The One Year Old Dog Can You Get Past This Destructive Stage Part 1

My son was at a birthday party recently when one of the moms wanted to know if she could ask me a dog question. (This happens quite often actually. Once someone finds out that I train dogs, they almost always want to ask my advice... which Im happy to give.)

She wanted to know what to do about a dog that was starting to chew things up. My question was, "Is your dog a year old?" She looked surprised and said yes. 

I cant tell you how many times I am contacted by owners of a one year old dog (or close to a year old). Just when people think they are past the crazy puppyhood stage and their dog is in his or her now mostly grown body and therefore must surely be starting to act like an adult dog, whamo! Surprise! Your couch is gone! Your new shoes are in shreds. Your sprinkler system is in pieces. You have a new hole to China in your backyard. Your remote control has been molded into a new shape by canine teeth. I mean, cmon, a remote control? How could a dog possibly find that tasty?

One of the first things I tell people who own a young puppy, like 4-5 months old, is that the stage they are in is called the teething stage... goodbye sharp puppy teeth (yay!), hello dull adult teeth (yay... for the moment!). But this is NOT the worst stage. This is NOT the chewing, destructive stage. Save that for the one year old dog. 

Ever been to an animal shelter? Ever looked into the eyes of the eternally hopeful, wondering what they did wrong, why their families abandoned them? Ever noticed that the vast majority of those dogs are around 1-2 years old? Most people dont realize how destructive dogs can be at that age and simply put, they are unwilling to accept it or do anything to help solve the problem. Bye bye, Fido! You ate our kitchen cabinets and now you can be someone elses problem... and thats if youre lucky enough to get out of the shelter.

The most important thing to realize is that almost all dogs will chew and be destructive. (I mean, there are web sites dedicated to Dog Shaming so you know if you own a destructive dog, its not just you!) But it wont last forever! There is a light at the end of the tunnel! And although you may not be able to bi-pass this stage completely, you can get past it with minimal damage if you do the right things. 

To find out how you can survive this stage, stay tuned for Part 2 of this blog. 

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You CAN teach an old dog man new tricks!

Okay, let me first say hes NOT OLD! My "man" that is... But, he can learn new things... Yep, three years after becoming a trainer and establishing The Inquisitive Canine, a year and a half since opening the studio...and my own husband, father of our dog, love of my life, supporter of all I get into, has finally signed up for one of my classes with our dog Poncho! I couldnt believe it... but he said he finally believes that 1) the training does work, and 2) he needs to learn some of these techniques so Poncho will perform the same behaviors with him as he does with me. 

For years Ive said that dogs dont generalize (perform same behavior in similar situations) - and that we need to re-teach them in any new situation. A new place, person (different person training), situation etc... you have to re-teach the dog...its as simple as that. Im not too sure what finally sent my hubby over the edge of not being convinced to actually "believing", but Im thrilled hes finally there! And that he is excited about coming to class and learning... He even filled out his goal sheet and is reading through his workbook! 

I have to say, this has made my day - and is SO rewarding to me! I love how we positively reinforce one another - makes for a great relationship... Now Id better go catch him in the act of doing what I love and reward him for it! (husband and the dog)... 

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You Dont Have To Be Cruel To Be Klnd

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You Don’t Have To Be Cruel To Be Kind

October 5, 2009 by admin
Filed under Featured, Getting Ready to Train Your Dog

1 Comment

There is a very commonly used phrase that most of us have heard and many have used, which goes as follows: “You have to be cruel to be kind”. Others among us will look at that phrase, or hear it said, and point out the inherent flaw in it. You do not have to be cruel to be kind. You have to be cruel to be cruel, and kind to be kind. In actual fact, cruelty and kindness are very rarely mutually applicable. Getting that straight will sort out a lot of problems, in life and when training your dog.
Now, certainly, there are times when you will need to be stern with your dog. Sometimes it will exhibit behaviors that you would really rather it did not. Some owners will tend towards the cruel side of things when punishing these behaviors, often punishing their dog with a physical blow. It should be recognised that punishing a dog consistently with physical reprimands will lead simply to either a hostile dog who will lash out without warning, or a lifeless dog which is scared to do anything for fear of reprisal.
There will be times when you need to reprimand your dog physically. A quick tap can often suffice when it is behaving in a threatening manner without good reason. Restraining it by the collar when it goes to attack a person or another animal is fine. But by beating your dog, all you are doing is removing the essential element of all pet-owner relationships – friendship.

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7 Tips You Must Know Before Training Your Chihuahua

Training your Chihuahua to be your Best Bud

We have all seen the tiny Chiwawa, small enough to fit in the crook of your arm but mighty enough to take on an intruder ten times its size. The Chi dog is a special breed of dog that craves attention and will strive very hard to make you happy. But just like any other dog, attitude comes with discipline and puppy training is the key.

Start with the Number One Basic Rule

The first sixteen weeks of your Chihuahua s life are very formidable. Since many live to be eighteen years old, what you do in the beginning can shape them into either a personable companion or a snippy little tyrant. Dogs are all creatures of their heredity when they used to run in packs and every pack has a leader. Puppy training your Chiwawa to recognize you, as the leader is the very first thing that they need to learn to put them at ease.

