Leash Step, featuring Chip

Meet Chip!

Chip is a 2 year old doxie mix who is tremendously cute and showered with love in his home. However, he is also fearful, particularly with children and joggers on walks. Chip’s owners adopted him when he was 9 months old, and soon realized that his fear barking and nipping was trouble.  Chip was in need of some Zen Dog Training! 

Teaching Chip there is nothing to be afraid of when strangers pass by during walks is a great method to preventing aggression. We started the training plan by making sure to be extra aware of our surroundings. We don't want to get caught off guard by someone and end up with a scared, barking and lunging dog.

We made sure his owners weren't making things worse by trying to correct a scared dog or holding the leash too tightly. Leash tension can translate into feeling of nervousness. The dog might think, "My owner is nervous -- could it be that person running by? Maybe I should be on guard!" Nervousness can turn to fear, and if not addressed turn into aggression.

A method we use when stopping to talk with a friend on the street, is Leash Step, stepping on the leash while keeping no tension on your dog’s neck. The reason this is better than just simply holding the leash is because your tight grip might cause tension on the leash.

A Leash Step will not create tension yet it can quickly help stop a dog from lunging at any people passing by, which, in Chip's case can mean the difference between preventing a bite or an injured, angry jogger!

Use leash step when waiting to cross the street or in the elevator to prevent your dog from jumping up or running into traffic. However, it is important to never leash step in a way that traps a scared dog. Allow uncertain dogs to hide behind your legs or make distance between himself and a scary person, place, thing or other dog.
  Management and prevention are key in quickly solving these kinds of problem behaviors. For more information on Leash Step and Shy / Fearful Dogs, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Using a Confinement Area, featuring Monroe

Meet Monroe!

Monroe is a 13 week old Puggle mix with a lot of things in life to love; his new family, his bed, his treats, and the couch (which he isn’t supposed to go on)! When you bring a new mischievous puppy into your house, it's often hard to teach them our rules!

Zen Dog Training helped Monroe quickly learn the rules of house and rules of the world outside with an In Home Visit. Successful puppy training depends on having the proper Management Tools. With a new puppy full of innocent curiosity, a confinement area is a must!

A confinement area is a small, gated off, puppy-proof area where your dog can be restricted from wandering unsupervised. You should find a room with easy-to-clean floors and decide how best to puppy proof. For smaller or younger dogs an exercise pen or plastic play area works great!

In some cases we put up baby gates around the kitchen (a high-traffic area). It helps to remove books or anything low to the ground. Be careful with wooden furniture, wires -- remove anything tempting for a puppy who loves to explore the world with his mouth!

Confinement Areas bring many benefits. They prevent mischief by restricting your puppy to an area without too many things for him to destroy. They also prevent house-training accidents because we can more easily watch him. Finally, mistakes can be quickly cleaned and easy to see since they are limited to just one room.

Having a confinement area also helps teach independence, as soon as you bring a new puppy home you should start leaving him alone in his  confinement area for short intervals of time while you are home to get him used to not being the center of attention all the time. 

Finally, having a confinement area is a MUST if you have small children or other animals, like cats. Play can be limited to the confinement area and if rough puppy behavior gets out of hand -- small children can simply leave the room!

The idea is to encourage good behaviors by preventing them in the first place! Monroe now stays in his confinement area at times when it is difficult to monitor him, like: when answering the door, getting ready for work, or cooking dinner.
The best part is that housetraining, home alone training and even rough play with children can be managed with little effort from our part! 

For more information on Confinement Areas, Management Tools, and Puppy Training, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

My Walk, featuring Sully

Meet Sully!

He's a puppy Labradoodle who is growing fast and pulls hard on walks. If walking on a leash is a challenge now, it will be much harder when he's a full grown dog! Sully's owners often take him on walks with the baby in a stroller so if Sully thinks he controls the walk, it might be dangerous for the baby!

A game we call My Walk can mean the difference between a frustrating experience and a care free outing. To teach Sully how to walk on leash, we imagine that a tight leash means "red-light" and we stop the walk. A loose leash is a "green-light" and the walk continues. This teachs Sully that -- his pulling makes the walk stop!

The trick to this game is noticing every time Sully reaches the end of the leash. The instant he starts to pull, we say "UGH" and stop walking! 

