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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Why dog training fails part III

Every now and then I get a minute to look around the web at web sites for dog trainers. I pick a city and see who is out there and what they have to say. You never know when you might find something to help you improve.

Today looking a city in the Midwest, I came across a website. On every page the trainer emphasized and re-emphasized their years of training. And yet they did not seem to have stayed anywhere very long.

Then I remembered something a great trainer told me once.

This person was not a dog trainer. He was my field training officer when I joined the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in 1984. And he was a great trainer.

This was old school police training. Back then you did not go to a six month academy and then 14 weeks of Field Training. They swore in and took you to the range where they taught you to shoot, in an afternoon. You then spent a week working in each section of the office. That was followed by just five weeks of field training and you were out on your own. If you survived, and did not get the sued, then you went to the academy before the end of the first year.

When I showed up that night for my first shift most of the deputies introduced themselves. One made a great show of telling me, in front of everyone, that he was a ten year veteran.

Later that night Skeeter brought up that conversation. Then he told me:

“Look there are two kinds of ten year veterans. One kind has one year of experience ten times. The other has ten years of experience.”

This is why I highly recommend you meet with any dog trainer before you decide who is going to train your dog. You want a trainer who grows and improves with every dog, not someone who does the same thing over and over again.

Doug

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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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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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Dog Training Tips for Bad Behavior At The Door and Guests

Quick things you can do every time someone comes to the door and your dog displays bad behavior.

I was at a dog training session in Cooper City last week and we were just finishing up the session.  We had covered everything the client had on his wish list for that day and everything was just great.  As I got up to leave, a friend came to the front door and rang the door bell.  His dog went completely nuts.  He ran to the front door before we could even stand up, barking and jumping at the door like a crazy person.  I told the client that we had something else to work on…

What we first must understand is that just about all dogs are excited when new people are coming into the house.  This is not always a bad thing because our dog’s action can also act as a defensive/protective mechanism to an unwanted situation. What is important is that we are not embarrassed when anyone enters our house because they are jumped on, licked, and generally harassed the unruly dog. The best way to accomplish this is to nip it at the bud. Here are some tips that I have given my clients over the years:

• Put your dog on a leash. As your guests’ arrival time approaches, make sure that your dog fully engaged with toys or other distractions.
• Play with your dog outside for 30 to 45 minutes before your guests arrive.  This will help get the “excitement out of him”.
• As soon as you hear the doorbell or you get a call from the front gate, grab your dog’s leash by first putting you foot on the handle.  Then, calmly reach down and pick up the handle.  Have your dog sit next to you.
• Once you hear your guests at the front door, make sure your dog is still in a sit position.  Calmly command him to walk with you and go to the front door.  Have him sit again.
• Open the door and greet your guests. If your dog starts to become unruly or leaves the sit position, correct him and place him in the sit position.
• If your dog is still unruly, ask your guests to stay at the door for a moment.  Walk your dog around the room and have him focus on you.  Once he is calm, walk back to your guest and place your dog in a sit position.
• Have a short conversation with your guests while maintaining a close watch on your dog.
• Walk with your guests and dog into the house and to the area where you will be spending your time.  If the dog does not show signs of excitement or misplaced focus, calmly drop the leash.
• If your dog begins to go crazy again, pick up the leash (method described about), walk around for a moment or two until he is calm, and drop the leash.

You are teaching your dog is to be calm when you are meeting guests. The leash serves as a simple, non-physical training aid for you to direct your dog to make the right decision. It also allows you to be consistent in your management of him.  This is how your dog learns and how he associates leadership.

For more information on this subject or any dog training issue, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in Cooper City and South Florida.

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Why Wolfie Has a Hard Time Learning

I just dont know what is going on!  Everyone can teach their dogs stuff and all I want Wolfie to do is to come to me.  I say "come" and he doesnt come.  I say "come" and he doesnt come.  I yell "COME" and he walks away.  What gives?  Why cant I teach Wolfie anything?  Cant Wolfie learn?

The answer is, of course, Wolfie can learn.  Just about all dogs can learn.  The problem is that we dont understand how to teach Wolfie.  The good news is that the answer is really simple.

Just like people, some dogs are smarter than others.  Just like people, all dogs have different prior life and learning experiences before their first day of class.  Just like people, students have different levels of respect and obedience towards their teacher.

On "Day One" of teaching Wolfie anything, we first have to understand where he has the ability to learn the lesson we are about to teach.  To do this, we have to determine "where he gets it" and "where he doesnt get it".  This will determine where we begin.  This is very similar as a child going to a new school and the principle determining which grade that student should enter.  

