The two most important questions you need to ask yourself are:
1. Does your dog drag you and go wherever he wants?
2. Is your dog disobedient and you can’t handle him?

If your answer is yes to those two questions, you need help to overcome those problems with the correct teaching in the basic behavioural dog training techniques.

Handling tips… Training must not develop into a tug of war with your dog but your dog’s attention must be focussed on you. Always correct your dog while moving, forcing him to follow you. Do not correct the dog while standing still. Your dog must be able to walk beside you keeping pace with you and follow in the direction you would like to go. Dogs are very intelligent and will often take chances, and believe me, they know exactly with whom in the family they can do that. Be firm with your commands and take the lead. Remember that you are the leader and the dog the follower.

Very important… There is only one way to correctly put the chain over the dog’s head. Test the chain by putting it around your right arm to ensure that it opens and closes. Without taking the chain off your right arm, slip the chain around the dog’s head while standing in front of the dog. The chain must be able to open and close easily before you start the exercises.

With all respect… in a way, dogs are like children. The more attention and love they get, the better they will perform. However, there is a very thin line between love and spoiling. Beware of spoiling a dog too much. At the end you must be able to handle and control your dog. You and your dog must enjoy the sessions. and you will experience the therapeutic value of the exercises.

Schutzhund is a form of dog training or dog sport foundered in Germany over a century ago. The word Schutzhund actually means protection dog in German and was used to assess German Shepherds to determine if they were suitable for police work.

Although it was initially just German Shepherds, testing now occurs on dogs of many different breeds. The test is both rigorous and demanding, so the numbers of other breeds that pass are limited.

Schutzhund Basics

Enrolling your dog into Schutzhund training may still prove difficult, however if you are keen to learn the techniques and principles behind this training method, there are many DVDs that can be purchased or acquired. It is important to understand though, that the training is highly specialized, very strict and very structured, which means you will need to maintain this consistently for your dog to learn. For this reason, it may not be the best form of training if you have a young family.

The training will over time teach your dog the skills of obedience, tracking, protection, sniffing and retrieving, and will commence when your pup is just a few weeks of age. Of course, you may not be able to commence your training until your pup is 8+ weeks of age when you bring them home from the breeder.

Schutzhund Training Principles

Although it is possible to get specialized training DVDs that focus on a specific principle, you can expect your Schutzhund training DVDs to cover the following areas:

Clicker Training – This is a form of positive reinforcement that is gaining popularity with trainers around the world, even if it isnt associated with Schutzhund. It involves using a little clicker button whenever the dog is good. First you will need to train your puppy to know that the clicking noise equals a good job.

Obedience – This is the core of any training method and is the first test in Schutzhund, covering a set of 11 basic commands. The commands however may use multiple instructions in one, such as sit, down and stand. In addition they cover instructions like focus and attention, targeting, retrieving, motion exercises, pointing out an object and heeling. To pass this test, your dog must be able to execute all 11 commands perfectly.

Tracking – Leveraging from the obedience commands to target and find an object, which has been pointed out, the dog will learn to track all sorts of items and people. The training will teach the dog to remember a scent when provided to them and then to pursue that until they are called off.

Protection – Using more commands the dog is taught how to identify potential threats and how to attack them. Police, guard and attack dogs are taught using this method. Another form of protection is where the dog is taught that it must protect a person or object; this is then done without commands.

Schutzhund training is designed to give a dog an education to enable it to be a specialized working dog. Although this may not be the aim with your dog, the training DVDs can provide useful instruction on training and assist in developing your dog understands of commands. As stated earlier, there are a number of different courses, so it is best to research the types of training courses first before purchasing them. Understand the success rates and the philosophies they employ and whether they are likely to be useful for your breed of dog.

Tradesmen who have undertaken gas training have excellent earnings potential. Qualified gas tradesmen are in short demand, and as gas is so widely used in homes and commercial buildings throughout the country, those who are properly trained can really benefit from this demand.

Poorly-finished gas work can be dangerous and costly – gas leaks can cause explosions and can cause serious injury or even death, as well as serious property damage. Therefore it is necessary for those working on gas installations to have the proper qualifications.

Tradesmen wishing to undertake gas training should study gas training courses. They should study ACS Gas courses, which include core gas safety, gas central heating boilers, gas fires, gas cookers and hobs, gas water heaters and gas flue analysis. Once they have gained ACS accreditation, they can apply to be registered on the Gas Safe register.

Only engineers on the Gas Safe register are legally permitted to work on gas appliances, including boilers. Therefore householders who need a tradesman to carry out gas work are unlikely to choose one who is not on the Gas Safe register. Also, tradesmen who are not registered with Gas Safe are unable to issue the paperwork required to confirm that the work has been properly carried out in accordance with safety regulations.

Most of the time Gas Safe engineers also carry out standard plumbing work, so many tradesmen who are entering the trade also study plumbing qualifications so that they have increased earnings potential.

Gas Centres

Able Skills Domestic Gas Centres are fully equipped for both training and assessment purposes and are suited to those of you who are new to the industry and who are considering a career in Gas but equally, our Gas Centres are also beneficial to existing and experienced engineers who require reassessment or re training.

We offer a wide range of training and assessment to the latest government guidelines in our purpose built workshops and training centres where our qualified team of gas trainers and assessors will provide guidance, support and assistance in a realistic environment to build confidence and competence to work safely in the gas industry.

