The Joy of Playing with Your Dog: Games, Tricks, & Socialization for Puppies & Dogs


Book Description

Game-based learning is a powerful tool to successful puppy rearing and dog ownership.With this exciting guide to playful and social activities for puppies and dogs, you’ll immediately enjoy drastically improved behavior and a stronger connection with your dog. Dogs live to play! It’s hardwired into their DNA. And when approached with intention, play provides the perfect opportunity to support behavioral development, obedience, and develop strong bonds between pup and owner that will last a lifetime. The Joy of Playing with Your Dog guides you through a program of structured play with activities that lead to both better dog-to-dog and dog-to-human relationships. The games, tricks, and socialization techniques are designed specifically for puppies, adult, and even senior dogs. Discover the pleasure of science-based learning as you play our version of Hide and Seek and Red Light Green Light with your dog! Fetch taps into a dog’s prey drive, so he’ll use it in a healthy manner and Speak helps to manage excessive barking. Games like Ping Pong Recall teach your dog to come when called even with distractions. Hyper dogs become calmer with games that teach them how to develop an “off switch.” Teaching tricks like Roll Over and activities that include simple agility training at home will strengthen your bond with your dog. The critical section on socialization—an important skill that’s missing from most dog behavior programs-- teaches you how to successfully introduce and adopt dogs, as well as navigate dog parks. With over 200 cheerful, full-color photos, you’ll have all the inspiration and tools you need to cultivate good behavior with games and enrich the precious shared life between you and your dog.




The Art of Training Your Dog: How to Gently Teach Good Behavior Using an E-Collar


Book Description

Fully train your dog in just six weeks with this revolutionary new method. The Monks of New Skete, long-time breeders of German shepherds and renowned trainers of all breeds and mixes, have codeveloped a successful new training technique. They and Marc Goldberg, who pioneered the approach, offer you and your canine companion a way forward using a game-changing tool: the invisible leash or electronic collar. Now in paperback, The Art of Training Your Dog presents their compassionate, efficient system along with helpful advice on choosing the best collar. At the right moment, using a light touch—that many humans can’t even feel—strategically refocuses your dog’s attention. This method helps you create effortless teaching moments that tie into your dog’s pack instincts and help strengthen your bond with your dog. In as little as six weeks, your pup can master good leash manners; obey basic commands, such as sit, down, and stay; stop problematic behaviors; and play safely off leash with consistent recall.




The 10-Minute Dog Training Games


Book Description

In 10-Minute Dog Training Games, renowned trainer and internationally best-selling author of 101 Dog Tricks, Kyra Sundance, gives you step-by-step, photo-illustrated instructions to do 86 simple learning games with your dog using a variety of props. They will be the highlight of the day for both you and your dog! Short, fun sessions are ideal for a dog, especially when they end with success! Each 10-minute game will boost your dog's intelligence as his or her brain is challenged with new behaviors. Kyra Sundance teaches how to use positive, reward-based techniques that foster an anxiety-free environment where your dog is an eager and willing participant. Simple instructions and photos take the guesswork out of training, while tips and equipment suggestions answer your questions. Using both specialized props and things around the house, help your dog build: Confidence (Weenie Bobbing, Tunnel, Hoop Jump, Platform Jump, and more) Mental Focus (Memory Game, Treasure Hunt, Massage, Dog Yoga, and more) Coordination (Ladder Work, Seesaw, Wobble Board, Jumping Figure-8s, and more) Strength (Tug, Assisted Upright Walking, Sit High, and more) Direction-Following Skills (Roll out the Carpet, Soap Bubble Chasing, Paintbrush Painting, and more) Enjoy special time with your dog every day with this dynamic, engaging curriculum! Also by Kyra Sundance, learn to do even more with your dog with: 101 Dog Tricks; The Dog Tricks and Training Workbook; 51 Puppy Tricks; 101 Dog Tricks, Kids Edition; Dog Training 101; The Pocket Guide to Dog Tricks; Kyra’s Canine Conditioning; and The Joy of Dog Training.




Let Dogs Be Dogs


Book Description

America's foremost authorities on dog care and training distill decades of experience in a comprehensive "foundational" guide for dog owners. No matter what training method or techniques you use with your dog, the training is unlikely to be optimally successful unless it is predicated on an understanding of the dog's true nature. Dogs need food, water, exercise and play, rest, veterinary care -- the basics. But since dogs naturally want to be led, they also need focused and compassionate guidance. Through abundant stories and case studies, the authors reveal how canine nature manifests itself in various behaviors, some potentially disruptive to domestic accord, and show how in addressing these behaviors you can strengthen the bond with your dog as well as keep the peace. The promise of this book is that, especially in an ever-accelerating world filled with digital distractions, you can learn from your dog's example how to live in the moment, thereby enriching your life immeasurably.




