Very good Canines Are The Effect Of Constant Coaching

Shelters are filled with puppies that didnt live up to owners requirements. Correct coaching will create a excellent properly-behaved loved ones pet. Making your pet using this method doesnt need to be difficult, if you make investments enough time to make it happen with a few simple actions.

With aggressive pet dogs it is advisable to get started slowly. Competitive puppies see their selves because the superior part in the package and attempting for taking that function from their website too rapidly may result in a poor reply from your dog. To protect yourself from bites or issues, acquire small steps in developing on your own as being the package head.

When educating a puppy simple instructions, begin with sit. Here is the quickest a single for any canine to learn. Keep his favored treat just above his nose area, and completely say sit. Most puppies will naturally sit back at this moment. Provide him the handle and dont neglect to compliment him profusely. If he doesnt stay, carefully press his back end finish to the floor. Right after he has been seated for a couple of secs, supply him with the take care of, and like before, be sure you compliment him.

Dogs generally focus on something when overlooking every thing close to them, except when something disrupts that extreme concentration. If you do it enough instances, your pet will watch for your indicators rather than focusing on other stuff.

Dont pressure your pet to go into his crate. Alternatively, profusely praise him when he goes in his crate on his. Younger puppies, particularly, could possibly be fairly afraid of the kennel after it is initial launched. In the event you power these to enter it their anxiety may well develop into terror. Their natural interest could eventually override their anxiety.

If your canine tends to chew on the shoes or boots or any other house products, you can cease this behavior by offering your pet a yummy substitute, like a unprocessed hide bone tissue, to chew. Your dog will likely give up your shoes in favor of the uncooked cover up, because the only explanation he or she is chewing your shoes or boots is that he / she is fed up and needs one thing to perform.

If you are seeking to coach a teething dog to never chew on your own garments or valuables, provide it with a proper product which to chew. Teething puppies offer an instinctive must chew, to be able to relieve the pain. Nonetheless, dont give your pup aged boots or clothes, because they will be taught that those items are ok to chew on.

Make an effort to get the dogs attention while you are training him or her. Make use of dogs brand when providing a command. This will likely get his focus so they know to adhere to the demand. Your puppy will recognize their brand and they can see you want their interest.

As being a proactive pet owner is the first task in instruction your pooch. An owner who anticipates problematic conditions for his or her puppy, and functions to keep him from all those circumstances anytime you can, can have a much better behaved dog. Comprehensive training is definitely not as essential if you achieve to find out your pet to help you expect his activities.

When coaching a pet dog to your leash it is very important keep your leash reduce. Each time a dog will get the chance to investigate new sights, appears to be and odors over a go walking, he typically gets extremely excitable. Your pet dog may take on his or her leash. Great puppy owners dont permit this conduct. As an alternative, they promote their canines just to walk with many slack within their leash.

One particular idea to remember when training your dog is to ensure that you make it totally crystal clear for your dog what exactly it is that your are disciplining it for. This will be significant to prevent misunderstandings and also to instruct your dog precisely what is desired and what is undesired conduct. An illustration of this things to prevent is hitting your dog time previous as well as in an alternative space from which it shredded your couch.

Instruct your puppy the "Leave it!" command. This command is essential in daily situations. Apply it if your canine attempts to seize food off a kitchen table or try to eat rabbit poop if you are out for a go walking. To obtain the pet to adhere to your control, keep a pleasure inside your palm (have one out of the other palm, also). Keep your hands available, and once he applies to the deal with, close up your hand when you say the demand "Let it sit!" Then offer you him another take care of, and discard normally the one you told him to depart. Repeat this step a few times, and then he will learn to "Leave it!" when you inform him to.

As we have talked about in this article, getting a satisfied, healthier, and nicely-tweaked dog will not be a hopeless aspiration. You should train your dog and present him a lot of attention and adore. Adopting the ideas provided in this article will bring about you owning a dog which you will be pleased with.

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Pitbulls Are they just misunderstood

I have a special place in my heart for Pit Bulls.  After years of working in a shelter environment, I understand the dilemma surrounding a very unique breed of dog.   Pits are certainly not for everyone and unfortunately a small percentage of bad owners have helped to create a breed bias that is not totally unfounded. 

As with most breeds, there are good representations of the breed and bad ones.  Not all Pits are good dogs who have just had a “rough go of it.”  Some of them are temperamentally unsafe, just like some Golden Retrievers are temperamentally unsafe.  For the purposes of this discussion, we will assume we are talking about a typically nice Pit Bull.  Here are a few things that owners need to be aware of:

Need Leadership:  Pit Bulls are smart and strong willed.  They need structure, guidance and obedience training.  The more leadership they have, the happier and calmer they will be. 

High Prey Drive:  Pit Bulls are Terriers and as with all terriers, they are bred to be very predatory.    High prey drive is not something you can “train out of dog.”  You can cover it up with training, but it will always be there.  Many Pits are very safe around their own small animals, cats, etc.  But are not safe around other small animals.

Social:  Pit Bulls are very social dogs.  Contrary to what many people think, Pits usually love people!  These dogs were bred for fighting other animals AND bred to be very friendly with people.  Most Pits are very dog social and friendly when they are young but then some of them can become more aggressive as they get older.  It’s really an arousal issue for Pits.  Owners need to know how to recognize this spike in arousal during play and have enough control of it to redirect the dog.  This comes back to leadership and training.

The bottom line with understanding and owning a Pit Bull or Pit Bull mix is recognizing the breed specific characteristics and it’s possible limitations.  Be realistic about setting the dog (and you) up for success.  If you are a Pit Bull owner, it’s your responsibility to create an ambassador for the breed in order to educate and change the public’s perception. 

What do you think?  Have you personally had experience with this breed?  If you are not a Pit Bull owner, what do you think of the breed?  

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Are getting littermates a good idea

What do you all think?? Feel free to chime in on this question on our Facebook Page, but read ahead to see what Unleashed says…

I wish more people asked us this question before they get the dogs. Unfortunately, we usually get this comment after they’ve hired us to help them…”I wish someone told me this wasn’t a good idea!”

Getting littermates isn’t all-bad. The dogs are usually very nice dogs! And, you only need to go through the potty training and puppy-chewing phase once. Those are some pretty big pros.

The problem is that there are two of them! Many owners are under the false impression that two dogs are easier than one…”they have each other to play with.” The fact is that we never recommend that someone gets another dog unless they want another dog and have twice as much time to commit to another dog. Don’t get another dog to keep your first one company! The novelty can wear off quickly and then you have two dogs that are chewing things up in your yard or barking excessively.

The three biggest things to consider when you look at getting littermates is your relationship with your dog, training and socialization. Relationship is probably the most important part of having a well-behaved dog. Dogs are pack animals and need to feel part of a pack. Ideally you want your dog to be totally and completely bonded to you. With littermates, it’s much harder to achieve this relationship because they already have their pack, with their littermate. Littermates don’t “need or want” their owners company as much as each others’. To remedy this, make an effort to separate the puppies for a short time on a daily basis in order for them to learn how to be alone. This is an important life skill. It also gives you a chance to bond to the other puppy.

Training is tricky with littermates. Take it from us, training two dogs together can be almost impossible.
Effective obedience training requires consistent reward and impeccable timing. The ideal thing to do is to separate the dogs when they are learning new behaviors. Once the behaviors are solidified individually, then try to work with them together.

Many owners who have littermates don’t realize how important it is to socialize their dogs separately with other dogs and with people. During puppyhood, it’s extremely important to take your puppy safe places and expose them to the real world. Expose them to safe, older dogs, children, shopping carts, skateboards, etc. Let them see the world. This is much harder to do with two dogs than one.

What do we recommend? We always tell people to wait at least 6mos before adding another dog to your pack. That gives you time to bond to the first dog and get them off to a good start from a training standpoint. Then if you feel you are ready for the commitment of another dog, go for it!

Unleash Your Dogs Potential

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How Sensitive Our Dogs Are

It never ceases to amaze me how "tuned in" our dogs are to our lives.  They have a wonderful understanding of any patterns and routines we follow - what time we get home from work, when it is time to get up in the morning or eat dinner at night.  I dont know how youd prove it, but Im sure our dogs understand many more things, like our favorite spot on the couch, the order in which we clean the house, and what we do when we get upset.

So it should be no surprise that events which throw us off (a new baby, a change in jobs, the death of a close friend) also disrupt our dogs.  And so it happened that two days after my hip surgery (which went very well by the way!), Pistol and Timber got into a fight.  A big ugly fight. 

The boys have never gotten along particularly well, something I blame on my "not-positive-enough" training when they began living together.  They have always had the occasional spat, something that used to be ended with some loud, stern words from me.  Just a few weeks ago they got into a fight when the pet sitter was here, a fight that was a warning to me because it was more intense than usual and actually resulted in some scrapes and scratches on each dog.

And now, after my surgery, the dogs lit into each other again.  They show me just how much chaos I have caused in the house with my crutches and a funny anesthesia smell, visitors bringing pre-cooked meals and my mother filling up our guest room with a months worth of belongings.  The dogs are unhappy about the shift in our normal routine.  Life is off kilter, and when the dog-to-dog relationship is barely peaceful to begin with, a big ugly fight is the end result.

Pistol and Timber barked and growled and snapped and snarled.  My mother yelled at them to stop, and I yelled at her to not get her hands in their way.  Fur literally flew.  I found my crutches and managed to hobble over to the anarchic crime scene.  My mother had somehow pinned each dog apart from the other.  We separated the dogs to different rooms and I examined both of them from nose to tail, checking for blood and holes and any other injuries.

The end result is some painful looking bite wounds, but fortunately all surface scrapes and no expensive (veterinary visit worthy) puncture wounds.  What do I, as a dog trainer, do?  First, I grimace with embarrassment at the horrible behavior of my personal dogs.  Then, since Im bound to the couch for recovery time, Ill make some changes to their living arrangements until life returns to "normal" and I can work on some behavior modification (couples counseling I suppose) for Pistol and Timber.  There will be separate sleeping quarters at night, and any unsupervised time (that includes time when I am around, since I am useless to control two ornery dogs right now) will be spent in different rooms.  For now its management, not training.

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Do dogs sense when their pack mates are sick

Copper the Whopper Beagle spending time with his
buddy Sammy who is recovering from
surgery.

I wrote a blog post earlier addressing the questions of whether or not our dogs know when we are sick. I am convinced that they do sense when we are sick and that they worry about us.

I am equally convinced, through observation, that the same sort of thing occurs between canine pack mates as well. I was reminded of this last night:

The Lovely Shane and I are very greatful
to these folks for being so nice about meeting
us after 10:00pm last night to help us take
care of Foster Boy Sammy the Beagle!

Yesterday, I took our foster boy, Sammy the Beagle, to the Mobile Veterinarian to be neutered. He also got heart worm tested (he is negative!!), got a microchip, and all his shots.

When we got home, the Lovely Shane and I noticed that he was bleeding a little. We did not worry too much at first. However it got worse and about 10:00 pm, we contacted the veterinarian. We ended up going back to the vet last night. Sammy had developed a blood clot. The veterinarian took care of the problem for Sammy and sent us home with pain medication, anti-inflammatory medication and antibiotics.

I stayed up most of the night just to check on Sammy and make sure he was doing okay. The Lovely Shane and I were not the only ones concerned, however. I am convinced that Copper was also worried.

In retrospect, I actually think that Copper knew the severity of Sammys problem before we did. When we bring a dog home from the veterinarian, all the other dogs are curious and have to sniff the guy who just survived the evil alien veterinarian (well at least sometimes it seems that is how they see the vet :) ). Coppers reaction was subtly different in this occasion. He sniffed Sammy as usual but he also followed him around everywhere. Copper would not let Sammy out of his sight. At the time I thought Copper had just missed his new little friend. I think it may have been more than that.

