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How Dogs Learn

How Dogs Learn:

Dogs are creatures of habit.  They learn through repetition and consistency, (doing it the same way every time).  Dogs are social animals and they see you as their pack or family. They do not want to be excluded from everything that is going on with the family.  A properly trained dog can be communicated with just as a human family member. It takes practice and repetition.

When training your dog always remember that dogs don’t learn sentences.  They learn one word commands by tone inflections.  We speak to them like they understand and they are attentive and giving you a lending ear at anytime but they do not understand every word.  They are fully capable of learning thousands of one or two word commands.  

Gaining The Dominance  Of Your Puppy/Adult Dog: 

Training your dog is very important due to the fact that you are gaining dominance of your dog right from the start and you are able to stop any problems before they get worse.  Training takes mental stimulation, which gets the dog more tired than running around and playing with certain toys. The best part is that training does not take long on a daily basis.  Just 30 minutes everyday, split up into 2- 15 minutes or 3-10 minutes is perfect. After each session play with your dog, so they see it as something fun instead of a chore.

A dog is part of Mother Nature, which means he or she is naturally wired to expect order in his life, to expect that he must work for food and water and have structure in their life.  If you as the owner do not show the dog that you are the pack leader than they will try their best to show you that they are more dominant, which means that everyone in the household needs to work with the dog.  If not, you will notice that the dog will only respect the person that spends the most quality time with him/her or the most training time.

Dog Have a Sixth Sense:

Dogs learn from tone inflections and they all have a sixth sense, which means they are able to pick up on negative energy much quicker than we can.  If a bad person walks in your door, your dog will sense that and different behavior will arise right away. Automatically, they will protect you, no matter what.  Even if you think that your dog is the biggest lover, they are very loyal and will do whatever it takes to protect their owners.  

When training your dog you must remember to always be confident:  whatever you are thinking or feeling, goes from you through the leash and to the dog, so if you do not think your dog will do a command then the dog will fight you and not do it until you make them do it.  BE PATIENT AND DO NOT GIVE UP!!!!!!!!!!!  If you give up just one time, the dog does not know minutes but they know a time frame, so they will just wait a little bit longer until you give up and then they do not have to complete the command.  Don’t let your dog win. If you give up, it’ll be the story of the dog training the human, it happens! 

dog-training

How To Stop Your Dog From Jumping On Furniture

A shake can is a soda can, rinsed out so it is not sticky, then put around 10 – 15 pennies inside. You can put tape on top, so the pennies do not fly out. Keep the shake can behind your back.  When the dog jumps up, shake can near the face and say, “Off” then put it behind your back again, so they don’t get used to the can.  If they get used to the can then they will know that it is something that makes noise and it is not going to harm them.

*The noise is reinforcing the off command.

*If the dog is afraid of noises then you can get a spray bottle from Home Depot and use it just like the shake can and spray the water in the face and put it behind your back after 1 squirt.  As long as it has a firm stream of water coming out

body language in dogs

How To Get Your Dogs Used To The Noises They Are Afraid Of

HOW TO GET YOUR DOGS USED TO THE NOISES THEY ARE AFRAID OF

There are so many sounds that we are used to hearing but dogs are petrified of.  Some common noises are fireworks, sirens, infants crying, children playing and screaming, tools, grooming tools, and thunderstorms.  It is hard for us to figure out exactly what made the dog become so afraid of certain noises but anything that happens to a dog in between 4 – 9 weeks of their lives are engrained into their heads and they remember everything.  

If a dog was left outside in a big thunderstorm then of course they are going to be afraid of thunder.  If a groomer was rushing through the job the first time the dog got cut and the clippers were turned on and they started cutting near the face, I know I would be afraid of the clippers.  There is a technique called sound desensitization that works wonders with dogs who are afraid of loud, startling, or uncommon noises.  

What I found that works is a desensitization CD from dogwise.com called Sound Socialization by O’Neal Hendrix, which has plenty of the sounds that I mentioned.  It takes plenty of consistency to play the cd on a daily basis, so please be patient.

HOW TO MAKE IT WORK FROM DAY ONE:

You begin by playing the CD on a low volume and gradually increase the volume each day until it is at a normal level.  

Make sure you do not put the volume up to quickly because the dog will relapse and you will need to start all over.

If there is only one sound on the CD that your dog is afraid of, you can repeat that sound continuously.

It should take about a month to get your dog accustomed to the sounds but don’t rush it.   

