Training come is one of the most important things that you can teach your dog. Especially if you want to enjoy off-leash time in your yard or on hikes. Keeping training fun is the number one way to create reliable cues and by keeping it fun you can get the whole family including the kids on board with practicing. Here are some games and videos to get you started. Happy Training.
Tag Archives: adopted dog
I Want To Buy/Adopt A Puppy, So I Can Raise It How I Want To!
This is one of the most common and to be honest annoying phrases shelter workers hear, not because we don’t have at least a dozen puppies that need homes but because it shows a major lack of understanding. Normally, we don’t have the 30 minutes it would take to explain to adopters why an adult dog may actually meet their needs better than a puppy. It is also doubtful that if we took this time to educate that we would be “heard” since the adopter is most likely a self-appointed expert who has owned dogs before.
Rules for Training Come
Here are a few simple rules to train a great recall
Seniors and Puppies
Today, I received a call from a person who said he was calling because he was looking to help his client find a dog.
The caller described his client as a “geriatric shut in”, who just put down his elderly dog.
He was interested in a specific shelter dog for his client. The dog his client was interested in adopting was a 3-year-old dog aggressive, high drive Pit Bull Terrier. This is a dog that we are hoping to place as a narcotics detection dog program. This dog would thrive with a job. I explained about the behaviors we have seen from the dog and the fact that some of our young male volunteers struggle to handle her. The caller insisted that he needed this dog for his client stating “My client has a fenced in yard and has big dogs all of his life. She’ll will be perfect for my client.” He exclaimed.
He hadn’t asked the family if they would want to take the dog if something happened to his medically fragile client. I got off the phone thinking “Okay, so maybe she’s perfect for the person, but what about the dog’s quality of life? It certainly wouldn’t be a perfect fit for her”
Not a single question was asked about what the dog’s needs would be, or about the dog’s personality.
This pushed me to post this blog that I had been struggling with.
When Can I Stop Using Treats?
Like it or not when it comes to obedience we have a working relationship with our dogs.
If we work at it we can create something that more like a partnership where we are working towards the same goals and both of us are equally motivated.
DON’T BE THE BROKEN POP MECHINE.
Everything You Wanted to Know About Kennel Training
Kennel training is something I recommend to all my clients with young puppies and most newly adopted dogs. Kennel training fast tracks the house training process and provides your puppy a safe retreat.
How to pick a kennel, teach your puppy to go in on cue, teach your puppy to stay in his kennel and how to relax in his kennel.
Fitting and Sizing a Muzzle
Fitting a muzzle on your dog is more than just knowing their breed and weight. The better fit a muzzle is the more comfortable your dog will be. If your dog is comfortable he can focus more on training.
Muzzle Myths
“Muzzles have done more to protect owners and their dogs than legislation ever will”, a quote by Dr. Mugford.
Muzzles provide peace of mind if you are worried about a dog’s reaction which helps the owner remain calmer.
My dog never did anything like this before
Imagine that there is a child on the playground that routinely taunts, makes fun of, and intimidates the other children. How long would you wait before you interrupted this behavior? How long do you imagine this would go on before it would at some point escalate to something physical? Dogs are the same, but far too often owners misinterpret the body language that clearly say’s “I’m a bully and I’m looking for trouble.” I often will watch dogs play at the dog park and I will hear loving owners excuse their dog’s behavior by saying things like “He just likes to play rough.” or “That’s how he plays.” Much like the schoolyard bully is having fun at the expense of others a dog who is practicing bad behaviors may be playing or having fun.
Fearful Dogs
Fear can be managed and healed, but not trained away. There are skills that you can use to help your dog when scared, but fear will continue to lurk deep inside your dog’s amygdala. Your job is to help your dog recover from fearful events quicker and experience fearful events less frequently.