Today we welcome guest blogger Griff Haeger to doggies.com. Griff is a writer and lifelong dog lover who enjoys writing about various pet grooming products and the benefits of natural dog food. When he isn’t spending time with his canine companions he is jogging or fixing an air conditioner at work.
Training a new pup can be tough, especially if it’s an entirely new breed to you. I’ve had a canine companion in the house literally my whole life, and if there is one thing I have found about training new pups, it’s that they learn better with an example to follow.
When I found the video I posted earlier in the week, of the dog dancing the merengue, all I could think of was how much work that had to be. Can you imagine training a dog to do all of those steps? In order? I thought it was truly amazing! What a bond that guy had to have established with his dog. I’m quite sure I couldn’t do that with any of mine. What about you?
The Association of Pet Dog Trainers has designated January as Train Your Dog Month. To celebrate, they are offering webinars and Facebook chats to help you get your dog behaving like a champ.
Check out the APDT web site, where they have a searchable database of dog trainers, as well as lots of helpful resources.
This one comes to us from our good friends at Real Simple.
1. Buying a pet spontaneously.
2. Skipping obedience training.
3. Being inconsistent with the rules.
4. Giving too many free treats.
5. Neglecting to socialize the animal.
6. Skimping on exercise.
7. Neglecting to keep the animal mentally active.
8. Leaving a pet alone for too long.
9. Failing to make the home pet safe.
10. Punishing the animal.
Read the whole story here, including tips to help you avoid these mistakes.
I tried to take a nap on the couch this afternoon, and found myself nearly on the floor as all of the dogs tried to crowd onto the couch with me. Are your dogs allowed on the furniture?
I don’t know whether or not this dog was specifically trained as an assistance dog, but he’s pretty amazing either way. Here’s what videographer JustJesse 197 has to say about the work. Continue reading Useful Dog Tricks Video→
Last week, we covered the breeds that are easiest to train. This week, the dogs who are hardest to train. Again, this says nothing about the intelligence of the dog. Trainability is not the same as intelligence. In my opinion, it speaks more to the stubbornness of the breeds, as well as to their native character traits. For example, the Beagle is simply a nose with feet. Dogs of this breed are much more interested in following scent trails than commands.
I have included a link for each breed back to our breed guides where you can find information on the history, temperament, and health of each one. (Or check out our complete list of dog breeds.)
If you’re thinking about bringing a new dog into your home, one of your considerations may be how easy it will be to obedience train the newest member of your family. I polled several dog sites and compared their lists to my personal experience to come up with the list below of the dogs who are easiest to obedience train. This isn’t to say these dogs are necessarily the smartest, only that they will readily learn and respond to commands.
For each breed, I’ve provided a link back to our breed guides where you can learn more about each breed’s temperament, history, health, and other important traits. (Or check out our complete list of dog breeds.)
Today we welcome guest blogger Griff Haeger to doggies.com. Griff is a writer and lifelong dog lover who enjoys writing about various pet grooming products and the benefits of natural dog food. When he isn’t spending time with his canine companions he is jogging or fixing an air conditioner at work.
