Why you may want to reconsider a dog as a Christmas gift

This little guy is cute but, he will
grow and he is a responsibility

Well, as Snoopy and Woodstock point out in the picture, Christmas is coming soon. It is already December. Seems like it comes sooner every year. Perhaps that is
because your Dog Training buddy is just getting older :).

There seems to be a lot of temptation for people to give dogs as Christmas gifts this time of year. Please consider that carefully. In almost all cases, it is really not a wonderful idea.

You all know that I love dogs. It is really a great joy to have a dog in your family. They are great companions and return your love many times over unconditionally.

As I have wrote in a recent post, dogs are also a responsibility.  While legally they may be considered property, they are living creatures. A dog will depend upon his/her people exclusively for care the rest of his/her life. With a puppy, this could be a two decade commitment.

Here are a few things to consider regarding dogs as gifts:

1. The financial commitment can be substantial. In my opinion, you have an obligation, as a dog owner, to provide for all of your dogs needs. This includes financial responsibility. This can be costly. See my previous post for additional information.
2. It is possible that you will have some difficulty with housebreaking (particularly with a puppy).
3. It is probable that a puppy will chew things in your house. It is absolutely your responsibility to puppy proof your home. You should make it safe for your puppy and puppy proofing can also minimize property damage. But, please be prepared, it is extremely likely that your new dog will damage or destroy something in your home (this is true even for adult, senior, and geriatric dogs).
4. Generally speaking a puppy is not a quite animal! He will bark. He will whimper. If he is a hound, he will howl and possibly bay. The hound bay is musical to my ears. That is the truth. But you and your neighbors may not appreciate the melodic bay or howl of your new  puppy.
5. Part of the commitment is training. As you know, I am a trainer and a substantial part of my livelihood is derived from the training of pet dogs.  But, even if you do not hire me or one of my esteemed colleagues. It is essential that you make a commitment to training. Even if you hire one of us, we simply work with you to teach you the techniques that you will use to train your dog. With enough work, I can get your dog to be a very well behaved and polite little guy or girl. But if I do the training without you being present or  you working personally with the dog, it is extremely likely that the results in your home will not come anywhere close to meeting your expectations or needs. No matter what, you must commit time to training! I realize that some of my colleagues provide dog training services that allow you to just drop the dog off for training then pick him up when the training is finished. While I respect these guys as dog trainers I do not agree with this approach. In order for training to be most effective you have to put work into it!
6. I strongly suggest that you maintain a fenced in area in your yard. I mean a real fence not one of these electronic shock collar devices. I realize this is not possible for everyone. If you do not have a fenced in area be prepared to walk your dog more often than you would with a fenced in area in the yard. If you need information on fencing in your yard or maintaining your fence, please contact me. If you are in the Atlanta area, remember that I also own a handyman business and I will be happy to work with you to repair your fence or put up a new one (depending upon the size of the job I may refer you to someone else).
7. Dogs absolutely require a significant investment of your time every day for the rest of his/her life. Please do not bring a dog into your home if the home is vacant of human occupants most of the day. Dogs are very social animals. They have been extremely domesticated and absolutely require human interaction to be happy and healthy.
8. You must make a commitment to walk and exercise your dog regularly even if you have a fenced in area of your yard. See my previous post regarding the importance of exercise.
9. Do your research. Various breeds of dogs have differing characteristics, needs, and temperaments. Some may not be right for your pack. Please keep this in mind.
10. Some folks are allergic to dogs. If you or someone in your family is allergic, please do proper research and stick with a breed that is less likely to aggravate your allergies. Remember a dog is a long term commitment and an allergy could make your life very uncomfortable. Remember this is not the dogs fault. It is your exclusive responsibility to exercise the proper precautions relating to your health.
11. Even if you get a breed whose general characteristics are compatible with your home environment, it is very possible that specific dog may not be as compatible. Like people, dogs temperaments vary widely from one dog to the next. Some dogs are shy and anxious. Some dogs are more aggressive and dominating. Some love to play, Some do not like to play as much. Some dogs are very high energy guys. Some are not nearly as hyperactive as others. When you buy a dog from a breeder as a Christmas gift, it is very difficult to determine the dogs temperament. Remember this is a very long term commitment. A dog who is wrong for your home could make life difficult for you. Training will also be more difficult in this situation. Most rescue groups allow a trial period. Each adoption BullyWag does has a two week trial. If the dog does not work out in your home within the two week period, BullyWag will take the dog back and refund your adoption fee. This is yet another reason that you should consider adoption!
12. If you are renting your home, please verify that the landlord is okay with a dog on the property. In most cases a fee is required and there are size, weight and possibly breed limitations. Please remember that this is a very long term commitment that will add difficulty and quite possibly expense to your next move.
13. Consider carefully bringing a puppy into a home with a very young child. A puppy requires a substantial time commitment. Also small children can unintentionally hurt a puppy. A puppy that is hurt or scared is much more likely to bite. This is not the dogs fault he is simply protecting himself. Dogs play with each other using their mouths. They also jump on each other. This is the way God made them. It is their inclination to try to play this way with people. There are training techniques to address this behavior with people. But, the new puppy will very likely jump on the child and may nip at him. Again, this is not the dogs fault he is simply doing what is instinctual to him. You must address this with training.
14. Because temperament varies from one dog to the next, if you have other dogs in the home, it is essential that you pick a new dog whose temperament is compatible with the rest of your pack. Again, this is very difficult to determine when you buy a dog from a breeder as Christmas gift.
15. During his lifetime, your dog is likely to become ill or get injured from time to time. It is essential that you be prepared to deal with this eventuality. It can require a substantial monetary outlay. But perhaps more importantly, your little buddy will be dependent upon you for care.  You may have to give him medication, tend to his wounds, etc. I have spent a few sleepless nights over the years caring for a sick or injured dog. I have also taken an occasional day off from work to care for one of my guys. You must be prepared to do the same.
16. Current vaccinations and flea/tick control is essential. Also regular heart worm tests and prevention is essential to your dogs health.



This is what happened when we did not adequately
secure the trash can. And these are my normally well
behaved beagles.

17. Long hair dogs require regular grooming. Please be prepared for this essential expense.

I realize the above points may seem negative and it may appear that I am trying to convince you not to get a dog. Please realize that is the polar opposite of my intent. I want you to have a dog as a life long companion. They are a joy. I get much more out of my relationship with my dogs than I ever put into them! But, in order to be successful, you must be aware of the responsibilities.

As you know, The Lovely Shane and I are active in dog rescue. We provide a foster home for one or two dogs at all times. We have both seen first hand the consequences of people bringing dogs into their homes without proper consideration of the responsibility. Many dogs die because they are turned over to shelters as a direct result of people not being prepared to care for them. So, for the dogs, this is literally a life or death matter. I will not sugar coat it, if you take your dog to a county shelter there is a high probability that he/she will be killed. The shelters do not have the resources to care for all the dogs they get and there are not enough rescue groups. This is reality.

Our fenced area at the dog training shack

I love my canine buddies and that is why I am writing this post.

If you are considering adding a new dog to your pack, please contact me at any time. I will be happy to help you find a local rescue group and answer any questions you may have. Phone calls and emails are free! I will also be more than happy to work with you to develop a training plan to make your new little girl or guy a polite dog. Because, as I tell you frequently, "Polite Dogs = Happy People". Let me help you to get happy toady!!

Till next time

These polite labs (Buck and Bailey) belong to my brother and my niece

-William-

William Moore Canine Training

678-702-4791

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

William Moore Lawn and Handyman Services

678-702-4791

fayettelawnmoore@gmail.com

http://fayettelawnmoore.blogspot.com

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Puppy may need obedience classes

When you decide its time to train your dog, its very common to be a bit lost. Good dog-training skills come naturally to very few people. In order to train your pet properly, preparing yourself with some good advice is an excellent idea. This article contains good guidelines for several different aspects of dog training.

Teach your puppy his or her name before you start to train him or her, as this creates a bond. Use his name frequently, and make clear that you want him to respond by coming to you when you call his name. There is no other word your puppy should be taught first. Make sure to spend time with your dog in order for him to learn and trust you. When you set this trust early on, the puppy will be more open to the next steps in training.

 Your puppy may need obedience classes so that it can listen to you. The instructor can give you ideas about how to handle problems like not listening, and excessive barking.

 If you want to teach your pet to use a crate, first try these simple tricks. If your dog does not want to go into the crate but one of his favorite toys inside and close the door. They will want to get to the bone, which means going into the crate. When they go inside to get the bone, give them lots of positive reinforcement.

 Training should be an enjoyable activity for your dog. Try not to make training sessions any longer than 15 minutes. That will keep his attention. Keep your rewards coming and vary what you give them. Make sure you shower praise on your dog when they do well. When the dog enjoys their training, they will listen better.

