What To Do When Doggie Sitting a Friends Doggie

I know that I am a "push-over", but I just agreed to doggie sit my friends dog while he is away over Thanksgiving.  How can I make sure that Wolfie isnt going to go "Cujo" on the dog?

The good news is if Wolfie doesnt have a history of being unsociable with other dogs, you have a fighting chance of making this work.  With that said, you cant just throw them in the same room and hope for the best.  What you must do is to initially socialize the dogs and then establish boundaries (Hey!  Dont use my toothbrush!).  Here is what you do:

• Before your friends dog comes over to stay, have his dog and Wolfie meet several times in a neutral territory.  Have them both on leashes and allow them to sniff and exchange doggie pleasantries.  Take them for walks and even play catch with them.  This builds up  a social understanding between the two dogs regarding their individual levels of assertion and respect.  This is important when you bring them into your home.
• When your friend brings over his dog to your house, have the dogs meet outside and let them sniff and play for a little while.  Now, take Wolfie inside to the family room.  Make sure he is on a leash.  Have your friend bring in his dog into the family room on a leash.  Let the dogs sniff and walk around.  Drop the leashes and have everyone "just hang out" for about 30 minutes.  If the dogs show any sign of aggression, correct them and have them sit by their perspective masters for a minute or two before releasing them again.  If Wolfie is over-possessive with any particular toy or object, it would be a good idea to remove them during your friends dogs stay.  
• If everything is fine after about 30 minutes, it is time for your friend to be on his way.  Dont have your friend make a big thing about leaving.  He should just get up and leave.  
• During the stay, remember these simple rules:
• Feed the dogs separately.
• Never leave the dogs together, unattended for the first few days.
• Never leave the dogs together if someone is not going to be home.
• Be sure to let them out and have a good amount of supervised play time every day.
• Never allow your friends dog in Wolfies crate, on Wolfies bed, or in your bedroom.
• If your friends dog has a potty accident in the house, be sure to clean it up immediately using an enzyme cleaner or vinegar & baking soda.
• Give equal amount of attention and love to both dogs.

Follow these simple rules and your friends dogs stay should be happy and uneventful.  And remember that now, your friend owes you!  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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How Do I Get My Dog From Running Out The Door

Every time I try to leave through the door to the garage, Wolfie is always at my feet trying to get out ahead of me.  Many times I have to get to work and sometimes I am late because I have to try and catch him and put him in another room so I can leave.  There must be a better way!

Dogs running out an open door is a very common and really annoying problem that many dog owners face every day.  It is a big problem because is gets us mad (and we dont need that in todays world), hampers our relationship with "our best friend", and poses a safety risk for Wolfie.  So, what is going on here?

As a trainer, I always tell my clients to check out the world through Wolfies eyes.  Wolfie watches our body language to constantly try and get clues as to what we are saying and what we are allowing him to do.  A large part of body language is posture and one of the key factors of that is whether we are facing Wolfie or if we have our back to Wolfie.

When we face Wolfie, we are in a dominant stance.  We are telling him that we are in charge of the room.  He needs to watch us and wait for our commands telling him what to do.  When we show our back to Wolfie, we are telling him that we are submissive and even playful.  Wolfie can take this as a "follow the leader" game, chase after us and pass us (out the door).

With this in mind, lets get an idea of what Wolfie is seeing when we go to the door to the garage.  Normally, we say "goodbye" to Wolfie.  We are facing him at this point.  We pick up our keys, coins, etc., and then walk to the door.  Guess what?  We now show Wolfie our back.  We are now in a submissive, play mode.  We are telling Wolfie that we are no longer in charge so he doesnt have to obey and respect us.  We are also asking Wolfie to play.  No wonder he isnt listening to us and running out the door.  So, what do we do?

We need to let Wolfie know that we are in charge as we are leaving.  We do this by facing him and backing up to the door.  As soon as he starts to move towards the door, tell him "no" in a very low voice and hold our hand out like a policeman telling a car to stop.  Slowly back up to the door so that your movement does not generate any adrenaline in Wolfie.

Open the door slowly, continuing to face him.  Correct him again if he begins to move towards you.  Now, step through the door and close it slightly.  In a high voice, tell him "good boy" as you finish closing the door.

What you have done is to use the body language Wolfie is expecting from a good leader to clearly communicate to him what is right and wrong.  Your actions were simple and consistent.  Practice this for about two or three weeks and Wolfie will understand that your leaving through the door to the garage is not a game.  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Dog Training Information from Sunrise Florida about Bike Safety

When You Ride Your Bike

I was up in Sunrise yesterday with a new dog training client and her Boxer who had a jumping problem and loved to run out the front door.  We resolved those problems pretty quickly and I was finishing up the lesson and planning what we would to at the next lesson and when we would return.  She had another dog issue that didn’t refer to her Boxer.  