Able Skills Commercial Gas Centre has been put together to meet the needs of anyone looking to be trained or assessed in aspects of Commercial Gas.

IAniimate Elite Games Workshop 3 character animation to tell a story.

iAnimate.net announces the Elite Games Animation Workshop 3, an interactive 14-week program directly pairing students with top working animators at the most recognizable game studios in the industry. The workshop offers a collection of master classes designed to sharpen artists game animation and storytelling skills. Courses begin September 8, 2014.

Watch the iAnimate Games Video.

The Elite Games Animation Workshop 3 includes a series of live talks, demos, reviews, and assignments that are designed to resemble an actual games production pipeline. In the workshop, instructors focus on techniques for games animation, which include timing, creating strong body mechanics, posing characters, player reactions, responsiveness of action, and more. Students also learn how to create interactive battles, cinematics, staging, and integration with popular game engines such as Unity.

“Our Elite Games Workshop brings together students and top animation instructors from triple A games studios around the world to share what it takes to excel in games animation today,” says Richard Arroyo, Head of Games Animation, iAnimate.net. “We give our students the tools and techniques they need to showcase their true value and be industry ready for games studios.”

THE COURSES AND INSTRUCTORS

Interactive Battles (weeks 1-2): Instructor Kevin Rucker, senior animator at Blizzard Entertainment, kicks off the workshop with the does and donts of game animationfrom planning parametric sequence references to simplifying the approach to execution.

Workflow, Camera Theory, and Cameras in Practice (weeks 3-5): Instructor Simon Unger, lead animator at Robotoki, has more than 13 years professional animation experience and recently served as animation director on the award-winning “Hitman: Abosolution” for Square Enix. Unger will cover the layout process, parametric animation, posing and framing as well as context, implementation, camera theory and cameras in practice, including basic composition, and how to stage a charcter on screen.

Creature Behaviors (weeks 6-7): Instructor Darryl Purdy, who before joining Eidos was animation director at Warner Bros. Games, Montreal, will use his more than 13 years experience in animation to demonstrate the processfrom layout to blocking. Purdy will also cover aligning worlds, setting up sequences, the block-in process, straight ahead and layered animation techniques, and more.

Cinematic and Games Performance/Interactive Games Cinematics (weeks 8-9): Lead Cinematic Animator and Instructor David Lam has more than eight years experience in games animation, working on numerous triple A titles for prominent games studios such as Activision, Lucas Arts, Bungie and Naughty Dog. Lams courses focus on cinematics, performance, and interactive games, including animation over technology, using references or mocap, keyframing, Interactive Game Cinematics (IGC), and more.

Special Lecture: How We Did It (weeks 10-12): Instructor Kristjan Zadzuk, animation director at Ubisoft Toronto, has more than 15 years industry experience, including credits on Ubisofts Splinter Cell Blacklist and Assassins Creed. Zadzuks course is a special lecture covering how we did it for an existing gamefrom animation, blocking, and setting up sequences to animation tips and techniques, workflow, and more.

The Game Engine (weeks 13-14): Instructor Bennie Terry III has more than 18 years experience as an art director and technical director in the film and games industry, working with companies such as Rhythm & Hues, Disney, and Marvel. Terry will focus on game engine development and analyzing and integrating an animation system.

JOIN THE WORKSHOP

For more details or to apply for the Elite Games Animation Workshop 3, begining September 8, 2014 and ending December 14, 2014, please visit iAnimate.net.

View the iAnimate Games Animation Student Showreel and Previous Games Workshop 3 Student Assignment Video.

ABOUT IANIMATE.NET

iAnimate.net puts students and veteran animators from top studios in direct contact to deliver the most effective online training in the industry. Our instructors are passionate about their craft and are dedicated to giving students the knowledge they need to be the best animators they can be.

iAnimate is a trademark of iAnimate.net. All other products or brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

All dog owners know that dogs need to be trained in the house. Although the process can be lengthy, think of it as potty training for a young child. We all had to learn to use the toilet properly and your dog can learn too, as long as you never scold him.

Dog house training requires the owner to be extremely attentive and work hard. This is why it is one of the toughest types of training you’ll ever give your dog. While some dogs may bark when they need to go, you may not be lucky enough to have such a dog. Always learn to read your dog’s body language and be prepared to clean up accidents in the house.

The most important downside to dog training is how time consuming it is for the owner. On the other hand, house training dogs is quite easy as long as you follow a few simple steps. Let’s get started. You should start by putting down newspaper by the door. If you ever find your dog doing it in the house, immediately take him to the newspaper to finish his business. This will help your dog learn to do it on the newspaper the next time he needs to go, hopefully without your help.

Watch out for your dog’s body language. Most dogs that need to go will get restless and start sniffing around. This is when you should take your dog outside. For young puppies, it is recommended that you take your dog out once per hour. Once you’re out with the dog, start using the command that you want to use for training (e.g., “do your business”). After the dog completes his business, the dog owner must reward him by giving him affection or treats. Remember to wait until your dog is done or it could otherwise get messy! Such positive reinforcement will help your dog realize that he must do his business outside and he will soon ask you to take him out when he needs to go. Don’t forget to clean up after your dog!

More training techniques and routines on how to house train your dog can be found in hundreds of books available from the library, online stores or your local bookstores. You should always keep in mind that dogs must be taught to go outside, as it is not innate knowledge to them. Be ready to clean up accidents in your home and teach your dog to do his business outside. House training older dogs can also be done by using the same method.