How do I know my Chihuahua is Happy with Puppy Training?

The Chi dog is intelligent and attentive to its leader, which is you. Beginning with potty training, spend the necessary time, encouraging and praising your dog and reward with treats. Be careful not to fuss over your Chi dog and do not reward unless an order is obeyed. When one puppy-training goal has been reached, move on to the next. Crate training is important in establishing their territory and when praised and rewarded, your dog will look forward to learning a new lesson. Remember, when you are happy, your Chiwawa is happy.

The Chihuahua , A Social Butterfly

Socialization and obedience is part of puppy training. Your Chiwawa needs to know what is expected of them in public and around other dogs and people. This is a huge step in building your bond that will last a lifetime. You will begin to form as a team, each knowing the others moves, just like a best friend. Your dog wants to be a huge part of your life and going on outings can be a real treat for both of you when your Chi dog is trained to interact well with others.

Should I let my Chihuahua have the Run of the House?

A Chiwawa does not like to be alone but you cant take him/her to work with you or to church. Puppy training to stay alone without anxiety separation is another hurdle that must be jumped. Remember, you are the leader and your Chi needs guidance as to what his/her role is when you are away. With proper training, your dog will not be afraid, anxious or angry upon your leaving. It will just be a part of the routine to go to the crate when you need to depart.

Keeping your Chihuahua Healthy

Do not overfeed your Chiwawa. An overweight dog gets tired and sluggish and is bad for their health and attitude. Dogs are not people and their systems do not react the same as ours. You are doing damage when sharing your food or overfeeding because you think they are hungry. Get tips on the proper weight from your vet and stick to it. Having a Chi as your best bud can be very rewarding for a long time for both of you when proper puppy training is correctly put into action.

Last thing - Be Consistent in Your Puppy Training!

I cant stress how important it is to be consistent in training your Chi. If you allow your Chi to bite and tear an old t-shirt, you are actually expecting it to do the same thing your beautiful dinner gown one day. They do not know how to differentiate which fabric is allowed to bite and which is not.
to your success in dogtraining

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Its all in how you look at it training versus a chore

Heres a question (or two) for all of you dog folks out there:

Do you exercise with your dog? Do you look at walking your dog as a chore? or something fun to do together...? A nice break in the day if you will...

I realized that just like me and my running, setting a goal is a great way to stay motivated. I looked around for a dog-friendly race so Poncho and I could go together, and lucky for us we found a few... Thank you Santa Barbara Athletic Association! So now Im not only taking Poncho for walkies, but were actually in training! At least thats how Im looking at it... 

I wonder if that "Moms in Motion" group will start a sub-group called "Dog Moms in Motion"? Ive asked... and have been ignored... bummer... I bet theyd get a lot more people signing up!

What are your goals with your pets when it comes to "exercise"?

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The Polite Pooch Puppy Training Ideas You Dont Desire To Miss

If you wish to start training your dog but arent sure how, then your search is over. One of the best things you can do to learn to train your pet dog, is always to learn just as much information as possible about how to train your pet dog. The information in this post which can help you train your puppy the easiest way possible.

Should you be looking to crate train your pet or puppy you must realise that you could not expect them so as to hold their bladders for extremely extended periods. You have to provide times to enable them to visit the bathroom. They dont would like to go in their special place. So, it depends on you to deal with them. It wasnt their fault it was yours when they have a accident dont get mad their way.

With aggressive dogs it is best to begin slowly. Aggressive dogs see themselves because the dominant role from the pack and attempting for taking that role from their store too rapidly can lead to a poor response from your animal. To prevent bites or difficulty, take small steps in establishing yourself because the pack leader.

When feeding your pet dog, always expect your dog to be in a calm state and ready to eat. Hyper activity at feeding time is not going to allow the pet to correctly address feeding rituals. Create a ritual of your calm animal who sits and waits patiently that you should give food. Following this behavior is taught, your pet dog probably will begin sitting patiently when you prepare their food.

Be in control when you reward your dogs good behavior. Soon after your pet acts according to your command, reward him. This helps to calm the animal and reinforce your training efforts. However, you might feel completely pleased, overcome your reaction to avoid obtaining your training situation become uncontrolled. Remain calm, expect the dog to become calm and give appropriate rewards.

The simplest way to exercise them using this behavior could possibly be to merely remove the dog through the situation if you have your dog that begs. Shutting your dog out from the room at mealtimes keeps them from pestering you when you eat, and removes the temptation so that you can surrender to that particular cute face.

Its not all proper dog training must involve food based treats. Some dog breeds respond safer to non-edible rewards. These rewards could very well include stuffed toys, rawhide bones, or rope toys. They may also have an added benefit from giving your and you also dog a fresh activity to take pleasure from together.

Dogs are commonly referred to as "mans good friend," but if they are unruly and untrained they could be a nightmare. It can be definitely much easier to train a puppy, although the old adage that you cannot teach old dogs new tricks is false. Dogs are ultimately pack animals which is necessary for a dog owner to be the first choice of that particular pack.

