Are
you signed up for our Newsletter?
Join our yahoo powered newsletter/list
for dog training tips, human and dog behavior
tips, and puppy information, as well as updates on what we’re up
in the dog world. You don’t see a lot of ads on this site and I
don’t send a lot of ads in the email either, I don’t use pop
ups, and I will not sell your name.
Our first newsletter went out .The December newsletter's feature story
is about Chinas controversial killing of dogs and cat for fur clothing.
I also include some things you can do about it.
*******************************************************
*******************************************************
* 101 Dog Training Tips Newsletter
*******************************************************
*
* Issue #3
* Published by:
* Andrew Ledford
* Copyright © 2006 Andrew Ledford
* http://101-dog-training-tips.com
*
* March 2006
* 101-Dog-Training-Tips newsletter
*
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/101-Dog-Training-Tips/
*
*
* ==================================================
*
* In this issue
* 1. Getting your dog to come, the beginning stage of
training
* 2. Featured website America Against Breed Specific
Legislation
* 3. Dog trainers directory
* 4. Global Pet Expo
Welcome to the third edition of the
101-Dog-Training-Tips newsletter.
March 2006
==================================================
This month's article is about a subject that
frustrates
many dog owners. The problem we'll be addressing is
the pet who won't come when called.
I will also comment on breed specific legislation and
suggest how we can accomplish the goals of local
governments while improving the dog as a species. This
approach to the problem will encourage economic
activity, reduce the social liability of aggressive
dogs, and make the world a better place.
The March newsletter is a bit late because I have had
so much to do this month. I hope to make up with an
extra edition next month. But I'm not making any
promises. That's because I plan on having my new
website up and running in April. Or at least the beta
version. Getting back to my hectic March, fist I went
on vacation. It seems that whenever I go on vacation I
see some type of interesting animal behavior, and this
trip was no exception. The most interesting behavior I
noticed on this trip was that honeybees seem to feed
on datura flowers right before they open for moth
pollination.
Next, I had the very good fortune to attend one of
Bob Bailey's seminars.
Quite Extraordinary.
I was fascinated by his story about how Skinner's, oh
so human prejudices can color even a stanch
empirical scientists view of the world. The story
was about how the type of reinforcement can affect
behavior. And to end the month I attended the
Global Pet Expo and as usual I also went to the
Southern California Dog Trainer's Forum.
==================================================
*******************************************************
101-Dog-Training-Tips newsletter
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/101-Dog-Training-Tips/
Website
http://101-dog-training-tips.com
1. Getting your dog to come,
The beginning stage of training
Every week I talk to many people who tell me about how
their Dogs will not come when called. This article
will
go over the beginning training steps for getting your
dog to come when called. Some rules in the beginning
stages of training are different than what's needed in
later stages. The first step is do not constantly
barrage your dog with nagging repetitions of its name.
If you use your dog's name for everything, stop doing
that.
Start getting your dog to come by making the dog's
name
meaningful. To start, use your dog's name only when
something good is going to happen. Like getting a
reward
or going on a walk. Don't use you dogs name as a
reprimand. Such as yelling "ROVER!" You will also want
to avoid using your dog's name with a reprimand such
as
"Rover NO!" remember if your dog hears its name it is
going to get something good. Giving some kind of
reward
is your responsibility as the one who called the name.
Calling your dog's name is holing up the winning card
in this bid for creating a reliable response. If you
bid on the social transaction, consider yourself the
winner, and pay for the behavior you desire.
In the beginning do ten very short and easy training
sessions a day. When teaching your dog to come always
reward desirable behavior. When you practice calling
your dog to you, randomly spread the training
throughout the day. Start calling the dog at times
when it's not too distracted. I like to start calling
a dog to come when it is in a rather neutral state
of approach/avoidance. That is, neutral to
approaching me or something else. In the beginning
stages of the recall you may need to give your dog a
considerable amount of encouragement. When the dog is
on its way to you quit calling it by name and give
encouragement with some other type of praise. Try
using a fun happy voice as you move back or get down
to the dog's level. When your dog reaches you, reward
it for a job well done.
The second step to building a strong foundation for a
reliable recall is to work through all avoidance
responses. This means if you reach for your dog and
it shies away from you, it will be less likely to
come when you, or the dog are under stress. A good
way to do this is with formal touching drills.
Once the dog is conditioned past the avoidance
response while in the formal training mode,
start informal training. Do the informal touch
exercises randomly throughout the day.
