The video is Paisley on July 4th as the fireworks started. She’s relaxed. Getting her to this point took some time, so I thought I’d share what I did. This is something that can be done while sitting on your sofa, a few treats at your side, and any sound that is startling and offensive to your dog.
Read more Relaxing Dogs During Loud Sounds
Build A Helpful Memory For Your Dog
I was 12 when I went on my first airplane trip alone to visit relatives in Hawaii. It wasn’t the best trip. The captain didn’t let me see the cockpit, which I was told I could do, and when got off the airplane I didn’t see anyone I recognized. Eventually the plane was empty and the waiting room cleared and I was alone. My aunt and uncle had forgotten I was arriving.
Easiest Dog Training Method
If you want to skip to the end, the easiest dog training method is to reward what your dog is doing right; no special equipment needed. If you’d like to learn more, read on.
Dog training has changed over the centuries, as have the jobs dogs are trained to do. Hunting, flushing, and herding were the primary uses for dogs. In the 40’s, during World War II, the military began training dogs to help in war time activities. Books that were available at the time were on hunting and herding, so military trainers had to learn how to train. They knew how to train men, and used that as a model for training dogs. Show, add a word, correct when the dog is wrong.
Safe Dog Walking
The topic of the week on blogs and Facebook groups seems to be what to do when you encounter off-leash dogs while out walking your dog. A friend of mine just went through this a week ago. She was walking her very small poodle mix and came upon a young man sitting on the sidewalk with two pit bulls. There were leashes attached to the two dogs, but it turns out the young man wasn’t holding onto them.
You’ve Trained More Than You Know
While feeding the girls this morning, Pais plopped her behind right in front of the fridge blocking my ability to open it. She’s done this before. I usually open the door a crack, she sees the movement and moves. This morning I grabbed the handle and waited a beat. She moved.
Dog Training Rituals
Using rituals during dog training can be very helpful. Rituals include a series of cues that can mean “It’s time to train!” or “We’re done training!” and are useful for letting your dog know what’s coming next. For competition, rituals are great for entering and exiting the ring. They can also allow your dog to communicate with you. When your dog breaks a ritual there is usually a problem.
Help with Mouthy Dogs
What is a mouthy dog?
“Mouthy” in dogs generally means “puts teeth on skin without drawing blood,” although scratches and minor wounds may occur when the dog is really excited. Mouthiness is corrected by the mother when the puppy is very young, but can be relearned by humans using their hands as toys. Bouncing your hand around on the floor so your puppy “attacks” it is quite cute at 8 weeks of age, but becomes a scary problem when your adolescent or adult dog is suddenly 50 pounds and jumping to play with your hand. Doing too much with teeth can make giving treats during training difficult. If your dog nips to the point you can’t treat to train you really need to fix the nipping first.
Read more Help with Mouthy Dogs
CGC, Therapy Dogs, Service Dogs and Assistance Dogs – What’s the difference?
As an AKC CGC Evaluator, I get a lot of emails asking about testing dogs as a first pass to a Therapy Dog certification, when they really mean Service Dog. I thought I’d take the opportunity to note the differences.
Read more CGC, Therapy Dogs, Service Dogs and Assistance Dogs – What’s the difference?
Training Dogs to Wash Their Feet
With the week of rain we had last week, my yard is a complete muddy mess. After spending hours vacuuming little mud pebbles a few times a day, I’d hit my limit. It was time for the dogs to deal with their own mud.
I got a low mixing tub from the local home center and stuck in on the porch.
Read more Training Dogs to Wash Their Feet
Teaching “Let me help.”
My dogs, like myself, seem to be klutzes. This morning while Rox was rolling around on the floor she somehow got a piece of thread wrapped around one of her teeth, a maneuver I’m still trying to figure out. As she’s semi-freaking out and pawing at her mouth I say “let me help” coupled with the hand signal for “come”, she stopped pawing, and walked over to me allowing me to remove the thread.
Read more Teaching “Let me help.”