Timing is important! When you teach voice commands, give the command. Follow with the correction and praise. When you teach hand signals, give the signal. Follow with the correction and praise. When you want your dog to heel or to come, use her name with the command. When you want the dog to perform at a distance, stress the command or give a signal without the name. Give a command or signal ONCE. Repeat when necessary but put a correction with it. Praise AFTER commands and signals and WITH corrections.
The praise must be discontinued when exhibiting in Obedience Trials, but when used during the training period, your dog will be more responsive. When you praise, BE SINCERE! Dogs respond to a cajoling tone of voice. Modify your method of training to the SIZE AND TEMPERAMENT of the dog. Not all dogs train alike! When you correct, disguise corrections so you and your assistant will not appear responsible.
If you inadvertently make a harsh correction or misjudge the timing, make up to your dog immediately; then be careful not to repeat the mistake. If you find that one of the suggested corrective methods has a bad effect on your dog, don't use it. Dogs react differently to corrections. When problems come up, work backward. If your dog won't retrieve over the hurdle, lower the jump until she gains confidence. If she won't retrieve on flat, go back to the HOLDING and "TAKE IT!" exercises. Praise and a fresh start have a magical effect when a dog is temporarily confused. If you use your hand at any time to reprimand your dog (such as cuffing the dog's nose for creeping), pat her with the SAME hand you used to correct her. Your dog must think the hand correction was accidental. Don't be surprised when you attempt to solve one problem if your dog slips back on some other part of the exercise.
For instance, if you have been correcting your dog for NOT coming, she will undoubtedly come a few times TOO soon. The setback, while discouraging, is temporary, and in time you will balance the training. A good trainer will never use food as the ONLY inducement for making a dog obedient, but if your slow performer peps up when you give food, use it to overcome problems. If you are NOT successful in your training, BE MORE DEMANDING. Each time you correct for a REPEATED mistake, use a firmer tone of voice and jerk the leash harder. Strive for perfection from the beginning. When you are careless about little things, they become problems later on. The suggestions offered in The Complete Open Obedience Course will be more effective if your dog received the basic training outlined in The Complete Novice Obedience Course.
Saturday, 8 May 2010
Monday, 3 May 2010
Feeding Your Dog Can Be Easy
Wherever there are two or more dog owners gathered together there will be arguments. One person will tell you that he has never fed his dog anything but dog biscuits, and look at him! He's in perfect health. You look at the animal and he is indeed in the pink.
General remarks...
FEEDING is one of the most controversial subjects in dogdom. Wherever there are two or more dog owners gathered together there will be arguments. One person will tell you that he has never fed his dog anything but dog biscuits, and look at him! He's in perfect health. You look at the animal and he is indeed in the pink. Another owner will exhibit a perfect specimen to you, pointing out that he was raised, man and boy, on nothing but prepared dog foods. Others will attribute the excellent health of their pets to diets of vegetables only, others to meat only, others to milkless and eggless diets only, etc., etc. I myself have seen many healthy dogs, who were brought up on spaghetti only, and just last summer I saw a litter of perfectly healthy six-month-old puppies who had been raised on what is as lethal a diet for dogs as I know of-fried pancakes and nothing else. In my Ten years of treating dogs, however, I have found that healthy dogs brought up on such diets are far in the minority, and I have found that very few of them ever go wrong on meat, milk, toast or cereal, and a few vegetables.
Proper feeding is unquestionably the most important single factor in raising healthy dogs, but in undertaking to tell you how to do it, I realize that I have my hands full. Dogs are so rampantly individualistic in every way under the sun, and particularly in the matter of feeding, that it's almost impossible to prescribe for you a set of rules and diets that would precisely take care of every individual dog. I meet so many bewildered dog owners during the course of a week, however, who are so appallingly misinformed on dog feeding generally, that I have few qualms, if any, in listing for your guidance diets which are admittedly blanket. They may or may not be correct in every detail for your own dog, but they are not so far wrong in any instance as to cause any real harm to a dog, and certainly they're far safer for the amateur dog owner to follow than some of the absurd advice that I hear bandied about every day
Two dogs, the same age and the same size, two dogs out of the same litter, in fact, will often differ considerably in their feeding requirements. One may need a pound of meat a day and the other a half pound. One may have difficulty in digesting vegetables while the other one thrives on vegetables. Eggs may agree with one and not with the other. One may get fat on these diets and the other lose weight, but these are all matters that a little common sense can remedy.
If certain foods don't agree with your dog, don't give them to him.
If your dog gets too fat, it may be that he's not getting enough exercise. It may be that he's one of those demon assimilators who converts every crumb of food into fat and energy, in which case he needs less food. It may be that he has worms; worms sometimes give a dog a bloated look that the novice may mistake for fat. It may be that he has some glandular trouble. But the chances are nine out of ten that he's being overfed. Overfeeding is the big error nearly all dog owners make. The normal healthy puppy is food-crazy. He'll undoubtedly beg and plead for more food than I have advised, but I want to warn you that even if you give in to his pleas (and dog owners are notoriously weak in arguments with puppies over food), he'll still complain and go around telling the neighbors you're starving him to death.
