Congratulations! this will be an exciting time for you and your family - especially the kids. The magic in your children’s eyes when they see their brand new puppy will be hard to match. Just think of the hours of innocent pleasure they will bring to each other!

But those first couple of months can be a bit of a challenge. There will be some training issues that you will need to deal with. These will be no problem, but the earlier you can train your little puppy, the more you will be able to enjoy him/her later on.

For example, those little puppy teeth can be sharp! When puppies play together, they naturally and uninhibitedly bite and mouth each other. This is not a big problem for them since their skin is relatively thick and it causes them no discomfort whatsoever.

But when you are teaching them to socialize with adults and children, this is not the kind of behavior that is acceptable. And although this kind of biting is cute when the dog is just a few pounds, it ceases to be cute when they are 25 pounds or more. Controlling this ‘biting reflex’ is an important first step in teaching the little puppy.

It would be good to have the puppy socialize with other puppies if at all possible. Puppies will bite each other as they roll and play. But this also happens to be the best way to train the puppy out of their biting habit - especially if they are playing with already socialized pups. The group will mildly punish the puppy that becomes to aggressive while playing and teach them to suppress their biting habit.

The socialization they get with other dogs also teaches the puppy not to be fearful of other dogs and it helps them drain off their excess energy. Puppies that do not get the opportunity to socialize with other dogs also tend to be more hyperactive as they develop fearful and aggressive habits. A dog will tend to react aggressively in a new and unfamiliar environment if they had never been socialized.

A puppy should also be socialized with adults and children in order to become a member of the household and neighborhood. Introduce your puppy to both children and adults and help them to make the distinction between those who are their owners and between other people.

The ideal time to teach your little puppy to be socialized is when they are 3 months old or younger- this is when they catch on very fast. This is even more important when dealing with breeds that are typically less passive.

The best way of training your puppy not to bite is to get them to trust you. Never strike your puppy as this will not help them to trust or respect you, It will simply cause them to distrust you - which is not what you want. The confused little puppy won’t really grasp why you did this and it will be counterproductive to their training.

And last but not least, enjoy your puppy! He/she will bring endless enjoyment to you and your family.

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Contrary to popular belief there are not as many training styles as there are trainers and one of the most interesting dog behavior questions that arise is how the trainers attitude affects the training process. The despite an individual differences people handling dogs fall into clearly recognizable categories. And no matter your an individual style or that of your dog there remain certain truisms.

Training your dog is one of the most difficult and possibly frustrating tasks you can undertake. The only activity that requires more patience is raising human children. Many people don’t have enough patience in themselves to train their dogs. Therefore, while you are training your dog, you may have to train yourself to be patient as well.

Be prepared to an invest the time daily at least half an hour but preferably an hour to developing the desired behavior in your companion. And when you feel you’re at your limit of patience whether at 10 minutes or an hour an end the session.

Your goal should be to increase the “time to boiling point” bit by bit every day. Don’t forget that you and your dog are working together in this training and that your dog is only able to understand commands at the level of a two-year-old toddler. This is even true for breeds that are easily trained. There may be exceptions to this, but those are few and far between.

When it comes to dog behavior questions, you need to go back to nature. In the wild, dogs are pack animals. Their pack has a hierarchy. The alphas are the leaders of the pack. The omegas are passive and often behave fearfully. There are also individuals that fall in between those two extremes. If you intend to successfully train your dog, you must be the alpha in your pack. At all points, you must be training your dog. Don’t let your dog train you. Even if it feels like that is happening, you must still actually be in charge.

When giving commands, be firm, but do not yell. Do not get angry with your dog when they do not obey. Rather than becoming frustrated with your dog, persist in your practice. Also, do not let the dog become the alpha of your pack. Your goal in training should not be to stroke your ego or to feel like you have power over your dog. The goal should be to have a safer environment for your dog and your family.

There are dogs who are naturally easy to train, but not all of them will be this way. You need to have patience and remember that your dog wants to please you. Keep up on it consistently and your dog will eventually follow your instructions.

No matter how well you train your dog, your dog still has a mind of its own and won’t always follow the commands you issue. You and your dog will get frustrated if you expect him to learn a command with too few repetitions or to always perfectly follow one that you taught him before. Your dog does not have the same memory as a human. It is even different from very young humans. Get to know your dog. Acknowledge your dog’s unique qualities, his learning capability, and any limitations he may have.

