Stress & Destressing

Well as you can see it’s been a few weeks since I last posted something, I’ve been traveling all over the countryside.

I will start posting my pics and stories shortly but for now I wanted to tell you about my day. My life has turned un-necessarily stressful recently and having once had burn out I can feel it coming on a bit recently, so I’ve decided to pull away from those people and situations that detract from my happiness.

Today I spent the day cleaning my mum’s back area which has that horrible fake grass that collects dirt and with three dogs in the backyard they make a great mess of it all. After vacuuming and washing walls and thing tops it looked like a million dollars and I was so proud.

I was still feeling a little wrestles so decided to tackle some weeds in my front yard and have only got raking and disposal of them to go.

I guess when all these jobs are done I can start focusing on work again but for now I am happy pretending I am stress free.

It’s pretty funny sometimes I will be watching tv at mum’s house and I will warn her that some shows are prone to making me cry and she laughs but without fail the waterworks have started before the end of the show.

I guess I am being a little emotional but until I find my place in this beautiful world I will remain emotional lol

You will just have to get used to me the way I am J

How To Stop Dog Biting

In one of my earlier blogs I mentioned a few dogs that were destroyed for biting people, I feel bad for the animals, disgust at some irresponsible dog owners for not training or restraining their dogs. When I was a child I was bitten on the stomach by a sheepdog, it was a working dog and I was a stupid kid who threw my arms around it’s head as if it was one of my own dogs. I think this is why I still don’t trust many dogs and don’t tolerate irresponsibility.

The dog that bit me wasn’t bad, people should look after their dogs as well as their children, and both shouldn’t be left unsupervised at any time.

It is usually possible to train a dog not to bite, if it is a young dog doing it as part of play with you and other people that he knows. The best way is to say 'No' or 'Ouch!' firmly and loudly right at him, and stop playing with him whenever he does it.

This is the same way that mother dogs teach their puppies not to bite too hard. First, they bark and growl at the puppy. Then they turn away and ignore the puppy for a while. If he continues to bite, the mother will grip the scruff of his neck and shake him until he submits. Going limp is a sign of submission.

Your puppy may have been taken from his mother before he learnt this, so you may have to play the part of the mother. Don't hit him but if he persistently bites you despite being ignored, take hold of the scruff of the neck and shake. But don't lift him when you do this - it is not necessary and could be dangerous.

If your dog is a puppy, he is probably teething. Like a child, he needs toys to chew on, so you should make sure there are plenty of these that he knows are his. However, do not give him a toy immediately when he bites you, or he may see it as a reward. That would encourage him to bite you every time he wants a toy to chew on!

Then at other times, when you see him chewing on his toy, praise him and give him attention. This will reinforce the good behavior. This can be the hardest thing to do. While it seems natural to us to correct bad behavior, we usually ignore good behavior. But if you fuss when he bites you, and ignore him when he chews his toy, what do you think he will prefer to do? Yes, bite you, of course!

If an older dog bites, the problem can be more serious, especially if it is a large breed. Bites that break the skin can become infected, and if your dog is allowed to continue biting there is a risk that someone may be seriously injured.

Biting is natural to dogs and they do have to be trained out of it. It will be harder now that he has the habit, but even more important to train him successfully. You will need to be very consistent in your training over several weeks or even months.

You may have adopted a rescue dog whose history you do not know, or an older dog that you were told was well behaved but now is not. Try the same methods, but don't try to shake a big dog. Keep in mind that this may be a temporary behavioral problem related to the stress of the dog's new life in your home. Your training will be most effective if accompanied by a lot of love. Let him keep any toys that he brought with him. These might help him to settle, as well as being something that he can safely bite.

If the dog is aggressive in other ways, e.g. growling when people approach his food bowl or acting aggressively toward other pets or children in a way that is clearly not play, then he is trying to be dominant in the household. Often, the dog will allow one adult to be 'leader of the pack' but he wants to be second. This can be a dangerous situation and you may need to work with a professional dog trainer on this.

If you have small children it is better not to take on dogs that have been bred for guard dogs or sheep dogs, who tend to bite more seriously than others. These include Doberman, Chow Chow, Collie and Rottweiler. There are other breeds that don't get along well with kids for other reasons, including Pekinese, Chihuahua, Toy Poodle, Cocker Spaniel and Dachshund.

If you have one of these dogs and then you have a baby, you may have to consider finding a new home for your pet. In this situation it may not be safe to rely on being able to train a dog not to bite.

enter>Dogs Will Be Dogs

Dogs Will Be Dogs

Jumping, barking, digging, chewing and house soiling are just a few of the topics covered in this audio download.