Once Sully makes the decision to make the leash loose again (walk back a step), we say, "YES." Using clear sounds and words helps him understand what we want. Remember: if leash is loose -- continue to walk at a fun, brisk pace!

If Sully sits down, it's OK to slowly step back to encourage him to come back a step and make the leash loose. This is important because the behavior you want to reinforce is walking! It is essenital to continue walking and not stop and sit down every few minutes.

This simple overview is nice, however, to learn all the rules and tricks that make walking your dog easier, see My Walk, on Zen Dog Training Online.

How to Hold the Leash During Walks, featuring Penny

Meet Penny!

Penny is as sweet as they come. She is a gentle, lovable, cuddly 8 year old chocolate lab with owners who give her all that love right back. It wasn’t until they moved to the city, that they realized Penny had a problem. She pulled hard on walks. In fact, she pulled so hard, she even knocked her owner to the ground! 

In a case like this, we teach a solution called My Walk; a game designed to show Penny she must listen to the rules of the person holding the leash. The game is pretty easy to learn, anytime Penny pulls on the leash, the walk stops. Doing this teaching teaches Penny that she doesn't lead us on walks. It's "my walk" and she doesn't get what she wants by pulling.  

Learning how to handle and hold the leash on walks is the foundation.  It is especially important to hold the leash correctly considering Penny's past history with dangerously pulling so hard.

In order to prevent falling over, we hold the leash with both hands and stand with our feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent. The idea is to use our center of gravity (our core) for strength. When we stop, we take a grounded stance, essentially, instead of using your arms, stopping the force of the pull with your entire body. 

Additionally, if we hold the leash with both hands and rest our arms on our body, we can depend less on our shoulders and more on having good balance and a strong foundation when she starts to pull.

It takes practice but if you are conistent she'll learn who’s walk it really is: it's your walk - not her's! 
 

For a complete explaination on  How to Hold the Leash and My Walk, including how to interrupt unwanted behaviors and how to walk a dog who doesn't want to walk - please visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Bringing Treats on Walks, featuring Chance

Meet Chance!

Chance is an alert 2 year old cattle dog mix who just loves his owners, but that doesn’t stop him from trying to take control during walks. Chance gets a lot of his exercise off-leash at a local park but tends to not pay attention and disappears when he gets the chance! We needed to teach him that it pays to stay close to his owners off-leash, that's why Chance’s owners must bring treats on walks.

Bringing a variety of different value treats on walks will teach Chance that it literally pays to listen! Practicing calling his name and surprising him with an extremely high value treat when he comes will teach him to be on high alert when someone calls his name.

There are a few tricks to remember. Most importantly, you have to actually remember to bring the treats with you! It's also great if you bring 2-3 different kinds of treats in your treat bag so you can reward better actions with higher value treats. This way you can keep it interesting and save the higher-value treats for rewarding really good behaviors.

Food is the dog equivalent of money to humans. Would you go to work if you were not going to get paid?! If you won the lottery and had a huge weekly paycheck would you even work at all? Teaching your dog that good things happen when he listens to you will help him understand that it pays to listen! 

For more information on Treats on Walks and Treat Bags, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

More On Early Intervention Training.

As mentioned in an earlier post, Early Intervention Training is intended to address your puppy’s age-specific development issues before working on any obedience training goals.  You have a limited window of opportunity to prep your pup for a lifetime of stable and healthy interactions with the world and its inhabitants. And don't forget the importance of socialization; Touch is an extension of that.

Instinctively, dogs don’t allow other animals to hold them against their will. However, your dog may need to be groomed, and all dogs need to visit the veterinarian. Being patient and still while a stranger pokes and prods him is not so easy for your dog. Use treats to gradually and gently teach your dog to be okay with mildly uncomfortable touch and make these experiences stress free for both you and your dog.

Teach your puppy to accept mild restraint and welcome any human touch by massaging and petting him daily.  Try to relax your hands and body, then take a deep breath to encourage your dog to chill. Use lots of treats to ensure this becomes a positive experience.

For small dogs, start by holding them your arms like an infant and periodically say “Relax” while you hold them. Play "Vet" with your dog by gently massaging your dog’s ears, head, temples, shoulders, chest, legs, paws, foot pads, toes, nails, tail, etc. If he struggles, say “Eh-eh!” and wait for him to calm down before continuing. Again, use LOTS of treats!
 