She loved to ride her bike around the neighborhood but the local dogs loved to chase and bark at her.  She could never get in a full bike ride because of all these doggie distractions.  I mentioned that I had worked on this issue years ago and came up with some very interesting observations and suggestions for bike riders and “dog chasers”… 

Dogs love to play "tag, you are it".  In fact, this is one of the natural submissive/dominance that they naturally play as puppies to learn proper canine socialization.  When we ride past dogs on our bikes, they chase us, and we speed up, we are encouraging the idea of "tag, you are it". Here are some suggestions:

• When you are biking towards a dog or a group of dogs, slow down to a "crawl". Peddle as little as possible. Look straight ahead and move past them in a very slow, deliberate manner. The dogs should read your "non adrenalized and uninterested body language" as "I dont want to play" and ignore you completely.
• If the dog or dogs begin to chase after you, slow down and come to a stop. As soon as you have stopped moving, you have taken away the "I want to play" language from your movements. The dogs will normally slow down and approach you in a non interested manner.  They might be wagging their tails and give off a few “hello” barks.  Stand still and don’t stare at them.  They should quickly turn around and go back to where they came from.  (No fun here.)
• If the dog(s) approach you in an aggressive manner (jumping, showing their teeth, assertive barking), stop and get off your bike. Place your bike between you and the dog(s).    Do not make any sudden moves that would encourage or stimulate adrenaline in the dog(s).  Slowly back away, continuing to show an uninteresting distraction.  The dog(s) should loose interest in two to three minutes and leave.
• I have ridden my bike past a large number of dogs and have used these techniques and my bike rides have always been enjoyable.

For more information about bike ride suggestions with dogs or general dog training, please call us at (954) 424-0170 or The Best Dog Trainers in Sunrise and South Florida.

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Should I Let Wolfie Walk Without A Leash

I see other people walking their dogs on the street with no leash.  I am thinking about walking Wolfie without a leash.  How do you do that and is that a good idea?

You might get an idea of my answer by looking at the picture above.  The reason that I am on this subject today is because of a consultation I had with one of our clients this morning.  She told me that she would often let her dog off leash in the front yard.  Things were normally fine, but this morning her dog suddenly took off down the street chasing a truck.  Luckily there wasnt any other traffic at the time and she finally could get her dog back about a block away with the help of a neighbor.  

"This kind of thing has never happened before", she told me.  "He plays next door with the neighbor dog and I can play fetch with him at the park across the street and he always walks right back into the house after me when we are done.  He has seen trucks before and he has never gone after them in the past." 

To cut to the chase, we do not condone having dogs off leash at any time.  The reason is that the real world is full of thousands of distractions that will engage Wolfie.  Since we cant plan and train for each of these unique distractions, we cant unequivocally state that Wolfie wont take off down the street. Since we cant guarantee Wolfies safety, we strongly encourage our clients to always have their dogs on a leash when outside.

We live in South Florida where things are always busy with trucks, crazy drivers, bikes, motorcycles, golf carts, joggers, and a whole bunch of other things.  Now, if you lived in the country or a small town, I would probably answer this blog in a different way.  The reason is that there are far fewer distractions that we have to deal with.  But, this is a topic for a future blog.  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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I Want Wolfie to Stop Jumping on My Friends

I just dont get it.  Wolfie seems to be such a good dog, but I cant keep him from jumping on my guests every time they come in the front door.  It was cute when he was a puppy, but now he is over 100 lbs.  What gives?

This is a classic "annoying problem" that, unfortunately, we bring on ourselves.  It is so great when you get your little puppy.  They are so full of life and just wanting affection all day long.  We have them jump on us and we give them hugs, chase them around the room, play with them when they bring us toys, pet them when they nudge our hands, and a whole lot of other "puppy things".

The problem is that we are now socializing them to particular behaviors.  We are teaching them how to jump, chase, and demand attention.  The problem is that Wolfie learns in a very black and white method.  If we teach him to jump, it is OK to jump on everybody all the time.  If we teach him to demand attention, he can demand attention from everybody all the time.

As we interact with our puppies or dogs, we must understand that whatever we ask them to do, from their perspective, they can do with anyone all the time.  "Wolfie can jump on me, but not my guests" is something that we might be able to understand, but Wolfie will not understand.  All Wolfie can understand is "I can jump".  So if Wolfie is performing any action that you would not allow him to perform anytime with anybody, you must teach him that is not what you want him to do.

The bottom line is to think of your rules, or what you want Wolfie to do through his eyes. Examples of what your rules might be are:

• No jumping.
• Off the furniture.
• Not in babys room.
• No counter surfing...

When things are simple and straightforward, Wolfie gets it.  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Testing Dogs DNA

In the last year or so, the cost of DNA tests for mixed breed dogs has gone down to the point where I am seeing more and more clients test their dogs. The results are almost always surprising.

I’ve found out that more often than not, a mixed breed dog is not what the owner was told. The exception of course, is a dog that you get from someone who owned both the parents. But almost every other mixed breed is not what the client was told.

Shelters and rescue groups often make an educated guess. They base the guess on the dog’s looks and sometimes its behavior. But on those dogs where my client has done a DNA test, the rule of thumb is that the guess only accurately gets one of the breeds.