* Leader of the Pack
* Good House Manners
* The Art of Housebreaking
* My Destructive Dog

The first step in establishing a healthy, happy relationship with your dog is understanding why he behaves the way he does. This entertaining audio program--designed for all ages--will teach you about "dogs being dogs."

Experts from St. Hubert’s Dog Training School in Madison, New Jersey--one of the largest dog training schools in America--share simple and humane techniques for gently but effectively training your four-footed friend. Hear directly from the dog’s mouth the straight scoop on canine motives and how he perceives your behavior. Learn how to communicate to your dog what you want him to do and what behaviors are acceptable.

Helping your dog become a well-behaved member of your household can be fun and rewarding--for both of you!

About the Authors
St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center is a nonprofit animal welfare organization dedicated to alleviating the suffering and neglect of companion animals. Our animal shelters provide safe refuge and compassionate care for thousands of lost, abandoned, abused, and unwanted dogs and cats every year.

Founded in 1939 by Geraldine R. Dodge, St. Hubert’s serves the animals and people of the community with a wide variety of programs that nurture the human-animal bond and foster an environment in which people respect all living creatures. Many of our innovative programs for animals and people serve as models for other organizations across the country.

Click Here Dogs Will Be Dogs

How Do You Train Your Dog Not To Jump On People?

Isn’t it annoying when you visit a fiends place and their dog’s straight away jump up to greet you! Not only can it be a frightening experience if you don’t trust the dog yet, it wants to be close to your face, or greedy dogs wanting to smell your mouth or sniff your hands. Some dogs are too heavy to simply push off you!

Most owners of puppies need to train the dog not to jump up at people. Most young dogs are very interested in any new person and they will be so eager to meet your visitors or any other human that they encounter, that they will jump up on their legs in greeting.

This is in fact submissive behavior on the dog's part. It is showing that it has no intention of starting a fight with the person. However, the jumping can be very frightening for children. A big dog can easily knock a young child over, without intending to hurt them at all. This can lead to some kids becoming terrified of dogs. This is unnecessary and I am sure you will want to make sure that your dog does not cause that kind of reaction.

For adults, it is usually not scary (unless they had a bad experience in childhood) but it can be annoying if the dog is wet or muddy and leaves marks on their clothes. However, it is often the case that the person will react in a friendly way, by stroking the dog, saying hello and playing with him. People may do this either because they genuinely like dogs, or to stop the dog embarrassing them by sniffing their groin.

This can be a big problem if you are trying to teach the dog not to jump. He gets a confusing message. On the one hand, you are saying 'Down!' or calling him to you; on the other hand, the visitor is clearly rewarding him for his jumping with lots of lovely attention. So it is better for you not to react when he jumps on a stranger.

If you concentrate on training him when he is jumping on people that he knows, you can enlist their help. Be sure they know that the dog is not allowed to jump up at them and must not be rewarded for it. If he jumps, they should just stand very still and not even make eye contact with him.

You can do the same when he jumps on you. He will soon get down and when he does, you can speak the command 'Down' or 'Off' and reward him. This way he is only rewarded for getting off - not jumping. Or you can wait a moment, then tell him to 'Sit' and reward him for that.

You and your family members will probably know the dog well enough to see when he is about to jump at you. You can forestall him by turning sideways and slowly walking away. This will show him that you are neither afraid of him nor aggressive toward him, and it will calm him.

It is very important not to punish the dog for jumping by slapping him down or grabbing his paws. Remember that the dog is showing his submissiveness by doing this - so if you are aggressive with him, he thinks his message has not come across and he will try even harder with the same behavior. It is very important not to either reward or punish the unwanted behavior when you want to train a dog not to jump.

A Quick & Easy Technique To Teach Your Dog To Fetch

Don’t you just love it when you can be lazy and throw a toy for your dog and it brings it back and puts it on your lap, you don’t even need to bend down to pick it up again.

One of my closest friends though has a dog which has an OCD about “stuff” nothing in particular just anything it can put in front of your toes and then stand there and look at it!

The dog’s name was Spud which is funny because that is also my childhood nickname from my brothers. Spud would come over and no matter how clean you though your house was he would always find some little scrap of fluff to put at your toes and then stare at. Even if you slightly turned he would pick it up and relocate it to right in front of your toes, several times I ended up picking my feet up off the ground just to stop the feeling of claustrophobia creeping in lol!

