Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Training Tips for When You Bring Your New Yorkshire Terrier Puppy Home

It is such an exciting time for you and your family when you bring your new Yorkshire Terrier puppy or adult dog home for the very first time. Now that you have brought your new puppy home and you are both a little bit adjusted to your new schedule, you may be thinking about some training for your puppy, other than routine house training. Maybe you are wondering where to start with training.

It is important for your dog to trust and respect you and feel secure. A dog should feel that his new home is a safe and dependable place. Dogs enjoy spending time with their families. A dog usually appreciates an owner who will love, lead and protect them.

Now, back to the topic of training. Are you thinking about training your new puppy yourself or taking some dog obedience classes together, when he is at the appropriate age? Maybe you even had thoughts of working with a private, professional dog trainer. Well, no matter which way you decide to begin any training with your Yorkshire Terrier puppy, I can offer you some tips.

Some Helpful Training Tips:

One very important thing in the beginning is to decide on some house rules for your new puppy. You need to decide what he can and can't do.

Dogs like to know what they are supposed to do and what is expected of them. Dogs like structure in their life. The puppy's mother is it's very first pack leader. Now that your puppy is home with you, he probably looks to you as the leader. You can decide to set reasonable house rules for your new dog. If the rules are settled in the beginning, you can avoid confusion for both of you later on. If you don't provide your dog with some leadership and direction, he may begin to make his own rules.

For example, if your dog steals a portion of your sandwich and then eats a little bit of it and then tries to hide and bury the rest of it in your living room couch and you happen to laugh and say isn't that cute. Your dog will get the wrong idea and think this type of behavior is acceptable and OK to do. You may have reinforced the fact that he is in charge and you may have reinforced his bad manners. Actually, dogs can become stressed when they think they can do anything they want.

Often times, dogs feel secure and confident with knowing exactly what you expect from them and having some fair house rules. A dog usually looks for their owner's positive approval. Your dog's well-behaved manner may depend on your good teaching and leadership! You can teach your puppy what you want him to do or not do and you can praise him when he obeys and he will very likely a happy companion!

Here are some examples of some common house rules:

Being polite with people: you may want to teach the dog to sit, instead of jumping up on people when greeting them.

Discourage chewing of furniture and other items: As a new owner you may want to provide safe and appropriate chew toys and routinely spend time with your dog so he is not bored.

You may want to discourage excessive barking for attention.

Good house training habits are also very important for your dog.

A dog may be more calm and relaxed when he knows what is expected of him.

The following factors are very important when training a dog: attention, consistency, repetition, patience, love, rewards and understanding.

Spending quality time with your dog is also very important.

Here are a few ideas:

You can enjoy walks together.

You can play in the backyard together. Dogs usually like to play fetch or Frisbee with their owners.

You may wish to take your dog on errands with you, if possible.

You may want to let him sit with you while you watch TV or chat with friends on the phone.

You can provide a special place for your dog to sleep, like a nice dog bed.

Maybe you can get into the daily habit of brushing his coat, while he sits nice for you.

Dogs usually respond well to a daily routine schedule. A good schedule may help him stay relaxed and confident.

Hopefully, some of these things may help you develop a nice relationship with your dog. Reward your dog when he has done something right. You may want to reward him with lots of positive praise, a favorite treat or some nice play time.

Don't forget to help him relax when he first comes home. Whatever you can do to help him get comfortable in his new home will be good for both of you. Set up his private space or den area in the house.

Your dog will probably really appreciate and enjoy a space for himself in the house where he will feel comfortable. You may provide your puppy or dog with his own private sleeping area, where he can routinely relax and get plenty of good rest. It is important to set a good habit for bedtime in your home, so that you and your puppy will both feel rested and happy! Every dog needs their own safe and comfortable place to sleep.

You may wish to have your puppy's bed in a quiet, safe place in the house. A peaceful and comfortable section of the room may be nice. Maybe you will choose a safe, cozy dog bed for your Yorkshire Terrier puppy. You probably will want to pick a special sleeping area for the puppy where there is not much noise.

Your Yorkshire Terrier puppy may feel a little more confident and secure if he can still see the people in the house from his sleeping area. Just knowing that you are there may help him to stay relaxed and calm.

