Warmest Wishes to you all!

The year is coming to an end and I will be taking time off for the Holidays to spend with my family. Training other family dogs will end on Friday, December 20th. This will be my last post for 2013 and I will start again in January 2014.

Wow! This year went by quickly! My blog will be officially "One Year Old" in January. There have been 47 posts written with 9094 visits. Pretty happy with this small feat for being a non-writing dog trainer! I do want to thank those of you that have stopped by to read my blog. I hope you found it interesting, funny at times and helpful.

Of course I need to add something useful, so, to make the most of your Holiday:

1. Be prepared! Keep a leash on your dog if you believe he will be jumping all over your family or guests as they enter your home.
2. Avoid an emergency visit to the Vet by not feeding your dog scraps from the table.
3. Be sure to include your pup in the family snowball fight, snowman building contest or hike in the woods. Fresh Air and activity will benefit you all! The old saying goes "a tired dog is a good dog"!

Our dogs add so much to our lives. Give your pups a loving pat but also ask them to do something in return, such as a command or trick. This will make them a good member of your happy family.

Best regards,

Dru Therrian

Out of the DogHouse LLC website www.ohiodogtrainer.net

Contact Dru Therrian 440.286.9070

The Babysitter Rule

All of a sudden you get that feeling that something isn't right. You look around and realize the dog isn't there anymore. YIKES! Where's the dog?!! Off you go to see what terrible calamity happened somewhere else in the house.

Knocked over waste baskets, chewed up items and going potty in the house are all things that most often occur unseen.

So to protect your house, avoid frustration and keep your sanity you can use "The Babysitter Rule". This is especially helpful for puppies, young dogs or untrustworthy older dogs that need to be kept under constant vigilance because you can't watch a dog 24/7?!! Right! So you need to rely on "The Babysitter Rule".

So what is this Babysitter Rule? This pertains to three ways to keep your dog and home safe.

1. The Crate: 100% Babysitter. This means that the crate is totally responsible for keeping your dog confined safely when you can not watch at all.
2. Tethering: 50% Babysitter. This means your dog is in the same room as you but is confined on a leash to some solid object. It is a shared responsibility between you and the leash. Your dog has limited freedom but can't get out of sight.
3. Human Supervision: 100% Babysitter. You are totally responsible for watching your dog and keeping her out of trouble.

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Next time you look around you will smiling because you will know exactly where your dog is and all will be safe and well.

Out of the DogHouse LLC www,ohiodogtrainer.net

Contact Dru Therrian 440.286.9070 

Friend or Foe?

Your dog is friendly and my dog is friendly. Does that mean they they will be friends? Maybe.

If your dog is social, happy and has an easy going temperament, more than likely your dog will get along with most dogs but maybe not every dog because the other dog may not have the same disposition. And although we would like our dog to be friends with every dog in the world that is not realistic.

Think of it this way...Do you like every person you meet?
No. The same is for our dogs.

If you would like to have your dog meet another dog consider this safety protocol which I call the "Three Second Sniff".

1. First and foremost, you must not let your leashes get tangled. 

You and the other person will stand behind your dogs and hold the leashes with gentle but steady pressure.

2. People will move the opposite direction from each other.

3. Dogs sniff noses.
Allow three seconds for the dogs to check each other out. If this goes well proceed with more sniffing. If is doesn't go well, you are ready to pull your dog back and out of the situation.

Notice there are two steps for the person to remember. Only one for the dog. Your job is the most important. Why? Because you need to keep your dog safe and avoid a fight.

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Use the Three Second Sniff Rule when you want your dog meet other dogs. Your dog can have a "World of Friends" one dog at a time!

Out of the DogHouse LLC website www.ohiodogtrainer.net

Contact Dru Therrian 440.286.9070