puppy training Archives - Page 2 of 9

How to Teach Your Dog to Drop It [Video]

September 19, 2013

Dogs have a way of stealing things, then running off with them. They especially enjoy your pursuit of them through the house, while they almost let you catch them before sprinting off again. Or even more dastardly, they wind up under the sofa or bed, holding your item hostage.

We raise a lot of puppies here — usually one a year. I’ve gotten really good at teaching the dogs to happily give up their latest treasure. The video below will give you the first steps to teaching a rock-solid “drop it” to your dog.

First, you’ve got to get good at feigning indifference when you’re forgetful and leave something valuable within the dog’s reach. If it’s available to them, then in their minds, it’s theirs. So set your dog up for success and keep your good stuff way up high or in a cabinet or closet.

Then, teach your dog how good it is that they play with their own stuff. How? Simple: everytime you see them playing with one of their own toys, go play with them! Praise them! Make a big deal about it!

At the same time, you’re also going to teach them how to give stuff up. The video covers all that ground. This is the first of a series of Drop It videos, and it’ll get you started on the road of No More Stolen Stuff.

Your Turn: What’s the most valuable thing (or the most dangerous thing) you’ve gotten back from your dog? Leave a comment below and let us know.

Why Your Dog Got Kicked Out of Obedience School

September 18, 2013

Group obedience classes aren’t for every dog out there. In fact, you’d be surprised at how many dogs shouldn’t be in a group class. That may surprise you, especially coming from someone who teaches group dog training classes for a living and who, by the way, happens to think that group classes are a real benefit to most dogs.

No one really gets “kicked out” of classes, if we’re being honest. I know a lot of people say their dog was kicked out, but in all the years of teaching classes, I’ve never kicked a dog (or human) out of my classes.

Here are some of the reasons I’ve recommended against group classes for some of my clients:

The dog is too frightened in class. Dogs are scared for lots of reasons: they’ve had a traumatic experience, they never got out much before they were 12 weeks old (lack of socialization), or they’re just skittish by nature. For these dogs, I recommend to the owner that we do some in-home private lessons first, to see how much progress we can make in a quieter, less stressful situation.
The dog isn’t friendly toward other dogs. Unfriendly dogs in a group class is an accident waiting to happen. It’s not fair to the other dogs in class (or to the unfriendly one!) to be put in that situation. Group classes are for dogs who don’t have any issues with other dogs (other than lack of self control). Again, for unfriendly dogs, in-home training is the recommended course of action.
The dog isn’t friendly toward people. Another unfair and unmanagable situation for the dogs and their owners. It’s a question of safety. Unfriendly dogs need more than general “good manners” behaviors. There’s a larger, more serious underlying problem that needs to be addressed. It’s important for unfriendly dogs to have one-on-one interaction in a controlled, distraction-free environment if real progress is expected.
Excessive barking. Out of control barkers usually fall into one of the above categories (scared, anxious, or unfriendly in some way). Excessive barking, for me, means uncontrolled barking that lasts at least 50% of the time in class, and it persists even when the barking dog can’t see any other dogs. In this case, the dog is way over the threshold where he can learn anything. Excessive barking is an indication that class is just too much for the dog at the moment. In-home coaching can help the owners teach the dog is a less distracting and stimulating environment and allows the dog to actually learn something instead of having the owner just try to quiet the dog.

When anyone “gets kicked out of class,” it’s not because their dog is bad. It’s because the dog needs a quieter, less distracting environment in order to have success. Once some in-home training has instilled the basic good manners behaviors and the owners (and dog) have learned some basics, re-entry into group classes is a real possibility. It’s never a badge of shame!

Never fear — all dogs can learn. Your trainer is setting you and your dog up for optimal success when she suggests in-home training.

Your turn: have you experienced success with private lessons with your dog?

Nanny Cam for Your Dogs

September 6, 2013

I found the coolest little techie gadget when I attended BlogHer last month. It’s a little camera called Dropcam and it’s the perfect tool for you if you want to keep an eye on your dog while your away from the house.

First, this is not a sponsored post. I won a Dropcam (can’t say now that I’ve never won anything!) from the BlogHer conference and have used it every day since it arrived.

What Is It?
The Dropcam consists of a small camera (4.5″ × 3.15″ × 3.15″) that you plug into a wall socket. As soon as you plug it in and tell it what wi-fi network to connect to, you’re up and running. Well, after you create an account (painless).

What Does It Do?
There are lots of different uses for a Dropcam, but I’m limiting this post to what interests dog people.

