Dog Training, Whose Advantage?

Dog Training, Whose Advantage?
Had Maisky not had dog training he would definitely have wandered away since he was unchained before I slept off. But the sense of responsibility inculcated into him through training kept him securing my place for more than 4 hours till 3 AM when the intruder happened


Thanks to tips on how to security train your dog, I would have lost property to a burglar.

One night I slept off without locking up, Maisky kept watch at the door. Then about 3 AM I was roused from sleep by his loud barking under my bed. I opened my eyes to behold a man right inside my room, and I acted instinctively throwing my reading chair, which was by the bedside, at the intruder. He jumped out the room, I quickly pushed myjam-lock-door to, thanking my stars for having given Maisky the best dog security training available..

NEAR HEART ATTACK

Then my heart started to dance to Maisky s frenzy barking. I was almost going into cardiac arrest trying to quieten him, who by now was bent on not leaving the security of the room. He was very afraid of the intruder whom he believed was out there waiting to get him, no amount of dog training he had received would make him obey to leave the room taking the very thunderous backing with him.

His barking was now so intense, my heart beat synchronized it, sweat poured from my pores like leaking plumbing pipes. Under very severe cardiac pressure when I felt my chest rising and falling like an undulating hallucination, I opened the door and quickly took Maisky s chain, jammed the door back to and then began the labour of getting Maisky out from under the bed.

I did eventually, chained him, and the fight to take him outside began. My heart beat speed was killing me as it mimicked the machine gun rhythm of Maisky s barking. Oh God, I thought I was going to give up the ghost.

A SAVING GRACE

Then the idea of a saving grace occurred to me. I feigned and slumped to the floor, and immediately Maisky s barking turned to whining, its tail wagging as he came licking me all over compassionately, my heart beat slowed down, and soon normalised. Only a well trained dog could perceive my pretended fainting fit as an emergency.

Maisky saved my property from the thief because he was security trained, and I saved myself from heart attack by dropping the panic induced aggression against a dear friend. Come to think of it, why should Maisky have agreed to be taken outside when the intruder was also out there in the dreadful night?

Consider the fact that Maisky was the one who had a good look at the intruder and knew how mean he was or had actually acted during their confrontation. In that instant instinct rather than dog training was at play for no one, not even an animal is oblivious to danger.

For the first time we lay petrified together in the same room that night wondering about the intruder and what his intentions had been, with Maisky intermittently saying woooof! as if he said thief ! instinctively knowing not to bark any more for my sake, I thought. And I was so proud of him.

ADVANTAGE OF SUCURITY TRAINING YOUR DOG

He did not wander away even though he was unchained when I slept off.
He ran into the house instead of away when the intruder happened.
He had a sense of responsibility inculcated into him through dog security training
He recognised an emergency when the chips were down.

For this honourable act I rewarded Maisky with a sumptuous meal of stewed bones, rice and yoghurt the following day.

Neshah writes on human, business and pets issues, you will find useful information in his well researched articles - <a href="http://dog—–obedience.blogspot.com">Dog Obedience made easy</a>

Aquarium fish death: precautions of young aquarist.
Another thing to watch out for in a newly installed tank is the quantity of food: very little of this should be given during the fist three weeks. Mind you! I am not suggesting that you should not give them food at all, because without food, no bacterial flora forms. The food supply to the bacteria should be increased only very gradually. Fish keepers with old functional aquariums should avoid general cleaning that is washing of sand/gravel, scrubbing of tank wall and complete water changes so as not to disturb the bacterial flora. When you have to service, it should just be the removal of the mulm and dead leaves sufficient to ensure adequate flow through the filter and no more. The bad habit of replacing the entire filter material or the soiled part with fresh materials is detrimental to fish life. Most bacterial live in the sludge at the bottom of the tank, so don’t throw them away. Many pet shops that operate a house-to-house maintenance routine on aquariums are used to the habit of complete overhaul which invariably lead to fish death. I have met many people who have said, “I used to service my tank myself. On close scrutiny I discovered that he indulge in the unforgivable habit of washing the aquarium with detergents! In real life situation, no one can attest to having experienced a complete overhaul of a river bed. The only thing that happens during heavy rains or flood is the partial/complete change of the water body. The bed, sand and gravel components get cleaned but not overhauled. This is nature’s method of ’servicing’ the fish’s natural environment. So why don’t we all adopt nature’s method. Professional aquatic pet dealer s service aquariums in the same way, and to the committed aquarist, I will advice you to do this yourself! If you would like more articles on Aquariums, and Aquarium fish…come visit my new blog: Monterey Bay Aquarium

