How to Train a Dog
Tate Cowden
How to Train a Dog:
Among the many important responsibilities dog owners have, training a dog is among the most important. Well-trained pets are easier to care for and love, cause less damage to your home (and theirs), and live happier lives. In this article, we cover many of the basics of dog training. But we also cover some important facets of dogs themselves -- which you need to be familiar with in order to communicate with your pooch.These include how dogs communicate to you through body language and noises. Dogs send myriad messages with their bodies and their voices -- this is one reason why they're so fascinating and beloved. The more you understand their messages, the more you understand them and how your own messages are being understood. Read this entire article carefully -- there are three sections after this one -- and then put the wisdom into practice. Here's what we'll cover:
Understanding a Dog's Body Language
Dogs use their entire body to communicate. Their eyes and ears are especially dynamic, and they give sure-fire clues to dogs' emotions and impulses. How dogs tilt their heads, move their legs and torsos, wag (or raise or drop) their tails -- all these things contribute to the messages being sent. In this section, we cover many of the silent messages your pooch will give you, from his nose to his tail.
Interpreting Dog Barks and Noises
Dogs are probably the most "verbally" expressive of all domesticated animals, and this only adds to their charm. From the whine of a puppy to the angry growl of an adult, dogs mean what they say. The more you understand these signals, the happier you and your dog will be. At the same time, it's important to know which noises constitute an annoyance, and how to train your dog to stop making them. We'll offer suggestions on teaching a dog to stop barking in this section.
It's important to know not only how to train a dog, but what to train it to do. Puppies have no sense of correct behavior, so they offer a million things you could correct; which should you address? In this section, we'll cover what to correct as well as how to train a pooch. We'll also discuss dog obediences classes -- also known as puppy kindergarten -- and specific thing you can teach your dog if you plan on traveling with it. Life tosses up myriad challenges to a dog's sense of obedience, and the more he's trained to understand, the happier you both will be. Finally, for fun and practical benefit, we'll cover a few basic tricks you can teach your dog. They're a wonderful way to bond with your pet and to entertain the both of you, while teaching it how to behave and react to your commands. Everybody wins!
Fortney, William. "How to Train a Dog." Animal Planet. Discovery Communications, Web. 29 May 2013. <http://animal.discovery.com/pets/how-to-train-a-dog.htm>.
Questions:
- Demonstrate Understanding
1. How would you summarize this article to someone who hasn't read it?
- Develop an Interpretation
3. How do you think people react to article? Do they want to train there dog?
4. Find at least 2 statements that are important in this article and explain them.
- Evaluation
6. What techniques is the author using in trying to get people to train their dogs?
Answers:
- This is an article about training your dog. Not everyone has a trained dog but a majority of the dogs out their can or possibly could be trained. Some dogs are naturally trained. Dogs show communication by using their body language.
- They use there head, legs, torso, ears, eyes, and there tails to communicate most of the time. They nod their head, move there legs and torso, wag there tails, pupils in their eyes get larger, and their ears might perk up.
- I think that if people that do not have a trained dog read this article that they would want to look into it a lot more because of how much better a trained dog would be then a little spaz running around and jumping on all your leather furniture!
- "Dogs use their entire body to communicate" this statement is important to me because I think that it is 100% true. From the examples I gave you above you can tell next time that you see a dog that it will be doing one of those things trying to communicate to you. " It's important to not only know how to train a dog, but what to train it to do" this statement was important to me because the author obviously wants more people out there in the world to train there dogs or be a dog trainer. And also because if you train you dog to do something that you don't want it to do later in life, don't do it because it will become a habit to the dog!
- The author is trying to get people to either train there dog or be a dog trainer. The reason why the author probably wants people to do these things is so that people don't get mad at their dogs and hurt them or punish them, the author wants dogs to live happy and free.
- The author might be using persuasion in this article to get people to train dog or to get there dogs trained because he really wants it to happen and also to help people out.