Home Alone Training.

Meet Sully!

Sully the old English sheepdog has traveled the world with his owners. He lived for many years in Europe and now resides in the heart of Boston. Being a very dog-friendly city, Boston is filled with all kinds of people that are big admirers of canine companions. On any given walk there's a plethora of folks just itching to say hi to Sully.

The etiquette where Sully was living in Europe was quite different. Most of Sully's European neighbors were comfortable with dogs, but were more "hands off" than Bostonians. Imagine Sully's confusion when his walk suddenly included groups of strangers waiting to manhandle him! In addition, one of Sully's owners is frequently away on business, so most of the time it's just him and one other person at home.

Sully reacted to this new enviorment by barking at anyone "strange" and desperately trying to avoid being left alone. He became anxious about being home alone. This was a problem for many reasons, mainly because Sully's owner could hardly walk out the front door to collect the mail.

Having the right tools for the job at hand is a big factor. Having to deal with Sully's barking when a construction crew needs access to the home was a monumental task. We suggested using a tether for Sully when people came over to the house. A tether is simple a leash or cable tied to something secure to prevent a dog from getting to the door when a visitor arrives. This is a way to manage the behavior. It was also very helpful for Sully's owners to give him a delicious bully stick when they needed to step out for a brief moment to curb some of his anxiety. Together these tips helped Sully feel more comfortable in his new environment.

For more information about tethers and Home Alone Training, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Addressing Demanding Behaviors.

Meet Simon!

This a tall and hansome young shepherd mix was in several different homes before we had the pleasure of meeting him. Needless to say Simon didn't really know whether he was coming or going. Once we entered the courtyard at his home, we were greeted by loud and macho barks. Once inside it was abundantly clear that Simon was mainly interested in being the center of attention. His persistence almost always surpassed that of his new owners. Simon's biggest challenge, however, was his aggressive behavior towards other dogs.

Right off the bat we introduced a tool called the drag line. A drag line is a leash that you use indoors. The drag line would help manage Simon's habit of guarding the front door and prevent any negative incidents from occurring. Simon also had a tendency of harassing everyone in the room for attention with such behaviors as mouthing and pawing. As a large and still growing dog, this behavior could pose a serious problem down the road. Making sure that Simon was not dictating his owner's behavior was accomplished by implementing a Nothing For Free policy. Simon would have to learn to earn peoples attention by exhibiting acceptable behavior.

Simon's dog aggression is an all together different issue and will take time to recondition. For help with dog on dog aggression or information on techniques like Nothing for Free 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.

My Walk!

Meet Gunner!

Picture a massive ninety pound ball of energy and affection, then put it on stilts... now you have Gunner. This exceptionally handsome Pitbull/Great Dane cross was the one calling the shots in his household. Now think about this: Gunner's owner is a lovely woman who is absolutely no match for his strength.

The fact that Gunner is part Pitbull unfortunately means that he and his owner may fall victim to discrimination from ignorant and fearful people. Because of this Gunner will be expected to uphold a greater level of obedience and manners. To add to the dynamic of his situation, Gunner's owner has brothers that like to rough-house with him. Fortunately Gunner's owner was keen to recognize that changes needed to be made before Gunner's conduct got out of hand.

It was plain to us trainers that most of Gunner's delinquencies were predominantly juvenile responses. He would, with proper adjustments, grow out of these behaviors. The first suggestion was to modify the rough-housing to structured games of Tug of War. By enacting specific rules and maintain consistency, Gunner's relatives could still play with him but without the effect of riling him up. Another solution that helped Gunner's owner gain more control during walks was the Red Light Green Light exercise. This taught Gunner that he was not in-charge and in fact he would have to look to his owner for approval.

For more information on Zen Dog games like Tug of War and Red Light, Green Light visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Setting up Your Puppies Confinement Area.

Meet Izzy!

This eight-week-old Golden Retriever puppy will melt your heart!

Izzy's owner was mindful in doing some research about Goldens and even purchased a few highly recommended books prior to our visit. All in all Izzy was making good progress; her owner just wanted to be certain that he was making the right decisions in regards to her training and that they both were on the right track.

Although Izzy was doing quite well she still had an occasional accident in the house and one of the first things that we noticed was that there was no confinement area set up for her. It is very common to give a new puppy too much freedom right away. Most people only confine a dog after they have an accident and then confinement becomes punishment. Confinement areas also teaches your puppy that she doesn't need to be the center of attention all the time, this in turn preps your pup for being home alone.

