Posts Tagged ‘obedience classes’

Is She a Bitch or a Lady?

Friday, June 19th, 2009

So, you may be asking yourself, what is in a dog’s name? Just what does it matter what your female dog’s name is? The answer is perhaps a fair bit, because your bitch’s name defines him or her in the eyes of your neighbours, especially if you have a rather small, puny dog. For what a small dog lacks in stature it can make up for in attitude. For a smaller dog, being cute will get her everywhere. But what is a cute dog without a cute dog’s name?

Cute dog names are really meant for female dogs or bitches. Abby, for example is a very cute dog name. When you match with a mental image, you probably see a little Westie or a Labrador pup romping around on a lawn in your mind’s eye. Other cute female dog names are Queenie, Beauty, Becky and Blackie. All of these cute dog names seem to embody a bundle of fur that has a sweet nature and just loves cuddles. They all speak of a pretty appearance and a very happy dog owning experience.

However, there appears to be very few cute dog names out there for male dogs. This may be because it reduces the masculine image that male dogs are supposed to have. Still, there are some male cute dog names out there. Bobby, Casper, Patch and Spot are all cute male dog names that have the same effect as the female ones do. However, you do have to make sure that you have the right kind of male dog to give a cute dog name to, because if you get it wrong, he will sound ridiculous.

Cute dog names can be suitable for male and female members alike of certain breeds and can help to develop a lovable personality, because of the affection, with which it will be treated. But do be warned, you do not want to leave your dog open to ridicule so choose when to give your dog a cute dog name with caution.

Whilst dogs are very intelligent animals, they cant process the same quantity of information that humans can. Therefore, dog names should never be more than two syllables. If they are more than that, it is seldom that a dog will respond. Max, Sam, Lady, Molly and the like are excellent dog names because they are short and the syllables are hard. They easily respond to dog names like those and it can improve your prospects of training them.

Moreover, dogs names (can|should help them shape a character of their own. Common names dont encourage them to do that, so finding a short, simple but unusual name can help their characters a great deal without hurting their ability to obey a command.

I am quite willing to bet money that most dog owners do not consider the factors outlined above when thinking of dog names for a new pet. Instead, dog names are chosen at random, but it is worth putting a bit more thought into it, for your dogs mental health if for no other reason.

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How to Keep Your Dog Motivated

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

Keeping the attention of your dog while training is not always an easy task. Dogs can be very easily distracted, and it is important to not allow the dog training sessions to be ruined by boredom. Making dog training fun for the dog and the human alike is essential to creating a happy, well-adjusted and well-trained dog.

You should provide random positive stimuli during the day in order to keep the attention of your dog. Doing things the dog like, like walking in the park, riding in the car, and playing with other dogs, are great ways to keep the dog’s attention, but you must reward him for small successes.

For example, to thank the dog for coming to you when you call him, tell your dog to come to you, without giving any clues about going for a walk, a car ride, or other treats.

After your dog has come to you and obediently sat down, attach the leash and start the reward. This can be either the before-mentioned walk in the park, ride in the car, or anything else the dog likes to do.

Giving some sort of reward, whether a treat, a special outing, or just a tickle behind the ears, every time the dog does something you want him to, is a great way to maintain your dog’s motivation while you are dog training.

If the dog knows something great is going to happen every time he obeys your command, he will be motivated to please you every time.

Distraction training.

When training any dog, it is important to not allow distractions ruin the training. The dog must be trained to ignore distractions, such as other people, other dogs, other animals and loud noises, and focus on what is being taught These kinds of distractions can also be used as rewards when training the dog to come when called.

For example, if your dog enjoys playing with other dogs, whether in a local dog park or with the neighbour’s dogs, let him play freely with those other dogs. Then go into the park or yard and call your dog.

When he comes to you, provide lots of praise, treats and other rewards, then immediately let the dog to return to playing with his friends. Do this several times and praise the dog each time he comes over to you.

The dog will soon learn that coming to you means good things (treats and praise) and not bad ones (being taken away from the park).

This so-called distraction training is one of the most difficult things for your dog to learn, because dogs are social animals by nature, and breaking away from the pack is one of the most difficult things you can ask your dog to do. Most dogs will be understandably reluctant to leave their doggy companions, but it is vital to persist in dog training.

