datachie

Do you feed your dog at regular intervals (breakfast and dinner, for instance) or does your dog graze all day on his food?

I recommend all my clients feed their dogs at regular intervals and take the bowl up between feedings. Why? Predictability.

Predictability makes it really easy to house train a dog. What goes in must come out. If you control when it goes in, you've got a really good idea as to when it's going to come out.

Also, for training purposes, it's easier to work with a dog who doesn't have free access to food all day. How hard do you think Donald Trump would work to earn $5? Probably not very hard. Why?? Because he's got all the money he needs. He doesn't need $5 from you.

If you're giving your dog free access to his food all day, you're missing out on an easy way to let your dog know that all good things come through you. You're the gatekeeper — you give your dog access to his food. You can't do that if he's grazing on his food all day. Put the food bowl down twice per day for 30 minutes. What's not eaten will keep until the next meal.

High-quality, ethical breeders are few and far between. I'm happy to read the article about the breeder from which Bo came. Finally, a breeder who's really in it for the dogs, not for the money! Yahoo!

I ran across a great article written by a smart-cookie veterinarian. You can see the whole article here. Here are the 10 myths – find any you believed before you read the article? Leave a comment and let me know which myth surprised you the most.

Myth #1: Puppies shouldn't go to puppy classes until they've received all their vaccinations.

Myth #2: Crazy owners have crazy pets.

Myth #3: My dog is fearful/aggressive/shy because she was abused as a puppy.

Myth #4: This new medication will treat your pet's [insert behavior problem here].

Myth #5: Dogs who are aggressive are dominant. (No matter what any Whisperer says!)

Myth #6: My dog knows he's been bad – see how guilty he looks?

Myth #7: If you use treats to train your dog, they'll always be needed for your dog to comply.

Myth #8: Dogs chase their tails because they're bored.

Myth #9: Any trainer can handle all behavior problems.

Myth #10: I don't have time for behavior cases. (This one is specifically meant for veterinarians.)

If you were surprised that any of these were myths, you're probably not the only one. Print the article out and take it to your vet.

I hear this a lot from dog owners: "I want my dog to behave because he respects me." Or "My dog should listen because I say so."

Sorry to break the bad news but: It doesn't work that way!

Not with dogs, not with people, not with cats, rats, or cows. There's got to be something in it for the animal. I ask my clients to make a list of the things they do for their dogs each day that the dog absolutely loves. I also ask them to make another list of the things they do with their dogs that their dog loves.

Once they've spent a week making their lists, I help them decide how they can use those things as rewards when their dog listens to them.

All too often, people get caught up in this mentality: "I want my dog to work for praise, so that's what he's going to get when he complies with my request." Trouble is, if praise isn't very rewarding to your dog, you're not really rewarding the behavior. If you're not rewarding the behavior, it WILL NOT get stronger. It will, in fact, probably get weaker. So you're just shooting yourself in the foot if you're stuck in the "my dog will do it because…" mentality.

KNOW YOUR DOG. Know what he loves. Then use that stuff to reward the good behavior. I guarantee you'll see more good behavior the more you reward your dog with the stuff HE likes, and less with the stuff YOU think he should like.