Properly trained dogs are happy dogs and dogs that happen to be trained make for happy pet owners. It is a win-win situation. It commences with house-training and moves onto figuring out how to walk over a leash, though training your pet dog takes time. Simple commands such as return, sit and heel are very important for virtually any dogs safety. It should take lots of work from your owner regardless, although people who own dogs can see pet trainers via their local big box pet shop or perhaps the veterinarian. A dog that is certainly well trained constitutes a happier pet and happy pet owner.

Ignoring your dogs barking is an effective method of getting him to quit. When your dog barks, he wants attention of some sort. Should you give it to him, this will encourage him to keep. Instead try looking away and pretending he isnt there. When he quiets down, reward him having a pat around the head.

Underestimating the necessity of good exercise will cramp your dogs training style. If they will not get enough exercise outside training they can be very likely to be distracted or higher excited and result in the session being frustrating for all, naturally, all dogs have to run, chase and play just to release energy so.

Never treat your pet dog as a person. Many owners coddle their dogs just as if these were children, and that only confuses your dog. Training a pet dog is utterly different than teaching a kid. Dogs should be taught to behave being a dog and expect you to definitely behave as a dog at the same time after it is necessary.

For dogs that usually pull, take into account the equipment you might be using. The neck may be the strongest element of a dogs body, so walking dogs on collars will only work with dogs that are already very mellow. A head halter or perhaps appropriate harness will help for pulling dogs. Harnesses should clip in the front, as ones that clip from the back may encourage pulling more.

Begin training your dog when they are young if you can. A skill that may be taught in early stages is normally learned faster and much easier compared to a skill which is introduced with a later age. Moreover, older dogs have often acquired quite a few negative behaviors during the period of their life these behaviors should be undone just before the training process may start.

If your dog has a problem with excessive barking, pay attention to the environment and situation. If you understand these triggers, you are going to better understand how to stop the behavior. Ask a pal to assist you to using this behavior when you notice that the dog barks despite visitors have arrived and settled in at your home.

With the information you learned in this post you should currently have knowledge that can be used towards training your pet dog to the best of your skill. If you use what youve just learned to the best of what you can do then you should be well on your way towards owning an obedient dog.

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What do YOU expect

I read an article recently over at Ruffly Speaking that has been percolating in my head awhile. That happens alot. I read something and it gets stuck in my head and drifts around gathering other thoughts to go along with it. Then I need to regurgitate it so I can be free again. Lucky you gets to read the result. It was about our expectations of dogs. What do we now consider a well trained dog? With the face of training having changed so much in the last few years has this affected our expectations at all? Do we expect more or less from our dogs? I thought I would go through the questions from the post and answer them here. A) Because they are great questions and B) Because I couldnt seem to get my comments to post there. (which was frustrating)

1) Is it in fact normal for dogs to endlessly tolerate everything? No. That is not normal behavior and I do think some people expect dogs to tolerate far to much. They are not stuffed animals for kids to poke and prod as they like. They are living creatures with their own language, which humans ignore far to often out of ignorance. Growling is good! It means the dog is uncomfortable so get away from it. People need to STOP punishing this behavior in dogs! I raised both of my kids with the sentence "If the dog bites you its your fault, so leave them alone." I also used baby gates to give the dogs an area away from the kids when I felt it was needed. (and taught the dog to jump it to get away when they wanted to as well)


2) Are we insisting that dogs be perfect when they’re not in fact perfect? Where is the place for the dog who’s just plain grouchy, and it’s not a training error but personality? I think some people are expecting that perfection, yes. I think there is a place for grouchy dogs but hopefully it is in a home where the owner knows the dogs personality so they can keep them safe. Grumpy dogs dont want to be social so dont force them to be.


3) Are we doing justice to owners by implying that this new expectation of behavior is valid for all dogs? (To use a specific example, saying that we can “help” their terrier not chase cats, or “help” their chow not react to other dogs.) I think a trainers job is to explain to owners how dogs communicate and teach them why dogs do what they do so they understand their dog better. That is more helpful to the dog in the long run. Giving the dog some skills can help make living with their issues easier OR teach the owners some management skills. No, we are not doing anyone justice with a blanket statement about what we can teach all dogs. It is a case by case issue because all dogs are individuals. Every owner has certain expectations. Sometimes we as trainers need to readjust them slightly to meet with the reality of the dog they actually have.

