Using the Term Aggression to Label Domestic Dogs is Just Name Calling!

I hear the phrase "my dog is aggressive" or "my dog is being dominant" all too often. Before jumping to conclusions and "diagnosing" the dog, its my job, as a certified professional dog trainer, to sift through the subjectiveness and labels that go along with what the human is trying to describe. I want to know what the dog is actually doing, not what he or she might be thinking.

I know there are folks out there claiming to be pet psychics - well, Im not one of them. I dont read minds, of humans or of dogs, so I like to rely on good old fashioned science for developing a dog training plan. Is this a "cold" approach? Hmm, thats subjective too. I like to think of it more as a realistic, simple approach that can get the job done!

You want behaviors changed right? You want your dog to be or act a certain way, right? So why not get there the easiest way possible? This way, you can have more time playing and having fun with your dog, versus trying to figure out if theyre trying to take over the world. How can it be done? Simple:

1. What is your dog doing now? Describe it! Paint a picture.
2. What would you rather have your dog do instead? Describe it!
3. What do you need to do to their environment to help get them there? Set your dog up for success, not failure!
4. How do you need to let your dog know she or he made the right choice? Reward your dog for the desired behavior!

See how simple it can be? Sure you do! Now, go out there and do it! Even for fun, just practice with one behavior your dog already knows, but train him or her to perform that behavior in a different place.

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How To Teach Your Dog To Recognize Their Name

This is exactly how to teach your dog to recognize their name.


It is actually very simple if you know it, you just need to use these same principals!! They are indeed simple!


When you say his name pair it with a treat! Vary the degree of greatness of the treat, one time it might be a biscuit and sometimes it might be chicken breast or liver!!! Not knowing how fantastic the treat may be helps give your dog the motivation to pay attention or com jogging! 

ALWAYS make it a huge deal as well as a wonderful affair when your dog comes to you or to his name! This is a time for celebration and fun! His name and coming when called can save his life someday so you need him as reliable as feasible!!


NEVER, EVER, NEVER do evil things or things your dog may deem evil to your dog when you call him; if he hates his crate dont crate him, dont trim his nails, dont give him a bath, dont reprimand him! Bad things make your dog need to keep away from you. In the event you need to do these things go to your dog or teach him that doing them means the rewards will be phenomenal but dont use his name, you dont need it!


NEVER (am I able to say that again?), NEVER, EVER, NEVER use your dogs name as some kind of verbal correction!!! I do know its tempting. "BUUUSTER recover from here NOW!" is not something that makes your dog need to come to you. This negativity teaches your dog that his name is actually a bad thing!!! You NEVER need your dog to associate his name with bad or negative things; this will teach him to keep away from you when you say his name, which is the opposite of what you need!


After your puppy has learned his name you can start to fade this training but you have built the foundation that his name equals something wonderful. Not everyone wishes their dog to drop everything when they listen to their name; they prefer the name as an attention getting mechanism so that more information can be imparted. If this is the path you pick you can fade his jogging to you and reward him taking a look at you and waiting for more information. Or you can continue this training and your dog will likely run to you everytime you use his name!

In the beginning use his name and pair it with a treat, Buster=treat, Buster=treat. You get the idea right? In the event you adhere to this plan or put it in to action beginning today you will notice a HUGE improvement in your dogs responsiveness! Its simple and it is common sense. 


You will later use the same ideals to teach your dog to recognize their name and COME when called.

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And her name is

......... drum roll please..........................Zola! I tried coming up with a good J name to go along with Jack and Jenny but none of them sounded right. She just seemed like a Zola to me. I know a human Zola who is simply fabulous. I think she will find my choice amusing. Now I need to get her a tag with her name on it.

It turns out she is sicker than the shelter realized. She is now on a couple of medications to help push the toxins out of her body and support her liver function. Based on her bile acid test she has a serious shunt. The good news is that the medications arent expensive. They should help her feel better and want to play more. It should also help her coordination so she stops bumping into things. She has moments where she seems very normal and others where you think, wow she isnt right! Her eye is also not healing as well as it should. We are going to try something new tomorrow involving serum that sounds interesting. Hopefully it works. She has to hold off on breakfast until after we can get some blood drawn for tests. She isnt going to be happy with me in the morning I am sure! But we gotta do what we gotta do to make her feel better. Tonight I learned that if you wake her for her pill she will yawn which makes the task easier. Has anyone ever tried to pry open a pugs mouth that didnt cooperate? Its not easy!
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I am so grateful that Jenny and Jack seem to be doing ok with her. Jenny is interested yet respectful. Tho she did have to school the puppy in "stay the hell away from me with my kong!". Thankfully puppy backed off. Jack is also keeping his distance for the most part. They did have a short game of tug the other day that was cute. She got pushy over the toy so he walked away. He was raised by a fiesty frenchie so he knows when it is prudent to end a game.
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The day I picked her up we also started 2 new dogs at the prison. The first is Erica. She is listed as a pit mix but honestly I dont see it. I see hound and maybe mountain cur. I have a friend with a cur and one of the traits I noticed was that they both have the same hairy belly. (I have photos of this on my camera but you can see my previous post here: http://k-9solutionsdogtraininginc.blogspot.com/2008/11/has-anyone-ever-seen-this-before.html Birdie was identified as a mountain cur when she was traveling through West Virginia on a road trip after this post was written.)

 The other is Blue. You can see why he got his name. He is a husky lab mix though in person his muzzle looks very shepherd to me.

So with the puppy and new dogs AND two new handlers, on top of my regular work and clients, you can see I have had a very busy week. Puppies dont sleep in very late you know.
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Because I have been a "blogging slacker" todays post will be long since Im not finished yet. Since Christmas is coming I am keeping my eye out for interesting dog items that might fit the "perfect gift" bill.  My co-worker is drooling over this snazzy new product. It is called the release and run collar. http://www.myraddog.com/rnr.html It is a collar with a retractable leash included. She regularly runs with her dogs and has to loop her leash over her while she runs. (with the dog off leash) With this product instead of having to carry the leash the dog does it for you! It coils up inside the dogs own collar. I think it is pretty brilliant.
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I personally am lusting over this jacket: http://www.letsgodesign.net/ Its a little pricey but look how perfect it is for someone like me! It would be even better with my new logo embroidered on the back and left breast. I wonder if I could write it off as a training expense? Hmmm
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Want something not as practical but beautiful? Well slide on over here: http://www.chrisrobindesigns.com/ I have a pawprint ring from him that I love. I used to be very into jewelry in my younger days and I can tell you that their stuff is amazing.
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Looking for something for your dog? Or maybe a different kind of jewelry piece? Try this site: http://www.fetchingtags.net/ I LOVE their tags! I just get hung up trying to think of the perfect word or saying for my own dogs. And check out their blog for their awesome bracelets. http://www.fetchingtags.net/blog/
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Those are just a few things Ive seen lately that look interesting. Ill try to post more potential treasures as I find them.

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And her name is Jenny too

Check out our newest addition to the K-9 Corrections program. She is a redbone coonhound mix about 5 months old. Dont forget you can also follow the dogs (and handlers) progress on facebook. Special thanks to The Loyal Biscuit Co. for the donation of some great martingale collars for the dogs on the program. We appreciate the support!!

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