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Now he’s responding to the ‘click’, you are ready to teach some basic commands.

Clicker Training is a completely hands off approach - we are going to allow the dog to use his brain and work out what we are asking him to do. And we all know that the best way of remembering how to do something is to teach ourselves; Clicker Training is so easy because the dog is almost teaching himself!

Sit command

This is an easy command to train and should take no time at all with the clicker.

With your dog standing in front of you, get his attention by saying his name and letting him know that you’ve got a treat in your hand (and be ready with the clicker in the other hand!).

Remember that we will not use the command ’sit’ at this stage.

Slowly lift the treat over his head so that he looks up to follow the treat. Keep the treat moving slowly back over his head, and as his head continues up to follow the treat, his bottom should automatically move towards the floor.

At this stage, he doesn’t have to sit - if his bottom moves towards the floor at all, click and treat.

Continue in this manor, but become more selective with the click and treat; only click and treat when his bottom is very close to the floor, or is actually on the floor. And once he is sitting with reasonable regularity, only click and treat when he is actually sitting.

He will quickly work out in his own mind that by sitting, he earns a click and treat.

This should be very quick to teach - within just 1 or 2 sessions, he should have the idea.

When he appears to know what we want of him, this is where we introduce the verbal command. As the treat is moving over his head, say, “Fido*, Sit”. Practice this with short, frequent sessions, only clicking and treating when he sits on your verbal command.

*NOTE: Before giving a command, we should say the dogs name to get his attention.

For a short time, he’ll try sitting even when you haven’t given him the verbal “Fido, sit” command, but he’ll soon get to grips with the fact that he only gets a treat when he does it following the verbal command.

Further short sessions should work on improving the quality of the sit. We are looking for him to respond quickly to our command, and we should only have to say it once.

So, if we are trying to achieve a quicker response, we should be more selective and only click and treat when he sits down immediately after our verbal command.

The key to dog training is the understanding that all dogs are different, so what works for one may not work for another.

It may be necessary to alter the method slightly for each different dog, so although we follow the same basic rules for Clicker Training, if you find something that really works well with your own dog, you should embrace it and consider how you can make it work for other commands.

Once he is sitting well, and appears to do it without really thinking about it, the clicker does not have to be used every time we ask him to sit. For a time, it is a good idea to have a refresher session occasionally, with the sit command and the clicker, to reinforce it, but on the whole, it should be very well instilled in his mind.

Now, you are ready to move on to DOWN command.

Stephanie has written a series of articles on Clicker Training which are available at Kennel Corner.

Dog agility trials are becoming more and more popular the world over. They began in England, as so many good things, do, but “agility fever” quickly spread all over the globe. Now there are clubs and events everywhere that there are dogs.

Some clubs include the Kennel Club (in the U.K.), the United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA), the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the Agility Association of Canada (AAC). However, you need not be affiliated with or even live near a club or training facility to enjoy the sport of dog agility

Dogs are intelligent creatures, and they love a challenge. As the aforementioned kennel clubs are well aware, every breed has its own strengths and assets, both physically and intellectually. It’s great fun to explore what your dog can do, and even train for competitions!

Even if you train your dog on your own dog agility course, and don’t wish to be affiliated with any groups, it’s still a good idea to stay in touch with them via phone or e-mail to stay aware of any events that may be happening in your area. Dog owners are a great group of people, and love to share advice and success stories. Dog agility events are also a great way to get outside and meet and greet other great pets.

Agility competition for dogs became popular all over the world in the 1980s, and agility enthusiasts have been looking for top-notch dog training equipment that is better looking and more durable than home-made obstacles, while still being affordable. This high-energy form of competition and fun is something that can bring people and dogs together in a spirit of excellence, and we interact with our customers accordingly.

Some of the dog training obstacles include A-frames, dogwalks, weave poles, mini contact equipment, contact trainer, jumps (single, double, and triple), chutes, barrels, and teeters. Everything you need to set up a competition course should be easily ordered and quickly assembled.