If in following these diets, you find that your dog is losing weight, it's possible that he needs more food than I have indicated. It's more likely, however, that he needs an examination by a veterinarian. He may be suffering from worms that are robbing him of his nourishment; he may have a liver disturbance of some kind, tuberculosis, a foreign body lodged in his insides, or half a dozen other troubles that could cause underweight. Underweight or loss of weight in a dog should always be looked into because cases of simple underfeeding are not common among well-cared-for dogs.
General remarks...
FEEDING is one of the most controversial subjects in dogdom. Wherever there are two or more dog owners gathered together there will be arguments. One person will tell you that he has never fed his dog anything but dog biscuits, and look at him! He's in perfect health. You look at the animal and he is indeed in the pink. Another owner will exhibit a perfect specimen to you, pointing out that he was raised, man and boy, on nothing but prepared dog foods. Others will attribute the excellent health of their pets to diets of vegetables only, others to meat only, others to milkless and eggless diets only, etc., etc. I myself have seen many healthy dogs, who were brought up on spaghetti only, and just last summer I saw a litter of perfectly healthy six-month-old puppies who had been raised on what is as lethal a diet for dogs as I know of-fried pancakes and nothing else. In my Ten years of treating dogs, however, I have found that healthy dogs brought up on such diets are far in the minority, and I have found that very few of them ever go wrong on meat, milk, toast or cereal, and a few vegetables.
Proper feeding is unquestionably the most important single factor in raising healthy dogs, but in undertaking to tell you how to do it, I realize that I have my hands full. Dogs are so rampantly individualistic in every way under the sun, and particularly in the matter of feeding, that it's almost impossible to prescribe for you a set of rules and diets that would precisely take care of every individual dog. I meet so many bewildered dog owners during the course of a week, however, who are so appallingly misinformed on dog feeding generally, that I have few qualms, if any, in listing for your guidance diets which are admittedly blanket. They may or may not be correct in every detail for your own dog, but they are not so far wrong in any instance as to cause any real harm to a dog, and certainly they're far safer for the amateur dog owner to follow than some of the absurd advice that I hear bandied about every day
Two dogs, the same age and the same size, two dogs out of the same litter, in fact, will often differ considerably in their feeding requirements. One may need a pound of meat a day and the other a half pound. One may have difficulty in digesting vegetables while the other one thrives on vegetables. Eggs may agree with one and not with the other. One may get fat on these diets and the other lose weight, but these are all matters that a little common sense can remedy.
If certain foods don't agree with your dog, don't give them to him.
If your dog gets too fat, it may be that he's not getting enough exercise. It may be that he's one of those demon assimilators who converts every crumb of food into fat and energy, in which case he needs less food. It may be that he has worms; worms sometimes give a dog a bloated look that the novice may mistake for fat. It may be that he has some glandular trouble. But the chances are nine out of ten that he's being overfed. Overfeeding is the big error nearly all dog owners make. The normal healthy puppy is food-crazy. He'll undoubtedly beg and plead for more food than I have advised, but I want to warn you that even if you give in to his pleas (and dog owners are notoriously weak in arguments with puppies over food), he'll still complain and go around telling the neighbors you're starving him to death.
If in following these diets, you find that your dog is losing weight, it's possible that he needs more food than I have indicated. It's more likely, however, that he needs an examination by a veterinarian. He may be suffering from worms that are robbing him of his nourishment; he may have a liver disturbance of some kind, tuberculosis, a foreign body lodged in his insides, or half a dozen other troubles that could cause underweight. Underweight or loss of weight in a dog should always be looked into because cases of simple underfeeding are not common among well-cared-for dogs.
Tips Of Feeding Your Dog
Before listing the diets, I want to give you first the answers to a few questions that are asked me most frequently on the subject of feeding in general. Most of them are applicable to all sizes and breeds of dogs and therefore should prove helpful to you either by themselves or in connection with the diets that follow:
1. Dogs usually wolf their food down without chewing. This is perfectly natural and nothing to worry about. Their teeth are made for tearing food and their stomachs take care of the rest. This habit probably dates back to the time when dogs traveled in packs; a dog had to eat fast to get his share.
2. Some dogs won't eat raw meat. Such dogs, I suppose, are the truly civilized ones. Cook the meat for them slightly, enough to take away the odor of blood and the reminder of barbaric days.
3. Some dogs won't eat ground meat but will eat it cubed, while still others like it in big pieces so that they can tear it apart.
4. Raw eggs disagree with some dogs. Try soft-boiled eggs in this case. If soft-boiled eggs don't agree with your dog, or if he doesn't like eggs, forget about them.
5. Expensive cuts of meat are not necessary. The cheaper cuts, as long as they are lean, are just as nourishing.
6. Heart, liver, and other organic foods agree with some dogs. Dogs in their wild state, I have read, used to kill an animal, and if times were particularly prosperous, eat only his insides and leave the rest of the carcass. I don't know what this proves today. I do know that organic food disagrees with many dogs, and if you find that it disagrees with your dog, don't give it to him.
