Archive for January, 2009
The best method of how to train Labrador retriever puppies is to apply positive reinforcement, that's combined with unrestricted praise and treats.
In order to establish an immediate bond, play with your pup on a frequent basic and if possible get down on the floor with her – this bond will later be strengthen through training. Labrador retriever puppy training can start almost as soon as she arrives home. In a similar way to a small child, she will learn best through activities and games.
At approximately eight weeks of age your Labrador retriever pup can start to learn about retrieving objects. This is the "fetch" activity that she will enjoy all of her life.
Learning how to train Labrador retriever pup's is not difficult. To teach this fun exercise, it's often ideal to have her on a ten foot lead or so. Don't be tempted to use a stick for this activity (this could cause an injury) but take a toy that she recognizes or a soft-ball. Make certain that it's too big to be swallowed.
Gently wave the toy near her head to draw attention to it and then throw it approximately five feet in front. There's no need to throw it too far as she's just starting out. If she arrives at the end of the leach all of a sudden, she could be hurt. Use her name, so the command is "Boots, fetch!" Follow as she runs to the soft-ball and if she picks it up; offer some encouragement – but not too much praise yet, as she isn't finished. If your Labrador retriever pup does not take it in her mouth, wave it in front of her until she does. Then walk slowing back to the starting point, and encourage her to follow. If she does drop the soft toy, be certain to get her pick it back up. Once she arrives back, remove the ball out of her mouth and at the same moment say the command "Out", or similar command. Now you may offer her lots of praise.
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One of the first lessons that needed to be taught to a dog is how to sit. Teaching a dog to sit will take both practice and patience until the dog will be able to get this right.
The owner should stand in front of the dog and perhaps pat it on the head. The animal will think this is a game but the person should make the pet understand that this is a lesson.
The individual should tell the dog to sit. If there is no response, one should gently push the lower body downward into a sitting position.
It will be a good idea to have some food around which will be given only when the pet accomplishes the task. A good pat and saying "good job" will also make this happen. This is called reinforcement theory that can be used to let the dog follow any command.
The same instructions can be given even without saying a word. The dog lover can carry the food bowl and this should only be given when the animal has sat down properly.
People will notice that some dogs are able to see better than hear instructions. If listening to commands is a problem, the same thing can be taught using hand signals.
In both, the owner must not forget to praise the dog for the accomplishment. This is the only way animals can be trained to do just about anything.
Should the animal fail to get this lesson in the first 5 or 10 minutes, this should be repeated on a few hours later or the following day. The pet may be exhausted and will slowly get used to this once a program has been made.
Teaching the dog to sit is just one of many other commands that can be taught to the animal. The owner must not move on to other things to avoid confusing the pet. This is very similar to children who can’t move to the next grade without satisfying the necessary requirements at the current level.
Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
To learn more tricks on dog training, please visit www.dog-training-techniques.info/
Labrador Retrievers are America's most popular breed and it's easy to understand why. Labs are great family pets that get along great with kids other dogs and they are easy to train. Like any dog a Lab should have some basic obedience training.
Start training early. Socialize your lab puppy and start training using positive reinforcement. Socialize your puppy with other puppies, people and different places. The more you socialize your puppy the more stable he will be as an adult dog.
Labs have lots of energy. Behavior problems can crop up when your Lab has too much pent up energy. Being a very smart breed they need mental exercise along with physical exercise.
Physical activities include walking, hiking, swimming, hunting, retrieving and playing tug. Mental activities include obedience training, teaching tricks and using toys like the Buster Cube and Kong Toy.
Once your Lab's exercise needs are taken care of you can focus on establishing yourself as the leader. Dogs are pack animals and do respond to a social structure. See leadership article in resource section on how to do this.
Some important commands to teach your Lab are sit, down, stand, stay, come, and heel. Labs are very excitable and tend to pull in leash. An excellent collar to use is a Gentle Leader head collar. It can really help with walking.
Labs tend to love retrieving and toys. You can use this to your advantage when it comes to training. Any behaviors you reward get stronger and stronger. You can use balls or toys to teach your Lab to do obedience.
How important is a well trained dog worth to you? Do you want your dog to stop jumping, come when called, walk on leash and more? Eric Letendre created the ultimate, easy to follow dog training ebook "101 Ways To Improve Your Dog's Behavior." Complete with dog training videos, step by step instructions and more. Best of all you can get it free! Get it here => http://amazingdogtrainingman.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_Letendre
When choosing the type of dog food to feed your dog, you need to consider his age, breed, your dog’s activity level and also his health condition. For instance, puppies and older dogs will have different types of nutritional needs and you need to ensure your dog or puppy has sufficient consumption of these nutrition for a long and healthy live. It is best if you seek advice from your veterinarian before deciding on which dog food to feed your dog or puppy.
Two most popular choices of dog foods are:
Dry Dog Food. Feeding your dog with dry dog food, usually in small pieces of kibbles, is perhaps one of the most popular choices among dog owners. However, not all dog food brands use high quality natural ingredients. Ensure to read the label of ingredients listed before purchasing any brands of dog food. Here are some guidelines to help you to have some ideas of what the label actually tells you:
No Preservative, Artificial Colors and Flavors. Generally, natural dog food contains no preservative, artificial colors and flavors. Consumption of these components may be harmful to your dog’s health if taken in a long run. Avoid those that labeled “chemical additives as a source of flavor”.
