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I must have been asked this very simple question more times than I care to remember so lets cut to the chase.

In this example we will use reward based training for your puppy.

These techniques will also work with an adult dog.

• Start the training as SOON as you have bought your puppy do NOT leave it a few days and then start training.
• Remember that a puppy will have zero attention span – One minute he will be giving you those puppy dog eyes gazing at you lovingly and next he will be attacking your shoes.
• Be patient – he’s just a baby.
• If you are working with an adult or older puppy/dog – remember you may be dealing with years of bad habits, and will take time to unlearn or undo these habits. Be patient while he learns your new rules.
• You may find the initial training a bit tedious – but stick with it.

 Ok lets get the environment ready for the training process – SUPERVISION

• You are in charge – so get the environment right – this will tell your puppy/dog who’s in charge and set the right tone. You don’t want him to have the chance to practice behavior you don’t want.
• If your puppy/dog never has the chance to eliminate inside you are creating a positive, consistent education environment.
• He will get into the habit of going outside to eliminate and you will reward him every-time.
• You have created the environment so it;s up to you to make sure that he never has the chance to eliminate in the House/environment.
• To prevent accidents – you need to watch him like a hawk – If you have a toy breed it won’t take a second for him to pee – so I mean it watch him like a hawk.
• For every accident that your puppy/dog has inside he is practicing behavior that YOU don’t want – and you are both taking a step backwards.
• Even a few seconds without supervision could set back the training process- I know it sounds daunting but it will work.
• Once you have created your environment, it will become a habit for you to watch your dog and manage the environment.
• You will be learning the routine together

In part two I will go further into the puppy training process and will introduce the crate.

Is it possible to train a dog or puppy to leave a bowl of food that you place down on the floor in front of him/her and not eat the food until you give a command? Sounds impossible you might think, but it really is achievable to train a dog or puppy to do this.

Ok, but why would you want to get a dog or puppy not to eat the food until you say so in the first place? Seems a little strange, as dog owners we have their health and welfare at heart. Surely his/her dietary needs are high priority and to stop them eating when the food is in front of him/her is just cruel?

Consider this, dogs are basically descended from wolves and as such it is instinctive in your dog/puppy to behave in a certain way. In the wild it really is each dog for himself and only the strong survive. That is nature’s way and those that are not able to fend for themselves die.

Like wolves, dogs are pack animals; again they will exhibit behaviour that is instinctive when it comes to eating. There are rules about who eats what and when in a pack situation. The dominant alpha male will always eat first and have his fill, after that it really is a case of be bold, aggressive and strong in order that you eat and live.

When you first get your puppy, he/she will have come from a pack environment, having spent the first few months of life in the company of litter brothers/sisters. During this time a pecking order will have been established amongst them all.

When you place food down in front of a dog or puppy the speed at which he/she will dive in and polish off the lot is quite breath taking. In a pack situation he/she can never be sure when or where the next meal may come from. So it is very important for a dog or puppy to eat as quickly as possible in order to ensure that he/she survives until the next meal and also so that another dog cannot steal his/her food.

When you take all these things into consideration just because your dog/puppy is now living in a house, as far as they know he/she is still surrounded by pack i.e. you and your family. So it makes sense that in his/her mind there is still a pecking order. This is why it is very important that you establish authority over a dog or puppy as alpha dog in your pack. You must be the one to give your permission for him/her to eat when you say so.

When you first get a dog or puppy from day one, as soon as food is placed down in front of him/her, hold the collar gently and say the word wait or sit as a command. Either word is fine but be consistent and use the same word each time you do this.

Hold the dog or puppy back from the food (of course he/she will be desperate to dive in at this point!).Then, after a short time say the word yes and let him/her eat. At this stage he/she will have no idea of what you are telling him/her to do but, it will soon sink in that until you give the command as top dog, no food is allowed to be eaten.

This can in some cases take time and patience to train on your part but it is well worth the effort to become the alpha dog in your pack.

Teaching a dog or puppy anything can be made easy by learning and using the correct training techniques. There are plenty of Secrets to Dog Training that very few pet owners are aware of that make training your dog as easy as following A, B, C. The Best Dog Training Guide online has helped over 200,000 dog owners so far and is well worth reviewing.

