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By jnavary, July 5, 2010

If you have guidelines, “a guide” and pointers concerning how to do it, any type of task becomes simpler. Also, using this type of help you are more likely to succeed with it. That is true for most things and it’s also true for stopping your dog’s excessive barking. For a lot of people, 7 is thought to be a lucky number, a number of good fortune. So, in the spirit of making things easier and of good fortune to help you, the various readers, listed below are the top seven tips for stop annoying dog barking:

1. Don’t yell at your dog when trying to teach him to control his barking. Try to be patient since teaching dogs to control their barking is a very slow process. It takes time for dogs to learn so don’t expect your dog to obey you on your first attempt.This will be critically important because raising your voice will likely have the opposite effect.

If you are unable to control your own voice you will most likely fail at teaching your dog to control his.

2. Try using a squirt gun with clean fresh water to stop the dog’s barking.. This is very important because you need to get their attention before they will listen to your commands.

3. Another way to get their attention is to slap a rolled up newspaper in your hand. . This should temporarily break their obsession with barking since the sound will startle them..

4. Similarly, tossing an object that makes noise somewhere near them can be helpful in redirecting their attention. A keyring full of keys, a rattle or similar noise maker should do the trick. .

5. Another possible way to stop the barking is to give your dog several interesting chew toys to play with. Often times, dogs start barking simply out of sheer boredom. Pay particular attention to this step if you must leave your dog unattended for a lengthy period of time.

6. Be prepared to reward your dog when he follows your command. As with most training, the judicious use of treats as rewards for positive behaviors can be very effective when training your dog to be quiet. .

7. Be consistent in your training efforts. Always use the same command word when working with your dog on controlling his barking. If you switch between “NO”, “QUIET”, “STOP IT”, and other commands you’ll only confuse the dog. Pick one command word and stick with it..

Follow these 7 tips for stopping your dog’s excessive barking and you will probably find life easier for you, get good results and relish the the resulting silence.

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By jnavary, June 15, 2010

You’ve just settled in to watch the big game on TV with a plate of piping hot Buffalo wings and an ice cold adult beverage when the phone rings. Your wife answers the phone and after a couple of minutes of hushed conversation she cries out, “Honey, Duke has escaped! They’ve got him at the Animal Control building. You have to go bail him out – it’s gonna cost fifty bucks!”

You silently curse to yourself, abandon the game and head off to the dog pound all the while wondering why Duke always takes off whenever he has an opportunity to slip out of his kennel. You treat him well, he obviously loves and is loyal to both you and your wife. Why does he run away?

For the most part, dogs that head for the hills when off leash are not really running away. They just want a little excitement in their lives. Dogs who get little exercise and not enough one-on-one attention are more likely to go exploring.

Boredom is usually the root of the problem. In order to keep your dog from running off you need to ensure that you provide plenty of stimulation.

If you are not able to be there to walk or play with your dog there are a few things you can do to improve his contentment. In addition to shelter from the elements, food and water you can provide him with dog toys to occupy his time. Putting a few treats into one of those hard rubber Kong dog toys can keep him busy for hours.

Regular exercise will also go a long way in reducing the dog’s desire to wander off. Try to take him on a walk or play fetch at the same time every day. It won’t take long for your dog to recognize the pattern and begin to anticipate these activities. This will also reduce his wanderlust since the exercise will tire him out so that he’s more interested in sleep than exploring the neighborhood.

Of course, a tall fenced in area with a well secured gate will also help keep your dog from escaping.

Many communities have very strict leash laws prohibiting dogs from running loose. Steep fines can be imposed and, in some cases, you may have to relinquish ownership.
And quite rightly since a dog on the loose can do quite a bit of property damage and frighten people who are not comfortable with dogs. Of course, a dog on the loose can also be injured or killed if it runs out into traffic.

It’s trite, yet true, that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It also lets you watch the big game and remain $50 to the good.

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By jnavary, March 26, 2010

By: BJones

A dog’s behavior is influenced by certain basic instincts which you should be aware of if you want to understand your dog. Some of them have been lessened by the protected life led by modern pets. In fact, the dog as a species seems to be undergoing an important period in his evolution since never before in history have so many of them been bred exclusively as pets.

The instinct for survival is common to all living creatures. No acquired behavior pattern is strong enough to dominate entirely this powerful drive. When it is aroused, the only effective means of controlling it is constraint. Along with this instinct is the Instinct for procreation, or mating instinct. It is normally very strong although it varies for the same health reasons, hormonal balance, opportunity and more rarely, psychological inhibitions.

Need for companionship is an instinct common to both dog and man. Many canine personality disturbances have no other cause than the solitary confinement imposed on them by man. Studies show that the critical period when a puppy forms his primary attachment to humans is between the ages of 3 and 10 weeks. If he is “imprinted” by sufficient pleasurable human relations during this time, he is apt to remain attached to humans, But if he is confined in a Kennel with only other dogs and deprived of human contact, he will prefer animal contact over humans forever.

Like human beings, dogs are vulnerable to mob psychology. The pack instinct is a more accurate term because it usually brings out the worst side of their nature. It may take no more than one other dog for this psychological phenomenon to occur. Most dogs want to pleasure their owner. But once they become a member of a pack their old instincts take over and the owner is forgotten. It is very important never to let your dog run loose where he can get into bad company.