4) Why exposure and not avoidance? That is, if you have a dog who lunges at other dogs, why is the answer to “helping” that dog (and yes, I do keep putting helping in quotes because that’s how I ALWAYS hear it used now – it’s not training, it’s “helping,” implying that the dog WANTS this help and is incomplete without this help) going out and finding 40 other dogs to expose the dog to (whether in a class or in a park or whatever) and not avoiding other dogs? Why is one right and one wrong? I think this depends on the dog and owner. Does the owner need or want to be able to walk their dog without the lunging at other dogs issue? Management with avoidance is fine if that is what the owner wants to do. I also think some owners do use avoidance. Is it right or wrong? I dunno, to bad we cant ask the dogs. I think its referred to as helping because in many cases its a fearful reaction which is stressful. If we can teach the dog they have noting to fear then there is less stress. We want to help our dogs by not being stressed. It also isnt training as much as behavior modification. Training to me means teaching specifics like sit, down, come, and stay. Specific body positions or maybe tricks. Things that are on a verbal cue. To teach a dog not to lunge (if its fear for instance) is done by changing the emotion of the event. (but in reality it might not be fear so figuring out the "why" for the lunging can be important)


5) Do we need a revival in an understanding of “dogginess”? (A celebration of Jungian dog archetypes, if you want to get fancy-dancy?) Can we re-find the validity of the warrior dog, messenger dog, defender dog, hunting dog in our own backyards? Yes to the first part. We need to educate people in what is normal dog behavior. That is tough tho given there is SO many myths and wives tales still kicking around and moving faster these days over the internet. Not to mention the questionable trainers and slick methods for sale out there. There are no magic wands. (Sometimes it takes time to change a dogs behavior.) Some of us are TRYING hence the many blogs and websites about dog behavior. Sadly only those who want to learn more are looking for the info, and not all of the average pet owners. I cant count how many times I have heard "Well my friend said....." or "My hairdresser did this....." and "I saw it on this show......." When our car breaks down we dont ask our hairdresser to fix it, so why are we listening to them for dog behavior advice???

The second part of this is trickier. I think yes we have need for some of the breeds to retain their original design and job description. However, we cant regulate who owns those working breeds and thats why they end up in inappropriate homes so often. So do we water down all breeds to make dogs easier for the average owner to own for that reason? I dunno. When I mentioned (years ago on an e-mail list back when those were popular) changing akitas so they werent so tough on other dogs (aggressive to other dogs is written IN their breed standard) I was told if I wanted a Golden Retriever temperament I should get a GR. But does out society have a place for dogs who want to kill other dogs on sight? Shouldnt we breed away from that? Is there any reason to keep that particular trait? Would it really change the breed for the negative to take that one thing out of the breed? You would be surprised at how many people say dont change the breed. (I am not one of them for the record hence the reason Jack is probably my last akita after almost 20 years in the breed.) Sadly many people tend to choose dogs based on looks and dont look for a dog that fits their lifestyle. Maybe we need a new search engine for dog adopters. Example: Do you want a couch potato or hiking companion?
What is a well trained dog to me? That is easier. I think depends on what you want to live with. For me it is some of the following:
No jumping on visitors.
No yanking me around on leash when walking.
One that can be in public and be calm.
No darting through the door. 
Coming when called.
Leaving something alone when I tell them to.
Staying when told to.
House and crate trained.

Those are things I prefer my dogs to do to make my life easier. But I also expect my dogs to act like dogs. If they are meeting a strange dog and they get snarky because the other dog gets in their face to quick that is ok. They are being a normal dog. If Jack chases a bike down his fence and barks that is ok. He is being a dog. If they dont do something the first time I ask, that is ok too. They are dogs! They dont always jump to our whim just because we want them to! Motivation is key and distractions come into play.

What defines "well trained" is a matter of personal opinion. I know there are other trainers who dont think my dogs are well trained because I dont compete in traditional obedience to show off those specific skills. Jack doesnt know a proper heel position for instance. Yet I can walk him without being dragged down the road. To me he is well trained, to others not so much.

Here is another question: When is well trained a detriment? Is there such a thing? For example, the photo above is Jenny and her friend Prudence from a beach walk earlier this evening. Walking on the beach is a new thing for me and Jenny. I have walked my dogs off leash in the past sporadically. It is usually somewhere private and only with other dogs I know are good in groups. I am very careful for my dogs safety. It has been awhile since Jenny has had this sort of off leash outing however. It was very apparent because once the leash was unhooked she heeled along with me alot. It took encouragement and lots of running by of Prudence before she would venture away from me at all. It made me a little sad that she wouldnt run and play like a normal dog. But it is my fault for taking her for walks and reinforcing her heeling so much. It has become her default position. The good news is that she will get the hang of running away with practice. (How ironic of a sentence is that?) By the end of the outing she was wading in the scary ocean (why is the water chasing me??) and sniffing lots of seaweed.

So what is your defination of a well trained dog? Do you think our expectations of dog behavior has changed over the years? Is the average owner to intolerant as a whole of normal dog behavior? What do you see?

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Everything you can imagine is real Pablo Picasso

"Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake."
-Henry David Thoreau

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Can you see it now

Jack got a new collar today. Whadda ya think?

Yeah my husband thinks I am touched to buy him a fancy collar since it isnt exactly easy to see. But hey, he deserves new bling now and then to. Even if we cant see much of it. Here it is:

I got it at my favorite local pet boutique the Loyal Biscuit. It is the martingale "Punk Skulls" by Murphy & Gus. Slightly ironic given Jacks laid back nature. I just liked the "tattoo" look of the design.

