January - 2016

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The Importance of Puppy Training

The Importance of Puppy Training

Puppyhood is the most intense, condensed period of learning for dogs. It’s the time their brain undergoes the most development that will occur over their entire lifespan. According to Dr. Bruce Fogle, D.V.M., M.R.C.V.S. “If a young dog is ‘superstimulated,’ if it hears loud noises, sees flashing lights, has to balance itself on an inclined plane for a few minutes each day when he is very young, he will grow up to have a larger brain with more cells, bigger cells, and more in

Leash Lunging

Leash Lunging

If your dog lunges at other dogs that walk by when he’s on a leash it is imperative that you seek help in dealing with the problem. Today on the trail I had a tiny little dog lunge at one of mine while barking his face off, and the owner explained that it’s just his way of saying hi. Unfortunately this is something I hear all too often, and even as I drive around the city I can see it happening on the sidewalks. And just because your dog is small doesn’t mean it’s ok to let h

Off-Leash Training

Off-Leash Training

Freddy is a one and a half year old lanky looking mutt. His parents ordered one of those DNA tests and they say he’s part Rhodesian, part Greecian Visko, and part lab. (I made that second one up because the testing company probably made it all up too) Freddy is a fun-loving dog. He’s well mannered at home. He’s great with his cats. He can sit, lay down, give 5, roll over, and go to bed on command. He has sweet eyes. Freddy has never been off leash. His parent’s were nervous.

Petting Your Dog

Petting Your Dog

Touch is the earliest and possibly the most important of all the dog’s senses. A puppy is born deaf, blind, and toothless. Touch enables him to find his mother for milk. Touch soothes the dog, and is incredibly important for a calm, happy, well balanced mind. According to Dr. Bruce Fogel in his book ”The Dog’s Mind: Understanding Your Dog’s Behavior,” “Harry Harlow’s experiments at the University of Wisconsin in the late 1950’s with newborn macaque monkeys revealed just how d

Laughing With Your Dog

Laughing With Your Dog

Don’t forget to laugh. It doesn’t seem like it’s necessary to say when speaking of dogs. They’re hilarious. But all too often people forget to have fun with training. Teaching your dog to give you 5 or roll over usually provokes some chuckles. But with behaviors people believe their dog should know like sitting or laying down people often forget to enjoy the experience. They may begin to get angry when their dog doesn’t seem to want to listen, or repeat sit over and over agai

Counter Surfing

Counter Surfing

It’s classical conditioning. When your dog goes counter surfing or dumpster diving and finds some tasty tidbits he is rewarded for his efforts. And no matter how much you come in screaming, he won’t understand what you’re so mad about as much as he understood that counter equals food because the timing of the behavior and good consequence there was so much closer. A very small gap exists between the behavior and the reward, vs the behavior and your punishment. Dogs learn by s

Training Material

Training Material

If there's one article to read, let this be the one. This article is meant to be a guide for any new dog owner, but it's specifically built for puppies. As with any exercise regimen you'll want to set aside dedicated time blocks for training, practice consistently, and increase the challenge as time goes on by moving the training into areas of more distraction. Take it slow. Build each behavior incrementally, allowing the dog to master each step before proceeding too fast. If

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