Learning to sit

A very simple way to get your dog to sit is to interest him in the scent of a treat. Let him smell the treat, but not eat it. The treat is your leverage; use it to guide your puppy.


Hope, a Service Dog,
ready for a person.

As you let your puppy smell the treat, and really work his nose....tilt his head slightly backwards ( nose to the ceiling). If your puppy sits, immediately reward him by giving him the treat the instant his bottom hits the ground. If your puppy starts to stand up (bottom off the ground) don't let him have the treat! Go back to the beginning of smelling, tilting, etc.

Smell, Tilt, Repeat!

I'm just a Blog

A blog about dogs and their people. I meet many people who love thier dogs but get frustrated when they try to take thier dogs for a walk or wonder why thier dog doesn't come when called.

We buy a car after we learn how to drive, We read the manual to learn about a new tv, computer, or electronic, we take classes, read books, and ask other parents to learn how to raise our kids.

A dog is a dog. Not a person, a child, or item you are born to understand, without a little learning.


 Buster, with severe heart disease,
 captured the heart of every person he met!




Like a child, the instructions are not as clear cut as learning to manipulate the tv or computer. Like a child, sometimes certain things work and sometimes you wonder why the same technique does not work the next time.
Learning to train a dog by trial and error can be very time consuming, as well as frustrating. Like trying to construct the swing set without the directions! Although you may complete the project, there was an easier and more effective way to get success!
Unless you have studied dog behavior, even two dogs of the same litter can require two different styles of training. Pair that with the personality of the owners, and the training process is skewed all over the place.
The good news is.... Training your dog can be simple with the right instruction, and without any tools except your mind.
Imagine the feeling of sharing a relationship with your dog built solely on trust and respect. No collars, spray bottles, or tools needed. Just you.
Experience the difference, and share your home with a polite and well mannered dog.  


Your Dog's New Years Resolutions.

Your Dog has New Years Resolutions too!


What did your dog scratch out in the dirt to dedicate and promise himself to acheive in the year 2012. Remember one of our years, is seven to a dog, so this New Years Resolution event is a very serious matter!

Did he swear to learn how to open the refridgerator? Or perhaps to finally escape the front door to chase the neighbors annoying cat? Has he always wished he had your fluffy pillow, or your side of the bed? Maybe his dream is to watch more reruns of Lassie's adventures, or to start standing up to your inconsistent rules?

As humans, we love to project our emotions and feelings as those of our dogs oppinion as well.
#1, this helps us to reason, and also to relate.
#2, it is just plain entertaining.

Even if you have watched one episode of the Dog Whisperer, you have heard how important it is to realize people are people, dogs are dogs, and the two minds work differently.

However, as I have learned working with dogs and their people, the people understand better if I explain the dog behavior in people terms. After all, we all love to talk about ourselves!

If we can understand our own motivation, if I can translate this for you to dog language, then we can understand the dog. And when we finally truely understand the dog, we learn to get the dog to behave the way we want him to, and this may be the best New Year's Resolution of all!

9  5  1  -  8  3  4  -  5  7  2  0

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!