Dogs have always retained the instinctive need for a pack leader. This need is the role hat we play in our pet’s life. Dogs I whom this instinct is strongest are the most trainable. They are the ones that follow you around as puppies, who never want to leave your side as adults, who listen to you, study your facial expressions, and enjoy contact with you. They seek the approval of their pack leader and will do for free what other dogs need to be bribed to do.

Most owners provide protection, food, and shelter as do wildlife pack leaders. But you must also offer leadership, enforce discipline, and maintain their prestige and authority. Psychological superiority is more important that in physical size or strength. Moreover, the modern dog’s dependence on his owner is as much emotional as it is physical. Your dog will love and respect you more if you live up to his leader image of you. Be dependable and consistent so that he can trust you.

You must be reasonable and fair in order to avoid offending his sense of justice. But above all, do not think it is a kindness to let your dog always have his way. In their wild state, dogs instinctively seek and accept leadership as well as a strict social code. In fact, discipline and obedience are probably more natural to them than indulgence, which they have experienced only as modern pets.

Territorial instinct has a profound influence on a dog’s behavior, as it has on ours. It is related to the survival instinct and is therefore very powerful and vital to his existence. Puppies as young as 2 or 3 weeks old display their sense of territory by annexing a certain corner of the nest, a bed, cushion, or chair as their personal domain. Their territory grows bigger as they do on until adulthood when they transfer their territorial instinct to their owner’s home, and their pack instinct to their human family.

Dogs respect man made boundaries such as fences, walls, and gates, but they also establish markers of their own. Which they mark with urine and visit regularly and refresh as necessary. Domesticated dogs are respectful of their neighbor’s territory as they are jealous of their own, and seldom engage in territorial warfare. In the animal world, an intruder is always psychologically inferior to an individual who is on his home territory. Under these conditions, a tiny terrier can chase away a Great Dane.

Generally speaking, dogs are most aggressive on their own territory, most submissive on another dog’s territory, and most sociable on neutral ground. An old family dog will make friends more easily with a new puppy if the two are introduced on neutral ground before the newcomers are taken home. The territorial instinct varies in intensity and quality from one breed and individual to another. Still, in all dogs, as in all humanity, there is a territorial instinct. Oddly enough, both will accept with tolerance, and sometimes even welcome, intrusions by innocent infants, unthreatening inferiors, and attractive members of the opposite sex.

Finally, dogs possess an instinctive loyalty that is much stronger than our own. Once a dog has accepted someone as his master, it is very difficult for him to switch his devotion to another. Better food, greater comfort, kindness and understanding may not succeed in swaying his allegiance even from an unworthy owner. On the other hand, if you adopt a dog who has been happy in his previous home, give him plenty of time to transfer his loyalty to you, you will have a friend that would never fail you.

Article Source: http://www.a1-optimization.com/articles

Randy Jones and his partner Brent Jones have been in the pet industry for a long time. Recently they formed Joncopets.com. On the site, customers can read articles about anything pets as well as shop for the latest designer dog collars, dog clothes, dog carriers and more for their best friend. Feel free to check out the site at www.joncopets.com

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By jnavary, March 16, 2010

When you were watching that movie last night, you may have seen a Golden Retriever, a Dalmatian or a Westie on screen. Now, the question in the back of your mind is – ‘Is my Beagle ready to be in the movies?’ Well, your veterinarian says your pet dog is just the best behaved dog they can imagine. Your critter even has figured out how and when to mug for a picture, a regular scene stealer with a personality that would have given Rin Tin Tin a good run for his money.

Okay, but you have to consider this. If your dog is to be the next star canine in a real Hollywood movie or television series, your pooch can’t just look good. Your dog is going to have to be well trained and know, not just the basics, but a few great tricks to show what he can do.

Most of the scenes you see dogs doing on the big screen look so great because Hollywood has a way of putting the dog’s tricks in the best light and making the shots work. They combine them as a series of tricks into a final production that works for a particular scene very well.

It’s the basic tricks that are going to land your dog a movie role. There are many training facilities that offer the classes necessary to teach your puppy the tricks and obedience that are required by canine actors.

Almost all of what dogs do in the movies are easy tricks. Most of the common tricks the dogs need to do are bow, play dead, crawl, speak on cue, sneeze, hide your eyes, pray, touch the target, wave, find it, roll over, turn out the light and whine.

Learning all of the tricks might be the easy part of getting ready for the movies. The hard one for lots of dogs is working on a set with strangers all around and a ton of distractions. Also, in most cases, your dog will need to follow the lead of the set’s dog wrangler, not you. These are some real challenges for some dogs to face.

Copyright - Walt Disney Pictures

If you can teach your dog all the tricks, but also the basics of working with strangers on a Hollywood set without freaking out, you might just have a dog like D.J. as the Siberian Husky “Demon” in the film Snow Dogs.

So… your pooch is ready and willing to go to the movies. What is your next step? The thing that will make your dog stand out is to put together a compelling portfolio for your dog. All the current photos, his list of skills and tricks, training and hopefully some great videos of your dog doing some of his best tricks.

Many of the training schools for movie dogs will help you get your dog into the industry. Don’t forget there is a lot of ad work and commercial work for your aspiring mongrel to shoot for also.

Finally, your dog loves you a lot (hopefully, the feeling is mutual). If your dog does not enjoy acting and does not want to be a Hollywood star, your dog will certainly tell you about it. Keep a watchful eye on your pal and keep things fun for him or her.