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One of the most important behaviors I've taught my dogs is how to use a ramp when getting on and off furniture. It's prevented a number of potential injuries, and has given my elderly dog, Beans, the ability to come and go from the couch as she pleases. To get a vet's perspective on ramp training, I asked Dianna Shattuck, DVM, Chief of Staff at High Ridge Animal Hospital in Stamford, CT. And she did not disappoint! Dr. Shattuck provided a number of points that any dog owner, regardless of the dog's age or size, should take to heart. See below for Dr. Shattuck's expertise about keeping your dog injury- and pain-free. And check out my video on ramp training to get started, before your dog gets injured or becomes elderly.
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 Ensure your dog has a solid recall before going to off-leash areas. If your dog slips from his collar or sees a fight breaks out at the dog park, will he respond to your “come” cue? When your dog is in harm’s way, a solid recall can save him from danger. These are some of the most frequent errors that handlers make when teaching their dogs to come when called. Do you make any of them?
Mistake 1: “Come” means “the fun is over” One of the biggest mistakes is to cue “come,” and when your dog runs to you, he is confronted with a negative consequence. For example, if you only call him when it’s time to leave the dog park, it’s no wonder he doesn’t like the word “come.” Imagine if your friend called you over and, when you arrived, she promptly threw a pie in your face. Wouldn’t you think twice the next time she asks you to come close to her? The fact is that, particularly with recall, your dog can choose whether to comply with your cue or to blow you off. Make sure he wants to choose you. The solution: When you practice recall (which should be often!), make sure there is a positive consequence to coming. When Fido comes to you, start a game of fetch. Or reward with a treat. Or provide any other positive result. When it’s time to leave the dog park, reward Fido for coming with a piece of cheese, and then clip on the leash to leave. Click Read More if you don't see the text below.  It’s no secret that dogs, especially youngsters, aren’t always the best at calming themselves down. Maybe your dog gets himself all worked up after a play session, playfully nips and barks to get attention, or does flips while you’re trying to attach the leash. Overly excited behavior can take many forms.
The solution is not to punish the excitement, but rather to teach the dog to perform a polite behavior instead of the excited one. These three training techniques teach your dog to cool his jets. Click Read More if you don't see the text below. As a dog trainer working with many apartment-dwelling clients, housetraining is an important, sometimes messy topic. Many people adopt a dog or puppy, or get one from a breeder, with the assurance that the dog is housetrained. But minutes after bringing their bundle of joy home, Rover starts leaving housewarming presents on their handcrafted oriental rug.  Click Read More if you don't see the text below.
Puppies — and many adult dogs — test your patience. Chewed furniture, barking at noises outside, puddles of pee, and don’t even get me started on the play biting! Besides buying wine in bulk, how can you cope? A lot of it has to do with the way you view yourself, and your role, in your dog’s life. You may remember that one special instructor or coach from your past who motivated you to study harder or to aim higher; conversely, you may recall the teacher who simply seemed “out to get you,” waiting for you to make a mistake in order to punish you. Now it’s your turn to be a teacher to your dog, so which kind do you want to be? Here are some things to keep in mind, especially in those moments when you feel frustrated by your dog’s behavior. Click "Read More" below if you don't see the text below.  Dinnertime is when you’re supposed to unplug, unwind, and just savor the moment. But if your dog is crying for a bit of your food, jumping up on the table, or pawing at you during your dinner, it’s hard to relax. Want to fix this problem for good? Here’s how. Management is Key Why do most dogs beg? Because it works! If anyone in your family gives Fido a piece of pasta or a sliver of steak from the table, it has taught him that begging works. Dogs are always learning, not just during training sessions. This means that every time you slip Fido a chunk of chicken from your fork, you are literally teaching him to beg more. What if you have small children who drop food at the table? Though it’s unintentional, Fido will make the same association and will continue to beg. So if you want your dog to keep away from the table, he must never, ever be given food there. It’s your job to teach your pup that begging doesn’t work, no matter how much he persists. Click "Read More" if you don't see the text below.   Wave is a practical trick that helps your dog break the ice with strangers, even from a distance.
Part of the reason you got a dog is so he can interact with your family and friends, right? Yet, in reality, some dogs aren’t comfortable around unfamiliar people. Perhaps your dog is genetically predisposed to being wary of strangers on the street and guests in your home. Maybe he had negative experiences with humans before you adopted him. Or maybe he wasn’t given adequate socialization as a puppy. Click Read More if you don't see the text below. Earlier this week, I was the guest on Ask the Expert, a live program on AKC TV where people submit questions in real time for me to answer. Our topic was "why does my dog do that?" The questions ranged from serious ("Why is my dog growling at me?") to silly ("Why does my dog roll in goose poop?"). Check out the full episode below!   Some dogs won’t take “no” for an answer. When you stop playing fetch, Fido responds with jumps and barks. When you try to stop petting Pattie, she crawls into your lap and demands more, more, more. Or when a training session has come to an end, Rover silently protests by staring at you for five minutes. If any of these sound familiar, it’s time to teach your pup to have an “off” switch.
Can You Blame Them? We can’t fault our dogs for demanding things. After all, when they beg for food, attention, or play, it tends to work! When your pup nudges your hand for one more scratch, there is a pretty good chance that you’ll give in and start petting her again. And thus a habit of demanding behavior is born. Even if you only give in some of the time, it can teach your dog to be bossy. In fact, if you tell your dog “no” for her first few demands but then give in eventually, you are actually teaching her to be more persistent than if you give in every time. Dogs who are intermittently rewarded for demanding behavior are the ones who develop the most stamina, and they’re often the ones whose habits are hardest to break. Click Read More if you don't see the text below.  Big news! My second book, a collaboration with top trainer and agility competitor Sarah Westcott, is now available! It's a complete (and really fun) manners program built exclusively from sports, games, and tricks. Get it on Amazon here or at any number of other booksellers.
Play Your Way to Good Manners shows you how to approach your dog's manners training as a collection of cool tricks, exciting sports moves, and interactive games, changing your dog's attitude from "I have to do it" to "I want to do it." Sarah and I have drawn from techniques used in canine sports, games, and trick training, and applied them to a positive-reinforcement manners training program that you and your dog can easily follow. Inside Play Your Way to Good Manners you’ll learn strategies to teach your dog:
 Dogs need to de-stress, too! When my private training clients are faced with their dog’s behavior issue, we address it through behavior modification, a sort of “doggie therapy,” if you will. But when does a dog need “therapy,” as opposed to regular manners training? Do versus Feel Typical dog training is intended to teach your dog good manners: staying on his dog bed while you eat dinner, walking on a loose leash, or sitting while you open the door for him. This kind of obedience training prepares dogs to be polite members of your household and community by teaching them what behavior is acceptable and what is not. For instance, a well-trained dog is able to sit calmly when being pet by a stranger, rather than jump up on him. In essence, training teaches your dog to do something, whether it’s a sit-stay or recall. Then there is behavior modification. The purpose here is to encourage your dog to feel something rather than do something. Just as many people look to a therapist to help them overcome an emotional hurdle, lots of dogs can benefit from behavior modification to address unhealthy behaviors. Common issues include: leash aggression towards other dogs or people, resource guarding, fearful displays such as hiding or shutting down, separation anxiety, reactivity to loud noises, or intense barking at triggers such as the doorbell. When dealing with any behavior issue, we have to consider the underlying emotions that are driving the unwanted behavior. That is, how can we make your dog feel better? By focusing on the feelings associated with the barking rather than the action of barking itself, you can address the underlying problem. Click Read More if you don't see the text below.  It's important to be well-mannered AND well-dressed. One of the misconceptions about positive training is that you become a treat dispenser for your dog, constantly giving out food rewards for the rest of his life. While there are some situations that may require long-term treat rewards, there are also many others that rely on other kinds of reinforcement for good behavior. Life Rewards The main principle of positive training is that polite behavior such as sitting is rewarded, making it a win-win for both dog and owner. Failure to do the polite behavior generally results in the owner withholding a reward. Therefore, only polite pups get what they want. But who says the reward has to be a treat? Enter life rewards, calorie-free reinforcement that gives your dog access to everything he wants... as long as he sits first. Click "Read More" if you don't see the text below. Puppies are cute for a reason. Those fluffy little jowls are hiding a set of razor-sharp, flesh-searing teeth, and between those floppy ears is a brain that is hard-wired to chew on everything in sight. Teething puppies simply cannot help themselves. Most puppies have an insatiable urge to chew whatever they can get their paws on, and when they play, they have little regard for your delicate human skin. Children under ten or so, as well as people with long hair or flowing clothes, are the most vulnerable to these petite predators, but really, no one is safe from puppy teeth. It takes months for a dog’s adult teeth to come in, so it’s important to have a plan to combat biting and chewing as soon as your puppy comes home. Here are ways to ensure your puppy will learn to be polite with his teeth. Click "Read More" if you don't see the text below.  Such purity, such innocence, such... insanely sharp teeth.  Jacob and Finn practice "reward for attention." Do you walk your dog, or does he walk you? If your dog drags you from shrub to shrub, or launches himself at every dog he sees, it’s time to brush up on his leash walking skills.
It’s no wonder that leash walking problems are the number one complaint I hear from my dog training clients. To a dog, leashes are completely unnatural and unnecessary. Dogs are designed to wander in this-or-that direction, following a scent or investigating things in their environment. A six-foot leash just can’t allow such freedom. But since leashes are necessary for safety and required by law, we have to teach dogs how to walk politely while tethered to you. Why Dogs Pull There are numerous reasons why dogs pull. Hint: none of them have to do with dominance. Do any of these reasons apply to your pup? Click Read More if you don't see the text below.  To some dogs, everything is a chew toy. If your dog or puppy has an appetite for destruction, it’s important to address it sooner rather than later.
While most of us humans see our home decor as something to preserve for many years, our dogs may have a different opinion. To them, nothing is more exhilarating than ripping a pillow apart, and chomping on an antique table leg is a great way to pass an otherwise boring day. Click Read More if you don't see the text below.  Are we there yet? Have dog, will travel. Just make sure your dog is as excited about the trip as you are! Follow these guidelines to teach your dog to love his carrier.
It’s getting increasingly easier to take your dog with you to hotels, cafes, bars, and all kinds of shopping. If subway, train, or even air travel are needed to get there, first you’ll have to teach your pup how to travel comfortably in a bag. Read the full article here at petguide.com, or click Read More if you don't see the text below. Does your dog thrash and squeal while you prepare his food as if to say, “Hurry up, human”? Bark at you when you don’t throw the ball fast enough? Protest when the treats or playtime ends? You may have a Bossy Barker on your hands. Canine vocalizations can have a number of meanings, expressing everything from elation to fear. If you consider your dog’s barking a nuisance or problem, it’s important to identify the underlying emotions for the outburst. The Bossy Bark generally indicates frustration intolerance; that is, the dog gets frustrated because he wants that food/ball/attention NOW. By implementing a few rules based on force-free training, you can teach your pup patience, which will in turn reduce or stop the bossy barking. Click "Read More" if you don't see the text below. “Max coughed up two socks last night,” “Zippy’s sidewalk snacking has cost me thousands in ER vet bills,” and the horror stories go on and on. Teach you pup a reliable Drop It cue before you have a traumatizing story of your own. Drop It instructs the dog to immediately spit out whatever is in his mouth. In extreme cases, it can mean the difference between life and death. The problem is, your dog put that half-eaten pepperoni pizza slice in his mouth for a reason -- he wants it! Once it’s firmly in his mouth, it’s really up to him whether he will drop it or not. So it’s your job to convince him that spitting out the pizza is actually more fun and rewarding than eating it. Here are three levels of Drop It. Work your way up by increasing the difficulty in very small increments, to ensure your dog is successful at every step. In real life, do not tell your dog to “drop it” unless you are almost certain he will. If your dog is still a the beginner levels of Drop It and he picks up something delicious (to him) on your walk, use the Level 1 method to handle snacking emergencies. Read the full article here at petguide.com or click Read More if you don't see the text below.  When a veterinarian and a dog trainer get together, what do you think they talk about? (Hint, the #1 topic is probably "#1" and "#2.") I had the pleasure of sitting down with friend and veterinarian Kaarin Vekman, DVM, to play a little game we called, "Whom should you call first: your vet or a trainer?" As a trainer, I get a lot of questions about topics that should really be directed to a vet. Likewise, vets are often asked behavior questions that are more in a trainer's territory. Then there are other cases where vets and trainers can work together to tackle a dog's issue from both medical and behavioral angles. And so when your dog is having a problem, it can be difficult to know where to start. Our game covers issues such as house training, separation anxiety, puppy vaccinations, nutrition, aggression, and nail trims. Though we were both involved in creating the questions, we didn't discuss our answers ahead of time. This game was also a good test for Dr. Vekman and me. Prior to playing the game, I was worried we would have widely differing points of view and possibly end our friendship over the contentious "puppy vaccination" topic. And while we do look at the same issue from different angles, it turns out these differences do not lead to confusion or conflict; rather, educating owners from both a medical and behavioral perspective can give them a more well-rounded understanding of their dogs' conditions.  Batman is pushing 15(ish), but he still has zero chill and craves practicing Rally-O on our walks. Sure, your dog’s Agility days might be behind him, and the gravity-defying tricks he used to perform are no longer in his repertoire. Still, there is a long list of activities perfectly suited to older dogs, to ensure his golden years are his best years.
Sports for Seniors There are several sports that don’t demand much of your senior dog’s body. Even if you don’t live near a training facility that offers sport classes, there are online schools that allow you to learn and practice at home. Rally Obedience (also called Rally-O or simply Rally) is a lighter version of competition obedience, and a great way for you and your dog to spend time training together. Rally involves you and your pooch performing a series of obedience-type tasks, laid out on a course. The tasks include lots of heelwork, sits, stays, and so on. Rally is perfect for older dogs because it provides lots of mental stimulation, but at a slow pace. Even at Rally trials, there is a division just for seniors, and exceptions can be made for dogs with disabilities. Read the full article here on petguide.com, or click "Read More" if you don't see the text below. |
Welcome!Kate is a certified dog behavior consultant, certified dog trainer, certified Fear Free professional, certified dog parkour instructor, and award-winning author.    Categories
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The views expressed on this website belong to Kate Naito and may not reflect the views of the agencies with which she trains.
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