Dog Tricks

 

 

Dru and Daisy working together. 

 

Look what my dog can do! "Daisy, Sit Pretty, Shake, Roll over, Take a Bow!" Yup, you can amaze your family and friends with Dog Tricks. But is that all there is to it? Cute Party Tricks?

 

If you look beyond just the smile a trick brings you will see a dog that is confident, smart and trusting. Because you are involved in the process of teaching you become confident, smart and trusting as well. Bottom line, trick training is a relationship builder.

 

What is the difference between a Command and a Trick? Your dog is required to do a command. A trick is something fun to do. So if you change your perspective and make Come, Sit, Down and Stay a trick you may have more fun.  And so will your dog!

 

I just received my CTDI. I went to a certification course to become a Trick Dog Instructor. The course was taught by Kyra Sundance, a Stunt Dog Performer and founder of "Do More with your Dog". The course was jammed pack with information on why, what and how to train dog tricks. Daisy and I came away knowing several new tricks and many more to keep learning. We are on our way to get our Trick Dog Title.

 

I always explain to my clients that Sit, Stand and Down are actions the dog does naturally. We put it on a cue and when the dog has learned its meaning, they will do it when asked. Unless you have a very clever dog,  you will not see a dog naturally go to the fridge and get you a can of soda. Or pull a rope to open the mailbox and get the mail. So the next time your dog does something cute, that's great! Turn it into a trick.

 

Dog Tricks can be good for tricky dogs. Does your dog love your slippers. Teach her to fetch them for you. Does your dog like to dig? Teach him to wipe his paws on a rug. Got a jumper? Teach her to Give you a High Five. Put behaviors on a cue, mark it with praise, touch and treat. And Voila! A new trick has been learned and you are having fun with your dog.

 

Kyra Sundance, Dru Therrian

and Daisy

 

Out of the DogHouse LLC website www.ohiodogtrainer.net

Contact Dru Therrian 440.286.9070

Daisy Take a Bow

"I Did Not Die" Moments

 

This is from the dog's perspective. Your dog will be thinking...."Whew, I did not die! That was really scary but I survived. Hey! maybe next time it will be less scary".

What am I talking about you ask? Socialization.

Socialization is the buzz word I hear from most clients talking to me about dog training. First and foremost, they want their dog to be social with other dogs. Hey that's great but let me ask "Who does a dog live with?" People! So you are the new pack. Your new dog needs to get use to you! Sure, you may have other dogs but most people have a one dog home. And your new puppy just spent 8 weeks or more with other puppies and dogs. Let your puppy or new dog adjust to life in your home.

Socialization is more than just meeting & greeting people and dogs. It is about your dog being comfortable in the world. It is also about recovery and coping. These are pretty important skills to make life easier. A lot of times we have to teach or help our dog through situations. Every puppy that comes through my Puppy Connect Program has the chance to see new and novel things. I show these new puppy owners how to introduce strange objects and help their puppies overcome fear and realize they won't die from the "terrible, scary monster".

One way to over come fear is by using food. It is important to shift the puppy's state of mind from fear and food can be a great motivator. Here is Amber and her owner working on socializing new environments.



Is your dog afraid of everything?!

Many dogs come to me with fear aggression. They are afraid of people, small children, dogs, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, skateboards, opened umbrellas, rolling trash cans, non-moving objects such as fire hydrants, library drop boxes, gas line flags and the list goes on.

Play is another way to over come fear. Check out this photo collage of Maizy at the skate park. She exhibited high fear at the sight and sounds of a kid on a skateboard but not so bad when the ball was brought out for play.

A well socialized dog is a dog that trusts. Trusting dogs know their owner will keep them safe. So build your relationship on trust. Show your dog trust through Leadership: taking control of situations. Encourage trust by guiding your dog through scary situations even if it seems silly to you. Overcome fear with food and play to change your dog's state of mind. Be dependable, honest and fair so your dog will have confidence in your judgment and abilities. Provide many "I did not Die" moments and your dog will be well socialized.