For more Aquarium Info!: <a href="http://monterey-bay-aquarium.blogspot.com/" title="Monterey Bay Aquarium">Monterey Bay Aquarium</a>

Fish Keeping the Thrifty Way
For many people keeping an aquarium is an expensive hobby. With the wealth of information freely available on the internet it does not have to be this way any longer. Starting with the aquarium itself is the best place to cut costs. Cheap aquariums can be obtained from a range of sources. Second hand tanks are plentiful in a number of size. When it comes to gravel, many aquarium substrates at your local pet shop will also be sold from landscape suppliers at a fraction of the cost. River gravel is especially suitable because of it’s rounded edges and low solubility. The place to buy aquarium products these days is certainly online. Most fish keepers will be amazed at the price difference between the online retailers and traditional fish shops. When setting up the aquarium it is best not to pay for additives to help spawn biological filtration. These bacterial starter cultures are not mandatory for a successful fish tank. Follow a water cycling process using small quantities of hardy fish. Alternately you can add tiny amounts of ammonia to the water as a replacement for fish waste. The aquarium ornaments you use do not have to be straight off the shelf. A little imagination costs nothing. Any dinnerware safe ceramic piece is suitable as decoration. Hardwood driftwood that you can collect is always impressive. A few scattered rocks and broken terracotta pots are just what makes a lot of cichlids feel at home. These are just a few ideas to explore but there are a range of other money saving ideas available for your aquarium.

Andrew Fuller writes for e-Aquarium on topics such as buying a<a href="http://www.e-aquarium.com.au/discount_aquariums.htm"> <span style="text-decoration: none">cheap fish tank</span></a> and the many <a href="http://www.e-aquarium.com.au/aquarium-designs.htm"> <span style="text-decoration: none">aquarium designs</span></a> you can choose from.

Filtering Out the Myth of Aquarium Filters
There are three main types of filtration: biological, mechanical and chemical. Mechanical filters aid in the physical removal of solid particles. Chemical filters purify the water by chemical reactions that take place at the cellular, microbial, and atomic levels. In most cases, it is best to incorporate all three types for optimum results. This article focuses on biological filtration. Biological filters encourage the growth of nitrifying bacteria that breakdown ammonia to less toxic chemicals. This breakdown process by the bacteria is known as the Nitrogen Cycle. In the Nitrogen Cycle, waste products generated by fish and invertebrates, along with any dead organisms or uneaten foods, are broken down by bacteria into ammonia. Ammonia is extremely toxic to all of the aquarium inhabitants and is broken down into nitrites by the aerobic bacteria Nitrosomonas. Although nitrites are not as toxic as ammonia, even at low concentrations in the aquarium, they can still be harmful to fish and invertebrates. Other aerobic bacteria called Nitrobacter, act in a similar way as Nitrosomonas and further breaks down nitrites into relatively harmless nitrates. Nitrates, at low to moderate levels, will not harm most fish or invertebrates, but can be the source of algae problems if not controlled by chemical filtration and partial water changes. The main ingredients for an abundance of aerobic bacteria in a biological filter are surface area and oxygen. There must be a sufficient surface area for a these aerobic bacteria to grow and their need for oxygen must be met. The capacity of a biological filter is determined by the available surface area for bacterial growth and the oxygen content of the water passing over them. Not all filters have the same capacity when it comes to biological filtration. Filters in which the biological media is exposed to the air are going to have the greatest capacity. When is comes to aquarium supply, do your research and choose carefully.