Once your dog is at ease with the first stage or if your dog is a bigger breed, gently place them on the floor, roll them over onto his side and massage in the same manner on the floor.  Make sure it's a good time to play this game with your pup.  A not so great time, for instance, is when he first wakes up and is full of energy!  

For more information on Early Intervention Training and Touch, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Why Should You Use an Exercise Pen?

A lot of the time, our clients already are using crates for housetraining their pups.  We also encourage people in the "Zen Dog Pack" to also put a exercise pen (or ex-pen) into play.

An ex-pen is a collapsible, portable pet enclosure made of wire, plastic or mesh panels that opens up into a rectangular, circular or oblong playpen for dogs.  It's a great tool to use for training, indoor containment — at home and while traveling — and makes housetraining easier.

Let's talk about using an ex-pen for housetraining first.  The portability of the ex-pen is something to really exploit here.  Let's say your puppy has fantastic bladder/bowel control in her crate; place her crate inside the ex-pen with the crate door open so she can move freely from her cozy crate to her ex-pen.  Now, under your watchful eye, you can teach her that her ex-pen is an extension of her crate and is another area to keep unsoiled.  Rather than leaving her crated for long periods of time, use the ex-pen to give your puppy more controlled, supervised freedom.

Ex-pens are also excellent for containment.  While you're teaching your puppy the rules of your home — don't gnaw on the coffee table, don't steal the dirty laundry, don't tug on the TV power cord — why not use an ex-pen to create a safe-puppy zone?  Instead of running from room to room after her, plop your pup into her ex-pen with some favorite toys, preferred chews and a comfy cushion.  

Stop bratty behaviors!  When your friends come over for a movie marathon, prevent your puppy from jumping up by teaching her to sit in her ex-pen before coming out to say hello.  If you're playing Tug-of-War in her ex-pen and she gets too amped up after a round or two, rather than getting frustrated, calmly leave your puppy alone in her ex-pen.  In both scenarios, she'll quickly learn what she needs to do in order to hang out with people.

Think about both your puppy's needs and your home layout before buying an ex-pen.  A lot of ex-pens can be reconfigured into large-scale room barriers, which are incredibly useful for open-plan homes.

For more information about Housetraining and Tools for Training, please visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Photo from Rover Pet.

What is Early-Intervention Training?

Early-intervention training addresses your puppy’s age-specific development issues before working on any obedience training goals.  Trainers use this to  determine whether or not your expectations of your puppy are realistic. We also want to prepare your dog for life with humans and to build their confidence, so they don't resort to more instinctual types of behaviors, such as biting or resource guarding.  

Remember, dogs do not operate with the same kind of "moral compass" that we humans use.  Dogs aren't able to manipulate or spite you... they simply do what works!! I know that many of us consider our dogs to be members of the family; it's important that we remember that our pets aren't people, and expecting them to behave as if they are is setting you and your pup up for disappointment or worse.  Behaviors like peeing on your new rug or nipping your hand as you hold food works for a puppy.  It's up to you to teach your dog that some of those behaviors just don't work for you.

The focus of training dogs 3-4 months old — and younger — should be socialization, not obedience. These are lessons that will stick with your dog for the rest of their life.  Teach your dog that even though the outside world can be loud and unpredictable, it’s a happy and fun place he shouldn’t fear.

This can be done by staying calm and using treats to help your puppy make positive associations with people of all sizes and ages, cars and bikes, other animals, and all things loud and noisy.  At this young age, puppies are very impressionable and easily accept new things, but this openness to new experiences doesn’t last forever! For socialization to be a success, it must occur before your puppy is six months old. The idea is to expose your puppy to new, nonthreatening, positive situations and people now, and to increase the likelihood that he will be a comfortable and confident adult!

Your top priority should be your puppy’s daily socialization. This process will take both time and effort, but is of critical importance — especially for puppies under 4 months!!! Take them with you to new places: friends’ homes, children’s school, the hardware store, the dry cleaners, the bank…  Expose them to a variety of people and environments as often as you can. Let your puppy meet men and women, the elderly and the young, children and babies, people in hats and men with beards. Don’t forget about cats, birds and other animals, or loud or strange noises like a door slamming or a bus rumbling by!  Take your dog to the vet, to your groomer or kennel. Once you get there, give him lots of treats for no reason other than getting him used to going to these places.

