The Eight PUPPY P’s

Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performing Puppies

The phone call dog trainers dream about getting, but never do:

“Hello? Yes, I’m thinking about getting a dog, here’s my situation… Do you have any recommendations on where to find one and how to pick the right one? Will you be able to help me raise them to be the perfect family pet?”

The phone call owners wish they had made and trainers only get 5% of the time:

“Hello? Yes, I just got a new dog/puppy and I need your guidance: what dog supplies to buy and not to buy, what’s the fastest way to house-train them,  how dogs think and learn,  how do I avoid behavioral problems from ever becoming problems, and how to raise them to be confident and well adjusted members of the family?”

The phone call that trainers get about 95% of the time:

“Hello? My dog isn’t listening to me and has lots of bad habits, can you perform miracles?”

When I first started training over 30-years ago, the majority of trainers and animal professionals prescribed that dogs be at least 6- months to 1- year old before starting a basic obedience class. I was advocating 4-6 months, still WAY off from what is being  recommended today. Animal professionals now all agree (the good ones anyway), seeking help from an animal professional needs to start “before” even getting a dog, or right when you bring your new dog home (at the latest). Well, that’s if you want to avoid many of the frustrating and costly problems from happening, ESPECIALLY the big one of having to surrender your dog to an animal shelter where chances of survival are slim. This is not to say older puppies and dogs can’t learn or change to be wonderful pets, this is what we trainers do everyday, and with today’s scientificly proven techniques, along with years of experience, miracles (I use that word loosely) are being performed. Changing some behaviors can take several training sessions and many weeks to get it right, the cost can be intimidating to some and some people may not have the time to make that happen. A trainer understands that many, if not all, the bad behaviors would have never developed if the dog and owner had PROPER early education.  Teaching someone how to prevent behavior problems from developing is SO much easier, for dog and owner and, the cost would be lower too.  For the 95% of you who will call a trainer when you’re at wits end, still call, its never too late, just know for next time, Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performing Puppies… and adult dogs.

I’ve posted several blogs regarding prevention… Happy browsing.

Learn About Your Dog

For the last 28 years I’ve read many books and magazines on dog training and dog behavior.  One of the earlier books I read (other than dog training manuals) is “The Monks Of New Skete” It was the must read book in it’s day.  If you read it today, you could still pick up some helpful advice, but because of the changes in technique and philosophies over the years, It’s not my first choice as a must read book for today’s dog owner.

I know that dog owners are just expected to know everything about their dog, but the reality is- they don’t and in many cases, not even close.  As your dog’s teacher, your dog deserves for you to learn from the real Authorities in the business.  A great way to do this is to read books that I and other top trainers and behaviorist recommend.

Books also make a great gift idea.

Books: LINK TO AMAZON BOOKS

The Culture Clash – Jean Donaldson

Oh Behave – Jean Donaldson

Doctor Dunbar’s Good Little Dog Book – Ian Dunbar

Dogs: A New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior and Evolution – Raymond Coppinger

The other end of the leash- Patricia McConnell

They are all good, but if you needed a place to start I would suggest Good little dog book- Ian Dunbar or Culture Clash AMAZON BOOKS

If you have a must read dog book, and want to share it with us, please let us know by using the comment form below. Thanks

DOG RACE

HERE IS MY LATEST “FUN” VIDEO
Can you guess who will win the race? The 5 dogs are part of my weekly Dog Outing, their “racing names” are a reflection of their owners profession. Please click on the “YouTube” link (bottom right of the video)  to watch on YouTube, so you can click the “Like” button, Subscribe and make comments. THANKS

MYTHS AND FACTS about dogs

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, and a big WASTE of time. The dog associates the smell with the correction and not the act of making the smell. The next time your dog sees you while the smell is in the air, your dog may give you an “I’m guilty look” or the “I’m sorry look”, but don’t be fooled! they’re only looking at you that way because that’s the look that will eventually get you to stop yelling at them, or possibly stop you from grabbing them.

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

Fact:  That technique went out way before the 8-track tape player. Look you may get lucky and cause enough pain to get them to stop jumping, but does that sound fair? especially since you’re probably the one who taught them to jump in the first place?.  Maybe if you had groceries in your hand and you needed your knee to protect your body, But to teach them not to jump, there are much more effective and fair ways. 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, tell them 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 “eliminating” 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.

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 separate ingredient in a pile of poop. Many low quality dog foods don’t digest in the body, so it comes out the other side, to a dog it smells good, that’s why some dogs will 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 and to try and help the sacks empty. 95-98% of the time this condition is only temporary and will 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.

Fact: Grass must have a nutritional value, or it must taste good or a high moisture value (or all three?) the problem is when the grass is cut, the dogs eat the lower parts of grass, which have the many hairs that irritate the stomach lining of the dog, causing them to regurgitate. SO, they didn’t even know the grass would cause that reaction.

Myth #9. Garlic prevents fleas.

Fact: Garlic Prevents Fleas

Fact: People have been giving their dogs garlic for as far back as I can remember,  it was about 10 years ago that the negativity started to surface. What probably happened was some dogs were allergic to garlic, or maybe they gave their dog way too much and they got sick or had a reaction? All of a sudden garlic is bad for dogs? Well, not to most dogs. Some dogs are allergic to all sorts of things, like chicken, fish, even human dander!

But is garlic effective at keeping fleas off a dog? well, there are always some who will say it works and others who will say it doesn’t. So if you give your dog a small amount of garlic and there is no negative reaction, then I hope this natural flea remedy works for you. Here is some more info on the subject :Fleas and Garlic

Fact:    In the U.S. Around 5 millions dogs and cats are euthanized each year. Leave breeding to professionals. Spay or neuter your pet. Please read my blog on this very important subject. FIXING YOUR MALE DOG

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

Warning about Laser Pointers

Using Laser pointers or flashlights as a chase game for dogs, can literally drive them crazy! Please don’t use them.

Your dog may look like they’re having fun, but after just a few times exposed to this game, they can develop an obsessive-compulsive disorder with lifelong consequences. You don’t want your dog in every waking moment,  staring constantly at the ground or wall, drooling and waiting for some flicker of light, reflection or shadow to appear.

Some dogs are more susceptible than others but I wouldn’t want to test my dog to find out. Most dogs need to periodically ”get paid” when they chase things, by physically touching something with their body or mouth. If they don’t, they can become hypersensitive or obsessed over it. There is no physical touch to light, this is why this game is so damaging.

If you have a dog with this problem, consult a Dog-Friendly dog trainer, who uses reward based methods.