Such groups also tend not to guess any of the breeds who are generally (and inaccurately) described as difficult or mean. I don’t think I’ve ever had a guesstimate mention bull terrier, even though the head shape gives that away.

But for the record, I don’t do much better. I rarely get more than one foundation breed right. And I tend to balance looks with behavior to make my guess.

I’ll give you some good examples. (Names have been changed to protect the innocent but these are dogs I have worked with.) The first is Kirby. He is obviously German Sheppard. His coat texture, coloring, and head give that away. But he is also very, very verbal. He tends to be grumpy and standoffish. And his torso is low slung. His bark is more of a baying than the sharp bark of a GSD. So I guessed he was part beagle,

I got that one wrong. He is German Sheppard, Labrador Retriever, Border Collie and at least five ancestors whose lineage is mixed to the point it cannot be determined by that type of DNA testing. That DNA test goes back three generations, the parents (2 dogs), the grandparents (4 dogs) and the great grandparents (8 dogs). Most of the DNA tests I have seen go that far back.

Another was Franklin. His owners bought him from a trainer and puppy seller notorious for selling dogs that are aggressive. He seems to make them that way to get you to keep coming back for more training until you run out of time, money, patience, or all three. When they got Franklin they were told he was a terrier mix.

Based on his color, his coat, and his size, I thought he was a Blue Kerry mix. However behaviorally he just was not right for a terrier. His aggression was always a bluff. And terriers rarely bluff.

When his DNA came in there was no terrier dominant. He was Schipperke, Papillion, Labrador along with the usual number of unknowns. The Schipperke explained the tough guy image. Schipperke is a non sporting breed that is a ratter on European river barges. This explains the terrier like traits. The Papillion, a toy, explains the worry about safety behavior. And the Lab explained the poor impulse decisions.

While its not necessary for you or the trainer to know what breeds are in your mix, it is a nice to have piece of information. At least you can get an idea where the behaviors come from.

By the way, when someone tells me they have their DNA results I don’t let them tell me what they are. Instead I have them bring it to the next Neighborhood Pack (my group) session so all of us can guess before we find out for sure.

So far no one had gotten more than one breed right.

Doug

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Training a deaf dog Part 2

Having taught Simba the necessary commands to get him to “hear” us it was time to start training.

Simba is a powerful dog and he was dragging his owner all over the place. Even in a hearing dog this is common.

One of the reason a dog will drag someone on a line is that the dog thinks the line is a reason to play tug of war. Tug of war is more than just a game to a dog; it is actually a dominance test. If you ever watch two dogs tugging on a toy, the dog that gets the item the most often is the dominant dog.

So if you take your dog for a walk, and you let it drag you all over the place, then you are telling the dog it is higher in the pack than you. And a dog that is higher in the pack than you is not going to obey very well.

In Manners in Minutes training we use a training device called a Q bone. Invented by Pat Muller, this allows us to “nip” the dog without causing pain. And since nip is one of the three ways dogs correct each other, the dog is born knowing that a nip means NO.

In addition, a Q-bone on the dog’s collar acts as a stone in its shoe. The dog will tend not to let the device become a stone in their shoe and stops pulling on the line.

We placed a Q bone on Simba’s collar and started walking him on a twenty foot line.

We always start with a long line since to a dog, the farther away I am when I nip you, the more powerful a pack leader I am.

I gave Simba the sign for walking on a twenty foot line and off we went. As soon as he started walking with me, I gave him the “good” sign.

Simba walked ahead to check something to smell and in doing so, lost sight of me. Any dog, hearing or not, should always pay attention to you when hold the line, so I turned around and went another way. When I got to the end of the twenty foot line my momentum gave him a nip on his neck. He immediately turned to come with me and again I gave him the “good” sign.

Now it was time for Simba to learn that life has limits, so I started walking him towards his owner. Now since he likes her more than me he started going to her.

I stopped, and when Simba reached the end of the line, he nipped himself. He turned immediately and ran back to me. Again he was rewarded with praise via the “good” sign.

Pretty soon, no matter where I turned, Simba made sure the line was slack and was staying within twenty feet of me.

We then switched to a six foot line and again, Simba learned that when he was on a short line he could be six feet in front of me, beside me or behind me. But the line had to be slack at all times.

Now it was time for Simba to learn the rules also applied to Mom. And within a couple of minutes he was walking with her without pulling.

Simba was sent home for a week of practice. And his owner called me a day later to let me know that with each walk Simba was better on a line.

And I started planning his next set of commands.

To be continued….

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Potty Training When You Are Away For A Long Time

I am in the middle of potty training my four month old puppy and things are going relatively well when I am home.  When I go to work, I can’t always get home at lunch to take him out.  What can I do to make sure that I don’t mess up the training when I have to be gone a long time?

We have a good number of clients who get new puppies and then have to leave them while they go to work.  The mistake that most of them make is to either leave them in their crate or give them the run of the house.  The problem is that their little puppy physically can’t hold it for the time they are left alone.