Im resisting going back for the matching leash. But at least that you would be able to see!

They are getting some new designs by another company I love in soon. Im sure Ill be adding one (or two) of those to the collection as well. Ill keep you posted!

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Thank You Social Media Making it easier to find this dog trainer

Wow, after wrapping up my Social Media Marketing class last night at UCSB extension with the Wild Web Women, I realized that I now have so many social media platforms, that I was starting to become a bit scatter-brained. So, since my new round of dog training classes is beginning this Sunday April 19th, I thought, what a great time to put together a list of how to find me! So, here it is! I took liberty of adding Ponchos info too...he likes to make himself available also. 

Official IC Website: http://inquisitivecanine.com/

• For information on services, schedules, events, where to contact us, FAQ’s. 
  
• A little about Joan and the Inquisitive Canine, our approach, methodology. 

Joan’s Blog: http://dogtrainingventura.blogspot.com/ 

• For dog training tips (from the human perspective)
  
• Information on upcoming events, including those outside the Inquisitive Canine
  
• Commentary on the latest and greatest social topics
  
• An all around fun place to share with the community
  
• The perfect place for friends, clients, and the general public to make comments! 
  
• A great place to send questions! 

Poncho’s Blog: http://ponchosprose.blogspot.com/ 

• Poncho’s own dog training tips (from the dogs perspective) 
  
• Information on events at the Inquisitive Canine, and those elsewhere
  
• Commentary on the latest and greatest social topics.
  
• The perfect place for friends (human and dog) to make comments or send questions. 
  

Noozhawk Advice Column: http://www.noozhawk.com/joan_mayer/

• Dog training and behavior advice column written by both Joan & Poncho the dog
  
• Another great place for you or your dog to send in questions.

Facebook: 

• Joan’s  FB homepage: the place where I’m more of a “dog mom” 
  
• The Inquisitive Canine Group page: for IC students, great place to “meet” other dog folks, have discussions, or set up doggy play dates. 
  
• Poncho the Dog Fan Page: I’m his #1 fan and want to share that. 

Twitter:

• Joan’s: http://twitter.com/joanthedogcoach 
  
• Poncho: http://twitter.com/timeline/home

Flickr:

• http://www.flickr.com/people/joanthedogcoach/ 
  

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Dressing Dogs Up Borderline animal abuse Not if you make it fun!

I just read a question posted to a reporter news feed about wanting opinions from animal professionals on the topic of dressing dogs up... Okay, so this just happened to fall on the birthday of my beautiful, handsome, lovely, love of my life, baby boy Poncho! Of ALL days! Why today??? Today is one of those days Im going wear my "dog mom" hat - not my professional certified pet dog trainer, dog behavior counselor hat! 

Whats my opinion? Hmm, my usual m.o. is to change up his collar...I admit, Poncho the dog has quite a few to choose from. I switch his license and ID tag to whichever he ends up wearing. As I tell my dog training class and private dog training clients, one key element in being a responsible pet owner: "Your dogs collar is similar to our wallet. Its used for carrying ID and license. Other than that it can be used for a fashion statement, personality statement, or to match your outfit." It shouldnt be used for "training" (like those nasty aversive training methods using collar correction). 

As for other "outfits"? Yes, Poncho has various sweaters, t-shirts, a couple of vests/jackets... and the ever popular lobster costume he wears at Halloween, the hawaiian lei I have him wear many times throughout the year...we do live in Ventura, which is a beach town. Besides the annual Halloween event, all of his clothes are more about function...if its cold out. Oops, wait a minute...some of his t-shirts are more about statements I want to make...like when he goes to races with me. Poncho is one of my running partners, and he likes to brag about that. 

This specific reporter asked the question: "Other than essential winter coats, do dogs generally hate having to wear people clothes, and is it cruel to dress dogs up?"

My answer to that: I have no idea what theyre thinking. Therefore Im not sure if they hate it or not. I know that when I dress Poncho in clothing that hes not used to, like his fuzzy green birthday hat, or lobster costume, I head down the "creating pleasant associations" path, and feed him little bits of yummy high-value treats while hes wearing them. This way, hell learn to love the outfits! Classical conditioning is a wonderful thing! 

As for the latter part of the question, "Is it cruel?" That all depends upon the motivation of whomever is dressing the dog up. If the person is intending to hurt, humiliate (intentionally), bully, coerce, or intimidate the dog in question, then "yes" I do think its cruel. If the person is doing it to have fun, provide love, attention, and steak for their dog, then why not? Just like when my parents dressed me in striped pants and paisley shirts - they werent cruel, it was the 70s. 

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Do you have a hyperactive dog

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The Many Dog Tricks You Should Know

Dog Tricks is always a good thing to learn, not only for us dog owners but especially for you all dog lovers out there, you could take advantage in learning this dog tricks and become some sort of dog tricks experts, you know? Right before this you should have known that we already posted other dog tricks related posts including How To Teach A Dog Trick To Roll Over and How To Teach A Dog Trick To Play Dead
Here in this "episode" of dog tricks discussion, we would like to share about lots of the dog tricks that you could teach your dogs with. Some which you may not already know yet, while some must be the dog tricks that you have known or probably have implemented long ago.

