Is Your Dog a Digger?

Dogs love to dig but this can be a problem if that lovely landscaped yard of yours looks like a minefield from all the holes that your dog has dug.

No doubt if you have a dog that likes to dig you have tried all and sundry to get it to stop from smacking it to yelling at it when it starts to dig and you probably still haven't resolved the problem.

Once again, like all methods of dog training, if you can address the reason why the dog is doing something you will be able to eliminate the problem.

There are many different reasons why a dog will dig, from boredom and frustration to the search for a cold place to rest in humid weather.

Consider the surroundings that you have made available for your pet and see if there are any areas that need attention.

Does your dog need more shelter, or is the current shelter just a little too hot for the climate that you are living in?

Is the dog digging to gain your attention and if so you will need to look at earlier lessons on how to give your dog the attention that it is seeking without encouraging it to continue with the behavior that you wish to stop.

Maybe your dog needs more toys to play with or more exercise to relieve some of it's pent up energy.

Maybe you will need to fence off parts of your yard where you know your dog prefers to dig.

If you have a dog that just prefers to dig for no other reason than the enjoyment of digging you might need to offer it a dedicated area of the yard where it can dig to it's hearts delight.

This might help to keep your dog contented while you are away.

There will always be a solution, you just need to look at the circumstances and take the appropriate action.

Your dog's behavior is a reflection of you

A dog is as good as its owner has taught it.

Family friends of mine have a German Shepherd and as they are an elderly couple they weren't quite so inclined to train their dog when it was young.

After a while of disobedience they decided to take this dog to a dog training school but as would be expected from a dog that has never had any training from a puppy the dog didn't like the training school.

The easy solution was to discontinue the training and hope for the best.
Unfortunately the best will never come from a dog that has not been trained and will not respond to any of their requests.

They were disappointed with their pet and assumed that it was because it had a poor personality.

Little did they know that having spent some time on this dog when it was a puppy would have given them a pet that they would have enjoyed a whole lot more and they would have had an obedient dog that they would have been happy to take anywhere without fear of it running away and causing trouble.

German Shepherds are intelligent dogs and this dog has been quite bored for most of it's life as it hasn't got any purpose in life and will not listen to any commands.

After seeing the dog become somewhat depressed I started to retrain it to improve the life of both the dog and it's owners.

Progress has been very rapid as the dog is happy it has some new challenges and loves the attention and rewards that it gets on a regular basis now.

It is a lot more sociable and is easier to manage when out in public.

The owners are a lot happier and so is the dog.
It just seems a shame that they didn't persevere so much earlier in the dog's life and they all would have enjoyed many more years of fun and entertainment.

How To Teach Your Dog Tricks And What Dog Tricks To Teach

The best way to teach your dog tricks is to practise little and often. Take one trick and practise it with her several times a day if you can. Don't move on to a different trick until she has mastered the first.

Keep each session very short because your dog will be become tired, especially in the beginning while she is trying to figure out what is going on. Be sure to always reward her when she does what you wanted. At first, you can give her a treat that you know she likes. Later when she knows the trick well, it is still important to praise her every time - even years from now.

Shaking Hands

This is a simple trick to teach. Have the dog sit in front of you, reach out your hand and then take her paw. If you have noticed that she is more likely to raise one paw than the other, pick that one. At the same time, give the command which could be 'Shake'.

After a few practices she should start to put her paw into your hand when you reach out and say 'Shake'. Reward her when she does this, then end the session and repeat a few hours later.

Some dogs cannot do this trick because they need both front paws on the ground for balance. If your dog is very unwilling to let you pick up her paw, you may have to forget it and move on to something else.

Catch

Again this is a very easy trick and a dog will often do it automatically. Choose a treat that is big enough to see, but not so big that the dog could choke on it. You want something they could swallow whole without a problem.

Let the dog see the treat or sniff it, then throw it in the air and say 'Catch!' The aim is for her to catch it before it hits the ground. When she does this, praise her. It may take a little time before she first does it.

With this trick, try to end the session with a 'failure' - that is, end it when she has let one fall on the floor. Otherwise she will learn that you throw her treats until she catches one, then you stop - so catching them is bad.

Stand And Beg

This is easier for smaller dogs, and unsafe with very large ones who may do some damage to themselves, you or your home if they lose their balance!

Have the dog sit in front of you. Let her see the treat then hold it above her head at a height where she will have to stand up on her hind legs to reach it. At the same time give the command, e.g. 'Beg'. You can hold her front paws at first to support her.

Make her continue a little longer each time before she gets the treat. That way her balance will improve and soon she will not need your support. Never tease her by taking the treat away.

Generally, younger dogs will learn more quickly. As the saying goes, 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks'! But a young puppy may injure herself in frantic attempts to get her reward, so don't push too hard when you start to teach your dog tricks.