Your dog training equipment should be durable enough to withstand practice session after practice session with no risk of injury to you or your dog. Equipment should be made out of durable, well-sealed materials that are weatherproof and built to last. Safety and visual appeal are what matter in dog training equipment.

Brad Carlson is a dog trainer at Agility by Carlson. For more training details, visit our website at www.carlson-agility.com/

Mum, dad, can we get a puppy? Its a plea that may parents will know only too well. How do you go about adopting a dog to make suure that the dog is happy and there isn’t too much upheaval in your home?

If you are thinking of adding a dog to your family, consider adopting your new best friend from an animal shelter or humane society. You’ll not only get a good feeling from helping a homeless pet, you’ll get an outstanding companion. The staff at these organizations carefully check the animals for sound health and good temperament. In addition, some shelter animals have had the benefit of training to develop good manners while they waited for a new home.

Through no fault of their own, a lot of great dogs wind up in animal shelters hoping for a second chance at happiness. People relinquish their pets to shelters when they are no longer able to care for them. Sometimes this is because the owner was unprepared for the responsibility that comes with caring for a dog. Often, however, caring owners struggling with life-changes or trying to cope with family tragedy realize their pet would be better off with someone else. They bring them to the shelter because they know the animal will be well cared for and placed in an excellent home.

You can find just about any age, size and breed of dog at an animal shelter. So, if you have your mind set on a puppy, a shelter is a good place to look. However, if you would like a more mature dog that is likely already housebroken, you’ll also find these kinds of canines at the humane society or animal center.

Upon arrival, shelter staff carefully evaluate each animal for physical and behavioral soundness. They make note of quirks, and work with specialists to eliminate negative behaviors. Most shelters have adoption counselors who interview potential adopters to understand their needs and lifestyle.

This is nothing to worry about - the counselor just wants to make sure that so they can make the perfect match for dog and owner.

This is an opportunity for you to find out about the dogs at the shelter too. There are a number of questions you should ask the counselor.

- Why is the dog available?

- Does the dog have any behavior problems?

- How is the dog with other animals and children?

- Does the dog have any health problems?

- Is the dog spayed or neutered already?

You will find it easy to pick your new dog with this expert advice. In fact your only problem may be not taking all the dogs home with you!

Bringing your newly adopted dog home is exciting for you, but may be a little overwhelming for her. Keep her on a leash as you take her from room to room, giving her plenty of opportunity to sniff. You may want the first stop on your tour to be the backyard or wherever you want her to relieve herself. The excitement of a car ride and coming to a new place can give her the need to empty her bowels or bladder.

Dogs are creatures of habit, so the sooner you establish a firm routine, the more comfortable your new dog will become. Always feed her in the same spot and at about the same time each morning. You’ll find she grows to anticipate “what comes next.” For example, if you always feed her after you bring in the newspaper, you’ll notice she becomes very excited when you open the door to step outside. Dogs catch on quickly.

Remember, though, the reason why many dogs are in animal shelters in the first place. If you don’t have the commitment to look after the dog properly, think again.

http://www.best-pet-health.info is a resource which will help you find infomation, hints and tips to keep your newly adopted dog happy and healthy. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and live links are included intact.

Many shih tzu owners fail to recognize the importance of having
a shih tzu that comes when called until there is a problem, such
as the collar or leash breaking, or the shih tzu tearing free to
chase a person or another animal. These situations can be
dangerous for the shih tzu, the owner and other members of the
community. In areas where there is a lot of vehicular traffic,
the situation could even prove fatal to the dog.

Unfortunately, many well meaning owners sabotage this important
part of their shih tzu’s training by allowing it to run off
leash and unattended. Whether the shih tzu is allowed to run in
the park, on the beach, or just play with other shih tzu, this
teaches the shih tzu that there are many fun things that do not
involve its owner. In fact, from the shih tzu’s perspective at
least, these fun times are often ruined by the appearance of the
owner.

Look at things from the shih tzu’s perspective for a moment. You
- the shih tzu - are having a ton of fun running on the beach
with all your doggy friends, and suddenly here comes this human
to take you away from the fun. When you see the shih tzu’s point
of view it is easy to see how the appearance of the owner, and
the leash can be seen as a negative.

