Dr Phil McBeagle anexity update

The brave Dr Phil McBeagle waiting to cross the scary
kitchen doorway at the Dog Training/Foster Shack.

I am happy to report that Dr.Phil McBeagle is making great progress in overcoming his phobia of interior doorways! The Lovely Shane and have been using the techniques that I described in my last post.

Dr. Phil McBeagle bravely crossing the doorway
from living room to Dog Training Office. He is followed by
Cuddles the Corgi Mix.

After two days of using these techniques, Dr. Phil no longer had to be coaxed using treats. Sometimes he does not even slow down through the doorways.

I think it also helped that he could see that the rest of the pack had no problems at the doorways.

We are very proud of Dr.Phil here at the Dog Training Shack!

I hope that Dr.Phils story helps to encourage some of you who have an anxious dog. There is hope! With the proper technique, persistence, patience and routine, you can be successful as well!

Dr. Phil is a very affectionate beagle. He really loves sitting next to Foster Daddy and getting petted! He can be quite the couch potato. He loves to watch TV. We do not watch that much TV here at the shack. But, Dr. Phil likes to lay next to me on the bed, just before bedtime, and watch a little TV.

Dr. Phil McBeagle exploring the back yard with Copper and Trigger

We are going to now begin working more on loose leash walking. I really dont think Dr. Phil ever really learned to walk on a leash. He does okay, he really does not pull that much but, he likes to put the brakes on so to speak and not move forward. We are going to work with him using positive reinforcement. I think he will make fast progress on loose leash walking.

He is really a smart dog and wants to please the people. However, as is common with beagles, he can be stubborn too.

We have begun our diet and exercise program. It is a little too soon to notice any results. He is quite an active dog for his age so that is encouraging!

I think it has really helped Dr. Phil McBeagle to be a part of our pack. Copper the Whopper Beagle and the rest of the pack have been really good about welcoming him and helping him to learn how the pack should behave. Phil loves to work for treats with Copper and the rest of the pack. We are working on the down command now. He has pretty much mastered sit and stay. We are going to begin working with him on how to wait and behave properly at doorways.

Remember, Dr. Phil is looking for a forever home. He loves it here as a foster at our place, but he really needs a permanent home with people who love him and can devote lots of time to him :) .

Dr. Phil really loves people and attention! He loves to go visit his foster grandparents! They live next door to us and love to pet our dogs and give them treats!

If you need help training your dogs to be polite, please contact me! I always tell you, " Polite Dogs = Happy People" Let me help you to get happy today!!!

Till Next Time

-William-

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

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Welcome New Foster Boy Dr Phil McBeagle !

Dr. Phil checks out the kitchen at
his new foster home (Dog Trainer/Foster Shack)

The Awesome and Lovely Shane, Copper the Whopper Beagle, Cody the Little Beagle, Cuddles the Corgi Mix, Foster Girl Gracy, and I are pleased to welcome our newest foster pack member Dr. Phil McBeagle.

Phil is about 5 years old. He is a tri-color Beagle with some ticking. He is a sweet boy! Phil was surrendered to BullyWag by a family who could no longer care for him. He is not used to being around a lot of other dogs so, we are slowly introducing him to the pack here. He is nervous but seems to be adjusting well in the first few hours.

He came to us with a flea problem and some minor skin issues that I suspect are a result of flea allergy. As you can likely see in the pictures, he is also a little overweight. Our initial plan is to put him on the Copper Whopper exercise and diet program. It is obvious that he likely has not been getting a great deal of exercise.

He will get his booster shots and go the the veterinarian soon to be neutered, microchipped and heart worm tested. After that process is complete he will likely be available for immediate adoption!

He is a really sweet little guy and needs a forever home! He is housebroken. He knows some basic commands like come and sit. The pack and I will work on a little more training for him while he is here.

Dr. Phil after his bath

His former mommy and daddy say that he loves "hot dogs". For those of you who are unaware, we call these "frankfurter on bun" instead :) . He also loves cheese! Copper was helping me teach him today using cheese as a reward. Former mommy and daddy also inform us that, like most beagles, he loves to bay and howl at appropriate times and is quite the lap dog when he has the opportunity. Also like most beagles, he will try to escape if left alone in the fenced yard for too long.

