Tuesday, March 27th, 2012
Learning and Improving
Freddie
Keep learning and improving as a dog owner.
What does your dog love? What stresses him/her out? How do they communicate their emotions through body language? Understanding your dog will enable you to be a better friend to him this year and every year.
Make time for your dog. This may mean rearranging your schedule. It may mean going out in the cold or rainy weather to give them a walk. It may mean skipping something in order to take them to agility or Canine Good Citizens training. It may mean spending less time on the computer, watching tv or reading and more on playing, training and exercising with your dog.
Be appreciative of how wonderful your dog is. One of the biggest elements of successful training is looking for desirable behaviours and reinforcing them with something your dog likes and appreciates – a butt scratch. A game of tug, the opportunity to go for a walk. Never miss an opportunity to thank your dog for good behaviour.
Don’t get mad at your dog for your management failures. For example – if your dog loves chewing toilet tissues and you leave the toilet door open, its your fault that the toilet roll is messed up. If you leave shoes he loves chewing on where he can access them, its your fault. If your dog toilets in the house on occasions, provide him with plenty of opportunities to toilet outside by giving him meaningful frequent breaks.
Your dog needs and craves mental as well as physical stimulation. Mental stimulation includes playing, training, walking at new or infrequented places/venues, being allowed to stop and scent which conveys mental pictures in your dog’s mind of what he is smelling.
When you take your dog for a walk – it is their time , not yours.