Ron Looker has been a fish enthusiast for over 20 years and received a BS in Zoology. Ron sells aquarium supply from his web site at <a href="www.aquariumsupplycompany.com">

How to Train Your Puppy - The Secret of Successful of Puppy House Training
House training a puppy is often the very first thing a dog owner would love t take control of. Once you handle it correctly from the beginning - you will have a clean house for both you and your dog. It is also a very important step for you to buil…

How to train your goldfish to commands; is that possible?!
It turns out that all of the old stories about fish having three second memories are untrue.

During recent scientific studies, fish have been taught many long-term skills that they are capable of remembering over the course of many months.

Dr Phil Gee from the University of Plymouth says,
“Research has also shown that fish can learn to distinguish between different shapes, colors and sounds. They can even learn that pressing a lever will dispense food at certain times of the day.”

The applications of this newfound skill are still being explored but fish farmers are set to capitalize on it by training fish to swim to feeding stations.

Hang on a second and read the results before I teach you how it’s done.

At a certain time of day, every day, the fish will respond to a specific, pre-trained noise and all swim to the same place in a lake. This even works when the fish are in open water, free to roam as they please.

This system is using fish’s intelligence to better improve their quality of life and at the same time keep the animal rights activists at bay. The fact that fish can be reliably trained to be called on command for feeding and monitoring means that the fish farmers can now keep the fish without using cages.

– So how exactly do I go about training a fish? What can I teach it to do?

The most basic way of training a fish to perform a task would be through what psychologists call “Operant Conditioning”. It means that the fish will learn how to operate a simple device simply because when by chance they do operate it they get a reward.

A basic type of operant conditioning device for fish is a small box with a sensitive lever that will dispense food when the lever is pressed. To see a video of a fish doing this go here: http://www.psy.plymouth.ac.uk/fish/
Download the video and watch.

You see the fish operating a very sensitive form of lever rigged to a food dispensing device. With a little bit of thought, something similar would not be difficult to make.

You can buy fish food dispensers with small levers online and the idea is that a fish learns to use it through trial and error. At some point a fish will accidentally make the dispenser work and will receive the reward of food. The reward entices the fish to perform the same behaviors as the first time and receive the reward again at a later time.

At this point the fish is trained to use the lever.

Conditioning a fish to respond to a command is a slightly different task.

One of your options is to wait until you see your fish performing the behavior that you want, perform the trigger (e.g. a unique noise like a bell) and give your fish a reward (e.g. food). Over time, if you do this while giving your fish a reward one in three of the times that this works then your fish will become conditioned to respond to the noise in this way.

For more complicated behaviors that your fish does not already use then do the same as above only in stages building up to the final behavior. For example, condition your fish to swim forwards on command, and then swim backwards on a different command until you have trained it to do laps.

The principals of classical conditioning hold that this will always work the same way it does with dogs and the dolphins that you see in sea world.

I hope that this article has at least been interesting for you to read and maybe given a few hobbyists some ideas for their fish.

If, by any chance, you are a fish-owner looking for fish related supplies for decent prices online then I highly recommend http://www.desertcoralaquatics.com

“With literally thousands of items in stock and ready to ship, you can be assured that you ll receive what you need quickly. See us for aquarium lighting, aquarium filters, aquarium chillers, external water pumps, tank heaters, protein skimmers and so much more.

We carry all the top brands with the best prices you ll find anywhere online. Shop in our convenient online store for brands like Mag-drive, Kent Marine, E.S.V., Dolphin Pumps, JBJ, Aqua Logic, Ice Cap, Aqua Medic Lighting, Sunlight Lighting, Current USA, Neptune Systems and other leading quality brands.”

