OBEDIENCE

If Only

If only my dog had stood on his stand,
When I gave him the signal: A move of one hand.

If only he'd stayed on the one minute sit.
Instead of deciding that 50 seconds was it.

A figure 8 perfect, I could almost boast;
If only he'd gone round the other post.

If only he'd dropped on the signal I gave,
And not when he saw the spectator wave.

The retrieve on the flat - he knew what to do;
If only he'd brought back the dumbbell I threw.

The high jump retrieve - the only thing he lacked,
And that dumbbell he didn't bring back.

On the broad jump, if only he'd jumped all the way,
and not tiptoed between to my utter dismay.

When I signaled the glove it was there in plain sight;
If only he'd gone for the glove that was right.

His go-out was perfect - he just went so far;
If only he hadn't both times jumped the bar.

We'd have had a 200 - he could do everything,
If only he hadn't run out of the ring.

Author Unknown

PUPPY TRAINING: Puppy Tips - Puppy-proofing your home

In order to properly puppy-proof your home it maybe necessary to crawl around at puppy height to see what they see (and don't see). Keep toxic substances up in high cupboards and make sure they are all properly labeled. Cover all unused electrical outlets and make sure they're safely hidden under cupboards or furniture away  from those puppy teeth.

Keep the floor clear of all small objects. Erasers, elastic bands and other small household items end up in dog's stomachs more often than doggy toys. You can use baby gates to prevent access to certain areas of the house, and crate your puppy when you are unable to provide supervision. Your puppy can earn the preveledge of using the whole house when he's shown he's less likely to get into trouble.

PUPPY TRAINING: CONSISTENCY

CONSISTENCY is the biggest key to correcting a puppy's unwanted behavior. You must stop the behavior each and every time, without fail. If you don't, the pup will try "just one more time" to see if he can get away with it. If the puppy learns that he can get away with it, you could be back to square one.

TIMING

Timing is the next biggest key to correcting puppies when they misbehave. You should be swift and to the point when stopping an unwanted behavior. Do not hold a grudge. Some owners will continue scolding their puppy for breaking a 'sit' or a 'stay' many minutes later. If your pup is heading towards a tasty morsel on the kitchen counter, stop him/her with a swift "Leave it!". Do not wait and say "Leave it!" until he is washing the last morsel down with a drink of water. The moment has then past.

REWARD good behavior immediately. If your puppy has done something wrong, immediately scold him with a firm, gruff voice then immediately have him do something that you know he will do in a positive manner, like "Sit!" in front or come when called, immediately praise this good behavior, he will soon learn that to get your respect he must do as is asked of him.

USING A TAB LEAD

You cannot correct your dog if you do not have the dog! Sounds like a simple concept, but a lot of people don't grasp it. You must step on the lead and stop the pup from running away with your shoe instead of yelling and chasing the puppy. Yelling and chasing may be perceived by your pup as a game, and therefore the pup will think that his behavior has been rewarded instead of punished.

It is unsafe to leave a lead on a very young puppy, as by placing your foot on the lead at this age can damage their neck etc. If you require the very young puppy to come to you, kneel down, pat your legs in a joyful manner and call your puppy to you in a HAPPY voice. Once puppy comes to you, reward him with lots of praise. He will pick up the idea very quickly to come to you means a reward. Never, scold you puppy when they come to you after they have done something displeasing, this will teach the puppy that they will be in trouble if they 'come'. Instead, scold the bad behavior straight away, then call your dog to you in a Happy voice and reward with praise.

EXERCISE

We used to say that a tired dog is a good dog. Now we are more informed and say a tired dog is a tired dog, and is generally a bit better behaved while he is tired!

It is extremely important in all circumstances to properly exercise your dog and is especially important if a dog is spending a lot of time in his crate.

An important thing to understand about exercise like aerobics is that it is not only for fitness and weight loss, but also to relieve stress. In aerobics the heart rate goes up, is sustained, and then winds down. This works just as well in the dog world. PLEASE remember that when your puppy is under 6 months, it is wise not to have them do forced exercise. About a five minute walk on lead is enough for a very young puppy.

To commence exercise, start with a nice comfortable walk on heel to a park area, then get the heart rate up by allowing play with other friendly dogs or continuous ball play for no more than 10 minutes, if under 6 months of age, once your puppy has stopped growing, usually around 12 -14 months is the time the 'growth plates' have closed, up to half an hour of ball or dog play is fine.

Remember during their growth time, roll the ball, rather than throw it high making the puppy jump up to retrieve, jumping can damage those growing bones!

Once he has played follow with a relaxing walk home.

Doing this once a day is ideal. People who walk their dog 5 times a day for 5-10 minutes at a time are only adding to a dog's frustration. The constant going in and out, and the absence of a good, full workout will only add to your dog's stress level. The same problem can be seen in dogs who are left in the backyard to exercise. These dogs tend to walk, sniff, run after lizards etc. sniff some more and then lie down. This is not sustained activity and does not take the place of a good 45-60 minuet dog run, for a MATURE dog.

SPAYING/NEUTERING

Spaying a female pup at the age of 51/2 to 6 months is ideal. this will prevent unwanted pregnancy, considerable mess in your house and the risk of mature onset of reproductive organ health problems such as Pyometra and breast cancer later, which can be quite common and VERY dangerous..

Waiting until she has gone into heat only makes the uterus larger and more swollen therefore the surgery more complicated. Spayed females only gain weight if you continue to feed them as though they were still puppies. If you cut down a bit on the food and increase their daily exercise, their weight should remain stable.

The male dog should be neutured at 7 months. Not only does it help cut down on the number of unwanted puppies, but it can also decrease the risk of prostate cancer and testicular tumors which are common in unneutered males. There are a number of other reasons to have your male dog neutered. Neutering helps reduce unwanted behaviors such as roaming about, or unwanted mounting of people, furniture etc, marking of their property by urinating etc, it can also reduce dog aggression.

DOG BEHAVIOR

THE ALPHA pack leader: In order to study the hierarchal system of dogs, we must, go back and look at their ancestor, the wolf. Wolves, and therefore dogs, live in dictatorship. the biggest, toughest dog is in charge. People have a hard time with this concept, because we tend to live in a democratic society. We must adjust our thinking to understand how our dogs live and think. they are happy with a leader. If you do not assume this role, they are unnerved and feel they must take on this position. Of course, many dogs will try to take on the role anyway, by nature of their personality. These we tend to see as "dominant" dogs. They have a lot of spunk, but if they want to live in our homes this must be kept under control.

VERBAL REPRIMANDS

Most people never train with reprimand words. If you take the time to do this, life will be easier! Set up a situation where you are sure your dog will misbehave (perhaps food or a piece of clothing left on the floor). Show him the article, and if he makes a mad dash for it say "LEAVE IT!", in a FIRM growling voice. Then put him back into the situation for him to try again. The object is to get to the point where you say "leave it" and he leaves it alone, IMMEDIATELY, give your puppy/dog praise.

Is it fair to set him up like this? First of all, you can do this when you have time to do it right (not in the middle of your dinner). Second, you don't always catch him in the act, such as when he has already chewed the furniture. And lastly, we must teach our pups manners quickly, so they can remain in our homes. Many dogs are in the shelters, or euthanised, due to the fact they misbehaved and nobody took the time to show them the correct behavior.

ALWAYS praise highly in 'the negative', that is, when your dog is NOT doing the unwanted behavior. If your drop your sock and he normally runs off with it, but this time he didn't....PRAISE HIM!

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