Introducing a new dog into your home

Congratulations on your new canine member of the family!

Getting a new dog can be exciting, but the best way to introduce your new dog to your home, your family, and other dog members of your family....is with little to no excitement at all!

In order to establish a great foundation of how daily  life is going to be in your household, DAY ONE is the most important day to set the lifestyle and boundaries. I suggest taking the new dog straight from the car to out on a nice long, quick paced walked.  If you have another dog, this should be a PACK WALK.

There are different variables to consider that may change my prescription;  age of each dog, immunizations up to date, any previous aggression, etc.  However, a good long walk is still going to be the best introduction to new dogs, your neighborhood, and your home.

Walking a dog properly is always important. Please read our other blogs on LEASH WALKING to ensure the walk is packed with benefits.

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Rainy Day Dog Survival Tips

Rainy Day Survival Tips

    Rainy days can cause a commotion for dogs and their owners. Muddy paws and extra energy mixed with indoors is not favorable to most people. I get tons of calls on rainy days about dogs that are usually potty trained that are having accidents on the carpet.

    To ensure survival throughout the rainy season, of your carpet AND your sanity, realize that a rainy day does not eliminate your pups play drive and energy source. If we did not trek our self to the Gym, only because of the rain, it would not stop the calories from settling in on our hips.

    Accessorize yourself with a raincoat, and explore the outdoors with your dog. Not only will it drain excess energy, for both of you, but will give your dog an array of new smells that the rain stirs up. By being with your dog, it will reassure you that your dog has eliminated outside. By completing a walk, and witnessing the potty outside, it will allow you, and your dog to have a restful rainy day.

   
    If your California skin just can't walk in the rain, take some time to work with your dog on basic obedience in the house. A training session usually exhausts the dogs brain and the body, when done properly. Remember not to hype the dog up, but to give directed and focused commands with only rewarding successful behaviors. Make your dog think, and make him work.

   Enjoy the rain, and your dog, because everyday is a Dog Gone Good Life!

Promoting a calm dog

What you see is not always what you get. As humans we are constantly working on improving ourselves. people wear clothes that flatter their figure, do exercises to accentuate their physical characteristics, take speaking classes to improve public speaking, even life coaching classes to make sure we are being the ultimate person we can be. I feel it is the same with dogs.
I can work with any dog and have them become the best of their potential. It does not mean i am going to certify every dog as a service dog, but every dog can learn to behave. Yes, every dog!
Although there are variations of each dogs success, they are still capable of learning our expectations. I say that unless the dog is in hospice, they are still willing to learn! Some personalities may challenge the boundaries more persistently in the beginning, but in time, and with your patience, all will succeed in improving their behavior.
Good behavior and well mannered does not eliminate personality.
The personality you adore in your dog will always exist, and when a dog has respectful manners the personality is much more appreciated.
It's a Dog Gone Good life!

Dogs Escaping The Yard

How to keep your dogs from escaping from your yard.First things to look at, or realize, is why are your dogs leaving your yard? Have you expressed the boundaries clearly to your dog? Is your dog in heat, is your dog male and still not neutered? is your dog getting proper exercise and socialization?where does your dog go when he leaves your yard? does a neighbor give treats, is there a cat or rabbit to chase? Does he return on his own, or is he running away from home?After these questions are answered, and these variable needs are fulfilled or extinquished, we are now eliminating all, except, proper boundary training. We are eliminating all the rest, because if you fulfill or fix those elements, you will probably see your dog stays home. If the problem continues, then you still have this one last solution.Boundary training can exist at one door, one room, limiting a position in the car, or an entire piece of property. It is Important to let your dog clearly understand where he may or may not go. If he is jumping over a wall, you will need to walk the dog through the yard on a loose lead, giving a correction of pulling on the leash, paired with a verbal no, when the dog attempts to launch the wall or fence. This correction should be done at the beginning muscle movements of the launch, before the dog is airborne. we are trying to stop the behavior before it happens, and better yet, the thought, before the action.Practice telling your dog to stay at open fences, while you are crossing the boundary. a long lead is a safe way to do this, tethering it behind him, until you are confident in your communication with your dog.To complete your boundary training with your dog, you will need to let your dog know the rules are firm whether you are home or not. complete this by staging a surveillance, letting your dog expect you are not home, then surprise him in his attempt to escape. congratulations! Your dog now understands and thanks you for your clarification of your rules.

Dog Yoga Time!

 People tend to look for ways to relax. Whether it be yoga, massage, day spas, or golf….I keep hearing people say they need to ‘take time for themselves’;  time out from their stressful lives to enjoy something.  Our lives have gotten so busy, that in order to be happy, we need to take time out of our life, to enjoy living!

It sounds funny, but it is true. A friend of mine, a psychologist, writes a daily blog, for exactly this cause; to be good to ourselves.  She says people do not treat themselves well enough, and need to relax.  Dogs often tell me that she is correct!

Taking time to smell the flowers!

Where is our dog in all our stress?  Right in the middle! If you have trained with me, then you have heard me say, “Your dog is your mirror, or your barometer.”  Your dog’s behavior is telling you what’s going on inside your head.  If you are stressed, your dog is stressed.  If you are running around looking for your keys, is your dog running around with you?  If you are calm….your dog is calm.  Do you notice a pattern?

If you need a time out….so does your dog.

So after your yoga class, or massage, or ten minutes of quiet, try to help your dog enjoy the same treatment.  A ten minute walk with a relaxed human leading the way can create a miracle in a dog’s world, and also in your home.

February 2011 Monthly training tip from Dogtopia Newsletter:

Preparing your dog for challenges on the walk

    

April 2011 Monthly training tip from Dogtopia Newsletter:

   Learning to be prepared often comes from the experience from being burned, or lessons hard learned.  As we age, we learn to harvest and prepare for times of hardship; to prepare for adversary in the future.  In dog training, the best way to relate this is to be prepared for what may be around the next corner.

   Many clients tell me they ‘evaluate’ the neighborhood, or scan the next street, to decide where they venture on their dog’s walks.  If they see challenges like dogs or bikes or runners, they may choose a different route to avoid confrontation and stress.  As we progress through our trainings, I tell my clients to look forward to a stray dog, a screaming toddler, and to seek out the excitable soccer fields to embrace these events as opportunities to enhance their training with their dogs. When enough time is spent around a toddler, a dog may find out they are really not that scary anymore, and actually become endearing.  (A dog will quickly realize a squeaking toddler may also have macaroni and cheese stuck to his t- shirt!)



Conquer Challenges!



  Training is not easy. It is an adventure, and the opportunity to conquer challenges.  Just like we face our human challenges, dogs need to face their fears, and sometimes that means to go on the front lines, like a soldier in combat. If a dog is fearful of something, we need to address the issue, rather than avoid it, because if coupled with another fear, and another, and etc…. then we have a fearful dog that can show fearful aggression.



I have never labeled a dog as aggressive, but have found many dogs to be fearfully reactive when unprepared for their environment.

  Be brave yourself and be prepared to be proud of your dog.