Let’s first talk about what you are doing wrong and then discuss what you should correctly do…

Leaving your puppy in the crate for an extended period of time is wrong.  Dogs naturally don’t want to go to the bathroom in their crate.  They see the crate as their den and they don’t want to leave their scent there because it might “draw in their enemies”.  They also don’t want to go to the bathroom on themselves because of the same reason.  Because of this, they will try to hold it as long as possible.  If you are gone longer that they can hold it, they will reluctantly toilet on themselves and in their crate. 

If you continually force them to toilet in their crate, their drive to try and hold it while they are in there will diminish and eventually disappear.  Since you use the crate as a place where they do not toilet, you have eliminated an important potty training tool.

Letting the puppy out in the entire house or an extended portion of the house while you are gone a long time is also bad.  Since you are away for a period of time that is longer that your dog can hold it, he is naturally going to toilet somewhere.  The key word here is “somewhere”.  Sometimes it is very hard or impossible to find where your puppy has toileted while you were away.  When this happens, your puppy has left the smell of a toilet somewhere in the house.  If it smells like a toilet, it must be a toilet.  This smell will constantly entice your puppy to return to that spot to go to the bathroom. 

Here is what you should do if you are going to be gone from the house and you know your puppy will probably go to the bathroom:

• Pick a small room with a tile or linoleum floor such as a laundry room or bath room. 
• Pick up all the items that your puppy might destroy.
• If there is access to any “inappropriate area” such as behind the washer, block that access.
• Clean the floor with a mild cleanser such as Lavender Fabuloso.
• Cordon off the room with a doggie gate that your puppy can’t knock over, climb over, or jump over.
• Place some toys, his bed, and a small amount of water & food in the room.
• Place a wee-wee pad in the room. (Entice him to go in that area but not require him.)

Put your puppy in that room when you leave.  You have now confined him to a comfortable area that you can manage once you return.  The important thing here is that you are not diminishing the importance of the crate or possibly creating an “invisible toilet” (as noted above).

When you return home you can remove him from this area.  If he has gone on the wee-wee pad, simply pick that up and throw it away.  If he has gone anywhere else in the enclosed area, simply clean that up with an appropriate cleanser.  Close the door to this room and do not allow him in the room except when you are going out for an extended period and you have appropriately set it up for his use (mentioned earlier).

What we have established here is a “time out” in the potty process.  Your goal is to maintain the importance of the crate and not to have the house smell of urine.  You have created a place that he can go, if necessary.  Since he is not allowed in this area except during long absences by you, this will have a minimal impact on your potty training process.  As always, if you have any questions, please be sure to contact us at TheBest Dog Trainers in South Florida

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Wolfie is Protective of His Food and a Little Aggressive

It is kind of strange.  Wolfie is normally a great dog, but sometimes he gets protective and aggressive with his food.  I dont want this to continue because I dont want anyone go get hurt by mistake.  What can I do to help Wolfie over this?

Aggression with any animal is not a great thing.  The good news that we can offer with canine food aggression is that we have a clear set of actions that can be taken to minimize or eliminate this issue.  We first have to think about the reasons Wolfie might be food aggressive and/or possessive.  

If Wolfie was a stray or a rescue, that could naturally cause possessive aggressive actions regarding food.  In this case, his food was a limited resource that was critical to his safety and health.  Naturally, he would act in such a manner to protect such an asset.  If Wolfie was starved intentionally or through neglect, that could also be a cause for his aggressive and/or possessive attitude towards food.  In this instance, the root cause could stem from poor nutrition.  

So what can we do to alleviate Wolfies food aggression?  There are several actions that you can immediately perform.  Lets discuss some of them now:

• Be sure you are the one who decides when mealtime will take place.  If Wolfie can boss you into feeding him when he wants, he will not see you as the sole provider of the food.  He will not recognize that you are not the one responsible for his well being.
• Try scatter-feeding Wolfie.  Take his food and scatter it on the ground or in the yard.  He now is focused on grazing across a large area and not protecting an exact spot.  Hide some food behind a chair or under a plant so that it will take extra time to find it.
• Teach Wolfie basic obedience such as "leave it", "stay", and "wait".  Exercise these commands during feeding time or even when giving him a little treat.  This will direct Wolfies focus to you as the provider of food.  It will also direct him to wait until you allow him to take the treat or have his dinner.
• If you need Wolfie to move away from his food, never directly approach him and his food bowl.  This is a naturally aggressive act and might trigger Wolfie to respond. Call Wolfie to you.  You are redirecting his attention to you and when Wolfie responds, you are enforcing that you are his care giver.  The food is not as important as obeying you.
• If needed, use the leash when feeding.  This will help you redirect him away from the food, if needed, without becoming physical.
• Never feed Wolfie in a corner.  This limits his options if anyone approaches him and also heightens any aggressive or protective tendencies he still may have.
• If you have multiple dogs, feed them separately until you can resolve the food issue.  Introduce them back together one at a time.  Always be present and between them to assure them that you are the provider and you will guarantee that they all have the nutrition they need.

