In today’s society, dogs really are a man’s best friend. I’m not so sure that man is a dog’s best friend though!
All of us, at some stage or another, are guilty of forgetting that our dog is a dog and wondering why they felt the need to pee on the carpet, grab food off the dinner plate, chew the table leg or bark at visiting friends when they absolutely, definitely, most certainly KNOW it is wrong…
…or do they?
Believe it or not, a dog doesn’t misbehave on purpose or to ‘get …

A boxer dog named Angel has been found in a B & Q Car Park in Somerset.
Animal Welfare officials were notified and have discovered that she was microchipped and that her home address is listed in Spain.
It is thought that she entered the UK illegally on the back of a lorry and officials are now trying to contact her owner.
They have posted a video on Youtube in an attempt to have Angel’s story publicised internationally in the hopes that her owner will come forward.
In the meantime, Angel has been taken …

A New Zealand resident has been reported to have cooked and eaten his Pit-Bull cross in an Umu pit-barbecue last weekend.
Animal Protection Inspectors were called but unfortunately arrived too late to save the dog.
In Tonga, where Paea Taufu orginates from, it is acceptable to eat dog.
Paea Taufu has said that he did not realise that eating dog was uncommon in New Zealand but will not kill another to avoid causing offence.
He will not be charged as New Zealand’s Animal Welfare Act states that it is legal to kill a dog …

Training down is not much different to training the ‘Sit’ as I described in my previous post. Your dog should now be more familiar with the clicker and able to recognise fairly quickly which behaviour it is that elicits a click.
To train ‘Down’:
Ask your dog to ‘Sit’ (or use hand signal if you are not using verbal cues yet)
Then, using treats or a toy, hold your hand close to your dog’s nose and bring it slowly down to the floor.
Your dog should start following your hand.
Once you …

There are many ways plastered across the internet and also carried out in training classes which tell people how to master the ’sit’ with their dog.
However, whilst some are perfectly adequate, others are not (ie, pushing your dog and holding him in the position). So, I am going to post a way to train the ’sit’ using positive reinforcement.
Training Aids:
Clicker
Treats or pups favourite extra-special training toy
First you need to get the dog used to the clicker. To do this, simply click the clicker and then reward the dog with a …