It may be helpful to get into the habit of some calm, quiet time before the actual bedtime. The puppy may need to go outside to eliminate immediately before bedtime. Providing background sounds, such as a very soft background sound of a TV or radio may calm the puppy down and relax him at night. He may also enjoy a little time to be left alone at times in the comfort and safety of his den area.

Another helpful thing you can do is to teach your puppy to come to you when you call his name. You can get down on his level and tell him to come to you using his name. For example: You can say come here, Jack. Then, when he does come to you, maybe you want to tell him that he is a good dog! He will be happy if you make a big deal using positive reinforcement. Always remember to reward his good behavior.

It may be helpful to try to maintain a regular daily routine or schedule so that it will be easier for your Yorkshire Terrier to understand what is expected of him. Positive reinforcement or a reward, such as nice praise or a favorite treat can be very helpful when teaching good behavior to your Yorkshire Terrier.

The Yorkshire Terrier is a very intelligent dog. Be consistent when training your dog. Remember to keep your dog's attention and have some fun during training. Reward your Yorkshire Terrier when he demonstrates the desired behavior that you are teaching him.

Reward your puppy or dog's good behavior with positive reinforcement. Use treats, toys, love, or lots of praise. Let your dog know when's he's getting everything right.

You can help your puppy to learn not to jump up when greeting you. Puppies routinely love to jump up in greeting. Don't reprimand your puppy, just ignore his behavior and wait until he calms down before giving positive reinforcement. Don't encourage jumping behavior by praising your dog when he's in a jumping position when he is greeting you. You can praise him when he settles down and he's in the sitting position.

You will want to discourage your puppy from biting or nipping. Instead of scolding your puppy if he is trying to nip, a great way to discourage him from this behavior is to pretend that you're in great pain when he's biting or nipping you. He will probably stop immediately. Another thing you could do is to try giving him a safe chew toy for your hand or pant leg. He will probably like the chew toy better.

Lastly, it is a good practice to end training sessions on a positive note. Again, you can give lots of verbal praise to your dog, maybe his favorite treats, some petting or some fun playtime. Your Yorkshire Terrier has probably worked hard to please you throughout the training. All of the positive reinforcement that you provided him throughout your training session might encourage him to start his training lesson next time with his tail wagging, eager to learn!

Monday, July 12, 2010

Yorkshire Terriers: Therapy Dogs

Dogs can be trained to provide comfort and affection to certain people in need. A therapy dog may be trained to help people in nursing homes and hospital settings and much more. They may be trained to help disabled people.

Therapy dogs should have a friendly temperament. They are usually gentle in nature, patient and confident. Some things that are important for a trained therapy dog are:

Accepting a friendly stranger: the therapy dog is usually trained to allow unfamiliar people to make physical contact with it. For example, children in particular, and also adults may enjoy safely petting the trained therapy dogs. Some therapy dogs can actually perform small tricks during their visits.

The therapy dog is often trained by it's handler to sit and stay in place and to come when called. The dog should behave politely around other dogs.

The dog may be tested around medical equipment, such as a wheelchair or walker, or other medical devices which you might normally see at a medical facility. They may check the dog's reactions to these things during training.

Trained therapy dogs are sometimes used for the following:

To help the disabled.

Trained seeing eye dogs help the semi to permanently blind person.

Some dogs are actually trained to know when a person is going to have a seizure.

Sometimes children with difficulties will relate well to a dog or cat.

Therapy dogs are sometimes used in nursing homes for the elderly.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Choosing The Right Dog For Your Lifestyle

By: Amy Nutt

There is a lot to consider when choosing the right dog for your lifestyle. Depending on your specific living situation, you will have several factors to consider before actually making a choice. If you have a family, especially if that family includes children, you will want to be sure your dog behaves well around them.

A dog that requires a lot of one-on-one attention is probably not suited for this type of family, and should most likely be a pet for a single owner. Likewise, a dog that likes to run and play and responds well to different personality types may work out well in a family with children.

Before you decide on a dog, examine your own lifestyle and find a dog that will match. If you live alone in a small apartment, adopting a large dog might not be a good idea because he or she would not be able to get the much needed exercise in an open environment.