While to many a may seem that all the dog she retrained alike there are in fact different things you need to consider depending on the size of the dog. There are many basic training techniques that apply to both large and small sized dogs however different sized dogs have different challenges and special considerations.

Whether you have a small or a large dog, you should always treat your dog with kindness and use positive reinforcement. Never hit your dog as this will do little to enforce training. While some dogs are harder to train than others, all dogs can be trained with patience and persistence.

Small Dogs

Small dogs can be transported easily which will give you more choices for training locations both inside the home and out of it. One consideration was small dogs is that they tend to bark a lot so extra effort may be needed towards bark suppression. Often times small dogs are very fearful and you want to take that into consideration your training. On the other hand there are many small dogs that are too bold which you should also take into consideration.

You should always start training or small dogs when they are young and hold regular training sessions as persistence is the key. You will need to establish early on that you are the leader of the pack, or alpha dog. Be firm when you’re small dog challenges you and don’t give in to his cuteness or be afraid to be firmer than due to his size.

You should give careful thought when leash training your small dog because their throats are easily bruised. Be careful to correct with the sideways tug as opposed to a backwards tug. when the dog is pulling forward, you should jerk the leash sideways in order to correct him—just a tug for correction not a jerk for punishment. While it may seem like a neck muscles a very strong remember their throats are delicate.

When you teach your small dog to sit, remember he is small and do not apply excessive pressure on his hind quarters. The size difference between a large human in the small dog make it easy for you to be a bit too forceful even if you don’t mean to.

Large Dogs

Large dogs have their own challenges when training. When you training a large dog the wheat strength ratio is in the dogs favor. And, therefore, you must make special considerations.

If you are training a large dog you should always be alert. While a small dog can be annoying when he turns on the leash a large dog can throw you off balance which can be dangerous. If you are training a Rottweiler or German Shepherd and he wants to let loose and run after a cat you need to be prepared to hold them back.

Large dogs will need a thick leash – at least an inch of leather or good nylon. A wide collar of good quality with solid fasteners that won’t break open while you are in the middle of training as a must. when you’re walking with a large dog be sure to hold the loop of the end of the leash in your right hand while inserting your thumb through the loop. Then, in your left hand, hold a few inches of the leash draped over your left her in insert your left palm through the little loop which is formed while draping. Claims the leash across your left hand palm.

Even with a large dog, you want to perform leash corrections by jerking sideways as opposed to back. While they are obviously much stronger than small dogs their throats can be bruised by excessive force. Just give them a short tog and release this will let them know that they’ve done something wrong.

Large dogs, in particular, need to be trained not to jump especially around children. Many dogs get excited when they see children and they want to jump up on them and play. Your job as a trainer is to be prepared with leash corrections whenever this happens. In the beginning you will correct with the leash but eventually the dog will learn to not jump with a voice command.

Whether you’re a dog is large or small, daily training is necessary especially in the beginning to reinforce the commands that you want your dog to learn. In order for your dog to be the best pet he can be, it’s important for him to learn what is acceptable behavior and what is not. Dogs like to have rules and they love to please their owners so training is probably something your dog looks forward to. While training can be tedious and time-consuming you will be rewarded with a loyal and loving pet that is a joy to be around.

Sometimes a cat will not like the location of his or her litter box.  This can occur for several different reasons:

• Some kind of pain at the location of the box
• Something that has caused the cat to be afraid at the location
• An odor around the location of the box

Where is the best spot to put a litter box?

• Most cats prefer an easily accessible spot, but one with privacy
• Avoid placing the box near a noisy appliance like the washer, dryer or furnace
• Experiment with types of boxes:  some cats like the privacy of closed boxes, and most like large boxes, but some like small ones.

In general, cats usually dislike having to eliminate near where they eat, so avoid putting the food and water bowls near the litter box.

Stress or anxiety as a source of cat litter box location must always be considered, but is not as frequent a cause of house soiling.  It has been said that one cannot have too many litter boxes.  A household of three cats would probably fair much better with four boxes.

