The Dog Site

There is always a reason for aggressive behavior in dogs. If you can discover the reason for the aggression, you can usually correct or at least control a dog’s aggression. Some breeds of dogs have gotten a really bad reputation of late; pit bulls, rottweilers, and chows, for example. Some breeds are even forbidden in certain communities. This is just sad. Aggressive dogs are MADE and not born. All puppies come into this world completely innocent. They are like blank slates that have yet to be written upon, and they become products of their environment and training, or lack thereof.

There are many breeds of dogs. There are large breed dogs and small breed dogs; long hair dog breeds and short hair dog breeds; but there are simply not aggressive breeds and nonaggressive breeds.

Dog aggression is caused by health issues, environment issues, or training issues. There are, of course, several subheadings under all of these causes for dog aggression.

If you see that your dog is aggressive or is becoming aggressive, the very first thing to do is to take him to see his veterinarian. The vet will examine the dog to see if he has any health issues that are causing him pain or discomfort.

If the dog doesn’t have any underlying health issues that are causing his aggressiveness, the next thing to consider is his environment. Is the dog being walked with a gentle lead? Does the dog have a crate that he calls home? An environment that the dog considers unsafe or uncomfortable will often be the cause of his aggressive behavior.

If the dog is healthy and if his environment is good, the next thing to consider is the structure of his pack. You see, dogs are pack animals. They need and expect order. You may have inadvertently put the dog in charge. He thinks that he is the alpha dog and as such is responsible for the pack (the family). Aggression caused by a dog’s belief that he is the alpha dog can be easily changed by simply providing obedience training and convincing him that he is NOT the responsible party.

Along with teaching your dog to respond to verbal commands, one can also teach them to respond by using hand signals.  When it comes to learning, the different types of dog training hand commands these in the beginning will need to be taught in conjunction with the verbal ones as well.  In this article, we take a look at the way in which such commands can be taught to your dog.

Certainly, teaching your dog hand signals is very simple and most dogs will find them very easy to understand.  But in order to get started on training them you will need a few treats, which you can provide to your dog as a reward for getting what, you have asked (signalled) of them right. 

It is important that in the beginning when you are teaching your dog to react to hand commands is that you use the words as well.  Therefore, you will need to decide which hand signals relate to which commands you will be giving to your dog.  Only once you have made a decision on which verbal commands go with which hand signals can you then start your dogs training. 

In the beginning as you, say each command to your dog you should also very slowly and deliberately show the hand signal as well.  You will need to repeat the verbal command and the hand signal several times in order for your dog to understand what it is you would like them to do.  Then once they react the first time to you saying the word and doing the hand signal then you can reward them.

As you continually repeat the commands and signals you should very slowly you should start to eliminate the verbal commands.  However, you should still use the rewards of food and praise for your dog when they respond to your hand signals only.  For a while as you begin to slowly eliminate the verbal commands you should when carrying out the training, use them half of the time, and the other half of the time just hand signals. 

Then when you start to notice that your dog is reacting purely to your hand commands only then this is the stage when you start to stop giving them food as a reward.  However, you should never eliminate the rewards immediately from the training and if you want praise, them slightly for doing as commanded instead of offering them food.

When teaching your dog to react to hand signals it is best to start of with the most basic commands that you would normally teach them.  So it is best to start with sit, down and stay.  Then when you feel able to and when you feel that your dog is capable you can move on to much more elaborate ones if you wish.

Actually getting advice on the right way dog training hand commands should be done is easy.  There are plenty of sites on the internet today that can offer lots of practical advice and tips.  Plus there are plenty of books and videos, which can help you with training your dog to respond to such hand signals.

Poodles are generally fun-loving dogs that have a pretty reserved temperament, so if you’re looking for an agreeable pet that your family will love, you may want to consider a miniature poodle. Here is some general information about these dogs that will help you to make the right decision, as well as some things you can expect once you bring your pet home.

Any Concerns

One of the things you may be concerned about when it comes to your miniature poodle is grooming. Poodle hair tends to be thick and curly, so you’ll need to make sure that your puppy is groomed as often as possible. The standard grooming cut for puppies is relatively short hair all over the body, and you may need to do this about once a month or so to keep your pet looking great. Colors of miniature poodles include brown, cafe-au-lait, white or black varieties will be featured in pet stores across the country, and you can also have your pet grooming professional apply temporary dye to your poodle’s coat for a special occasion; red, apricot, blue, silver, or gray are acceptable colors, and won’t damage your dog’s coat.

It is ideally recommended for you to learn your poodle’s temperament before you buy them. Sometimes you may need to socialize with the miniature poodle as a puppy, as poodles have a common trait of being reserved towards strangers. Miniature poodles also tend to bark a lot, meaning that they actually do a good job of alerting you if there are things wrong at home. In a majority of cases, your poodle will enjoy playing with children, except for a few poodle varieties that tend to be high-strung, so it may be a requirement for you to take a look at the ancestry of the poodle before you buy it.

The life span of a miniature poodle is relatively long compared to other dogs, so it will be essential for you to look out for any genetic issues that could possibly arise. Cataracts are common problems that occur in all varieties of poodles, and blindness could be caused by retinal atrophy, so you need to regularly take your miniature poodle to the vet to be checked up for vision and nervous system problems. Often it may also be necessary for your pet to be checked for you ear infections and runny eyes. Finally, the poodle’s skin tend to be very sensitive, for example skin rashes and allergies may occur with the use of certain shampoo or dyes, and in addition the use of clippers may also cause skin conditions to occur.

For more great information on how to care for your miniature poodle, visit www.petguidelines.com.