Training
This is now the time to set the standard for acceptable social behaviour in your puppy. Do not let your puppy jump-up; it may be cute in a small puppy but it will soon be a 9 to 11 stone dog and then it will definitely not be funny. Handle your puppy daily, get it used to ear, teeth, feet/nail and tail inspection. Introduce gentle grooming and get it used to collar and lead. At this stage give your pup gentle training,a few minutes at a time, either indoors or in the garden. This will lay a sound foundation for later. ____________ Warning: When eventually you will be able to take your puppy out, exercise should be restricted and puppies under six month old should not be taken out for long walks; permanent damage can be caused by over-exercising. Socialise your puppy as much as possible, get him used to other people, dogs, cars and the world in general. Your puppy is growing in size and strength, responding to training and you feel exceedingly pleased with all the progress made. At around 9 months old, your Dane may suddenly grow 'deaf', and just not respond to your calls…your well-behaved puppy is now a Teenager! This is the time, when you will need to be very patient. Losing your temper, shouting or bullying tactics will be counter-productive. This is a critical period of his mental development and the only way forward is positive affirmation. When you call him, and he takes ages to come and you're now late for an appointment; the moment he comes to you, praise him. This is the time for you to develop great cunning in making your Dane want to respond to you rather than anything else. There is no magic to training. It is a question of establishing a day to day routine and encouraging positive behaviour in your Dane puppy by praise and encouragement. ____________ An interesting and effective approach is: Nothing is Free in Life REMEMBER: start as you mean to go on and set the home rules from day one NO is always NO, YES is always YES Dogs learn through association, ensure that your dog knows what you are asking Respect your dog and his needs Be patient and persistant |
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Know Your Dog
One of the most helpful and valuable techniques which I discovered a few years ago are the Calming Signals. It established a communication line between human and dog with amazing results; as suddenly you speak the Dog Language! The Calming Signals by Turid Rugaas _____________________________________________________________________________ From the Dog's point of view Imagine you live on a planet where the dominant species is far more intellectually sophisticated that human beings but often keeps humans as companion animals. They are called Gorns. They communicate with each other via a complex combination of telepathy, eye movements and high-pitched squeaks, all completely unintelligible and unlearnable by humans, whose brains are prepared for verbal language acquisition only. What humans sometimes learn is the meaning of individual sounds by repeated association with things of relevance to them. The Gorns and humans bond strongly, but there are many Gorn rules, which humans must try to assimilate with limited information and usually high stakes. You are one of the lucky humans who live with the Gorns in their dwelling. Many other humans are chained to small cabanas in the yard. They have become so socially starved that they cannot control their emotions when a Gorn goes near them. Because of this behavior, the Gorns agree that they could never be House-Humans. They are too excitable. ____________ The dwelling you share with your Gorn family is filled with numerous water-filled porcelain bowls, complete with flushers. Every time you try to urinate in one, though, any nearby Gorn attacks you. You learn to only use the toilet when there are no Gorns present. Sometimes they come home and stuff your head down the toilet for no apparent reason. You hate this and start sucking up to the Gorns when they come home to try and stave this off, but they view this as increasing evidence of your guilt of some unknown act. You are also punished for watching videos, reading certain books, talking to other human beings, eating pizza or cheesecake, and writing letters. These are all considered behavior problems by the Gorns. To avoid going crazy, once again you wait until they are not around to try doing anything you wish to do. While they are around, you sit quietly, staring straight ahead. Because they witness this good behavior you are so obviously capable of, they attribute to "spite" the video watching and other transgressions, which occur when you are alone. Obviously you resent being left alone, they figure. You are walked several times a day and left crossword puzzle books to do (you have never used them because you hate crosswords; the Gorns think you're ignoring them out of revenge). ____________ Worst of all, you like them. They are, after all, often nice to you. But when you smile at them, they punish you, likewise for shaking hands. If you apologize, they punish you again. You have not met seen another human since you were a small child. When you see one on the street you are curious, excited and sometimes afraid. You really don't know how to act. So, the Gorn you live with keeps you away from other humans. Your social skills never develop. Finally, you are brought to "training" school. A large part of the training consists of having your air briefly cut off by a metal chain around your neck. They are sure you understand every squeak and telepathic communication they make because you sometimes seem to get it right. You are guessing and hate the training. You feel pretty stressed out a lot of the time. One day, you see a Gorn approaching with the training collar in hand. You have PMS, a sore neck, and you just don't feel up to the baffling coercion about to ensue. You tell them in your sternest voice to please leave you alone and go away. The Gorns are shocked by this unprovoked aggressive behavior. They thought you had a good temperament. ____________ They put you in one of their vehicles and take you for a drive. You watch the attractive planetary landscape going by and wonder where you are going. The vehicle stops, and you are led into a building filled with the smell of human sweat and excrement. Humans are everywhere in small cages. Some are nervous, some depressed, most watch the goings on from their prisons. Your Gorns, with whom you have lived with your entire life, hand you over to strangers who drag you to a small room. You are terrified and yell for your Gorn family to help you. They turn and walk out the door of the building. You are held down and given a lethal injection. It is, after all, the humane way to do it. -from Jean Donaldson's "The Culture Clash" From a Dog's Point of View Training...more |
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Many behavioural issues can bethe result of health issues, vaccines, other environmental polution etc.
Behavioural Issues
Many behavioural issues can bethe result of health issues, vaccines, other environmental polution etc.
Behavioural Issues