The Correction

Remember corrections are only used when a dog is doing something wrong never to harm a dog. When correcting perform a little pull or pop, not a yank when correcting at the same time say "no". Then continue your training and the trick you were teaching. Be patient with your dog because if you have a small dog it may be a little reluctant  due to there nature.                                                                                                                                          
     A perfect example to use is when to correct a dog on a leash. You want make sure your leash is loose in the shape of a J then grab a piece of the leash so if you need to pop you can. The pop would be used if your dog is pulling.
     Lets go back a bit and talk about motivations which can help with the result after the correct.
        Lets talk about the luring  and motivation.
Here is a basic list.
                1.Motivate with food

       2. Motivate with toys

         3. Motivate by praising

Sorry now back on track I want to talk about the type of leash to use corrections with. When supervising a dog keep the leash on the dog. I like to use the slip leash because it is easier to pop the leash then having a harness or collar that holds a tag. Here is a picture of it. It is adjustable and will not choke your dog like a regular collar. I recommend buying one when training your dog. I know for sure you can buy them online.

Hope this helped I always recommend asking a expert and do some research on your own as well.
Good Luck!

Dog Allergies: Food

Did you know dogs can have allergies just like us either it outside or inside allergies? And the worst type of allergy of all the food allergy!!! Well this is my opinion anyway because dogs love food. Ahhhh!

Allergies can be common and when they do. These allergies can be noticed because most do  cause a rash on the body. Others cause itching, scratching, and even vomiting. There can difficulties with trying to see some types of symptoms because some symptoms might be signs of something else. An example would be if your dog is scratching excessively its coat might just be dry and your dog might need nutrients such as Omega 3,6,and 9. A definite way you can tell an allergy is if your dog is obsessively licking its paw or biting other parts of its body.
There are many symptoms and it all depends on the type of allergy your pet has. I f you are unsure please contact your vet.

     I find this picture quite concise and informative and will be able to help any owner see the signs. Like I said if you see these signs or are unsure see your vet because you do not know the seriousness of the allergy. One way to see the signs is to see your dog and how he or she reacts. Anything out of the ordinary please call the vet.

     List of most common allergies:

            1) Allergy of protein
            2) Allergy of grain
            3) Allergy of certain veggies
            4) Allergy of  additives in some dog food

     The one allergy I have heard a lot about either from the research I have done or a expert I talked too was a protein allergy. The most protein allergy I have heard of is the allergy to beef. But there is a solution for dog owners and dogs alike it would be.........lamb. Many dog foods for dogs with allergies contain lamb. Lamb is said to be non- allergic to dogs. Another re placer that you could try would be fish. The only thing is I don't know how well it works. There is yet another solution,but it can be pricey. The solution would be to get vet prescribed food.

     If unsure always do a little research yourself as well as ask your vet.

Reading Labels: Calories

I think we all know how to count calories it is basic math, but do you know how to make a meal plan for your dog, for that matter do you know how to maintain your own meals. We have to go back to the basic food pyramid and look at what our animals can eat.
 We have to check our label because your pet my allergies, I will talk about this more later because it can be detailed.

Here is an example of the  label notice calories
are noticeable and on the very top of the label.

So back calories  on the back of the label it will show the # of calories per serving or for the whole bag in which you will then have to measure and divide it into per servings.

Now every size dog has a certain amount of calories they can eat it depends on their breed. All below are approximate and I received this information in my research in a book called The Dog Care Manual. I recommend reading it its very informative.

Chart:
     Toy Breeds: less than 10 lb-  2,000-4,000 calories
     Small Breeds: 10 to 20 lbs- 4,000-7,000 calories
     Medium Breeds: 20 to 50 lbs- 7,000- 14,000 calories
     Large Breeds: 50 to 75 lbs- 14,000- 19,000 calories
     Giant Breeds: 74 to 140 lbs- 19,000- 30,000 calories

Of course like all other things this chart will change due to the dogs physical and emotional state.

Remember count those calories either it be for  treats or chow time.
    

