Teach Your Dog to Speak

We already talk to our dogs enough, and many studies actually show that we talk to our dogs more than we talk to our spouses and significant others. Now, it's time to teach our dogs to speak back... Well, sort of...

Dogs bark anyway, so why not train your dog to bark on cue. It's a fun trick that isn't that hard to train. My Pit Bull caught on quickly, but watch out training your dog to speak if you're sitting at the dinner table. It didn't take long and Mia was barking at us while we ate whether she was asked or not, and again, it didn't take long for her to realize she only got a treat if she was asked to bark.

Anyway, you may find an easier way to train your dog to bark on command, but here is a simple method of training your dog to speak.

You'll want to first figure out what's the easiest way to get your dog to bark. Is it going to be having someone knock on the door, teasing him with a favorite toy or treat, ringing the doorbell, etc. Once you've figured out an easy way to get your dog to bark, do it.

You will want to entice your dog to bark, and when he does, praise and treat him. When your dog barks, give a cue so that you're beginning the cue and behavior association.

If you want to make sure that your dog will stop barking on cue, you'll want to entice him to bark, praise, and treat him, and once he's finished swallowing his treat, give a cue to have him stop. Some may choose the 'Shh' gesture, giving it right in front of your dogs face, which will startle him and he'll stop. Praise and treat immediately.

You'll want to repeat the process several times. Eventually, you'll probably start to notice that your dog will bark once and stop, expecting your to 'Shh' him immediately, so you'll want to vary it a bit. You don't want your dog to learn to bark and stop with one cue. You want him to understand what his 'quiet' cue means, so vary up the number of barks preceding the 'Shh' cue.

Once your dog starts to figure out 'speak' and 'shh,' you'll be able to have your bark on command, as well as be quiet when he becomes a nuisance.

Train Your Dog to Fetch

If your dog just can't get the grasp of fetching, then you can teach him. Not all dogs automatically understand the game, but that doesn't mean that they can't learn how to play.

There are different ways that you may consider training your dog how to fetch, here is just one method of training your dog.

Make sure that you have a few toys or items that your dog can play with. It's best to have some of your dog's favorite toys. Once you have the toys ready, it's best to start in a room with little distractions, which means no other pets, foods, toys, etc. Tease your dog with one of the toys until he grabs at it. If your dog gets the toy and tries to run off, that's fine; you'll want to hold up another toy. When your dog loosens grip or drops the one toy, praise and hold out the toy in your hand.

Next, you'll want to wiggle the new toy to make it enticing to grab. Let your dog grab at the toy, while you pick up the other toy on the ground. When the dog drops the one toy, make him reach for the one you've just picked up and let him take it.

Let your dog run off but when he's coming back in your direction with the toy in his mouth, you'll want to praise and hold up the second toy. When the dog drops the toy in his mouth, praise and throw the toy you have at him, and retrieve the one that was just dropped.

Call your dog back to you, and then he gets close hold up the toy you have, when your dog drops the one in his mouth, praise and throw the toy you have past him so he has to run out to get it. Continue repeating this process passing the toys back and forth. Eventually, your dog will start to drop the toy at your feet so that you can throw it.

You don't want to over stimulate your dog. Like any training session, if you make it too much like work, then your dog will quit, so watch for signs of fatigue. The entire process may take days, depending on how fast it takes your dog to grasp the concept of dropping the one toy so to run after the other that you've thrown at him.

Mark Buehrle's Dog is Banned from Miami-Dade County

Mark Buehrle just signed a four-year, $58 million deal with Miami, but one of his four dogs isn't welcome to live in Miami-Dade County. Slater is Buehrle's 18 month old American Staffordshire Terrier, and he falls under the specifics as a 'pitbull'.

Miami-Dade County has had their pit bull ban in effect since 1989, which Buehrle wasn't aware of when he signed his contract with the Miami Marlins. He has said that he wouldn't have signed with the Marlins if he hadn't been able to find a housing alternative for Slater and the rest of the family.

Mark Buehrle was headlined at wishing Vick hurt, but like any other dog lover, he avoided the ban by moving to Broward County. There's just a longer commute to the field, but Buehrle gets to keep his beloved blue dog.

Buehrle speaks out against pit bulls bans, saying "it's kind of ridiculous that because of the way a dog looks, people will ban it. Every kind of dog has good and bad, and that depends on the handlers. If you leave a dog outside all the time, it'll be crazy. Slater would never do anything harmful.''

Jamie and Mark adopted Slater after Mrs. Buehrle fell in love with the pup while working with an animal rescue group. Slater fits in wonderfully with the three Viszlas that the family has- Diesel, Drake, and Duke.

Slater even fits in well when he's taken to various stadiums where his dad plays.

This case had a happy ending where Buehrle did not have to give up his beloved dog, but only moved to a county that accepts his dog.

This is one more case to bring attention to unnecessary pitbull bans. Not everyone has the ability to find a nearby county that will accept their dogs, but for those who can, it's much easier to move than to lose a beloved pet who has not done anything to deserve the hatred that it receives.