Breeds vary in their ability to be trained as do individual dogs. There are dogs more energetic and spirited by nature such as terriers, retrievers and Dalmatians. Some are more calm like basset hounds and collies. Age plays an important role too. A ten-week old puppy will not pay attention the same way a three-year old dog will.

The best way to train your dog is by working with their unique personality traits. Do not yell at your dog needlessly or use strong physical punishment whenever they don’t immediately obey. This will not help train your dog. In the end, training is about building trust with your dog so that he will obey you by choice rather than through fear.

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A search in your local shoppers guide or newspapers will yield dozens of ads for dog obedience schools that will help your new canine family member fit in with the other animals and people in the house. So how do you choose the one that is right for you?

Today, several methods of training dogs are used, they include calm, positive reinforcement techniques, “alpha” dominance, and cruel punishment.

Most trainers will have chosen their own method to fit themselves and their clients. Positive approaches are becoming more and more common and this is probably what you will run into when looking for obedience schools.

Also, you need to think about your individual dog. What is his life history? Have you had him as a puppy or just recently acquired him as an adult? Also consider your training goals. Do you want him to be more family-friendly, a good hunting or show dog? Beyond basic obedience, consider what you’re hoping to get out of training.

After giving thought to your dog’s personality and what you want out of training, peruse your newspaper and make a list of the local dog obedience schools. Find their contact information and visit their websites. Talk to other dog owners and ask where they have had success training their dog. Local kennel clubs and vets may also have trainer recommendations.

Schools that train using positive reinforcement are going to yield the best results. Ask friends who they’d recommend. Some trainers will offer to come to make house visits to train your dog, but then he’ll be missing out on socialization opportunities with other canines. Locate the times of the beginner class and see if you can sit in just to watch; if you don’t like what you see, find someone else you do like!

It is a great a idea to sign your puppy up for a play group to ensure it has proper socialization. However, if you have a rescue dog with aggression issues you may need more than just a regular trainer. In this case, you may need a certified animal behaviorist. Be extra cautious with aggressive animals!

Some trainers use tools like collars for training. “Gentle Leader” head collars are just about the most-effective collar available; contrary to the belief of many, pinch collars only work on a limited number of dogs.

Don’t let it come as a shock to you if you find that the instructions for the first class state you shouldn’t bring your dog. This is a good thing! Good training, and especially training with a clicker, require “train the trainer” sessions to inform you how to communicate well with your dog, and instructions on utilizing tools for this purpose.

Here are some signs of a good training class:

1. The school, as a whole, will have a positive tone.

2. Training is based on offering your dog rewards during training is the key to reaching your desired goals, which along with praise, may include his favorite toy and doggie treats.

3. When a dog is misbehaving, sharp noise is typically enough for the dog to realize he’s done wrong. Punishment is kept to a minimum and the actions are usually suppressed.

4. Instead of focusing on an undesired behavior, they are are replaced with a desired behaviors like giving the command “heel” so the dog stops and sits right beside you.

5. Patience to let the dog give the desired response is a key part of training.

In addition to local dog obedience schools, there are a large quantity of great books as well as quality websites dedicated to the topic of dog training. To find out more about one of the most effective animal training methods, try performing a quick online search on the term “clicker training.” This is the method Hollywood dog trainers use to train dogs to perform on television and film. Now, your dog can learn some of these fancy tricks as well.

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A pet dog is indeed a man’s best friend, but only as long as the dog is well-trained. A dog with bad habits can wreck havoc in your home, during meals, sleeping hours and play time. Developing bad habits are easy for dogs, just like a child would. The dog has to be trained to work with you, not against you and cooperate with you on feeding, playing, walking, sleeping and toilet training times and methods.

Owning a well-trained dog will be a great experience, but the process won’t be a breeze. It’s rather clich, but the training is a journey you and your dog have to take together, in gradual steps. Firstly, you must ensure your family is involved in the training and plays an active part in the process.

Next, make sure that everybody agrees on exactly what the dog’s role is going to be. There are a few questions that need to be settled - where will the dog sleep, what are the places in the house the dog is not allowed in, when will the dog be fed, where will it be fed, who will take it for walks? For the dog to develop an attachment for everybody in the house, and the other way round, it is a good idea to involve everybody in these things.