This negative perception causes many shih tzu to delay this
outcome by refusing to come when they are called. From the shih
tzu’s point of view, this makes perfect sense, since every
minute of delay means another minute of romping on the beach or
in the park. In other words, the shih tzu has learned that the
most rewarding thing to do is to ignore the calls of its owner.
While this may seem like a good idea to the shih tzu, it is
definitely not a good thing from the owner’s perspective.

For shih tzu who have not yet learned this type of avoidance
behavior, it is best to prevent it from happening by supervising
the shih tzu at play, and making the time you spend with your
shih tzu as much, or more, fun, as the time it spends alone or
with other dogs.

For shih tzu that have already learned the value of ignoring
their owner, some retraining is definitely in order. It is vital
that every shih tzu respond to the “come here” command, for the
safety of both humans and dogs alike.

One thing to avoid is following the “come here” command with
unpleasant activities. Calling the shih tzu, and then
immediately giving him a bath, clipping his nails, taking him to
the vet, etc. will quickly teach the shih tzu that coming to the
owner has negative consequences. It is best to ask the shih tzu
to come and then play with him, feed him, walk him or engage in
other fun activities. If you do need to take your shih tzu to
the vet, bathe him, etc. be sure to allow some time to pass so
the shih tzu does not associate the “come here” command with the
bad experience.

It is important to remember that shih tzu are constantly
learning, whether a formal training session is in process or
not. Your shih tzu is always learning something from you,
whether good or bad. It is therefore important to make every
interaction with your shih tzu a positive one.

When teaching the shih tzu to come on command, it is vital that
the shih tzu be consistently rewarded every single time he does
as the owner wants. A reward can be as simple as a pat on the
head, a “good boy” or a scratch behind the ears. Of course,
treat based rewards are appreciated as well, and many shih tzu
are highly food motivated and respond quickly to this type of
training. The key is to be consistent. The shih tzu should get
some kind of reward, whether it be praise, a toy, or a treat,
every time he appears at the owners side when called.

There are literally hundreds of ‘word of mouth’ tips and tricks … you need to know including all the hard to find Python information people just can’t locate with internet searches or trips to the library!

All it needs is the patience to learn them, and follow the advice and suggestions.

If you’re a committed python owner, and learn all you need to know about pythons and python rearing, you can keep your pet python happy, and raise a beautiful, lovable python who will bring years and years of companionship, thrill and joy to you and your family, safely and cost-effectively!

OK - today, let’s talk about how to make your pet python - when you have one - HAPPY! (Because you have to admit, when your pet is happy, you’re happy too!!!)

First things first. How do you know when your python is happy?

Pythons are wild animals that don’t know how to exhibit their happiness to humans.

At least not as yet.

The two most important things you can do to make your python happy have to do with the SUN and SWIMMING.

* The Sun …

Most pythons enjoy basking under the sun. Therefore if you provide your pet a good hide box and a heat spot, it will use the hide box to rest most of the time, or just coil around the heat spot basking. A warm python is usually a happy python!

* Swimming (exercise) …

Given the narrow confines of the cage we provide them, pythons don’t get much of the exercise they would otherwise get in the wild forests.

The best exercise for pythons is swimming. True, it is not possible to take the python to a swimming pool or an abandoned pond for security reasons.

But you can use a kiddy pool or a large plastic tub to create a python swimming pool.

Just fill the pool or tub with warm water and let your python in it. You will watch it move around happily, keeping its head above the water.

Make it a point to clean the tub or kiddy pool with disinfectants every time.

Swimming is definitely one of the best ways of entertaining your pet python.

* Other ways to keep your python happy …

Of course, mating your python when it is ready is also another important happiness you can give your python. More about this in a future article.

With experience though, you’ll be able to notice anything ‘out of the norm’ for your python thru its body language … signs that it may be feeling sick or uncomfortable, though this will be a little difficult to see at first.