Helpful tips:

• Never force a situation to the point where your puppy becomes frightened.  If he appears unsure, reassure him calmly and matter-of-factly, and then go on.
• Always be sure your dog is safe and that he has a positive experience. Allow him to investigate and approach people, places and things at his own pace.
• A tasty treat can do wonders in changing a fearful situation or person into a great experience!
• Be proactive. Teach your dog to feel confident and safe with the noisy, busy, fast-paced world we live in!

When socializing your puppy with other dogs, use your discretion! Find out whether the dogs your puppy meets are fully vaccinated and properly socialized themselves. Make sure older dogs are friendly and accepting of your puppy’s uninhibited, frisky advances. An unexpected attack at a young age can cause future phobias.  If you’re unsure of a situation or another dog, it’s okay to pick up your dog and walk away.

Last but not least, try not to coddle your dog or pick him up all the time. Puppies are adorable and the most fun to snuggle with so this is understandable difficult but  whether you’re answering the doorbell, meeting other dogs, meeting new people… Whatever you’re doing, just let your dog experience the world on his own four feet!  

For more information on Early Intervention Training and Socialization, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Xena the Couch Surfing Standard Poodle.

Meet Xena!

Xena is one classy lady. She is intelligent and collected, but exuberant and friendly when warranted. All in all she is one rather well behaved poodle. We met with her owner for a general training session, rather than for something specific though, as with any dogs, Xena had her quirks... Turns out Ms. Xena is quite the couch hog! If her owners settled down for a nice evening, Xena would hop right up with them and take up exactly as much space as she wanted — which ended up leaving very little room for her owners. This is a behavior we see all the time, and told Xena’s owner that we had a simple, easy solution for it.  Xena's "mom" said:

“But I like it!”

This is also a behavior we see all the time. One of the most common questions we get from clients is “Should our dog be allowed on the furniture?” What is nice about this question is that there really isn’t a right or wrong answer! The better question would be: “Do you like to have your dog on the couch with you?” If you asked a group of dog trainers whether or not their dogs are allowed on the furniture a majority of them would likely answer “Yup!” (And not a small number would even admit to letting their dogs sleep on the bed!) Some people don’t want to have the dog on the couch, but other owners enjoy having the company — especially on a cold New England night.

We tell clients that it is perfectly acceptable to curl up on the couch with their dogs — but we have a set of rules we recommend. We don’t want your dog to jump up anytime they wish. Make it a privilege; your dog is only allowed on the couch when you give permission. This will not only prevent unwanted couch hogs, but also allow you to have company when you want to, and even use the sofa as a reward for good behavior! This is especially useful when playing Rewarding With Love.

By implementing a few simple rules you can reclaim your couch while keeping your furry heater by your side!

For more information on Rewarding with Love, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Bon Appétit, Let ME Eat!

This gorgeous gal is Layla, the friendliest yellow Lab you could ever meet.  Don't be suckered by her adorable-ness — this girl's a beggar... at the dinner table, that is.

Mealtimes can be challenging for dogs, especially those who've made a hobby of scooping up tidbits food they've found under the table.  Layla's "dad" just needed her to relax in her pen while he prepped and ate his dinner.

Our goal was to teach Layla that when her dad was eating, she not only had to behave, she had to entertain himself.  If your dog is a beggar, let him know that whining and pawing at you at the table isn’t the way to get attention!  Teach him that he's being rather rude. Show your dog that the only mealtime behavior you respect is politely waiting for you to finish eating.

With Layla, we first tried to outsmart her by using a tether.  A tether is an indoor leash that you clip to your dog’s collar with one end and attach the other to something solid and heavy that your dog can’t move, like your living room sofa.  At mealtimes, it’s best to tether your dog to something far from wherever you’re eating.  In other words, we weren't going to tether Layla to the coffee table when her owner's friends came over with a pizza to watch the game.

Another technique we discussed for Layla is using a crate to contain her or a baby gate to separate her from where her dad eats.  No matter what you works for you — crating, separating or tethering — give your dog something to do while you eat.  Bully sticks and other long-lasting chew toys are great things to give your dog.  Sweeten the deal by trying a few things out, identifying your dog’s favorite and using that exclusively at mealtimes.  This way, your dog will be excited when it’s time for you to eat!

