thing is that you do not ever allow your dog to pull you. If you allow him to pull you for even just one meter, he will learn that if he pulls harder next time, he might move you two meters. If you are consistent in not allowing him to pull you, he will soon realise that pulling will not get him to the field. If you are consistent, you will be successful.

MS du Toit
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/dont-let-fido-pull-you-722327.html

Puppy obedience school– where should I take my 8-week-old puppy?

I’m getting an 8-week old Doberman puppy here in 5 days and was wondering where I should do puppy classes with him? I remember when I was younger my parents and I took our dog to Petco for puppy class. Would Petco/Petsmart be something you’d suggest? Thanks!!

Not really. You can’t be sure that even a certified trainer is experienced, let alone any good. I would check online for obedience classes in your area and check their references. Good places will take puppies as young as 2 months, it’s a great way to socialize them.

I am starting school is it okay to keep my puppy in a pen?

I go to school Tues&Thurs for about 4 hours each day. I will be keeping the puppy in a pen similar to this one http://www.petco.com/product/13909/Midwest-Silver-Zinc-Exercise-Pens.aspx
Is this okay?
The puppy is almost 12 weeks old. What kind of toys should I leave in there with her?

Lovely.

Interesting toys, I would recommend. And things to keep her busy. A well stuffed Kong will last the early morning hours away. Avoid rawhides and cowhooves which have a tendency for accidents. A raw-meaty knucklebone if you have a good chewer, if not then just something like a bully stick can keep them busy. Avoid stuffed animals which the dog can unstuff and eat the insides, or pull off eyes and the like and swallow them.

I know a lot of people though who have taken something like an old pizza box and put treats inside and the dog was able to rip it apart. Depending on whether you want the mess or not, it can be a great toy for a dog. But it’s really a judgment call on your part.

Good luck.

when is a good age for a puppy to start obediance school?

I got my first puppy ever the other day and still a clueless about raising him.

Congratulations! on your new puppy!

You can begin training your puppy at home, but he shouldn’t go to classes away from home until he has had all of his shots..You can ask the vet, when he gets his next vaccinations, how soon is safe..
The Basics
SIT, COME, DOWN, STAY, HEEL.

SIT

Holding a treat in your left hand just above the pup’s nose, gently rest your right hand on pup’s rump.
Slowly move the treat in an upward motion while applying gentle pressure to the rump. ( you don’t want to push hard because if you do the dog will sit every time someone touches him and this is not good for competitive obedience)
as soon as pup sits say in a very happy excited tone "GOOD SIT" and give the treat.
Repeat exercise 7x. then take a play break and move on to something else.
very young pups should not train for more than a half hour each day
every time you put food bowl down or give a treat give the sit command, and wait for the sit. then once pup sits give treat or food down.
DO NOT move on to something new until pup has the new command down pat.

COME

walk away from pup about 10 feet to start. say pup’s name and "COME" in a happy voice. once pup comes praise it lavishly have a bit of a play and give it a treat.
Gradually increase the distance you walk away. and eventually once pup knows command only treat every 3rd come. tapering off until he comes every time with out treat using only praise.
this will take a few days to learn if you practice every day.

DOWN

Start with pup in sit. move hand with the treat between the pup’s front paws on the ground.
Say "DOWN" in firm but not loud voice.
pup might try and get treat without going down, don’t let him have it until he downs.
praise in happy voice "GOOD DOWN"
repeat 7x

STAY

Start pup in down position. say "STAY" in firm voice. walk to end of leash, backwards. if the pup moves say once only "AP" in a not pleased tone. go back do not say anything. put pup in down again repeat "STAY" walk backwards to end of leash.
pup does NOT get praise or treat until he stays for 30 seconds, then a minute, then 5 minutes. move times up each week.
after he can do a 5 minute down/stay every time. move on to a sit/stay doing exactly what you did for down/stay.
Once on leash sit and down/stays are reliable for 5 minutes each. drop the leash and walk away from your pup, your back to the pup. about 10 feet away. wait 5 min. recall your dog. with dog sitting in front of you once he reaches you. treat and praise.

