Simple Pleasure

I like chocolate; Strong, Dark and Bitter. It is on my Christmas wish list every year and you will never go wrong giving it to me as a gift. (hint hint)

I restate.....I love Dark Chocolate. I think dogs feel the same way about bones! There is such pleasure for a dog when they chew on a bone. This is a REAL bone; Purchased from the supermarket, butcher or local meat supply. Big, Meaty and Raw. Not cooked because the heat would dry it out making it brittle, splitter and unsafe.

You may be thinking UGH! What about the mess of ooey gooey, yuckiness of the meat and clingy stuff on the bone? Don't let that hold you back! Use the crate or keep your dog in Place on a dog bed. Certainly you could provide something so that your dog could enjoy a meaty bone?!

The best time to give your dog a bone is after they eat. Did you know that bones are Nature's toothbrushes for dogs? When a dog chews, enzymes in the saliva are released and help remove trapped food between the teeth. Other benefits are the minerals and nutrients that the bone provides when chewed up and swallowed that are necessary for your dog's own "bones" to stay healthy. And lastly, bones are the perfect pacifier! A large raw bone (think Shank, Rib or Soup) can keep a dog busy for a long time.

I love seeing how much dogs enjoy chewing on a bone. So whenever I am at the grocery store, I bring home a bone for Daisy and the Boot Campers and sometimes I get a treat too!

My best,
Dru



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

Puppies! Not what you think?!!

Over the weekend, I got to spend two days with a great group of folks; both dog trainers and dog owners.  Virginia Francis and I invited Puppy Expert, Linda Kaim of Lionheart K9 from Maryland, to come talk about puppies.

Wow! What an eye opener!! Linda, whose profound statement was "Be the Wellspring where all Good Things Flow", was certainly that for all of the attendees! Loaded with puppy knowledge, anecdotes and good humor; Linda filled our two day workshop. She had us listening attentively and gleaning new facts about puppies.

Like, which of the 5 Senses do puppies just born use to find their mother?  I bet you thought it was smell? Nope! It's Taste!! Puppies don't begin using their nose until around 10 days old.

And why do puppies bite endlessly? Because that is how a puppy will explore their new world and communicate. We, humans, need to let our puppies use their mouth to learn and be curious without getting bit by those needle sharp teeth. Ouch!!

Linda shared her insights on Early Puppy Development and Socialization for young puppies. She explained how people, dogs and genetics influence the outcome of a puppy as they grow into an adult dog. Early shaping begins soon after the puppy is born. If these critical opportunities are not addressed, the training and living with the dog becomes more challenging.

I want to thank all the attendees, Virginia Francis and especially Linda Kaim for coming, sharing stories, bringing PUPPIES and being part of a wonderful experience!

My best,
Dru


Out of the DogHouse LLC website www.ohiodogtrainer.net
Any Questions? contact Dru Therrian 440.286.9070

Bike Dogs

You may already be doing this but I wanted to point out another great way to get exercise for both you and your dog; Riding your bike. Maybe during the winter you used your treadmill for you and your dog to get exercise? Or you were like me and didn't! Now that we have warm weather, I am so excited to be outside; I want to get moving with my dog. Sure, I can walk but I love to ride bikes. What wouldn't be better than having your best canine pal along?

So the dilemma may be how to get started? For one thing, you have to decide if you have a "Bike Dog". Sadly, Daisy is not a Bike Dog; She can't keep up. But a good way to test the idea is to do a short jog. Remember, I am not a runner; If you are, more power to ya!! Take a test run to see if your dog keeps a nice pace then more than likely he can run along beside you on your bike.

Next, you have to get your dog used to your bike. If your dog is afraid, start socializing by using food. No moving yet. Sit on your bike with your dog on leash and hand feed him. When you are ready to start rolling, begin really slow. This is kind of like dancing; You and your dog need to figure how to move together safely.

I like to hold the leash so I can let go of it quickly if there is an Emergency (especially if I think we are going to Crash!!Yikes!). But you can get Bike Leashes (just Google; Dog Bike Leash for options). The bike leash attaches to the seatpost of your bike leaving you two hands on the handle bars.



By the way if you have a small dog you can teach them to ride in a basket! How cute is that?!!

My best,
Dru

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

Speedy Downs

How fast will your dog do something? Well, maybe, if you drop something on the floor your dog will be on it in a heartbeat! Right? But when it comes to safety or necessity...how fast can your dog do what you ask?

