New Course 27th July

Bertie are now enrolling for their course commencing 27th July at Brockshill. Please look at previous blog message for details of the talk on Sundaywhich new members should attend.

The website is nearly complete , just making the final checks.

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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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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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Dog aggression throw the first punch

There are only two reasons a dog becomes aggressive. They are play and fear.

Play aggression is the rarer form. It usually occurs when a young puppy is encouraged to play too rough with people. Because of a puppy’s instinct to please, the puppy begins to think that being rough pleases people.

This is desire to please by being rough is how police and military bite dogs are trained. The dog is taken out and sent after someone wearing either a bite sleeve or suit. When the dog bites and holds on it is praised. Then when it lets go it is rewarded with a toy (usually a Kong) to play with. The dog makes the association between the two. Knowing that the Kong is definitely a toy, the dog sees biting a human as part of the game. The difference between this and a pet dog is that these dogs have “off” switches.

Sometimes people accidently train a puppy to be aggressive by playing more roughly than they should. The dog grows up thinking that all humans want to be played with as roughly as possible. And often a dog that has been taught to play rough with humans also thinks it should play that way with dogs. These dogs do not have “off” switches. And playing rough with humans can also result in being fear aggressive with other dogs.

The most common form of aggression though is from fear. For whatever reason the dog has become deeply fearful. And when something or someone triggers that fear the dog has three choices, negotiation, fight or flight.

The first and best choice is negotiation. Dogs do negotiate, they do it through body language. When a properly adjusted dog is confronted by something that it is not sure is prey or predator, it uses body language to say “I don’t have to fight and I am not a threat to you.” Provided that the dog knows what to “say” and the object or being answers or ignores the dog, the dog will attempt to avoid confrontation. Many dogs that do not grow up in a pack, or who do not have any pack based training, may never learn to negotiate.

Flight should be the second choice. If there is no good reason to fight, and the dog has a way to move away from the danger, it should leave rather than fight. But if the dog cannot retreat, because it is backed up against an object or on a line, the only choice left is fight.

Some dogs chose to fight even when there is the choice of flight. This may be because they do not know they have an escape option because at some point they chose flight and it did not work.

Dogs also believe if you are going to get into a fight, you throw the first punch. This is why even a small dog will launch itself at a large opponent. A fear aggressive dog will always try to throw that first punch even if it does not need to.

Once a dog has become fear-aggressive it is going to take work, a lot of work, to undo this reaction. The dog does not see itself as being wrong, it truly believes it is fighting to save its own life. The dog’s judgement has become so warped, and its fear so deeply ingrained, that it sees no other option.

But it can be fixed.

First the owner must establish trust in the dog. Many dogs love you but they have not learned to trust you. Without the dog trusting your judgment, the dog will never have an “off” switch.

So any training to deal with aggression has to meet these conditions.

1. The dog must trust the owner so that when the owner sees the dog is fearful, and is about to go to aggression, the owner can tell the dog that it does not have to become aggressive.
And the dog must learn to do what the owner is telling it to do.

2. The owner has to know how to recognize the aggression before the fight starts.

3. The owner must have an “off” switch that works both before and after a fight starts.

4. The dog must have training in group situations where it is tempted to become aggressive but is never allowed to succeed.

5. The training must trigger the ability to negotiate before turning to fight or flight.

6. The dog must learn not to fight even when the other dog is challenging it.

7. You must have the ability to protect your dog if the other dog becomes aggressive even though your dog has done everything right.

8. You have to learn to avoid situations where your dog will be attacked.

What I cannot tell you is how long this will take. It depends on how long the dog has been aggressive, how deeply the fear has entrenched itself, and how much time you can devote to working on it. I have had many dogs respond within a few weeks of training but others have taken much longer.

Genetics can also play a part. In any litter one puppy will be the most confident and another is the most fearful. Plus as any good book will tell you all puppies go through a period where they have a lot of fear reactions. Most will go through this with little harm. But a very few will never gets past this stage without help from a good trainer.

I am currently working with the most fear aggressive dog I have ever seen. And I have been working with this dog for almost a year. This is a rare European breed, the only one I have worked with so far. It hasnt been easy but I never give up on a dog.

When we started the dog was afraid of everyone, dog or human, other than its owners. I believe it was born this way. In fact had the breeder been a good breeder they never would have placed the dog since I am sure this behavior was abundantly clear even when it was a puppy.

This dog did not come in until it was almost five. And unfortunately the only time the owner tried to deal with it they went to someone who used a shock collar. That just made things worse.

But with a lot of dedicated work from the owners we are getting there. The dog comes to pack almost every week. The only problem left is that the dog still has trouble with its body language. He body still says fight when she means play.

