Yesterday, I welcomed a brand new Board & Train named Scotty. An under 1-yo whoodle, Scotty came in with run of the mill annoying puppyish behaviors like jumping, whining, and not coming when called. No major behavioral issues, but he was growing into a bigger body and even his innocent wildness was becoming stressful for the family to manage with three children. Recently, Scotty had learned an extremely effective way to get his owner to play with him: pick up something he shouldn’t have, like a sock or shoe, and run away with it. It never failed to result in a game of chase and his owner’s undivided attention. Problem was, his owner didn’t have as much fun with this game as he did.
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Read MoreDear Frances,
Where is the best place a dog to sleep at night? Any thoughts on a dog and a kid sharing a room? My daughter would love to share her room with Oakley. And I generally think it would be fine but I do wonder if she should be in the kennel so she relaxes more. Our kennel is in the common area of the house so not the most quiet space at night though. WWFD? Kennel in the living room or just on a dog bed in the bedroom?
Adopting a new dog is an exciting time. If you have planned for your new addition with care, you are already in a position to have the experience be enjoyable, safe, and successful with minimal stress for all parties. But, even if you missed some steps back when you adopted your dog, it is never too late to start restructuring to achieve a more balanced relationship. The steps below are a broad strokes game plan of how I introduce dogs into MY home (in Board & Train), and we have great success with it, even as we have dogs coming and going all the time. I hope it is helpful for you as you plan for your new family member.
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“My dog is great BUT he jumps on people and he’s 90 lbs. He’s been banned from family reunions.”
”My dog is great BUT he doesn’t come when called. I am routinely late to work because of it.”
”My dog is so sweet with my kid BUT she growls over her food bowl.”
If I had a dime for every contact form that featured some variation of the phrase:
”I just don’t understand, he runs around the back yard for hours, then still comes inside and potties on the rug/chews the furniture/jumps on the kids/steals food off the counter/ whines/ etc…”
Then I wouldn’t need to be selling dog training services at all. I’d be rolling in stacks of cash, and you wouldn’t be reading this helpful blog post right now.
The fact of the matter is, despite all our wishes to the contrary, access to a back yard (even a fairly large one) does not solve most of the issues my clients seek help for. Here’s why:
Read MoreDear Frances,
I’m confused about whether I should be letting my dog sniff the ground while on walks and if so, when? My fearful dog hates being on walks, because there’s humans out there, and it seems like I’m adding insult to injury by refusing him that freedom. I see trainers on Instagram correcting this behavior, especially with anxious dogs, and I’m not sure what to do. My dog seems to sniff sometimes just because he likes it, but sometimes it feels like he’s sniffing because he wants to avoid going further. What should I do?
We humans put a lot of energy into getting first impressions just right. Think about all the planning that goes into bringing your new boyfriend or girlfriend home to meet the family for the first time. There’s usually several conversations and possibly a fight beforehand, so that your new partner can be acclimated to your family of origin dynamic (and to the potential consequences of a disastrous first meeting). Outfits are carefully selected, as are conversation topics (might want to steer clear of politics for now, or forever). But we rarely give as much thought to our dog’s first impression of our new partner.
As someone who occasionally finds herself at the vet with a client dog, I’ve become somewhat of a connoisseur of vet offices! Sometimes I need to run a dog to a vet for a tummy ache or rash checkup, and it’s not feasible for me to get them to their normal vet. In those instances, I want to take them somewhere local.
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Most people prefer to kill their dogs the old fashioned way, by forcing them to stay alive until they eventually succumb to diseases of old age. This method is considered outdated, however, because it usually involves some level of force to keep the dog from doing things that might get it killed. Things like playing in traffic, eating trash, stealing stuff off the counter, bolting out the front door, biting people, etc.
A potential client called me up the other day. She was interested in off leash training but she was hesitant about the e-collar. She said she wanted her dog to perform commands because it wanted to, not because the dog was afraid of the consequences.
Naturally, no one wants their dog to be afraid if there’s an option not to be afraid. She said she had heard that positive reinforcement was better, and wanted a “fear free” experience for her dog.
Who wouldn’t love a fear free life? It’s…scary….to feel fear, and I’ll avoid consequences till the cows come home. If there was a way to show up late for appointments and avoid late fees, you can bet your bottom dollar I would show up late, especially if it meant catching a few extra ZZZ’s in the morning or having time to swing by Starbucks. Does that make me a bad person? No, it makes me a person who likes sleep and coffee.