Peace of Mind. Know that your dogs are safe and secure by checking in on them while you’re at work or out running errands. It’s a relief for me to know my guys are snoozing while I’m out earning money to put food in their bowls.

Curiosity. What exactly do the dogs do while I’m gone? They sleep. A lot. They also sniff around to see what trouble they can get into. They trade sleeping spots. They bark sometimes if I leave the windows open and they hear the neighbor dogs. They get really excited when they hear me walk down the hallway when I get home!

Information gathering. Exactly how long does it take them to settle in after I leave? Are there any “discussions” between the dogs? Is anyone bossing anyone else around? When do they start to get restless? If there’s an <ahem> pile or puddle, just who left it? Who stole the stuff off the counter?

Accountability. Do you wonder if your dog walker really does come and spend time with your dogs? Now you’ll know.

Safety. Heaven forbid any tragedies, but hey, if you saw smoke in your house, you could call 911 and tell them to get to your address ASAP. There are documented positive burglar identifications and arrests thanks to the hi-def Dropcam cameras. Pretty worth it.

Pros of the Dropcam: In addition to all the above, I love that the Dropcam is so ridiculously easy to use. You need 2 things: (1) wifi and (2) electricity. If you’ve got those two things, you’ll be up and running in about 2 minutes (honestly). And I’m not a technology whiz.

I also LOVE that it has built-in night vision. And it’s really good night vision. I’m impressed at just how clear and sharp the “at night” video is. Warning: when you review the video taken at night, the night vision makes you think ghosts or something supernatural will appear. If you’ve ever watched any ghost hunting shows, you know what I mean. It looks creepy even when you’re just watching your dogs sleep.

You can watch your dogs from almost any tablet, phone, or computer. You also have the ability to talk to your dogs through the Dropcam. I haven’t used that feature, though, for fear that my dogs will think I’m home and get a little ballistic. But, still, it’s an option that might be attractive to some dog owners.

You get an alert anytime motion is detected. Handy so you don’t have to manually scroll through the video to look for movement if you’re archiving footage (which I highly recommend).

You have the option to turn the cameras on and off at scheduled intervals. Also, if you desire, you can share the Dropcam feed. Everything’s password protected, so no one else can drop in on what’s going on unless you’re sloppy with your password.

You can pay a nominal fee ($100/year) to have 7 days of video feed available. If you want more video archived, you can pay more money, but I don’t think any dog owner will need 30 days of footage. But it’s available if you want it.

The cost is ridiculous considering all the features. It’s $149. That’s it. Crazy inexpensive, isn’t it?

Cons: There aren’t a whole lot of cons. I guess the $100 for archiving a week’s worth of video might be a con. It’s not really, I mean $100/year for continually keeping 7 days worth of activity is pretty darn cheap, I think. But hey, it is money afterall.

You are limited to placing the camera where you have (1) wifi and (2) electricity. Again, not a huge con, but I think it’s worth mentioning.

I’ll be using Dropcam for business purposes when I work with clients who have destructive dogs or dogs with separation anxiety. The camera will give us an honest, accurate look at what’s going on in the house after the owners leave: when does the anxioius behavior start, how long does it last, how severe is it?

Those are my thoughts on the Dropcam. Again, I don’t have any relationship with the company except that (1) I won a camera and (2) I’m a big fan. If you have questions, feel free to ask me — I will tell you all I know.

Your turn: what would you use the Dropcam for in your house with your dogs? Please leave a comment below and let me know!

Easy Dog Training Treats on the Run

September 1, 2013

Schooner is in socialization overdrive right now. I’m finding places to go every day so I can get him out and around lots of different sights and sounds. The more he sees in a happy and comfortable way, the less excited he’ll be when it’s time for him to settle in and get to work with his partner. We’re still a good ways away from turn-in day, but the earlier he sees and experiences new situations, the faster he’ll become a pro at handling the public life of a service dog. And the better service dog he’ll be.

I’ve made an effort to have a treat bag full of training treats ready to go at the beginning of each week. One of my (many) Sunday night chores is stuffing the treat bag full of delicious, pea-sized food treats. Schooner is picky — I can’t get away with most packaged dog treats with him. He’ll turn his nose up at leftover chicken from dinner, for goodness sake! He’s definitely not interested in artificially flavored anything! He’s a real challenge in that department.

Sometimes I have him out in public for several hours. Summers in the mid-Atlantic can be tough on dog treats. I’ve had processed meats go bad before I get back home — ew, so stinky (and embarrasing when the lady in the checkout line sniffs and then turns to look at me as the source of the stink).