Reading Labels: Ingredients

 I believe food labels are important tools in our lives because without them we would not know what is in the food we eat. Many of us read the labels of food we are going to eat either it be a quick snack or a cola. I think even more recently many people have read labels to see if the food meets their dietary needs. Well this concept of reading labels should also apply to a dogs diet. No matter the dog food it can be wet or dry food, canned or bagged, a lot or a little always check whats in the food.

For now we are not going to worry about the calories fro now we are going focus on the ingredients of the product. I know have said this before ,but I am going to repeat myself  the two main ingredients should be on the front of the can or bag. The main ingredients will also be shown on the back by the label. Always read into the details of the food and if you are unsure do some research or ask your vet. Also there are federal regulations on the food your dog eats by the FDA. There is also a 95% rule which regulates that the food has to contain 95% of whats in the title especially in canned food dealing with meat.

Here is an example of a label and all of the ingredients.

I wanted to show a example of a food label  so you the owner would no j=how to read them and ensure good eats for your dog.

Chow Time!

Now many people ask how many times should I feed my dog a day and what should I feed them. Well, before adopting or buying I dog I recommend doing some research on dog care in general also research the breed. Some owners feed there dogs only twice a day and some leave out the food all day. From research that I have done your dog is only supposed to eat about a cup a day.
 In my opinion it seems like a little, bu then if you consider other treats throughout the day you give your dog it does add up. It really all depends on the size of the dog and the age of the dog. I recommend talking to your vet about how much exactly your dog should eat. I also recommend checking what is in your dogs food the main ingredients should be on the main label.

New Topic: Feeding

Hello Readers,
I know its not officially the end of the week, but I would like to talk about another important part of caring for a dog. That would be Feeding. You must know what you are feeding your dog either it be by reading labels or counting calories. Don't worry I will show you how to do both and I will also be talking about feeding time.

Motivation and Timing

     You know how people say you timing was great. Well ,you have to prove this to dogs as well, when you are clicker training you only have a second to two seconds to respond. It is very easy to miss your opportunity when training.To refresh from one of my first blogs about the clicker remember how you are supposed to click then treat. Yes?
     Well, the dog will do the trick you have taught him such as sit. Which I believe I already went over, but I will review. You put the food the dogs nose leading the food backwards making the dog sit, then click and treat. Repeat.

Remember she has a clicker and treat in hand.

     As for motivation, What do you think motivates your dog? Many people say food and they absolutely correct. Food is a primary motivator when training. Eventually the dog will get off the treats and clicker once you can say the trick with out having to give it a treat or use the click.

Well I cant find a photo with out the hand gesture,
just forget it was there and think about the word "sit".

     Well we know food is a motivator ,but what else is? I would have to say you the owner. The dog only wants to please you and when you say "Good Job", "Good Girl", or  "Good Boy" you are praising your dog making it feel good. Just like if someone were to tell us that we did a great job.

Sorry ,I thought this was so cute and it does make you feel pretty happy when you see it.

Motivation and Timing are important to a dog's training just make sure to use the clicker and eventually let your dog only respond to voice commands and always motivate your dog when it is doing something right.

Pack Leader

     As a dog owner you may here these words  "Pack Leader" a lot if you are a  fan of dog shows.
Well personally I believe in these words, I believe in your household there must be a pack leader in the house. I believe you have to establish pack leader skills by showing the dog you are in charge because if not the dog will become leader over you.
     The way a dog shows leadership skills is by showing it dominance. Which can be shown in a variety of forms. The dog could be over protective, not listening to you (but this could also mean it does not know its name which then it could be taught), by showing aggression, and can be pushy. Every dominant dog has its own way of showing its dominance. It also depends on your situation, an example would be if a dog was over protective of his female owner when her boyfriend would come over. A dominant dog can be difficult to deal with and might enforce its leadership with its teeth. This behavior can be corrected, but I recommend a expert's advice.

This is dominant behavior.
The corgi is being above the other dog. While the other dog is being submissive.

A dominant dog who is not pack leader can be harmful to the pack, because he/she may doing something unexpected. Which can lead to problems in the whole pack spreading the aggression.  

If your are unsure about your dog I would consult a professional.

Treats

Basic bones that can be given to your dog.