But where they could never have anyone in their house before the dog now lets other humans be around her. And she doesn’t challenge every dog she sees.

Finishing this dog is actually up to her new pack mate. A couple of weeks ago they added a puppy to their house. Like many dogs this once super fear aggressive dog learned to get along with puppies before she learned how to get along with adult dogs. And instinct has kicked in, all dogs take part in raising puppies in the pack.

The new dog will actually grow to be a much larger dog. They are best friends. This dog will become the dog she was meant to be.

A word of warning, by itself a puppy does not cure aggression in adult dogs. Had they brought the puppy in a year ago, this dog would have killed it. But through their hard work they now will have two great dogs.

If you are here to find a trainer, and you can’t come to me or Pat, then read the other blogs here on this site for selecting a dog trainer.

Consider the following things.
1 Can the trainer specifically tell you how the training will deal with aggression? A simple “I can fix this” is never enough.
2 Will the trainer let you see them work with aggressive dogs?
3 Take in the list above. If the trainer cannot tell you how they are going to do those things, don’t train with them.
4 What will the trainer do, and what will it cost, if the dog needs more training. Remember some trainers will actually encourage the aggression so you keep coming back until you run out of money.


Doug

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Your Children and the Family Dog Playing Together

My kids like to play with our dog, but he gets a little too aggressive and the kids get scared.  What can I do?

We all want our kids to have a great experience with the family dog.  That is one of the “great family experiences” that follow all of us from being kids ourselves to being parents.  The trick is to balance the freedom and exuberance with safety and well-being.  We don’t want to completely hinder the play.  We also don’t want to have the kids scared whenever they see the dog.  Here are some tips that you should consider:

• If your kids are under the age of eight, there should always be an adult supervising the play activity or any activity between the kids and your family dog.
• Never “play rough” in the house.  Kids playing rough with the dog is never a good idea and we don’t want to introduce rough play and crazy canine excitement as the norm inside the house.
• Have your dog on a leash when he is playing with the kids.  This allows you to easily separate them if you feel anything is getting out of hand.
• Teach your kids not to push and poke the dog as a part of playtime.  This quickly heightens adrenaline and emulates a “tag, you’re it” environment.  Your dog will respond by nipping and jumping.  This is normally a frightening experience for the kids.
• Never play “tug-of-war”.  Your kids’ hands will get too close to your dog’s mouth.  As your dog tries to reacquire the “tug-of-war”, he might mistakenly bit your kid.  Again, this is not a good experience for your child.
• Play games like “chase the ball”.  Get four or five tennis balls and have your kids throw one out for your dog.  As he gets the first ball, throw the second and have your dog chase after the second.  Continue this process while you are picking up the discarded tennis balls and throw them.
• Hide toys and goodies around the yard and then have the kids encourage your dog (by pointing and calling him) to find them.  Praise him when he does.
• Practice obedience commands with your dog.  Have the kids call him to them with the “come” command.  Walk him on a leash in a circle around the yard.  Teach him to sit.

Tell your kids that if they ever feel afraid while playing with your family dog, stop what they are doing immediately and slowly stand up.  Stand still for about 30 seconds.  You can tell them that you want them to play like they are pretending to be a statue.  After that, slowly back up until they are away from your dog. 

During this time, you should also intervene, if you feel that it is necessary.  If your child can complete this by themselves, it will help build their confidence around dogs and minimize any potential of “fear of dogs” in the future. 

Our goal is to have a great time as a family and to instill a love of dogs in our kids.  Try some of these techniques and I am sure that you will experience some great results.  As always, please contact us if you have any questions at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Fear of Other Dogs in the Elivator

I am down here in Pompano Beach for the winter from my farm in upstate New York.  We are renting a great condo in a high rise on the beach.  The problem is that my dog is scared to go in the elevator whenever there is another dog there.  This is a “very pet friendly” building.  I am not walking up and down twenty flights of stairs every time I need to take him out.  What can I do?

Let me tell you one thing for sure.  You dont want to force your dog into a situation where he is placed in a fight or flight mode in a confined environment (like an elevator). 

You dont want to let the other dog in the elevator and do something like move to the corner and hold him on a very tight leash or pick him up and firmly hold him.  When you are doing these things, you are placing your dog in an unsafe situation.

As the person who is responsible for your dog’s wellbeing, you never want to put him in a situation where he feels unsafe and feels that you don’t have the ability to provide him security.  You are now "telling" your dog that you are a bad leader and dont have the ability to keep him safe.  This means that he will step up to be the leader and will take a more aggressive stance in the elevator (bad!).

We must understand that as the protector (i.e. parent), it is our biggest responsibility to keep our dog safe.  Sometimes, the best way to maintain safety is to avoid unsafe situations.  This is not "running away", it is simply good management.  With this in mind, here are my suggestions for the elevator situation.

