The Foster File Adventures in Fostering Penny and Lovey

This post is an update on the Fostering that the Lovely Shane and I are doing in our home (the dog training shack).

Our beautiful tiny beagle girl Penny found her forever home Saturday (August 10). I am sure that she is being well taken care of (I would write spoiled but we dont use that term). She was very happy and her new people were happy too. She will be an only dog (although she will live with a few cats). She will also have a couple of children with which to play. We were sad to see this little girl go but were happy to see her find a forever home!

This also allowed us to open our home to a new Foster girl. Lovey  is a really cute and very energetic mix breed puppy. She is about 4 months old. We think she is mixed with perhaps Border Collie, Pit Bull, and Labrador. She is a little bit of a challenge because her energy level is much higher than that of our senior guys and girl.

I have begun to work with her on loose leash walking. I must admit, for a young energetic puppy, she is progressing nicely. We have also been working with her on housebreaking and are thrilled to report that she is almost perfect in that regard!

Her recall is actually very good as well. She responds to her name and comes pretty consistently when called.

I have also taught her sit and down. We are next going to begin working on stay. She really seems to be eager to learn and Copper and Cody are helping her! I will keep you updated.

As I have mentioned many times before, if you are planning to add a new member to your pack, please, please, please consider adoption. There are so many beautiful dogs like Penny and Lovey who need forever homes.

If you need help locating a rescue group or shelter from which to adopt, please contact me. Also if you have a newly adopted guy/girl and need help training them to be polite dogs please contact me at any time!

Till Next Time

-William-

William Moore
William Moore Canine Training
678-702-4791
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

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Adventures of Gracy Housebreaking and Socialization

Foster Girl Gracy in the dog basket.

I am happy to report that Foster Girl Gracy is making great progress! We are very proud of her here at the Dog Training/Foster Shack!

When she first joined our pack, she was not housebroken and needed some work on socialization. As you may remember, Gracy is about 6 months old. She was very sick during the first few months of her life and had to remain in her crate most of the time. As a result, she was never really socialized much and she was not housebroken.

Socialization:

She is a very sweet girl. She loves people. However, she gets stressed when there are too many people or other dogs around. This became apparent when we first started taking her to adoption events at Petco in Peachtree City,GA. The first day we took her to an indoor adoption event, she immediately became overwhelmed and extremely stressed. I had to take her back to the shack after about 10 minutes.

Gracy enjoying the backyard sunshine
 at the Dog Training/Foster Shack

At the adoption event the next weekend, I kept her in a crate right next to a chair in which I was seated. She was still nervous and a little stressed but she did better. I would occasionally let her our of the cage to sit on my lap. The other volunteers also gave her some attention. This seemed to make her more comfortable.

Last weekend at the adoption event we put her in a small pen that was open on the top. She did much better. 

During those three weeks, between adoption events, I was really trying to make her more comfortable around people. She went over to her foster grandma and grandpas house several times. Each time she became more comfortable over there. She loved the attention and the treats! I also worked with her around other dogs by taking some of the other pack members on walks to grandma and grandpas house with her. 

She has made a great deal of progress over the last few weeks. However, as with many things in dog training, it takes patience and routine. We have to slowly introduce her to more people and dogs and make it a very positive experience for her.

Housebreaking:

With Gracy, we had a fairly unique but not unheard of issue. Because of the extended time she had to spend in the crate when she was sick, she learned to eliminate in the crate. When she first arrived at the shack, the crate was the only place that she would eliminate. That made for some very nasty clean-ups.

We began watching for signs that she needed to eliminate (i.e circling a spot, stress, etc). When we saw these signs we immediately took her outside. We also took her outside immediately when she had accidents in the house. We stopped keeping her in the crate at night and when we were away. We just left the door open on the crate. We also kept her where we could see her when we were home.

Dr. Phil McBeagle. He has no direct connection to this post
He is just a cute little foster guy in our pack. He will
be available for adoption very soon!

I noted how long it usually takes for her to eliminate after eating  (it was about 5 mins) and I began taking her out 5 minutes after meals.  We also took her out about once an hour when we were home and she was awake.

She still could not make it through the night without accidents. So, we set an alarm for 3:00 am and one of us would wake her up and take her out at 3:00. Most of the time she eliminated outside at 3:00 am. 

Eventually we noticed that she could make it through the night. 

I am pleased to announce that she rarely has accidents inside anymore! We are very proud of our little foster girl. 

Her housebreaking was difficult but, because we were diligent and developed a routine for her, the effort has been very successful!

I am writing this not to blow my own horn but to encourage my readers. If you have a dog with housebreaking or socialization problems, the situation is far from hopeless. I know that it is extremely frustrating but, you can be successful! It takes proper technique, determination and routine.