Likewise, small dogs are not often good as outside pets, and much prefer being indoors with the owner or rest of the family. If, however, you have a family of four and are looking for a dog that will match your active lifestyle, a bigger dog might be right for you.

Important factors to consider when choosing the right dog to fit your lifestyle include: the size of the dog, his or her exercise requirements, whether or not he or she is friendly, his or her assertiveness, and compatibility with children. Also, being a responsible dog owner is just as important to how well your dog reacts to your lifestyle.

If you do not have a lot of time to spend with your dog, do not choose that requires constant attention. If you do not have time to spend with a dog at all, you should reconsider your decision. Dogs need just as much attention as do people, and it is crucial that they are treated well.

Learn about different mixes and breeds and which types will suite various lifestyles. This is just as important as choosing the right animal because certain breeds are great for children, while others are better for those who are single. It can be a difficult decision, but one that will bring you pleasure for years to come.

Choosing the right dog will provide you with years of constant companionship, and add another member to your ever-growing family.

Author Resource: Bark Busters has been leading the pack in solving dog behaviour issues, dog obedience training issues, and puppy training since 1989. http://www.barkbusters.ca/

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Tuesday, July 6, 2010

A Few Considerations Before You Adopt A Dog

By: Bowe Packer

There are many of you who have treasured to bring a nice cuddlesome dog home as a pet. There are different ways that you can go about the business of selecting your future pet but you may want to think about adopting a dog. Before you can officially adopt a dog there are certain items that you will need to take into consideration.

Now I know that pets play on our emotions and make it very challenging to make a decision based on providing a good home for the dog. Do yourself a favor and try to take into consideration the following.

The first consideration should be what kind of dog will be right for your home and your lifestyle. This is very important to consider as some dogs are actually suited for patrolling large compounds and other types of dogs have stacks of surplus energy that should be worked off in a regular active routine.

In addition when you are going to adopt a dog you will have to think about the full size of your new pet and if your home can accommodate your dog's environmental needs. For instance you need to realize if a full size Great Dane will be pleased living in a small country cottage or trailer house.

The other item that you must consider is the food that you will need to give your new pet. As each dog is different in temperament and size you will need to purchase the right type of food for your dog. For this rationality adopting a dog involves knowing something about the breed and what kind of food and environmental issues that are necessary for the future well being of your new pet.

The research of the breed doesn't have to be never ending, long drawn out process. Just enough information so that you feel comfortable knowing that your home and environment will provide the needs of your new dog.

You can find some of this information from books and the internet. However before you start looking for this information you will need to see the assorted breeds. From this data you can make a realistic conclusion if you are capable of caring for a Chihuahua, a Labrador, a German Shepard, or even a mixed breed.

Once you have looked at the assorted dogs you can find a pet adoption center where you can find many different breeds of dogs. From these places you should be able to adopt a dog that is in need of lots of care and love. You can ask for information about the dog that you want to adopt.

These questions can include the name of a good veterinarian, an individual who can help you to train your new pet how to behave. You can also ask about the other facts that you may feel are necessary to care for your new dog.

Even though you may have thought that having a pet is an easy matter there are many items that need to be seen to when you adopt a dog. For the person who is willing to give some of their time and love to a dog you will find a lifelong companion who will give you gobs of implicit love.

Now remember, the more information you gather, the better understanding of what you can and can't provide will be clear. Adopting a dog can be fun and exciting, always remember to take the pet into consideration as well. The last thing I know you want to do is bring a dog home and find out that your accommodations don't suite their needs.


Author Resource: Bowe Packer provides free and valuable information to online consumers. He has written over 20 articles on pet adoption and delivers additional information on the subject through his website. Visit his site and gleam Free pet adoption information.

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Monday, June 21, 2010

Tips for Training an Older Dog

By: Andrew Bicknell

There is a saying that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks". For many people with an older dog that was never properly trained they probably think this is true. Just like people do, when dogs get older they get pretty set in their ways. Think old and stubborn. This of course is not entirely true; it is possible to train an older dog but it will take more time and patience.