• If you are about to enter the elevator and you see that there is another dog in the elevator, do not enter.  Mention that your is a little fearful of dogs in the elevator and you want to wait for the next one.  This, again will show that you are a responsible dog owner to your neighbors and that you are a good leader and care giver to your dog.
• If you are in the elevator and someone with a dog starts to enter, politely mention that your dog is a little fearful of other dogs when in the elevator.  Since you dont want an incident in such a closed space, could they please wait for the next elevator.  If they agree, thank them.  If they still step into the elevator, excuse yourself and get out of the elevator.  If there are other people in the elevator, they will see that you are a responsible dog owner, no matter which outcome occurred.  You will also show Wolfie that you are keeping him safe.

Yes, I know that it might take you a few more minutes to go up and down the elevator, but the extra few minutes will do wonders in building your relationship with your dog and your neighbors.  If you have questions or need additional information, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Dog Training Tips to Eliminate Your Dog’s Boredom and Bad Behavior

Minimize your dog’s bad behavior because he is bored

I was at a training session in Plantation yesterday and they were telling me that their dog just can’t sit still and is always bugging them.  I asked my client what was going on before this bad behavior began and he said, “Nothing, I might be working on my computer for a while and my dog is over in the corner.  He seems fine, just staring at me or looking out the window.  All of a sudden, he gets up and starts nudging me and whining.”

The reason that I am bringing this up in my blog today is because it is a situation that I have heard many times over my years of dog training.  Let’s not focus on the obvious issue of bad behavior, but why your dog started that bad behavior.  He was sitting by himself with nothing to do for a long time and finally said, “This is enough”.  Without anything else to engage, he comes to you to break his boredom.

If you are busy, you don’t have the time to work on that bond.  You must think of another way to eliminate that boredom that eventually causes the inappropriate situation requiring action that you cannot supply at the time.  You must set up a scenario where the boredom does not have a chance to become established.

Here are some suggestions for keeping your canine companion entertained and out of mischief.

•  Empty 12 Oz. Water Bottle:  These are the greatest.  The next time you finish with some bottled water, don’t throw the bottle away.  Take off the cap, the ring around the cap, and the paper.  Give it your dog.  They love the tactile feel of crunching the bottle and the sound that it makes.  The sound isn’t that loud, so it won’t bother you and it isn’t heavy, so it won’t hurt the walls if your dog bounces it off a wall or window.  Most dogs will play with the water bottle for yours.  When it starts to get a little worn out, simply switch bottles.  Free, quick, and easy!
• Scatter Feeding: Turn feeding into a treasure hunt. Scatter a variety of foods (such as whole carrots, peas, broccoli, beans, celery, and apples) around an area. This gives your dog something to forage for as well as some nutritious food to chew on (rather than your furniture. Please remember that you shouldn’t use raisins or grapes because these are very harmful to your dog.  Please check out our Dog Poisons for more information.
• Buster Cube: This award-winning dog toy is a great distraction. Fill the toy with dry kibble or other goodies. As your dog rolls it around on the ground, the kibble falls out from multiple compartments. This motivates your dog work for his food, keeping a brain-active dog busy for hours.
• Kong Toys: This durable rubber toy has a hollow center that can be stuffed with goodies such as kibble, dried liver, cheese, or peanut butter. I recommend that you use unsalted peanut butter.  Cover the Kong Toy hole without filling the entire toy.  Your dog won’t be able to get the food all the way in the back and may become frustrated.  Now, freeze the toy. Your dog now has a “Kongsicle”.  Get several Kongs so you can simply rotate them from your dog to the freezer.  One more note, Kong Toys are all made in the USA.  No part from any of their toys is made in China.

All you have done here is to proactively give your dog something to do to eliminate or extend the time before he becomes bored.  This allows you to get the things you need to accomplish in peace and quiet.  Please remember that this is not a replacement for play time with you.  To maintain your relationship, interactive play time is very important also.  If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in Plantation and South Florida.

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The Three Problems

Almost all behavior problems come from just three issues. Now some dogs have one, some have two, and some have all three.

They are:

Pack Order Confusion. In the pack the pecking order is very clear. Every dog knows how high they are in the pack. Pack order changes from time to time. A young dog, as it matures, may move up. Ultimately a new male and a new female will become the alpha pair. And the old pair will move down. But everyone knows their place.
For many dogs in homes, the pack order is not that clear. A dog with high alpha drive may challenge you to become alpha if your leadership is not clearly established. A dog with low alpha drive may still challenge you because your lack of clear leadership makes the dog insecure.

Fear Aggression. All aggression in dogs comes from fear. When the dog is triggered by an event the aggression shows. For example a dog bitten by a badly socialized large dog as a puppy may become aggressive with all dogs, with big dogs, or just that breed. I have a lot of dogs come in that are afraid of vacuum cleaners. So I have what I believe is Colorado Springs only dog training vacuum cleaner.

Trust. Your dog can love you, be a faithful companion, and still not trust you. This is the one that is always hardest for my clients to hear. Because trust issues almost always come with the dog when you first get it. But people want to blame themselves. And they don’t need to.

I have some breeders who bring all their puppies to me for imprinting prior to being sent to their new homes. Now I know these people, I know their dogs and kennels, and I know how they raise their dogs. But in a litter of six, I know I will find two or more puppies that have already developed problems trusting not only humans but other dogs.

The key to successful training is to identify which of these issues exist in your dog and making sure they are dealt with during training.

Doug

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Jade and the Firemen

So, I was very excited about getting to take Jade to the firehouse to do some training with the firemen there, but wasnt sure how the firemen would respond to this request.  The trainer and I werent sure how they would respond to our request to assist Jade with her training, or whether they would at all.

So yesterday came the day.  My trainer met Jade and I at the firehouse, station 13, to be precise. Its a very small station, and didnt seem too busy; and its right down the street from my house! So Jade and I decided since it was such a nice day that we would ride my scooter down there to meet the trainer.  It was a very nice day and the sun was blazing, but I think had we realized  how hot it really was, we wouldve taken the car.  Whew! I got sunburned.

We met the trainer there in the parking lot and briefly went over how we could present this request to the firemen, excuse me, fire people, inside.  (Women are fire people too). My trainer would introduce us and talk about what we are doing, and we would take it from there.  I have to say we were both pleasantly surprised at how well the firemen/women responded to our request, and felt VERY welcomed!

Before ringing the doorbell to the firehouse, my trainer said, "We better let Jade stay out here with you while I talk to them because she might get fearful at just going right in too quickly.  We dont want her to get over threshold and then she wont respond to training."  Good point! Jade was on the scooter with me (she loves to ride on that thing with me!) and we waiting while the trainer rang the doorbell.

A couple of firemen came to the door and opened it.  The trainer began telling them why we were there.  They nodded their heads, and one of them said, "wow, ok!"  They invited us in, and were so extremely nice and very responsive! We explained that Jade was very fearful of men in uniform and I was very uncomfortable with this because there may come another time that I need help and need the paramedics/firemen/police to respond to my residence, and they wont be able to get passed Jade to help me, due to her fear.  So we want to help Jade get over her fear of people in uniform, specifically men, so that when I need help, I can receive it. As of now, I told them, if I start to spasm and fall, and cant get up, Jade will run to get the phone for me, and come lay next to me until help arrives.  The problem is, that when help arrives, she wont let them get to me.  NO good! We explained that we were from a training organization here in town and also would like them to come to the organization and give a class on how they respond to calls for help, and how they handle dogs at the residence, precisely service dogs.  They were very responsive to that as well.

I was very pleased how they handled Jade.  As soon as we went into the firehouse, Jade became nervous.  She stared at the firemen/women, with her ears up high and her body tense, and started to growl and bark a little bit.  We quickly stopped her by handing my bag of treats to one of the firemen, who took them and tossed Jade a treat.  They asked us, "Would you like us to put on our complete gear or are these uniforms good enough?" We asked them if they could maybe put their helmets on too. They said, "Sure, absolutely," and went to fetch their helmets and some of their gear.  I was so happy! I had to coax Jade off of the scooter, and the fireman tossed treats and Jade came closer to him and got them off the floor.  In seconds, Jade was eating out of the firemans hand.  The firemen/women were all standing around talking about Jade, and calling her over to smell them, and squatting down so she could smell their helmets. They took Jade around the firehouse and showed her all of their gear and uniforms and boots, and Jade sniffed liked crazy.  She ran happily around the firehouse with them, following the treats, and stopping to sniff different things, then she would circle around and run back to me, making sure I was ok, and then run back to them. She relaxed, her tail started wagging and she had a smile on her face! The firemen/women petted her, and ran with her around the firehouse, they played with her, and she gave them kisses! I was amazed!