In this example, I will use the simple command of "Come" to determine where I should start to teach Wolfie...

First, I have to pick a base point to see if Wolfie already understands the command.  I stand about six feet away from Wolfie, go down low and say "Come".  I now watch to see what Wolfie does.  He doesnt do a thing and just sits there.  I will try once more.  I get down low and say "Come" with the same response.  This tells me that this is too advanced for Wolfie and have to drop down a grade.

I now put a leash on Wolfie so that I can help to show and guide him when I ask him to come from six feet.  I go down low again and say "Come".  This time I give the leash a very slight, brief tug in my direction.  Wolfie now begins to walk towards me.  As he slows, I give the leash a very slight, brief tug again to encourage him to continue to walk to me.  He reaches me and I give him a big "Good Wolfie!".  I now know where I can start teaching him.  

I continue the process with the leash until I no longer have to guide him with the slight tug.  From this point, I can continue the learning process by increasing the distance between Wolfie and myself.

As you can see, once I find the place where Wolfie is able to learn, his ability to grasp the lesson will progress rapidly.  This will work with any lesson you want to teach Wolfie.  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Why do Dogs Sometimes Get Crazy at People in the Car

My dog is the greatest dog in the world until he goes for a car ride.  He just starts barking like crazy!  He barks at everyone as I drive down the street.  He doesn’t do this with people in the house, what’s happening?

I have seen this with so many clients of ours.  Let’s just say here is a picture of your dog in the back seat.  You are doing the right thing by constraining him so that he doesn’t fly out of control if you have to slam on the breaks.  So far you are doing great.  But still, he is constantly barking and is driving you crazy.  That is bad.  What is the problem and how can you fix it?

...The answer is simpler than you think and the explanation is just as simple.

Dogs are always very aware of dominance; who is the boss, who is the leader.  Who is the dominant one?  Who is in charge?  Look at this picture of your dog.  He is in his car seat that is elevated above the normal seating area which puts him in a raised position.  In the canine world, height is dominance.  Guess what?  You are sitting lower in your drivers seat while your dog is sitting high and mighty in his "dominance seat".  On top of that, you have given him an excellent view of everyone around the car.  He is dominant and he sees all these "other animals" (people) moving around the car.  Some of these "other animals" might even be walking towards the car which gives them an aggressive posture.

Don’t forget that you put your dog in the dominant role and he sees possible aggression towards his pack.  Barking, jumping, growling are all natural actions he could take to try and protect the rest of the "pack".  You put him out in front.  You told him that he was the one who had to protect you and the rest of the people in the car.  You did this by giving him height and dominance.  You elected him the "boss of you".

Now, what do you do?  The answer is simple.  Lower his height.  Find a doggie carrier that you can put on the seat or floor of your car.  Find a car seat that sits on the seat of your car.    All you are doing is lowering the height of your dog and lowering his requirement to be the "boss".  Also, make sure that you dont put him in the front passenger seat, unless you can turn off the air bag release.

This is a quick fix that seems to work over and over again.  Take away your dogs requirement for dominance in the car and your rides will be a whole lot nicer!  Please contact us immediately if you have any questions.  Please feel free to contact us regarding dog training questions at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Why It Is Important That I Train My Dog

I have so many friends that send their dogs off to a canine boot camp to have the trainers there train their dog. I have been thinking about this, but is it really a good idea?  I am not sure that I want someone else to be the leader of Wolfie!

I know that there are the dog owners that dont have the time to train their dog or just dont want to train their dog.  As we can all attest, there is so little time in this world and finding the time to train our dog just might not be there.

Let me answer this question by coming at it from another angle.  First, the reason that I got Wolfie was to have the relationship of unending love and complete trust.  I want Wolfie to know what is right and wrong and I want him to respect me as his ultimate provider.

To accomplish this, Wolfie and I need a great deal of face time.  As he does something wrong, I need to clearly let him know that his action was inappropriate.  I also need to bond with him by engaging in safe and stimulating play activities.  I must never "trick him" into doing something that might scare or hurt himself.

I must provide stimulating activities that will teach him actions I need him to perform.  I need him to "come" when he needs to be by my side.  I need him to "sit" when I need him calm and respectful.  I need him to "stay" so that he will be safe when I need to answer the door or to allow an activity to occur without his involvement.

I need Wolfie to understand that whatever I ask him to do or wherever I take him, he will be safe.  If a situation arises where he might feel his safety in question, he will look towards me to resolve the situation.

If I can accomplish these things, I will have a great dog.  I will have built the bond, trust, and respect that is needed for our relationship.  The only way that this will occur is if I am Wolfies teacher.  I must be the one in charge.  I must be the one that is always guiding and showing Wolfie the proper direction.

