Free Tips for Training and Caring for Your Dog

Are you looking for ways to make your dog a more pleasant healthy and happy family member?

Here are some articles that can help you get your dog to behave, to stop misbehaving and to keep your dog healthy and happy.

 Teaching Your Dog What No Means

I have seen a lot of people walking their dogs and telling their dog "No" when their dog does something they don't want it to do, such as barking at another dog, or pulling on the leash. The problem that I see is that in many cases, the dog ignores the command and keeps on doing what it wants to do. When I see this happen, it's obvious to me that the dog has not been taught what "No" means.

The Three Fundamentals Of Dog Training

There are only three fundamental practices that you have to follow in order to train your dog. By training, I mean teaching your dog to immediately do what you tell him to do and to not do anything that you teach him not to do. Once you learn these three fundamentals, dog training becomes easy.

Overweight Dogs

You've probably heard or read that there is a problem with obesity in our society. It turns out that overweight dogs are also a problem. One estimate says that approximately 25% to 40% of the dogs in this country are seriously overweight. The problem becomes more acute as both the dogs and the owners get older. Overweight dogs are not healthy dogs.

Developing A Companion Dog

In AKC obedience trials, two of the degrees that can be earned are called Companion Dog (CD) and Companion Dog Excellent (CDX). That's not what this essay is about. This is about you developing your dog into being your companion. A dog that not only does what he's told but doesn't get into trouble, doesn't pull on his leash, doesn't show any aggression toward other dogs or people.A companion dog is a real joy to have.

Puppy Nipping

Puppies use their mouths when they play with other puppies. So, when you bring your puppy home, and play with it or pet it, it will mouth and nip your hands. This behavior is normal for puppies and is rarely aggressive but it's something that you want to stop. Puppies' teeth are sharp alhough their jaws aren't very strong so the nipping probably won't break the skin, but it does hurt. However, as the puppy grows up, his jaws get much stonger and he can do real harm even though he doesn't intend to. Here's how to stop your puppy from nipping

Where To Go For Your Next  (Or First) Dog

There are a lot of different places to go to get a dog. There are pet stores, puppy stores, professional breeders, back yard breeders, shelters, and rescue operations, to name a few. Here are some of the pros and cons of each of these.

Here's where to go to get your next (or first) dog.

Teaching Your Dog the Wait Command

"Wait" can be a command of convenience (yours), a command for "Alpha Dog" training (you're the "Alpha Dog"), or a command to keep your dog from getting hurt or into trouble. And, it's easy to teach your dog the "Wait" command, especially if she walks with you on a loose leash and knows some of the basic commands such as "sit" and "down".

Here's how to teach your dog the wait command

The Law Of Expectation And Your Dog

The Law Of Expectation states that whatever one confidently expects to happen will happen. There have been many incidences that verify this law. The Law Of Expectation applies to dog training as well.

Rubbing Your Dog's Ears Is A Natural Sedative For Your And Your Dog

Dog's ears come in all different shapes and sizes, but no matter what their shape or size, they almost all like to have them rubbed.  From the small ears of the Chihuahua to he stand up ears of the German Shepard to the long floppy ears of the Basset Hound, they all enjoy having their ears rubbed or scratched. In general, most dogs crave attention, and rubbing your dog's ears is the ultimate in attention.

 Fun Dog Quotes

These are funny quotes about dogs that should make you smile.

How To Get Your Dog To Like Going For A Car Ride

If your dog hates to ride in your car, you can change that. It will take patience and an effort on your part, but you can do it. Depending on how much she hates to go into the car will determine how long it will take to get her to enjoy it. But, it can be done. Here's how.

People Food, Plants and Household Items That Can Poison Your Dog

Feeding your dog too much of anything is not good thing. Even too much of the best quality dog food money can buy will eventually make your dog obese. And that's not a good thing.

However, there are a lot of people foods, plants and common household items that can be sickening if not fatal to your dog.

Here's a list.

The Aggressive dog

 Its Causes and Cures

The aggressive dog comes in a variety of forms and has different causes. For a family pet, aggressive dog behavior is unacceptable. Depending on the severity and form of aggression, and the basic cause, it can be cured by the owner, will require a professional animal behaviorist, or, in the extreme, the dog may have to be euthanized. This article discusses what the owner can do to cure his or her aggressive dog's behavior. The success of the techniques discussed will depend on the capability of the owner, and the severity and underlying cause of the aggression.

Alpha Dog Training

14 Steps To Become the Alpha Dog

If your dog takes you for a walk instead of the other way around, or if your dog won't let you take his favorite toy or his food away from him, or if your dog will sometimes show aggression towards you, or if you're just a little afraid of your dog, your dog thinks HE is the alpha dog. (I use the word "he" but I mean both genders) That does not lead to a good human-dog relationship – you being the human. And the interesting thing about this is that your dog will feel better and be more comfortable if you are the alpha dog. Dogs would rather follow than lead.

Dog Training Commands

Most professional dog trainers use the same command words when they obedience train dogs and also tell their clients to use them when they teach people how to train their dogs. Here is a list of 11 of the most commonly used dog obedience training commands used by professional dog trainers.

