What does your dog do when you’re at work or you’re away from the house for some other reason for the majority of the day? Is there more than one dog in your household? Do you provide toys or other items that will aide in keeping your dog entertained throughout the day? Does your dog have ample room to run and get enough exercise? These are important questions to ask when considering the well being of your dog while you are away from the house.

The home can be a lonely place for your dog especially if he or she is the only one there for hours on end. The silence can represent isolation and can bring on feelings of abandonment and may lead to unwanted behavior. This unwanted behavior may be a dog’s way of getting your attention because they’ve been deprived of it all day long. In cases like this, your dog may be experiencing what’s commonly known as separation anxiety.

So what can you do to prevent poor behavior brought on by separation anxiety? There are many ways of helping your dog pass the time or stay occupied when left home alone. First, you may want to eliminate the silence that fills your home when no one is around. My wife and I like to leave the radio on when we leave for the day which provides for constant background noise in the house for the dog to hear. What kind of music you play isn’t really that important, but we feel that it’s best to play music that is generally soft and soothing, or relaxing. It is probably a good idea that you avoid any type of loud clashing, clanging music as this may scare or startle your dog if he or she is not expecting it. If a radio is not available to you, you can also turn on the television. Dogs are often intrigued by the constantly changing pictures and sounds that the television produces, and this may be a great source of entertainment for them throughout the day.

Another great way of keeping your dog occupied during the day is with dog toys. Every dog has a favorite toy or some sort of object that they love to toss in the air, tug on, pull around the room, or whip back and forth in their mouth. Why not make sure that toy is always available for them to play with while you’re gone? Chances are they are going to play with it just like they would if you were home with them. It never hurts to have more than one toy available for them so they can have a little variety throughout the day.

Dog treat dispensing toys are also a great source of entertainment for your dogs while you’re gone. There are many different styles of treat dispensing toys that you can choose from. Most have an inner compartment that can hold various types of dog treats or other dog healthy snacks. They go crazy when they know that there are treats stashed away in that little compartment and will spend hours trying to get every last one out.

A real live companion might just be one of the best remedies for keeping your dog occupied throughout the day. What can be more fun and entertaining for a dog than another dog, or more dogs, looking to get the same fun and entertainment? Having more than one dog at home helps to eliminate the feeling of loneliness because they have each other to play with and keep each other occupied.

All of the above examples are great ways to keep your dog occupied and free from feelings of loneliness and abandonment, which will also help to prevent unwanted behavior due to separation anxiety. So next time you come home, if you’ve chosen to take advantage of some of these tips, you won’t have to feel so bad about leaving your furry little friend home alone all day because you know that he or she had plenty of entertainment to stay occupied. This will make your dog happier, and it will make you happier as well.

The post Keeping Your Dog Occupied When You’re Not Home first appeared on Puppy Blog.

If you want to effectively train your dog, you must remember that dogs have personalities as well. This means that each dog is different. This is why dogs like and do things that seem un-dog like. For example, my friend’s dog likes bananas. It’s not like he was starving his dog or something. The dog just liked bananas. My point is that the techniques that we share with you will work differently with each dog because every dog has a different personality. So here are some of the pet care and training techniques you will learn.

Effective Dog Training

Your dog’s world is one of smells and action. They do not understand language like we do. So when you start training your puppy or dog, he may not respond to your command or praise. If this is the case, then you need to start using physical praise along with verbal praise for a few months. The physical praise can be in the form of a treat or petting. When your dog starts associating sounds like “Good Girl” or “Good Dog” with the treat, he will learn to recognize it later. After a while, you will notice that he responds to your voice.

Dog Training Using Praise

Your dog loves Praise and Attention. As odd as it may sound, dogs will do anything to get their master’s love and attention. Let me give you an example. A friend once came to me complaining about his mischievous dog. His dog would grab things like shoes and hats then run away with them. He would chew up slippers and shoes even though my friend bought him a variety of toys and treats. His dog would still be a nuisance.

What my friend did not realized is that the dog was trying to get his attention. He never praised his dog when he was doing the things he wanted him to do, such as playing with his toys. Therefore, the dog did things that caused my friend to yell and shout. Always remember to praise your dog for things that you want him to do and ignore him when he does the opposite.

Dog Training Using Toys

You don’t need to spend a small fortune buying toys for your dog. You can practically use anything as a toy. For example, you could use a small plastic bottle, an empty baby powder box, or a cardboard roll from toilet paper. Then categorize the toys into groups.

Category one toys are the ones he likes. Category two toys are the ones he loses interest in quickly. Category one toys are to be used in your dog training methods. Note: Interactive toys are the ones that require you to play with your dog. However, the isolation ones are those that he plays with by himself.

The toys should be put away after play is over and not left lying around. The toys lose their value if they are left lying around. Remember: Never pull a toy from your dog’s  mouth. Let him take his time, chew it, and  leave it.

Dog Training In Public Places

During your dog training sessions, your dog9 may exhibit fear or aggression when meeting strangers. You should discourage such behavior. Stop him by saying a firm “No”  and pat or praise him when he stops. If your dog displays fear, be a little gentler with the “No,” but be firm. With a growling dog, be much more emphatic and stern with your “No!” However, always show love and affection when dog training.

The post Guaranteed Dog Training Methods first appeared on Puppy Blog.