Sending Wolfie off to a Canine Boot Camp with someone else doing the training just doesnt accomplish what needs to be done.  The relationship between Wolfie and me is my responsibility.  Wolfie and I will have a great relationship because of the time that Wolfie and I have invested. For more information, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Potty Training Away a Long Time

Sometimes my work requires long days and I have to leave Wolfie alone in the house for ten or twelve hours.  He is still a puppy and I am still working on Potty Training.  Thats a long time to keep him inside!  What do I do?

We all know that "life happens" and we cant get home to let our little puppy out to go potty.  There is a rule of thumb that the number of hours a puppy can "hold it" is their age in months.  (After 8 months, that is where it stops...)  So what do I do with my four month old puppy when I am working twelve hours that day?

First of all, you dont want to leave him in his crate.  Part of crate training and potty training is enforcing your puppy not to potty in his crate.  As long as we stay within the limits of your puppy physical abilities, this is a pretty easy process.  If we surpass his physical limits to hold it, of course he will go in his crate.  This will undermine this part of the potty training process.

What you must do is to find an area that you can allow your puppy to potty.  It must be enclosed and away from your puppys normal "roam of the house".  The best areas would be a bath room or washer/dryer room.  Pick up any rug and remove anything that your puppy "could get into" (toilet paper, boxes on the ground, etc.).  You might even put down a wee-wee pad just to see if he would use it.  I would also suggest that you get a doggie gate to enclose the area so it wont appear so confining.

When you have to be away from the house for extended periods of time longer than your puppys "ability to hold it", you put him in that area.  If he potties, you have a small area to clean and you havent damaged your crate training process.  

Be sure to clean the area well with an enzyme cleaner like Natures Miracle and then a normal cleaner like Lavender Fabuloso.  Also, as I alluded to earlier, keep the door closed to this area to keep him out.  You only want him in here when you are away for a long time.  For more information, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Puppy Training Part III the worst two weeks to own a dog

I think the hardest two weeks to own a dog are weeks 14 and 15.
Because of the way a dog’s mind develops weeks 8 (usually the youngest age a breeder will sell a dog) through week 14 are pretty easy. Again during that time you aren’t really training, you are conditioning.

Training differs from conditioning in that in training we give the dog a command and if it performs, we reward the behavior. If it does not we correct. In conditioning there are no corrections, just distraction.

We take advantage of the fact that during that period, the puppy’s whole world revolves around its owner(s). When we tell the puppy to sit we raise our closed hand. Since a dog has to sit down to look up, it sits and we praise. When the dog comes running to us we praise it effusively while giving a recall command. Since puppies are all about pleasing us, the praise reinforces the reaction to our words.

If we walk by and the puppy stands up we tell it “good stand” and if remains laying there we tell it “good down.” If it bites our hand we shriek or use a rattle can while saying “no bite.” When it releases we praise.

Because a puppy is all about pleasing us during these weeks, it seems like the puppy is already training. And if it were not for what happens in weeks 14 and 15, it would be.

Then the puppy hits week 14. This stage in a dog’s development can be described as the worst parts of the terrible twos and puberty all wrapped up in one. The world is not about you, it is about the puppy. The dog has gone from pleasing you to pleasing itself. It truly believes it is now smarter than you and you are there to do what they want, not the other way around.

I see this all the time in Neighborhood Pack Sessions (group). Puppy came in for puppy class and now comes to Neighborhood Pack every week. It sees how the adult dogs listen to their owners and tries as hard to work for its owner as the big dogs do for their people. Exposure to adult dogs in a pack situation is one of the best things you can do with a puppy.

And Mom and Dad are just beaming. By week 13 I can see it in their eyes. Their little darling is going to be the best dog ever. Why they won’t even have to spend the time or money on adult class.

The next week the phone rings here at Pikes Peak Manners In Minutes. It is puppy’s owners. I get told that the dog will be 16 weeks and one day (the point where it can train as an adult) on the 22nd. They would like the 7:00 AM appointment.

I know what they are going through. And I can usually give them the 7:00 AM appointment.

Oh and the picture is Vino, the legendary service dog Rottweiler, as a puppy in 2009.

Doug

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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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Neighborhood Pack II

One of the frustrations when you are building a business (especially in a recession) is not having a big enough customer base to do some of the things you want to do.

So by the end of summer when we had enough dogs to make getting together in group possible, we started doing Neighborhood Pack sessions. Of course we did not call it that until we met Pat Rock.