Dog treats are very important to both a owner and trainer. A treat can be considered a bone to a piece of chicken. I recommend a treat that is nice and healthy such as a piece of chicken. Try to say away from beef and pork and go for the more lean meats. Also watch out for your dog's age and if your dog has any allergies.

Treats that are often used as Training Treats

Treats come in a ll shapes and sizes and some treats are specific to the size of the dog. An example I feed my larger dog medium size bone and my quarter size bones to my small dog. I also recommend controlling how many treats you give your dog in a day as well as look at the calories on the back of the bag to ensure the treat sticks the the dog's diet. Every dog has a specific amount of calories they must eat, and it all depends of the breed and size of the animal. I f you are curious about how many calories your dog should it you should check out the weight of your dog as well as the breed. I then recommend
googling it. Just remember your dog does not care what size the treat is that you are feeding it for doing a good job it just care that you are feed it a treat.

The Leash and Collar

The leash is a very useful tool to exercise your dog as well as train your dog.

When you want a easier way to train you put the leash on the dog. It gives you a better leverage to train the dog and when holding the leash do not hold the leash tight. Either it be walking the dog or training always hold the leash loose and keeping it in a  J shape.

You can not use a leash without a collar, there a couple of collars that you as a owners could use. There is the choke chain or chain slip chain, the prong collar, everyday collar, and a harness. These are just some of the more popular collars The everyday collar is not recommended to use with a leash especially if you have a small dog because it could cause their trachea to collapse. The basic collar is used for more experienced dogs and used to hold the dog's tags. You could use a harness to walk your small dog because it is around the chest of the dog instead of around its neck.

Here are the collars.

Choke Chain

Basic Collar

Harness

Prong Collar

I prefer to use a harness when training my dogs as well as use it when walking my dogs. I feel a little more in control when using it and it more safe to use when I walk my small dog. The choke chain is also useful because it naturally forms around the dogs neck, but in my option better to use with bigger dogs. I actually do not know to much about  the prong collar.

Ok. Back to the leash sorry I detoured a bit. I your dog pulls on the leash it is probably because you have to much tension on your leash which was probably caused by your dog in the first place. When your dog starts to pulls stop dead in your tracks and wait your dog will probably turn around and see what you are doing and in turn will make the leash loose. Reward the dog for it wonderful walking behavior. This goes back to the clicker which you could  use to click and treat your dog when he/she  properly walks. Also try to get the lightest, lightest in weight, leash you can get to make the dog comfortable and simulate wearing nothing and when the leash is loose it is comfortable.

The Clicker

This amazing tool originated in the 1950s and was originally used to train dolphins and whales. It then was used to train horses, but apparently it was unsuccessful on the animals. It recently, I do not know the exact year, was introduced to training dogs. The way the contraption works is by sound recognition. You would click the clicker when the dog does a behavior you approve of then you give the dog a treat. An example would be is by showing the dog the piece of  food by bringing it to his/her nose then pulling it back making the dog sit, then you would click and give the dog the meaty treat. The clicker is very similar to Pavlov's Bell. Pavlov's Bell was used on dogs and he would ring it when it was chow time for the dogs. So eventually the dogs would salivate when the bell was rung knowing that they would eat soon.

This is Pavlov's Bell Concept.

Why is the clicker so useful, you may ask? The clicker involves a dog's prime motivator food. Dogs will do any trick for food and eventually the dog will be able to get off the clicker and treat and will be able to do the trick just by the sound of your voice, but of course the dog should still get a reward either it be a meat treat or a "good boy".

I believe this gives a good example of what clicker training is and how it works.

P.S. Clickers come in all shapes and forms. I personally have one that is shaped like a bone and has different clicking tones and a original looking one like the first picture thats just a basic one.

First Day on Blog

Hello Dog Lovers,
This is my first day blogging on my new blog. On this blog I will be talking about some basic training techniques and how to feed a dog properly. Such as count calories and healthy dog treats.
 I am doing this blog because it is a part of my high school senior project's independent study. My senior project is all about dog care and training and all the information on this blog is from research that I have found.
I hope it proves to be helpful.
-Katie