The Lovely Shane dressed for Christmas working on master
degree classes from the office at the Dog Training Shack

If you need help with the technique please contact me at anytime, I will be happy to help! As I always tell you, "Polite Dogs = Happy People". Let me help you get happy today!

Gracy is available for adoption. If you are considering adding a new addition to your pack, please, please, please, consider adoption! There are many little guys and girls like Gracy who desperately need and want a forever home. If you are in the Atlanta Area please contact me and I will be happy to get you in touch with a wonderful local rescue group!

Till Next Time

-William-

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More Adventures of Dr Phil McBeagle

Who could not love that face!

The Lovely Shane and I are happy to report that Dr. Phil is progressing nicely here at the Dog Training/Foster Shack!

He is now current on all his vaccinations. He has been heart worm tested and is heart worm negative. He has a cool new microchip. He has been neutered. It has been an eventful couple of weeks for this handsome Beagle.

As I mentioned earlier, he is now on the Copper Whopper diet and exercise plan. I think he is starting to lose a little weight and he is looking good.

He has been to the Saturday afternoon adoption events at Petco in Peachtree City, Georgia a couple of times now. He does very well there. He does not like to be in a crate or a x-pen though. He barks and howls in an attempt to get people to pet him. He stays with me on the leash and loves it! He loves all the attention from people in the store.

Dr. Phil is making good progress in his training as well. He is no longer afraid of doorways. He has learned the sit and down commands. We are now working on the leave it command and on waiting at doorways. He is getting much better at walking on the leash as well!

Dr. Phil enjoying some quality time with Cody and Trigger

As is common with Beagles and Hounds in general, Dr. Phil is very much ruled by his nose. Feeding times seem to be his favorite times of the day! We feed him twice a day as we do with the rest of our pack. He tends to guard his food. We are working with him to address this negative behavior. I think his previous people may have been feeding him three times a day. When he first got here, he followed be around giving me expectant looks around lunch time :) . 

Dr. Phil is a sweet little guy and would make a great addition to your pack! He is very quickly becoming a well behaved and polite little guy. As I tell you frequently, polite dogs = happy people. Dr. Phil will make someone very happy :).

Dr. Phil and his new buddy Copper the Whopper Beagle

If your dog is not as polite as you would like, please contact me at any time! There is hope!

Also, if you would like to add a dog to your pack, please consider adoption! Contact me for more information on Dr. Phil or for the names of some great rescue groups!

Till next time

-William-

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The Foster File Adventures of Tiny and Biscuit

Tiny and Biscuit playing on the back porch of the Dog Trainer Shack

I thought it prudent to give you all an update on our newest fosters, Tiny the Beagle and Biscuit the Basset Mix.

They are both good little guys!

We are not certain of Tinys age. We think he is about a year old. He seems to be a pure Beagle. He is however very small for a Beagle. He was rescued from the Fayette County (Georgia) Shelter. It is quite possible that there was some abuse in his background. He is very shy around people but loves other dogs!

He sort of cowers and sometimes whimpers a little at loud noises or sudden movement. He does not take treats from your hand which is very unusual for a Beagle. He came to us with a cough and what we think may be a respiratory infection. He has been on antibiotic medication for almost two weeks now and the cough is much improved.

Tiny showing off his loose leash
walking skills

He is also getting better with people. He has never been violent at all, he is just scared. Once he gets used to you, he loves to sit on your lap and watch TV or just snuggle.

He is housebroken and crate trained. He has had no accidents since we got him.

He will be great for someone who does not have very young children in the house!

He is available for adoption and would really love a new forever home!

Biscuit and Trigger at play

Biscuit is also doing very well! He is about 10 months old. He is a Basset Mix. We are not sure exactly with what breeds he is mixed. I think probably Labrador and maybe bloodhound. He loves people and dogs! He is an active little guy. He loves playing with other dogs and with toys! He knows and few basic commands like sit and stay.

For the first several months of his life, Biscuit lived on a short chain in someones backyard. He had very little human interaction and was always on the chain. As a result of this , he pulls a little on the leash when he walks. This is getting better, however.

My buddy Biscuit. I had to hold his
head still to get a non-blurred picture.

Biscuit would also love a forever home! He is a little high energy so he either needs a playmate or needs to be exercised frequently. He will make someone a great pack addition!

If you are interested in adopting Biscuit or Trigger please contact me at anytime.

Also if you have a new adopted/rescued dog and would like help training the little guy or girl to be a polite dog please contact me! Because as I always tell you, "Polite Dogs = Happy People" . Let me help you become happy today!

Till Next Time-

William

William Moore Canine Training
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com
678-702-4791

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