5 Things Your Dog Wants To Tell You About Training

in /by

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.

Keep Your Dog Safe When Driving!

in /by

poodle-car-2023721

Maybe you have seen the person driving with a dog in their lap or with its head out the driver’s side window. This is very dangerous and is simply an accident waiting to happen. Let’s discuss some things you could and should do to keep you as well as your dog safe and secure when riding in a car.

There are harnesses available at the pet stores that will allow you to harness your dog in place in a seat. Some people love them and others say that they do not work well or that their dog is able to escape out of the harness.

In our family our dog is always transported in a crate. This is simply the safest way to transport your dog. Big or small this is the best way to do it. Of course if you have a large dog and a small car it simply will not work.

When you are considering a crate to transport a dog always remember that you want the plastic type crate that is also airline approved. The wire cages are not good for transporting a dog because it’s legs could slip thru the bars and the dog could be badly hurt if you had to slam on the brakes or were involved in an accident.

Not only do we use plastic crates to transport our personal dogs but we use the same techniques whenever we are transporting a clients dog or a dog that we are training for law enforcement.

When considering traveling with a dog that is not restrained in some way think about what could happen to your dog if you were in an accident. The dog would become a missle that could badly injure you and could also possibly go thru the cars windshield injuring your pet.

No matter how you look at it for your safety and the safety of your dog please find a way to safely restrain your dog in your vehicle. Recently on the national news there was a report of a dog that fell down on to the gas pedal of it owner’s car and the owner could not stop the car causing an accident.

So think ahead and be safe for everybody’s safety.

Does your dog need more training?  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-4114293

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.

The Canine Good Citizen Test

in /by

cgc-3158726

The Canine Good Citizen Test, or CGC, is an exam given by the American Kennel Club. Passing this test will allow you to have a dog that is well behaved not only at home but also when out in different surroundings. It also shows that you the owner have been determined enough to train your dog and give it the attention needed to have a well behaved dog.

The benefits of CGC Certification are many. Probably the one that you will enjoy the best is the fact that you will have a well trained dog that you can take anywhere with confidence. Your dog is allowed to enter the CGC designation after it name. Your insurance company might even allow your dog if it is one of the breeds that they normally do not allow in their homeowners insurance coverage.

Quite often I am asked what to expect during the test. Well the test is actually made up of 10 different tests. The test will be administered by a person that has been designated as a CGC Evaluator by the American Kennel Club.

The test requires the help of some other people and dogs to be able to thoroughly evaluate your dog. You are allowed to pet and encourage your dog, however no food, treats or toys will be allowed during the test.

There are several different things that can cause you and your dog to be disqualified. For example a dog can not urinate or defecate during the test. Any dog that does will not pass the test. If your dog shows any type of aggression including growling it will be immediately dismissed as well.
Scoring is a simple pass or fail. You and your dog must pass all 10 tests to be able to leave with the CGC certificate.

Getting the CGC certification should give any dedicated dog owner a reason to work with and train their dog. The CGC title is required by most therapy dog organizations to be a member of their organization. It just might also allow a landlord or hotel innkeeper to allow your special dog to be a welcome occupant or guest.

Rather than list the 10 tests here take a look at: http://images.akc.org/pdf/cgc/GK9GC1.pdf

Do you want your dog to be a Canine Good Citizen?  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-6249618

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 ofCanine Behavior Specialists Network.

Introducing 2 Dogs On Leash

in /by

2-dogs-5475101

This article is going to address some of the do’s and don’ts when it comes to introducing 2 dogs on leash. Introducing 2 strange dogs always has some possibility of there being an aggression issue. This article will hopefully give you some pointers that can possibly reduce that possibility.

Let’s start off with let’s keep moving while the introduction takes place. That’s right as the strange dogs and their owner come toward each other just start walking as if you are going for a nice brisk walk. Remember this should always happen in neutral territory not on one of the dog’s turf.

As the walk continues you and the other owner can start moving closer to each other trying to maintain a nice loose leash. There is something about a tight leash that always seems to cause a problem with new dogs meeting each other.

I never approach a strange dog that is pulling the owner toward me on a tight leash and barking at the same time. In fact on walks when meeting another owner and their dog if the other dog appears to be stressed, is barking, or pulling the owner I simply pass on allowing my dog to approach it. Keep in mind you should never feel obligated to have your dog go nose to nose with an unknown dog.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you should never introduce more than 2 strange dogs at one time. Remember that introducing 3 or 4 dogs at the same time increases the chances of there being a problem.

Another thing I always do is before introducing my dog to a strange dog is asking the owner if their dog is dog friendly. If I get a maybe or sometimes then the introduction is off. There is no reason for me to take a chance with my dog or a client’s dog introducing them to a maybe type dog.

Keep in mind that if your lifestyle has you taking your dog around other dogs with friends, family or even the dog park make sure that you socialize your dog well during the socialization period from birth to 20 weeks of age.

Following these few simple suggestions will help you enjoy your dog and help it find new canine friends that it can enjoy playing with and going for walks without having a dog fight.

Do you still need help training your 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-2862280

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.

Dock Diving !

in /by

559115-2516275 Are you interested in dock diving? Smoky Mountain DockDogs is hosting an event June 20-22 in Knoxville. We will three days of dock diving. On Friday, we will have open dock for “Give DockDogs a Try” from 4-6 pm. On Saturday we will have qualifying waves for Big Air at 10, 12, and 2 followed by Extreme Vertical at 4. On Sunday we will have qualifying waves for Big Air at 10 & 12 followed by Speed Retrieve at 2. Divisional finals in Big Air will be held at 4:00 on Sunday. Please check out the website for more information, www.smokymountaindockdogs.com

Conflicting Information From Dog Trainers

in /by

confused-5685319

Yes, if you have spoken to more than one dog trainer or even read more than one dog training book then you are probably completely confused.  Why is there so much conflicting information?  This article will hopefully answer that question.

Let’s start by saying that dog training is not black and white.  Dog training is all gray.  Let me try to explain what I mean by that. There are certain things that can only be done one way meaning it has to be done in a certain way for it to be effective.  Dog training is not one of those things meaning there are as many ways to train a dog as there are people doing the training. Let me try to explain that in a different way.  If you knew 20 parents and you interviewed all of them you would find that they to raised their children in many different ways.

Since these parents use several different methods of raising their children it doesn’t mean that any one particular method is wrong. The same thing goes with dog training there are a bunch of different ways to train your dog and not one of them are necessarily wrong. However I do know it can be confusing.

So what do you to find the right dog trainer with the right information. You can do some research on the Internet, you can talk to family and friends and you can interview several trainers on the phone.  You’ll be amazed what you can find out about a trainer to a telephone call.

Then here’s the important part.  When you find a trainer that you like, you have to trust him and put your faith in him. Forget what you’ve read in the past and use your trainer’s methods to train your dog to be that perfect pet you always wanted.

Now don’t get me wrong if this trainer is doing something that in your opinion is completely outrageous or could injure your dog you need to speak up.  A good trainer will explain the reasons behind his methods so that you feel comfortable.

Keep in mind that there are trainers that strictly use treats and there are trainers that don’t use treats but still use motivational methods. If you’ve never trained a dog before ask some family or friends what their experiences have been with training with our without treats.

I have found that approximately 4 out of every 10 new clients we get have already been to another trainer that uses treats exclusively. Why have they come to me?  Simple because of the fact that their dog still isn’t trained and they are looking for a different method of training.

I hope this article gave you a little bit of insight as to why there is so much conflict and differences of opinion when it comes to training a dog. Simply find a trainer that you trust and enjoy the training process.

Do you still need help training your 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-4896168

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.