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Dog Too Spoiled To Walk On Leash
Dear Mr. Katz:

I have a 4 month old female pup, AmStaff/Boxer (we think - she was a rescue). She responds well to all training, EXCEPT for walking and heeling.

We’ve practiced the loose-leash “turning on a dime” technique described in your book and audio tape at length, but she refuses to cooperate.

[See http://www.dogproblems.com/secretsbook.htm]

It’s not a matter of distraction - when I attempt to train her in this style, she pulls back with all her strength. When the loose leash is snapped, she sits, paws braced, or lays down on her back. These responses are immediate.

I’ve tried instantly righting her, and continuing the training, but she responds as above just as quickly. This can go on indefinitely. I’ve tried correcting her with a low “No,” and praising her if she responds correctly for even an instant. I’ve tried using treats to get her to at least walk with me briefly…… all to no success.

What else should I try?

Thanks,
Geoff

Dear Geoff,

It’s a good question you’ve asked.

First, you DO NOT want to work the dog around distractions at this point in the game.

Second, you should not be telling the dog, “No!” and jerking the leash for this behavior. Instead, you need to simply glue the leash to your belt and keep walking.

Now here’s where your problem will arise: You’ve already inadvertently taught your dog that if she kicks and screams long enough (or rolls on her back and throws a tantrum)… that eventually you will stop walking and come to see what’s wrong.

The only problem is… NOTHING IS WRONG!

It’s like if I take you in a helicopter and drop you off in the middle of the desert and tell you that I’m going to leave you there, but will eventually come back and pick you up in half an hour (or 2 hours, or a whole day!!!) … you will simply sit there and not attempt to remedy your situation, as you know that I’m coming back to pick you up. Eventually, this situation will end and I’ll come back and your problems will be over.

However, if I instead drop you off in the middle of the desert and tell you that I’m never coming back… then all of the sudden you’re in a position where you MUST START TRYING DIFFERENT THINGS TO BETTER YOUR SITUATION.

Maybe you start to look for some twigs you can start a smoke fire with, to draw the attention of an airplane overhead.

Or perhaps you climb on top of a rock, to look for a nearby highway so that you can hitch hike to a nearby pay phone.

But the point is… you start actively looking for a solution because you IMMEDIATELY REALIZE THAT YOUR SITUATION WILL NOT SIMPLY END BY ITSELF.

And this is the same thing you need to teach your dog. And it’s a lesson that will extend beyond this one exercise. Your dog must learn that just because she does not want to do something DOES NOT mean that you will give in and let her not do the exercise.

BECAUSE THIS CREATES A SPOILED DOG.

So… what should you do? The answer is really quite simple. Just keep walking. No matter how much the dog kicks and screams and throws a tantrum, remember: You’re not asking her to do anything she cannot do if she chooses. We’re asking her to SIMPLY WALK WITH YOU.

Now, in light of everything you’ve already taught her (remember, every action you do teaches your dog something)… you may have to keep walking a quarter of a mile before she finally realizes that you’re not stopping and that it’s easier to walk alongside you than it is to be dragged on her rump.

Trust me… it won’t be a pretty scene for your neighbors to look out their window and see you dragging your dog on her rump down the street.

But when you will be able to take that same dog out for a casual stroll later that evening, your neighbors will wonder if you didn’t trade your dog in for a different one and will gasp at how well she walks alongside you on the leash.

That’s all for now, folks!
Adam
Dogproblems.com

Adam G. Katz is the author of the book, "Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer: An Insider's Guide To The Most Jealously Guarded Dog Training Secrets In History." Get a free copy of his report "Games To Play With Your Dog" when you sign up for his free weekly dog training tips e-zine at: <a href="http://www.dogproblems.com" title="http://www.dogproblems.com" target="_blank">http://www.dogproblems.com</a>

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