It is often said of dogs that they are the real “dumb animals” of the popular cliché. This is said unquestioningly, despite the fact that dogs can provide incredible help in terms of guiding the blind, finding drugs and explosives, and guarding their family in a way which is both touching and reassuring. However, a dog learns to do this by establishing a bond with its owner. If you are of a mind to train your dog, […]
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So many people speak about their dogs in terms of how they wish they were. If you had a dollar for every time you had heard or said the words “If only he/she could talk, the stories we would hear…” you’d probably be a very rich dog owner. But if dogs could talk, would they be so special to us? The chances are that we would still adore them every bit as much as we do, but […]
Read moreHumans have a relationship with dogs going back many years. At one time, the dog’s main function for humans was to act as a hunting partner – the human tracking down prey with the help of the dog, then killing it and the dog retrieving it. over time, the emotional link between humans and dogs became more social, and has evolved to the point where we simply keep dogs as pets – our special friends who never […]
Read moreAlthough there is constant debate between people about which animal makes a better pet – cat or dog – it is the dog that has taken the title of “man’s best friend”. The major reason for this is that dogs are easier to train than cats, and are considered to be more easy-going than cats for pretty much this reason. It is far from impossible to train a cat – indeed, if you watch its behavior for […]
Read moreThere are two distinct types of dog training. These are behavioral training, where you teach a dog to behave in the “right” way, and recreational training, where you teach a dog to perform certain actions which will impress or amuse other people and yourself. There are some who feel that this latter is not a reasonable way to do things – making a dog into a circus-style performer for your own pleasure – but as long as […]
Read moreDogs are like any other animal – including the human being – in that they will sometimes step over the line of bad behavior in the pursuit of enjoyment or comfort. If you are honest with yourself you must admit that there have been times when you did something wrong because the results of such action had benefits for you. Whether those benefits were active – you took something that was not yours and enjoyed using it […]
Read moreThere are some people who feel that fear is the best motivator – period. If you want someone to act in a certain way and eschew other behaviors, you will often use the “stick” approach. This works in a fairly simple way – you make clear what you want to happen, and threaten negative results if the outcome is not to your taste. If the outcome then falls short of what you had hoped, you follow through […]
Read morePart of dog training, an important part, is knowing when and how to reward your dog. The concept of positive reinforcement is an important element of training any animal, and dogs have a mentality which responds well to this type of action. While a human may look for ulterior motives in any reward system – and openly rebel against such actions – a dog will simply see that there is a connection between “good” behavior and good […]
Read moreTraining your dog can be either a heck of a lot of fun, or a consistent nightmare for any pet lover depending on a number of factors. Getting it right can, and usually will, take a lot of persistence and a great deal of patience too, even if your pet pooch is generally well-behaved. The trouble with training even the most well-behaved dog is that you are trying to get it to work against its instincts – […]
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Dogs have been man’s best friend for centuries, and for a good reason. Dogs are able to process information more quickly and effectively than any other animal. This is why they make great pets and this is why they make great research animals. Dogs are able to learn new tasks and tricks faster than any other animal and this is why they are so great at finding illegal items such as drugs and explosives. Dogs have even […]
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