Out of the DogHouse LLC website www.ohiodogtrainer.net
Contact Dru Therrian 440.286.9070

Food, Glorious, Food

 

 

What's for dinner? This little question wraps around a whole slew of notions: Good food, family environment, connection. And a can of worms (Yuck! hopefully not being served!)

So what are you feeding your dog? Nutrition is just as important for our pets as it is for ourselves and families. Are you feeding your dog Corn Pops? That is what I call food that has corn listed as the first ingredient. If the food is dyed with bright colors I equate that to Lucky Charms! Be a Label Reader. Understand what you are putting into your dog.

I never tell people to buy the most expensive food but I do suggest they buy the best quality. Some kind of meat should be listed more than once in the first 5 ingredients. Also watch out for sneaky grains. Again like people Wheat can be a problem. Inflammatory bowel disease affects dogs much like it afflicts humans.

White rice, white potatoes and tapioca can upset the bio-flora of a dog's digestive system. Starches and sugars can cause an over growth of yeast. Then yucky brown stuff will grow in dogs' ears and can come through their skin. Be sure to check between your dog's toes and pads. Is the skin and hair a ruddy brown color? Or crusty, looking like scabs? That could be a yeast problem.

Want to know how your food stacks up? Check out this link

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/

 

You know your dog best! Perhaps their stomach is a tank and they can eat anything? Great! But if your dog can't put on weight, is itchy, has sores or is topping out the scale you should consider addressing their food. When good stuff goes into a dog, good dogs are the result.

Out of the DogHouse LLC website www.ohiodogtrainer.net
Contact Dru Therrian 440.286.9070

Fear + Aggression

 

 

Fear is an emotion that helps keep us alive. It is a basic survival mechanism. Our very nature is to feel fear. It is a response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger. In short, fear is the ability to recognize danger leading to an urge to confront it or flee from it (also known as the fight-or-flee response) but in extreme cases of fear, a freeze or paralysis response is possible. This goes for both humans and dogs.

And when it comes to a dog's fear, we may not feel the same concern or view the situation as a threat. We may think their fear is trivial or silly. Could our dog just be anxious? Anxiety is a response to an imprecise or unknown threat. Fear is an emotional response to a known or definite threat. Although the focus of the response is different (real vs. imagined danger), fear and anxiety are interrelated. Fear causes anxiety, and anxiety can cause fear. The question now, is the dog afraid or anxious? Both have similar responses. Could the presumed idea of a threat cause the dog to bark, growl and bite?

This is where we need to step in to help our dog, regardless if imagined or real. In this event, even we need to overcome our own fear and anxiety. By taking the Leadership approach of "I got this you can stop now" and by drawing our self up for the challenge, the situation can be turned around and hopefully for the better.

Dogs behave badly when they are stressed. They may be barking because they are nervous. Whether our dog has had a bad experience or feels threatened, we have to stop our dog's behavior. Excessive barking is annoying and can lead to an escalation of our dog going overboard into growling and biting. Correcting their barking at the get go with a NO and making them yield to you can stop the hysteria. By doing this you are redirecting their focus from the "threat" to you which should help them calm down.

Instead of having to "Fix" our dog every time she reacts we want our dog to suppress the fear-triggering memory or stimulus. We want our dog to feel comfortable in the situation. Basically to ignore the problem. Counter Conditioning is a great way to accomplish this task. Mind you, emotional behaviors are not a "Quick Fix"! Counter Conditioning takes time and is a process. It is not like teaching Sit and you must practice in a controlled environment.

Let's address barking with some options:

1. Interrupt the barking with the Marker word NO.
2. Yield your dog by walking into them.
3. Have your dog switch focus to you by looking away from Threat.
4. Shift their state of mind by having them turn away to take food from you.

Not every problem can be rehearsed safely or under control but if you can practice on the minor problems such as door bell ringing, window guarding or people coming into your home then you will have a way to address the unexpected situation.

Out of the DogHouse LLC website www.ohiodogtrainer.net
Contact Dru Therrian 440.286.9070