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.

Housetraining puppies can so frustrating!

We understand that housetraining puppies can be frustrating! The good news is, if you are extremely diligent you can get through this very quickly — however, it will require work from you! Here are some Zen Dog Training tricks to help you out.

Prompting Behavior

When you bring your pup outside, make sure you clip a four to eight-foot drag line onto her leash. This way, if she's not listening to you during Name Game, you can gently "coax" her along with the leash. Don't forget to reward her with a ton of praise and a treat when she gets to you.*

Housetraining

• 100% supervision is a must. If a mistake happens, you want to be right there to catch it in the act. Continue to interrupt these mistakes, and then race her outside to finish.
  
• Create a schedule that you and your family can follow. This way, you'll all know when your puppy has peed, pooed, how much and how often. This will help you identify her "problem times" of the day. More importantly, you everyone in the family will know when your dog is "loaded" or "full."
  
• What do you do with a loaded or full dog? If you've taken your dog outside and they just won't go, you should take her back inside, then immediately put her in her crate with a chew bone or food toy. Wait. After she's been in the crate for about 15-20 minutes, carry her outside. Again, spend about 5-10 minutes trying to get her to do her business. If she still doesn’t go — put her back in the crate for another 15-20 minutes. Repeat this as often as you need to until she goes.
  
• When you're outside for a potty break, try not to play with your dog or act too excited — no "Come on, it's pee-pee time!" Instead, just act like it's time to get down to business. And, I can't stress this enough: AVOID EYE CONTACT. Look away from her in a way so she can't tell you're watching what she is doing. When she finally does pee or poop, reward her when she's finished with your attention — at last! — and some high-value treats.
  
• If your puppy insists on playing around and eating stuff outside, physically prompt her to a new location — remember that drag line! — and stoically wait her out.

I hope this helps!

To learn more about our housetraining tips, drag lines and Name Game, and to download our Housetraining eBook, please visit Zen Dog Training Online.

* Don't use the drag line to reel your puppy back to you. You want her to know that the experience of coming to you to is always fun!

Lucy Mae the Yorkshire Terrier.

Meet Lucy Mae!

Lucy Mae is a real Southern Belle: sweet, dainty and with an eye for fashion! She moved up north with her mother for the summer but ended up having a rough time adjusting.

The problem was that Lucy Mae was a real momma's girl. She would trail her mom around the house, snuggle up on the couch without permission, and demand to be held whenever possible. The real issue was when Lucy Mae's mom left the house. This belle was so used to being with her mom at all times that she became anxious when left alone. When her mom went out Lucy Mae would get worked up, cry and drool excessively. These are all signs of potential separation anxiety.

To help Lucy Mae conquer her fears, our goal was to turn this worried Southern Belle into a confident, independent Southern Lady. We needed to get Lucy Mae used being alone and not having her mom around.

We had a few simple solutions: increase Lucy Mae's levels of mental and physical exercise, practice home alone training, and build independence. First, we needed to give Lucy Mae more things to keep her occupied when she was at home by herself. We recommended some Busy Buddy toys from Premier; when stuffed with treats toys teach Lucy Mae to play on her own. Second, we asked Lucy Mae's mom to practice basic games at home during TV nights. Finally, we increased independence by using our step-by-step guide to Preventing Separation Anxiety.

By teaching her to be okay on her own, this little Yorkie made huge strides. By our second appointment we already could see that she was becoming a real independent lady!

To learn more about Preventing Separation Anxiety, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Letter to New Dog Owners.

Congratulations on the newest addition to your family!

Whether you have adopted a dog in need or purchased a pedigree pooch, owning a dog is a journey filled with love, excitement, and responsibility. If you’re reading this, then you’ve already taken the first step towards being a responsible dog owner by recognizing the need to teach your dog good manners.

Zen Dog Training is based on the idea that dogs communicate and learn differently than humans. In the past, this language barrier has made the training process frustrating for both dog and human partners. That’s why we created Zen Dog Training Online. Members have access to over eight hours of videos in 2-3 minute clips that cover everything from separation anxiety and housetraining to “The Six Puppy Essentials” and why it’s so important to start training as soon as your puppy arrives in his new home.

In our Theory section, we break down how to teach commands in a way that has been scientifically proven to be the fastest and easiest way for your dog to learn. By watching videos, reading our eBooks and playing our games, your dog will learn to understand you faster than you imagined possible! With Zen Dog Training Online, we have provided you and your family all the tools you’ll need to create a training program that is simple, effective, and dog-friendly:

• Printable eBooks to read and share with other members of your family
• Videos to help you learn subtle training secrets
• Our Five-Step Solution to Problem Behaviors
• Over 45 specific solutions to common problems!

Our website is dedicated to teaching people how to humanely and gently communicate with their dogs to simply and effectively reach their training goals. We hope you join, learn new ways of understanding your dog and discover how to peacefully get the behaviors you want from your dog. Go ahead, log in, sit back, relax and start watching!

Have fun training,
Gordon

p.s. Although all dogs speak the same language, your dog is unique. If at any time you feel threatened by your dog or just think your dog may need special attention, contact a professional.

p.p.s. If you are lucky enough to live in the Boston area, call us to set up an In-Home appointment!

Sidney the Deer Chihuahua.

Meet Sidney!

This striking six-year-old is great with people and loves the grandchildren that visit his house in Arlington on the weekends, but when it comes dogs he doesn't know — watch out.

We had a quick and easy solution to Sidney's anti-social and aggressive behavior at the ready. We recommended that Sidney go on walks with a leash that's at least six-feet long. This is a small dog — he is a Chihuahua, after all! — but a longer leash actually gives his family more control while on walks.

Here's the deal: Sidney will need lots of patience, time and training to undo six years of naughtiness — so our first focus was tools. A six-foot leash can be held close at three feet, can be stepped on for more control, or at full length give Sidney room to sniff and walk around without leash tension! (A four-footer's short limit, on the other hand, makes it trickier for a walker to not have it tight all the time.)

Another recommendation was the Premier Easy Walk harness, but really any anti-pull harness with a clip on the chest will do the trick. It stops leash pulling in its tracks and gives even small people control with big, unruly dogs.

With better tools, Sidney can be quickly prevented from jumping up, lunging or pulling, and his family can work on socialization and dog/dog relationships without the leash getting tight all the time.

Sometimes something as simple as the right equipment can make all the difference.

Lilly the Great Dane/Border Collie Mix.

Meet Lilly!

When I heard Gordon had an appointment scheduled with a Great Dane/Border Collie mix, I all but begged to come along — I love a dog I don't have to bend over to greet.

In other words, I can be lazy.

In all seriousness, Lilly is a Big Dog, and one who still behaves like a puppy. She often demands attention by whining and barking at her parents, and by both pawing and nudging at her their hands.

The Zen Dog solution to this behavior is simple; we call it shunishment. Our dogs love us, and want our focus on them all the time — taking that attention away can be utterly devastating for our pets. Lilly was no exception. After a only few instances of having her parents literally turn their backs on her, she soon realized that in order to get the attention she craved she would have to behave calmly.

If Lilly learned this quickly in an afternoon, imagine how fast she'll catch on with consistent training! Soon she could be the picture of politeness, and not a Great Dane in a china shop.

To learn more about Shunishment, visit Zen Dog Training Online.