Feeling Restless

Jade and I really rely on our park outings every evening for some quality time together (not that we dont get that every day) and time outside for some fresh evening air.  The park is kind of our drug, since we dont get out much.  We usually get to go to the park every evening, and we walk, play fetch and enjoy the air.

The last few days weve been stuck in the house, as Jade has hurt her leg again.  She injured it before playing fetch, and shes managed to do it again. Shes just plays a very vigorous game of fetch, and no more how I throw the ball, she doesnt seem to slow down at all.  I tried not throwing it very far, but it doesnt change a thing. She still bolts after it, as fast as she can run, the she either catches it on the bounce, or chases it along the ground, twisting and turning, and sometimes even taking a tumble.  Gotta get that ball! Ask anyone that owns a Lab! These are definitely ball dogs! Then she runs back and drops the ball right in my hand.  A master Retriever! But, shes just a little to vigorous with the game, and she hurt her leg not too long ago.  She was limping and Id taken her to the Vet then, worried about arthritis, or dysplasia, Valley Fever, or something horrible.  Luckily, the Vet could find nothing wrong with her leg, after an examination and an ex-ray.

Two days ago, off we went, back to the Vet for the same thing, same leg.  The Vet checked her again and again found nothing.  He chalked it up to something like a "sports injury" having somehow strained a muscle during twisting and turning that didnt quite heal completely from the last time it was injured.  He gave her a prescription for rest and an anti-inflammatory again.  He said that the best thing would be for her to play fetch in the pool, thereby getting physical therapy in the water, and slowing her down some in her game of fetch.  I wish! I dont have a pool, but wouldnt that be great!? So, the Vet says, "no more fetch for a good long stretch of time."  Poor girl, its gonna hurt.  I cant imagine her not being able to play fetch...its the thing she loves most of all. Nevertheless, we have to follow doctors orders; dont want her to hurt herself again.  He said to give a long while to heal up completely and then see.

I really cant afford her to have an injury so I have to be careful.  I use Jade for bracing and for mobility support, so its important that shes in the best of health and the best of shape.  So, stuck in the house are we for at least a few days, then we can at least go for a walk at the park...no fetch though....sorry, girl.
:( .

Well, shes already feeling better.  Shes not limping anymore, and shes totally restless! She just stares at me for a while after dinner, like, "You ready now? Are we going to the park?" I feel bad, but its for her own good.  Once she gets that were not going, she hops up on the couch, curls up, looks at me one last time, like "Really, were not going?", then a long sigh, then she closes her eyes and drops off for a nap.  Shes been bringing me her toys for the last few days, tossing them around the house and even chasing the cat around, which she rarely does anymore.  I know shes getting restless when she starts chasing the cat. Poor old guy.  My cat is 17 years old and probably thinking, "Please take this damn dog to the park already!" :)

(As if our animals think the way we do, right? Haha!)  Anyway....were both restless....so Ill share some photos, and hopefully tomorrow well hit the park for a short walk.

Pretty Green Eyes

Jades first day with me. 11 weeks old.

Sporting the football jersey.  It says, "Wide Retriever" on the back.

Playing in the river.

Sleeping with her toy.

My old man.

The park makes this girl HAPPY!

Playing fetch

Relaxing in the cat bed :)

Proud digger at 3 months

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Why it is Important to be Calm and Still

When Fluffy is barking, running, and jumping all around me, how can I stay calm and still?

Our first training visit with our clients and their families will normally last three hours or more.  We cover a lot of information and demonstrate a great deal of techniques to get the dog to be a great dog.  I have often thought that if I only had a moment to give a dog owner some useful and productive training advice, what would it be.

I keep coming back to the very simple idea of “Calm & Still".

Eighty percent of the communication between you and your dog is body language.  In my opinion, the most important part of body language is the ability to show a sense of confidence.  Everything is OK, I am in control, I will take care of you...  This is done by remaining calm and still while engaging the situation at hand.

Humans are emotional animals and we get so mad at our dog when he is going nuts.  We raise the level of adrenalin through our screaming and running when we are trying to calm our dog down.  It just doesnt work, and why should it?  Craziness creates more craziness.

By staying calm and still when you are addressing your dog, he will naturally feel your confidence and will have a far better sense that you are the safe keeper, provider, and leader.  Staying calm also allows you to more effectively evaluate the situation and determine the best course of action to get your dog back to being a "good dog".