It is a lot of fun to train a dog to fetch. Most young dogs are very happy to learn this new game, although they may initially be a little confused about the rules.

Many people start out wrongly with sticks in the park, perhaps putting the dog on a long leash. Although you will later be able to throw sticks for your dog in this way, it is not the best place to begin. Both the park and the stick itself are much too stimulating for the dog. She is going to find it hard to focus on you and your game there.

Instead, start in the house. The best place is a hallway where there are not too many distractions and you have room to throw. Close doors into rooms so that she really only has one place to go with the object: back to you.

Begin with the dog's favorite toys. You should come armed with as many as you can find. You will also need treats for when she gets it right. If you don't like to give her sweet treats, try carrots, which many dogs enjoy chewing on.

Take the first toy and wave it around the dog's nose to get her interested in it, then throw. If she goes after it, she gets a treat. She doesn't have to bring it back to be rewarded at this stage - chasing is enough. If she doesn't go after it but just looks or ignores it, let it lie where it fell and throw another one. Sooner or later she will chase after one of them as you throw.

The next step to be rewarded is when she picks up the toy you just threw. (Don't reward her for picking up a toy that you threw a few minutes before - she will not learn the game that way).

If you have already trained her to come, you can call her back to you, but at first she will probably drop the toy. Don't reward her for coming back without the toy, unless she brings it close to where you are. Sooner or later she will bring one all the way and that is the moment for the rewards to start again. Even if she will not give you the toy, she gets a reward the first time she does this.

Finally, she will drop the toy in front of you, panting happily, and wait expectantly for you to reward her or throw it again. And again, and again, and again.

Most dogs can easily be taught this game and they love it. If you have a dog who does not seem to want to learn, you may be able to teach her by getting together with another owner whose dog is a good fetcher. Play with the other dog and let your dog see that you are rewarding him for fetching correctly. If your dog still doesn't join in, maybe she is not interested in the treats.

When you can play fetch with your dog in the park, she gets tons of exercise without you having to do a lot of running around or worrying about where she is and what she is into. So it is worth continuing to train a dog to fetch.

Selecting A Used Dog Training Collar

You can often find a used dog training collar online if you keep your eyes open. But before you bid or buy, there are some things that you should know about electronic dog training collars.

The way that these collars work is quite simple. They fasten around the dog's neck and can emit a small electric shock to the dog. The idea is that getting a shock each time he does something unwanted will teach the dog not to do that any more.

Strength Of Stimulation

The strength of the shock can vary and the first thing that you should do is consider whether you know what strength your dog will need.

Just about all professional dog trainers these days agree that the best way to train a dog is by rewards and reinforcing good behavior. Punishing a dog for bad behavior is not nearly so effective. Often it confuses the dog and just makes him scared of life, without changing his behavior at all. So it is very important that the training collar that you buy just gives the dog a slight buzz that he would prefer to avoid, not any kind of painful or frightening shock that could be considered a punishment.

Other things being equal, you would expect a large dog to require a stronger reminder than a small dog, but this is not necessarily the case. Some breeds and some individual dogs are more stubborn and harder to train than others. So it is a good idea if you are looking for one of these collars, to choose one that has a variable setting. Start with the lowest setting and see how your dog responds.

Owner-Controlled Collars

Collars vary in the type of control. Some collars are remote-operated by the owner and others are automatic.

With a remote-operated collar, you would only use the collar when you were actively training the dog. You would hold a small instrument like a pager and you would press a button on it when you wanted to control the dog.

Some people choose to train the dog this way because it seems like an easy option. Instead of spending hours playing and speaking to the dog, you can just press a button. However, people who use training collars this way do not find they work very well! Reinforcement is vital in dog training and even if you use a collar method, you should reward the dog for correct behavior at the same time.

Automatic Collars

Other collars are worn by the dog all of the time and will automatically give the electric shock reminder when the dog does a certain thing. These are most commonly used for 2 purposes:

1. Keep the dog within a certain area

These collars will activate when the dog crosses a perimeter boundary that you set up on your land. They work a little like an electric fence, but instead of a physical fence there is a sensor system.

This can be useful if you have an unfenced yard or if you want to restrict the dog to certain areas of your property. However, it is not effective on every individual dog and will work best on a dog who is new to your property.

If the dog has been allowed to go all over the property in the past and suddenly you try to restrict him with a collar, the reminder may not be enough to make him drop his habit of wandering. If he braves it once, he will find that after he is through the barrier, he is free. So an older dog may blast his way through - not every time perhaps, but enough to make the barrier unreliable.

