Saturday, February 21, 2009

Dog's House?

Behaviour in the House?

Imagine this scenario:

Your dog has been in the backyard for awhile. The moment he is allowed to get into the house, immediately he becomes uncontrollable and dashes about in the house. As a result, you chase him around the house and brought back to the backyard. To avoid the situation from happening again, you leave your dog longer in the backyard, which actually frustrates him further. The next time you let him into the house, he gets even more excited and dashes about in the house more madly.


To train your dog to be calm in the house, remember to give him plenty of exercise (like taking long walks, play with him in the backyard, etc) before allowing him into the house.
To train your dog to remain calm in the house:
1. Put him on a leash every time you let your dog into the house.
2. Slowly walk him through the house.
3. Reward your dog with treats when he remains calm as he walks around in the house with you
4. After the initial tour around, bring him to a well-trafficked area and safely tie him to a suitable object.
5. Give him a comfortable pad to lie on, a toy to play with and treats to reward when he is quiet.
6. Give him extra rewards when your dog remains calm even there are something exciting happening around him, eg seeing a cat walking by, etc.
Remember to avoid inappropriately rewarding your dog for undesired behaviour. For example, when he starts to run wildly in the house, do not start chasing after him. Your dog may start to think that “this is FUN as my owner is chasing after me and playing with me when I enter the house”.
If your dog cannot remain calm in the house, or you cannot calm him down after he gets excited, simply take him back to the backyard.
With consistency and patience, you can teach your dog the appropriate manner and behaviour whenever he gets to go into the house.

And remember to praise your dog abundantly when he does the right thing!

About author:

Kum Chee
A Happy Dog Lover and Owner

Internet Business Coaching

135 Bylands Building
Middle Road #02-24
SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE 188975 SG

Friday, February 20, 2009

How To Deal With A Jumping Problem?


Imagine this scenario:

Do you accept jumping from your dog when you play with him yet you do not allow such behaviour from him when you are all dressed up for work?


In this scenario, we are actually confusing our dogs and may even cause anxiety in them.

Always remember that jumping is a natural behaviour for a dog. Hence it is impossible to eliminate or correct such behaviour within a short period of time.

In dealing with this problem, we have to be consistent in our message to our dog that such behaviour is unacceptable.

To deal with this problem, always remember:

  1. Avoid rough games.
  2. Have toys for playing fetch with him and treats at hand to re-direct the dog’s attention during games.
  3. If need be, use a leash during game.
    • When he jumps, simply say ‘No’ and gently tugs the leash
    • Holds the dog’s face and body away from you until he calms down and stops jumping
    • Then allows him to approach you again
    • Praise him when he approaches you WITHOUT jumping
  4. Avoid excitable greetings.
  5. Always greet and interact with the dog calmly and gently.
  6. Teach him to sit as a way of greeting. Remember to Praise and Reward him for greeting you in the correct way.

To correct the dog’s jumping behaviour, combine both positive re-enforcement (praise and reward) and negative re-enforcement by letting him experience negative consequences (punishment) for jumping:

Method 1 – Losing his playmate

  1. When he jumps, turn away and immediately stop all interaction with him
  2. Do not touch him with your hand or look down at him as he may think that his jumping behaviour as acceptable
  3. When he tries other methods such as sitting or fetching his toys to get your attention, praise him immediately and calmly so as not to excite and encourage the dog to jump.
  4. If jumping does NOT stop at this time, walk away from him, which may mean leaving the room and not allowing the dog to follow you.
  5. After two to three minutes, return to the room. Your dog should greet you in a calmer manner.

Method 2 – Using Physical Correction

  1. Say ‘No’ immediately when the dog jumps.
  2. Gently tugs the leash on the dog in a downward motion; or
  3. Squirting the dog with water though some dogs love such action
  4. Sit the dog and praise him for doing so

To train your dog to properly greet your guests at the front door:

  1. Keep a spare leash or collar by the front door
  2. When a guest arrives, immediately put the dog on leash
  3. Put the dog in a sit-and-stay position by the front door
  4. Invite the guest in
  5. If the dog jumps on guest, say ‘No’, gently tug the leash to pull him off the guest, put him in his sit position again and praise him

Remember to have plenty of daily practices at the front door with the dog when there are no visitors. Open and close the door often enough for your dog to get used to the action. Then proceed to knocking at the front door and ringing the bell while keeping your dog in a sit-stay position all the while.

Such practices will help the dog to reduce his jumping, lessen his excitement and excessive barking at the front door.

And remember to praise your dog abundantly when he does the right thing!






You Can Do It!

About author:

Kum Chee
A Happy Dog Lover and Owner

Internet Business Coaching

135 Bylands Building
Middle Road #02-24
SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE 188975 SG

Thursday, February 19, 2009

DOG TRAINING TIPS

How To Deal With A Nipping or Mouthing Problem?


In dealing with the problem of a nipping or mouthing dog/puppy, it is important to remember that it is a dog’s natural behaviour to nip. Hence it is unrealistic to expect such behaviour will be corrected within a few training sessions or totally eliminated overnight. However with consistency, patient and practice, such behaviour can be corrected over time.

Ways to curb nipping behaviour in a dog/puppy:

  • Avoid rough games such as play-slapping, wrestling, tug-of-war, etc
  • Avoid vigorous petting, especially around the face. Always pet the dog gently and keeps the hand slow.
  • Avoid playing with the dog using your hands as he may treat your hands as his toys. Keep several toys and treats at hand for the dog to focus on.
  • Give plenty of exercise, such as fetching games, hide-and-seek, etc to burn off the energy in him; especially before any petting or interaction as a tired dog or puppy is not likely to nip.

What to do when your dog/puppy nips you:

Method 1

  • Freeze immediately.
  • After freezing, say ‘Off’ or ‘No’ in a sharp tone but not to yell or shout.
  • At this time, the dog will take his mouth away, back away and/or look at you. At this point, praise him gently and calmly.
  • If he resumes his nipping, walk away from him.
  • After several minutes have passed, approach and resume the activity with him as long as he does NOT nip again.

Remember: Never allow or continue any activity with a nipping dog/puppy no matter how small he is or whether the bite hurts.

Method 2

This method can be used when the dog does not stop his nipping when you freeze:

  • Spray an ‘anti-chewing’ spray in the dog’s mouth once. The spray has a bitter taste and the dog will normally dislike such taste.
  • Spray it on your hands, feet and clothes before interacting with the dog.

Method 3

  • Put the dog on a leash (use a chain-link leash if he tends to bite the leash) or head collar before interacting with him.
  • Say ‘No’ when he nips and gently tug the leash.
  • Hold the dog’s head away from your body until the dog calms down.
  • Slowly put our hands or feet back toward the dog’s mouth. NO fast movement.
  • Praise him gently when he only sniffs or nuzzles as this is appropriate greeting gestures of a dog.

And remember to praise your dog abundantly when he does the right thing!

You Can Do It!

About author:

Kum Chee
A Happy Dog Lover and Owner

Internet Business Coaching

135 Bylands Building
Middle Road #02-24
SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE 188975 SG