Drama Diva Queen, Featuring Capall

Meet Capall!

Capall is a 2 year old Bouvier DeFlanders! He's a bundle of love, with a big heart, big paws, and big teeth! He has a habit of getting "mouthy" when playing with his family. Our job was to teach him that polite dog's don't put their teeth on humans!

With dogs over 5 months, we recommend you do not allow any teeth on humans. Some people like to rough house with their dog, however, a child playing with a mouthy dog might jerk her hand away, causing a scratch which may be mistaken for a vicious bite! Also, a dog who learns to communicate with his teeth could take it too far and hurt someone!

Dogs are very aware of what their teeth are touching -- they can feel even the slightest graze of a single tooth touching human skin. We use this to our advantage and teach that -- no teeth to human contact will be tolerated by playing a game called Drama Diva Queen!

Drama Diva Queen is a shun game. To play -- start a regular play session with your dog. 

If he nips or bites you (any bit of a tooth touches your skin) -- say "Ouch!" and dramatically turn your back! 

Shun your dog -- withhold all attention -- break any eye contact (don't even look at him) young children can cross their arms and turn their body away. Do not touch or scold your dog, just wait silently.

After 5-10 seconds return to playing with him as before. Repeat as necessary.

If you play this game correctly most dogs will 'get it' in as soon as 2-3 training sessions!

Some tips on playing Drama Diva Queen:

• A drag line or tether are effective management tools to use during this game. They prevent your dog from trying to follow you or jump up while you are shunning him. 
• Try this game 3-5 times in a row. If your dog isn't getting the message, you may need to try a more advanced game like Out of the Pack, which you can find on Zen Dog Training Online. 
• Allow minor playbiting with puppies under 5 months, play biting is an important learning stage. 
• Use volume control -- for minor playbites a low level "Ouch" may be in order, but harder bites should result in a more dramatic "OUCH!" and you might result in you leaving the room for 30 seconds!

For more tips on how and when to use Drama Diva Queen and Out of the Pack, please 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.