Dog Grooming is important because a dog’s health can depend on it. Most dog owners have little knowledge or experience when it comes to just how to wash their dogs. For most people dry-grooming or brushing and ‘buffing’ their dog’s coat, would seem to far less of a problem than actually having to bathe them in water. This is because most dogs have natural dislike being bathed.

This purpose of this post is to deal with the basics of how to prepare your dog for his dog grooming, including how to prepare him for is bath the right way, so you will both be better off.

Getting Your Dog Accustomed to the Dog Grooming Process

It is very important that you get your dog accustomed to the dog grooming process. In fact this should start in puppyhood as this is the ideal way to handle the situation, but if you are not able to do this, if you’ve got an adult dog already, it would be best to move a little slower, however you should still start getting your dog used to being touched and handled all over as soon as possible.

As you work to get your puppy or dog gets used to the sensation of being touched, rubbed and handled, he should come to enjoy it. This is because dogs are natural social creatures, and physical affection and contact is something they usually thrive on, therefore it shouldn’t take long before your dog will begin to trust you, and before he knows it he will allows himself to get some pleasure out of your touch.

As you begin you just have to start rubbing your dog slowly all over. Stroke the ears, touch his cheeks and neck, rub him on his back and belly, start picking up his paws and if possible give each paw a gentle squeeze. Be sure to praise him every time your dog lets you do this, since paw touching is something most dogs tend to enjoy. If your dog has a tail, rub it between your fingers. Then get him to roll over on his back so you can rub and stroke his belly and hocks.

When it comes to the dog grooming process: the more your dog enjoys it, the less stressful the whole event will be for both of you, and so you will be more likely to groom your dog which helps to increase the overall health benefits for him.

Grooming your dog is just one tiny aspect of maintaining overall dog health and happiness. For a complete, encyclopedic survival guide to all aspects of dog health, from preventative care to choosing a vet to doggie First Aid (even the canine Heimlich maneuver!), you should take a look at The Ultimate Guide to Dog Health.

The main object of basic dog obedience training is in getting your dog or puppy to understand and obey the 5 basic dog obedience training commands.  These commands are Sit, Stay, Heel, Come, and Down.

Here we will look at Basic Dog Obedience Training Command 5 – Down

The down command is a very useful basic dog obedience command to teach your dog. This is another command that can save a dog’s life.  This command should be taught right after your dog has mastered the ’sit’ command.

As with the other commands treats are an important dog obedience training tool.

First get your dog’s attention by saying his name. Once you have his attention and is already in the sitting position place the treat near his nose allowing him to sniff it.  When your dog starts to nibble on the treat, lower the treat towards the ground, until the dog is in the down position.  When he is laying down, release the treat.

Repeat over and over in short and sharp training sessions until your dog begins to understand the action.

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When giving commands to a dog, a calm, firm, authoritative voice is consider to be most effective. Generally a dog will not respond well to hesitant, pleading voices, or certainly not to yelling, which  to the dog sounds too much like threatening barking or scolding. It is also important that the word being used for the command, and the pitch of the voice always be consistent every time the command is delivered.

When you are first giving dog training commands to your dog you must realize that in order for your dog to take what you say seriously, you have to approach it seriously first. You should use an authoritative voice when giving commands to your dog as an authoritative voice is the most effective.  Dog really do not respond well to yelling because it might sound like some kind of threatening sounding barking.  They also will not respond very well if the voice sounds hesitant, or pleading.  The word that is used for the command and the pitch of your voice be consistent every time you deliver the command.  This way the dog will be able to learn what you mean.

You should make eye contact with your dog when you are teaching him with dog training commands, thereby making sure that you have gotten his attention. The auditory command should have his name in it (Sam, Sit!) Your voice should be of right tone and volume, and remember don’t shout.

Speak the command clearly and in a firm voice, but in a slightly lower tone than what you would normally in normal conversations. Many experts think that lower voices are easier to hear, and that dogs listen best to deeper voices.  Also by using a slightly deeper voice consistently in dog training commands causes it to be recognized by the dog as a “training voice”, which can do a lot in helping to get your dog’s attention in the future.

If you say the puppy’s name before a giving any dog training commands, you can help ensure that your dog knows that a command is coming and that it is just for him, not other dogs, or children, or people.  This way he will be more likely to pay attention.

You have to remember that because dogs hear a lot of human speech during the day that may have no relevance for them at all.  This is important since you will find it is easy for them to disregard commands among all the voices they are hearing.

You must reward and or praise your dog in order to reinforce the dog training command when he performs the required action correctly. Doing this helps the dog to understand that he has done a good thing.

Dogs respond to a kind yet firm approach, and that includes voice and praise, along with proper firm corrections.

It must be remembered that many dogs are not trained with a voice command at all.  Depending on what they are used for, they are taught to obey a combination of whistles and hand signals. For example deaf dogs are trained to obey visual signals only. Also there are obedience classes that teach hand signals for common commands in addition to certain voice signals.   These voice signals are usually used in more quiet situations, at a distance, and in advanced dog obedience competitions.

Man and dog have been friends and companions forever. The behavior of your dog is the most important factor in determining how much you will enjoy your pet. Remember, that since all dogs have descended from pack animals, they learn first from their mother, then their littermates and in the role of adult pack member they will establish their behavior through their interactions with you.

Learning how to give dog training commands can guarantee good communication that will strengthen the bond between you and your dog.

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