^{Some do's and don'ts to think about}

 "Wave"

^{Basic Training for Humans}
 

Disclaimer: I am not a professional animal trainer
However I have been around animals my entire life
I have learned through experience, trail and err
and by being willing to learn from others.

These guidelines and ideas were methods I used,
and continue to use, in the daily life of my own dog.

If you have questions or concerns or troubles
which are beyond these simple suggestions
please consult a skilled, certified expert.

^{Where to start?}

If you haven't chosen your furry child yet then it's a great time
to be thinking about his or her education. If you already have a
four-legged child at home maybe some of these tricks
my human used on me can help you too.

• Be Prepared (You'll hear that more then once)
   

• Choose about your words wisely
                
                   Dogs hear sounds not necessarily words. Picking words that sound too much like each other can be confusing. (example: up, jump) Dogs tend to hear the last syllable notice how similar they sound. Change your language. (example: up, over)
   

• Be Consistent, Be Consistent, Be Consistent!
                
                   There could be a hundred examples here but the idea is no means no, and okay means okay, and down means down. Don't change YOUR routine. You must be continually and consistent for a dog to get the lesson.

How'd you get that dog to listen so well?

Well first of all I was consistent. I never rewarded partial  moves or wrong moves. I always added a degree of difficult
to a command that  my dog had learned. I taught with rewards of treats, pats and a happy voice. I made it a life long game to play with my dog instead of just a goal. I enjoyed it. And so did my dog. The biggest reason she does everything so well is
she never learned to do it wrong!

 "Go to Sleep"

First I was prepared, I thought about my actions before hand
and then I was so constant I drove myself crazy. Here are some learned behaviors I found important to incorporate into Emma's life.

• Potty Training
                
                   Every time I took her outside, even in the backyard, it was on a leash. I would stand still and let her travel in only the small circle the leash would allow her to travel, and would say "Go Potty". (4 to 6 foot leash here, not a retractable) This, in the long run did two things. First, dogs can't seem to pee and sniff at the same time. So if you travel with your dog and you let them out of the car they spend 20 minutes cruising around and sniffing and they forget about the reason you let them out to begin with. If you limit their ability to travel, the sniff doesn't take as long and they can get down to business. Circling must activate some innate behavior? The second thing is, it has made her, "potty on command dog!"

• Use Simple Words
                
                   I did not talk to my dog for months... I was fortunate my husband was out of town and the house was empty so my communicative abilities weren't missed. But even crowded households can accomplish this, you just need to make sure everyone is on the same page! Maybe you lead the family meeting on how to speak to a dog. For the first few months all you heard inside my home was: Sit, Stay, Down, No, Good Girl, Sit, Stay, Down, No, Good Girl, Sit, Stay, Down, No, Good Girl... (get the picture?) Dogs DO NOT understand sentences.  "I told you not to jump up on the couch" DOES NOT REGISTER. We are human and our emotions get the best of us because we want so bad for these furry little bundles to love us. Love us without using your words later. (We will tell you how we did that too.) For now, Sit, Stay, Down, No and Good Girl will do.

• Use Simple Words ONCE
                
                   Point of Interest: If you are teaching your dog to sit and you say "sit" and he doesn't do it, so you say "sit" and he doesn't do it and you say "sit" again and he finally does it. Your command has just become "Sit, Sit, Sit"! Say "Sit" if he doesn't do it, physically move hit to a sit and then reward him.
  
   

• Rewards
                
                   This is a tricky one and one not easily clarified in writing, however the key is TIMING IS EVERYTHING. You once again, are teaching your dog to sit. You say "Sit" (once) and before his butt is on the ground your saying "good boy" and at the same time already giving him a treat... Good human, you have just taught your dog to - crouch! Timing is everything.... You are teaching your dog to sit and you say "sit" and your dog does it! And then he barks starts to get up to get the treat you are holding out for him, while you are saying, "good boy" and... Congrats, you have just taught your dog how to, leave a sit! Timing is everything. You said "sit", he sat. You said good boy and gave him a treat while he was still sitting there.... He is a dog who knows how to sit!

• Don't Tease Me
                
                   I never pulled my dogs food bowl away from her. I never made her think I was going to take it away if she didn't gobble it all away. I never made her think it could go away so you better protect it. I didn't play games, head games with her. She learned to be secure. There are certain games or certain behaviors that people want or chose for their dogs to do. If that is you, consider teaching those behaviors later in life. Let the dog learn a clean, basic foundation of training and then build on the dogs knowledge. Don't confuse a pup with two opposing teaching techniques at the same time.

• Responsibly
                
                   Comes in all forms. Proper nutrition, care and shelter.  Education for humans and pets, responsibility to veterinarian services, Pet First Aid and the basic three's.

1. DISCIPLINE

2. EXERCISE

3. AFFECTION    

• Traveling
                
                   So many benefits I can list under this topic. First of all make it easy on yourself. Be prepared (remember that one) and make yourself a baby bag! Yep, I said baby bag. I started with:     
                 Dog seat belt and safety strap
                 Extra leash
                 Water dish and an extra water
                 Blanket
                 First Aid Kit
                 Disposal Bags
                 Toys
                

 "Crawl"

Please visit our list of
Dog Tricks and Commands!

 "On your Mark"

This page is not meant to replace or guide you through basic or advance training.

Behavior modification or special skills
and or conduct

This page is dedicated to helping humans understand canines

From a canines
point of view.

Tone of voice

Your dog is learning the tone of your voice when you train them.

 Make sure
Stop, means stop!

Teach your dog to learn the command correctly . That way if your dog start to bolt across the street a simple "stop" will do!

Dogs do not respond better, quicker or faster because you scream it, STOP. 

What if a car is coming. Your normal "stop" should stop your dog. If you yell STOP well he may not even know what you are screaming about!

Above method applies to other animals

"One day I thought I had lost my cat.

I was out roaming the neighborhood crying and screaming out her name. I was an  emotional wreck. I was so sad and felt
so distraught.

When I got home their she was under the tree as if nothing had happen. I said in a calm voice "Sam" and she stood right up
and came right
over to me!

Even the cat probably didn't know what was going on and though I was out looking for someone whose names was, Oh god Sam where are you?

I am sure my cat thinks I am weird.

Debra Jo

Emma Zen Company

Offers Training

and

Doggie and Me Classes!

for more information!

My Human:
Debra Jo  Chiapuzio

(714) 742-8895

Emma's email

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