Red Light, Green Light.

Meet Jayden... again!

In our follow up session with Jayden, we were pleased to discover how much progress he and his owner had made. Jayden's owner was now armed with the knowledge of how to handle his dog's overzealousness and their walks were more enjoyable. Jayden's owner was planning a trip out of town and would be leaving Jayden in the care of a good friend. She wanted us to show her friend how to properly walk Jayden on the leash.

Jayden and his owner were in the habit of playing a little game we like to call Red Light, Green Light. This game involves halting the walk when the dog pulls on the leash and rewarding the dog for a loose leash by continuing the walk after the dog has ceased pulling.

Outside with all it's sights, sounds and smells is far more interesting then what ever commands we are blabbing at our dogs. In times like these you'll find that actions speak louder than words. With consistency and lots of practice Jayden came to realize that the only way he got to go for a long walk was to pay attention to the movements and pace of the person walking him. During the winter when sidewalks are good and icy, this can be especially important.

For more details on games like Red Light, Green Light, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Drama Diva Queen.

Meet Omar... again!

When we last visited Omar he was fresh out of Puppy Kindergarten and making the most of it. His owner was having a particularly hard time not giving Omar too much attention. We initially showed Omar's owner how to ignore obnoxious behavior and how to teach Omar bite inhibition. Over time, Omar decided to get a bit pushy on walks. Since our first visit, Omar picked up a bad habit of leash- and playbiting.

Remember it is a very natural tendency for a young dog to use their mouth! Therefore it is up to you to teach your dog that playbiting humans can really hurt. We initially showed Omar's owner the game Taking Treats Gently but now it seemed that Omar's owner needed help with a good clear way to let Omar know his behavior was unacceptable.

Creating a noise such as "Eh!" or "Ahh-ahh" can help identify to your dog what you don't like. Saying that word when the playbiting takes place and removing all attention will deter your dog from doing it again. We call this game Drama Diva Queen. Dogs over 5 months should be held to very high standards and absolutely no teeth on a human should be tolerated. If play bitting behavior is learned it is much more difficult to train out of the dog. You may need some help from a Zen Dog Trainer on some advanced playbiting solution.

For information on Drama Diva Queen and how to stop puppy playbiting visit Zen Dog Training Online.

One of the Many Uses of The Name Game.

Meet Karma!

Karma is a fluffy doe-eyed Havanese. He is absolutely adorable and as you can imagine a magnet for attention. Karma shares a home with five humans in a large high-rise. There's never a shortage of willing participants to lavish attention on him. At times there can be a lot of unpredictable activity in the home which can be very overwhelming for a dog like this. In the last month he's resorted to barking at even the slightest stirring, and in a multi-level apartment complex this is a disturbance which later can lead to serious consequences for his owners.

With a household this large and this busy, it can be an epic challenge to get everyone on the same page. Without a steady schedule, it can be difficult for Karma to feel safe and secure in his surroundings. When a dog feels insecure, there are many ways in which he might act out. Left uncorrected, this could lead to other more drastic behaviors. Before things got too out of control, Karma had to learn that barking was not the way to solve his problem.

We introduced many games to help not only build up Karma's confidence, but also to include every member of the family. It can get pretty confusing for a dog living in a busy environment, so we wanted to make sure that Karma get some clarity. One one the games we played with Karma was the Name Game. Name Game has multiple applications such as teaching Karma to come to us for the exchange of a treat. This game would prove very useful when strangers appeared at the door. Instead of barking Karma could play this game and he could play it with every member of the family.

For more information about the various applications of techniques like Name Game, visit Zen Dog Training Online.