Positive Pet Training (& Poll 12 info)

Its National Train Your Dog Month! The day has finally arrived for the new Positive Pet Training blog hop, hosted by Dachshund Nola, Cascadian Nomads, and Tenacious Little Terrier! The blog hop is all about how you Positively train your pet. We here at Earl's World! LOVE Positive Reinforcement as it works a treat and the dogs enjoy learning.

Now just to clarify, this method works for us, but you must find the right one for you. Earl is MY perfect dog and we have found a perfect and successful training way.

For training, Earl and I use a loose slip lead (Earl always walks closely to heel, therefore it never pulls on his neck). This was recommended by our trainer, at Mans Best Friend Rescue and Training Association. They are by the reliable make of Ancol. Some people call them Gun Dog leads, however they are suitable for most breeds apart from breeds like Bulldogs, Pugs etc who have short noses and shorter necks. We feel this is our favourite lead.

Our favourite treat bag is the Pets At Home Training Treat Bag. This is because it is easy to wear on the top of your trousers etc and closes up and opens in a drawstring style. You can fit many treats in. We have the pink one, but there are also a couple of other colours to choose from. This wasn't recommended - we found it at Pets At Home ourselves and decided it was right!

Of course in the New Year of 2014, I will continue training and training Earl using positive reinforcement. You can't just stop once your knows knows the vitals! We would also like to master the 'play dead' trick (in which I will just command 'dead'). I will do this by holiday a lure (treat or toy etc) in front of Earl, and roll it over his head. He should then fall aside to look at it. We have already learnt 'roll' so this shouldn't be too complicated. Our tip for doing this trick is do it against something comfortable, such as a sofa like Earl is demonstrating below. This stops the dog from rolling all the way over, then associating the position with the verbal command if that is how you choose to command.

A funny (of more HILARIOUS!) training mishap has probably been when I told Earl to 'down'…

Be obeyed instantly of course...

However, without me even having to give him the command, he rolled over! He was so used to practising this trick that it seemed to be imprinted on his brain! It took a few more 'down' sessions to get him out of it!

Gone self-employed!!!

Our greatest training success is probably when Earl went nose to nose on a slack lead with a Border Collie. You were probably expecting me to mention an agility win, and yes that is a large success, however the one I am about to mention was emotional. Earl went face to face with a Border Collie, after having had months of being spooked and defensive towards them, after a nasty one at training class went for him; a snapping, snarling, lead-pulling dog that Collie was! It was such a happy moment for me to see Earl finally getting over that experience.

So why does Positive Dog Training work well for Earl and I? That's simple. Because I love Earl and Earl loves me - we ant to train happily and positively, and last but not least, successfully. 

Our top tip for training is to make sure that before you start positive training (if you haven't already), you need to make sure it will work for you. Have a good time training your dog. Training isn't just to impress others, but to build a bond with your dog(s) and keep them safe with commands such as 'down', 'wait', 'come', 'heel' etc.

So that is the end of our Positive Training post! Now onto our Poll 12 information. See a video of Earl's bEST and most IMPRESSIVE trick at the bottom of the post!

Our Poll 12 was on the subject of dog routines.

The question posed was: 'Do you think dogs and their owners should have a daily routine?'

You voted, and the winner is:

Yes - 6 (100%)

The rest of the results are: (number. is the place in which the vote came).

1. Yes - 6 (100%)

2. No - 1 (16%)

2. More than just that - 1 (16%)

3.+no place. I don't know - 0 (0%)

Red = winner

Blue = other place

Black = no votes

So. 

What are routines?

Routines are a certain pattern you take each day/certain day. For example: 6:30am - Walk dog for 1 hour 30 minuets; 8:00am - go to work for 4 hours; 12:00am - come home and go to agility classes for 1 hour; 1:00pm - work on the computer for 3 hours; 4:00pm - take dog for another 1 hour and 30 minuets walk; 5:30pm - come home and feed dog; 5:40pm - spend 20 minuets Skyping a relative; 6:00pm - have own tea; 6:15pm - watch TV until the hour is over; 7:00pm - read an informative dog book; 8:00pm - snuggle on the sofa with dog for 1 hour; 9:00pm - have a shower; 9:30pm - Do some trick training; 10:00pm - go to bed.

About having routines

To some people, routines are imperative to their daily lives - especially if one leads a very hectic lifestyle. Some dogs who are ageing, partially sighted or blind, or has another problem which cannot be solved by a veterinarian, may benefit and find life easier to follow a routine. Does your dog let you know when its feeding time each morning and evening? Earl does! Routines get stuck in a dog's head after carrying them out for a while. That is why they could prove possibly life changing for some dogs.

Any details?

Having a scattered lifestyle may confuse some dogs and stress them - just like it would some people!

What should you do?

Well… its obvious. See if a routine may fit your lifestyle. if you and your dog are happy with the life you currently lead, do not change anything!

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Our Poll 13 will be opening NOW!! Remember to share what you think should be in place in the dog world. After the 2 weeks of voting opportunity to all, info will be given usually about the winning vote or just poll subject depending on what is relevant.

Our Poll 13 is on the subject of breeding female dogs.

The question posed is: 'Do you think it is kinder to let an entire female dog have a litter?'

Lets get voting! Thanks.

REMEMBER, POLLS ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BLOG PAGE!

And as part of our Positive Training post, here is a video of Earl performing an impressive trick - 'roll'. He doesn't even need eye contact from me or a signal e.g. hand. Juts the verbal command! This is what you get when you practice, practice, practice!!…

Click the below to view the video:

Earl and I.