Furniture > The Values of the "Conditioned Response Principle" in Dog Training

The Values of the "Conditioned Response Principle" in Dog Training

by: Armen T. Ghazarians

One of the key principles of dog training is the principle of ?conditioned response.? The idea is that you can set up your dog?s environment in such a way that it learns to abandon its destructive behavior through its own mistakes rather than by your instruction.
Below are two common examples of problem dog behaviors and how the princple of "conditioned response" can be used to resolve them.

1. My dog is digging up my yard. How can I stop this destructive behavior? First, you must purchase some chicken wire from your local hardware store and some styptic powder from you local pet store. Before you begin, you must observe your dog?s favorite digging spots and pinpoint them in your mind. Then, you must remove your dog from the yard, and you must not allow it to watch you as you set up its environment. Cut about a 4 by 4 foot section of chicken wire and plant it under the dirt in all the locations where you dog likes to dig. Once you?re finished, release your dog and wait for the conditioned response. More than likely, your dog will go back to the locations where it dug before and proceed to dig as usual. Except now, it?s going to learn a novel lesson. Namely, that digging is going to cause it serious discomfort and pain. Once your dog associates the condition (digging) with the negative response (pain) it will automatically stop its destructive digging habit. There is, however, one drawback to this technique. If you have an aggressive digger, then you should monitor your dog for any cuts or bruises. That?s where the styptic powder comes in. If you notice a cut in your dog?s paws, gently pour the styptic powder on the cut and allow it to cauterize the bleeding.
Within a matter of days, you can conditon your dog to abandon its destructive digging habit by using the principle of "conditioned response."

2. My dog chews my furniture, my shoes, and my valuable belongings. What can I do to end this destructive behavior? Go to your local pet store, and purchase a spray bottle of bitter apple. Remove your dog from your house and do not allow it to see you set up its environment. Spray your valuables (i.e. furniture, shoes, and socks) with bitter apple and place them in locations that your dog can easily access. Then allow it to come in and let the trap do the rest. As usual, your dog will go back to its old habit and start to chew
its favorite shoe or furniture. But now, it?s going to get a bitter surprise. Your dog will associate the condition (chewing) with the negative response (bad taste) and it will stop its destructive chewing habit. It's important to remember, however, that all dogs need to chew, so you must repeat this process a second time.
Now, you must place your dog?s favorite chew toys next to the items that were sprayed with bitter apple.
This time, your dog will be reconditioned to chew its own toys rather than your valuable possessions. Thus, by conditioning your dog, you can positively reinforce a good habit (chewing designated toys) over an undesirable one (chewing your valuable possessions).

As you can see, by applying the principle of ?conditioned response? you can teach your dog exactly what you want without ever getting frustrated with the training process.

About The Author

Armen T. Ghazarians offers advice and articles for those interested in training their dogs like the professionals. His blog http://www.newdogtrainingsecrets.com offers information regarding many aspects of professional dog training for anyone who is not a professional dog trainer.

Choosing Room Colors Change The Way A Space Looks As Well As The Way Furniture Is View

Choosing Room Colors Change The Way A Space Looks As Well As The Way Furniture Is View

by: Roger King

It is important that the color in the different rooms around the house come together logically. Analyze each of the tones; determine which colors, and in what proportions, they complement each other to give the final result.

Here are ten household helpful hints for choosing room colors:

1 Brighten up the darker spaces by painting the walls in pale colors.

2 If you paint a high ceiling a dark color, will make it look lower.

3 A light blue or a gray make a small room seem wider.

4 Use the wall colors to mark off areas according to actives.

5 Red and reddish tones are bold, exciting colors which stimulate movement. They are especially suitable for work areas.

6 Yellows are warm, bright colors, ideal for dark spaces to make us feel cozy.

7 Green is essentially linked to life; it reminds us of nature and...

Choosing Room Colors Change The Way A Space Looks As Well As The Way Furniture Is View

Furniture > Choosing Room Colors Change The Way A Space Looks As Well As The Way Furniture Is View

Do You Know How To Use Window Coverings ?

by: Sarah Peters

Window coverings serve an important role in your home, giving you privacy and also protecting your furniture and d?cor from the harshness of prolonged, direct sunlight. But the range of choices is so wide, including blinds, shades, shutters and curtains, that some homeowners have a hard time deciding which they prefer, or whether they can mix their window coverings according to the room where they are installed.