Copper is smart but... I would not
say he is all that complex. As illustrated
here he has simple motivation... food..
for the proper food Copper will do
practically anything :).

After we took Sammy back to the veterinarian late last night, we put an E-collar on him and put him in a crate. Copper stayed near the crate most of the night. Copper continued this for most of the day today. This is unusual for Copper. Occasionally during his watch today, Copper would sniff Sammy through the crate and sort of watch him closely for a little while then lie back down on a bed next to the crate.

I tell this story to make a point. I have often said and written that dogs are not really complex and they really are not. It helps with training if you understand that dogs are not complex. However, the lack of complexity does not mean that they are unaware of the feelings of their pack mates or their people. In fact quite the contrary is true. Dogs can be very sensitive and perceptive. For instance they sense thunderstorms before there is any indication of bad weather. If you spend a lot of time with your dogs, you will notice a difference in behavior just before a bad storm. In fact, Critten, a Lab/Pit Bull mix that lived with me when I was in Florida was very sensitive to the pressure changes during tropical storms and hurricanes.

Critten the weather dog :) .

Foster Boy Charlie the Beagle, Cody the
Little Beagle and Trigger the Dapple
Dachshund share a bed.

This really should not surprise us because these heightened senses are why dogs are so useful in hunting, search/rescue, etc. It is also why they can be trained to be useful to people with PTSD, diabetes, seizure disorders, etc.

I have been around dogs most of my life. While I should expect this sensitivity, it is still, frankly, incredible to watch! God gave these guys a great gift and I feel fortunate to have observed these wonderful creatures!

Keep you eye on your dog.... you might be surprised how much you can learn from these little guys and girls!

If you need help training your little canine buddy to be polite please contact me.  Remember.... Polite Dogs = Happy People! Let me help you to get happy today!

Till next time

-William

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

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Why are cops shooting pet dogs

Over the past few years I have noticed and commented on a trend that I find disturbing and alarming.
The trend is that of law enforcement officers in ever increasing numbers killing pet dogs with their service weapons.

If you have not noticed this trend or want to verify it, I suggest that you use google or your favorite search engine. Try the search phrase "cop kills dog". You will likely be sick to your stomach. I will warn you that if you do a search with that phrase on YouTube you will find videos that are truly disturbing and very graphic. There are several videos on YouTube that document disgusting graphic  scenes of law enforcement officers, paid by our tax dollars, shooting pets that obviously pose no immediate threat to them. In one video an officer restricts a dogs movement with a rigid tether and kills him with what appears to be the officers service weapon.

The problem has become such an epidemic that it has attracted the attention of documentary film makers Michael Ozias and Patrick Reasonover. The pair have recently completed work on a documentary film called "Of Dogs and Men". Infowars recently did a story about the issue and the documentary film.

The press kit for "Of Dogs and Men" provides some startling and vile facts such as the following:

• According to a Department of Justice estimate, police officers shoot and kill over 10,000 pet dogs in the US every year. 

From SWAT raids to simple calls and even visits to wrong addresses, we are seeing more and more incidents of officers using lethal force against a family pet, despite the fact that no officer has ever been killed in the line of duty by a dog.

Payton and Chase, two black labs, were shot by police raiding their Maryland home. Not only was their owner innocent of any charges, he is the towns mayor.

Seven-month-old General Patton watched as his owners were handcuffed on the side of a Tennessee highway, completely innocent of any charges. When he left the car, wagging his tail, he was killed at point blank range with a police shotgun.

Patches, a 12 pound Jack Russell terrier, was shot by a 250 pound police officer who claimed to be in fear for his life.

I often teach people the proper techniques to utilize in breaking up dog fights. I also teach people techniques to use with aggressive dogs to avoid dog bites.

My friends, I realize dog bites hurt like hell. I have been bitten a few times over the years. I did not find any of those experiences enjoyable in the least. However, I have never killed a dog to avoid a bite. I have never felt that my life or body was in danger to the extent that my only or best option was to end the life of the attacking dog.

