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.

When Your Pooch Needs a Refresher Course.

Meet Lucy!

Lucy (or "Lady Whiskers," as her owners affectionately call her) has just reached the teenybopper stage of puppyhood! At nine months, even after a successful round of puppy classes, Lucy has decided to test the limits again. Lucy started barking at other dogs from the window, antagonizing the cats and walking on the coffee table. Her owners felt like someone had come in the night to replace their affectionate and well-mannered pup with a feisty and demanding dog. We heard their cries for help and rushed to the rescue.

After recapping some of the basics from puppy class, it became clear to us that Lucy's owners had a superb understanding of how dogs learn. It was very apparent that they had done a lot of the hard work to teach Lucy what they expected of her. This was great because once Lucy started to regress, her owners were able to refer to the basic methods that they learned in puppy class. However, these techniques weren't quite working for all of the new behaviors that she was exhibiting. Because Lucy had such a strong foundation it was easy for us to apply more advanced methods to her new behavior.

Most dog owners are excellent at delivering praise or positive reinforcement. What is all too often the case for most people is that they lack balance or the ability to show their disapproval properly. We adore our dogs so much that it can be somewhat unsettling to reprimand them. It's okay to feel upset about your dog's behavior from time to time but acting on your emotions often makes the problem worse. Instead, develope a line of communication with your dog. Having a noise such "EH-EH!" or words like "Hey!" to indicate that your pup is headed down the wrong road as well as gently interrupting your dogs behavior can help your dog understand your expectations. For Lucy's owners, it was just a matter of learning the right way to show their disapproval.

To learn more about addressing problematic behaviors, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Rhody the Portuguese Water Dog.

Meet Rhody!

Rhody is a thirteen-week-old Portuguese water dog who lives in a large home, in a quiet neighborhood. He's got all of the best doggie amenities: a huge fenced in yard, plenty of toys and treats, and another dog companion.

Most puppies at this age are ready to take on the world. They're excited, inquisitive and always looking for new adventures. Rhody, on the other hand, seemed more than content to stick to his own little world, which was safe and certain. That wasn't always the case outside the confines of his puppy palace!

New people and loud noises were scary to Rhody. He took to growling at or chasing strange people on bikes or joggers, and barking at loud trucks and the mailman. He also ran away from meeting new people. Rhody's lack of exposure to new experiences had made him extremely sensitive to changes in his usual routine.

Dogs tend to do one of two things when they feel threatened:

• They will flee from a scary situation, or
• They will stand their ground and put up a fight.

As a puppy, a dog has to have plenty of positive exposures to as many new people and situations as possible. This is know as socialization!

For Rhody, it was clear that he would need to be systematically desensitized from things that frightened him. One of the ways to do this is to Treat for Confidence. By giving Rhody treats for tolerating gradual exposure to something or someone new, we helped him make a positive association that took the place of a negative one.

It's important to pay attention to your dog's reaction when introducing him to new things. You do not want to introduce your dog to too many things at once or to something he's clearly not ready for yet. This of course can have the exact opposite effect. If things seem questionable or you are uncertain of the situation, don't risk it.

To learn more about socialization and Treating for Confidence, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Outsmarting Your Dog

Meet Roux!

This sixteen-week-old newly-adopted hound mix has a real lust for life! Bouncing, jumping, scratching and mouthing, anything to get your attention, and any attention will do. Roux's owner wanted help get control of these problematic behaviors before things got out of hand. It's easy to forget that even negative attention serves as a reward to a dog looking for consideration, especially when they are barking up a storm or chewing on your furniture.

Your first line of defense against unwanted behavior is to Outsmart your dog. This entails a whole arsenal of management strategies, like having the proper tools, such as indoor leashes and treats. These tools prevent your dog from making the wrong choice in the first place. Managing your dogs environment is another way to illustrate good decision making, by crating or setting up safe areas to confide your pup in while you cook dinner.

There are times when you may fail to get the drop on outsmarting your pooch and poor conduct will commence. Let's say your pup displays attention seeking habits such as play biting you, in times like that, outsmarting or managing the situation just isn't an option. The fastest way to ensure that the behavior stops, is to indicate disaproval and to remove your attention. This will teach your dog that the only way to GET your attention, is by acting the way you prefer them to.

For more information on the Zen Dog Training System, 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.

Shunishment.

Meet Omar!

He's a super cute Shepard mix that has successfully completed our Zen Dog Puppy Classes. During our in-home visit with Omar and his family we discovered that Omar's owner had retained most of the material from puppy class and possessed a good understanding of those techniques. Omar's extreme curtness however, was particularly distracting and made it rather easy for Omar to regress back to old habits.

A brief review of motivators and a reminder about timing, helped pave the road to more advanced methods of training for Omar and his family. First off, Omar needed to learn how to become independent of constant attention and Omar's owner needed to practice averting her adoring gaze when his behavior became very demanding. When ignored, Omar would gently mouth or nudge his owner for attention. In these situations it's best to remove all forms of attention -- this includes dirty looks and scolding! Don't give in until your dog gives up. Your dog will come to understand the connection between his behavior and your lack of reaction.