Training the dog to come to you when you call may take some thought on your behalf at first. For example, waving one of his favourite toys, or a lure, is a great way to get your dog’s attention and put the focus back on you. If your dog has been clicker trained, a quick click can be a good motivator too in dog training.

Once your dog starts to become used to coming when called, you can begin to reduce and then stop the visual cues and focus on making the dog obey just your voice. It is vital that your dog responds to voice commands alone, as you will not always have a toy or lure to hand.

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Trendy Dog Names

Friday, June 12th, 2009

Fashion seems to dictate everything these days. From what you wear to what you name your dog, everything you do is decreed by the requirement to be cool. Cute dog names are hard to come by and even harder to choose. This is because no sooner is something in fashion, than it is out again.

Who would want to pick a cool dog name that may not be fashionable next year? So, people tend to play it safe, which is why the same names have been around for so long. To try and interrupt that cycle, five cute dog names are listed below with our reasons why you should pick one of them for your dog.

Phoenix: What could be cooler than a bird that goes up in flames and then rises from the ashes? Phoenix is one of the cute dog names that will never go out of fashion because it is rooted in mythology. It has a timeless quality which has surprisingly failed to boost its popularity.

Star: Star is one of the cool dog names because it has so many meanings that you can have a hard time finding out where to begin. A star in the sky is a phenomenon and a star can refer to someone that excels in a certain field. It is indeed a high form of praise and therefore is definitely a cool dog name.

Lady: Lady is one of the most popular dog names but it is also one of the cute dog names because of Disney. Lady and the Tramp was a huge hit and made the name popular but also gave it some credibility. In this case popularity is second to cuteness.

Elvis: The coolest of cute dog names. Elvis Presley was undoubtedly cool and remains cool today even after his death. It is immeasurably cool to call your dog after such a tremendous star who has never gone out of fashion himself.

Shadow: There is a dark and mysterious quality about Shadow that makes it a cute dog name. It would be best used on a large breed of dog though, because it wouldn’t have the same strong effect with a small one.

Whatever cool dog names you consider for your pooch, it is one sure-fire way to give them an identity of their own and make them memorable in the eyes of others. .

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Keeping Your Dog Motivated

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

Keeping the attention of a dog during training is not always an easy task. Dogs can be very easily distracted, and it is important to not allow the dog training sessions to be ruined by boredom. Making dog training fun for the dog and the human alike is essential to creating a happy, well-adjusted and well-trained dog.

You should provide random positive stimuli during the day in order to maintain the interest of the dog. Doing things the dog enjoys, like walking in the park, riding in the car, and playing with other dogs, are great methods to keep the dog’s attention, but you must give him rewards for his successes.

For instance, in order to reward the dog for coming to you when you call him, ask the dog to come to you, without giving any clues about going for a walk, a car ride, or other treats.

After your dog has come to you and obediently sat down, attach the leash and start the reward. This can be either the before-mentioned walk in the park, ride in the car, or anything else the dog enjoys doing.

Providing some sort of reward, whether a treat, a special outing, or just a tickle behind the ears, every time the dog does something you want him to, is a good method to maintain your dog’s motivation while you are dog training.

If the dog knows something great is going to happen every time he obeys your commands, he will be more motivated to do want you want every time.

Distraction training.

When training a dog, it is important to not let distractions ruin the training. The dog must be taught to ignore distractions, such as other people, other dogs, other animals and loud noises, and focus on what is being taught These kinds of distractions can also be used as rewards when training the dog to come when called.

For example, if your dog like playing with other dogs, whether in a local park or with the neighbour’s dogs, let him play freely with those other dogs. Then go into the park or garden and call your dog.

When he comes to you, provide lots of praise, treats and other rewards, then immediately allow the dog to go back to playing with his friends. Repeat this several times and praise the dog each time he comes over to you.

The dog will quickly realize that coming to your call results in good things (treats and praise) and not bad ones (being removed from the park).

This so-called distraction training is one of the hardest things for your dog to learn, because dogs are social animals by nature, and breaking away from the pack is one of the most difficult things you can ask your dog to do. Most dogs will be understandably reluctant to leave their doggy companions, but it is vital to persist in dog training.

Training the dog to come to you may require some creativity on your part at first. For instance, waving a favourite toy, or a lure, is a good way to get your dog’s attention and put the focus back on you. If your dog has been clicker trained, a quick click can be a good motivator too when you are training your dog.

