10 Things You Should Know About Dogs

happy-lab-3949767

Quite often I meet people who are getting their first dog and really have no idea what a dog needs or wants. This is a list of things that you should know about dogs.

1. Dogs are den animals and the greatest gift you can give your new dog is its own den in the form of a crate. I like the plastic type crate better than the wire one because it has that den feeling and the wire cage does not.

2. You can never really enjoy the love and companionship of a dog if it lives in the back yard. So bring your dog in the house and make it part of the family.

3. Dogs are pack animal and really have a desire to be part of a pack which means your family. Don’t be upset if your new dog wants to follow you around the house and be with you it simply wants to be part of the family.

4. Feed your dog at the same time daily. Dogs like and more importantly need a routine to be happy.

5. Training is important for several reasons. One of the most important reasons is that it establishes you as the master and gives the dog a leader to look to for guidance.

6. Exercise is a must. Dogs need it to eliminate nervous energy. The great part is that you will benefit from going for walks as well. Exercise is just as good for humans as it is for dogs.

7. House train you dog as soon as you get it. The number one reason that dogs end up in a shelter is because they did not get house trained.

8. If you are starting with a puppy socialize it early. The period of socialization for a dog is from birth to 20 weeks of age. Socializing you dog early will help to avoid aggression or fear issues later.

9. Find a great veterinarian that both you and your dog like. Establishing a relationship with your vet early is good for you and your dog.

10. Make it a habit to spend just a few minutes everyday doing something that makes your dog happy. You dog will reward you with its complete loyalty.

If you will follow these simple steps with your dog you will find that having a dog can be a great and rewarding experience. Dogs have a way of making us healthier and happier than we would be without a dog.

Is your goal to have a happy dog?  If so visit us at Canine Behavior Specialists and give us a call, or for our out of town readers  .

Until next time…

sig-small-4193051

P.S. Do you need some advice from a Canine Behavior Specialist?  If so CLICK HERE now!

About the Author: Wayne Booth is owner of Canine Behavior Specialistsin Nashville, TN.  Wayne has been teaching people how to become Professional Dog Trainers since 1990 and he is the Training Director of Canine Behavior Specialists Network.

10 Things You Should Know About Dog Training

2-gsd-5612901

There are a bunch of things you should know about dog training but we are going to discuss what I feel are some the most important. Keep in mind that these are only some of the things you should know.

1. Repetition is the number 1 principle of dog training. Dogs just like humans learn by doing things over and over in order to get better.

2. Dog Training can and should be fun for both you and your dog.

3. Training sessions should always be short but sweet. I never work a dog more than 15 minutes in a session to keep from loosing the dog’s attention. You should train you dog at least once a day but never more than three formal sessions a day.

4. Your goal should be that each training session is just a little bit better than the last one. You need to always strive to make the training better, slowly. I mention this because quite often I see people who do daily training sessions but the dog never gets better and it is not the dogs fault.

5. Having patients is very important in dog training. Loosing your temper does not work with a dog it simply makes things worse.

6. Exercise is very important in the training process to get rid of all the dogs nervous energy.

7. Taking your dog for walks is very important because it develops serotonin which gives your dog a feeling of well being.

8. Always be sure to give your dog a bunch of praise in your training. It is your dog’s paycheck for doing a great job.

9. Never hit your dog. I have heard people say I never hit my dog instead I roll up a magazine ands swat it. It’s the same thing…hitting is hitting.

10. After each training session be sure to do something that your dog will enjoy. Take it for a walk, throw the ball or maybe even rub its belly. Just do something that makes the dog look forward to the next training session.

These are things that I teach my dog training students as well as my dog training clients. I hope these things will give you something to think about when training your dog. Spend some time training your dog daily and you will both reap the benefits.

Is your goal to have a well trained dog?  If so visit us at Canine Behavior Specialists and give us a call, or for our out of town readers  .

Until next time…

sig-small-9686003

P.S. Do you need some advice from a Canine Behavior Specialist?  If so CLICK HERE now!

About the Author: Wayne Booth is owner of Canine Behavior Specialistsin Nashville, TN.  Wayne has been teaching people how to become Professional Dog Trainers since 1990 and he is the Training Director of Canine Behavior Specialists Network.

Let's Communicate!

communicate-6064347

Since 2010 I have been putting up articles for you to read on Facebook as well as this blog.

However, I want to change that. LET’S COMMUNICATE…

I am going to start being more interactive on Facebook and I hope you will too by liking our Facebook page and then taking time to tell me about your dogs, the good ones and the not so good ones.

Tell me what you would like me to write about so I can make this Blog and the Facebook page about you my readers. Plus don’t forget to comment about the articles so we can all learn from your comments.

Thanks and hoping to hear from you soon!  Please visit our Facebook page now and like it!

Does Your Dog Follow You Everywhere?


We usually call this type of a dog a “Velcro Dog”. Do you have one? Some people enjoy having their dog with them all the time and some people find it to be very annoying. Let’s talk about Velcro dogs.

Some breeds of dogs seem to be more inclined to be a dog that always wants to be with you however it is not limited to a certain breed of dog. Quite often it seems that smaller lap dog type breeds want to be where they are supposed to be, in your lap, or as close to your lap as possible.

Quite often it seems that larger dogs as well as terriers and hounds seem to be more independent and don’t have a need to be under you feet at all times.

Some people really enjoy what a Velcro dog has to offer in the way of companionship and don’t find this habit to be offensive in any way. Other people feel that they are being crowded by their dog and really start to resent the fact that their dog will not allow them to be by themselves, even for a while.

If you have a Velcro dog and feel a need to have more space or time by yourself consider leaving your dog outside at various times of the day when you would prefer that is wasn’t under your feet.