7. Prepared foods are all right occasionally, but before you use any of them, consult your veterinarian about types and brands.
8. Milk does not cause worms.
9. Meat does not cause viciousness.
10. Some dogs won't drink water. This is nothing to worry about. It may be that they're getting all the moisture they need from their food and milk or from a source unknown to you-the toilet bowl, for instance. There is a popular belief that a block of sulphur placed in the drinking water is (a) a water purifier, (b) a blood purifier, (c) a worm exterminator, (d) a tonic and I don't know what else-the list is so long. This is a lot of foolishness. A block of sulphur is a fine dust collector and that's about all.
11. No dog should be allowed within a mile of chicken bones, fish bones, or other small bones.
12. The following foods, I have found, do not generally agree with dogs: pork, potatoes, fresh bread, cake, candy, cabbage, turnips, spaghetti, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, beets, lima beans, bananas, and cheese (excepting cottage cheese). And I would sternly like to add: cocktails, cocktail canapes and sausages, salted nuts, and such things that people in expansive moods too often feel that they must share with the dog. The festive board is not for dogs.
13. The following foods, I have found, do agree generally with dogs: beef, lamb or mutton, fish, carrots, spinach, string beans, asparagus, boiled onions, broccoli, lettuce, celery; fruits such as oranges, pears, apples.
14. If your dog won't eat at his regular mealtime, take his dish away and wait until his next mealtime. Don't try to tempt him an hour or so after his regular mealtime.
15. Different breeds do not require different kinds of food. A Mexican hairless eats the same kind of food that a Scotty eats, and a Scotty eats the same as a great Dane. Only the amounts vary, and big dogs quite often need more "filler" foods-that is, foods other than meat.
16. If cod-liver oil upsets your dog, try viosterol. Give smaller quantities of viosterol than those prescribed for cod-liver oil. Give very small doses of either one in hot weather.
1. Dogs usually wolf their food down without chewing. This is perfectly natural and nothing to worry about. Their teeth are made for tearing food and their stomachs take care of the rest. This habit probably dates back to the time when dogs traveled in packs; a dog had to eat fast to get his share.
2. Some dogs won't eat raw meat. Such dogs, I suppose, are the truly civilized ones. Cook the meat for them slightly, enough to take away the odor of blood and the reminder of barbaric days.
3. Some dogs won't eat ground meat but will eat it cubed, while still others like it in big pieces so that they can tear it apart.
4. Raw eggs disagree with some dogs. Try soft-boiled eggs in this case. If soft-boiled eggs don't agree with your dog, or if he doesn't like eggs, forget about them.
5. Expensive cuts of meat are not necessary. The cheaper cuts, as long as they are lean, are just as nourishing.
6. Heart, liver, and other organic foods agree with some dogs. Dogs in their wild state, I have read, used to kill an animal, and if times were particularly prosperous, eat only his insides and leave the rest of the carcass. I don't know what this proves today. I do know that organic food disagrees with many dogs, and if you find that it disagrees with your dog, don't give it to him.
7. Prepared foods are all right occasionally, but before you use any of them, consult your veterinarian about types and brands.
8. Milk does not cause worms.
9. Meat does not cause viciousness.
10. Some dogs won't drink water. This is nothing to worry about. It may be that they're getting all the moisture they need from their food and milk or from a source unknown to you-the toilet bowl, for instance. There is a popular belief that a block of sulphur placed in the drinking water is (a) a water purifier, (b) a blood purifier, (c) a worm exterminator, (d) a tonic and I don't know what else-the list is so long. This is a lot of foolishness. A block of sulphur is a fine dust collector and that's about all.
11. No dog should be allowed within a mile of chicken bones, fish bones, or other small bones.
12. The following foods, I have found, do not generally agree with dogs: pork, potatoes, fresh bread, cake, candy, cabbage, turnips, spaghetti, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, beets, lima beans, bananas, and cheese (excepting cottage cheese). And I would sternly like to add: cocktails, cocktail canapes and sausages, salted nuts, and such things that people in expansive moods too often feel that they must share with the dog. The festive board is not for dogs.
13. The following foods, I have found, do agree generally with dogs: beef, lamb or mutton, fish, carrots, spinach, string beans, asparagus, boiled onions, broccoli, lettuce, celery; fruits such as oranges, pears, apples.
14. If your dog won't eat at his regular mealtime, take his dish away and wait until his next mealtime. Don't try to tempt him an hour or so after his regular mealtime.
15. Different breeds do not require different kinds of food. A Mexican hairless eats the same kind of food that a Scotty eats, and a Scotty eats the same as a great Dane. Only the amounts vary, and big dogs quite often need more "filler" foods-that is, foods other than meat.
16. If cod-liver oil upsets your dog, try viosterol. Give smaller quantities of viosterol than those prescribed for cod-liver oil. Give very small doses of either one in hot weather.
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