Once the dog begins to get the hang of coming when called, you can start to reduce and eliminate the visual cues and focus on getting the dog to obey your voice alone. It is vital that the dog responds to voice commands alone, since you will not always have the availability of a toy or other lure.

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Cool Dog Names

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

Fashion seems to dictate everything these days. From what you wear to what you name your dog, everything you do is decreed by the need to be fashionable. Cute dog names are hard to come by and even harder to choose. This is because as soon as something is in fashion, than it is out again.

Who would want to pick a cute dog name that may not be fashionable tomorrow? So, people usually play it safe, which is why the same names have been so popular for so long. To try and interrupt that cycle, five cute dog names are listed below with our reasons why you should pick one of them for your dog.

Phoenix: What could be cooler than a bird that goes up in flames and then rises from the ashes? Phoenix is one of the cute dog names that will never go out of fashion because it is rooted in mythology. It has a timeless quality which has surprisingly failed to boost its popularity.

Star: Star is one of the cute dog names because it has so many connotations that you can have a hard time finding out where to begin. A star in the sky is a phenomenon and a star can refer to someone that outperforms in a certain field. It is a high form of praise and thus is definitely a cute dog name.

Lady: Lady is one of the most popular dog names but it is also one of the cool dog names because of the Disney cartoon film, Lady and the Tramp, which was a massive hit. The film made the name popular but also gave it some credibility. In this case, popularity comes second to coolness.

Elvis: The coolest of cute dog names. Elvis Presley was definitely cool and remains cool today even after his death. It is infinitely cool to name your dog after an icon who never goes out of fashion.

Shadow: There is a dark and ethereal quality about Shadow that makes it a cool dog name. It would be best used on a large breed of dog however, because it wouldn’t have the same strong effect with a small breed.

Whatever cool dog names you use for your pooch, it is one sure-fire way to give them an identity of their own and make them memorable in the eyes of others. .

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Motivating Your Dog

Friday, May 29th, 2009

Keeping the attention of your dog during training is not always easy. Dogs are easily distracted, and it is important to not allow the dog training sessions to be sabotaged by boredom. Making dog training fun for the dog and the human alike is essential to creating a happy, well adjusted and well trained dog.

You should provide random positive stimuli during the day in order to keep the attention of your dog. Doing things the dog enjoys, like walking in the park, riding in the car, and playing with other dogs, are great ways to keep the dog’s attention, but you must reward him for small successes.

For instance, in order to reward the dog for coming to you when you call him, ask the dog to come to you, without giving any ideas about going for a walk, a car ride, or other treats.

After the dog has come to you and obediently sat down, attach the lead and begin the treat. This can be either the afore-mentioned walk in the park, ride in the car, or anything else the dog enjoys doing.

Giving some kind of reward, whether a treat, a special outing, or just a tickle behind the ears, every time the dog does something you want him to, is a good method to keep your dog’s motivation while you are dog training.

If your dog knows something good is going to occur every time he obeys your commands, he will be more motivated to do want you tell him every time.

Distraction training.

When training a dog, it is important to not allow distractions disrupt the training. The dog must be trained to ignore distractions, such as other people, other dogs, other animals and loud noises, and concentrate on what is being taught These types of distractions can also be used as rewards when training your dog to come when called.

For instance, if your dog enjoys playing with other dogs, whether in a local dog park or with the neighbour’s dogs, let him play freely with those other dogs. Then go into the park or yard and call your dog.

When he comes to you, give him lots of praise, treats and other rewards, then immediately allow the dog to return to playing with his friends. Do this several times and praise the dog each time he comes over to you.

The dog will soon learn that coming to you means good things (treats and praise) and not bad ones (being taken away from the park).

This so-called distraction training is one of the hardest things for your dog to learn, because dogs are naturally social animals, and breaking away from the pack is one of the most difficult things you can ask your dog to do. Most dogs will be understandably reluctant to leave their canine companions, but it is important to persist in dog training.

Training your dog to come to you when you call can require some thought on your part at first. For example, waving a favourite toy, or a lure, is a good way to get your dog’s attention and put the focus back on you. If your dog has been clicker trained, a quick click can be a good motivator as well, when training your dog.

Once the dog begins to get the hang of coming when called, you can begin to reduce and eliminate the visual cues and focus on getting the dog to obey your voice alone. It is important that the dog obeys voice commands alone, since you will not always have the availability of a toy or other lure.

About the Author: