As the snow has melted, our dogs are finding little treasures on the ground that can really make your dog sick should they choose to eat them. Let’s teach your dog the “Leave it” command so they stay healthy and happy. Start the training inside by placing your dog on leash and toss an item on the floor. Then quickly walk by the item and encourage them to look at you. Tell them “yes” and reward their behavior. If they give the item a quick sniff then tell them Leave it and continue on walking. Once your dog walks right by the item with a quick sniff then you are ready for the real world outside. When you come across something that you don’t want them to sniff/pick up/eat then tell them “Leave it” and keep walking and reward with praise/treat when they listen to you. Start increasing the distraction to more valuable items and when they give the item a quick sniff and continue with you; please give them lots of praise! Happy Walking!

As the snow melts, our dogs are finding little treasures on the ground. These little items can really make your dog sick should they choose to eat them. There are leftovers from a variety places that we don’t even want to know.

To help your dog not pick up these disgusting pieces of garbage, I would like to walk you through how to teach your dog the “Leave it” command so they stay healthy and happy.

Firstly, I would start this training inside without the garbage distraction. Place your dog on leash and toss an item on the floor. Then quickly walk by the item and encourage them to look at you. Tell them “yes” and reward their behavior. If they give the item a quick sniff on the way then tell them Leave it and continue on walking. Once your dog walks right by the item with a quick sniff then you are ready for the real world outside.

Dogs need to sniff things along their walk to mentally tire themselves out as this is like reading a newspaper along their walk. The mental stimulation is good for your dog. However, when you come across something that you don’t want them to sniff/pick up/eat then tell them “Leave it” and keep walking. Try this with a piece of garbage along your walk that won’t hurt them and reward with praise or treat when they listen to you. Then start increasing the distraction to more valuable items which they would normally pick up along your walk. When they give the item a quick sniff and continue with you, please give them lots of praise! Happy Walking!

Does your dog jump on you or on your guests when people stop by to visit? Are you embarrassed that your dog is out of control when the doorbell rings? Let’s walk through the steps to help keep your dog under control and manageable instead of jumping on people.

1. The best solution is to turn your back to the dog. Even if you push them off of you or you place your hand in the collar to pull them back, they are getting the attention that they are looking for. If you turn your back then they are not being acknowledged for their jumping. For children, it’s like “Stand like a Tree”.

2. If your dog continues to jump up even if you turn your back, then if possible, walk into another room and shut the door. Count to 30 and return with a smile. If your dog jumps again then disappear again. The dog will soon learn that jumping is not rewarding and makes you go away. Try this 3 or so times. However, the key is if your dog is not jumping then reward by throwing a tasty treat on the floor away from you. Once they return to see if you have anymore and they don’t jump then throw another tasty treat. Then upon their return you can tell them to sit and reward the sit.

3. Another option for jumping is to walk into your dog’s space by walking towards them and claiming their space.

4. If your dog is crazy upon your entry then firstly completely ignore your dog so that when you are entering your home, the arrival is less exciting (which also helps with separation anxiety).

5. When you know that guests are coming over then I would place a 6’ leash on your dog and let the leash drag (supervised only in case they get caught on something).  Be ready to step on the leash to prevent them from jumping, this way they will correct themselves.

In saying all this, if your dog welcomes people including you without jumping up or greets you with a ”Sit”, please tell them they are absolutely wonderful!

Happy Training!

Me, My Daughter and Shanny

DO YOU LOVE AND TRUST YOUR DOG…

Has he/she ever showed any signs of aggression towards anything?

If the answer is no than you have nothing to worry about – you just need some help in understanding dogs a little – which I will provide you with below.

Having said that the biggest mistake people make is being nervous, anxious, fearful or expecting/anticipating problems.

I am going to give you a few articles to read. Please read them as it is critical that you understand how dogs communicate and how we unintentionally communicate to them. And below I am going to coach you on introducing your dog and baby in more detail. Also, the same methodology can and should be used when introducing your new dog to your toddler, or older children.

Here are the articles and then I will continue with an explanation below. You can either read them now or continue on and read them after – but to read them is a must!

How Dogs Communicate

How Dogs Assign Respect

First I want to share this with you…when my daughter was a toddler strangers would criticize me for leaving her in the car with Shanny (my first German Shepherd x Malamute) while I stepped into the pizza place to pick up the pizza I had called ahead to order. Shanny would have done anything and everything she could to protect my daughter if the need ever arose. Shanny would never have harmed her – I had nurtured Shanny’s balanced state of being and enabled the best attributes of a dog. I had respected her as a dog and as a non-human person. I had every reason to trust in Shanny. Not only did Shanny never let me down, but she often astonished me with her kindness, instinct, intuition and great intelligence.

STEP ONE OF THE INTRODUCTION

When I was in the hospital, having just delivered my daughter into this world, I took one of the little hats that she wore on that first day and gave it to my Mom to take home (while I was still at the hospital) so Shanny could meet my daughter for the first time – not in actual physical presence – but instead by her scent on the little knitted hat. This is of great importance to the dog -  it should be allowed to meet the baby by scent first. (If you are introducing your new dog to children rather than baby, you can skip this step!).

