Crate training a dog is a matter of concern for most of the dog owners in the world. If you are a dog owner, for sure you must be looking for crate training ideas so that your dog does not break into your house when alone. Crate training a puppy is very important as it keeps him disciplined and controls the destructive behavior. It not only makes your but his life easy too. So, take a look at our following tips on obedience training and for crate training a dog.

Importance of a crate
A crate is of great importance, not only for you but for your dog as well. In fact, most of the dogs love their crate as it is a small warm place that belongs just to them. If you might have observed, even stray dogs like to create a small place for them on a corner of the street. A crate gives the feeling of a safe place to dogs, which they can take control of. On the other hand, it is difficult to manage their area for dogs that have wide spaces and hence they try to control entire household.

Crate training a dog
The crate training should ideally start when your dog is just a puppy. It is so because it is really difficult for grown up dogs to get used to the crate. Moreover, it is easy to create train a puppy as they are easily adaptable. Once your puppy will adapt with sleeping in its crate, there will be no problems for the rest of the life.

To start with crate training a dog, place it in a room where your dog can see a lot of people during the day. Initially, you can place it in your bedroom in the night so as to assure him that there is a safe presence around. After a month or two, keep the crate on the same place as during the day, but closer to you so that you can monitor it.

Make sure that the crate is clean whenever your dog enters into it. It will assure him that he is given a clean space to live just like other areas of the house. Do not get a very big crate or your dog will create a mess in it. It should be wide enough so that it can rest and turn in it comfortably.

Never get too pushy or impulsive while crate training a dog and giving him obedience training as it may upset him. When your dog enters the crate, be quiet for 5 minutes, do not give any attention and let him be comfortable inside. Then, appreciate him that he did the right thing. Start the crate training sessions for short periods like one or two hours and gradually extend it to full day or full night.

If you will deal with your furry friend kindly while crate training him, he will get adapted quickly. In fact, he will simply start loving his crate.

If there’s a drawback to being a dog-agility enthusiast, it’s that there really isn’t much online information available on the subject. Surf the internet and you’ll find a few sales pitches, a couple magazines, some organizations, but few answers to specific questions.

One of the most important questions you should ask as a dog agility trainer is, “what type of flooring should I use to train my dogs?”

Before we answer that, let’s look at those flooring options that are NOT great for the sport.

1.) Rubber. Perhaps the biggest misconception out there is that rubber (rolled or interlocking tiles) provides some sort of spongy, super surface that provides great traction while also providing comfort for animals and trainers alike. This notion is false. Rubber, while a great surface for protecting floors from heavy equipment like treadmills or weight benches, does not provide much fatigue relief at all. In fact, a rolled rubber floor isn’t much softer than the concrete floor it covers. And while rubber may be easy to clean (usually a damp mop will do the trick) it is NOT waterproof. Also, because most rubber floor products come in black (they are made from recycled tires) they show dirt immediately. In short, rubber has it’s place but that place is generally not in a dog training facility.

2.) Vinyl/Plastic. Another seemingly great choice for flooring your training facility would be vinyl or plastic. It’s waterproof, easy to clean, it looks nice…However, like rubber it is generally an unforgiving surface. Products made of these materials are also often slippery making for a treacherous area for both trainer and dogs. Slippery = no good for training dogs.

3.) Carpet/hardwood. These products get destroyed quickly by animals and are a nightmare to keep clean. Enough said.

Believe it or not, the best flooring for dog agility training is foam. Not just any foam, of course. Kids mats from the local box store will be shredded in no time. However, dense EVA foam that is designed specifically for dog training provides everything you’re looking for for your facility. It is waterproof and easy to keep clean. A high-traction, commercial grade carpet top provides excellent traction and is resistant to dog claws. Superficial scratching and tears will happen, to be sure. But the quality and performance of the floor will remain unaffected for years. Dog Agility mats are simple to install. Puzzle tiles that simply piece together, they require no adhesives. For a wall-to-wall installation, you simply cut them to fit with a sharp utility knife. Also, if one tile gets damaged, you can simply replace it and carry on. Not so easy with a roll of rubber or hardwood floor.

Greatmats provides an easy-to-use online room designer that allows customers to create their room layout to scale and to determine the number of floor tiles they will need for their area by simply typing in the dimensions.