This went on for about 25-30 minutes, then one of the firemen said, "Shes really doing great now!" We agreed! Then he said, "The tough part is gonna be when we show up at your house for a call, because thats when they get really territorial." We agreed! So then my trainer asked, "We were wondering if one of you, or a few of you would actually be willing to come by her house and practice a little with this, just to get her used to having you respond to a call?" I cringed, thinking theres no way their gonna do that. Then one of them said, "No ones ever asked us that before, but I dont see why not." Wow! The firemen/women looked at each other and said, "Yeah, sure we can come by," and asked where I lived.  They asked for my address and phone number and I happily gave it to them. They said, "Lets make an appointment, were usually not too busy in the afternoon, at this time...unless we get a call, but its usually slow." They made an appointment with me, to come by my house next week, same time, and I was ecstatic!!! I couldnt believe how helpful these people were!!!! This is GREAT, I was thinking! My trainer was very pleased. She also asked them about coming to the training organization and doing a brief training there with the trainees and their dogs, letting the dogs get used to their smell and their gear. They thought that was a great idea! I think we started something wonderful!

So we decided on a date and time, and they seemed happy to do this! They took down my address and phone number, and the fireman said, "I have your phone number just in case we do get a call, I will call you and let you know."  I was truly amazed that they were so helpful and willing to come by my house even to help with this.  I asked them if they have a lot of trouble with dogs when they go on a call, and they all nodded.  I think they see this training as a way of helping them too; a way to help them learn how to deal with dogs when responding to a call. One of the firemen explained how they deal with dogs, saying, "Well, some of them are scared and do a lot of barking, but they dont approach us, so we just carry on....others are just plain aggressive and we just put our bags in front of us and go for it....we gotta do our jobs....we sometimes have one of the guys catch the dog and put it in a room or outside....whatever we have to do to help someone.  We sometimes have to save dogs from fires and sometimes theyre not easy to save...we have to just throw blankets over them and grab them." While he was talking he was squatted down and giving Jade a scratch on the head and back, and she was loving it! She was sniffing his helmet and giving him kisses!  I was so glad to be having this conversation with the firemen/women!

One of the firemen said, "Lets do some work on you and see how Jade reacts." So they pulled out the blood pressure machine and the pulse machine and started taking my blood pressure and my pulse, with their helmets on.  Jade came over and sniffed their hands while they worked, and she watched me to see if I was okay.  Her ears were up again, but she was fine! She watched, and then the trainer gave her a few treats. The fireman said, "Your pulse is high, take a few deep breaths, and he laughed." I was so happy, thats probably why! We all laughed a little, and the fireman told us about their dog that they have working with them sometimes.  "Hes a sniffing dog," they explained.  "He doesnt get food unless he sniffs something out for us." We talked a little more, then suddenly a lady came over the loud speaker and they all started scrambling about.  "We gotta go, got a call, but well see you next week at your house!" I put Jade back on the scooter as the large garage door started going up and they jumped in the truck.  They pulled away and the sirens came on.  Jades ears were up and she watched intently, but she did great!

My trainer and I stayed outside talking a bit about the experience after they left, and we were both SO pleased about how it went! We were very grateful for their willingness to help, and could hardly believe their willingness to come by my house and practice some more training! This was great!!! We talked more about having them come to the class and do some training there.  My trainer will be here as well when the firemen/women come over next week and well see how that goes! Im so excited about this! This is great stuff!

Stupid me! I didnt think to take any photos! I want some photos of Jade with the firemen! Im so glad Ill have another chance to do that when they come to my house next week.  I hope it works out and they dont get a call they have to go to instead.  Im hoping that even if they do, they will still be able to come by afterward.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

Another thing the firemen told me is that its a good idea to post a little sign, or sticker on your door, or window stating that there is a Service Dog Inside the house.  The firemen, and police really take heed to those stickers, and if you write that its a service dog, even though the dog may act frightened or even aggressive, they are MUCH less likely to shoot it. The police sometimes will shoot your dog if they cant get to you and the dog is aggressive and not letting them do their job. We discussed this. So, whether you have a service dog or not, its a good idea to post something like that where the officers responding to your residence can easily read it. Itll keep you and your animals safer.  Itll also give them a heads up if you have a house fire; they will try to save your animals as well.

Im really glad to be able to share this on my blog and very grateful for the experience! God bless the firemen/women! Never forget 9/11.  Firemen/women are some of the most courageous, and brave people on this planet!  Also, God bless the dogs that worked those days on 9/11 at that site!

I should have some pictures for you all next week after the firemen/women come by the house.  But for now....

Pretty cool video about the dogs at 9/11

http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/indiana/rescuer-lauds-dogs-work-after-9-11

A Story of the Service Dog, Roselle, who walked her blind handler down the 78 floors of the South Tower on 9/11 right before the building collapsed (photo)
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/09/06/blind-man-his-guide-dog-and-lessons-learned-on-11/

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Dog Training Tips to Have Your Dog Listen in the Back Yard

What Happens When Your Dog Wont Come to Me in The Back Yard?