*******************************************************
101-Dog-Training-Tips newsletter
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/101-Dog-Training-Tips/
Website
http://101-dog-training-tips.com
2. Link of the month
America Against Breed Specific Legislation
The ideas for prejudices can creep up on us in
unsuspecting ways. Training dogs allows us to see how
unexamined ideas can take on a life of their own.
Once an idea catches on as a truth it becomes second
nature, the next thing you know they're social rules.
When an idea become a fully ritualized social rule
it's very hard to change.
This difficulty is encountered even if the invalid
rule is proven to not be true. Individuals have a hard
enough time changing incorrectly held beliefs,
cultures
are even more resistant to change. When we don't pay
attention to nature, it is easy to make the wrong
decisions. Laws based on bad decisions can harm a
society instead of helping it. Unintentionally harming
citizens and nurturing the hate of prejudice are two
problems with breed specific legislation. Once we say
it is okay to outlaw some members of society because
of
how they look it is easier to generalize this idea to
other beings including people.
As far as the effectiveness of breed specific
legislation goes, it is doubtful if it can
solve the problem it's meant to address. If people
want certain behavioral characteristics in a dog they
will simply breed those traits into a legal breed.
According to Kenth Svarthberg, breed characteristics
are still in a state of evolution. Kenth Svarthberg
research (Breed typical behavior in dogs - Historical
remnants or recent construes?) suggests that current
breeding criteria are more important than the breeds
original use. If we want to do the most good for
society we need to take a long term view and
acknowledge the power of selection. We need to
encourage the selection of stable dogs that contribute
to the overall good of society. This is done on the
dog's individual merits and not solely on its
physical appearance.
Breeding for socially desirable traits is probably a
better long term solution than banning certain breeds.
One way to encourage this would be for governments to
give the same dog-tax/license discounts for dogs that
have been trained and tested as they do for
sterilized dogs. The testing would take into account
physical features such as scars that indicate dog
fighting. If the tester suspects dog fighting the dog
would fail the test.
Here is a little info about the site against breed
specific legislation.
America Against BSL was established in 2003, and
started online early 2005. The focus is on educating
the public and teaching people about responsible
animal ownership, what ever the breed may be.
featured website
http://americaagainstbsl.tripod.com/
*******************************************************
3. Our dog trainers directory is growing slowly but
surely. I am happy with this growth. I would rather
have slow long-term growth than a quick spike. I'm
hoping the gradual growth of this section will be
beneficial to those who get into the directory early.
Free listings are available to trainers outside the
Orange County, CA. and Los Angeles Metro areas.
Trainers in the San Fernando Valley and San Diego
can get a free listing. I am also open to
listing the right trainer in South Orange County.
These
listings are for face-to-face dog trainers not web
based
training programs such as e-books.
The easiest way to get a listing in our directory is
to
join our yahoo group with your business and/or
website information.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Dog_Trainers_101_Tips/
The other option is to fill out the form on the
http://www.101-dog-training-tips.com/ website
We are continuing to give free directory listings to
other dog related businesses including dog breeders
and rescue groups.
*******************************************************
4. This month I had the opportunity to attend the
Global Pet Expo in San Diego. In the coming months I
plan to feature several of the companies and products
I saw at this trade show.
Some upcoming highlights may include high-energy
treats for high-energy working dogs.
New doggie ice creams
Wooden doghouses
An interesting all vegetable dog chew
Bicycle bags for your dog
A new treat idea to help teach distracted dogs to come
when called
What looks to be a good replacement to the traditional
basket muzzle
And
A new innovative way to bandage dog wounds without
using 3M Vetrap Bandaging
*******************************************************
the last newsletter Issue #2 January 12, 2006 was
about
Alpha Dogs, Super Alphas and
feral dogs in Asia. The
title of the main article
The Alpha Dog, Fact or Fiction?
*******************************************************
Newsletters will be archived on the
http://101-dog-training-tips.com website
after posting them to the group
Andrew Ledford
Concepts In Dog Behavior®
Concepts In Dog Behavior® is a registered Trademark
http://101-dog-training-tips.com
newsletter
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/101-Dog-Training-Tips
© Copyright 2006 Andrew Ledford all rights reserved
worldwide. 101 dog training tips Newsletter is
copyright
Andrew Ledford, 2006 except where indicated otherwise.
Concepts In Dog Behavior® is a registered Trademark
*******************************************************
*******************************************************
|