OF COURSE THERE IS YOUTUBE AND JUST PUT IT ON REPEAT, LOL!

If you know that your dog has an insane amount of anxiety during thunderstorms and you know that there is going to be bad storms before the month is over, train your dog for a longer period of time before you leave the house, so you know that the dog will be tired.

Cbd oil has been very helpful, or  you can ask your vet for some suggestions for severe cases on puppy zanex or a natural sedative to help your dog stay calm.  

Good luck!!! 

body language in dogs

HOW TO INTERPRET YOUR DOG’S BODY LANGUAGE, FACIAL EXPRESSIONS, AND VOCALIZATIONS

HOW TO INTERPRET YOUR DOG’S BODY LANGUAGE, FACIAL EXPRESSIONS AND VOCALIZATIONS

There are many different ways to tell how your dog is feeling and what they are communicating to you or another animal. Learning how to differentiate between each stance, expression, and sound will help you understand your dog so much better. Dogs can’t talk, so they communicate through body language, facial expressions, and vocalizations. Here are some examples of dispositions and examples of how the dog might react:

ALERT

Ears: Perked up. Turning like antennas to catch sound

Eyes: Open normally or wide

Mouth/teeth: Mouth closed or slightly open with teeth covered

Body: Normal. Possibly standing on tiptoe. Slightly dominant position

Tail: Up and possibly wagging

Vocalization: None, low whine, or a small bark that is somewhat continuous

AGGRESSION

Ears: Back and close to the head

Eyes: Narrow or staring thepe

Mouth/teeth: Lips open and drawn back to expose teeth bared in a snarl. Possible jaw snapping.

Body: Tense, upright in a complete dominant position. Hackles, which are the hairs that stand up on the back of the neck are up.

Tail: Straight out from the body and it is fluffed up.

Vocalization: Snarl, growl, and a load bark.

ANXIOUS

Ears: Partially back 

Eyes: Slightly narrowed

Mouth/teeth: Mouth closed or slightly open in a grin

Body: Tense and slightly lowered in a submissive position

Tail: Partially lowered

Vocalization: Low whine or moaning-type bark.

CHASE, BEGINNING STAGE

Ears: Perked up and forward pointing

Eyes: Wide opened and very alert

Mouth/teeth: Mouth is slightly opened with an excited panting

Body: Tense, crouched low in a predatory position. Legs bent and poised to run

Tail: Extended straight out from the body.

Vocalization: None

PREDATORY

Ears: Alert and held forward or backward to catch sounds.

Eyes: Wide open, staring and focusing.

Mouth/teeth: Mouth closed

Body: Rigid and low to the ground, ready to spring forward. They are quietly sniffing the air.

Tail: Straight and low.

Vocalization: None, so the prey won’t be alerted.

CURIOUS/EAGER/EXCITED

Ears: Perked up in a forward-pointing

Eyes: Wide open

Mouth/teeth: Mouth open, teeth covered with possible panting

Body: Normal stance with possible wiggling, standing on their back legs, or pacing

Tail: Up and wagging

Vocalization: Excited short barking and whining

DOMINANT

Ears: Up and straight or forward

Eyes: Wide open and staring

Mouth/teeth: Mouth closed or slightly open

Body: Very tall posture and the hackles may be up.

Tail: Stiffened and fluffed. Up or straight out from the body

Vocalization: Low assertive growl or grunt.


SUBORDINATE (SUBMISSIVE)/FEARFUL

Ears: Down and flattened against the head

Eyes: Narrowed to slits or wide open, whites showing.

Mouth/teeth: Lips pulled way back from teeth in a grin. Nuzzling or licking other animals or people on the face.

Body: Lowered to the ground with the front paw raised, lying on their back with their belly up, possibly piddling, which is urine leaking. 

Tail: Down and between the legs.

Vocalization: None or a low worried whining. Possible whining/yelping in fear.

PLAYFUL/FRIENDLY/HAPPY

Ears: Perked up, forward, or relaxed

Eyes: Wide open and alert with a sparkly/merry look

Mouth/teeth: relaxed, slightly opened with some excited panting

Body: Normal posture, relaxed, possibly their butt is wiggling, the front end of their body is lowered, rear end is up in the air in a play-bow. Excited bouncing and jumping up and down. Circling around and running forward in an invitation to play.

Tail: Wagging vigorously

Vocalization: Excited barking, soft play growling, yapping, or a short, high bark.

References by http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Dog-Behave-Solutions/dp/B0027MPM8O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1307220928&sr=8-1