The name is a dead on description of what happens. We form a pack. Last weeks pack had a Border Collie, two Boston Terriers, a Min Pin, a Jack Russell Terrier, a Norfolk Terrier, and a Standard Poodle. Three of the dogs were under a year in age. One dog had extreme dog aggression and another was a rescue with severe seperation anxiety.

Now each of these dogs had finished their private lessons and was making progress. But to complete the training process the dog needed a couple of sessions in a pack. And that night they were.

We dont turn dogs loose. But there is a pack leader, me. And there are higher ranking members of the pack, who have to be respected. That is the owners.

There were no miracles. But there was progress. Everyone learned that the rules their owners have established apply in every situation.

The excitement of the night was when the dog aggressive dog managed to snap open his lead and get loose. He challenged every dog in the center. But there were no bites, just bluffing. Ane he quickly learned that unacceptable behavior results in a frim, but fair, correction. He still has a way to go but that was a big step for him. And every other dog in the room learned they can trust their owners.

Neighborhood Pack has be so successful that now every dog finishes training by attending three sessions. Since the dog learns from the other dogs, and the owners learn from each other, the dog and owner finish the training and cement their relationship.

This gives us the ability to take advantage of both one on one training, and group training.

Plus now you have a place to come back to from time to time to sharpen you and the dog.

Doug

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Why dog training fails part II crooked trainers

Back in May I did a blog on why dog training fails. I tried to explain why training fails sometimes to help you when selecting a trainer. I deliberately made “You aren’t comfortable with the dog trainer” the last section.

I struggled with the writing of that section. Most of the struggle was because a lot of dog trainers aren’t bad people, they just can’t train your dog. They are incompetent not crooked.

But I pulled the punches on that too, because I was aware of one trainer who runs a scam. Your dog is always the one with a severe problem. He can fix it but you need to come back for more training. The problem is I have never seen, nor have I ever met anyone who has ever seen a dog he finished.

I have seen dogs that the owners have decided to come to me to fix. And each one of those dogs has been conditioned to aggressive. And since the dog is still aggressive, he told them they needed to have more training. The goal seems to be to keep you coming back and spending more money until you finally give up on the dog.

I decided to stay away from that in the blog as I thought this trainer was so far out of the norm as to be one of those rare situations that are so likely never to happen anywhere else that there was no point in warning about it.

I was wrong.

Last week KKTV here in Colorado Springs posted a news story on a dog trainer here in Colorado Springs. A family had contracted the trainer about training three dogs. They signed a contract and dropped off the dogs. When they came back three days later, one of the dogs was missing. They located the dog near a busy highway. The retrieved the other two dogs and asked for refund. The trainer refused. They contacted the TV station.

If you want to learn more Google “kktv dog training”.

The trainer has been accused of being an ex con who learned dog training in prison. He has never answered the question directly. I don’t know if he is or not. But his evasive answers sure resemble those of experienced liars.

A lot of prisons have dog training programs. And they do some impressive work with dogs. Dogs that might otherwise be put down become great pets. And people in prison can learn a skill that might keep them out of trouble once they get out.

If you have read my blogs before, or read my profile, you know I am a retired Deputy Sheriff here in El Paso County Colorado.

I know a lot of ex cons. And some of them are people who my investigations put in prison. Some of them did their time, learned their lesson, and have come back determined to never repeat the behavior that got them in trouble.

But not all of them chose to change. Some of them think they have found ways not to get caught the next time. It never works, but they keep hoping rather than changing.

This would not be the first time someone got out of prison with a skill that they used to run a scam rather than a legitimate business

I have come to the sad conclusion that this is not an isolated case.

Two years ago I picked up a business magazine with an article of the pet industry. It put the total industry, not just training but all pet related businesses, as a 7 billion dollar a year industry.

If there is money to be made somewhere, you can bet the crooks are going to show up.

So how do you protect yourself? First and foremost, do your research.

Start with the internet. Any search engine will take you to a list of trainers.

But use more than one search engine. If you find me on Yahoo I have only one review, on Google I have 14. On Dex I have seven. Same business, but obviously most of my customers use Google.

Be suspicious of anyone who has a lot of reviews on a less used site. Think about it. Why would you have a lot of reviews on a site where none of the other trainers have any?

Be very suspicious of testimonials on the trainer’s website. Come on, I did my website. I can put down anything I want and you have no way of knowing whether it was edited by me, written by my best friend, or just made up. If the website says the business has only been open less than a year, and the testimonial page thanks the trainer for years of work, you should be suspicious.

Be wary of people who want you to leave the dog to be trained. There are people who do that kind of training and you are going to get a trained dog. They are great people. But if the trainer is not going to work the dog, or do things that mean you have to spend more money, are they going to want you to see the training?

Don’t count on them being in business a long time as a guarantee of success. Bernie Madoff ran a con for years. And I bet he had a great website.

Watch them train. If they have group then go to their group session. If everything is privates then get a couple of times to go in and do not let them know when you are showing up. What you see is probably going to be what you get, if you control when you see it.

Don’t be rushed into signing with the trainer. If I am good at what I do, then I don’t have to sign up everyone I talk to. If I am not, then I only get one shot at separating you from your money and I can’t afford to let anyone get away.

When I trained cops I used to teach them that:

If it walks like a duck

And it talks like a duck

It is probably going to be a duck.

It is better for your dog if you walk away from a good trainer than to sign up with a bad or crooked one.

Doug

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Why Fluffy Goes Nuts at People in the Car

My dog, Fluffy, is the greatest dog in the world until she gets in the car.  Bark, Bark, Bark,Bark,Bark!  She barks at everyone as I drive down the street.  What gives?

I have seen this time and time again.  Here is Fluffy in her car seat.  The owner is doing the right thing by constraining her so that she wont go flying around if they had to put on the breaks.  So far so good.  So Fluffy constantly barks and drives you crazy.  That is bad.  What is the problem and how can you fix it?

...The answer is simpler than you think and the explanation is just as simple.

Dogs are always very aware of dominance and their role in the pack.  Who is the dominant one?  Who is in charge?  Look at this picture of Fluffy.  She is in her car seat that is raised off the normal seating which puts her in a raised position.  In the canine world, height is dominance.  Guess what?  We are sitting lower in your drivers seat while Fluffy is sitting high and mighty in her "dominance seat".  On top of that, we have given her a very clear view of everyone around the car.  She is dominant and she sees all these "other animals" (people) moving around the car.  Some of these "other animals" might even be walking towards the car which is a naturally aggressive move.  

We put Fluffy in the dominant role and she sees issues.  Barking, jumping, growling are all natural actions she could take to try and protect the rest of the "pack".  We put Fluffy out in front.  We told her that she was the one who had to protect us.  We did this by giving her height and dominance.  We elected her the "boss of us".

Now, what do we do?  The answer is simple.  Lower her height.  Find a car seat that sits on the seat of your car.  Find a doggie carrier that you can put on the seat or floor of your car.  All you are doing is lowering the height of Fluffy and lowering her requirement to be the "boss".  Also, make sure that you dont put her in the front passenger seat, unless you can turn off the air bag release.

This is a quick fix that seems to work over and over again.  Take away your dogs requirement for dominance in the car and your rides will be a whole lot nicer!  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Making the command sit a Pavlovian response

While I do not use much food when I train a dog, I do use food to condition a response to the word “sit”.  I do this for a specific reason, to be able to disrupt a dog’s prey drive when all other commands fail.

A dog quickly learns that if I have a piece of food in my hand, the dog will not get the treat until he or she sits calmly facing me. 

In order to look up, a dog has to sit down.  So if I show the dog a treat and then lift my closed hand, the dog will sit down to see the hand holding the food.  I am very careful not to say “sit” as I raise my hand.  If I say “sit” as I raise my hand, the food becomes a bribe.  You sit down and I will give you food. 

But when the dog sits I give it the food as I say “good sit.”  What I am doing is programing a Pavlovian response to the word.  The dog associates the word sit with the pleasure of the food.  He also associates the act of sitting with pleasure.

After a couple or repetitions, the dog will sit when I raise a closed hand over his head.  Now I do not always have a treat in my hand, and the dog has a good enough nose to know whether or not I have food.  But hope springs eternal in a dog.  The dog sits for me since he knows the only way to find out for sure if I have food, is to sit still.

In my group classes, called Neighborhood Pack, I can stop almost any behavior just by walking over to the dog and holding my hand over his head with the fingers close.  The dog stops the unacceptable behavior to find out if I have food to offer.

This then becomes useful when my clients are out with their dogs.  The word sit can often change behavior, especially behavior in prey drive, when all other commands fail.

A dog may go into prey drive when it either feels threatened or sees prey.  Prey drive is a part of the fight or flight response.  When you dog goes after a rabbit, a deer, or another dog, it is in prey drive.  And prey drive actually causes bio chemical and physiological changes.  The dog’s eyesight, sense of smell and even hearing narrow on just the object of the prey drive. 

When all else fails we give the command “sit” and the Pavlovian response to that word is often enough to get the dog out of prey drive and back under control.

You can practice and reinforce this command every day.  When you feed the dog, raise its dish.  When it sits tell him “good sit” and then put the dish down.

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