Archive for April, 2010

The Secrets to Dog Training !

What Is It?Secrets to Dog Training presents a very detailed and thorough look at how to both prevent and deal with the more common problem behaviors exhibited by dogs. As the owner of a some troublesome dogs myself, I’ve spent a fair amount of time searching the Net for reliable resources on this topic, and I have to say that the level of knowledge and detail contained within the pages of this book is unusually accurate for an online book. Not only that, but – again, unusually for this medium – the information at hand is actually (gasp!) reliable. Yes this one’s a complete new kettle of fish. Written by a seasoned dog trainer, you can relax in the knowledge that all the tips and advice included are tried  tested and true, and come from Stevens’ real-life experiences as a professional dog trainer. There is also a straight-talking, easy to follow 30-minute downloadable video which provides real-life examples of dogs bad behavior along with solutions and remedies to change them.

What’s Covered In the Book ?
There’s a pretty impressive range of information packed into this guide. It’s not just the problem behaviors that are covered: the book starts off with new-owner advice (how to choose a puppy/dog, the best places to get one from, Dog breed information, puppy/dog-proofing your home, the first vet visit, housetraining, etc) and then moves on to the more advanced training stuff: behavioral problem’s (such as aggression, dominance, chewing, digging, excessive barking, separation anxiety, to name a few), intermediate-level obedience commands, health-related dog problems (allergies, cat/dog coexistence, fleas, heatstroke, and so on), and advanced commands and tricks.

The 30-minute downloadable video gives a great insight into a dog’s quest to be the alpha dog and how you can prevent this. Its quick steps to stop bad behaviors such as housebreaking right through to leash pulling are so simple you can start trying them out on your dog straight away.

It makes for some pretty interesting reading – and, after trying out the basics on my own stubbornly disobedient dog, I was totally amazed at how effective the techniques suggested are. Highly recommended!

The book itself costs $39.95. For this price, you get a complete and detailed manual on training your dog, preventing and handling behavioral problems, and a whole bunch of general-knowledge tips and advice.

I love Freebies??

You also get a handful of practical freebies: four bonus books, dealing respectively with advanced housetraining how-to’s and troubleshooting (including both the crate- and paper-training methods); a detailed study on resolving canine aggression; how to effectively groom your dog (including information on coat care for specific breeds, dental care, and nail-clipping how-to’s); and finally, how to begin training your dog for security work.

Another particularly useful freebie: a personalized consultation with a member of the Kingdom of Pets team. If you’ve got an issue with your dog that you’d like some individual attention on, you can flick them a quick email and receive a personalized, thorough reply packed with expert advice and practical tips.

Several of the training techniques present a common-sense, down-to-earth approach to dog training; others require a little more effort (take dog whispering as an example) but yield some pretty dramatic results. I liked the way that more than one training technique is detailed, to allow the reader to pick and choose the techniques that best suit themselves and their individual dogs.

I have no qualms in recommending this package to anyone who owns, or is thinking about owning, a dog for any purpose whether for hunting or for a family pet . You don’t need to have a “problem pet” for the manual to be of assistance: there’s information included that is essential for any and all dog owners.

In a nutshell: highly recommended.

Dog Dummy Launchers

A dummy launcher is a very useful training tool used extensively by retriever trainers. However, spaniel trainers also use this training accessory – and for more than just the long retrieve. Yes, your spaniel should be able to make the long retrieves we see at field trials. But if you use a dummy launcher, vary your distances and don’t get too crazy on the super long retrieves – unless you plan to compete in strictly retriever trials. Too many long retrieves will condition your dog to go long for all retrieves and blow right by the thirty-yards or closer retrieves. When I use a dummy launcher, I like to tape two pigeon or phesant wings to the plastic dummy. I do this for two reasons. First, it shortens the distance the dummy will fly so that it won’t go much farther than what a well placed shot on a strong flying bird would. Second, it will provide scent which allows your dog to easily locate the dummy. The dummy launcher gives you the ability to set up various situations that you may get into at field trials that you can’t do with live birds while training. So often we see dogs run out to the tree line at the edge of a field and not want to go the little extra distance because of that “wall”. By launching over hedgerows and clumps of trees, your pooch will gain confidence and go past these obstructions – such as false horizons – and pin those retrieves.

Kong Dog Training Dummy

When I train my own gun dogs  my cocker spaniel toby and english springer spaniel rocky to retrieve , I personally use the Kong’s sport’n dog training dummy. It comes in a variety of sizes and colors to match your dog training needs.The bright hunter’s orange is easy to spot in the water or field. Since they are made of Kong’s legendary rubbber, they are extremely durable and guaranteed to outlast any training dummy on the market. The special high floating core insert can also be used as a scent pad which is excellent  Also the attached rope and its weight makes it easy to throw it long distances.my hunting  dogs love it .

My dogs seem to be natural retrievers and enjoy playing fetch. I am careful to always end the game of fetch when the puppy begins to lose interest. For some dogs this happens after 3-4 throws while others will play for hours. I like to use treats on occasion to encourage a few more retrieves out of my dogs with less interest. The main thing is to keep the training fun and positive.

Dog Dummy Training

Dog dummy training is an important part of field training a retriever or hunting dog. The dummy used for training are typically comprised of a heavy duty canvas and usually floats. Dog bumpers are one kind of dog Dummy training dummy used. Dog bumpers are like the boat bumpers that are that are hung on the side of boats to prevent neighboring boats from bumping together when docked.

They include a short attached rope to simplify throwing and retrieving. Many dog training dummies or bumpers will have rubber water valves for water to be added. The added water will make the dummy or bumper heavier in weight and buoyancy but have no fear! They can still be thrown a good distance to test out the dog retrieving ability . The Dog training dummies may have knobs that serve as treads or grips for the retrievers to easily pick them up and hold them. They can come in many sizes for both smaller and larger dogs. All construction materials are non-toxic. While the dog training  dummy may seem soft and elastic, rest assured that they are tough, durable should last a long time.

You will notice that the bumpers in particular come in a variety of colors like black and white, orange, blue, yellow, all black or all white. The varying colors represent different levels of retriever training. It should also be mentioned that since dogs see contrasts rather than color, some of these color bumpers are easier for certain dogs to see than others, especially against certain color backgrounds. Retrievers do in fact see some shades of color but they see color very different than the human eye does. Nylon flags and streamers are sometimes used as a visual accessory to help your dog identify and locate their training dummy or bumper. It’s all about helping your dog with their training.

A dog training dummy will also sometimes have the appearance, scent and feathers of a bird. They convincingly resemble the weight and softness of the body of a bird, providing your dog with some realistic prey. There are many manufacturers of them. Lucky Dog are perhaps the most popular choice for training dummy due to their quality and competitive price. Other manufacturers include Flagman, Neuman & Bennett, Dokken Dog Supply’s Deadfowl trainers, Hallmark, E-Z Rotational, DT Systems and Scott Dog Supply.

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