TEACHING YOU HOW TO THINK DOG Dog ownership is not to be taken lightly, a dog is neither a toy nor a fashion accessory. It is a living creature. Owning a dog requires commitment and a responsible attitude. Choosing the right dog to suit your personality is as important as choosing a life partner. All too often dog owners choose their new pet because of its physical appearance, regardless of whether that dog’s personality will harmonise with their own. Every year in the UK over 100,000 dogs are placed in animal shelters because owners can no longer cope with their behaviour or afford the time to cater for their welfare needs. Here are just some of the questions you should ask yourself before deciding to get a dog. Can I afford to pay for feeding, training, vet’s bills and boarding kennel fees for the lifetime of the dog. How much time do I have to commit to exercise and more importantly training. How active am I and what breed suits my lifestyle. What size, age, sex and coat type would best suit me. Is there a particular breed that appeals to me and more importantly what are their behavioural characteristics. Are there any potential health problems with the breed. How long will the dog be left on its’ own during the day. Where will I house the dog. Now that you have decided on the right puppy for you the most important advice I can give is “Start as you mean to go on.” In the animal kingdom there is no equality, it is simply survival of the fittest, dogs like most other animals survive in a rank or pack. When a dog comes into your home it does not look upon you or the other members of your household as his family but looks upon you as members of its pack. Managing a dog is just like managing kids, it is very important you establish certain boundaries with your dog from the very beginning. START AS YOU MEAN TO GO ON. Here's just a few tips on how to establish yourself and your family members as the leaders of your dog's pack. A dogs mother is their first introduction to a pack leader. She makes them wait for food, controls their play and how far they stray. It is important that you establish similar rules as your dogs pack leaders and always project 'A relaxed, confident attitude’, this nurtures stability and gives your dog security within your pack, resulting in less behavioural problems. From day one create a consistent schedule for your dogs daily routine ensuring it fits around yours and not the other way round. A consistent routine will create stability and security for your dog. Have set exercise, play, feeding and daily grooming times. THE IMPORTANCE OF OBEDIENT HEELWORK Here's just a few tips on how to establish yourself and your family members as the leaders of your dog's pack. A dogs mother is their first introduction to a pack leader. She makes them wait for food, controls their play and how far they stray. It is important that you establish similar rules as your dogs pack leaders and always project 'A relaxed, confident attitude’, this nurtures stability and gives your dog security within your pack, resulting in less behavioural problems. From day one create a consistent schedule for your dogs daily routine ensuring it fits around yours and not the other way round. A consistent routine will create stability and security for your dog. Have set exercise, play, feeding and daily grooming times. FEEDING TIME In a household it is very important that everyone else has eaten before the dog is fed. Remember leaders always feed first. This instils in the dogs mind that you are its leader, it is your food, and you are simply sharing it with your dog. Points to remember when feeding. Be consistent and stick to a set feeding time. Make your dog sits and ensure it is relaxed before you give it the go ahead to eat its food, (never reward excitable behaviour). Never feed your dog in the same room where you and your family eat. If you normally eat in the kitchen feed your dog outside in the garage or yard. It helps sometimes if you move your dogs bowl to different positions in these areas; this prevents your dog becoming territorial. To help prevent your dog becoming dominant whilst eating, place your hand in the bowl or remove the bowl from your dog and make it sit. Return the food when your dog becomes relaxed. This instils in the dog’s mind that you are its leader, it is your food, and you are simply sharing it with your dog. DAILY GROOMING When grooming your dog place it on a table and make it sit to give you more control, this is also an excellent time to check the pads on its feet, and between its toes. Also check its’ ears, eyes and mouth. All this will help to humanise your dog whilst being handled. Grooming is an important part of the hygiene and emotional wellbeing of your pet. It helps create a bond between you and your dog because of the physical touching and interaction. In the wild, wolves and other canines groom each other as part of the social interaction of the pack or family group. By cleaning and brushing your dog you are exercising control over it in a positive way whilst reinforcing your position within the pack hierarchy. WHERE TO SIT & SLEEP Allowing your dog to sit or sleep on the furniture is bad practice. Dogs are very conscious of hierarchy and will attempt to find their own place if you do not do it for them. It is important your dog understands that it’s at the bottom of the pack. By creating these differences the dog will have greater respect for you. The dominant canine in a pack will always choose the safest and warmest place to sit and sleep, generally in a more elevated position from the rest of the pack. If a dog sits / sleeps at the same height as you it believes it’s your equal. If you sit on the floor while it remains in possession of the sofa you are effectively its subordinate. This could have disastrous consequences if there is a toddler crawling on the floor and the dog thinks it’s higher in the pack than the baby. If you live in a house with an upstairs Never allow your dog upstairs. BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS If a dog has a behavioural problem it’s because it hasn’t been trained. Before you tackle the behavioural issue you must first establish control and master basic obedience training. Only then can you look at the bigger picture and in many cases you will find the original problem has disappeared. WHEN TO START FORMAL OBEDIENCE TRAINING Knowing when to start formal obedience training – walking on a lead, the sit stay command and recall – is dependent on the dog’s sex, breed and personality but as a guide around 5 months old is a good age to begin. However, boundary training should start the moment you take a dog home. You have now officially become a dog trainer and the whole environment you bring it into will affect its personality and behaviour. Furthermore, there is no age limit for dog training. The older a dog is the longer training may take and the more patience you may need but to say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks is a fallacy. FOR SUCCESSFUL CANINE TRAINING YOU NEED In order for both you and your dog to co-exist in a harmonious relationship it is imperative that you enrol yourself and your dog on a dog obedience class with a professional dog trainer and teach the 3 basic commands heel, sit and recall. For successful canine training you need Know-how, Patience, Repetition and Consistency and most importantly a ‘Positive Mental Attitude’ (PMA). Good luck with your conquest.