The thing with older dogs is they have been behaving in a certain way their entire life and to them that is the way things are. They do not distinguish between right and wrong like people do. For a dog repetition is their primary way of learning and if all they've done is the wrong thing their whole life their behavior will reflect that.

One thing you can try with an older dog is to make the training you are doing seem like it is actually the dogs idea. If he thinks it's his idea he will more than likely keep doing it. He probably will resist your attempts to force him to do something like sit. But if he sits on his own give the command "sit" at the same time and reward or praise him. If you keep doing this, repetition, before long your old dog will be sitting when you tell him to. You can use this technique with a variety of commands such as come, heel, and stay.

It is certainly not true that all older dogs are more difficult to train but for the vast majority of dog owners this is the case. Dealing with the stubbornness of a dog set in their ways can be difficult and frustrating but if your dog is exhibiting bad habits and behavior it is important to break them of that. In the long run have a well trained and obedient dog will make both you and your dog much happier and will lead to a stronger bond.

If your old dog is being particularly stubborn and your not making any head way on your own then consider joining a dog training class or working with a professional dog trainer. This will give you the benefit of working with people who have experience with all sorts of dogs and their different behaviors. You might be amazed how quickly your dog responds to someone who knows how to deal with their behavior problems. These are also lessons you can take home and continue to use as you train your old dog to do new tricks.


Author Resource: For more dog training tips and tricks visit the website Worfdog.com by clicking here.

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Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Benefits of Owning a Yorkshire Terrier

There are so may wonderful emotional benefits of owning a dog. Our pets can influence how we feel about ourselves in a positive way. The emotional bond that forms between a new puppy and their owner may develop quickly. Your new Yorkshire Terrier puppy may look and act so cute. As the time goes by, all the experiences that you share with your dog, both happy and sad help to strengthen the emotional bond.

When your puppy is about one year old or more, each family member usually develops a special emotional attachment with their Yorkshire Terrier. Sometimes, children even turn to their pet for comfort if a family member leaves the family or becomes ill. Adults that may have lost a loved one may feel comfort if they have a pet.

People that happen to live all alone may feel a little isolated. If they choose to have a dog or cat and they are physically able to take care of their pet, it may help to make them feel they are needed. They may feel happy to have a special pet to share their life with. A Yorkshire Terrier can be a very nice companion.

Dogs can help us focus our attention away from our worries. Sometimes when we feel sad or stressed spending a little time with our friendly dog or cat can hopefully brighten our day.

Our daily lives may be full of so many responsibilities, whether at work or at home. Often times, our Yorkshire Terrier may do some cute funny things, which may help us to relax and laugh. When we come home from a frustrating work day it can be so nice to be greeted by our family dog, with their big beautiful eyes and their tail wagging because they are so happy to see us. It is a wonderful thing that our pets can accept us just as we are and we can be ourselves when we are around them. Our pets don't care if we are disabled, old or young, rich or poor. Dogs can provide great companionship.

Dogs can add some consistency and routine to our lives and give us something nice to look forward to every single day. Many people may come and go in our lives, but our dogs are usually with us everyday.

Your Yorkshire Terrier can help to keep you active by getting more exercise, like when you are taking your dog for a nice walk and getting some fresh air and sunshine or playing Frisbee outside with him. The general basics of caring for a dog, such as daily feedings, grooming and playtime will help to keep you both active.

Your Yorkshire Terrier may view all the family members with great affection. Each family member may play an important role for your dog. The man in the house may be the one that usually takes the dog out for his walks and plays fetch outside with him in the backyard. The woman in the house may be the one that routinely gives the dog his meals and lots of attention. If there are any children in the family they may offer the Yorkshire Terrier a lot of hugs and fun playtime together.

The dog appreciates the family interaction and affection and he has probably established great trust in his family. As a proud pet owner you will be able to recognize the maturity in your dog and as time goes by you will learn the favorite things that your dog likes, his strengths, weaknesses and any fears he may have at times.

The human-animal emotional bond between an owner and their dog is one of trust, affection and love. Yorkshire Terriers enjoy being part of the family and a loyal dog can be a best friend. If we love them, they usually show us unconditional love in return!