When there is an issue with any form of canine aggressive/possessive behavior, the important point is to take it slow.  You are setting the scene to allow Wolfie to come to the conclusion that everything is fine and he is safe.  He needs to learn this at his own pace and in an environment where he has the ability to learn.  This is not set on a specific time table.

If you need additional information on anything we have discussed, please feel free to go to our web site for more information or to gain our direct contact information: South Florida Dog Trainers. 

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Dog Training is a Family Event

I am trying to train Wolfie, but the rest of the family just doesnt want to get involved.. They then complain when Wolfie nips their pants and never listens.  What gives?

Having trained over 2,000 dogs, it has become quite clear to us that training your dog is a family event.  To give you a quick example, when you were a child, what if your mother was the disciplinarian and tried to teach you right and wrong?  When  your father came home, he had nothing to do with you and could care less what you did or said.  You would probably turn out as a "messed up" kid.  The same can be said about the dog-human family dynamic.

Dogs crave consistency and rules.  If one family member responds to Wolfie in a specific way, he expects that the next family member will also act in the same way.  If they dont, it creates an inconsistent environment for the dog.  This will result in the Wolfies lack of focus or obedience to you or anyone in the family.  In Wolfies eyes, why should he listen, you are all nuts!  The more the family is inconsistent, the more that Wolfie ignores and disobeys their wishes.  Frustration among the family members mounts and could even escalate to harmful, physical acts or having Wolfie surrendered to the Dog Pound.

The bottom line is that this doesnt have to happen.  Before you get a dog, have a family meeting to discuss the responsibilities the family is about to undertake.  A few things you should include in your discussion are:

• Everyone must agree that they want a dog.  (Wolfie cant be unwanted from the very first day!)
• Everyone will agree to the family rules between them and Wolfie.  Items to include are:
• What rooms will Wolfie be allowed to enter?
• On or off the furniture?
• Jumping or not jumping?
• What kind of play in the house?
• etc.
• Everyone will agree that they will be involved with Wolfies training and socialization.
• Create a feeding, playing and walking schedule.  Assign names!
• Discuss how you want Wolfie to act with anyone coming into the house.
• Talk about how these new responsibilities come at a cost.  Some of your current "free time" will now become "Wolfie time".
• Discuss how you will resolve disagreements between family members when they are treating Wolfie differently.

A family is a family.  One for all and all for one.  Having Wolfie as part of your family does not change that.  For more information, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Meet Cali Basic Obedience

Cali and her Daddy!!!

Good Day Leapers,

Today we had the pleasure of working with Cali, a gorgeous 1.5 year old Boxer. Cali will be working on her basic obedience with us specializing on sitting politely for petting and walking like the gorgeous princess that she is.

Her lesson today : focus work and patience. She learned to ignore distractions when her name is called and to wait to before getting attention.

How do you teach your dog patience?

Sincerely,

LEAP!

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The Aha Moment

Monday I took Tag and Chicklet to their groomer. Kris has groomed my dogs since I got them. In addition to being a groomer she trains and raises American Staffordshire Bull Terriers.
My dogs love her and we get to sit and talk. Of course we talk about dogs and training. We were discussing that moment in training where the dog realizes what you want them to do. Kris said that she refers to that as the “Aha” moment.

That is a perfect description. And this week we had a couple of Aha moments including one very special one.

One of the dogs at Neighborhood Pack session last Wed was Billy. Billy is a Dutch Sheppard. Billy is a retired military working dog. His back legs were injured in an explosion in Iraq.

Billy was a trained explosives detection dog but like most military dogs he is a jack of all trades. Among the things he was trained to do was never let another dog near the troops since that dog might be wearing an IED.

Dogs are very particular about their space. Two dogs will negotiate any time they come in close contact to each other, if they have learned to do so. In the dog world if you fail to negotiate contact or even passing close by, there can be conflict.

Billy didn’t negotiate. He was trained not to. So he is literally the most dangerous dog I am working with now. However he is also the best trained. I have to watch him like a hawk. If another dog gets too near him, he will grab the dog. However he will stop if I see him in time or will release immediately if I tell him to do so.

I was working another dog, a very nice Siberian Husky. I was letting him go up and sniff and great the other dogs in our Neighborhood Pack session if he used body language to ask permission and if the other dog let him know it was okay.

All the dogs were on lines and in the control of an owner. I was answering a question and had turned to talk to the questioner. I could see Jack and Billy out of the corner of my eye.

Jack started to approach Billy but failed to negotiate. Just as I was getting ready to use the line to correct him and tell him to “leave it” Billy ducked his head. It was a clear warning. Jack reacted instinctively and backed up.

There was no conflict.

And both dogs had just had an “Aha” moment.

Doug

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The Honeymoon Period

I get this phone call at least once a week. It goes something like this.