HEEL

Please do NOT train with a choke collar. i recommend martingayles .
with dog on a short leash exactly beside you on your left side say "HEEL" if the dog starts to pull give a correction snap with leash on collar. and recommend "HEEL" the second your dog complies praise with "GOOD HEEL" in happy voice. and continue to walk , correct, and praise for 30 minutes.

Always end training sessions on a positive note. Never get angry with your pup for not responding to a command. Praise lavishly every time pup responds to a command.

about how much does it cost to send your puppy to puppy obedience school?

Well im taking my puppy to a puppy preschool class at Petsmart and its only costing us $100 for 8 weeks…Plus I was talking to the trainer and she gave me a $10 off coupon XD…but your best bet for cheaper classes is either petco or petsmart

Leaving puppy home alone while at work and school?

We are thinking of getting a puppy very soon…but we are unsure of how to potty train him when we are at work and school for part of the day. How would we go about training him? and how much more hard would it be? Another issue is would this be mean to leave a puppy home for a few hours a day?
Any help would be GREAT,
thanks!

We got a puppy and we work and go to school. We were able to come home at lunch time during potty training (which was helpful). Our Miniature Schnauzer potty trained quickly using the crate. We have a nice cozy bed, blankie and chew toys in there and we made her take routine naps in her crate until she was potty trained. She thinks of her crate as her own personal bedroom. We also trained our puppy to ring jingle bells hanging on the door knob when she needs out… it’s really nice.

Here is how you do it:
Make the crate as comfy for him as you can. Just treat the puppy like a toddler. After he goes potty outside, let him play around in the house for about an hour or two. Then it’s nap time (our puppy needed frequent napping anyway, Im sure yours does too). We would even tell her it’s time for "beddie"… She would sleep for about an hour or two… as soon as she came out of the crate we would take her outside. She would almost always go… then she would come in the house and be good to go for another hour or two, then back in the crate.

Puppies typically won’t go where they sleep… so it teaches them bladder control. When they have free run of the house they don’t even have to try to control their bladder, they just find a spot in the house and go. You will only have to be this strict with the routine for a couple of months or until you can notice that he is controlling his bladder or that you can tell he understands that outside is the place to go. Of course, we always gave her a special treat when she went potty outside.

Feel free to contact me if you have further questions. She didn’t spend a lot of time in her crate… but it’s very effective.

Going to take my pup to puppy school at 12wks old.good idea?

its once a week for 8wks i think at Petsmart.

It’s never too early. Actually she has to get all her shots first.

Puppies and Biting – My Secrets to Getting Puppies to Stop!

Puppies love to bite.

The do it naturally but it is something that they must be taught not to do.

This needs to be addressed while they are young because dog bites can lead to all sorts of problems including legal action.

It may seem fun and funny to have a puppy biting but a full-grown dog can do a lot of damage, particularly to children if they are in the habit of biting.

Dogs have immense strength in their jaws and even a playful nip can do permanent damage to a child.

Generally, puppies are taught to control their biting from their mothers but in most cases we get puppies as pets that have been taken from their mothers at a very young age and it is up to us to teach them as puppies not to bite.

By letting your dog socialize with other dogs from a young age they will quickly learn from their elders, provided they have been taught well, that the desire to bite needs to be curbed to avoid retaliation and an ensuing fight.

The sooner the puppy is taught not to bite by the owner or by interaction with other dogs, the less aggressive they will become as they grow older and the more pleasant they will be to live with.

Taking a puppy to a dog training school will allow it to interact with other dogs where it will quickly be corrected for any misbehavior.

Puppies should generally learn to interact with other dogs within the first three months of their life.

The longer this is left the more difficult it becomes for your dog to socialize correctly and they can become dangerous later in life.

As with children, the sooner your puppy can learn correct behavior patterns the better they will be in the long term.

It is also wise to get the puppy to behave correctly in the presence of other animals including cats and any other pets that they might come in contact with over their life.

There are many items that are available from the pet stores and vets that can give your puppy suitable satisfaction to chew and bite upon.

This will allow your puppy to learn what is right and what is not right to bite.

Michael Silvester
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/puppies-and-biting-my-secrets-to-getting-puppies-to-stop-116170.html

how old should my puppy be when i start puppy pre-school?

Well, how old does the ‘pre-school’ in question suggest when a puppy enroll? There should be somewhere where the trainer lists the appropriate age