Specific kinds of stress such as separation anxiety, previously seen only in dogs, but now believed to occur in cats also, usually occurs when there has been a prolonged absence of the owner, typically 8 hours or more.  The house soiling typically occurs 8 to 12 hours after the owner’s departure.  This behavior can also involve diarrhea and destructive events, and can be treated in much the same way dogs are treated.  Training through graduated departures with a lot of skill, time and patience as well as medications help separation anxiety disorders.

Some owners report cats that are naturally shy or fearful.  This type of personality may not want to come out into the open to go to the litter box.  If there is an identifiable cause such as a certain person, cat dog, object or sound, try to remove or modify it.  You might also try using a litter box in a “safe” location for the shy and fearful type cat.

Overcrowding

Some cats may enjoy the company of 20 other cats, while others are unhappy with just one other cat in the household or any other kind of animal.  It is actually not natural for cats to live in social groups all the time as they spend most of their time in solitary circumstances, getting together for breeding and sometimes raising kittens together.  Cats usually see all living objects, including people in the home as part of the social group.  Adding to the group in any way can be upsetting to a cat.  One way of solving a multiple cat home environment is to provide plenty of nesting spots vertically like cat trees and shelving so as to give each cat a place of its own away from the others.

For new kitten owners, there are a few things you can do to help avoid house soiling problems.  They include:

• Make the litter box location easily accessible, private and in a low traffic area
• Try to provide at least one litter box per cat
• Use finely-grained, non-scented litters
• Do not put food and water beside the litter box
• Scoop the litter box at least daily
• Change clay litters at least once weekly
• Change scoop able litters every 6 to 8 weeks
• Avoid frightening the cat in the litter box, trapping or catching it there
• Never punish a cat for house soiling
• Make changes to the litter box filler or location very gradually
• Call your vet when house soiling occurs to rules out any medical problems that may be causing the problem

Disclaimer:  The information in this article is not meant to diagnose or treat any kind of health problem in your cat.  You should always consult with a trusted veterinarian for all health problems.

Source:  The Winn Feline Foundation Online

Yorkshire Terriers are cute as can be, especially as puppies, but they also require some effort to keep them safe and to prevent their creating havoc with your property. If you puppy-proof your house before you bring your new best friend home you can save yourself some grief.

Puppies have the same curiosity as toddlers. They want to explore everywhere without any knowledge of where the hazards are. They also have neither received puppy training nor learned the rules of good behavior yet.

Baby gates are a good way to safety-proof your home from the pup. Use them in front of stairs to keep your pup from having falls. A baby fence can also serve to keep the pup in a room without carpeting so that you will have an easy time cleaning up messes before your Yorkie is house trained.

Like a human baby, a Yorkie puppy will feel free to explore the insides of cupboards, so keep the ones at floor level closed at all times. If you have the kind that opens easily in response to pawing, then invest in some locks. This will not only keep your cupboards clean, but also prevent your pup’s getting into garbage and cleaning supplies, both of which are potential hazards.

If you have a cat, you will need to keep cat food away from your puppy. Dogs often prefer cat food to dog food, but it is harmful to them, being higher in protein than dogs can tolerate. It is a good idea to feed the cat on a surface that the dog cannot reach, such as the top of a dresser or washing machine. Dogs also like to eat cat feces, since it still has cat food in it, so keep the litter box away from the pup. A cat litter box cabinet with an entrance too high for a Yorkie to climb into is one solution, or place the litter box atop a large cat scratching post. Cat litter can contain parasites that can hurt the pup.

Puppies have a way of putting everything into their mouths, so keep socks, other clothes, and small household objects off the floor. Garbage should be kept inside cans until it is taken outside, never left in a plastic bag that a puppy can chew through.

Part of puppy-proofing your home is changing your state of mind. Now that you are responsible for a puppy, you must remember always to close doors behind you so that the pup can’t wander out into the street or fall into a pool. Never open a door with much force or move furniture against the wall without checking first to see if the Yorkie is there.

Keep both your new Yorkie and everything in your house safe, and enjoy your new best friend.