Training your puppy to be in a confinement area has a multitude of values. Pick an area in the house such as the kitchen or mud room and make the area comfortable with a bed, blanket and toys. Then start out with short training time like 2-5 minutes at a time while you are in a different part of the house. Who doesn't want to spend every minute with a brand-new, super-cute puppy? Still, at some point you'll need to prepare her for your normal routine. You want your pup to be relaxed and settled when alone. Remember: dogs are social animals and being by themselves doesn’t come naturally to them. Using a confinement area will help ease your puppy into your everyday life and teach her the value of a little "me time." Creating a space for your puppy can be made easy with a visit from a Zen Dog Trainer.

For more information, check out Home Alone Training and House Training at 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.

Treating for Confidence

Meet Madison!

You can't quite help yourself around this adorable seven-month-old Shih Tzu puppy. Everything about her says "LOVE ME!"

Madison lives with three humans and a ten-year-old Shih Tzu sister named Lindsey. At home, Madison is a playful and curious pup, quite typical for her age but when her environment expands or changes, she becomes very shy and tentative. Madison's owners wanted to fine-tune a few behaviors but also understand how to build her confidence in new situations.

Puppies start out with pre-established behaviors that we as humans tend to forget are completely normal. Behaviors such as playbiting or or peeing in the house. It is our responsibility to teach the puppy how we would prefer them to behave. Puppies under six months easily accept and attempt new things; beyond that age your pup becomes more and more resistant to new things if not regularly socialized.

Madison's wariness when around a large group of strange people or dogs is most likely attributed to a lack of socializing. She has reservations about new things and places and in order to change that we have to provide a positive association to these new elements. Giving your pup treats at random intervals when she is confronted with unfamiliar circumstances help largely to create a positive association. We call this Treating for Confidence. Allow your pup to investigate things and people at her own pace, being particularly careful not to force things on her. Pressuring your pup to do something before she's ready to can result in making your pup even more fearful. Be calm and reassuring and your dog will learn to follow your lead.

For more information on Socialization and Treating for Confidence, please visit 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.

Preventing Unwanted Elimination Habits.

Meet Cassie!

Cassie is an old English sheepdog puppy. She just turned three months and is taking in all life has to offer. Her day start and ends with an amazing off lead romp through the Fells. On one hand this is great. Her owner has committed to giving Cassie the opportunity to; as I like to say "Be a Dog" but as an unintended side affect of this extremely consistent ritual, it has made the process of going the bathroom for Cassie a very exclusive event.

Cassie has become very picky about where to do her business. Because her only experience of going to the bathroom is in the privacy of a hidden bush or tree off lead in the the woods. I guess you could say she now has a bit of stage fright. Noises like cars and people talking make it far too distracting for her to concentrate on the task at hand. Being on leash inhibits her from finding a secluded location and just forget even trying to make anything happen on pavement! Although the Fells is not to far away, Cassie is technically a city dog, This kind of behavior can lead to frustrating problems in the house training department. What happens when it rains or snows, what happens when you leave your dog with someone who cannot provide daily trips to the Fells?

Exposing your puppy to all kinds of condition and situation when eliminating will help to make your pup comfortable doing their business ANYWHERE!! For a multitude of reasons, your presence is essential during this time. One is to provide reinforcements after the deed is done, (this helps to communicate to your dog what you expect) and another is to make certain that your dog did the deed. This helps you establish a an idea of what kind of schedule your pooch is on.

For more information on what to do and what not to do while House Training your puppy visit, Zen Dog Training Online.

House Training your New Puppy.

Meet Prancer!

Prancer reminded me of a circus poodle aspiring for applause by leaping through a sparkeling hoop. This ecstatic apricot toy poodle is a gem! At sixteen weeks, his lust for life is admirable and his energy impressive. Prancer's owner called us to make sure that Prancer was headed in the right direction. She wanted to be able to bring Prancer to work with her but wasn't sure he was ready for the responsibility.

One thing that we noticed right away was the wee-wee pad in Prancer's kitchen. Prancer was trained by his breeder to go the bathroom on a pad inside even though his owner preferred that Prancer pee or poop outdoors. This proved to be very difficult since she worked a few days a week for a couple hours at a time.

Training a puppy to eliminate outside when he's already doing it in the house is highly confusing for the puppy. Either it is okay to go the bathroom in the house or it is not. The secret to successful housetraining is in 100% supervision. Remember, when a puppy has to go to the bathroom he will do it where ever he can get away with it! If you're unable to provide 100% supervision, then having a confinement area or a crate can help prevent accidents.

We helped Prancer's owner set up a crate in the kitchen for times when he couldn't be supervised. This freed up his owner to do things she needed to do without the stress of worrying about Prancer's comings and goings.

To learn more about Housetraining your puppy, visit Zen Dog Training Online.