After everybody agrees on these things, make sure that you stick to the routine. Dogs are creatures of habit, and they feel much more secure and much happier if they have a routine they can get used to and rely on.

Next, set fixed feeding times. The occasional treat outside feeding time is fine, but this is also a key in toilet training. If you mess this part up, you will have a lot of messes to clean up, and you cannot really blame the dog for it.

After the fundamentals are established and the dog is properly trained accordingly, you can move on to teaching it simple tricks and improve its obedience. Give the dog a treat when it does something right and shower some praise.

Remember that your dog loves being praised and petted, and when it does something right, tell it so, and encourage it, so that it will know what to do the next time.

Please remember that you cannot get a dog trained properly through fear. Praise and encouragement is what works and it can be a rewarding experience for you, as well. There is nothing quite as uplifting as a pair of doggy eyes looking at you adoringly as if convinced that you are perfect - be patient and you will see that it is worth it.

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Separation anxiety is one of the most common problems that dogs develop. It’s an anxiety disorder, and is defined as a state of intense panic brought on by the dog’s isolation/separation from her owner(s).

In other words: when you leave for work in the morning, your dog is plunged into a state of nervous anxiety which intensifies extremely quickly.

Dogs are social animals – they need plenty of company and social interaction to keep them happy and content. No dog likes to be left alone for long stretches of time, but some dogs do a lot worse than others: these are the ones most prone to separation anxiety.

There are a number of contributing causes to the condition:

- Some breeds are genetically predisposed towards anxiety and insecurity, which is something you should consider when deciding which breed you’re going to go for (particularly if you’re going to be absent for long stretches of time). A few of these breeds include Weimaraners, Springer Spaniels, German Shepherds, and Airedales

- A significant proportion of dogs from shelters develop separation anxiety. Most of these ‘shelter dogs’ have undergone significant trauma in their lives – they’ve been abandoned by their previous owners – and thus they have little trust that their new-found owner (you) isn’t going to pull the same trick.

- Dogs that were separated from their mothers and siblings too early have been identified as being especially prone to separation anxiety. Puppies from pet-stores are a perfect example of this: they’re usually taken from their mothers well before the earliest possible age (which is 8 weeks), and confined to a small glass box in the petstore for anywhere between a few weeks to two months. This early weaning, coupled with the lack of exercise and affection while in the petstore, is psychologically traumatic for the dog.

- Neglect is the number-one cause of sepration anxiety for dogs. If you’re absent much more than you’re present in your dog’s life, separation anxiety is pretty much inevitable. Your dog needs your company, affection, and attention in order to be happy and content.

The symptoms of separation anxiety are pretty distinctive: your dog will usually learn to tell when you’re about to leave (she’ll hear keys jingling, will see you putting on your outdoor clothes, etc) and will become anxious. She may follow you from room to room, whining, trembling, and crying. Some dogs even become aggressive, in an attempt to stop their owners from leaving.

When you’ve left, the anxious behavior will rapidly worsen and usually will peak within half an hour. She may bark incessantly, scratch and dig at windows and doors (an attempt to escape from confinement and reunite herself with you), chew inappropriate items, even urinate and defecate inside the house. In extreme cases, she might self-mutilate by licking or chewing her skin until it’s raw, or pulling out fur; or will engage in obsessive-compulsive behaviors, like spinning and tail-chasing.

Upon your return, she’ll be excessively excited, and will leap around you in a frenzy of delight for a protracted period of time (more than the 30 seconds to one minute of a happy, well-balanced dog.)

This extended greeting is a source of some misunderstanding: without realizing that such a greeting actually signifies the presence of a psychological disorder, some owners actually encourage their dog to get more and more worked up upon their return (by fuelling the dog’s excitement, encouraging her to leap around, paying her protracted attention, and so on.)

If you’re behaving in this way with your dog, please stop. I know it’s tempting and very easy to do, and it seems harmless – after all, she’s so happy to see you, what harm can it do to return her attention and affection in equal measure? - but in actuality, you’re just validating her belief that your return is the high point of the day.
So she’s as happy as Larry when you return – but, when it’s time for you to leave again, her now-exaggerated happiness at your presence is under threat, and she gets even more unhappy when you walk out that door.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to minimize your dog’s tendency towards anxiety. Here’s a short list of do’s and don’ts:

Do:

- Exercise the heck out of her. Really wear her out: the longer you expect to be away, the more exercise she should get before you leave. For example, if you’re leaving for work in the morning, she’ll probably be by herself for at least four hours; and, if you’ve got a dog-walker to take her out mid-day instead of coming back yourself, she won’t see you – the person she really cares about - for at least nine hours. So she needs a good, vigorous walk (fifteen to twenty minutes is the absolute minimum here!) before you walk out that door. More is even better.

