OLD vs. NEW

Why the pack leader mentality for training and living with your dog is out of date and inappropriate.

In the dog-training world, there is “Old School” training and there is “New School” training. Both styles are effective because dogs are eager for attention, shelter and food – this is why they are so easy to persuade. However, it’s important to me how a dog feels in its home and when it’s being trained.

Here are some things old school trainers might do or believe as part of their training style. An old school trainer will take a more dominant approach, having less patience while expecting more immediate results. Old school trainers want dogs to be submissive to them; they may use praise but use more correction or redirection techniques without reward.

In old school training, the trainer focuses more on what a dog is doing wrong vs. what a dog is doing right. Old school trainers see certain behaviors a dog does as the dog trying to be “pack leader” or “dominate you.”

Old school trainers are fond of using the “pack leader” analogy to describe the relationship between owner and dog.  In the wolf society the pack leader is the one sitting alone most of the time. He’s usually up high. When he walks around he’s the tough guy. Other members of the pack will lick his face and keep their tails tucked under and ears back. This signals to the pack leader that they are not a threat and that they are not going to challenge him for mating rights. Which is the pack leader’s role – mating! This doesn’t sound like the relationship I want to have with my dog.

On the other hand, new school trainers and their techniques focus on what a dog is doing right rather than wrong. New school trainers use motivation and redirection techniques and incorporate food, toys, clickers, praise and patience. New school trainers don’t relate everything a dog does as an act of dominance or positioning as pack leader or follower. Instead, they understand that much of a dog’s behavior is a product of its early education and socialization.

New school trainers want a dog’s state of mind to be confident, not submissive. They understand that dogs don’t need to be submissive to listen. They also understand that dogs like to work as a team, they love to succeed and that it’s better to be a dog’s teacher than its pack leader.

Education and practice helps build good communication skills with your dog. With practice, patience and proper teachings, a dog can learn to behave appropriately for any situation that comes its way.

Preaching old school style of training only helps to perpetuate the dumbing down of dogs and dog owners. When we think the old school way we become lazy and our expectations become too high. I say give the dog a break. Educate – be its teacher, not its pack leader.

10 Reasons Why Dogs Chew

Chewing is a normal dog behavior, and as you’ll see from this list, chewing is driven by many things. It’s important to understand why your dog chews. You may or may not know, you have a huge influence of what a dog chews on and how long the chewing lasts. You can keep destructive chewing to a minimum with proper exercise, training and redirection techniques.

1. Testing: What else are the items around your home for anyway? it’s a table to you, but to your dog, it’s wood. Throughout your dog’s life they may test items by chewing them to see if something good comes of it.

2.  Teething: Around 2 months old when their milk (puppy) teeth are coming in, and between 4-6 months (start of the destructive stage) as the milk teeth fall out and are replaced by the adult teeth. Puppies must instinctively chew to help their teeth go through this process. It also helps relieve tenderness of the teeth and gums.

3.  Keeps gums & teeth, clean & strong: Humans brush, dogs chew.

4.  Responsibility:  As your puppy goes through the teenage months, approximately 6 months to a year, they must chew because instinct tell them they may need to go hunt for food, protect family members or themselves.

5.  Exercises jaw muscles: We go to the gym, dogs chew. Around 7-8 months old is the height of the “destructive stage” for chewing.  Chewing can last for months, even years, if modification or redirection techniques aren’t used.

6.  Anxiety, tension or comfort: Chewing helps relieve a dog of tension or anxiety. Some dogs carry items in their mouth to help comfort them.

7.  Boredom: A lonely or bored dog will be more destructive and chew for  longer periods of time.

8.  Practice: Instinct tells them to practice. OR practice with you; if you get them fixated on their toys using play or praise, this will increase the chewing on the items you want them to chew

9.  Smells good, tastes good, feels good, or they may just be hungry and want to chew on something.

10.  An obsession: Dogs can develop obsessive chewing disorders .

If you wanted to add something, leave a comment below.

10 Doggy Workouts

Some dogs have boundless amounts of energy, here are (more than 10)  ways to help tire them out.

1. Having your dog carry a dog back pack on your daily walks around the block. To add weight to them, use sand or water bottles. The packs can be found at pet shops or on the Internet.

2. Obedience or trick training. Mental exercise is tiring also, owners don’t give this one the credit it deserves. It’s a great way to exercise your dog both physically and mentally

3. Visits the dog park, or a park with no dogs. Find an owner that has a dog with similar energy levels and set up play dates once or twice a week.

DOG PARK ETIQUETTE: Don’t bring aggressive dogs! ( seek professional help). Don’t bring your dog’s favorite toy, don’t feed other peoples dogs, clean up after your dog, use biodegradable bags and watch out for fast running dogs. It’s a great place to practice the training your dog learned at home.

4. Doggy day care. Veterinarians usually have the phone number to the best ones

5. Dog walkers, even a half  hour walk in the middle of the day can do wonders. Hopefully the dog walker will let them off leash or play fetch or tug of war and not just a boring walk around the block.

6.  To keep your dog busy while you’re away, toys like Buster Cubes, Kong’s (filled with goodies), large meaty (Raw) bones, frozen ice toys are like puzzles for dogs and help stimulate them mentally for hours.

7.  Walk, run, bike, hike or just taking your dog shopping with you. Stop off at one of these U.S. stores while doing your shopping, radio shack, Home depot or Lowes, all Pet shops, coffee shops, some bowling allies, outlet malls, flea markets and many others.  I even was able to take my dogs into a movie theater. Unfortunately there are limited places that allow dogs here in Australia, but they do have some good dog beaches. One thing that is starting to happen here, and I think other places is, you can register your dog as a companion dog, no longer do you need to have a disability to have your dog accompany you during your daily outings. Cool huh?

8.  Go to a beach or lake and let your dog swim. Play tug of war, read my blog for the rules> tug-of-war-game

9. If your dog is ball crazy and you don’t have the throwing arm  you used too, add a tennis racket or one of those throwing arms devises. Your dog will love it! Watch this funny video

Tennis ball launcher