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17 Tips That'll Safeguard You and Your Family From Dog Bites or Attack
Did you know that more than one million north americans will be bitten by dogs this year, and about one million dog bites will go unreported. Its sad but most of the victims will be children. These dog bites will come from animals known to them....
Do Your Understand Your Pet Bunny Rabbit's Personality?
When you mention the word "rabbit" many people think of Bugs
Bunny. In reality, rabbits are very different from their cartoon
counterparts. Rabbits may be cute, fuzzy, and adorable, but that
does not mean they enjoy cuddling up to humans or being...
If You Want a Friend, Get a Dog!
Carl Icahn, the hostile takeover master who was THE original corporate raider, is often quoted as saying, "In this business, if you want a friend, get a dog!" The rest of us already knew that dog was man's best friend, and with good reason. Dogs as...
Leptospirosis In Dogs
Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that can affect a dog's blood, liver, and kidneys. The bacteria that cause the illness are carried primarily by rats and other rodents, but dogs that are infected with the disease can infect other dogs as well....
Vaccinating Your Dog – How Much And How Often?
Pet lovers know that it is very important to vaccinate their dogs, but how early and how often are two questions that are currently much on their minds as well as on the minds of the veterinary community at large. While vets agree that it is still...
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Shih Tzu - Training Your Shih Tzu To Come When Called Is Very Important
Coming when called is a vital skill that every shih tzu must
learn, both for its own safety and that of those around it. A
disobedient shih tzu that refuses to come when called could
easily be hit by a car, get into a fight with another shih tzu,
or suffer a variety of other bad experiences. A well trained
shih tzu that comes when called can safely be taken out to play
in the local park, at the beach, on the hiking trail, or
anywhere else the owner and shih tzu may wish to go.
Basic training to come when called is relatively easy and
straightforward, and involves providing praise, treats and other
perks when the shih tzu does as his owner wants. After these
basic come when called training exercises are mastered, there
are a number of fun exercises that can be introduced to
challenge the shih tzu and pique its interest.
Making training into a fun game is one of the best ways to
motivate shih tzu and handler alike. It is easy for training
sessions to become routine and boring, and it is important to
keep them from degenerating into this state.
Before beginning any food based training exercise, it is
important to make sure that the shih tzu is properly motivated
and ready to respond to treat based training. Testing the shih
tzu is simply a matter of taking a piece of his regular food and
waving it in front of the shih tzu's nose. If the shih tzu shows
great enthusiasm for the food, it is ready to start the
training. If not, it is best to wait until the shih tzu is in a
more receptive mood.
The treats that work best for treat based training games like
hide and seek are cut up quarter inch or smaller pieces of
chicken, cheese or liver. In other words, something your dog
will love. It is best to use very small pieces to avoid
overfeeding the shih tzu during the training sessions.
One great game for you and another family member or friend to
play with your shih tzu is simply back and forth recall. This is
a great exercise for teaching your shih tzu to come whenever it
is called by
a member of the family. Shih Tzu often learn to
only respond to one person, and this can be a problem when other
people are watching the shih tzu. That is one reason why
professional shih tzu trainers always insist on working with the
owner as well as the shih tzu. A well trained dog must learn to
respond to whoever is in charge, not just the owner or usual
handler.
In the back and forth recall game, two or more people stand
approximately ten yards apart, in a safe place like a fenced in
yard. One person calls the shih tzu and asks him to sit and say
until another person asks the shih tzu to come. When the shih
tzu responds to the command to come, it is rewarded with a
treat. Most shih tzu respond wonderfully to this exercise and
love playing this game. When playing the back and forth recall
game, it is important that only the person who called the shih
tzu be allowed to give the shih tzu a treat.
After the shih tzu has mastered the back and forth recall game,
the humans in the game can start to spread further out, thus
turning the back and forth recall game into a fun game of hide
and seek. The hide and seek game starts with two or more people
in the center room of the house. Every time they call the shih
tzu to come, they spread out further away from where they
started. As the game continues, one person will be at one end of
the house, while another may be at the opposite end. What makes
the hide and seek game so much fun for the shih tzu is that he
must seek out the person to get the treat, instead of simply
running up to a person in plain sight. This type of seeking
behavior appeals to many of the shih tzu's natural instincts.
After all, dogs are naturally hunting animals, and seeking out
food is second nature to them.
About the author:
Connie Limon is a shih tzu breeder. She publishes a FREE weekly
newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health
and wellness for you and your pets. Discounts are offered to
subscribers. Sign up at: http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com
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