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Sarah, enjoying warmth and comfort

I am going to address this topic in three sections…

DOES ALLOWING YOUR DOG TO SIT ON THE COUCH CREATE DOMINANCE, AGGRESSION?

Clients often ask me is it OK if my dogs go on my couch? Will it make them aggressive?

The answer is no – but lack of leadership can!

Recently, I had a client ask me if his little Yorkie was being dominating as it liked to sit on the back of a couch! He had read an article on the internet that if a dog sits on the back of a coach, the dog is dominating.

I love the fact that we can do so much research at the touch of our finger…the only problem is that it magnifies the ability of those who really do not understand dogs to influence others.

To answer my client’s question, I ask them

One – Is it OK with you if your dog sits on the couch?

Two – If you indicate to your dog that is should get off of the couch will it get off without any issue?

Three - Can everyone else sit on the couch and your dog willingly accepts every ones presence without a complaint (no growling, no nipping, etc.);

Four - Will your dog quietly yield space on the couch should he need to move over a little to make room for people or another dog?

Robbie, Sarah and Carmen enjoying a couch in the sunlight

If the answer is ‘yes’ to all of the above – then there is no issue – there is no reason why your dog should not avail themselves of the comfort of the couch!

Sitting on a couch does not make a dog reactive aggressive – it is a lack of proper coaching and mentoring that can make a dog reactive.

Personally, I love relaxing late at night sitting on the couch, with dogs to either side of me, at me feet and in their various favourite spots around the living room…seeing them just being calm, relaxed, and content. Their energy spent for the day.

Jordie and Tasha relaxing after the pack walk

I am going to address this topic in three sections…

DOES ALLOWING YOUR DOG TO SIT ON THE COACH CREATE DOMINANCE, AGGRESSION?

Clients often ask me is it OK if my dogs go on my couch? Will it make them aggressive?

The answer is no – but lack of leadership can!

Recently, I had a client ask me if his little Yorkie was being dominating as it liked to sit on the back of a couch! He had read an article on the internet that if a dog sits on the back of a coach, the dog is dominating.

I love the fact that we can do so much research at the touch of our finger…the only problem is that it magnifies the ability of those who really do not understand dogs to influence others.

To answer my client’s question, I ask them

One – Is it OK with you if your dog sits on the couch?

Two – If you indicate to your dog that is should get off of the couch will it get off without any issue?

Three - Can everyone else sit on the couch and your dog willingly accepts every ones presence without a complaint (no growling, no nipping, etc.);

Four - Will your dog quietly yield space on the couch should he need to move over a little to make room for people or another dog?

If the answer is ‘yes’ to all of the above – then there is no issue – there is no reason why your dog should not avail themselves of the comfort of the couch!

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Robbie my Boxer thinks that this crate is very comfy!

From my experience with my dogs, my clients and their dogs – I would say in general, that when we (humans) take a dislike to the whole idea of crating it is emotion based. I know that when I first started enjoying the companionship of dogs I thought that putting a dog in a crate was an awful and unnecessary thing to do. That was a long time ago.

My experiences since, have taught me that – when used the right way for the right reasons a dog crate can be an important supportive, comfortable and safe space for a dog. Used in the wrong way it can be a psychologically & physically punishing place for a dog.

Should all dogs be confined to a crate at some point – I do not think so. I believe crates should only be used when there is a real benefit for the dog in doing so. Crating should never be viewed or utilized as a place to put a dog as a punishment.

As a Dog Whisperer, understanding and using psychology is essential to making the world a better place for dogs. Whether I am teaching people how to have a great relationship with their new dog, or repairing a human-dog relationship that has gotten ‘off-track’ – my first focus is always the psychology of the situation.

In light of the psychological side of things – what do you think…does a dog need to be ‘crate trained’ or is it the dog’s people that need to be trained on how to properly use a crate for their dog?  Whether your dog will ‘like’ using a crate is 99% up to you. If you are not comfortable with the idea your dog will not be either. Dogs are very sensitive beings – they take their cues from their human companions, on how to regard situations, people/other animals, places and things.

 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE WORD ‘CRATE’…and why some people dislike the very thought of crating a dog. The word ‘crate’ has a harsh sound as it starts with a hard ‘C’ sound it is not a pleasant sounding word. I think names can influence how we think about people, places and things. Don’t believe me? Then why do so many celebrities change their names? We also associate the word crate with the word ‘cage’ After all, a crate is a cage. From a human perspective, one might think of being confined in a cage as part of a nightmare or of being imprisoned. We know for a fact that people who experience torture at the hands of other humans are often confined & caged. Most of us have seen (either first hand or in the media) dogs and other animals who have been confined to cages in an abusive, neglectful manor. For those with soft hearts it seems a cruel device, a cruel approach to place a dog under such restraint – enforced and absolute confinement. For those with domineering and cold hearts it seems the perfect tool to support their absolute control and dominance of another living being.

The pathology of ‘’dislike’ becomes very evident – there can be a lot of negative emotions and negative images wrapped around one word!

 SO, WHEN DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO USE A CRATE?
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