Want to hear something crazy? People need vacations. Have you ever had a crazy day wherein you simply wanted to leave everything and spend some time alone to revive yourself? You probably have a boss who begrudgingly gives you only the weekends to relax. What if one day he decides to personally plan a vacation for you, will that help you appreciate him? Don't you agree that retreats actually help the person live a fuller and a more stress-free life?

Canines operate in a similar fashion. They need to find a secure place to nest in once in a while. It is a deeply primal instinct that goes back several decades, even centuries. A masters responsibility is to lead them into things that we know are good for their well-being. This is an article that aims to do just that with puppy training tips on the often misunderstood but terribly useful crate training.

Crate training a puppy sounds like a really bad form of canine punishment you don't want to get involved in. Truth be known, it's actually helpful in animal training; specifically potty training. You see, as much as he is able to, dogs will not unload dog matter on his personal space. This means that a crate trained puppy will wait until he is released from the pen before he eliminates, therefore giving you something to work with in terms of scheduling his feeding and potty time. Make sure to use a crate that is comfortable but small enough for him not to use a part of it as a toilet.

This crate should be placed inside your bedroom or living room. Never forcefully push the puppy inside this place, he should enter willingly. Put in interesting dog toys and some favorite treats. Begin to feed him inside the crate. Remember the secret is to make this place as pleasant as possible. This should be his haven from all the busyness of a dogs life so do not take him here as punishment for wrong behavior.

Now the puppy is already accustomed to being inside the crate, close the enclosure for a few minutes at a time. Make sure he hears you and knows you are still in the room. If he gets upset for no pressing reason, do not let him out until he quiets down. If you do, he will use crying to get what he wants in the future.

If all goes well, the puppy will now be accustomed to a closed crate and is probably not noticing you as much anymore. Begin to go out of the room for longer periods of time. With the puppy toys distracting him, he is now at ease and even enjoying this time of play and quiet time. Keep in mind your puppy's physical limitations and do not leave him alone for more than four hours at a time without going potty.

With these puppy training tips, expect a new found freedom in living life with your pet. No more difficult sleeping and potty training times. No more shortened vacations due to the puppy's inability to behave and stay put. Your pet is a happier, well-adjusted dog on top it all. Go ahead, book that spa appointment you never had time for. Enjoy! After patiently crate training a puppy as well as you just did, you deserve nothing less.

Posted under Puppy

While you are having your meals you should train your shih tzu to sit in a designated area until you are done eating. This may take several tries, but eventually the shih tzu will get the hang of it and you will not be bothered during dinner anymore. Of course, once you are finished eating make sure you praise your shih tzu by providing them with a nice meal in their own bowl, but only after you are completely finished with yours.

Shih tzu dogs are extremely smart and reactive to their environment and that includes us as pet owners. Our body language plays a major part in how they act, both positively and negatively. Displaying the proper body language will rapidly stop you shih tzu from any signs of negative behavior.

If your shih tzu's behavior ever upsets you the worse thing you can do is chase them. They think that you are playing and will continue to run. Also, they will not understand when you scold them because they thought you where playing a game with them.

When it comes time to give commands to your shih tzu take note of your posture. You should stand almost like a marine with your chest out and head back. Also, speak in a firm voice. This will let your shih tzu know that you mean business and the shih tzu will have more respect and also be slightly intimidated. This will help in the training process.

Shih tzu's tend to get wound up like a top easily and your reaction to that will determine whether or not this behavior worsens or improves. If this occurs make sure you act the opposite by moving slowly and using the same behavior that you want them to display. This will relax the shih tzu and start to change their behavior almost immediately.

Teaching your dog how to retrieve can be extremely fun if done right. The first step is to use treats until they understand the concept. Put a couple of pieces of food in front of your shih tzu and instruct them to sit. Do not allow them to ravage the food the instant it hits the floor. Instead, make them sit for a minute and then give the command to pickup the food.

Now repeat the process and every time you drop a piece of food simply use the same command to "pickup" and your shih tzu will quickly associate that with putting something in their mouth. This training usually doesn't take long at all especially when using things your shih tzu loves to eat. Try doing it when they are hungry to speed up the process.

When your shih tzu is less than one year old make sure you confine them to one room in your living quarters. You might even want to use some child safety equipment until you are comfortable that they will not get into any trouble while you are away.

Posted under Puppy

If you have a dog, then you already know that it can be very rewarding. However, you also probably know that dog digging can be incredibly annoying to deal with. This nasty habit has driven every dog owner up the wall. These people will most likely spend several weeks ripping their hair out trying to teach themselves how to stop a dog from digging.

Some owners will have a relatively easy time getting their dog to stop digging. While others will never quite find the appropriate solution to the problem no matter how hard they look. If you fit the later category, then you should read the rest of this article because it will give you some simple tips that you can use right now to try to get your canine to stop digging.

Boredom is one of the most common reasons why your dog will dig holes all over your entire yard. If you want to ensure that random holes do not appear all over your lawn, then you should do something to prevent boredom from setting in. A good way to alleviate boredom is to spend some of your free time with him on a daily basis. You can do this by playing or talking to him or brushing or petting him.

The scents coming from your yard can be another reason for dog digging behavior. Dogs use scents as a means of interacting with their surroundings. Your dog may want to explore these scents by digging around the vegetable garden or flower bed in your yard.

If you place a sprinkler in your yard, you might be able to stop random holes from showing up in these areas. Just turn on the sprinkler whenever you see your dog digging in an area that you do not want him digging in and the water should have him running scared. He will eventually give up digging in this area if you shower him with water for a long enough time.

If your canine has a digging problem, do not be surprised if you find holes under your fence. It is very common for canine owners to find holes dug under the fence. There are good reasons why your dog wants to dig under the fence.

One reason is because your dog may want a little exercise so he will do whatever it takes to go for a walk. Another reason is because he may just find something really appealing such as a smell or another dog and will dig a hole under your fence to get to it.

You should not let the holes under your fence worry you too much. Luckily, there are straightforward solutions to this problem that you can try using that will prevent you from going crazy. Walking your canine around the surrounding areas on a daily basis is an easy and cheap solution that has worked in some cases. This works because you are allowing him to explore the neighborhood which will give him the chance to satisfy his curiosity about a certain smell or another dog.

Taking your dog out on a walk everyday would be a good idea even if he did not dig just because any dog would benefit from some exercise. These walks will also give the both of you some more time alone so that you two could get to know each other better.

You can also try pouring some concrete at the base of the fence if walking your dog does not provide you with a solution. Your canine will have great difficulty trying to dig through a concrete barrier once it dries. Once your dog figures out that it is futile and in order to spare his nails, he should eventually stop trying to dig through the concrete.

How to stop a dog from digging is a question that many dog owners ask. As you have already read, there are numerous ways to stop your dog from digging up your yard and ruining it. If these recommendations do not fix your problem, you can also look into purchasing hardcover or paperback books, downloading a piece of software or an ebook, or sending your dog to obedience training. Fortunately, there are many options available for the dog owner. It is just a matter of spending the necessary time finding the right one to stop dog digging behavior.

Posted under Dogs