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Crate Training for Puppies

December 1 in dog crate training, puppy training, training aids by Eileen Tonick | No Comments

Puppies bring a lot of joy into our homes and hearts and at the same time they can be a lot of work. When a puppy enters in your life and home it is suggested that a crate is purchased.

You can purchase a crate through many wholesale pet supply stores as well as many retail stores and catalogs. In the correct size crate a puppy should be able to stand up and turn around comfortably. 

You may want to purchase another crate as your dog grows or use something to block the area available to your puppy in the crate should you choose to purchase a large crate from the beginning. The reasons for this will be discussed as we learn about crate training. Read More

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Puppy Basic Obedience Starts at 8 Weeks

December 1 in dog behavior, dog crate training, dog obedience, puppy training, training aids by Eileen Tonick | No Comments

You can start training your puppy at 8 weeks of age

The sooner you start training the sooner your puppy will begin to learn good behaviors. Because they are just puppies their attention span is much shorter than the normal 20 minutes allowed for adolescent or adult dogs. The ideal training schedule is to work your puppy on leash for 10 minutes in the a.m. and 10 minutes in the p.m. for at least 5 to7 days a week. During the week the puppy owner can have mini sessions in the house working on other basic obedience skills practicing 5 minutes at a time. During this time the puppy will begin to take on good house manners.
Example: Have your puppy sit before you give him his meal. You can also practice the come command in this manner as well by calling your puppy’s name each time you feed him. Young puppies like your attention and will usually come when called. Creating good habits now will allow obedience training to go much more smoothly later on.

REVIEW: Read More

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Seeding Game a Look at Dog Behavior

December 1 in dog behavior, dog crate training, dog training, puppy training, training aids by Eileen Tonick | No Comments

Often I hear my puppy is chewing up my shoes, my sprinklers, my hands, and my credit cards, etc. How to stop this destruction? One of the golden rules is never leave a puppy unattended when at home and restrain the puppy or dog when you can’t watch him. This way bad behavior won’t be developing when you are not watching your puppy. Crates, kennels, x-pens, and leashes are some of the tools used to restrain a puppy. In the meantime, you can start teaching your puppy through the seeding game which toys are his/hers and which items are not.

How to teach your puppy or dog not to touch something: Read More

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Puppies Mouthing a Look at Dog Behavior

November 30 in dog behavior, dog crate training, dog obedience, dog training, puppy training, training aids by Eileen Tonick | No Comments

When a puppy mouths, he is constantly putting his mouth on your hand, your arm, leg or anything that belongs to you, including shoes, socks, clothes, etc.

Reasons Puppies Mouth:

  •  Teething. The first set of teeth comes in 3-4 weeks after birth. Permanent set of teeth start coming in at 6 weeks and this process can last until the dog is 6 months of age. During this time a dog’s mouth can become very sore, inflamed or bled. Mouthing is a way a dog can relieve some of this pain.

Solutions: Read More

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Teaching Your Dog to Come Off Leash

November 30 in dog obedience, dog training, training aids by Eileen Tonick | No Comments

Come Game:

 In home practice with a treat can filled with the best dogs treats and make sure when you shake the can it will make a noise easily heard.

  •  Shake the can and say your dogs name followed with come example “Tank, Come”
  •  The minute your dog starts to acknowledge you and the command start saying, “Good Dog” Read More
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Come Command for Puppies and Dogs

November 30 in dog obedience, dog training, heel, puppy training by Eileen Tonick | No Comments

The definition of “Come” is a command given to require your puppy to come close enough to you to allow you to gently grasp his collar or to ask for the sit command. Be sure to praise him every time he obeys this command and allows you to grasp his collar.

Dog and Puppy Training Tips for the Come Exercise:

  •  From a sit or down position, ask your dog to stay
  •  Facing your dog, walk out to the end of the leash
  •  Pause for a moment and then give the command “(dog’s name) come” using both voice and hand commands. The hand signal is having your left hand palm facing you tap your chest or stomach area Read More
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Calming Signals/A Look at Dog Behaviors

November 22 in dog behavior, dog training, puppy training by Eileen Tonick | No Comments

Calming Signals used by dogs or puppies to:

  •  solve or avoid conflict
  •  show that they are friendly
  •  to keep peace
  •  to calm down human or dog aggression

List of Calming Signal: Read More

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Working with Dogs that Become Distracted

November 16 in dog behavior, dog obedience, dog training, heel, puppy training, training aids by Eileen Tonick | No Comments

Imagine walking in your neighborhood and it is a beautiful day the wind is blowing slightly. A car goes by the noise distracts you. You walk a little farther, you smell beef barbecuing and it makes your mouth water. You hear children in the distance laughing and calling to one another. All of these noises, smells, sights and touches are distractions. The same is true for our dogs or puppies. They are distracted by smells, sights, sounds or the touch sensations. The reactions are not much different then ours. Dogs may sniff at the different smells. Bark at something they may want to warn you about, or turn to look at something. The only time this may seem to bother us is if they pull us by the leash, bark too loudly, or cause us to become impatient. How do you work with a distraction that may be causing your dog to over react? One of the rules is to go the opposite direction of the distraction but this can ruin your walk if you are constantly going the opposite direction. Here is a list of dog training suggestions we at “Angel Dogs” put together to help you learn how to work with distractions.

How to Diminish Puppy or Dog Distractions: Read More

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Door Manners for your Dog

November 16 in dog door manners, dog training, heel, puppy training by Eileen Tonick | No Comments

When teaching a dog or puppy door manners keep in mind to work your dog every day for 30 days. Keep your lesson structured and be consistent with your commands, hand signal and treat reward.

  •  Training tools: Six foot leash, 15 foot leash, treats bag, and a small bathroom size rug.
  •  Commands given: heel, sit, stay, come, here, and your freeze word which can be no, leave it or stop.
  •  Every day practice door manners for 30 days be consistent and persistent
  •  Each lesson time should be 5 to 15 minutes long at least 2 times a day remember to put 4 hours in between sessions

Training Scheduale for your Dog Read More

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New Puppy in the Home

November 10 in dog training, puppy training by Eileen Tonick | No Comments

So you brought a puppy into your home and it has been years since you owned one and you are asking yourself what do I do now? The suggestions below will help and make having a puppy in your home a lot easier. The main thing to keep in mind is that you have a puppy which is like a toddler so you will have to provide safety, comfort, a clean area, lots of love, training, fun activities and patience.

Puppy Raising Made Fun:

  •  Crate train your puppy it will help with potty training and prevent bad behavioral issues.
  •  Leash your puppy when out of the crate so he or she cannot wander around the house and get into trouble and you will prevent a lot of bad behaviors such as going potty in the house, chewing your things, getting into the garbage and the list can go on and on.
  •  Create a daily schedule to keep yourself on track with training and raising your puppy with rules and manners.

Sample of a daily schedule for a puppy: Read More

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