A Lonely Dog

Dogs are pack animals. They have a need to socialize to keep from being a lonely dog. The domestication of dogs has been a huge success. As a result, dogs need to socialize with humans as well as other dogs. You, the dog owner are the human that your dog needs to spend time with since you are the center of your dog's world. Here's how to spend time with your dog to keep him from being a lonely dog

Pulling On The Leash

How To Stop Your Dog From Pulling On Her Leash

 You dog pulls on her leash to get to another dog or to get to a spot that has an interesting smell, or wants to go forward faster than you want to go. If you go where your dog wants to go, not where you want to go, you're really rewarding your dog for pulling on her leash. If you would like your dog to walk with you on a loose leash and go where you want to go, with no pulling or tugging, the first thing you need to do is stop rewarding your dog for pulling on her leash.

Letting Your Dog On The Furniture

Should you allow your dog on your furniture

Whether or not to let your dog on your furniture is an important decision for you to make. It has implications other than the possibility of damage to your bed, couch, or armchair. The main implication is the dominance factor. If your dog is given free access to all the furniture in your home, especially your bed, your dog may think that he's just as important as you are. That's a situation where you should definitely not let your dog on your bed.

Dog Jumping

 How To Stop Your Dog From Jumping Up On You Or Your Guests

Jumping up on people is a real problem for dog owners. The problem is frequently created by you the dog owner when your dog was a puppy. Your puppy comes running up to you full of excitement and tries to jump up when she gets to you. You, naturally, bend down and pet your puppy or pick her up or start to play with her. In all three cases, you're rewarding your puppy for her actions which is coming to you and jumping up on you. Your puppy learns quickly that jumping is a good thing because it results in positive attention and physical contact. Unfortunately, your puppy doesn't know the difference between when she was a 5 pound puppy and now, when she can be as much as a 50 pound dog. Unless she's taught differently, she thinks that jumping up is a good thing to do.

Barking Dogs

Why Dogs Bark And How To Stop Them

 Dogs bark for a variety of reasons. They may want to alert you to someone coming to your door. Or, they may want to let you now that it's time for dinner, or time to go out. If they are alone when the bark, it may be something to do because they are bored. In some cases it may be that they want to show dominance over another dog or over other people including their owner. And sometimes it seems like they bark just to hear themselves. Of coarse there will be instances where you would expect a dog to bark, because that's what dogs do.

There are a few different ways to stop your dog from barking, but in all cases, you should determine why your dog is barking.

Choosing A Dog Breed

Which Is The Best Breed For You?

The answer to the question: "What is the best breed of dog?" is "There isn't any". But there may be the best breed of dog for you.

The best dog breed for you depends on the many different characteristics and attributes of the breed along with how much space the dog will have and how much exercise you want to give your dog  or are able to give your dog along with whether you want just a companion, or whether you want the dog to hunt with you, swim with you, guard your home, or be a watch dog. The list can go on and on. Knowing some of the characteristics of the various breeds can help you detrmine which dog is best for you.
 

Male Or Female Dogs

Which Is Best For You

The question of whether your next dog (or your first one) should be male or female leaves some people in a quandary. Some people choose the sex of the dog they're going to get purely on emotion. If you ask them why they chose the sex that they did, they usually can't give you a good reason, unless, of course, it's because they want a litter of puppies. Here's a list of the various differences between male and female dogs.

Dog Collars

A Short History And The Different Kinds Of Dog Collars

A dog collar is a piece of material, usually leather, chain, nylon or other fabric, that is put around the neck of a dog for control and identification. It usually has a metal ring for attaching dog licenses, owner's information, medical information, and a place to attach a leash or other restraint. Knowing what types of dog collars there are and how they are used will help you decide which type is collar is right for your dog.

Destructive Chewing

How To Stop Your Dog Or Puppy From Destructive Chewing

Puppies and adult dogs may have different reasons for destructive chewing, but some of the remedies are the same.

Puppies may chew because they're teething, just as babies do. It helps alleviate the discomfort and aids in the teething process.  They put anything they can into their mouths. They also explore their world by putting objects into their mouths. 

 Here's how to stop destructive chewing.

Head/Halter Collars 

What They Are And How They're Used

The head collar, or halter is a dog collar that is used primarily to control the dog's head. The premise being that the dog's body has to follow its head. The collar consists of a loop that goes around the dog's neck attached to another loop that goes around the dog's muzzle. The loop that goes around the dog's muzzle does not restrict the dog from drinking, eating, or biting if it is predisposed to do so. Read more about Head Collars here.

Do Dogs Sweat

How Dogs Regulate Their Temperature

Dogs do sweat, but not like humans. Dogs have two types of sweat glands. One type, called merocrine glands, are in their footpads. They sweat through their footpads. They also have some sweat glands in their nose. Although they help keep the dog cool, very little of their body heat is lost through their footpads. Learn more about how dogs keep cool here.

The Working Dog

Is It The Right Dog For You?

Working dogs, and I include herding dogs, in general are intelligent, loyal, and respond well to training. The larger breeds, such as the German Shepherd, Doberman, Malamute or Rottwieler need a place where they can get a lot of exercise such as a fenced in backyard or a dog friendly park. Read more about which dog is right for you.