Something else to consider is scheduling your dog’s mealtimes at the same time as yours.  If you do this, just remember 99% of dogs eat faster than most people do. Food acquisition devices (like the Busy Buddies made by Premier) are fantastic since your dog has to nose, paw and move these toys around in order for kibble and treats to fall out.  A huge extra bonus of using food acquisition devices is that playing with these toys is mentally stimulating to dogs — wouldn't it be incredible if your dog got tired just from eating dinner?

If your dog finds using a food acquisition device to be confusing, teach him how it works.  Get down on the floor together, bat the toy around and let your dog see (and lick up) all the delicious morsels that fly out of it.  He’ll get the hang of it, and soon you’ll have a dog who loves it when you eat!

For more information on dining around your dog, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Riding in Cars with Dogs: Basic Automobile Safety.

Ah, spring.  As the temperatures slowly rise, car windows slide down... and some dogs stick their noses, their faces and sometimes their entire upper bodies out into the breeze.  

Is this cute?  Of course!  But is it safe?  Of course not.

There are many ways to make road travel fun and safe for your pet, regardless of whether you're heading across town to your local dog park or across the country to another coast.  

Restraining your dog when he's in the car is essential.  A "loose" dog in the car can distract drivers; if that dog were in a car accident, he or she could easily run away and get lost, especially if in an unfamiliar neighborhood.  One of the first things we people do when we get into a car is buckle our seat belts; your dog should have the same routine.  If your dog is a backseat rider, a car harness with a seat belt attachment is a must.  If you own a smaller breed or young puppy, consider investing in a cozy travel carrier that can be belted in.  If a harness or crate isn't suitable, definitely install a pet barrier.

Check back for more in our Riding in Cars with Dogs series as the weather gets warmer.  In the meantime, contact Zen Dog Training to learn how to teach your dog to be your favorite road-trip buddy.

Happy travels!

Red Light, Green Light.

Meet Jayden... again!

In our follow up session with Jayden, we were pleased to discover how much progress he and his owner had made. Jayden's owner was now armed with the knowledge of how to handle his dog's overzealousness and their walks were more enjoyable. Jayden's owner was planning a trip out of town and would be leaving Jayden in the care of a good friend. She wanted us to show her friend how to properly walk Jayden on the leash.

Jayden and his owner were in the habit of playing a little game we like to call Red Light, Green Light. This game involves halting the walk when the dog pulls on the leash and rewarding the dog for a loose leash by continuing the walk after the dog has ceased pulling.

Outside with all it's sights, sounds and smells is far more interesting then what ever commands we are blabbing at our dogs. In times like these you'll find that actions speak louder than words. With consistency and lots of practice Jayden came to realize that the only way he got to go for a long walk was to pay attention to the movements and pace of the person walking him. During the winter when sidewalks are good and icy, this can be especially important.

For more details on games like Red Light, Green Light, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

One of the Many Uses of The Name Game.

Meet Karma!

Karma is a fluffy doe-eyed Havanese. He is absolutely adorable and as you can imagine a magnet for attention. Karma shares a home with five humans in a large high-rise. There's never a shortage of willing participants to lavish attention on him. At times there can be a lot of unpredictable activity in the home which can be very overwhelming for a dog like this. In the last month he's resorted to barking at even the slightest stirring, and in a multi-level apartment complex this is a disturbance which later can lead to serious consequences for his owners.

With a household this large and this busy, it can be an epic challenge to get everyone on the same page. Without a steady schedule, it can be difficult for Karma to feel safe and secure in his surroundings. When a dog feels insecure, there are many ways in which he might act out. Left uncorrected, this could lead to other more drastic behaviors. Before things got too out of control, Karma had to learn that barking was not the way to solve his problem.

We introduced many games to help not only build up Karma's confidence, but also to include every member of the family. It can get pretty confusing for a dog living in a busy environment, so we wanted to make sure that Karma get some clarity. One one the games we played with Karma was the Name Game. Name Game has multiple applications such as teaching Karma to come to us for the exchange of a treat. This game would prove very useful when strangers appeared at the door. Instead of barking Karma could play this game and he could play it with every member of the family.

