Dog Training

John Williams Dog Training asked:


Diarrhea can, and chances are will come to every dog you ever have in your lifetime and is a very common type of illness to have but in most cases is nothing serious and is not a cause to worry.

Lots of things can cause diarrhea in your dog and although on most cases the vet need not be contacted if it persists or becomes uncontrollable by your dog then it may need a better examination and diagnosis to prescribe the correct medicine.

Diarrhea is more common in puppies due to their immune system not being as strong as a dog’s immune system yet but diarrhea in dogs is also very common. Situations which cause diarrhea can be anything from a change in surroundings, worms, or conccidia, to a virus or pest your dog has caught.

A change in diet or food may have triggered the illness and it should be looked into to stop it happening again, dogs are very vulnerable to changes and it can affect them in many ways. Being over excited or having stressful days along with other emotional changes may bring this problem.

It is always important to look after your dog well while they are suffering this illness, puppies and dogs will get dehydrated in these times and you need to make sure they have enough fluids to stop further illness.

While your dog has diarrhea they become weaker due to low body weight and not getting sufficient vitamins so their immune systems lower making it easier to catch other viruses and illnesses.

Keep a close eye on your dog when they have diarrhea and if you have fears of it being anything but a common diarrhea cause then seek a vet or professional for advice. There are plenty of advice leaflets and informational sheets around in pet shops and dog care specialist places, as long as you are aware of your dog’s problem and are aware of these facts you should be in good shape.



Dale

John Williams Dog Training asked:


Ticks are a nasty little arachnid pest that attach to your dog and can be very irritating and soar for your pet. They carry many different diseases that can be mildly dangerous to your dog and other members of your household. Some diseases take up to twenty four hours to pass on to their host so getting rid of the pests easily and quickly is essential.

There are a lot of ways that you may have been taught as a child to get rid of ticks from the skin, the most popular is probably to burn the tick into releasing his grip of his own accord so no further problems can arise of having the jaws still stuck into the skin.

The second way often taught to get rid of ticks is to smother them in oil based liquids of Vaseline to help take the tick out in a similar fashion to the way noted above.

These ways are both wrong and can be very dangerous, the first is dangerous, can be painful for your dog and will more than likely scare your dog into behaving in a bad manner. The second is also dangerous and unneeded, the idea is to keep your skin and around the area of the tick as clean as possible to avoid further infection or disease.

The way to remove the tick properly and with little damage or pain is to use sterilised tweezers to dislodge the critter, it takes patience if the tick is stubborn and doesn’t want to move but it is the safest way to remove the pests.

Be careful not to pull on the ticks body wile pulling him out, if you pull too hard on the body it will come off separate to the jaws and mouth of the tick causing it to be harder to dislodge.

Start by cleaning the tweezers with alcohol or burning over a flame if alcohol is not available. You may want to also put alcohol around the area in question to keep it clean. Once this is done try to get as close to the skin of the dog and grab the tick at the jaws, to do this you will need to place the tweezers from the side into position. If the tick refuses to budge, try moving from side to side to unhook the jaws wile pulling away from the skin. Doing this and keeping constant pressure on the tick will cause him to tire and give in, releasing the tick in one go.

Finnish off by cleaning the area with alcohol or soapy water and you job is complete.



Katie

John Williams Dog Training asked:


Your dog’s fur is a very important aspect of your dogs life, keeping it clean and in good shape is a good way to keep your dog happy, healthy, and clean. If you don’t keep your dogs fur in good shape it will only be a mater of time before tangles and knots appear in your dog’s coat picking up insects, pests, and causing discomfort for your dog.

Different dogs have different types of fur and with so many cross breeds and different looking dogs, naming all the different types of fur would be impossible. There are many different types of dog fur, some will look after themselves more than others but the general rule is that a longer dog coat will normally tangle and know easier than others.