“I adopted a dog (over 6 months old) a little over a month ago. When I brought him (or her) home he was just the sweetest and quietest dog. He listened, seemed eager to please, and didn’t have a single accident. Then a couple of days ago he suddenly changed. He is pooping in the house, tearing up things and doesn’t listen. Did I make a mistake? I really don’t want to give him up but I can’t have him acting like this. Is there anything you can do?”

The good news is that this can be fixed.

What happened is that when you got the dog you went through the honeymoon period. The dog you brought home was not the dog you were going to end up. And the dog you end up with is dependent on how you acted during the honeymoon period.

When you brought the dog home you were thinking that the dog now has a secure home for the rest of its life. You will love and take care of it. You have rescued it because obviously the dog’s previous life was lousy. So to you the dog’s life has just gotten better.

But that is not what the dog was thinking. To the dog he belonged to a pack. It may not have been a very good pack, but it was his pack. He knew the rules and what was expected of him. Life was somewhat predictable, even in the worse home.

In his wolf and then later working ancestors, being kicked out of the pack is a life threatening event. A dog or wolf is not likely to survive on its own. So when a dog is run off, or loses, the pack, it has two choices. Survive for a minimal amount of time on its own, or find a new pack.

In order to be accepted in a new pack, the dog goes in as the omega dog. This is the lowest ranking member of the pack. It has only three jobs, be the last one to eat, be a stress relief to the other adults, and to play with the puppies. If the dog is accepted as the omega dog it survives.

So when your dog came home he did not think “oh boy my life just improved”, he thinks “what did I do to get kicked out of my old pack.” He is not sure he will be accepted into the new pack so he assumes the omega role.

During the honeymoon month, the dog is trying to figure out his place in this new pack. And he is trying to find out how high in this pack he needs to go. And if you did not give him time to figure out his place in this new pack, and clearly define his place in this pack, then he will try to figure it out on his own.

If you got a dog with high alpha drive he will try to take over. He sees it as his job to tell everyone else what to do. And if you got a dog with low alpha drive, he is pushing you to run the pack in a way to feel secure.

The way to handle this is training during the honeymoon period. You should find a trainer who understands this period and gives you tools and methods that allows the dog to join the new pack in a clearly defined role. Ask the trainer how he handles this period. If the trainer doesn’t know what the honeymoon period is, or says they handle it just like any other dog, find a different trainer.

Doug

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Not Just Dog Training A Complete Guide To Responsible Dog Ownership

This is a very easily promotable product. Every 4th home has a dog! The sales page is professionally designed and converts Very well. Send some targeted traffic to my professionally written sales page and find out for yourself how well it converts!

Check it out!

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Why I like Pit Bulls

When I first started training the only group of dogs I worried about were the bull terriers. I started my police career in the 80s. Back then the pit bull was very popular with the people who were making and dealing drugs. The would often have several dogs staked out with overlapping circles. The theory was that the dogs would delay the police if they came to raid.

I have a fellow deputy who once had to shoot a pit bull off his arm when the dog would not let go. We were particularly wary of their reputation for the strength of their jaw. I listened to more than one bandit brag about how he had bred his dogs for the aggression.

Fortunately for me, the first bull terriers to come into my center were four American Staffordshire Bull Terriers. They belong to my friend and groomer, Kris. She has been raising and showing these dogs for some time and the male she brought in was in the top ten for the breed.

Knowing that Kris is also a trainer and has very good control of her dogs lessened my worries. I found them to be sweet, easy to train and eager to learn. Now Kris does not train in the Manners in Minutes system, but wanted to see it for herself since like many good trainers she is always looking for something to make what she does better.

When I commented on how nice the dogs were to work with Kris explained that when the dogs were still fighting in the pits before it was outlawed, they were too valuable to let them fight to the death. So the owner had to be able to go into the pit and get his dog out without getting bit by either dog. By breeding they are gentle and sweet to humans.

Later when discussing training bulls with the developer of Manners in Minutes training, Pat Muller, Pat also added that during the period when the dogs were still fighting, they were the family pet during the rest of the week. At the first sign of excessive aggression, especially around the owners children, the dog was put down. So over time only the gentlest and sweetest of the bulls (around humans) were bred.

Since then I have worked with a number of Staffordshires, Am Staffs, and Pit Bulls. I look forward to everyone of them. They have all trained well and are some of the best dogs I have turned out were from these breeds.

The lesson from all this is that any dog is dangerous if it isn’t properly trained and socialized. Pit Bulls aren’t more likely to bite than any other breed. As a matter of fact, the most popular breed in this country is the Lab. And Labs are also the dog breed most often reported to the police or animal control is the Lab.

Books shouldn’t be judged by their covers, and dogs shouldn’t be judged by their breeds.

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Is It OK For Wolfie To Be In Bed With Me

I hear all these different things about having Wolfie on the bed with me or it is bad having him on the bed with me.  I would really like him to sleep with me, but would that be sending some sort of bad message?

As dog trainers, we hear this kind of question all the time with all sorts of home grown explanations regarding pros and cons to your dog being on the bed.  The bottom line is it is up to you.  If you dont want him on the bed, you will have a standing rule that Wolfie is not allowed on the bed.  Every time he attempts to get on the bed, you will correct him and guide him off.  