Teaching your dog tricks is a fun way to interact with your best four-legged friend. There are many benefits to this activity, including these:
The more time you spend doing fun things with your dog, the greater the bond becomes between the two of you
Learning dog tricks helps to keep your dog’s mind sharp – the more he learns, the more he’ll be able to learn!
Teaching dog tricks helps to make you a better trainer
Performing dog tricks is a great stress reliever for dogs in uncomfortable situations.
You and your dog will be able to entertain friends and family with the dog tricks that you learned, and to their amazement too!
In most dog training classes they actually will use clicker training to shape the dogs’ behavior so they can learn dog tricks. Shaping behaviors using clicker training is a trial-and-error way for the dog to learn, which is how dogs learn in nature! Teaching them using this method will make you a better observer of dog behavior and improve your timing for reinforcing that behavior.
The first week will be an introduction or review of shaping. It is mandatory that everyone attend this class. During the subsequent four weeks they will work through selections from a list of dog tricks that they have up their sleeves, and will gladly add anyones suggestions to that list. They’ll ask for suggestions at their first meeting, so think about what you’d like your dog to learn.


Here are some of the dog tricks that we are talking about:

Shake hands

Many Dog Tricks You Should Know - Shake hands

Wave

Many Dog Tricks You Should Know - Wave

High-five

Many Dog Tricks You Should Know - High five

Sit up or Sit pretty

Many Dog Tricks You Should Know - Sit up or sit pretty

Jump through your arms or over your leg

Many Dog Tricks You Should Know - Jump through your arms

Speak and Whisper

Many Dog Tricks You Should Know - Speak and whisper

Circle to the right

Many Dog Tricks You Should Know - Circle to the right

Circle to the left

Many Dog Tricks You Should Know - Circle to the left

Take a bow

Many Dog Tricks You Should Know - Take a bow

Roll over

Many Dog Tricks You Should Know - Roll over

Shake your head

Many Dog Tricks You Should Know - Shake your head

Nod your head

Many Dog Tricks You Should Know - Nod your head

Crawl

Many Dog Tricks You Should Know - Crawl

Target

Many Dog Tricks You Should Know - Target

Play dead

Many Dog Tricks You Should Know - Play Dead

Kiss

Many Dog Tricks You Should Know - Kiss

Say your prayers

Many Dog Tricks You Should Know - Say your prayers

Go to bed

Many Dog Tricks You Should Know - Go to bed

Cross paws

Many Dog Tricks You Should Know - Cross Paws

Those are the many dog tricks that you could actually teach to your dog, isnt it great to know that we could teach that many dog tricks to our beloved dog? Anytime you feel bored at home without anything in your head to do, you could just try and teach your dogs those dog tricks, and youll be happier than ever.

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How Your Dog Will Communicate With You

October 5, 2009 by admin
Filed under Getting Ready to Train Your Dog

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So many people speak about their dogs in terms of how they wish they were. If you had a dollar for every time you had heard or said the words “If only he/she could talk, the stories we would hear…” you’d probably be a very rich dog owner. But if dogs could talk, would they be so special to us? The chances are that we would still adore them every bit as much as we do, but the fact remains that much of what we get from owning a dog comes from the interaction that we have because they cannot speak. It just means that we find other ways to communicate.
Dogs can tell you a lot with a look. If they are hungry, they will make it clear by very patiently following you and looking pointedly at where they know their food to be kept. They will then thank you for feeding them by wagging their tail and affectionately nuzzling you – which may or may not be welcome at the time depending on the ratio of dog slobber to the price of your outfit. But, in many ways, the truth is that your dog will train you to some extent while you are training it.
Dogs may not be able to talk, but they communicate a lot with their eyes, their tail and their body language. And of course, they will bark. We learn to read these barks. A short, sharp bark will often signify excitement. A deep, low growl will warn of danger or threat. For many owners, the inquisitive yip is the best of all – the dog wants to learn from you, and trusts you to teach it.

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Should You Join A Dog Agility Training Class

Should You Join A Dog Agility Training Class?

As the owner of a pet, you should consider joining with your dog agility training performance. A dog agility training class is a tough sport to dog but is also a fun activity, rather than a task that just enforce but also a good activity altogether with your pet. Dog agility training is practiced more than a decade around the world. To be part of a dog agility training class, most of the groups that claim to have previously attended and completed an obedience class for your dog. After training starts when the handlers get the attention of their canine, Classes can cover things such as jumps, for beginners with less advanced dog agility training participants.

As a pet owner, you may be considering training your dog for agility performance. But if you’re not familiar with the advanced concepts, it might be a good idea to join a dog agility training class so that you don’t risk injury to the dog or teach him the wrong methods.



A dog agility training class brings the sport to the dog as a fun activity, rather than a forced chore. It doesn’t matter if you want to teach your dog agility as an extra-curricular activity or you’re planning to go to masters’ level at the United States Dog Agility Association.