Color. Lookout for the color of the dog food, generally dog food made from natural ingredients is in soft earth tones. Existence of other colors may contain some source of additives.
Type of Meat. Avoid brands that labeled “ingredients include meat by-product”. Choose one that made from natural meat such as chicken, lamb or liver.
Raw Dog Food. According to veterinarian, feeding your dog with raw dog food is the healthiest and the best. Raw dog food contains all natural and unprocessed ingredients. A healthy raw dog food meal usually contains 40% meat, 30% fiber and 30% starch. Thereby, when preparing a meal for your dog, be sure to include some source of vegetables and starch in addition to the uncooked meat such as liver, beef, lamb and etc. Types of vegetables like broccoli, carrots and yams are all good sources of fibers and starches for your dog.
Author Emillie Loh is a dog lover and owner of a dog-related website. Visit Dog Obedience Training for more information on dog behavior and training.
Article Source Dog News Center and Article Directory http://www.dognewscenter.com
All kids want a dog! However, it is important to think about the age of your children as to when they get that dog. Small children (especially under six) you need to consider the size of your child and their unpredictable behavior. Also, the dog's behavior, for example, if you get a large, high-energy dog who could knock your child down easily. You could get a small dog that could easily be hurt unintentionally by your child.
If you have small children do you have time to take on a puppy and train him? Parents should always supervise interaction between a dog and their children. Children need to be taught how to respectably treat a puppy. Usually after seven years of age children are ready to have a dog to love and play with. There are many breeds that are good with children. Learn the different characteristics of different breeds and decide what suits your child.
If you're not looking for a puppy consider finding a dog that has been raised with young children. Another option could be a young dog (a year or under) who is gently, not afraid of children, and look for his tail wagging when a child approaches him.
LABRADOR RETRIEVER – Gentle breed with outgoing nature, very friendly, good for active families, needs lots of exercise, loyal and devoted family member.
GOLDEN RETRIEVER – Highly intelligent, friendly, good-natured, even-temperament, good choice for families who enjoy outdoors and needs lots of exercise.
STANDARD POODLE -Intelligent, makes excellent pets, playful, active, low shedding, love to play, faithful. Does come in three sizes.
IRISH SETTER – Eager to please and a good companion.
BOSTON TERRIER – Loyal family pet for less active families, obedient and loyal.
COLLIES – Intelligent, patient, docile with children and has lots of energy.
BEAGLE – Great tracker and hunter, good for active families, cheerful, friendly and like to play games.
BICHON FRISE – Faithful, obedient, happy, needs regular grooming.
PUGS – Clown at heart, great family dog, playful, loyal and even-tempered.
BASSET HOUND – Calm, good companion, stubborn, loyal, sweet, friendly, gladly play with children.
Even if a breed is suppose to be good with children there are always exceptions. Remember dogs need to be trained and socializated.
This is a site basically about small dog breeds but I have listed bigger dogs for children if that is what you want. Good luck in finding the perfect dog for you.
Sandy has a web site on small dog breeds with information on small dog breeds, choosing a dog, choosing a breeder, bringing puppy home, dogs good with children and seniors and much more. http://www.small-dogbreeds.com
Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandra_Oberreuter
Origin: The origins of the Labrador are rather obscure but two types of dog were known in Newfoundland – a large heavy dog used to pull boats into land and a lighter, smoother coated variety used by fisherman to retrieve game and fish. They were both known as Newfoundland dogs and it was not until 1812 that the larger breed was known as Newfoundlands, and the smaller as the lesser Newfoundland or Labrador. In 1814 Labradors were taken to England where, in a book 'Instructions to Young Sportsmen', the breed was described as 'by far the best for every kind of shooting'.
Personality: An adaptable and devoted companion with a kindly nature, Labradors easily adopt the role of children's playmate or elderly persons pet. The keenness to learn and willingness to please make the Labrador an ideal choice as a guide dog for the blind. The puppies are placed with a family for the first 12 months of their life and then return to the Guide Dog School for an intensive training course. After graduation the dog is matched with a compatible owner and devotes itself to the safety of its owner.
Trainability: The excellent sense of smell possessed by Labradors, coupled with their eagerness and agility, makes them suitable as bomb detection or drug sniffer dogs. These dogs are trained to detect certain substances and, by their behaviour, alert their handlers. To the dog it is all one big game of 'hide and seek', although in the case of bomb detection dogs they save many lives.
Physical characteristics: The tail is very thick at the base, of medium length and gradually tapering to the tip, densely coated with short, thick hair giving a characteristic 'otter' tail. The head is broad with medium sized brown eyes expressing intelligence and good temper and ears hanging close to the head.
Colours: Although the Labrador is commonly referred to as the 'golden' Labrador, the colour is officially called 'yellow' and ranges from light cream through to a red fox shade. Other permissible colours are black, liver or chocolate.
Coat: The coat is a distinctive feature – short, dense without wave or feathering and with a fairly hard feel and a weather resistant undercoat.
Height: A strongly built dog with a broad and deep chest, the normal height is 56 – 57 cm for males, and 54 – 56 cm for females.
Lifespan: 12 – 14 years
For lots of easy to read articles, full of useful information that is sure to help you out with your pet or pets, go to http://www.p-e-t-s.info/. While you are there sign up for the PET NEWS email newsletter – it is FREE and packed with handy tips for pet owners.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Johnston