To maintain your dog’s fur and keep it looking as it should, lots of grooming may be needed so this should be taken into account when buying a new dog. But grooming does not need to be a chore you have to do for your dog because grooming is proven to be a great bonding between owner and dog and creates trust and comfort for your dog making them a lot easier to train.

Step one is to get a good comb for your dog ensuring that there are no sharp edges and that your dog is comfortable with you using it without hurting him/her. Your vet or local pet shop many be able to help you and give you advice with choosing the correct comb but this will be a deciding point in whether your dog will enjoy you doing it or not.

After you have chosen your comb, grooming should happen often and you should do it thoroughly each time, ensuring all knots and angles are removed, if you haven’t yet combed your dog’s fur then it may be difficult to start so do a bit at a time to ensure you don’t discourage your dog and make them not like the grooming process.

After the initial combing, the more often you groom your dog the easier it will be, leaving it for long periods of time is not advised because this means it is more likely to hurt your dog when it eventually does get done. If your dog is finding it tough going then maybe a dog bath is needed to make it easier to detangle and add to your dog furs health.



Yolanda

cieleclaire asked:


I have an ebook on dog training and don’t need it anymore so I feel like giving it away,who needs it?

Ryan

25 or 6 to 4 asked:


Which one is better? Is your dog still exhibiting training?

David

Peach Juice asked:


I am 25 and do voluntary work at a local animal shelter and have been there for 8 years and have unofficially re-trained a lot of rescue dogs and rehomed them successfully, but my friends believe i should do dog training professionally, how can i go about this?

Eugene

John Williams Dog Training asked:


This command is a very useful command and is relatively easy to teach your dog. After learning the sit command, this command should be a breeze for you. Getting your dog to be able to lie down and wait while you go into a shop or walk away is a very useful command and is also key to gaining trust and a good relationship with your dog.

This command should be firstly taught indoors or in a comfortable place your dog is used to learning and doing commands for you, and then as time goes on and your dog gets better at achieving success with the command, you should take it into a public place with lots of interests and new smells to distract them. This should test the strength and commitment your dog has for the down command.

To start, make sure your dog is in the mood for training and preferably in a hungry and wanting mood where they will be more than happy to please you if it means they get a treat, just before meal times is generally a good time for training and will help the progress of your dog.

When you are ready to begin and you have your dogs treats to-hand, start by getting your dog to sit for you, followed by a reward .Then let your dog know you have another treat in your hand for him and slowly lower it in front of him, going lower and lower, as the treat gets lowered closer to the ground your dog will be forced into the down position with their belly firmly on the floor and paws ahead of them.

As soon as your dogs belly touches the floor, the command ‘down’ should be said and you should reward them with praise, encouragement and the treat you used. This makes the dog associate the command with the action and the action with a reward to help your dog training process.

If your dog steps out of line during the training exercise, gently punish them accordingly. After you have learnt this command and you now think you’re ready for the next step, try taking your dog into a distracting place or area, or playing with their ball around them. When you have your dog under control at all times using the down command it is time to move on to more advanced dog training and you have now got a new trick to show your friends and family.



Charlene

John Williams Dog Training asked:


There are many choices when it comes to rewarding your dog with a treat for obeying your commands, and these treats make a big difference in your dog’s attitude towards you in learning new tricks, and why wouldn’t they? To get anything in life you have to give something back and dogs are no different, you help them and they’ll help you. Simple.

But what are the best rewards and treats to give your dog in times of good behavior? Well for starters you won’t be short of treats to try, the markets as it is now is full to the brim of all the fancy rewards and treats you could ever think of.

One of the favourite for dog owners is to treat their dog to homemade treats from recipes that can be found across the internet in many places, some of my favourites and personal recommendations are listed in the products page of www.dog-behavior-training.co.uk along with other tips on dog training there.

Consumer products are also a good choice when rewarding your dog; these include chewing toys which can be very rewarding for puppies and dogs alike. Saving one of their favourite toys for when they behave well makes everything more exciting for your dog and causes them to want to perform more for this reward.

