training
Pet Training 101; learn how to teach your dog or cat everything from the essential commands to party tricks.
What to Know When Getting Your First Family Pet
Adopting a family pet is a large responsibility, especially if your kids are younger and inexperienced in taking care of animals. Though getting a pet, whether it’s something small like a fish or something bigger like a dog, can seem like a daunting task, it is actually a great way to teach your kids accountability, establish regular chores in your house, and to bring the family together. So if you are thinking, or already in the process of, adopting a pet, here are some useful tips to take into consideration that will improve your experience and help your family in the process.
By Paisley Hansen7 years ago in Petlife
A Brief History of Dog Training
When you consider that the old proverb claims that dogs are man’s best friend, we humans have managed to build an impressive case of abuse against our faithful canine companions. Of all the aspects of our relationships with dogs, the history of training is the telltale chronicle of cruelty, but if you draw the right conclusions out of all that pain, it is also a profound tale of the most humbling symbiosis in the history of homo sapiens. If you want to find out more, here is a brief history of dog training.
By Marie Nieves7 years ago in Petlife
How Are Police Dogs Trained?
We all know the agony of seeing a perfectly trained police K9 and not being able to pet his smart, cute, fluffy head because he's wearing a harness that says "Do Not Touch." Police dogs are one of the greatest resources we have as part of the law enforcement agencies across the country. While police agencies are able to do plenty with police officers alone, police dogs are trained for search and rescue efforts, to detect drugs with their strong sense of smell, and to protect officers from criminals. These dogs are extremely helpful to our nation’s safety, and they save lives and stop crime on a daily basis. There's a lot of work and attention that goes into training police K9s, from the time they're puppies until the day they retire.
By Morgan E. Westling7 years ago in Petlife
How I Switched My Cat to Wood Litter. Top Story - October 2018.
As someone who grew up with cats, cat litter was always a staple in my household. I saw litters of every kind come and go. From massive boxes of clay that I could barely lift with my scrawny arms to fancy, Fabreeze infused litters that gave me a headache and, of course, "miracle" lightweight litter that gave off more dust than could possibly be safe for any creature to inhale. Despite my misgivings about litter, and it's annoying habit of ending up all over my apartment, I always felt that it was a necessary aspect of owning a cat. Little did I realize there was a cost-effective, biodegradable solution that I could be using! I'm talking about wood pellets.
By Alina Gallupe7 years ago in Petlife
Husky Houdini
Once we brought our new puppy, Charlie, home we were super excited to start playing with him and get him used to his new place. He seemed to adapt pretty well to our apartment and the noises of Seattle. He definitely slept a lot those first few weeks, which we were a tad worried about. I remember, looking back on it now, being concerned about every little thing that he did, and wondering if it was "normal." I wanted so badly for him to be happy and healthy. I didn't want to mess anything up because it felt like we were new parents.
By Emily Elliott7 years ago in Petlife
Training That A Dog Can Live With
Anyone who has a canine buddy living with him knows the importance of obedience training. All too often, though, it’s the dog that ends up training the owner, thus making it hard to get Fido to comply with any verbal commands at all. But there are things you can do to turn the tables and regain your position as master of the bark.
By Chuck Hinson7 years ago in Petlife
Dogs Are Cute, Humans Are Not
Over the years, I have had my fair share of dogs but I have recently taken in a new member of my family, a baby West Highland Terrier. To say he is a handful is an understatement but I could not be happier. My mom and I have been wanting this dog for years and now that we finally have him I feel so... I don’t know how to explain it.
By Elle Schellhammer8 years ago in Petlife
Best Dog Training Books Every New Owner Should Read
When I first adopted my puppy, I knew that I wanted to start training him. I always hear that it's better if you start training your dogs at their earliest age, because they'll grow up to become masters in everything they were trained in. So, I gave it a shot. I looked up a few pet training methods and strategies to begin with. Even though I was following what the Internet was telling me, my puppy couldn't entirely understand what I was trying to tell him. At this point, I didn't know what else to do. I knew my puppy was at the perfect age where he begins to understand things. Even his breed is the type of breed that can easily pick up on tricks. However, it wasn't my puppy and his learning ability that was the problem, it was what the Internet was showing me.
By Jennifer Violet8 years ago in Petlife
How to Certify a Service Dog
There are so many people out there who are in need of help and guidance nearly every single day. From out in the public to even in the house, these people can't achieve certain tasks on their own. And that's where service dogs come into play. They assist their owners with so many tasks and duties that they can't do on their own. Not to mention that service dogs are super friendly and dedicate their time to helping their owners 24 hours of the day and seven days a week.
By Lilliana Backman8 years ago in Petlife
Top 5 Clicker Training Mistakes...
Clicker training is a common way of training an animal using positive reinforcement. It is an effective method of training which involves the use of a small device that clicks, a reward, and a patient handler. The basic principle is rewarding the animal for performing the desired behaviour and ignoring it when it does not perform the desired behaviour. The clicker is employed as soon as the target behaviour is performed and used as a bridge, in order for the animal to create an association between the food and the reward. The method is commonly used to train dogs, but can also be effectively used to train any animal (even a goldfish), so long as the trainer works within the species' natural limits.
By Corinne McCafferty8 years ago in Petlife