 A crate can come in handy when housebreaking a dog. To make crate training work, make sure you take your dog out often and on a stable schedule. If youre patient you will find a dog who has been crate trained will make less messes inside.

 When training your dog, you should always make sure you use the same word or action for each individual behavior. You dog will learn to respond to the specific word or words that you choose to represent a desired behavior. Consistency is key. It ensures that the dog will respond properly to commands.

 Dogs can learn a multi-step behavior by stepwise refinement just like humans can. One example might be to teach him to fetch your daily newspaper. You will need to teach him or her how to hold something first. Next, your dog will need to learn the objects name. After that, he needs to learn how to lift up the object. Finally, he should learn to bring the object to you. If you break it down, your dog will understand the linear relationship of the behavior.

 If your dog suddenly starts misbehaving out of the blue, it is best to bring him to the vet so any health problems can be ruled out. Your dog might be acting out because he is suffering. Since they cannot tell us what is wrong, this is their way of letting us know that they need extra attention.

 A trick you could teach your dog is to hold something in his mouth, such as a toy. Get your dogs attention with a clicker and reward him with a snack when he tastes or mouths the toy. When this has happened several times, hold off until the dog grabs the toy with his or her mouth. As this happens, press the clicker and then offer the reward. Also, rewards should only be given if the toy remains in the dogs mouth.

 You can try a little bit of ingenuity if you are going with crate training for your indoor dog or puppy. If your puppy seems reluctant about entering the crate, place a chew toy inside and close the door to the kennel. The puppy will want to enter the kennel to retrieve the treat. Once in the crate, let them know they did a good job by praising them.

 Give them chew toys for pain relief while teething, and keep everything else out of reach. Immediately replace the object with one of the intended chew toys. If your puppy needs to chew because he is teething, try a frozen washcloth.

 Get your dog ready early for his trips to the veterinarian. Move your hands across his head, back, stomach and legs, and give him reinforcement when he responds appropriately. Work with him so he is tolerant of having his paws touched and teeth examined. You could ask the assistance of your friends, too.

 Training should be fun for your dog. Only train your dog in ten to fifteen minute sessions. A dog has a limited attention span so any longer will cause him or her to become bored. Be sure to provide rewards often, and give different treats from time to time. You should lavish praises on your dog for following your instructions. The more enjoyable training is for your dog, the more he will look forward to it!

 Stay consistent when training your dog. Write down the commands that you use and then make sure each person who needs to know them does. Behavior should be rewarded or not depending on the affect that is being sought. When the people around the dog use different commands and responses, he may become confused and training could suffer.

 Do not tie up several dogs in close proximity to each other. One dogs chain might become entangled with the other, which could lead to serious injuries. If one dog is larger than the other, it could accidentally tangle the cord around the smaller dogs neck, causing it to become unable to breath, and possibly die.

 Limit the duration of training sessions. It is possible that your dog will lose interest if it is made to do the same thing over and over. Do not spend more than 10 minutes on each session.

 To help you train your dog you should know what kinds of foods your dog likes to eat. Since these will be the rewards for good behavior when you are training the dog, it should be something that really motivates him. Make note of your dogs reaction when the reward is offered.

 Communication is one of the essential aspects of training your dog. Make sure you are clear and consistent when you are working with your dog. This means to be consistent not only with words, but with corrections and rewards. Be well aware that your dog is telling you something too. They will inform you of whether or not they are overworked, anxious, or having a great day.

 You can prevent your dog from destroying your home by keeping it outdoors when you are away from the house. When this isnt possible, you want to provide things that both appeal to your dog and that are okay for the dog to chew on. Establishing acceptable chews toys is also about keeping those things you do not want your dog to chew up behind closed doors or well out out of reach.

 Now that you have received the helpful advice in this article, you should now be aware how easy it is to train your dog. With patience and a little research, you can train your dog. The right training can help every dog thrive and be well behaved..

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Training Your Pet Dog May Be Straightforward With One Of These Sound Advice!

You want to workout a pet dog to suit your certain demands, but are not sure what sort of dog breed will work best with your coaching fashion and expected outcomes. A lot of puppies are unsuitable for certain activities, while some stand out. This information will enter into details to what puppy is perfect for you.