If you would like to have Wolfie on the bed with you, you should take the following items into consideration:

• If Wolfie is currently showing signs of aggression or heightened dominance, you should not allow him on the bed until he has been properly trained to minimize or eliminate these traits.
• If Wolfie is still undergoing potty training, he should not be allowed on the bed.  Even if he has been "holding it all night" while he has been in his crate, you shouldnt  allow him on the bed.  When Wolfie is in his crate, he becomes and remains calmer with a reduced metabolism.  This will allow him to hold it longer.  When he is on the bed with you, his excitement will naturally be greater along with his metabolism.  This will decrease his length between potty times and could possibly cause an accident on your sheets.  (Not good!)
• If Wolfie nips or growls when you ask him to move or get off the bed, his bed privileges are revoked.  You can train this "out of him" by:
• Put a leash on him when he is in bed.
• When you want him off the bed, you must stand up and get out of bed.
• Grab the end of the leash and give him the command "Off".
• If he doesnt jump off, tug the leash slightly until he gets off.
• Tell him "Good Puppy" for obeying you.
• Never play rough with Wolfie while you and he are in bed.   This will simply cause him to believe he can play rough with you on the bed at any time. 
• Never eat in the bed with Wolfie.  Since you and he are at the same level, this could send the wrong message to him that the food is for both of you.
• Check Wolfie for fleas and ticks every few days.  You dont need these in your bed.
• Bathe Wolfie more often than usual.  You dont want your bed to get a "doggie smell".

Again, it is up to you if you want to invite Wolfie on your bed with you.  We have four dogs and three of them sleep on the bed with us.  Our fourth dog is too old to get on the bed, so he sleeps on the floor by my side.

For more information, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Having a Training Center

The other day I was finishing the first lesson with a new dog. My client looked at me and stated that this was so simple that we could have trained the dog in the park. He then asked my why do I have such a large center, with all the overhead, when Manners in Minutes training could be done anywhere.

I told him when I started I had three other choices. I could work with dogs in their homes, in a park, or in a space rented from someone else.

I will train in people’s homes, but only if they have physical problems that keep them from coming to my center. When you train a dog, you are changing their habits. A dog’s home is its den and pack area. I am a stranger. The dog has too many advantages and we make accepting change that much harder on the dog. In my center is obvious to the dog from the minute they come in that this is my den and I am in charge. The training goes quicker and more smoothly.

Parks are nice, but this is Colorado. We had a huge snowstorm this week and I would have had to cancel sessions. Plus when you are in the park there is always someone who wants to take up lots of time either asking questions or giving suggestions (and the less they know the more suggestions they have). My clients are paying me to work with them and their dogs, not talk to bystanders. And I always worry about the person with an out of control dog off line that they think is friendly. Often it is a poorly socialized dog that causes unnecessary worry and confusion in my client’s dog.

Renting space for an evening pretty much limits you to doing group classes. I don’t mind doing group classes but I prefer privates. In group there is always one dog that has so many problems and or an owner who has so many questions, that the other students don’t get their fair share of instructor time. And I limit my group classes to just four dogs at a time. If I was paying rent on a room somewhere I would have to put too many dogs in a class to make it as effective.

So I have a 3700 square foot facility. Outside we have a huge open area to work with. Inside we can practice stay at 50 to 70 feet, not 10 or 15 feet. We work on long lines so your dog doesn’t think you are only in charge if they are less than six feet away.

Today I was in one of the big pet stores picking up some new collars. I looked at their training area. My office area has more space. Hope they don’t work with many Mastiffs or Great Danes.

But in the end the biggest advantage is that every piece of equipment and supplies is readily at hand. I don’t care how well you plan and pack, everywhere else you run the risk of not having the one thing the client and his dog need to get the most from every training session.

Doug

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A Boston Terriers Tale an update

The most popular article on this blog, judging by the number of views, is A Boston Terriers Tale.

I just got this picture from Mooses owner. Id like to share it and his e mail with you.


Doug,

I wanted to wish everyone at PPMIM a happy holiday season and give you an update on Moose. I would imagine a lot times in your business, you work with a dog and then owner and K-9 disappear and you never know the rest of the story. Moose as you remember was an adopted dog and a very troubled one due to 15 months of abuse. He had severe
fear aggression toward large dogs and men. I m happy to report, thanks to PPMIM, Moose continues to be a success story. He no longer has any fear aggression towards large dogs or strange males and hasnt for over a year. All the group therapy and continually practicing the principles learned has paid off with huge dividends. Moose continues to be an ambassador for the Boston Terrier breed. At the dog park he spends the entire time racing from dog to dog as if he is the official greeter. He really has turned into an amazing dog. Moose has demonstrated a passion for frisbee and runs side by side with his sister Lily(lab pit mix) like a veteran. In his down time his favorite thing to do is snuggle. I have attached several photos of Moose doing what dogs are supposed to do.. just enjoy life. Thanks again for providing a safe and controlled atmosphere which allowed Moose to shed his fears and become a normal, life loving companion.