I was rushing out the door last week and had Schooner in tow. I got him loaded in the car, made sure I had my purse, my keys, my phone, Schooner’s vest, his leash, his harness… And I forgot the treat bag. I ran back into the house, yanked the refrigerator door open (where I store his leftover treats, as most of them need refrigeration unfortunately) and found a bare treat pouch. Like Mother Hubbard’s cupboard it was.

Drat! Now, in addition to having no treats, I was going to be late for my meeting because I needed a high value treat to reinforce all of Schooner’s good behavior I was looking forward to getting. I’m an eternal optimist.

I glanced in the pantry for something, anything, when I spied The Honest Kitchen’s quickies. I’ve mentioned The Honest Kitchen before. They had, rather fortuitously, just sent me some of their new little training treats. I grabbed the little can, threw them into the car and off Schooner and I went to our meeting.

As I was walking into the building, I tossed the treats into my treat bag and kept right on walking, not missing a beat. Schooner’s loose leash walking was quite impressive, so I clicked and treated him for such nice work. I grabbed a quickie, popped it in his mouth and went right on stepping it off. He came back for more! His loose leash walking turned suddenly into “right next to my leg, not leaving my side” walking. It was pretty cool.

Throughout the meeting, he got treated for settling quietly. This is an amazingly hard task for a social butterfly like Schooner. It’s not like he blends into the woodwork and no one notices him for goodness sake. He’s a very large, very speckled, extremely friendly dog. In a restaurant. Or in the grocery store checkout line. He draws a crowd. And settling is right up there with loose leash walking as far as must-have skills. So a high value reward is imperative, as we want him to repeat that lovely settling behavior.

I’m happy to report that the quickies did the trick for this picky dog. The quickies are simply Icelandic Haddock. That’s it. Nothing else. Oh, and they come in the shape of a heart. Very cute. And they’re delicious — at least according to Schooner. And our cat. Who begs shamelessly whenever I carry the treat bag inside.

Oh, and the other nice thing. They don’t need refrigeration, these quickies. No surprise stinky-car in the morning.

Your turn: have you found a delicious, easy, small treat that your dog adores? Please share in a comment below!

This post is entirely my opinion and I did not get paid to write this post about The Honest Kitchen. I received three quickie treat containers from The Honest Kitchen to try out for Schooner’s training.

Dogs Make Good Cheer Uppers

August 23, 2013

It’s the end of my first week back from vacation. It was a pretty bad week and I’m glad it’s Friday.

I have to work all weekend, sadly. Which was a little depressing when I realized it.

I happened to be looking through some recent video and this made me smile.

So I thought I’d share. I hope this gives you a smile, too, and the start to a good weekend.

Do your dogs do silly stuff like this? Does it cheer you up when they’re silly and you’re sad, mad, frustrated? Let me know what they do by leaving a comment below!

We’re God Parents!

July 29, 2013

I’ve never yearned to be a god parent. I don’t have brothers or sisters, so the chance of me being one was slim to none anyway, but I’m just not the kind of person to be voted god parent.

I mean, I guess I could do it if the kid was like 17 years old, gainfully employed, and going off to college in the fall. Other than that, I’m not god parent material.

At least to a kid.

But I’m not a kid’s god parent. I’m a dog’s god parent! Technically, my husband and I are the god parents to this particular dog, but this is my blog and my story. So we’ll leave him out of it for the purposes of this post.

Go ahead, laugh if you will. And then leave. Because this blog’s not for you, for I am very serious about my excitement and seriousness of god parenthood for dogs.

I think everyone should have plans in place for their dog if the inevitable happens and your dog is left people-less. Ideally, this will be put in a legal document like a will or a living trust or some other official document. I’m not an attorney, so don’t rely on me for advice on how to do this — consult your favorite legal eagle, I’m a dead end in that department.

Back to the real story — god parenthood. We were asked to be god parents to a dog we’ve helped raise. Quite a few pups have come through our house (we’re on #15 to be exact), and this is the first time we’ve been tapped to be the alternative if the worst should happen.

When we were asked, the asker said “take your time, talk it over with Dana, and get back to us. No pressure.” I was at the airport picking up my luggage from a recent trip and immediately wrote back on my phone “Yes.”

I didn’t have to think about it. I didn’t have to talk it over with Dana. The answer is YES. Thinking about it would only confirm my answer, and talking about it with my husband would only confirm his answer: YES.

This is what’s known as a no-brainer. Of course we’ll be god parents. There’s no way we wouldn’t be god parents. My life is now complete. I am a god parent.

It’s funny how something you never ever thought about and never expected can make you feel so good.

Your Turn: Are you a god parent to a dog? Do you have provisions made for your pets — just in case? Please leave a comment and let us know!

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