DOG WHISPERER?

I think it would be embarrassing to call myself an animal behaviorist/dog trainer or “Dog Whisperer“ if occasionally I was getting bitten by dogs or allowing my client’s dogs to get into fights. With my experience working with aggressive dogs, you can get better results by taking a more patient approach. This may not make good T.V. but in the 28 years as a dog trainer, I thought the name of the game was NOT to get bitten. Professionally I don’t think I’ve ever been bitten by one of my client’s dogs, nor have I ever gotten one of my dog training client’s dogs in a dog fight. I call it being smarter than the dog. Other than proper technique and knowledge to rehabilitate aggressive dogs and avoid being bitten, I carry a note book binder to my dog training appointments, it has a few teeth marks on it instead of my arm. I also was extremely lucky and never got bit by the many police dogs I trained. In the past when people found out what I did for a living they would say, “Wow, you must have a lot of patience.“ Now they ask, “what do you think of that guy on T.V.?”

SHORTENING A DOG’S LIFE

Part 1.   For many years I’ve  questioned the veterinarian immunization schedule for dogs because I believe immunizations can negatively affect a dog’s immune system. I’m not a veterinarian but I’ve learned a lot about the subject in my 28 years as a dog trainer. I have read many articles on the subject. There are also many dog owners who feel the same as I.  Vaccinating a dog is similar to vaccinating a child. Antibodies are produced and protect against a virus, so why aren’t children required to get small pox or polio shots annually? If a dog has enough antibodies for a particular virus, why do they need another shot? They don’t.

In our human world, drugs over-prescribed by professionals can have a negative effect on our systems, sometimes resulting in death. This has happened to famous people like Keith Ledger, Marilyn Monroe and sadly now (possibly) Michael Jackson whom I’ve personally had a conversation with and believe what the media did to him was barbaric. His ex-wife Debbi Rowe was a friend and client. My condolences go out to the family.

Up until the year 2001, veterinarians were prescribing that dogs get immunized once a year with DHLP-P (Distemper, Leptospirosis, Hepatitis, Parvovirus and Parainfluenza). Sometimes a Coronavirus shot was added depending on location. U.C. Davis, a leading school of veterinary medicine recommended changing the annual requirement for shots to every 3 years. It took a few years before most veterinarians followed this new recommendation, why? Money!  Unfortunately there are still many veterinarians who recommend inoculations  once a year.

Part 2 click here: Shortning a life part 2

Nutrition tips

To find a great dog food, visit one of the smaller pet shops or specialty food shops are the best. These shops usually carry a wide range of the more healthier dog food like Raw, Natural, Holistic and Organic. The shop owner’s are full of information and are happy to share their knowledge with pet owners. I do have my favourites brands and I will mention them in a future blog. Until then here are some things you should know. When buying dog food keep in mind that a dog needs to eat more poor quality food than higher quality food to maintain caloric and nutritional needs. Also the better quality of food that goes in, the less that will come out.

There are some ingredients on a label you want to avoid. Corn, soy, bone-meal, (anything) by-products, chemical preservatives and wheat.

A really good food will have meat as it’s first ingredient.

SIMON AUDITIONING FOR A COMMERCIAL

FUNNY VIDEO

No, it’s not a dog that I trained.

MYTHS AND FACTS

Myth #1  Rubbing a dog’s nose in their mess, helps housebreak them.

Fact: When teaching a dog anything, your timing has to be spot on even if the dog’s name is Spot. Rubbing their nose in their mess is after the fact. The dog associates the smell with the correction and not the act of making the smell. The next time a dog sees you and smells that smell, and reads your body language and hears your tone of voice, they give you that “I’m guilty look” or the “I’m sorry look”. It’s neither, its a non-threatning posture they take to let you know their not going to challenge you.

Myth #2   kneeing a dog in the chest teaches them not to jump on you.

Fact:  I guess if you really knee them hard they may learn. But you don’t need to do that when there are  more effective things to try. Usually kneeing a dog just avoids them from jumping right then, but doesn’t teach them not to jump. Also, asking your guest to do this would be tacky. I’ll be discussing better ways to teach this

Myth #3   Giving a puppy praise or treats after they go to the bathroom in the right place.