Gamify Your Dog Training


Book Description




Tricks and Games to Teach Your Dog


Book Description

Who doesn't want to spend more time playing?! Tricks and Games to Teach Your Dog is the how-to book for dog owners looking to improve their "fun factor" in their dogs' eyes. Author Sophie Collins, assisted by Suellen Dainty, promise that any owner of a dog;no matter what age, breed, activity level, size or personality;can transform his pooch into an accomplished performer in brief daily five-minute training sessions. In all, the book offers 80 tricks and games, from the tried-and-true rainy-day tricks like "roll over" and "play dead" to out-of-the-box surprises like "lion tamer" and the "commando crawl." Fully illustrated with color photographs and drawings, Tricks and Games to Teach Your Dog serves as a game plan for busy owners who wish to spend more quality time with their dogs, engaging them in educational games to improve their obedience skills while deepening the dogs' bonds with their owners. Readers can teach their dogs helpful household tasks, such as the "laundry service," "fetch my keys" and "answer the door," as well as games that expand their repertory of manners, such as "say please," "learning a ‘stop' signal," and "dinner time." The authors emphasize the importance of safety in teaching tricks and games and caution owners to only work with safe objects when teaching fetching or finding games. The book is filled with practical training tips that owners can use throughout their dogs' lives. Once an owner is confident and aware of his own technique, he will be better prepared to give the dog specific direction and not confuse the dog by giving false cues or misusing body language, tone of voice or hand signals. The level of difficulty in the lessons range from the simplest ("high five" and "stand ten") to more challenging tricks like "shut the door," "push the ball" and "freeze." The unmistakable focus of the book is fun and activity, and no dog (or owner) ever wants to lead a dull, boring existence. To that end, the authors discuss some great fun outings to bring an owner's play sessions with his dog to an all-time high: camping, volleyball, biking and hiking for starters. And for really adventurous overachievers, the authors provide a brief introduction to the ever-popular obstacle-course sport known as dog agility.




Play with Your Dog


Book Description

Play is essential to the well-being of your dog and for developing sound social relationships between dogs and dogs and dogs and humans. Learn how to use play to socialize, stimulate and enjoy your best friend.




Puppy Socialization


Book Description

Puppy Socialization: What It Is and How to Do It defines and demystifies the most important thing you can do for your puppy: socialization. The authors don't just tell you what you need to know about socialization. They show you with dozens of photographs and exclusive linked videos (a live internet connection is needed to view the videos). You'll see other owners socialize their puppies under the guidance of a nationally certified dog trainer and behavior consultant. These real-life examples of socialization show you what to do when things go well and when they don't go so well. You’ll learn about: • The magical time. Did you know that there is a special time in a puppy's life when he is primed to accept new things? The authors tell you when that time is, when that socialization window starts closing, and how a little effort by an owner during that time can save heartache later. • Canine body language. Puppies and dogs are talking all the time—with their body language. Learn to tell when a puppy or dog is relaxed and happy, a bit nervous about something, or outright fearful. • Myth-busting. There's a lot of advice out there about socialization and not all of it is good. Some common myths can actually cause a puppy harm. The authors give you the most up-to-date information on puppy socialization and put some harmful myths to rest. • Socializing a puppy during COVID-19. Puppies have so much to get used to: people, environments, noises, and more. The authors provide strategies for keeping humans and puppies safe while socializing puppies, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. • What supplies are needed during socialization. The authors provide checklists of things owners need when socializing a puppy at home and away from home.




The Other End of the Leash


Book Description

Learn to communicate with your dog—using their language “Good reading for dog lovers and an immensely useful manual for dog owners.”—The Washington Post An Applied Animal Behaviorist and dog trainer with more than twenty years’ experience, Dr. Patricia McConnell reveals a revolutionary new perspective on our relationship with dogs—sharing insights on how “man’s best friend” might interpret our behavior, as well as essential advice on how to interact with our four-legged friends in ways that bring out the best in them. After all, humans and dogs are two entirely different species, each shaped by its individual evolutionary heritage. Quite simply, humans are primates and dogs are canids (as are wolves, coyotes, and foxes). Since we each speak a different native tongue, a lot gets lost in the translation. This marvelous guide demonstrates how even the slightest changes in our voices and in the ways we stand can help dogs understand what we want. Inside you will discover: • How you can get your dog to come when called by acting less like a primate and more like a dog • Why the advice to “get dominance” over your dog can cause problems • Why “rough and tumble primate play” can lead to trouble—and how to play with your dog in ways that are fun and keep him out of mischief • How dogs and humans share personality types—and why most dogs want to live with benevolent leaders rather than “alpha wanna-bes!” Fascinating, insightful, and compelling, The Other End of the Leash is a book that strives to help you connect with your dog in a completely new way—so as to enrich that most rewarding of relationships.




Fun and Games for a Smarter Dog


Book Description

Mental exercise provides just as many benefits for dogs as physical exercise does. But once you have basic training—sit, down, come, stay—under your belt, what can you do to build your dog’s brainpower? Take your pup’s repertoire of skills to the next level with an array of games that challenge his body and mind alike. Training your dog in the course of play also allows you and your dog to have fun together while continuing to strengthen that ever-important human–canine bond. Inside Fun & Games for a Smarter Dog: •A dog’s perception of play and the science behind the success of play-based training •Using treats and good timing to encourage desired behaviors •Step-by-step instructions for fifty brain games that teach new behaviors and increase a dog’s intelligence, including adaptations for different skill levels •Increasing your dog’s physical abilities and mental acuity as he learns •Socialization and how it affects your dog’s attitude toward interacting with other dogs •Introducing your dog to new canine playmates