We were at a dog training session in Coral Springs yesterday and our client had a great question that we wanted to share with everyone.  “It always happens that whenever I need to get my dog in from the back yard, he never comes.  I really think he sees it as a game and finds it fun to run and have me chase him…”

See my dog way back there?  There is no way that I am getting him in the house any time soon...

The best solution is really simple.  What you must do is to teach (or re-teach) your dog to “come”.  This, like any learned action, will take about five weeks of continual work.  This is great, but you need something to get him back in the house between now and then.

Lets first understand what is really happening with you and your dog and then find a temporary solution.  

Right now, I bet here is what you are doing.  You walk outside and yell "come".  He doesnt understand what that means, but you have gained his attention.  You yell "come" again and become more animated.  He still stares at you, finding you an amusing distraction.  By now you are really mad.  You start yelling at him and walk towards him (thinking he will stay still for you to get him). Your dog sees that we are in a game of "follow the leader".  He starts running, you chase him, and he runs faster.

As you can see, this is a losing battle that you just cant win.  So what do you need to do to get him in the house if he doesnt understand "come"?  You must find a way where you will remain calm, disengaging, and not directly approaching nim.  If you do this, you will not be "telling" Wolfie that you want to play.

Here is what you do:  (I really love this little trick!)

• Put a long leash or rope on your dog when he is outside.  Let him run around with it so that he becomes used to it.  You want him to think it is normal and not pay attention to it.
• When you want to get him in the house, be very calm and slowly approach the end of the leash or rope.  The point here is that you are moving towards a point that is not near him. 
• You are not directly approaching him so you are not sending the "play" signal to him.
• If he begins to run, do not get crazy and chase him.  Continue to calmly follow the end of the leash or rope..
• If you need to, stand still for a moment.  Since your dog is in a “play more”, he might approach you to encourage you to join in the chase.  When he does this, he will bring the leash to you.
• Once you are at the end of the leash or rope, simply put your foot on it.  Now you have him.
• Pick it up (keeping your foot on it until you have it firmly in your hand).
• Give your dog the "come" command and give the leash a little tug until he is at your side.
• Give him the "walkies" command and calmly walk him back to the house.

Give it a try and I am sure you will love it.  For more information, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in Coral Springs Florida and South Florida.

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When Your Dog Comes Inside and Potties on the Carpet

My dog is normally pretty good about pottying, but sometimes he doesnt potty outside and as soon as we come inside, he will potty.  This is just weird.  What can I do to fix this and keep my carpet from being an over-glorified wee-wee pad?

This is a frequent question posed by many of our clients.  Their dog normally doesnt potty in the house, there are just some timing issues that need to be addressed.  If this is truly the case, we have some simple suggestions to help you out:

• When you take your dog outside to potty, actively engage him in high energy play.  Throw the ball for him.  Hide a few toys around the yard and encourage him to actively find them.  Play fetch.  Whatever you do, make sure it is high energy so that you are speeding up your dog’s metabolism.  This encourages “potty”.
• Stop your active play and simply stand back.  Let your dog calm down and begin to focus on the smells of the yard.  This encourages the potty process.  You will normally see him still romp around for a bit and then begin to intensely sniff an area.  This is a sign that he is ready to potty.
• Once he performs his #1 and #2, do not bring him in right away.  Let him “hang out” for a few more minutes.  Sometimes dogs need to potty more than once.  If we bring him in too soon, we have moved the bathroom inside.
• If your dog didn’t potty after fifteen or twenty minutes, take him inside but keep him on a leash and next to you.  Wait five minutes and take him out again.  If coming inside somehow stimulates his need to potty, as stated in our original issue, we have started the process.  The difference is that we will only be inside for a few minutes and we will constantly be with our dog.  Note:  Dogs normally don’t want to go to the bathroom right next to you.

Having your dog outside for potty and then bringing them in only to mess on your carpet is annoying and smelly.  We hope that these suggestions will help you eliminate that problem.  As always, please contact us if you have any questions at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Is the trainer always right or always wrong

Is the trainer always right or always wrong?

Although this was originally written regarding sheepdog training it applies to any given task.

Generally when a trainer gives advice to a handler it is for that split second only. Thereafter if the sheep move, dog moves you move, the weather changes, other sheep come into play the original advice no longer applies to the same extent.
Training regimes need to be flexible to allow for the state of a dogs mind.
If eg you try and get a dog to flank square and it keeps cutting in, the chances are that you are failing. The more you fail the more you will upset your dog and cause confusion. Once your dog enters a confused state of mind following the same tact as before will only lead to further confusion. Being flexible allows for an empathetic approach. By looking at the eyes, ears, tail carraige as well as the whole you are better placed to make the changes that are necessary.