For more information about the various applications of techniques like Name Game, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Jolly Talk.

Meet Bella!

Bella is a two-year-old Yorkie/Jack Russell cross who had lived with two other families before moving in with her current owners. In her newest home she was so fearful of strangers and loud noises that it had resulted in her owners completely abstaining from actual walks. Bella would panic and pull violently towards the house on a regular walk. She even began barking at the construction going on at the neighbors. She was simply terrified of the world outside of the house.

When dogs are subjected to a lot of inconsistency, they often lack a sense of security with their surroundings. Desensitizing a dog from things that seem scary is a way to help acclimate them to big changes. Bella's owners were asked to bring Bella outside to a section of the neighborhood that felt tolerable to her and just sit. As Bella began to get anxious and nervous her owner's were instructed to use what we call Jolly Talk.

Jolly Talk is basically using a calm but confident tone to say things to your dog like "It's fine, Buddy" or "Relax." Using Jolly Talk with random treats helped Bella to build a positive association with the outside world. When desensitizing a dog you must be very careful not to push the dog over threshold. This mean that you want to start out with something simple and work on that until your dog no longer shows signs of fear or nervousness rather than get your poor pooch in over their heads.

For more information on Jolly Talk, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Nothing For Free.

Meet Jayden!

This extremely affectionate and cute Yorkie-poo really wants nothing more than get tons of attention but due to his owner's busy schedule he hasn't received nearly as much exercise and training as he would prefer. With that said he has decided to speak up on the matter -- quite literally, I might add!

Jayden and his owner just moved from a quiet suburb to the big city. Unfortunately, when he was a puppy, he did not get enough time socializing with other dogs.With this setback and the long hours of studying that Jayden's owner regularly puts in, has added up to a bit of frustration on Jayden's end.

The main complaint is Jayden's behavior on leash walks, which is his main source of exercise and attention. When approached by other dogs, Jayden starts to bark very assertively and pull at the leash. Needless to say, this has resulted in shorter and fewer walks for Jayden and his owner! Upon observing this behavior it appeared that Jayden is more frustrated than anything. He is simply so excited to see other dogs and has so much energy that he over-expresses his excitement at seeing another dog.

Jayden needed to understand that acting obnoxious is not the way to receive attention. The first steps are simple: better tools and equipment on walks, having a plan for what to do when seeing (and hopefully meeting) another dog, and implementing a Nothing for Free attitude in the home.

For example, asking Jayden to sit calmly before walking out the door will help teach him to earn the walk. By withholding attention from Jayden when he acts out and giving him attention for desired behaviors we can communicate to him how we would like him to behave.

We'll be following up with Jaden soon to see how the training is going! Success in a case like this depends on how much time his owner has to exercise and train Jaden himself. Even with the right plan, working with an under socialized dog takes time!

For more information on socializing your dog visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Fear is Not The Time To Train.

Meet Daisy!

Daisy had a tendency to be fearful of men, especially when they come to her door, the mailman being the main culprit. Daisy takes her self appointed position of guard dog pretty seriously. Barking to drive the intruder away was her major line of defense but things got scarier for Daisy if the intruder actually ended up on the inside of her house. There all kinds of thing you can do to manage your dogs environment and to set things up to discourage barking but if fear is a factor, than you may have to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

If your dog is acting scared or uncertain towards something or someone it's very important to realize that what's happening is NOT a training moment . When fear is the emotion your dog experiences, an instinct known as Fight or Flight tends to kick in. Your dog is simply not able to apply your human logic to the situation and as a result, will most likely pay no attention to you or worse, escalate their behavior. Keeping your cool is a large component of successes at times like this. Stay calm, take a Yoga Breath or some Jolly Talk ( clam and reassuring comments to your dog ) and offering your pooch a treat for confidence can help to desensitize their fear. When your dog has calmed down then you can resume training.

For More information in Jolly Talk, Yoga Breath and Treating for Confidence visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Recalcitrant Waiter.

Meet Ollie!

This sturdy and dapper yellow Lab is just about a year old, which is entirely to old to be climbing on top of the dinning room table! But that's exactly what he did at Grandma's house. He also thinks the trash can is more like a treasure chest full of delectable treats just for him but then again, why wouldn't he think that? After all it is at his level and teeming with discarded food. His owners have yet to address these issues because, well, it happens when they are not at home.

