What an exciting time this is. You have your new furry buddy. He still has that puppy breath and you are starting your new life together. This has to be one of the happiest moments you've had. So should you start training your dog now or just let him be a puppy? Well for me the answer is yes to both. Teaching your puppy how he is going to learn is very important at this stage. I also believe allowing him to be a puppy is very important.
One of the first things I want to determine is how much my puppy likes different kinds of food. So I will generally take 4 to 5 different foods and test them on the dog. First I make sure the dog has not recently consumed anything. After that I will get the food and treats ready. Once I have done this and will go get my puppy. I will take a bit of two different treats and place it in either hand and close my hands around them. Then I will bring each one to the dog and let him smell it individually. After I have done that for each, I will place each hand side by side and open them at the same time. Make sure you note the one you dog chooses and repeat the test at least 2 more times. Go through all of the different treats until you have all the foods ranked from highest value to lowest. This information is vital to understanding what your puppy likes and starting to motivate him to be with you.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Pay me or Make me.
I am always thinking about new ways to better train my dog. How can I explain a concept better to him? Obviously I cant speak English to him since he really does not grasp it the way we do. So I am left with understanding how he perceives things. So I have his nose, eyes, ears and his ability to feel things. Most of the time, I use his nose and eyes to show him what it is that I am trying to define to him. Other times I have to use his sense of touch to get him to do what I want. So this brings me to my point, will I use his nose and eyes or will I use his ability to feel?
So early on in training with my dogs I often used their ability to feel to get them to do things. Plainly said, I used force. I will admit that my dog often got the concept pretty quickly. I did come to the realization over time as I trained more dogs that some of them would quickly decide that they didn't care for the training and would rather do something else than work for me. In essence my dog looked at training as if it was chore with no real sense of accomplishment. My dog was not a partner in obedience but a slave.
Now what about using the dogs nose and eyes to get the job done? I will say that this requires a bit more thought on my part but is it worth it. When I define things to my dogs using this ability it seems that they just come alive. Some of the new behaviors that the dog starts to show early on are increased confidence, super important if you ever want to do something difficult with you dog, and the dog begins to come to me more readily. Over time I see that the dog actually begins to look forward to the time we will be working as opposed to dreading it. No longer will I have my dog be a slave in obedience but a partner in conquering whatever may come my way.
How will you choose to teach your dog? Will you get him to do it or will you motivate him to use his brain and be partner in obedience?
So early on in training with my dogs I often used their ability to feel to get them to do things. Plainly said, I used force. I will admit that my dog often got the concept pretty quickly. I did come to the realization over time as I trained more dogs that some of them would quickly decide that they didn't care for the training and would rather do something else than work for me. In essence my dog looked at training as if it was chore with no real sense of accomplishment. My dog was not a partner in obedience but a slave.
Now what about using the dogs nose and eyes to get the job done? I will say that this requires a bit more thought on my part but is it worth it. When I define things to my dogs using this ability it seems that they just come alive. Some of the new behaviors that the dog starts to show early on are increased confidence, super important if you ever want to do something difficult with you dog, and the dog begins to come to me more readily. Over time I see that the dog actually begins to look forward to the time we will be working as opposed to dreading it. No longer will I have my dog be a slave in obedience but a partner in conquering whatever may come my way.
How will you choose to teach your dog? Will you get him to do it or will you motivate him to use his brain and be partner in obedience?
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Great dog food
I have run the gambit of dog foods with Jasmine since I got her six years ago. I first started with foods loaded with grains and corn and a ton of food colorings. Then buying food that had a picture of a German Shepherd Dog on their bag. Finally discovering something that has really been great for her.
I will admit that this food is the right food for her but may not be exactly what works for your dog. So the food that best suites Jasmine is Wellness Core. There are several things I enjoy about the food. The first several ingredients are actually meat. Note some by product, real meat. Then the fat is not some mysterious "animal fat" but actually fish and chicken fat. When I think about fat for the dogs, I try to remember that my dogs are like athletes and need a great source of fat to keep them working hard. Then they have probiotics and antioxidants. I want my dogs digestive system to work well and want its immune system fighting stress.
If you are looking for a great dog food, try searching for something with actual meat at the top of the list, a good source of fat and carbs, and finally some probiotics and antioxidants.
I will admit that this food is the right food for her but may not be exactly what works for your dog. So the food that best suites Jasmine is Wellness Core. There are several things I enjoy about the food. The first several ingredients are actually meat. Note some by product, real meat. Then the fat is not some mysterious "animal fat" but actually fish and chicken fat. When I think about fat for the dogs, I try to remember that my dogs are like athletes and need a great source of fat to keep them working hard. Then they have probiotics and antioxidants. I want my dogs digestive system to work well and want its immune system fighting stress.
If you are looking for a great dog food, try searching for something with actual meat at the top of the list, a good source of fat and carbs, and finally some probiotics and antioxidants.
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