I live on a busy street corner; The church is across the street and three schools are just down the way. School buses and  family cars constantly drive by our home. So it is really important for Daisy to have an Amazing Down. Why do I choose the Down Command over a Sit? Because being flat on the ground seems more stable and safe; Kind of like when someone shouts "Hit the Dirt!" I need to rely on Daisy's ability to drop in a Down quickly for any emergency.

As I have said, I live on a busy street corner which is also on a hill. There have been times when I have been out in the front yard or driveway playing Fetch with Daisy and the toy errantly goes into the street and starts rolling away. Without an Amazing Down, Daisy could go after the toy in the road and get hit by a car.

Maybe you are wondering why I wouldn't call her to Come? Well because saying Down means Stop Moving, NOW, and "Hit the Dirt!" which could be the safest, quickest thing to do at the moment.

My best,

Dru

Out of the DogHouse LLC website www.ohiodogtrainer.net

Any Questions? Contact Dru Therrian 440.286.9070

Greater Value

Click photo view larger-because we are cute kids!

True story....as told by my next older sister (By the way, I'm the baby and have 3 older sisters). When I was 5  or 6 years old or something like that, my sister, Gwen, traded me a nickel for my dime. I was just a dumb little kid and the nickel was bigger. So sure, I wanted the nickel. At the time, I didn't know the dime was worth more; I just wanted the BIGGER one.

Same goes for your dog. They will just want the Big one or the one that has more Value to them. What you think is important and what your dog thinks is important may not be the same thing.

Also, you may believe you should be able to take anything away from your dog. But your dog may not be on the same page; It's a ratty old sock to us but it may seem like Gold to your dog.

And keeping this thought in mind; "Your dog could bite you when you take something away that they don't want to give up" is very important.

So what to do? Trade.

Now sometimes your dog will be easy, like I was as a kid; Just the Bigger one is gonna work. But most often, the Trade item has to have Greater Value to your dog.  Think about how much more willing you would be if you were offered a $10 for a $5.

My Best,
Dru

Out of the DogHouse LLC website www.ohiodogtrainer.net
Contact me, Dru Therrian, with any Questions 440.286.9070

Itchy Dogs?

There it goes again! Jingling tags and scratching seem to fill the air. Does non-stop itching drive you and your dog crazy?

What's the cause? We blame this time of year, right? It's the end of a very long winter, especially here in Northeast Ohio, when our furnaces have been working extra hard keeping our homes warm; we have dry skin, so our dog must too? Sure that can be the reason! Then Summer comes along and still our dogs are itching!! Fleas, of course, that must be the reason but not one flea can be found!

Dang! Now my dog's skin is raw and her coat is patchy from all the scratching. I feel really bad, I think it's allergies. A dose of antibiotics ought to do the trick!? Nope.

Let's face it, your dog is as dry as the Sahara Desert!

What your dog needs is water. Really? She is drinking all the time?!! Yup, because her DRY dog Food is soaking up all the water in her body to digest all the dry food she is eating!! Think of that dry little morsel as a sponge that is going to absorb all that it can until it bursts. Here you are putting a whole bowlful of sponges in your dog's stomach. NO wonder your dog is itchy! Did you know that is takes 4x the amount of water to break down dry dog food?

Here is one solution; Soak your dog's food before you give it to her. Maybe this will help somewhat but don't worry, I have more on this "Itchy" topic and we'll talk about it soon.

My Best,
Dru

Out of the DogHouse LLC website www.ohiodogtrainer.com
Contact me, Dru Therrian, with any Questions 440.286.9070

No Free Lunch

When we bring a dog or puppy into our home, we get ready just like waiting for the arrival of a baby; We have Everything in place; the crate, dog bed, a bunch of toys in a basket, a cupboard full of food and tons of treats.

We greet our bundle of fur of whatever size with open arms and opened house; Nothing is too good for our new member of the family and we'll gladly give it to them.

Then over time, we notice our dog isn't quite turning our to be the loyal companion we had hoped. Some problems seem to be popping up; Not listening, kind of crazy, out of control and the rules we had hoped to establish never really took root. We realize we have spoiled our dog with too Much of Everything freely given.

So let's fix this!

Here is how...No Free Lunch.

What does this mean? No Free Lunch is your opportunity to take the entitlement from your dog that believes they "Own the Place" by making them Work for their food. It means not just asking for One Sit and then released to eat their whole bowl of food. It means asking your dog to work for each mouthful until their portion is finished.


By changing how you feed your dog, you can teach your dog to pay more attention to you and be more cooperative. You also will be able to teach them more by hand feeding instead of just giving a Hand Out. You will have a dog that wants to work for you and you will be happy to Pay your dog for their good work.

What kind of work will you ask your dog to do?

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