Dogs are binary creatures, so in their world things either get better or worse. In order for them to learn that the trash can is not a buffet, there has to be a consequence attached to the act... which is impossible if you are not at home! Ollie was in the habit of doing whatever he wanted when no one was around.

As you can imagine this kind of behavior led to a prompt visit from Zen Dog. One of the ways we got Ollie to understand that his owners were in charge was to insist that he do thing their way. He can't simply help himself to whatever he wants whenever he wants! A good way to show your dog that compliance reaps great benefits is to practice eliciting appropriate behavior, such as laying down calmly while you partially fill his food bowl, in order to receive the reward. This is what we like to call Recalcitrant Waiter. At feeding time you can make it clear that helping yourself and being pushy just won't fly. Ollie had to learn that food came from his owners when he was being polite.

For more information on techniques like Recalcitrant Waiter, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Implementing an Ask Strategy.

Meet Sammy!

This terrier cross is a new and young addition to the household, where he lives with Bailey the older cock-a-poo and Ziggy the chow mix. All three dogs have very different needs and personalities, so the big challenge for Sammy's owners is controlling their dogs' environment.

Sammy had been showing extremely reactive behavior towards people when they try to physically handle him. A routine visit to the vet turned into a very stressful episode for poor Sammy. Sammy's owners had the good sense to understand that he needed some help adjusting to their busy household.

Sammy's reaction to the vet was clearly fear based and so playing games like the Name Game with him was perfect to help build a bound between him and his owners as well as accustoming him to being physically handled. The Name Game is an exercise in which you help build a positive association to when your dogs name is being called. You can also use this game as an Ask Strategy, to elicit a different behavior when your dog is showing signs of apprehension. We also talked about creating confinement areas for the dogs to help control and manage situations like when visitors enter the house and when the dogs needed to be separated from one another.

For help with your multi-dog household, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Addressing Problematic Behaviors -- Barking.

Meet Kiley! Picture a classic black lab and cross it with a Dachshund. Then add playfulness and an insistence on being the center of attention an you have Kiley! Kiley is also very sharp and has a lot of energy. Kiley's owner is a student and the Resident Assistant of her dorm. Her owner regularly visits with other students in her dorm room throughout the school year. Kiley's attention-seeking behavior can get pretty intense. She has been barking excessively at the door and even biting/mouthing visitors! Over time this behavior will get worse. Not only disruptive to other students but it is very uncomfortable for visitors who aren't familiar with dogs. Kiley's owner decided to take control of the situation before the new school year and called Zen Dog Training. Having the right tools for the job is key. One suggestion for Kiley's owner was to install a tether in her room. A tether is a leash or cable that is attached to a safe and secure place, away from the door while you let visitors enter your home. This is a good way to ensure that your company doesn't get bombarded by an excited dog. This also helps break your dog's habit of charging the door! It's OK to let them see the front door, but by making sure Kiley has calmed down (the barking has lulled for at least 2-3 seconds) she can teach her the right was to greet company. To learn more about how to manage a barking dog when you have guests, check out Barking at the Door at Zen Dog Training Online.

The Importance of Early Socialization.

Meet Zeus!

This cuddly black, floppy eared and very bright Belgian Shepherd puppy was enjoying an afternoon nap under an end table when we arrived.

Zeus's owners had previous experience with Belgian Shepherds and had welcomed this little guy into their home just two weeks prior to our visit. They were very familiar with acclimating a new puppy to their home and had a good handle on house training. Zeus was very comfortable being in his crate when he needed to be, and he was comfortable with leash walking too. Everything seemed to be on the right track for Zeus but his family was taken by surprise when Zeus had a tentative interaction with the neighbors puppy.

Socialization is incredibly important -- especially before the age of six months. This is the ideal time to introduce your pup to the world around him to ensure that he's comfortable and confident as an adult dog. When meeting other dogs, use your discretion. Allow the dogs to figure out things on their own. When meeting other dogs on leash remember to move with the dogs to allow the leash to be slack. We like to call this Leash Tango. The lack of tension on the leashes, allows the dogs the sniff and play without creating a source of tension that may interfere with the socialization process.

To learn more about Leash Tango and other Socialization techniques visit Zen Dog Training Online.