You can also teach your dog the down stay exercise and actually have it doing down stays while you leave the room. Basically you are making it a game to get some space from your dog.

Getting your dog a companion might also help solve the problem. Another dog can give your dog somebody to play with and spend dog on dog time and possibly give you some relief. If you do get another dog make sure it is the opposite sex. That is usually the best combination when you have two dogs.

Two males can be aggressive with each other and two females are actually even worse. Female on female dog fights are usually the worst and account for larger more serious injuries.

Hopefully if you have a dog that wants to be with you all the time it is a situation that you enjoy and can appreciate the love that your buddy wants to offer you.

Does your dog have any problems that we can help you with?  If so visit us at Canine Behavior Specialists and give us a call, or for our out of town readers  .

Until next time,

sig-small-5992902

P.S. Do you need some advice from a Canine Behavior Specialist?  If so CLICK HERE now!

About the Author: Wayne Booth is owner of Canine Behavior Specialists in Nashville, TN.  Wayne has been teaching people how to become Professional Dog Trainers since 1990 and he is the Training Director of Canine Behavior Specialists Network.

5 Things Your Dog Wants You To Remember

dog-love-3583735

Whether or not you realize this fact dogs want the same thing that you want, companionship. Yes dogs are pack animals and not only enjoy being with other members of the pack but they absolutely need it to be happy. When you stop and think for a moment humans are the same. Isolation is complete torture for a human and the same for a dog. So as a member of your pack your dog has a few things it hopes you will remember. Lets talk about those things.

1. Let me live where you live please don’t ban me to the backyard.

Dogs need and want to be a part of the family. You just can’t experience the love that a dog can give if you isolate it in the backyard because then it becomes what I call living lawn furniture. The dog that drives the neighbors crazy with the barking. The next thing that happens is no body even wants to go in the backyard because the dog is crazy and will jump all over you. So let your dog live with you in the house.

2. Spend some quality time with me.

Make a promise to your dog that you will give it a few minutes of one-on-one time every day so you can develop that bond that is so important for the dog master relationship.

3. Train me so you can be proud of me.

This is an important one. Dogs need to be trained. Big dogs really need training but the little ones need training as well. Training develops the dog master relationship and lets the dog know its place in the pack. Look around well behaved dogs are never a problem. It’s the untrained dogs that everybody complains about.

4. Take care of my health so you and I can grow old together.

Just like you, your dogs needs routine visits to the doctor to keep it healthy. Heartworm medication and annual shots are very important. If money is an issue invest in a doggy insurance plan. They can really come in handy when that catastrophic illness happens.

5. Make sure I get exercise it will actually help us both

Exercise is import to keep humans healthy and the same for your dog so take a few minutes everyday to go for a nice long walk to keep your dog happy, healthy and to build much needed serotonin in the brain for his general well being. The added bonus is that you are going to be healthier at the same time. Give it a try you just may enjoy it.
If you will do these few simple things I will be the loyal companion you have always wanted. I’ll be there when you don’t feel well and even just when you need a friend to listen to you.

Does your dog have any problems that we can help you with?  If so visit us at Canine Behavior Specialists and give us a call, or for our out of town readers  .

Until next time,

sig-small-1505807

P.S. Do you need some advice from a Canine Behavior Specialist?  If so CLICK HERE now!

About the Author: Wayne Booth is owner of Canine Behavior Specialists in Nashville, TN.  Wayne has been teaching people how to become Professional Dog Trainers since 1990 and he is the Training Director ofCanine Behavior Specialists Network.

5 Things Your Dog Wants To Tell You About Training

Do you ever wonder if your dog would like to be able to communicate with you?  Well he actually would love to tell you a few things about what the two of you are doing together with his training.  Since you didn’t catch it in his body language here it is in human language.

1. Teach me but don’t abuse me.

Make training fun for me please.  I am really enjoying it and I love to learn however when you loose your temper at me everything simply goes down hill and I just want to quit.  I do want to thank you for never hitting me because I know some dog owners do that.

I really am enjoying the training,  however when you are arguing with the wife please don’t come try to train me.  You just are not in the right frame of mind and it never seems to go well.  So if we are going to train please be happy.

2. I like treats but I will be just as happy to work for your praise.

Don’t get me wrong I love a good treat now and then however what I really love is a bunch of praise from you.  Yes, I love doing my exercises well so that you are proud of me, especially when you are showing me of to your friends and the neighbors.  Plain and simple I work for your love and respect.

3. I can only concentrate for a short periods so please limit the lesson time.

Please keep in mind that I am young and new to training so please limit my sessions to no more that 15 minutes at a time.  As I get older I will be able to concentrate for longer periods but right now 15 minutes just seems to me my limit.

4. It will take me longer to catch on sometimes.

Some of the exercises you are teaching me are harder than others so please be patient as I work to catch on.  However when I do catch on I know you will see the light bulb go off in my head and we will both be excited.

5. Train me and I will love you forever.

I want you to know that I am excited to learn and to have you as my master.  I really do appreciate you taking the time to train me and I realize that some of my friends have owners that have not done it.  Of course it shows with those guys because they just are not well behaved like I am.

I want to thank you again and here is to many long years together.

How can Canine Behavior Specialists help you with your dog?  Come visit our website or give us a call.

Until next time,

sig-small-2718496

P.S. Please do us a favor and visit us on Facebook page and Like Us!

About the Author: Wayne Booth is owner of Canine Behavior Specialists in Nashville, TN.  Wayne has been teaching people how to become Professional Dog Trainers since 1990 and he is the Training Director of Canine Behavior Specialists Network.