If a chew toy is not to your dogs liking then they may instead enjoy a tug toy, tug toys are good for your dog’s teeth the same as chew toys are and it enhances the relationship between you and your dog as you play with them. Be careful while using these toys as some dogs may think of this game as good behaviour and will start tugging on trousers or other annoying or destructive things.

The last toys I am going to talk about are the throwing toys; these are good to calm your dog down when they are over active or if you just want to reward your dog with quality playing time for their good behavior. These toys range from a simple tennis ball to special durable dog Frisbees and help you to react with your dog wile also training playing the ‘fetch’ game.

There are lots more dog toys available, probably at your local pet shop. It is a good idea to keep in mind what textures and current toys your dog likes to play with or chew before making your choice but as long as your dog enjoys it, it can be used as a good reward and training method.



Audrey

John Williams Dog Training asked:


The passing away of your dog is a sad time for all pet owners and a moment we all would like to avoid altogether although it is a natural process of losing a good friend or family member there are options that can make dealing with the situation better.

It is certainly can be a big shock to you when you find out your pet has passed away and the first reaction could be that of denial. Denial is a common occurrence when dealing with loss or finding out when someone your love has passed away. This is due to your body not wanting to deal with the blow of a pet’s death and it then tries to block it out like nothing has happened.

It is generally better to accept the situation of your dogs’ death if possible, this may be hard to come to terms with for many on such an emotional time, so a burial or small gathering of friends and family who knew the dog to say a final farewell may be a good idea, and it will help you accept the current situation.

Anger and blame may be a result of the shock and you may feel like this is a way to release the emotion you are feeling and pass it on to someone else. Veterinarians go through a tuff process to get to the standard of a professional vet, and for good reason, they care for the work they do. Blaming your vet should not be an option and they are always looking out for the best interest of your dog no matter what you might think when grieving your dogs’ death. Avoid this type of behaviour as it helps no one and it will only turn into guilt on your emotions start to calm down.

When the bad news finally hits home the grieving will start and your emotions will be too much to control, it’s good to let your emotional feelings out as this helps the situation greatly. Keeping yourself overly busy is not recommended like many people do, the emotions will need to come out sometime and it has to happen to stop the feeling of emptiness. Try finding groups of others in your community or internet that can relate to your problems and talk to family and friends about your feelings. The more support you get the quicker you will learn to look back on how happy you’re dog was and how much fun you had together.



Tamara

John Williams Dog Training asked:


Before I begin, the ‘good boy’ name is only an example for ease of writing in this article and ‘good girl’ or any other words of praise may be used in place of ‘good boy’ throughout this article.

The god boy command is not so much a command as a general consistent learning or rewarding exercise, the aim of this exercise is to get your dog to associate ‘good boy’ with times when he has done something well and is rewarded, this will make your dog happy and glad that they have done good for you.

A lot of dog breeds actually enjoy performing tasks for their owner and it’s what they are used to and aim to achieve, these dogs are generally dog with a working background and breed past, such as sheepdogs and collies, this makes the good boy command a lot more rewarding for them and a good reason to perform well.

This exercise can be taught as soon as you get your puppy or dog and can be a natural reaction to good behavior by many already, also making the command easier to remember and be consistent with.

The good boy command is easy and is taught along with rewards you give your dog, if your dog behaves well you should praise them to get them to do the same command again, this is common sense in dog training and the ‘good boy’ command only ads to this so you are able to give your dog a different, emotional type of praise on the rare occasions when you haven’t got treats on your person or to hand (although not recommended but it does happen).

So when your dog behaves well and has deserved a treat or other form of reward, recite ‘good boy’ to them in an excited and impressed voice and give your dog cuddles and love. This over time will be seen as another form of reward that means just as much to your dog as treats do.

The good boy command gives more emotion to your rewards and gives your dog a new form of praise to aim for thus enhancing the relationship between you and your dog, making this a very important command or reward.



Doris