Introducing A Puppy To An Adult Dog

Bringing a new puppy into a household that has an adult dog takes time, patience, preparation, and thoughtfulness. I strongly suggest that the adult dog be obedience trained, if she has not already been trained, before the new puppy is brought in. One reason for this, other than the obvious, is that your puppy is going to learn her social behavior from your adult dog, and you want her to learn good behavior, not bad. For information on obedience training go to http://trainyourfirstdog.com/obedience.html.

How To Bathe Your Puppy

Most dogs don't like to be bathed. The fist thing you have to do is to get your puppy to tolerate, if not enjoy, getting a bath. If you have a puppy, the process is a lot easier than if you have an adult dog that has either never been bathed or has had a bad experience with being bathed. This article is about bathing puppies.

How To Bathe Your Dog

Most dogs don't like to be bathed. Some will try every trick they know to avoid getting into a tub. The first thing you have to do is to get your dog to tolerate, if not enjoy, getting a bath. The question is how do you get your dog to tolerate getting a bath.

Your Dog's Bad Habits 

How to get rid of your dog's bad habits

To stop your dog from doing something you don't like is not difficult, but it requires consistency, attentiveness, timing and praise. Consistency and attentiveness go together in that you have to catch your dog in the act of doing the bad thing, and correct the dog every time he does the bad thing. Every time he gets away with doing it, it's two steps backward in the training because then he realizes that he can get away with it. Here's a way to get rid of your dog's bad habits.

House Training Problems

Submissive Urination

Submissive urination is not related to house training. It is usually associated with puppies, but adult dogs, especially those from shelters that have been mistreated, also exhibit this tendency. Here's how to solve the submissive urination problem. 

House Training Problems 

Excitement Urination

Excitement urination is really not a house training problem. It is usually a puppy problem, but can occur with adult dogs. The primary cause of excitement urination is that when puppies get overly excited, they lose control of their bladder. Most puppies grow out of it as they gain more control over their bladder, but you don't have to wait for that. Here's how to keep your dog or puppy from excitement urination.

Dog Digging

How to stop it or control it

There are a number of reasons why dogs dig. Depending on why your dog digs, there are ways to stop it, or, at least, control the area where he digs. There are some breeds of dogs that are more prone to digging because they've been bred to dig. Terriers and dachshunds are bred to go after vermin is a good example of this. It may be more difficult to keep them from digging. You can solve the problem by giving them their own digging space. Here are other ways to solve the problem.

A trained dog is a happy dog and has a happy owner

Why Your Dog (Or Puppy) Whines

And How To Stop It

There are a lot of reasons why a dog or puppy whines. A puppy will whine for almost everything it wants. Anywhere from wanting it's mother to having to relieve it's self if it's been housetrained. As the puppy grows older, the whining may stop unless the owner encouraged it by attending to the puppy every time it whined. In that case, the puppy has trained the owner to come when called.  An adult dog will whine for attention, if it wants something (including wanting to go out to go potty), if it's bored, has separation anxiety or is ill or hurt.

Why Your Dog Eats Grass

And Will It Hurt Him

Most people think that dogs are carnivores, but they are really omnivores. That means that they eat anything. They may not be particularly fond of vegetables, but they will eat them. If you look at the ingredients of almost any nutritionally complete dog kibble, it will include vegetables and grains.

But the question remains, why, if your dog isn't hungry, will he go out into the back yard and eat grass?  Not only that, but will frequently vomit after eating the grass. There are some theories but no solid answer.

Why Should You Train Your Dog?

Does your dog do what you tell her to do?

Can your visitors leave your house without worrying about letting your dog out?

Does your dog come to you when you call her?

Does she sit when you tell her to sit?

Does she stay when you tell her to stay?

Does she lie down when you tell her to lie down?

Does she walk quietly with you on a loose leash?

If you answered "No" to any one of these questions, you really need to train your dog! It will make your life so much simpler, easier, and less stressful. Both you and your dog will be happier for it. 

Notable Dogs

There are dogs featured in almost every aspect of our culture. Some are real dogs, some are comic strip dogs, some are mythical dogs and some are dogs in someone's imagination. Here is a list of 62 dogs of note with some information on who they are and where they came from. I might add the three of them; Bullet, Lassie, and Rin Tin Tin were exceptionally well trained.  

Dog Food Aggression

How To Stop It

Dog food aggression is when your dog gets aggressive any time you take his food away from him, go near his food, or even go near him while he's eating. He may just stiffen up, curl his lip, growl, snarl, snap at you or actually bite you depending on how aggressive he is about his food. What he's doing is guarding his food, not unlike what he would do in the wild to keep from starving, if other animals tried to take his food away from him. He's also showing dominance since he believes that he is the alpha and that you don't have the right to take his food away, even though you were the one who gave it to him.

To help cure his dominant behavior, make sure that you and your family eat first. Don't let him have anything from the table while you're eating. Dog food aggression is a behavior that must be corrected before someone gets bitten, especially if there are children in the household.