If you have any additional questions or would like more information on this dog training subject, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Pit Bulls Called Service Dog To Get Around The Law

     Here is another good example, in my opinion, of another person trying to call their pit bull a "service dog" to get around the law.  If this dog is at all certified as a "service dog" then its only because she ran to one of those illegal websites to quickly pay for a "service dog certification" to get around her landlords telling her the dog has to go.  The funny thing is, that people think that just because their dog is a "service dog" it can get around any law and is exempt from all the rules.  This is so not true.  Regardless if a dog is a "service dog" or not, it can still legally, by ADA rules, be asked to leave if it is considered a nuisance by any staff, employee, resident or manager of any store, restaurant, apartment building, trailer park, etc.  The  so called "service dog" doesnt even have to be aggressive per se, it just has to be considered a nuisance and it can legally be asked to leave.  The tenant can stay, but the manager has EVERY right to ask that this dog leaves the premises...."service dog" or not.  By the way, you have to be "disabled" first and foremost to even have a service dog.  Many people, in my opinion, choose to impersonate a disabled person in order to be able to call their dog a "service dog" for the purpose of getting around the law.  I am not sure if having arthritis in your knees is considered a disability or not, it very well may be...but has her doctor declared this to be so? Thats something the lawyer could definitely look into here.
     Another point Id like to make is this....if you have a REAL service dog, then you know how a service dog is supposed to perform the command, "brace." If your dog has been properly trained to "brace" I can assure you, its not by pulling as hard as it can to the end of the leash, correct?! This could very well injure the dog if its just pulling as hard as it can by the collar, and bearing a humans body weight. Especially the 60-70 pound dog in this article.  This is NOT an appropriate "brace" by service dog.  My service dog has been properly trained to "brace," by moving in front of me sideways, tensing up, and waiting for me to put my hands on the "sweet spot" of her back (whithers) and commanding "brace," as I use her to brace me to stand up and sit down.  She also has been trained to use her harness correctly for the "brace" command, as I lean into the appropriate place on her back with my harness.
   

You can read the article below and let me know your thoughts as well.  The above are my thoughts.  To add to this, I have to say that I find it really sad and disgraceful that someone is resorting to calling their dog a "service dog" to get around the law.  I also find it disgraceful that anyones "service dog" would invoke such complaints by tenants, that the dog is "charging people, aggressing toward them, growling at children and barking and snarling at them, acting aggressively toward other animals," etc.  Thats scary! No properly trained service dog should behave this way! So this is again why I say that breed is an important consideration when choosing a REAL service dog, as the pit bull dogs are bred for the purpose of fighting and killing!!! They are NOT a good breed of choice, generally, for a service dog.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/09/2684435/dog-gone-mean-landlords-banning.html


But please read the article and let us know your thoughts. Thank you!

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Teaching My Dog to Come When Called

I am really frustrated with my dog.  Just as soon as I think I have trained him go come to me when I ask, he ignores me completely or I have to say it over and over again.  I must be missing something.  What am I doing wrong?

This is a common complaint that we hear many times when we visit our clients for the first time.  They think that their dog understands “come” if he comes to them a few times.  Now, when the dog is at the dog park or in the back yard, he completely ignores them.  The client normally gets mad and yells at the dog.

It is obvious that this method does not work.  In order to understand what will work, we have to understand how our dogs learn.  Dogs learn through repetition and consistency.  We could compare this to the same way we learned our times tables.  Every time we “flipped the card”, the same answer would be on the other side.  Eventually, we didn’t have to flip the card because we knew what was on the other side. 

To relate this to our dog’s training, we have to make sure that every time we give the command “come”, out dog will go to us.  With that said, let me explain, exactly, what you must do to assure that your dog understands and consistently obeys you when you tell him to “come”:

• Have your dog in the house with a six foot leash.  Make sure that you are in a calm and quiet environment.  Go down low and say “come” in your regular voice.  If your dog doesnt come, give the leash a slight tug.  Once your dog comes to you, praise him in a high voice and stand up.
• Leave the leash on your dog and just walk around the room without paying attention to him.  Next, go to the end of the leash, put your foot on it, stoop down, grab the leash, and tell your dog to “come”.
• Repeat the above process until your dog will always come without the need to give the leash a tug.
• Now, switch the six foot leash with a twenty foot training lead.  Use about ten feet of the lead and have the rest wrapped up.  Go down low and say “come” from ten feet in your regular voice.  If your dog doesnt come, give the lead a slight tug, repeating the tug until he comes to you. 
• Repeat the above step until you no longer have to tug on the lead to have your dog obey you.  Extend the training lead to fifteen feet and repeat the process.
• Extend the training lead to twenty feet and repeat the process.
• Now, take your dog to the back yard.  Repeat everything you have done above with both the six food leash and twenty foot training lead.

Now you have your dog consistently coming to you outside.  Since you arent tugging on the leash to get your dog to obey, it has now become unnecessary.

• Continue telling your dog to come to you, but do not hold the leash anymore. 
• Now, have someone unhook the leash from your dog and tell him to come.  He should come to you without the need of the leash.

What you have done is to program your dog in a consistent and repetitive manner.  You set the scene so that every time your dog heard “come”, he went to you.  You initially used the leash to assure the outcome.  As the programming took hold, the leash became superfluous and could be removed.  If you have any questions, we are always available at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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