David

Id like to take a lot of credit for this, but it was a good owner, comminted to his dog, hard work on both their parts, and a solid system that made this happen. I just got to see the results.

Doug

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Your Dog and Your Family The Dynamics

My Uncle and I both got puppies from the same breeder at the same time.  When we got them, they both appeared to be just alike.  Now, my Uncles 1 year old Terrier is as calm as calm can be.  Wolfie, his brother, is just a complete crazy nut.  What happened?

The answer is pretty simple, but sometimes the simple things are the hardest to recognize.  From our experience in training over 2,000 doggies in South Florida, family dynamics has a great deal to do with how they are going to act.

If the family is made up of older adults who are normally calm and lead structured lives, their doggie will normally be calm and sedate.  If the family lives an active lifestyle, has children who love to play and chase them, and are always having friends and neighbors over, they will probably have a more active, social, engaging, and (sometimes) annoying doggie.

Remember the old saying, "You are what you eat"?  Our doggies will often adjust to our environment so they "Are who we are".  Since most people are just fine with their calm, well behaved, and sedate doggies, let me focus on some times for the crazy, annoying doggies:

• Dont go nuts with Wolfie in the house.  He will get used to chasing you, barking, jumping, and stealing things from you in the house all the time.  He doesnt understand that he cant do it all the time and will find the most inopportune time to display these annoying traits (that you actually taught him).
• Be sure to find at least 30 minutes every day to play and go nuts with Wolfie in the back yard or any large, enclosed area.  Throw the Frisbee, toss tennis balls, scatter feed, or do anything else that gets him engaged and drains the adrenaline.  Do not play games that might encourage general bad behavior such as tug-of-war, chase-me chase-me, or jump-on-me with him.
• Have your children pet Wolfie calmly by stroking him from the back of his head to the middle of his neck.  This is a very calming and soothing experience for Wolfie.  It also teaches your kids and Wolfie how they can engage each other without going nuts.
• Ask your guests to ignore Wolfie for the first few minutes when they come over.  Wolfie sees your guests entering the house as "new playmates" and will almost instantly engage them by barking and jumping.  Have them ignore Wolfie so he will understand that his behavior is inappropriate.  After a few minutes after Wolfie has calmed down, they can then engage in calm interaction in the house or they can go outside and play fetch, etc.

The main focus here is to manage Wolfies adrenaline through your example.  If you are calm with Wolfie, you will not encourage a spike in his adrenaline that leads to the annoying crazy stuff.

If you have more questions, we would be more than happy to provide additional information.  You can contact us through our web site at South Florida Dog Trainers.

   

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Sometimes Dog Training Starts With The Family And Not The Dog

My dog is just crazy and doesnt listen.  I have taken him to dog classes and even sent him away for a week to a special “boot camp”.  He came back and was OK for a day and then went back to being crazy.  He doesnt listen, nips at people and won’t leave my kids alone.  What happened to “man’s best friend”?

As dog trainers, we hear this many times.  Yesterday I was at a new client and they asked me what is the hardest dog to train.  I told them that the answer is really quite simple.  It is almost never the dog, it is the owner or family.  Our dogs are often mirrors of us.  We must assure that we provide them with the correct image.  Here are some things that you should consider if you have a crazy dog:

What is the temperament of your family?  Are things always crazy and are people always running in and out?  This is providing too much stimulus to your dog and he is simply responding through dominance actions (barking/jumping) and heightened adrenaline.  If this is the case, place your dog in a quiet space if things are getting a little too crazy.  The back yard with some of his favorite toys is a perfect way to redirect his energy and focus away from you.

Make sure that your kids arent always playing or bugging your dog.  They might think it is fun, but it is only teaching him that it is always OK to demand play from anyone.  Limit play time to specific times of the day and only have them play with your dog in the back yard.  This will help your dog to understand where and when “crazy time” happens.  It will start to reverse the crazy behavior in the house because it just doesnt happen in there.

Never let your dog tell you what he wants you to do.  If he rubs his nose in your palm, don’t pet him.  If he brings over the leash, don’t go for a walk.  If he steals a sock, don’t chase him.  The more you let him tell you what he wants to do, the more he will ignore your commands and only demand things from you.  When you don’t give him what he wants, he will ramp it up to barking, jumping, and (sometimes) nipping.  None of these activities are things you should allow in your house and with your family.

If you want to be on the right foot to having a great dog, be calm.  Don’t run after him and yell and scream.  Don’t do what he is asking you to do.  Make sure that everyone treats the dog in the same way.  If you don’t want him on the furniture, you can’t let him on the furniture with your kids. 

I know this doesnt sound hard, but you would be amazed at how many of our clients had crazy dogs just because of the situations I have mentioned above.  Once we were able to rectify these situational issues, resolving any misbehavior of the dog was a piece of cake.  If you have any further questions about this, please feel free to contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in SouthFlorida.  

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