Dog Smarts: Do You Have A Smart Dog?

Dog Smarts:  Do you have a smart dog?  I ran across this thought provoking article online the other day and thought I would share it with you.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/pets/detail?entry_id=51503&tsp=1

There is no debating that a dog has varied levels of intelligence.  It depends on his breeding (genetics), his environment, social interaction and its owner – especially in the early stages of a puppy’s life.

It also lists its idea of the top 10 smart dog breeds and the 10 not-so smart dog breeds.  I agree with some of the smartest breeds listed and disagree with all of the not-so smart breeds.  I just have a hard time qualifying a dog as not so smart based on breed as the only criteria.

Remember that most dog breeds were bred for specific tasks.  How can that make a breed not so smart?  In my opinion, it can’t.

Feel free to comment on your thoughts about dog breed intelligence.

Lead Through Feeding Your Dog

Being the leader of your dog pack is critical for you and your dog. This happens via structured obedience training lessons, real life dog training and by normal everyday life.

One {subtle|discerning} method that can be used to gain credibility with your dog occurs everyday at feeding time. With many families, feeding dogs is just something that has to be done.

Why not take that few minutes and improve the relationship you have with your dog? Here is how I feed my dogs and what I recommend to my dog training clients Winston-Salem.

Always run your hands through the dog food. In essence, you are putting your scent all over his food.

What does this accomplish?

In the dog pack, who eats first? The leader of the pack or alpha dog. By {putting|placing} our scent on the food, we are basically passing the food down after we are done with it.

Don’t just put the food down for him to eat. Hold it and make him perform an obedience command for it first. Many dogs are stimulated to eat and rush|devour their food when placed in front of them.  It becomes a chaotic process. I slow down the event.  By doing this,  I am showing my dog I have authority over him.

Did you know you are actually giving your dog mental stimulation in this process by making him calm down and be patient? Call it a mental exercise which is just as important as physical exercise.

I also make sure I praise him for good behavior and I never give in without getting the response the leader deserves. If you give in, you are just showing your dog you are not capable of leading his pack.

There is more to feeding and behavior, but this is all we will discuss right now! If you have a food aggressive dog defer to a dog training professional before you try this; but, it should be a relatively safe event as long as you are not trying to take food away from him while eating.

Note: Jim Hodges is a certified master dog trainer that works with dogs and their owners in Winston-Salem, NC. . The information he shares is from his many years of training and observing/studying dog behavior.  These are his thoughts and opinions and should never be done with a dog that has shown any aggressive tendencies.

Does Your Dog Come To You When Called?

Does you dog come to you when called? Unfortunately, I believe the answer is no with the majority of dog owners.

What causes a dog not to come? Here are a few of the primary reasons for the civil disobedience:

• Lack of obedience. Most dogs are not even leash trained consistently. There is no reason to expect a dog to come off leash. This is a dog obedience exercise that must be practiced just as with any other obedience command. I tell my clients not to expect consistent off leash results until their dog will obey them 9 out of 10 times on leash with the first command given.

• Lack of trust. Have you ever called your dog to you and then punish him for something he did? Your dog isn’t sure what is going to happen to him when you call … so why come? Never, ever punish your dog after calling him to you. If you want to discipline him for something, go after him.

• Lack of consistency and reward. Even if you never taught your dog obedience, he would still come to you if you were consistent and praiseful. When you call your dog to come, praise him each and every time he comes. And, don’t call him unless you know he is going to come. By doing this on a consistent basis your dog will more readily come to you.

So, how do you fix this now? You start from the very beginning and learn the right way to do the come command. Make the effort to build a trusting relationship with your dog and be patient. Results will not happen overnight.

In a hurry? Working with a professional trainer would definitely speed up the process. Just be prepared to work a little and still spend some quality time with your dog.