- Distract her from her boredom, loneliness, and anxiety by giving her an attractive alternative to pining, pacing, and whining. All dogs love to chew – why not play on this predisposition? Get a couple of marrowbones from the butcher, bake them in the oven for 20 minutes (so they go nice and hard and crunchy – and so she can’t smear marrow all over your furniture), slice them up into chunks of a few inches long, and give her one about 15 minutes before you leave. It’ll keep her happy and occupied, and will act as a smokescreen for your departure.

- When you leave, put the radio on to a soothing station: classical music is ideal, but any station featuring lots of talk shows is also ideal. Keep the volume quite low, and it’ll calm her down a bit and give her the feeling that she’s got company.

- If at all possible, supply her with a view: if she can see the world going by, that’s the next best thing to being out and about in it.

- Acclimatize her to your leaving. Taking things nice and slowly, practice getting ready to go: jingle your keys about, put on your coat, and open the door. Then – without leaving! – sit back down and don’t go anywhere. Do this until she’s not reacting any more. When there’s no reaction, give her a treat and lavish praise for being so brave. Next, practice actually walking out the door (and returning immediately), again doing this until there’s no reaction. Gradually work up – gradually being the operative word here! – until you’re able to leave the house with no signs of stress from her.

Do not:

- Act overtly sympathetic when she’s crying. Although it sounds very cold-hearted, trying to soothe and comfort your dog by patting her and cooing over her is actually one of the worst things you can do: it’s essentially validating her concern. Make sure she can’t tell that you feel sorry for her: don’t ever say, “It’s OK, good girl” when she’s upset!

If you’re interested in getting a more detailed look at how to deal with your dog’s separation anxiety, you might like to check out SitStayFetch.

It’s a great learning tool for anyone who wants to learn how to deal constructively with their dog’s problem behaviors.

All of the common behavioral problems are dealt with in detail, and there’s a great section on obedience commands and tricks too.

You can visit the SitStayFetch site by clicking here now:

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Just who would need dog agility training? Aren’t dogs just naturally agile and fit and able to run and jump and chase balls and Frisbees and so on?

It’s partially true that dogs are naturally gifted athletes in their own right. They have very muscular bodies in proportion to their weight which makes them able to run fast, jump high, and do so many other spectacular stunts. However, dog agility training means more than just training a dog to run or jump; it involves teaching dogs how to do certain stunts or perform certain tasks on command of their owner, improving their time over an obstacle course, and teaching them how to perform some stunts in a particular way. This type of dog agility training would typically apply to show dogs that need to run or jump or keep a certain pace according to the show’s requirements; they also need to keep in step with their owners, follow a certain obstacle course in a particular order, and so on. Just learning how to do these things is only half the experience; a dog needs to learn how to do these things in a particular way, at a particular speed, when given a particular signal, and so on.

As much as it is fun to watch those that have been through this type of dog agility training there are some cautions that owners should consider before simply signing up their dog for such a school. For one thing, most schools will only accept dogs that are 18 months or older, and for good reason. Dogs younger than this are still growing and trying to force them to learn different stunts can stunt their growth or damage them long-term. Also, it’s important to keep in mind some dog’s natural physical makeup. Smaller dogs with shorter legs cannot always do so well in jumps while larger dogs may have a problem with tunnels and such. A good school that provides dog agility training will take these things in mind and adjust or alter their training according to the dog’s size and breed; an owner that is attempting to train a dog on his or her own needs to do the same.

It’s also easy for an owner to assume that dog agility training should include punishment for when a dog doesn’t perform as expected, but experts in the field know that it’s much more effective to reward a dog when it does well than it is to simply punish it when it doesn’t perform as expected. Treats, petting, play time, favorite toys, and things like these can all be used as rewards for a job well done. Dog agility training should be fun for the dog and the owner, not a chore or trauma for either.

And remember that not all pets respond the same to dog agility training; some breeds are just too skittish or hyper to jump and run on command, so don’t let your expectations get the best of you.

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