If your dog is like Omar and is used to getting your attention when being demanding, then he may resort to more extreme behavior like mouthing. Even gentle mouthing cannot be ignored, so we taught Omar's owner how to play Out of the Pack. This is a way for Omar's owner to indicate that his behavior is unacceptable and that she won't tolerate it. Remember, when you suddenly change the rules, your dog will be confused at first and may act out of frustration. Be Patient and consistent; pretty soon you'll see the light bulb go on!

For more information on Shunishment and Zen Dog Games, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

How to Speak Dog.

Meet Cody!

Cody the cockapoo is handsome as they come. He loves to have company because he loves being the center of attention! In fact he is so accustomed to the limelight that he absolutely demands it.

When we visited Cody's home, he exhibited one attention-seeking behavior after another. When no one responded to his attempts, he quickly escalated to being extremely pushy and somewhat brash. While sitting on the couch he would throw himself into someone's lap and when they tried to remove him he would retaliate with a growl or a nip. This behavior was totally unacceptable especially since Cody's household includes two children.

It can be very nervewracking to have an extremely cute dog that is unpredictable. Everyone wants to interact with him, but you can't be certain of how he's going to behave. If your dog is protesting your directive with aggressive behavior, you may want to just give in to your dog's demands simply because you're unsure of the proper way to handle the situation. This will unfortunately give a dog the false impression that he's the one calling the shots. In short, there is a lack of balance between you and your pet, and it's unclear to your dog what exactly is acceptable and what is not.

Communicating to your dog can be difficult since they don't speak English! They do, however, understand some of our words. Using simple words like "YES!" or making noises like "EHH!" or "AHH!" can help establish clear positive and negative indicators for your dog. Words are fine and dandy, but they need to be accompanied by reinforcement in order for dogs to understand the words' meanings. Praise should be immediately followed with rewards like treats or attention, and reprimands should have consequences like being ignored or excluded from what's happening at that moment.

For more information about establishing clear means of communication with your dog, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Preparing Your Dog for the Arrival of Your New Baby.

Meet Chloe!

Chloe is a 90 pound Boxer/Great Pyrenees Mix and she is used to being the center of attention. That's until her owners came home one day with a brand new baby!

Other than a little curious, Chloe seemed fairly comfortable with the families newest addition. Chloe belonged solely to her male owner first and her female owner had some problems getting Chloe to obey her commands as obediently as her husband's commands. Add to that the daunting tasks off having a new baby and I'm sure you imagine a whole list of possible problems that could arise. Lucky for Chloe her owner's realized the need for some professional help and that's when they contacted Zen Dog.

Honestly, the best possible time to start preparing your dog for the arrival of a baby is NOW. If you wait until the baby arrives you'll find yourself in a very comprising position and allot less free time to devote to your dogs training. Working on basic obedience with Chloe and both her owners would help ensure prompt responses to commands given as well as help define the new rules for Chloe. One of the most important things to get Chloe to understand was not to use her teeth for any reason. For Chloe her size alone was an issue and even incidental contact of her teeth could cause injury to an infant or small child. Games like Taking Treats Gently can greatly improve your dogs bite inhibition. In this game you present your hand with a treat concealed inside to the dog and wait until the dog gives up trying to use their mouth to access the treat then you feed it to them open handed.

Last but not least was introducing the idea of an indoor tether. A tether is a leash anchored to a secure object that you attached the dog to the end of. This would prove extremely useful when mom was home alone with the dog and baby. For example when someone comes to the door or the phone rings, when ever a situation comes up in which there disciplining isn't an option.

For more information about games like Taking Treats Gently, visit Zen Dog Online.

House Training an Adult Dog.

Meet Bella!

Bella is a sweet and even tempered, newly adopted Boston Terrier. Bella's new owners have owned Boston Terriers before and have a good handle on the basics as far as training goes. They stumbled on to a perplexing problem when they discovered that Bella was not necessarily house trained. Since one of Bella's new owner's is physically handicapped and the other works a very full time job, this became a significant issue.

First off I must disclose that when an adult dog starts soiling indoors or at inappropriate times, it may indicate potential heath problems. A visit to your veterinarian to rule out a medical condition may be in order. In Bella's case we were able to determine that it was due to a drastic change in her normal routine, post adoption. Even dogs that may be reliably house trained can breakdown when exposed to major changes. Most likely due to anxiousness and confusion.

When this happens, simply go back to the basics of house training. Re-establishing the rules will help your new dog understand what's expected of them and what is unacceptable. Some tips and tools that can help you take control of the problem are:

• 100 percent supervision is the only way to guarantee that your pooch won't make a mistake.
• The use of crates or indoor leads for when supervision is not an option.
• Restriction of food and water after certain times of day.
• Keeping a log of your dogs natural elimination habits to help create a routine for you and your dog.
• Rewarding successful outdoor eliminations with tasty treats.

For more information on Housetraining or to schedule and appointment with a Zen Dog Trainer, visit Zen Dog Training Online.