Using rewards and positive reinforcement to train your dog

Training dogs using positive reinforcement and reward training has long been recognized as both highly effective for the owner and a positive experience for the dog. Positive reinforcement training is so important that it is the only method used to train dangerous animals like lions and tigers for work in circuses and in the movie and television industry. Proponents of positive reinforcement swear...

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4 to 8 Dog Agility Jumps Makes Ideal Training

Brad Carlson


We are often asked, "How many jumps should I start with?" You can never have too many single jumps to practice agility. A good starting place is four jumps. This is the absolute minimum number of jumps that we recommend.
You can teach a variety of skills, drills, and exercises with four jumps. Four jumps will allow you to work on a short jump chute or jump grid. You can setup a "box" with your jumps and practice handling, collection, and 270 degree jumps. You can teach your dog jumping left and right. You can be outside the box and send your dog or you can handle from the inside of the box. Your jumps can be setup in a horizontal line, so that you can practice serpentines and threadles.
Go the next step and get eight jumps. Now you can setup two boxes with one introductory jump. You've now multiplied your drills that you can practice with your dog. Your jump grids can be of recommended size and quantity of jumps. You can also setup your jumps in a circle with the jump bars perpendicular to the circle or on the circumference of the circle. This pattern also enables you to train a variety of skills.
You can really be ahead of the pack and have two sets of eight jumps. This is the ultimate in training because you can keep a jump grip up at all times that is separate from your course work, and have eight single jumps to have for course work.
About the author: Brad Carlson is a dog trainer at Agility by Carlson. For more training details, visit our website at http://www.carlson-agility.com/

Shih Tzu - Training Your Shih To Come When Called

Training a shih tzu to come when it is called is a vital, and potentially life saving, part of any successful shih tzu training program. All properly trained shih tzu must learn to respond instantly to the owner's voice, and the sooner this lesson is learned the better. The advantages of teaching a shih tzu to come when called are obvious. For starters, coming when called will help you regain control of the shih tzu in case of collar break, snapped leash or other similar equipment failure. This is particularly important when you are out with your shih tzu, especially in an area with lots of traffic....

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Create A Gift Basket For A Dog Lover!

The choice of what gift to give your family and friends can often be a difficult one. One of the best gifts that you can give is a gift basket. A gift basket is that one present that comes in many shapes, themes and of course price ranges. A gift basket can also be a new arrival gift idea. The diversity of gift baskets is never-ending. You can give a doggy gourmet food gift basket or a bath and grooming necessities gift basket. In fact the different type of gift baskets you can create is endless. Here is a simple basket that you can easily create yourself for that special “Dog Lover”. Pick a...

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