2. Stop unwanted barking

The collar senses when the dog barks, and administers a shock. These collars are mostly used by people who have to leave their dog alone a lot and have neighbors complaining about the barking. They can be very effective in this situation.

Sensors can work either on sound, or on the vibration of the vocal chords, or both. The most reliable ones use both. An anti-barking collar that works on both sound and vocal chord vibration is probably the best use of an electronic dog training collar, because there is no other effective way to train a dog not to bark when you are not home to do it yourself.

For this to work as a training system it is vital that the sensor is accurate. If the dog receives random shocks when he didn't bark (e.g. because another dog barked on the street) he will not associate the shock with his own barking and will not learn to stop.

It is also important not to have this type of collar controlling the dog all of the time. You must allow the dog times when he can bark, because it is a natural function to him. So you can have him bark when you are home. But if you only put the collar on him when you are about to go out, he will associate it with you leaving, which could cause a problem in itself. So it is better if you can disable the sensor, or put the collar on him well ahead of time.

Electronic dog collars can cause lesions around the dog's neck because they are often heavy and need to be close-fitting for the electrodes to contact the skin. So if you do go ahead and buy a used dog training collar, check your dog regularly for sore spots.

A Guide To Dog Training

A Guide To Dog Training

Getting a new puppy or adult dog is always an exciting time for the entire family. But unless you understand the intricacies of caring for a new best friend, that furry bundle of joy could become an anxiety problem. Stop problems in their tracks right now with this informative special report that will tell you everything you need to know about caring for your dog.

Adding a new puppy or dog to your family can be a wonderful experience and the beginning a long relationship filled with love and companionship. In order to achieve that level of love and companionship, however, it is important to start you need puppy or adult dog off on the right foot. training puppies – I also picked up some material on training adult dogs because by this time my cute little puppy was an obnoxious teenager!

What I learned absolutely changed my life-and the relationship I had with my dog!

Suddenly the dog that couldn’t wait to tear into every new pair of shoes I brought home was now a respectable pup that stuck with her puppy chow. The same dog that nearly gave my neighbor a heart-attack with her incessant jumping, barking and chasing was very well mannered. And no more near misses with passing cars!

How did I do it?

I would love to share my secrets with you and my new special report on training your puppy or dog does just that!

Everything you need to know is included in this special report:

• Dog training basics – training the new puppy
• Training your new puppy the right way
• Training your new puppy to accept the collar and lead
• Training your puppy – eliminating biting behaviors
• ** You won’t want to miss the number one way to eliminate biting problems!!

I leave absolutely nothing out! Everything that I learned in order to transform my impossible, but lovable pup into a polite, well-mannered best friend is included.

For example; did you know that socialization is a critical skill for your dog?

Teaching a puppy or a dog proper socialization skills is vital to the safety of both your dog and other dogs and people with whom he comes into contact. A properly socialized dog is a happy dog, and a joy to be around for both humans and animals. A poorly socialized dog, or one with no socialization at all, is a danger to other animals, other people and even his own family.

My special report will teach you how to teach your puppy the proper socialization skills, including an exhausting do’s and don’t list. I also teach you how to eliminate your puppy or dog’s bad habits!

What’s the secret to training your puppy? I reveal it in my special report!

One of the most common problems for any new pet owner is house training. This can be a difficult time for both you and your puppy. I’ll show you how to make this training period easier and less traumatic for both of you! If you’re dealing with urination problems with an older dog; you must read this report because I even cover that as well!!

One of the worst fears of most pet owners is losing their beloved pet due to an accident with an automobile. Many times this occurs because the animal was not properly trained to obey even the most basic commands. Don’t allow that to happen to you and your dog. Teach your dog basic commands and ensure that he comes when you call.

Kick it up a notch!

When you’ve mastered the basic commands, I’ll show you how to train your dog on advanced commands.

This comprehensive special report covers the following topics:

• Training your dog the reward training way
• Dog Training – Dealing with Separation Anxiety
• Dog training – keeping your dog motivated
• Training your dog not to chase people, bicycles, joggers, etc.
• Eliminating problem dog behaviors – jumping and roaming
• Training the shy or fearful puppy or dog
• Training your dog not to fear loud noises
• Training your dog not to chase cars
• Teaching your dog not to chew

Make your life and your dog’s more enjoyable and less problematic by learning the most effective methods for dog training!!

You'll Receive The Audio Book
Plus A 92 Page eBook!

Click Here A Guide To Dog Training