Fact:  Treats should not be used in potty training. It’s a self rewarding act. As long as the sky isn’t falling and the dog safely eliminates, don’t reward them. Especially when it’s after the fact.  If you tell a dog to sit, and when they get up you give them a treat and praise, are you rewarding the “sit”? Or them getting up? If you use any reinforcement, say in a soft voice “good doggy” or giving a quick pat on the head is ok, as long as it’s in the middle of the act. Another flaw in the treat theory is sometimes a dog isn’t 100% happy with the surface of the ground they are going on such as, pea gravel, wet grass or one of those simulated grass loo’s, etc. So if you give  a treat or praise after, they may think your rewarding their desire to get away from that surface. It’s very similar to myth #1. rubbing a dogs nose is after the fact. I have more theories why treats dont work, but don’t have room to write them all here.

Myth #4   Dogs chew things in your house because they’re mad at you.

Fact:  Dogs chew for many reasons but being angry at you isn’t one of them. The list of why dogs chew is long. I will discuss them in another post or video.

Myth #5   Dogs eat their own or other animal’s stools because of nutrient imbalances.

Fact:  With 220 million scent receptors (as apposed to our 5 million) dogs can smell each ingredient that’s in a pile of poop. It smells good, that’s why some dogs eat it.

Myth #7 Dogs scoot their rear end on the ground – because they have worms.

Fact:     It’s not worms, it a dog anal glands that are irritating them. Usually when this irritation occurs, a dog will scoot their rear on the ground for relief. 95% of the time this condition is only temporary and naturally works itself out. The owners tells the vet or the groomer about the scooting and they recommend having the glands squeezed on a regular basis. In my experience because it’s usually a temporary thing or an occasional scooting problem if a dog gets help on a regular basis, now the dogs own natural secretion ability can be affected.

Myth #8. Dogs eat grass when they are sick.

Myth #9. Garlic prevents fleas.

Fact:    In the U.S. Around 5 millions dogs and cats are euthanized each year. Leave breeding to professionals. Spay or neuter your pet.

here is a link to a site that has 102 dog facts http://www.thefoundbin.com/lost-and-found-articles/102-weird-facts-you-never-knew-about-dogs

DO YOU LIKE FREE…

Holy dumpster diving Batman!

I’m hearing that a big pet supply company in the U.S. is throwing out brand new pet products and has been doing so for months. Items like dog beds, cat beds, cat food, dog food, dog and cat toys, just about everything. I of course can’t mention the name of the store, but if your smart enough you’ll figure it out. I’d love to hear from you and what you found. Good Luck!

THE TRAINING MAGIC PILL

When I trained animal actors, sometimes the director wanted the dog to do things they weren’t trained to do. I would have very little time or only a few days to teach the new complex behaviors. I found that sessions kept under 2 minutes and doing 3-5 sessions per day is better than the 15 to 20 minute twice a day sessions prescribed by many trainers. On a weekly basis I will be posting training tips and “how to” videos that will teach you the techniques that I use and recommend.

Malibu Dog Training is the home of the 1 minute training session. There is no magic pill , but the whole training prescription just got a little easier to swallow.

To see what a 1-2 minute session might look like, click on the link below

How to teach the “Sit Command” watch?v=0d5Yiz8ryM8

IT’S WHAT’S UNDER THEIR PAWS

The more a dog is distracted, the less they will learn what your trying to teach. If you were studying for a exam, you wouldn’t go to a noisy place, you’d go to a quiet place. It‘s the same with your dog! When your dog is learning something new, or doesn’t have the experience to learn around distractions, you want to start training in a familiar place (in or around your home) or a place with little or no distractions. It’s also better to first practice training on pavement (asphalt) v.s. grass. Grass plus a dogs powerful sense of smell equals major distraction! If your dog has other distracting associations to grass, like playing, going to the bathroom or other dog smells, it will difficult for them to concentrate on what your saying.

Your dog may not be stubborn, it may just be what’s under their paws.

Be patient, It takes time and practice for dogs to learn and listen in all environment, surfaces and situations.