When you have received a fresh pet so you will work on coaching a vital point to not forget is you should always enforce the orders that you just give your dog. Do not allow the dog disregard you, and do not repeat the control time and time again. If you are not going to be strong enough to enforce what you really are stating, you may as well not spend your time and energy.

Have a good reward method when training your pet dog. Amount and the right time are crucial when it comes to advantages. By providing pleasures on the suitable time, youll ensure your dog recognizes which habits its being compensated for.

Tend not to workout your puppy through the fear of actual physical consequence. Instructing your puppy to value your commands and dominance will create a good and stable pet. Canines figure out how to regard the rest innovator within the wild when you are ruled, not attacked. Actual physical consequence can lead to an irrational and frequently aggressive animal.

Consider your dogs persona while you commence your training curriculum. Be sure to begin slowly and gradually if your family pet has hostile inclinations. By trying to apply control over a dog that would rather be dominant, your furry friend may possibly take action assertively toward you and derail your coaching strategies.

When you find yourself coaching your dog, ensure you are quite individual. Distinct breeds of dogs find out at diverse rates. 1 canine can learn quickly whilst another canine will take too much time. If you are impatient you will tension your pet and the man is going to be resistant to your greatest training endeavours.

Allowing the whole family to share with your dog various things will totally conquer the purpose of education him. Have a household reaching or continue to keep a list of training your dog policies about the freezer to help remind everybody that connect with your pet to get steady with commands, punishments and rewards. Usually your dog are usually in a constant condition of uncertainty and every loved one will be entirely discouraged.

An incredible training your dog tip is to remove your dogs meals dish. Pet dogs like searching for points. They love to discover, and so they like making use of their nostrils to locate goodies. By dropping your dogs meals plate and through concealing pet food during the entire residence, your dog will end up significantly more content.

A apply jar filled with water can be an invaluable training instrument whenever your canine engages in poor habits like woofing, biting or gnawing. This allows your dog realize that specific steps are certainly not satisfactory. In no time you will find a nicely behaved dog of which you could be very proud.

When youre education your puppy it is crucial that you simply by no means neglect your pet dog. Abusing your dog in kind of penalty will just lead to your puppy fearing you. A straightforward "no" is a lot more successful. You really have to stay consistent, and affected person.

1 idea to bear in mind when education your pet dog is basically that you are also essentially testing on your own. This is very important to be aware of because if you get rid of your patience or get disappointed, then both you have to rethink your method or hire a company more to consider over the training.

Crate-training is fantastic for puppies with break up nervousness. Crates properly turn out to be safe spaces for stressed puppies. Comforters or filthy laundry that odours similar to their favored folks may help during the kennel-instruction procedure. Nervous pet dogs can also be probably going to be destructive when their managers will not be home. A crate maintains anxious pet dogs from harms way.

Dont be scared to reach out to an experienced puppy fitness instructor if your dogs issues turn out to be excessive so that you can handle by yourself. Problems like aggression and severe nervousness are the best managed by experts, as these troubles can become dangerous if theyre managed by inexperienced folks. Your coach can help you inside your attempts directly.

When instruction your dog dont go all the way. Should you be working with a dog only work with one talent weekly, right up until your dog has perfected it. Make your workout sessions quick and your dog will retain far more. You are both not as likely to have irritated this way.

To have your puppy simply to walk adjacent to you rather than taking you, enhance the behavior with pleasures. Treats help it become interesting to your canine simply to walk next to you. You must also use a funnel rather than collar. It is less difficult to manipulate a pet dog using a funnel and he wont seem like you are attempting to choke him.

Give your pup to interact with other dogs. Young puppies tend to be removed off their brothers and sisters when they are quite younger, prior to they already have got a chance to figure out how to by natural means connect with other puppies. Virtually all such a pet at first learns is via its relatives. When your pet has all of the suitable photos, allow him to hang out with other dogs.

You might want to employ the assistance of dog-adoring good friends who understand that a pet dog are unable to aid his habits without having the help of the folks around him! Many problems like unprovoked hostility in the direction of kinds of folks or woofing in your own home must be mediated by recreating the situation and delivering positive activities to condition behavior. Your pet-loving good friends is going to be crucial help in recreating varieties of trigger situations to your canine. Seek advice from your instructor to ensure proper security measures are undertaken for every single sort of conduct youre shaping.

In conclusion, there are many different types of dog breeds available, and choosing one that best fits your requirements is vital. As long as you stick to the tips for which particular puppy dog breed to decide on for a particular training kind, you need to be content with the final results.

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