Dog agility training has been practiced more than a decade in the United States. In England, it’s been practiced even longer thanks to a spark of imagination stemming from equestrian jumpers. A dog agility training class can give you insight into the world of obstacles, scoring, and performance. You’ll get a lot of satisfaction if you know your dog is enthusiastic about its agility training.

When you join an agility training class, your dog learns how to race against the clock and the camaraderie and competitiveness contributes to the animal’s performance. Some classes will be more competitive than others, so you may want to scout out the best atmosphere for you and your pet. Dogs often love attending a dog agility training class. They’re given the opportunity to work in a new environment with ramps, jumps, poles, and tires that are often colorful and inviting.

To be a part of a dog agility training class, most groups will require that you’ve previously attended and completed an obedience class for your dog. And many will ban your pet from participation if it’s an aggressive animal.

Usually, a dog agility class will run about one hour once a week fie a course of six weeks. Classes begin with warm-ups and playtime to get the dog acclimated to its surroundings. Then the training kicks in when the handlers get the attention of their dog the class may cover things such as jumps, with beginners using smaller ones than advanced agility dog training participants.

Classes are fun for the owners, but he or she must realize that it often involves the handler showing the dog what to do before the dog will comply. And you may need to bring treats as a form of reward until the dog is able to follow commands on queue.

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Another dog training tips you should know

More dog training tips for you: 3 Things Frustrated Dog Owners Should Know
By Antonius Januar

You’ve probably had a day or two when you felt like your dog just wasn’t paying any attention to you at all, right? You talked, you yelled, you shouted, maybe you jumped up and down and waved your arms, but she just wasn’t interested in anything you had to say to her in any tone of voice. You’re not alone.

1. Your dog isn’t human.

Unless you believe in pet psychics, there’s really no way for you to read your pooch’s mind and figure out exactly what she’s thinking. The good news is that, like many dog owners, the problems you’re having can probably be traced to one simple thing: you’re trying to communicate with your dog from a human standpoint, and your dog isn’t a human.

Sure, you know that, but lots of humans try to relate with their dogs in the ways that they think are rational as humans. The problem is that dogs are driven in every act and every moment by very strong instincts. Deciphering those instincts and leveraging them to build a productive relationship is like finding the keys to the city.

2. Your dog doesnt speak English.

Take the word “no,” for example. Does your dog speak English? Not understand English. Does she speak it? What’s meaningful to her is your tone of voice, not the word itself. Now let’s think about that – we’re taking up excess time trying to teach our dog a word she’ll never speak and that probably doesn’t mean much to her anyway.

Sure, it’s meaningful to us, but that’s only one side of the equation. What about something that’s meaningful to both human and dog?

3. Instincts save time and communicate effectively.

See that? You worked with her instinct and the information hardwired into her brain, and the result was instantaneous. Why spend tons of time trying to work against that instinct and end up frustrated, angry, and still miscommunications?

This approach works in everything from basic discipline to full-on obedience training. You just need to figure out how to apply it in each of those situations.

I’d like to help you learn to apply it, and that’s why I created the multimedia presentation Instinct vs. Man. It addresses day-to-day life with your dog as well as specific topics like playtime, training, and territory.

Beyond that, you’ll get some great insight into why your dog thinks the way she does and how it affects her actions and reactions. You’ll understand why those months of training stopped working after a few weeks and how to get her back into the routine and acting like the fun, upbeat dog you love.

If you are looking for an informative book dealing with how to communicate more effectively with your dog than you cant go past "Dog Lovers Essentials Mega Pack" i highly recommend it:

Dog Training

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Browse > Home / Dog Training Tips, Featured / All The Help You Can Get To Train Your Dog

All The Help You Can Get To Train Your Dog

October 5, 2009 by admin
Filed under Dog Training Tips, Featured

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No-one is about to claim that training a dog is an easy thing to do. Dogs are animals with personalities, and whether or not those personalities are amenable to training, they will present different challenges with each different dog. It cannot be denied that some are easier to train than others, but no dog is untrainable. It is simply the case that some dogs need to be given more of a chance than others to pick up what their master wants them to learn. After all, humans are the same – if you got straight As in your freshman year of high school, congratulations, but you are in a minority.
So it makes sense that there is help that can be found to improve the behavior of a dog you are finding hard to train. As ordinary “civilians” when it comes to the overall behavioral patterns of a pet dog, it goes without saying that we will not magically have access to the “button” inside a dog’s mind that makes it behave well, perform tricks or anything else you want it to do. There are professionals who have written books and made DVDs showing helpful tips and hints, and a wealth of websites which do the same.
You may even take your dog to a trainer who will be able to identify ways to get it behaving the way you would like. The expense of doing this makes it something that you may not want to do too regularly, but if all else fails it can be beneficial to you and to your dog.

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Thank you Nicole Wilde!!

I want to give a huge shout out to Nicole Wilde for a generous donation of books and a video for our K-9 Corrections program. Our program is very small so donations help us greatly and are much appreciated.
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The dogs and handlers are doing great. Here are a couple short videos of them doing some pivot work in preparation for one of the rally exercises. This is Erica. She is a little shy with some new people. I think she would do best in a home with no young children because of that.