The advice that a trainer gives is usually for that second only based on his/her perceptions. My concept of opposites provides a big clue in how to solve problems.
It is normal to work towards a goal however the moment your actions cause an adverse reaction in your dog the goal has to be achieved in a different way. Constant pressure without release causes a breakdown in communication and a willingness for the dog to want to work.

A trainer will normally focus on the whole as well as the individual parts whereas a handler may only focus on the dog.

In many cases advice/actions that succeeds also

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The Best Kept Dog Training Secrets

2. Treats at reward time should be integrated in your training workouts. As opposed to human beings, dogs cant remove their clothes or add layers, so they have to appear up with other methods to get relief from the weather conditions problems.

This will enable your dog to melt away up some surplus power, and he will most likely be a lot more willing to be engaged in your training session. Therefore, your principal goal need to not be to get your dog to stop barking , but rather to prepare him how to handle his increased barking. When your dog digs a hole and lies in it, his temperature can be self-regulated. The booklet is much far more than just an additional dog training manual, even though I would purchase it for that area alone. If you continue to keep on repeating this procedure, he will commence to associate optimistic reinforcement with the correct pattern.

one. One particular suggestion is water sprayed with bitter apple, which is available in puppy stores.

Periodically, the dirt or sand in your dogs chosen digging place need to be changed. My advised dog training information to stop your dog from barking is Secrets to Dog Training, the top promoting instruct for the 4th 12 months in a row!?!More Recommended links Review of secrets to dog training,.Also, obedience training ought to not happen right right after a meal. A premium edition of this top notch information is also obtainable. Click Here to Go to secrets to dog training.

It is offered by Dave Johnson, the really well-known dog care specialist, who makes it all appear so simple!Review of secrets to dog training- My Conclusions

SitStayFetch has been the top marketing dog training study course for more than four years, and it has been bought by above 217,000 dog masters planet-broad. Barking in the evening might retain owners awake, and territorial barking can make others who live nearby experience very miserable.

I have to say that 3 Secrets to Dog Training - Fast Success has not disappointed me - in simple fact, Im amazed at the top quality and quantity of the details presented for this kind of a reduced cost. If you have previously scolded him for digging, you might have to have to give him added encouragement. If you presently personal a dog or pup, or are contemplating about possessing one, I clearly recommend that you get your hands on a copy of Secrets to Dog Training.

They also offer you indefinite consultations with their specialists to make positive you fix your dogs habits troubles speedily.

secrets to dog training (formerly named SitStayFetch) has been revamped and was officially released on February a couple of, 2009. Observe. Place an unpleasant "present" in the hole dug by your dog. Secrets to Dog Training offers a 60-evening dollars back again ensure so you cant possibly drop.
Boredom may possibly be another purpose for your dog digging. The publication supplies overviews and recommendations for a number of distinct training techniques such as dog whispering, clicker training, head collar training, and crate training, to name just a few. Place rocks, sticks, mulch, and dead leaves in the hole and cover it with a light layer of soil. An additional way to stop dog digging is by filling the holes with waste found in your garden. Extra patience will be required with these breeds in purchase to stop their digging pursuits.

Training your dog to search just in that place may possibly take time but it is achievable. If you make a fuss of him whilst he is even now barking, he will reckon that barking is an correct conduct.

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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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Wolfies Potty Problems While On The Road at Our Cabin

I just dont get it.  Wolfie has been potty trained for years, but when we are on a trip, he makes accidents!  What gives?

Well, our family, along with our four dogs, was on a vacation trip recently and we ran into this exact problem.  Our dogs that never made accidents for years began to have accidents in our rented cabin.  We quickly realized that we had to remember our initial potty training with each dog and the environment/schedule that we finally set up for our "pack".  It then became quite obvious that what we had established as the "norm" in their life was now drastically changed.

We went out hiking in the morning, ate at strange hours, were in and out all the time, had them in and out on our schedule, and just didnt give them the focus that we normally did when we were at home.  We broke the main rule of potty training, we were not "listening" to them telling us to let them out.

Well, when you are on a traveling vacation, it is sometimes difficult to always pay attention to your furry friends.  We had do think of something different so that we werent loosing our "cleaning deposit" at every place we stopped.  Here is what we came up with:

We went back to the basics.  We established a schedule based on our activities for the day.  Whenever possible, we tried to get them out every three hours, even if we had been playing with them earlier.  Also, we kept them in their crates when we left the cabin.  Since they really didnt want to go in their crates, it helped to strengthen the encouragement when we took them out.

Guess what?  It worked perfectly.  As soon as we put this in place we had zero accidents.  All we did was to go back to the basics of potty training.  We put them on a schedule, tried to observe them as much as possible, and crated them when we couldnt watch them.