In the example from the documentary film, I am at a loss to come up with any possible reason why a 250 pound law enforcement officer would "be in fear for his life" from a 12 pound Jack Russell terrier. You folks with Jack Russells know they can be frustrating at times. However, I have never met a reasonable and sane adult who was in fear for his life due to the threat of a 12 pound Jack Russell terrier. With all due respect, where the hell did they find this coward?

Am I the only one who is not frightened by the sight of
this big guy? 

My question to the law enforcement community is: Why are you so terrified of dogs that many times are wagging their tails and not presenting any signs of aggression at all? If this sort of thing really does freak you out to the point of requiring you to endanger the lives of the public by firing a deadly weapon to kill these poor animals, perhaps you should reconsider your chosen profession. For example, fast food service does not pay as much but you will never again have to face the "threat to your life" imposed by  a massive 12 pound Jack Russell terrier at work.

The techniques that I mention are not difficult to learn. They are not magic that only dog trainers can master. They are simply common sense techniques developed out of an understanding of dog behavior. I did not come up with these techniques. I learned them from other folks who also work with aggressive or scared dogs.

My friends and customers, this is not rocket science! I learned the techniques and can teach them to anyone in a relatively short amount of time. The more you use these techniques the easier they are to do but anyone can learn them. By "anyone" I mean even law enforcement officers.

As I have mentioned in blog posts before: I have broken up many dog fights. I have avoided being bitten by aggressive dogs. I have been bitten by aggressive dogs. Most of the time when I was bitten it was because I failed to follow simple techniques. In none, again I say no not one time, did I shoot a dog. I did not stab a dog. I did not kill a dog by any method. I did not even hurt a dog. I was not even tempted to hurt, injure or kill the aggressive dog.

If I can do it then, I do not think it is too much to ask that law enforcement in this country do the same. Yes, you brave law enforcement officers may get bit. It happens. But it is never justification for killing an animal who was most likely aggressive due to fear. A dog can also become aggressive to protect his handler or the handlers property. None of this warrants instant death.

Law enforcement officers, please understand, the dog is not going to kill you. Have any of your fellow officers ever been killed by a pet dog? (according to the statistics the answer to this question is a resounding NO!) Yes the dog may be scary. If you do not exercise proper caution the dog may bite you and it will hurt like hell. But, you will not die. Ask any professional dog trainer who has been in the business for a while. They will tell you that although suffering multiple bites they are all still alive with little or no permanent damage.

I realize that language of this post is a bit harsh in comparison to my standard blog posts. I am not against law enforcement here. I am simply in favor of not having government agents killing innocent pet dogs. Many times this killing occurs on private property even in the homes of law abiding citizens of the United States of America. Regardless of your emotional feelings here, do we really want this happening in our country?? Is this really what our founding fathers would have envisioned for the future of this nation? Do you thing Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Revere, Hancock or any of that bunch would have feared for their live due to a 12 pound Jack Russell Terrier? I find it difficult to envision Washington firing a musket at this little guy under any circumstances. Am I incorrect here?

If any of you folks would like to learn the proper technique to use in breaking up dog fights or how to avoid getting bitten, please contact me at anytime and leave the pistol in the holster.

Also, if you would like help in teaching your dogs to be polite little girls and boys please let us know!

Till Next Time

-William

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Group Classes are in full swing!!!

Basic Dog Obedience Classes started this past week. Classes are 6 weeks long, meeting once per week for one hour. The cost is $150 for the whole 6 week session. Dogs 4mos and older are welcome. Bring the whole family for an economical, fun and effective positive reinforcement dog training experience! Conveniently located at Lakehills Church in El Dorado Hills...easy access from Cameron Park, Folsom, Placerville, or Rancho Cordova. The next session is scheduled to start on July 2 and run through Aug 13th (skip 7/16) and will be from 6:45-7:45pm each week.