If your home is beagle proofed, you may want to consider Dr. Phil McBeagle (by the way, his former family just called him Phil.... I like Dr. Phil McBeagle better) as an addition to your pack.

If you are looking for a new pack member, as always, Copper and I strongly encourage you to consider adoption! There are very many dogs, like Dr. Phil McBeagle, that desperately need a new forever home! If you would like information about rescue groups in the Atlanta Area, please contact me at any time!

If you need help training your dog to be a polite little guy, please contact me at anytime! You know, I always tell you, "Polite Dogs = Happy People!" Let Copper and 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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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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Anxiety Dr Phil McBeagle

The doorways at the Dog Training/Foster Shack are not nearly
this scary looking. It seems this may be how Dr. Phil McBeagle
sees them.

Our newest foster boy, Dr. Phil McBeagle, seems to have some anxiety issues. I suspect that his fears are the result of some previous trauma.

Even your macho dog trainer friend would be apprehensive
of crossing this particular doorway!

The most concerning phobia that he seems to have involves interior doorways. He is really scared to cross doorways inside the shack. He does not seem to have as big of an issue going inside or outside the structure. In fact he is house trained and has not had any accidents since he got here.

He just appears to be terribly frightened of crossing doorways from one room to the next. Once he is in the room he is okay.

He also cowers if you try to pet him on the head. I suspect that this is also the result of past trauma, Perhaps someone hit him on the head in an attempt to discipline the poor little guy.

It thought it may be helpful to some of you if I write about this problem and how we are going to address it here at the shack.

It is very important that the dog not be forced into a situation that he fears. It will not help to try to force him through the doorway. In fact, in Dr. Phils case, it is almost impossible to force him short of physically carrying him through.

In Dr. Phils case, The Lovely Shane and I are using techniques that involve what us dog trainers, just to sound cool, sometimes call desensitization and rehabilitation. Basically, the objective is to help the dog to become less sensitive to what we call, the stimuli (doesnt that sound cool). In Dr. Phils case the stimuli is the interior doorways. This seems to be what stimulates his fearful behavior. So, our objective is to make him less sensitive to the stimuli or to the doorways. We do this by using a motivator that is desirable to him. In his case, and with most beagles, tasty treats make a very good motivator. So, we have to make him associate the treats and the praise that he gets from us with walking through the doorway. It is not as fast and easy as it sounds. There are certain techniques to learn and the timing is really important. But, with persistence and patience, this method can be very successful in addressing this type of anxiety.


We have already begun this technique and it is beginning to work a little. But, I can not stress enough, this is a slow process. We do not know what sort of trauma the little guy has been through. Nor do we know how long this phobia of doorways has been an issue for him. As with all dog training, patience and routine is essential.

Dr. Phil McBeagle (I still think that is a cool name)

For the critics of my approach, I will state that the treats are only used to give the dog an immediate motivation. The treats will not have to be used permanently. I think that eventually Dr. Phil will not show any outward signs of being afraid of doorways. It is not that he will be going through the doorway to get the treat, it is that he will associate the doorways with good things rather than traumatic things.

I have successfully used this sort of approach for various other anxiety problems in the past. This is the sort of approach that I would use for a dog who is afraid of the veterinarian or a dog who is afraid of the clippers a groomer uses.

It is difficult to state with precise accuracy how this approach, or any other approach for that matter, will work for a particular dog. Each dog, like each person, responds differently to a particular treatment or approach. What is effective for an individual dog may not necessarily be effective for another. However I am very optimistic that this approach will be very effective with Dr. Phil McBeagle!

Veterinarians are not evil aliens.... not sure
about lawyers though :) 

If you have a dog that seems to have a phobia or anxiety, please do not give up! The intent of this post is to inform you that there is hope! Many people get frustrated and give up when dogs have anxiety issues. From our prospective, as humans, it can be very frustrating. This is particularly true if we do not understand the proper techniques. It is important that your dog does not sense your frustration. This is something that you can effectively address!

If you have a dog with anxiety issues, please contact me at anytime! I will be more than happy to help you develop and execute a training plan to address the issue. This is precisely why I am in this business!

Till next time

-William

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