Savvy Dog Owners Make Dog Training Class Rewarding

I LOVE my "job"! Being a certified professional dog trainer has so many rewarding elements. I get to:

• Work with dogs
• Work with dog guardians
• Help the human-canine relationship through better bonding.
• Help problems be resolved through fun and rewarding techniques.

I really appreciate people taking the time to be inquisitive. Just last night at my Canine College dog training class over at Ventura College Community Education a couple of students stayed after asking about some dog behavior issues theyre having. I find questions quite rewarding, especially when the answers really help dog guardians see a solution, instead of just the problem.

It seems that "dog aggression" is still a hot topic - and one that many dog owners all too often misunderstand. This family was concerned with their dogs behavior towards other dogs. Their dog would bark, lunge, growl at other dogs while on leash. They wanted to know how to "correct" their dogs behavior. I went through my little check list, taking a brief history and explained a little about normal dog behavior, and the fact that us as humans are really not much different. In brief, this is what I went over:

• "Aggression" is a very subjective term. A "construct" in the applied behavior analysis world. We often tend to try and figure out what the dog is thinking, versus what they are doing (or not doing) when we use labels like this. So I tend to stay away from them whenever possible.
• Barking, lunging and growling are normal ways for dogs to express themselves. Just like us talking, screaming, crying... With dogs, this type of behavior is often a result of "fear". Whether it be fear of something specific, fear of the unknown or fear of not being able to get away from something they dont like, or fear of not being able to defend themselves - leashes can get in the way of dogs expressing themselves through their body language.
• Distance: it sounded like this dog had what are known as "proximity issues". He only responded in this way when other dogs were at a specific distance to him. Otherwise he was fine - personal space is important, and each animal, human and non-human has their own specific personal space. Being on leash he might feel he cannot escape or get away from something (or someone or another dog), so he reacts in order to move whatever is near him away.
• Dogs have feelings and they are valid! This means, if their dog is upset, then telling him hes wrong to feel a certain way and that he is a "bad dog" for being upset would be like me telling these folks that they shouldnt be upset, and that theyre wrong for ever being upset about something. We all agreed that being told our feelings arent valid would NOT make us less upset - it would more than likely make the person even angrier, or more upset! I saw the lightbulb go on over their heads...it was lovely!

So, whats the solution? Simple:

• Give their dog something else to do!
• Determine what behavior they want their dog doing, and reward them for that!
• Whenever their dog behaves the way they want around other dogs, acknowledge that and reward him!
• Throw a steak or chicken party whenever another dog is around - but only when other dogs are around. With time and consistency, their beloved four legged friend will begin to associate other dogs with fabulous things for himself - then hell want other dogs to be near him all of the time.

Training your dog doesnt need to be complicated. The simpler we make it, and the better we understand our dogs, the faster we can get to our goals!

Read More..

Pet Owners May Have a Healthier Heart

What a happy news indeed that you pet owners may have a Healthier Heart!


It’s well known that owning a pet has many health benefits. However, a new study reported in the American Journal of Cardiology shows that pet owners with chronic ailments may even have healthier, more adaptable hearts. 


The study followed people with conditions such as diabetes and high cholesterol and found that they had more changes in heart rate than people without pets during the same period of time, indicating that they were more adaptable and would therefore less likely to be less taxed under certain circumstances; for instance, high-stress situations. Previous studies suggest several reasons why pet owners may have healthier hearts. 

If you own a dog, you’re likely engaging in more exercise and physical activity, faring better against commonly more sedentary non-pet owners. 


Also, according to findings compiled from psychologists at Miami University and St. Louis University and published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, both dog and cat owners have been linked to lower levels of anxiety and stress. Perhaps these are also correlated with the other emotional benefits gained from their furry companions, including fewer tendencies toward loneliness and higher self-esteem.

 

 

Regardless of whether or not you are a pet owner, following heart-healthy habits is the best way to help ensure long-term wellness and help prevent heart disease, including maintaining a healthy weight, managing stress, eating well, and regularly checking cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Yes, so although you pet owners may have a Healthier Heart, you could check out High-Rite™ which helps maintain blood pressure already within normal range, plus promotes complete cardiovascular health.

Read More..

Dog Behavior Down on the Farm Causes Issues With Owners

My sidekick Poncho the dog and I received a dog behavior advice question from an inquisitive canine named Kia. This lucky dog lives on a lovely coffee farm in Hawaii where, in addition to the coffee, there are avocado trees and wild pigs.

Seems these environmental conditions have resulted in plentiful amounts of avocados for Kia to hunt and dine on, as well as piles of pig poop to roll in. Poncho, being an inquisitive canine, confirmed that this is the ideal place for a dog! I mean, how much fun is it to have your own "entertainment center" (aka: enrichment) right outside your front door? Snacks and one doggone fun activity such as rolling in nasty stinky stuff.

As you can see from these photos, Poncho likes to "rock n roll"

too! Maybe because hes smaller and easy for me to bathe I allow him to roll in whatever he finds appealing - as a matter of fact Ill use it as a reward if I can! I call these "environmental rewards" or "real life" rewards.

For instance when were out on a walk he sees something interesting and starts showing signs of wanting to roll. For Poncho this includes: lots of sniffing, followed by scratching the area with one of his front paws, more sniffing, scratching, then rubbing the side of his face against the surface. If he likes what hes "sensing" then he starts his rolling....

If hes on leash Ill ask for a behavior first, like "watch me", sit or "touch" - then Ill send him off to roll, after Ive given him his release cue of "okay". This allows Poncho to be a dog, but still minding his loose leash walking manners - as opposed to just pulling me wherever he wants.

The guardians of Kia can use this same training plan. Allow Kia to roll in the pig poop, but only when shes been given the cue to do so. (And shes had clearance from her veterinarian that its okay to roll in that stuff).

A few other training tips for both the rolling and avocado issue Id recommend are:

• Reward Kia every time she ignores an avocado or pile of stench. And I mean reward! More than just a “Good dog!” Set it up where you are actively walking Kia near to where these items are, and whenever she looks at one and ignores it, throw a party!
• If she goes towards either of these items, use the “Leave it!” cue, lure her away from whichever item you want her to ignore, then reward her.
• If Kia decides the item in question is more motivating, give her a “Time out!” penalty - put her on leash for 20 seconds or so. But then let her off leash so you can give her another chance to make the preferred choice.

Lastly, management of a dogs environment is key when setting him or her up for success! A farm filled with a bounty of avocados and piles of stinky stuff to roll in is an ideal place for total fun! Its unfair of us to expect they wouldnt want to go and explore, so we need to take the time to teach our dogs what we want in a way that he or she would understand.

Read More..