Here is the Winner of the Seventh Whippet Picture Contest!

Tank the Whippet!

Find out here everything about Tank and his two German shepherds companions and enjoy all the entries of this contest.

Tank wins a lovely whippet leather collar handmade in Spain.

If you didn't win, do not despair!

Another edition of the Whippet Photo Contest is already up and running, click on the link to enter your pictures and stories, we can't wait to receive them!

The prize this time is a beautiful tan sighthound leather collar.

So, warm up your cameras and start taking whippet pictures!

To win this wonderful collar, send your pictures with a short story here and let everybody know about your picture.

Once your page is live share it with the Facebook and Twitter buttons at the end of the page. Simply click on them. There's nothing to download or install.

Facebook your page, Tweet it, tell your friends and family to give your page a comment, the entry with most comments wins the collar!

We are waiting for your favorite pictures!

Make your whippet a star for a day (or longer) by entering a picture in the Dog of the Day and see your pooch in our homepage!

Here is our featured article

Whippets, Italian Greyhounds and Dog Agility

Whippets and Italian greyhounds can be trained for dog agility with patience and consistence. Find out how to make your miniature greyhound an agility champion.

Buy This at Allposters.com

Italian Greyhound Training in Agility
By Lea Mullins

Anyone that has ever spent time with any of the sighthounds, which includes Italian greyhounds and whippets, knows that obedience is not something always easily accomplished. That doesn't mean that these dogs cannot or should not be trained!

One of the sports that might be most ideal for these miniature greyhounds is agility.

Agility is a fast-paced, fun, and addictive sport that really bonds a handler to his dog and relies on not just spoken commands but also body language.

Agility requires a fast, agile dog and a dog that can learn to follow your lead. Training IGs for agility takes advantage of the dog's natural quickness (sighthounds are some of the fastest dogs in the world) and his agility. Getting him to follow commands takes a bit more time!

Basic Training

Italian greyhounds, like most sighthounds, are very sensitive. You cannot be a heavy handed or harsh dog trainer or the dog will not work for you. Any kind of training you do with these dogs must be positive, upbeat, and motivational.

Use higher pitched voices, happy body language, and a lot of reward. Not all Italian greyhounds will work well for food, but try to determine what food items your dog most values. Don't be afraid to use very high value food items like chicken as it might be necessary.

Especially in agility, Italian greyhounds can utilize their natural instinct to chase small moving objects. Create a lure stick by tying a small fuzzy toy onto a pole with a light rope. This can be used as a reward for any type of training, but it will work well for agility.

How to Do Training in Agility

Most of agility is about constant movement over jumps, through tunnels, up obstacles, and weaving through poles. Some dogs can easily be taught these maneuvers with food, and if your Italian greyhound is very food motivated, you can go that route as well.

But, this won't work for all of them or all of the time. Instead, make it a game using your lure toy. Use the toy to begin teaching skills by luring the dog or enticing him to follow your toy. It can be used for almost every obstacle and command in agility. Allow your dog to catch the toy at the end of the behavior and even play a short tug game, if he likes tug.

As he understands the skills, begin switching from luring with the toy to using it only as a reward at the completion of a behavior. Italian greyhound training utilizing a motivation that is very powerful for most of the breed really helps make the sport fun and teaches the dog the necessary skills.

Final Thoughts:
Don't worry if your dog doesn't take to the course or sport as quickly as the nearest Border Collie. Once he gets the hang of it, your Italian greyhound will find it to be quite fun. Just keep it light and fun. Don't get frustrated or angry and remember to reward him through motivation for the most success.

Lea Mullins provides Italian Greyhound Training advice. Check out TrainPetDog.com to learn more about Italian Greyhound Training.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lea_Mullins

https://EzineArticles.com/?Italian-Greyhound-Training-in-Agility&id=3631339

I hope you enjoyed this issue of The Whippeteer.

Visit the TheWhippet.net frequently as we are constantly updating our site with information, resources and tips for the dog lover.

I would like to thank here all our readers whether they are regular visitors or new to the site and especially all the contributors to our pages.

They all made my job more rewarding and our site more interesting for everyone.

All your contributions are really appreciated! Visit us soon at TheWhippet.net!