Unleash Your Dogs Potentil!!
Call (916)605-9778 or email unleashmk@comcast.net with questions or to register

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Why Yawns Are Contagious Calming Signals in Dogs and How We Can Use Them

We all know that dogs can’t talk (whether or not we care to admit it is another thing altogether).  What they do rely on is body language – lots and lots of body language.  While we might approach a stranger and say, “Hey, I’m new here. It’s nice to meet you,” a dog might walk up to another dog in an arc with a slow, circular wagging tail, its ears back and drop into a butt-up, front down stretch.  They are both ways to express “I’m friendly and mean no harm.”

Calming signals are just what they sound like.  They are behaviors offered by a dog in an attempt to keep a situation calm.  We aren’t completely sure if they are used by one dog solely to calm another dog, solely to calm themselves, or a combination of both.  My feeling is that the latter is true, especially since calming signals are often both offered and returned.  We can help our dogs feel comfortable by learning what their calming signals are and respecting them, and even by responding in kind, repeating their gesture as best we can (tail wagging obviously excluded).

Before getting into what calming signals can be, I want to emphasize that context is important.  Think of how a person telling another “you fool!” can be issued as an insult or an expression of teasing affection.  Context is important, regardless of species.  For example, ears held back on a dog’s head can be a calming signal, a sign of fear, or even just the physical nature of the breed. 

You may or may not notice calming signals with your own dog.  Unless you recently adopted your dog or have a new puppy, chances are your relationship is fairly established.  Your dog may not feel the need to offer these signals on a regular or frequent basis.  Unfortunately we can also extinguish calming signals in our pets, even without intention.  If a dog offers calming signals that are repeatedly ignored or corrected, eventually they will stop trying.  Think about people – if your partner brought you flowers after a fight and you always responded with snide comments about wasting money or stinking up the house, chances are your partner would stop buying flowers – at least for you!  Since we are frequently our dog’s entire world, our response (or lack thereof) to their behavior is critically important.

Calming signals may include:

·         “Look aways” (turning the head to the side, away from the other dog or person)

·         Yawning

·         Sniffing (becoming very interested in not much of anything)

·         Paw raises (raising one of the front paws off the ground)

·         Shake offs (can be a slight shake off or entire body, as if wet)

·         Scratching (like they are itchy – a sudden case of “fleas”)

·         Blinking

·         Lip licking (or nose licking)

·         Moving in an arc (approaching or leaving in a semi-circle, not a direct path)

·         Sitting or lying down

·         Stretching (particularly into a play bow position, though not quite the same behavior)

·         Making a “soft face” – ears back, soft eyes, etc.

There are a few signals that you may want to try, either with your dog or a dog you are just meeting.*  They can help a dog feel more comfortable, and may even be offered back to you.

Blinking is pretty universal between species – go for slow, deliberate blinks (not fast fluttering). Lip licking is also simple to duplicate.  Again, make it slow and obvious. You can actually lick your lips or even just stick your tongue out a few times.  “Look aways” involve turning your head to either side, away from the dog. You may then look back, without making eye contact, then look away again.  A paw lift is a little more difficult (largely since we don’t have paws and walk on two legs, not four).  But if you are feeling daring you can try it with one arm, holding it as if you were imitating a hurt paw. 

You may have figured out now how yawning can be contagious.  Offered as a calming signal between dogs, or even from dog to human (and human to dog), a yawn is much more than feeling sleepy.  It can be offered back and forth, and maybe thats why we feel the urge to yawn when someone near us yawns.

For additional information on calming signals, read On Talking Terms with Dogs by Turid Rugaas.  Rugaas is an internationally acclaimed dog trainer from Norway who has done extensive studies on calming signals in dogs.  You can visit her website at http://www.canis.no/rugaas/index.php .  A good visual example of using calming signals with dogs can be found in KikoPup’s collection of YouTube videos (http://youtu.be/MgnLgHFRJu4 ).  While you’re there check out her other videos – Emily has produced a goldmine of how-to videos on clicker training everything from cool tricks to problem behaviors.

 Video: KikoPups How To Communicate With Dogs in Their Own Language

* Offering calming signals doesn’t make it safe to approach an aggressive dog.  When in doubt, keep your distance.

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