And it’s important to learn all the signs of illness, and make sure your python is not ill. This requires a separate article too, as it is an involved topic by itself.

Here’s to happier pythons!

http://www.pythonsecrets.com/ “Everything you need to know about Pythons all in one place!”

DISCLAIMER: The information in this article is offered for education only.

About The Author

Prabhu Lazarus

Editor

Pet Fan-atic!

http://www.pythonsecrets.com/

contact@pythonsecrets.com

Spring is here and with the onset of warm weather, comes more dog shows and our annual vacations, plus the urge to take a Sunday drive. However, we sometimes neglect the needs of our pets or do not take extra precautions for unseen emergencies. If you cannot board your pet, or leave it at home and find that you must take it with you please make sure you provide adequate ventilation and water in your vehicle. Plus you should read up on heat stroke and heat prostration. Below is a simple check list to ensure your pet is provided for under normal circumstances and in the event of an emergency:

• a comfortable crate or seatbelt harness

• 2 leashes (your usual one and a spare)

• a spare collar

• ample water for your pet, yourself and your vehicle

• a water dish

• your pets first aid kit

• your first aid kit

• tools for your vehicle

• a brush to remove brambles and ticks

• pet food (if canned, store in a cooler if opened)

• toys to offset boredom (nothing worse than chewed upholstery)

• a tarp for shade, or park in a shady area

• a copy of your pets vaccinations and registration

• your veterinarians telephone number

• a picture of your pet

• make sure your pet is very familiar with the commands sit, stay, and come -> a pet in an unfamiliar area can be - nervous and may try to flee

• a towel and/or blanket

• make sure your pet is up to date on vaccinations

I’ve traveled a fair amount in North America and have found we have given emergency care to animals in the most unlikely spots: A mother cat and kittens in a campground in Olympic National Park, an abandoned dog in a Texas highway rest area, a mother dog and puppies in California. Plus there always seems to be someone at a dog show who hasn’t brought enough water. I’ve had dog collars get lost in brush and leashes break on beaches. Seems like I’m never prepared enough myself for unforeseen emergencies, but taking the above precautions does make the trip go a little more peaceful.

About the Author

About Terrie Simpson:
Terrie Simpson is a writer for Super K9 - A Comprehensive Online Resource To Help You Take Good Care Of Your Canine. She has been involved with dogs for well over twenty years and has achieved a number of tracking and other degrees on her dogs in that time.

You can view more of her work at http://www.superk9.com/

Turtles may be very strange in their behavior. So it is very interesting to know how they behave while in wild or in their natural habitat.
Living habits

An unhappy turtle becomes very lazy in its conduct. It will withdraw into its shell, physically and emotionally. It will remain quietly unobtrusive for minutes or even hours.

Semi-aquatic turtles like to swim and to bask. When swimming, they look busy but synchronized. They may take a few minutes out from swimming to rest quietly on the bottom of their tank or to walk slowly along searching for prey.

Turtles often like to climb up and over a rock or log, even when they could easily walk around the obstacle.

Feeding Habits

Turtles have excellent vision and apparently an acute sense of smell as well. And this helps the turtles to make their food. Turtles are known to find their food primarily by vision and if they like to eat some vegetable, then they may use their smelling power.

North American wood turtles find their earthworm meal by “stomping.” For doing so, they raise the shell high above the ground on extended legs, then collapsing against the moist earth. The vibrations from this apparently induce earthworms to surface, and there the tortoise can easily eat them.

Nesting

It may be noted that all turtles nest on land. Females are very much sure about finding the needed amount of ground moisture and temperature when searching for a nesting site. Some of the turtle species gather together a mound of vegetation for the nesting site. Although some turtles choose to dig a body pit with the forelimbs, the nest itself is dug with the hindfoot.

After finding a proper place for nesting and making proper arrangements for the eggs to be laid, the turtle lays their eggs. They can’t guard these eggs from predators and so a very few of them actually live.

About the Author

Owner of various sites, such as safety sites www.safetyrus.com and pet sites http://www.pet-turtles-care.com