There are no hard and fast rules about what you should use, versus what you could use. The decision is up to your tastes, preferences, and what works with your decorating scheme. What you decide is great for one room, may not fit in another, so you switch from blinds in the bathroom to window shades in the bedroom, and that is just fine, as long as you are happy with the way the d?cor looks when you're done.

For example, the living room is where most people entertain visitors...

Do You Know How To Use Window Coverings ?

Furniture > Do You Know How To Use Window Coverings ?

Should I Finish My Log Furniture?

by: Mike Messer

The natural look of log furniture is one of the reasons it is becoming a more popular home d?cor not only for the log home market, but other home styles as well. We are frequently asked this question. I want to keep my log furniture looking as natural as possible, should I have it finished? The answer to this is in our opinion is yes. Finishing can change the appearance somewhat depending on the type of wood or finish, but the rewards are well worth it in the long run.

The oils in our hands are easily absorbed by unfinished wood. Of course our hands are never perfectly clean and the dirt is also absorbed right into the wood with the oil leaving soiled areas where your hands frequently touch the furniture. On a bed this is usually either the headboard or the footboard. On dressers, of course the drawer pulls and the edge around the top gets the most handling. If an item is finished, washing is easy....

Should I Finish My Log Furniture?

Furniture > Should I Finish My Log Furniture?

Take Care Of Your Furniture

Take Care Of Your Furniture

by: Jeff Lakie

Your furniture is a huge investment! So is your car and your house. So if you put a lot of work into your car or your house, like getting oil changes or putting in new floors, why would you not do the same with your furniture? Your furniture gets used a lot and you can help maintain its value by following these ideas.

Keep your furniture clean. If it's cloth furniture, you should vacuum it regularly. If it is leather furniture, you should wipe it down and use leather treatment regularly. And if it's made of wood, you need to keep it polished. But what if it has already taken a beating? What can you do then?

If you have wooden furniture you have a few options. Painting is one idea. In fact, two dressers from different manufacturers can be made to look like they are part of a set with a paint job and a new set of handles!

If you do not want to paint your furniture you still have other options....

Take Care Of Your Furniture

Furniture > Take Care Of Your Furniture

When Is It Time to Buy New Furniture

When Is It Time to Buy New Furniture

by: Bob Benson

When is it time to buy new furniture? Take a look around your house and ask yourself these questions:

1. Are your sofa or chair cushions showing signs of wear? If it?s leather, maybe the seat cushions are discolored, lighter in the seat area than the rest of the sofa or chair. If it?s fabric, see if the upholstery threads are pulling apart or discolored. If your furniture is showing signs of wearing, it?s time to consider new furniture or at least slip covering options.

2. Are there holes in your furniture? You might be able to stitch or patch the holes if the rest of the piece is structurally sound. Otherwise, start thinking about new furniture.

3. When you rise from the seat, does the cushion remain sunken? Check the springs to see if that?s the problem. If a broken or stretched spring is the culprit, the problem can probably be repaired, maybe even by yourself if you happen to...

When Is It Time to Buy New Furniture

Furniture > When Is It Time to Buy New Furniture

DVR: Digital Video Recording. What You Need To Know

by: Joe Leech

The Digital Revolution is upon us.... In fact, it?s been

sneaking up on us for a long time with devices such

as calculators, digital watches, and many other

consumer goods, not to mention the devices we

actually use but see very little of. Such devices are

common to us in "the first person" in the form of

many automotive controls in our car, and indirectly

common to us if we...

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Furniture > DVR: Digital Video Recording. What You Need To Know

What to Look For When Buying Athletic Shoes

by: Jeff Lakie

You've finally had to throw out those cross-trainers. They've been your companions through miles of workouts and it breaks your heart to have to dump them. It's been so long since you've had to purchase a new pair, you don't know where to begin. Here's a short guide to help you decide which pair to buy next.

When shopping for athletic shoes, you should already know what sport you will be using...

shoes Furniture The Values of the "Conditioned Response Principle" in Dog Training What to Look For When Buying Athletic Shoes

Furniture > What to Look For When Buying Athletic Shoes

Furniture The Values of the "Conditioned Response Principle" in Dog Training

Hide Your Need For Reading Correction With No Line Bifocal Reading Glasses

by: Steve Cogger

The mention of bifocal glasses can cause one to build a mental picture of an old person, possibly Grandma or Grandpa. The idea that you need bifocals may seem damaging to your ego - you might feel like you are getting old and everyone will notice. This is just not true anymore. New innovations in lenses have produced a new no-line bifocal.

Reading glasses often...

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Furniture > Hide Your Need For Reading Correction With No Line Bifocal Reading Glasses

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