Even though this is simple advice, it will surely help you keep your cleaning deposit the next time you travel with your pooches!  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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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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Dog Safety at Home with Workmen

I am pretty sure that my dogs will be fine when friends come over, but sometimes I am not too sure that they are “happy” when we have a plumber or electrician come to fix something.  Should I keep them out so that they can “get used” to the contractor or should I put them away?

You must remember the one thing that our dogs want more than anything else in the world.  They want to feel safe.  As their leader; their teacher; their boss; it is my top priority to make sure that they always feel safe in any situation.

Let’s first look at the situation when we have some family friends or neighbors over. These are people that I know and I have a pretty good idea how they are going to react with my dogs.  If they have been over in the past, I also have a pretty good idea how my dogs will react to them.  Are they good friends or “Oh, it’s you again”?  When I am answering the door, I am greeting them with a relaxed, safe body language.  My dogs can read this interaction and understand that I am in charge and that these “new animals” entering our house (territory) have been approved by me.  Since my guests have already met my dogs on a prior visit or understand that they are coming to a house with dogs, they are already prepared for the situation and they won’t communicate inappropriate posture in their body language.

When we have people visit, we are normally with them most of the time. Because of this, we can constantly reassure our dogs that everything is OK.  We can also demonstrate the appropriate way for our guests and dogs to meet to determine the level of interaction that would be appropriate between the two.  The bottom line is that when we have guests over, we have already (knowingly or not) prepared for the event so that our dogs will feel safe through our leadership.  Everything is fine.

Now, let’s change course and talk about having workmen or other contractors in our home.  The first thing that we should understand is that the reason we have workmen over is because something is broken.  We are already slightly stressed over that.  When we greet them at the door, we are not greeting a friend, but a stranger.  As we are trying to assess this individual, our body language communicates that we are not completely confident and that we have a little bit of a “defense mechanism” in place.  All of this puts our dogs on warning that they might need to come to our rescue.

We also have no idea if the contractor likes or is afraid of dogs.  They might have dogs, but beat them on a regular basis.  The contractor will display that aggressive/disrespectful body language to our dogs.  On the other hand, they might love dogs and our dogs might just want to play with them while they are there trying to fix our problem.  All of this adds confusion to the situation and diminishes our dogs’ focus on our leadership abilities.

With this said, we have found that it is best to put our dogs in a secure location in another part of the house when we have contractors over.  This allows us to be in control of their experience so that we can continue to show our leadership and keep them safe.  It also allows the contractors to work in peace and to get their job done as quickly as possible. 

It would be best to be with your dogs while the contractors are there.  Have them in your office with you or in the back yard playing with you.  This allows you to redirect their attention back to you if they start to become too focused on the sounds the contractors might be making.  It is your way to confirm “It’s OK, you are with me”.  Maintain your leadership and role of caregiver and you will secure your dogs’ respect, love, and obedience.  If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in Weston.

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The top 6 dog training mistakes you make these mistakes when training dogs

Training dogs is really very simple, if you do not make any errors. The error in the training of dogs is usually because of frustration or just forgetful. You have to do any of these mistakes and efforts to train your dog?

1. Use a different word or clues Command - When you train the dog you should always use the same word or "prompt" in training. The use of a number of different words can confuse your dog and he would not know what it is you want him.

2. Physically punish your dog in the dog training - you hit or slap your dog, he or she will not require you to do or what not to accept it? Physically punish your dog is not only causing your dog is afraid of you or your dog can lead to be aggressive.

3. Cry during training, or - if you want to cry or your dog training efforts at the same time, you defeat the purpose of all together. You want your dog to obey your orders, in your quiet voice. Through yelling, you will only cause confusion for the dog you always get your order or clues in your normal, calm voice. Use a different tone of voice is not the same, or loud shouting.

4. Courses lasting longer than 10-15 minutes - your dogs training should be for 1 0-1 5 minutes. Your dog will not continue his or her attention to you than a longer period of time. You need the training was useful ideas, your dog will be full of great importance for a long time look like a three-year-old child sitting in one place more than 5 minutes.

5. Forget the praise or the treatment of your dog every time he or she follows orders or appropriate behavior - you have to keep in mind, let your dog praise or treatment every time he or she follows orders or agent of the way, you look forward to .

6. Training in a bad mood - if you want to train your dog when you are in a bad mood, a bad day or uncomfortable, your dog will not fully benefit from your efforts and this could lead to the deterioration of you. It can also be confusing your dog always wait for your dogs training very good state of mind.

Training your dog has never been so simple! With SitStayFetch, you can avoid mistakes, it is easy to make and keep on the right track to train your dog. Reviews Web site, visit the dog training - review of the S itStayFetch.

Police dog training is an important and critical part of your dogs life. A specially trained dog is a happy, healthy and safe.

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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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