About Greatmats: Headquartered in Milltown, WI, Greatmats is a leading online dealer of residential and commercial specialty flooring options. Greatmats is 100% solar powered and has been named one of Inc magazines top 500 fastest growing sites three years in a row. They hold a Triple-A rating with the Better Business Bureau. For further information, contact Greatmats at 877-822-6622 or visit http://www.greatmats.com.

Your dog wants to be trained to be a well-behaved and well-mannered pooch. He will be much happier and much more content the better trained that he is. You will also enjoy him more. Dogs are pack animals and they receive pleasure from following the leader of the pack. You just need to make sure that the leader or the “alpha dog” is you.

A dog that is untrained tends to be more nervous and rambunctious, mostly because he is unsure what it expected of him. A dog is much happier when he can follow your orders and he knows exactly what is expected of him. Training your dog will keep your dog safer and happier too.

You can take advantage of many ways to train your dog. There are many books and videos out there and you can also find some great online courses. Almost every city also has professional dog trainers and dog obedience classes that you can attend also.

Even if your dog is older you should begin training him immediately when he arrives at your home. If you have heard that “you can’t teach an old dog, new tricks” you should know that it is a myth. A dog of any age will respond to a good leader and positive reinforcement. There are no excuses for not training your pet.

You will often have the most success in dog training when you make it fun and teach during “playtime”. You will still be teaching serious lessons but both of you will enjoy it more if you don’t try to force things but just enjoy the process. Your dog may learn some things quickly and other things may take longer but either way just enjoy the process and he will be trained to do whatever you want in no time at all.

It is crucial to use positive reinforcement with either praise or treats to acknowledge when your dog does something right. You need to do it immediately so that he will associate the good feeling of the reinforcement to the correct behavior. The same thing goes for any kind of reprimand. It must always be done immediately.

A dog cannot reason and he can only associate positive or negative reinforcement with what is happening at the moment. If you scold your dog now for something that he did an hour ago, it is completely useless and it will only serve to scare him needlessly because he won’t comprehend your reasoning.

The absolute most important thing that you need to remember when it comes to dog training and even dog ownership is that you need to be the leader of the pack or the “alpha dog”. One way to establish this hierarchy rather quickly is by rubbing their belly as soon as they roll over. They will have to submit to you to allow you to do this and it will confirm you as the leader of the pack in their mind. If you are established as the leader and you make it fun for your dog, all of then your training will be much easier and faster.

Teaching your dog tricks can be a great deal of fun. It can also help to make them smarter, and for you to have more control over your pets. There are some basic commands that should be taught in order to get your dog to do the things you need him to. Below are the best tricks to teach your dog.

Sit is probably the easiest trick to teach your dog. Most dogs who only know a handful of tricks know how to sit. If your dog understands this command, it shows that you are the dominant one between the two of you. Sitting can help you to introduce your dog to another person or animal without your pet getting too excited and unruly.

Down is another popular trick that many dogs learn. This is the word used to get your dog to lie down. Perhaps your dog is tired but is too busy running around to realize it. Having this command allows you to be in control and gets your pet to rest.

Stay is a beneficial trick for all pets to know. It is effective in the event that you need to step away from your dog for a moment. Getting something done without your dog at your heels helps you to complete the task and resume playing with your dog. This command tends to follow the sit trick, so that you can have your dog remain in that position until you say otherwise.

Heel is a trick that may take some time to teach dogs. It is very beneficial once your pet knows what the word means. Heel refers to your dog walking right beside you, and not pulling on the leash in order to get ahead. This is effective for walking your dog in the park or down the street. . This command tends to follow the sit trick, so that you can have your dog remain in that position until you say otherwise.

Fetch is a fun trick for your dog to learn, for both you and your pet. Tossing an item for the dog to retrieve allows the two of you to bond. It will also provide exercise for the dog. This can be used as more than a game if you can teach your pooch to fetch the newspaper or your slippers.

Shake is a social trick that makes others feel welcome in the presence of the dog. Many people shake hands upon seeing each other. Having your dog shake a friend’s hand is a gentlemanly gesture. It is also a fun trick to watch.

Play dead is one of the oldest tricks to teach a dog. It can be a difficult one though. Patience is needed to teach this command. It generally follows sit and stay, which is probably one reason it is so difficult. It requires attention and knowledge from the dog in order to follow all three commands.

As you can see, there are quite a few tricks that you can teach your dog. The best ones have been mentioned here. They are also the basic commands that almost any dog can learn relatively easy. The more tricks that your pet acquires, the smarter he will appear to those that watch the tricks being performed.