And this is Blue. He will need a home with an active owner or another dog to play with. He and Erica play together very well but he can be quite rough.

Both dogs are available for adoption through the Humane Society of Knox County. We also got a new set of APDT rally signs made up finally. Our last set somehow got misplaced. It was aggravating because I had made them up myself along with all the sign holders too. And now the fencing I used for those has been discontinued. It is a tough time of year to find any type of garden fencing as well. Thankfully I think I may have found a solution using PVC pipe pieces with slots cut into them. Ill keep you posted on how it works.
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Thanks again to Nicole Wilde for her donation. We couldnt do this without the support of our community, the facility, our facebook fans, and other trainers like her. I just cannot express my appreciation enough. Thank you.

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Puppymills and how YOU can help stop them!

Today is the day bloggers all over are trying to spread the word about puppymills and Petland. It seems the Canadian Petland, tired of the protests over puppy sales in front of their stores, stopped selling puppies. Sadly Petland stores in the states have not followed suit. We really want them to follow suit.

Ironically I started my day by watching the ending of the movie "Hotel for Dogs" while eating my breakfast. It of course made me cry like a baby. But then again I have always been a sucker for a happy ending and music that swells creating emotional moments. Hotel for Dogs is a very cute movie if not almost entirely unrealistic. Except for the part about the horrifically large number of dogs in need of homes of course. That part is sadly very realistic.

I find it interesting that people still need to be educated about why it is a bad idea to buy a puppy from a pet store (or an online puppymill) in this age of the internet. But then I remember that kids grow into teens, that grow into adults that might not know any better. Or that not everyone lives on facebook. Sadly petstore puppies are most often bought by people who just dont know any better. (or they are drunk, the newest phenomenon to be seen in petstores) And online puppymills are very slick in how they sell dogs. "Oh the puppy you wanted isnt available anymore, but we have this other one....." Dont get me started about how they steal photos from responsible breeders websites to bait their buyers with.

So here are a few reason why I, and most other dog trainers, are against puppymills and pet store puppies.

The dogs at a high volume breeding facility are treated like product, not like pets. This can mean extreme stress for the mother dog during her pregnancy which can cause damage to unborn puppies. It has been proven that hormonal changes can cause learning disabilities in the pups they produce. This is also usually a very awful life for the dogs at the facility. Little to no human contact and sleeping in small cramped cages with no bedding day after day listening to all the other dogs bark their frustration. Wouldnt this drive you crazy?

Most puppies from these high volume breeders are taken away from their mother and siblings to early to keep them small and cute for the pet shop window. The stores need them tiny and cute as long as possible to bring in the impulse puppy buyer. If they dont sell fast they cost more to feed after all and may outgrow their "sales cages".  A puppy taken away to soon is prone to behavioral problems down the road including separation anxiety, fear of people, aggression to other dogs and lack of bite inhibition. Oh but they forget to tell you that part. Of course most workers in pet stores dont know this either.

No responsible breeder would EVER sell their pups to someone else to sell for them. No matter what a pet store tells you. "Our pups come from good breeders and are raised in a local home". I call shenanigans! A responsible breeder cares where those pups go to and screen those potential homes. Not everyone should own a _______. (insert breed here) Responsible breeds do health testing and will even take back a puppy should something not work out in the new home. (or help the owner place the dog) They will even be there as a resource for training and health questions. Try getting a pet store to help you with that 2 months past the sale!

Some people would say that I shouldnt care where people get their dogs. People with dogs that have behavior problems are my bread and butter after all. But theres the thing, I love dogs. I dont want dogs to be mistreated. Dogs in puppymills are mistreated every day. If by no other fact than as companion animals they suffer being in those kennels day after day and not being in a real home with daily contact from people. It is cruel. It is cruelty done in the name of making money. Remember those dogs are being raised to be product after all.

So to help shut down puppymills we can do a few things. One is to go to Be The Change for Animals and sign the petition. This will let Petland know what we think about their practice of selling puppies. The other is to NEVER shop in a pet store that sells animals. Why support them with any of your money if they support puppymills? And the last, but the hardest for some people, is to NEVER buy a puppy from a petstore. (or online website) Buying just means you are part of the supply and demand chain. If they cant sell their puppies and make money then there is no reason for them to keep breeding. Breaking the chain is the only way to end the cycle.

There are many other options for getting a puppy. Check your local shelters, purebred rescue groups, and responsible breeders. You just might need to be a little more patient for those options. But dont you think saving dogs from a life of misery and hell of living just to produce puppies is worth waiting for?? I do. Now go sign that petition and spread the word. Its important.

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Flattery will get you everywhere

http://www.vet-tech-schools.org/dog-training

Click the link and check it out:
http://www.vet-tech-schools.org/dog-training

Im not gonna lie. I am hugely flattered by this. Some of those other blogs they list are awesome! And here is the post of mine that they reference on The Dog Whisperer. Its always nice to be noticed for the work you do. Talk about positive reinforcement!!

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