Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Relax On A Mat..

So as i promissed i am going to be featuring different web sites that offer stratagies to help you help your fur-kids relax. In talking to my friend Harriet from the Red Hook Dog Rescue in Brooklyn NY,(http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/NY773.html) this is where i adoped my Bella from,
YES i know she is the cutest thing you have ever seen..LOL. So she has put me on to http://www.wholedogtraining.com where i had found a very cool artical about helping your furkid to relax. The artical is named Relax on a mat.

here is the link to this article: http://www.wholedogtraining.com/images/stories/Relax_on_a_mat.pdf




Relax on a Mat
If you teach your dog nothing else during his life, teach
him this exercise and you will reduce your dog’s stress
and attention-seeking behaviors by noticeable amounts.
This simple exercise teaches your dog a behavior that
will help him relax his body, rather than getting excited
or demanding when you are not paying attention to
him. This will also give your dog a very useful tool in his
toolbox.
Teaching your dog to “Relax on a Mat,” is different than
telling your dog to lie down. The reason you want your
dog to make the choice of relaxing on a mat, rather than
you asking for the behavior, is that many dogs become
perplexed when their humans ask them to do certain
behaviors at the wrong time.
Consider what it would be like for your dog if you asked
him to do something such as “lie down” when he feels
anxious, is worried or excited about his situation at the
time. Your dog may be able to comply with your wishes,
but he may not really be relaxed or comfortable carrying
out the behavior in an environment that might be the
very cause of his concern. This definitely takes a toll on
your leadership abilities, and your dog may give pause in
future situations when you ask for that same behavior
and he remembers back when your decisions might not
have been in his best interest (at least in his mind).
Goals of this exercise: To teach your dog how to relax on
a mat when you do not want to pay attention to him, and
without telling him to, “Lie down.” Relaxing on the mat
will become an alternative to attention-seeking activities
such as whining, jumping, barking, pawing, stealing items,
dropping the ball in your lap repeatedly, and other
annoying, reactive or anxious behaviors. Trained well, this
skill will become so strong that your dog will choose
relaxing over the unwanted behaviors. This new skill will
become a default behavior—one your dog chooses all
the time when he is not sure what he should do.
Benefits of Teaching Relax on a Mat: This exercise will
empower your dog with the ability to calm himself down,
and enjoy the benefit of relaxing and recuperating his
body. It will give your dog something on which to focus,
as well as give him a way to resolve anxiety or stressors
he may encounter in your home, or out in the world, via
healthy mental exercise.
“Relax on a Mat,” also teaches your dog independence
from always being told what to do all the time, and in
doing so, builds his confidence when he is able to figure
things out on his own. In turn, this supports you and your
dog’s relationship since you won’t have to “command” or
tell your dog what to do all the time.
The final benefit of training “Relax on a Mat” is that it
teaches your dog to relax when he is on a leash, since
the beginning of this exercise is always practiced on
leash, teaching your dog to calm down even when he has
some restrictions—a big plus for leash walking.
What you will need:
A portable mat (different from a favorite bed or
crate mat), which can be a bath towel, bath mat or a
small blanket. If you have tile or hardwood floors, find
something that won’t slide around.
Treats: 1/8 cup for toy dogs, ¼ cup for small dogs, ½ cup
for medium dogs, and ¾ cup for large dogs of (pea-sized
or smaller if you have a tiny dog) medium to high-value
treats. (See chapter 4 for list of treats and their values)
Something to put your treats in that is easy to dip into
and get more as needed, (a treat bag is best)
A six-foot leash and a harness, or regular collar (no
choke chains, or pinch collars.)
Training time: 5-10 minutes, at least five times a week—
twice a day is best. A well-trained behavior should be
achieved in just a couple of weeks.
Training location: Indoors in a quiet, comfortable place
with minimal distractions. You will train in different
locations with more distractions later, which will
eventually teach your dog how to relax anywhere,
anytime.
Whole Dog Training 619-561-2602
 www.wholedogtraining.com   Email:  dogmomca@cox.net

I wanted to say thank you to Nan Arthur whom gave me permission to put this on my blog.

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