Impulse Control, Featuring Vinnie

Meet Vinnie!

It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's Vinnie, and she's running straight for us on the couch!

This spunky 5 year old English Bulldog's owners have a baby on the way -- so it is important for Vinnie to re-learn the house rules before the baby comes! Just imagine Mom and Baby quietly cuddled on the couch, when out of nowhere rambunctious Vinnie decides to join them -- it's an accident waiting to happen!

Now, imagine a dog who politely waits for your cue to join you on the couch. Zen Dog Training has a solution for this and the answer is quite simple and very effective -- Nothing for Free!

Nothing for Free is a relationship-changing game which teaches her that the fun of the couch is controlled by you! Up until now, Vinnie has learned that she controls the couch, jumping up on it whenever she pleases!

Nothing for Free is a game that can also be played with food, your affection, and other things your dog finds fun! For a full explanation of when and how to play, visit www.ZenDogTrainingOnline.com. Here are some tips for teaching your dog Nothing for Free with the couch!

-Always Ask for a Sit before calling your dog up on the couch. Use a release word like, "OK" to invite her up.

-If she jumps on the couch without waiting for your permission, Interrupt her by using your Interrupt marker word, "Hey!" and gently grab her collar, then take her off the couch.

-Over time, you can Ask for an extended Sit/Stay before inviting her on the couch.

To your dog, coming up on the couch should be a privilege, and Nothing for Free will teach her just that!

For more activities to add to your Nothing for Free program, and more on our 3-Step-System: Ask, Shun, and Interrupt, please visit www.ZenDogTrainingOnline.com!

Molly the Adopted Beagle.

Meet Molly!

This wonderfully gentle Beagle was welcomed into her new home only a few short weeks ago. Her adopted family loves her to pieces, but Molly turned out to be a bit of a handful.

You see, Molly came from a home where she was able to do just about anything she wanted. She chewed on whatever she wanted — including the childrens' toys — demanded attention, jumped up on the couch, and jumped all over the toddlers!

Now, we knew this wasn't Molly's fault, but that doesn't mean her behavior was acceptable. Our goal was to help Molly learn what was okay in her new home. We also wanted to make this transition as easy as possible by simply being clear with the new rules.

The problem is, if Molly is allowed to jump on a human just every once in a while then she will never learn that jumping is not okay, so consistency is key! But with young children, visitors and, yes, even with Mom, having our dogs follow our rules is tough! That's why in order to train Molly, we had to find ways to Outsmart her.

To outsmart Molly, we asked her family to simply call her to them. When she ran up to them, her family rewarded her with praise and a treat. While they were doing that, they attached a drag line to Molly's collar so they could have immediate control. Another option was to simply attach a tether to both Molly and the sofa (or near to her bed). The next time Molly tried to bark at the window or chase after the kids, she was either quickly stopped by the drag line, or just tethered to Mom. This way this little Beagle can't get into trouble in the first place! We know that the fewer mistakes a dog makes, the faster they will learn.

By Outsmarting Molly, her family is able to help her behave correctly around the house more quickly, easily, and with much less stress!

To learn more about Outsmarting Your Dog, Drag Lines and Tethers, please visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Templeton the Hound Mix.

Meet Templeton!

This little guy was adopted at four months old and now lives happily in Arlington. Gordon and I got to spend a couple hours with him to work on his leash-walking and overly-excited greetings.

See, Templeton's the kind of dog who's so thrilled to meet new people that he jumps up all over them with the hopes of planting a kiss on their faces. Unfortunately, not everyone enjoys a sloppy lick hello as much as Templeton — not to mention fresh pawprints across a nice article of clothing. We needed to show this guy that he's more likely to be greeted enthusiastically himself if he behaves calmly and politely with friends, guests and people he meets on a walk.

Speaking of going on walks... Templeton may look small and unassuming, but he's actually 100% muscle. He particularly enjoys resistance training... especially when he's building strength by pulling his owner down the street with his leash.

Though Templeton's a special dog, his issues are actually quite common — which meant that we had easy Zen Dog solutions to help him drop his bad habits. By doing a few simple exercises every day, Templeton can learn to behave properly with people, even if he meets them on-leash.