INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Rub the cube directly over your skin till you feel numb and the cube melts. Try to work with only one or two cubes if possible, to avoid having them melt all over the place. Consider holding each cube with a clean washcloth. As the cube melts, it will be absorbed by the washcloth, reducing further mess. Do this for a while after you've noticed the burn. The cubes will slowly melt but provide longer relief. Keep a dry towel nearby to catch the melting liquid. Once you've used your aloe vera cubes and treated the burn, avoid rubbing your burn with a towel. Instead, let your skin dry naturally. If you plan to use the entire tray, dump the cubes into a separate bowl you can maintain in the freezer. Then refill the tray and freeze so you have another round on hand.

SUMMARY: Apply one cube to the affected area the minute (or even before) you feel pain. Wrap several cubes in a thin towel and hold over the affected area. Allow the burn to air dry. Refill your ice cube tray for future use.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Not every training day is going to be perfect, but don’t get frustrated and don’t take it out on your dog. Adjust your own behavior and attitude to encourage your dog’s ability and confidence to learn. If you have a calm mood, generally your dog will, too.  If the dog becomes afraid of your bad mood, s/he will not learn anything new. S/he'll only learn to be wary and not trust you. Dog training classes and a good trainer can help you improve your behavior which will translate to success with your dog. All dogs have different temperaments. Just like kids, different breeds learn differently and at different rates. Some dogs are stubborn and will challenge you at every turn. Others will bend over backwards to please you. You may need to adjust your training techniques to meet the need of your dog’s temperament. Dogs don’t understand long-term cause and effects. They learn fast. You must praise or reward your dog within 2 seconds of a desired behavior to reinforce that behavior. If you wait too long, s/he will not associate the reward with the action you asked him to perform.  Furthermore, you must make sure that your praise is fast enough to be accurate. Otherwise, you may reward behaviors that you don't want. Imagine, for example, that you are teaching your dog the “sit” command. S/he sits for just a moment, but by the time you praise and reward him/her, s/he's started standing back up. In this case, you are rewarding the standing behavior, not the sitting behavior. Clicker training is a method of delivering immediate praise with the help of a clicker. You can click faster than you can give a treat or pet your dog's head. As such, clicker training reinforces good behavior fast enough for a dog's learning speed. It works by creating a positive association between the click sound and rewards. Eventually, your dog will consider the sound of the clicker itself reward enough for good behavior. You can apply the principle of clicker training to any dog command.  Click the clicker device, then immediately give the dog a treat. This creates a positive association with the click sound. Later, that sound will “mark” a behavior as correct so the dog knows that s/he did something right. When the dog performs a desired behavior, make the click sound, then give him a treat.  Once s/he's performing that behavior consistently, you can give the behavior a command name. Begin tying the command and the behavior together with the help of the clicker. For example, before you ever teach your dog the "sit" command, give the click sound, a treat, and praise when you find him/her sitting. When s/he begins sitting just to get the treats, start saying the word "sit" to get him/her into position. Pair it with the click sound to reward him/her. Eventually, s/he will learn that sitting in response to the "sit" command will earn him/her a click reward. Your dog won’t understand what you want from him/her if his/her environment lacks consistency. Everyone who lives with your dog should understand and be on board with his/her training goals. For example, if you are training your dog not to jump on people, don’t let the kids allow the dog jump all over them. This will undermine all the training you’ve done.  Make sure everyone uses the exact commands your dog learns in training. S/he doesn’t speak English, and can’t tell the difference between “sit” and “sit down.” Using those terms interchangeably will only confuse him/her. Because s/he won’t make a clear connection between a single command and a single action, his/her response to the command will be hit or miss. Small treats help motivate your dog to learn his/her training. The treat needs to be small, tasty, and easily chewed. You don't want it to  interrupt the training session or make them full too quickly. Consider how long it takes to chew a hard treat versus a semi-moist treat like “Bill Jack” or “Zuke’s Mini Naturals.” Treats about the size of a pencil eraser head are enough to get the positive point across, and you don't have to wait long for your dog to eat it. When teaching difficult or important a command, use a “high value” treat to raise the stakes for him/her. Examples include freeze-dried liver, roasted chicken breast chunks, or slices of turkey lunch meat. As the dog learns the command, phase out the high value treats and bring them back as needed to advance your training, but always give him/her praise. Don't feed as large a meal as usual a few hours before training your dog. The more your dog wants the treat, the more focused s/he'll be on the task s/he needs to perform to get it. Even if the training session did not go well and your dog didn't catch on to a new command, end on something that you can praise him/her for. By ending the training session with a command s/he's already mastered, the last thing s/he remembers will be your love and praise. If your dog barks at you when you don't want him/her to, just ignore him/her until s/he stops, and then reward him/her with praise. Sometimes they bark at you for attention, while other times it may be out of frustration.  Do not throw a ball or toy. This only teaches him/her that if he barks, s/he'll get you to do something s/he wants. Don't yell at the dog to be quiet, as this rewards him/her with attention.

SUMMARY:
Manage your expectations and mood. Keep your dog’s temperament in mind. Give immediate rewards. Consider clicker training. Be consistent. Always reward success and good behavior with praise, and sometimes a small treat. Use "high value" treats when needed. Train on an empty stomach. Always end training on a positive note. Discourage barking.