All posts by J LaBar

Training Tip of the Month: Define Your Training Objectives! 

Training Tips

I have many clients who call me in distress and tell me that their dog is “out-of-control,” “unruly,” or just plain “disobedient.” As valid as their concerns are, I will always ask: in what specific situations or circumstances is your dog unruly and out-of-control, or in what specific way is your dog being disobedient? 

Does your dog destroy your furniture while you are away? Does he run amok in the home and bowl people over? Does he bounce off guests as they enter the door? Does he bark excessively? Does he counter surf at every opportunity? Does he ignore you when you call him? Is he unable to respond because he is a wiggly, overly energetic pup with a very short attention span?

Be specific and detailed; jot down notes about areas of concern. Once you understand your dog’s specific issues, you can decide upon appropriate replacement behaviors (calm greetings with paws on the floor, a quick response to your recall cue, a dog that is able to respond to you regardless of distractions).

Now that you have defined your training objectives, you must decide whether your dog requires in-home training or a group class. Private training in your home is the only practical and effective way to address most behavioral concerns. Dogs are “situational” learners, so issues like potty training, separation anxiety, fear aggression, destructive chewing/digging, and difficult interactions or aggression with family members, (often kids and other pets), need to be addressed at home.

Private training is also best for distractible pups or for those that cannot yet attend group class due to vaccination/age requirements. In the vast majority of cases, the earlier you start training your puppy, the better! Training as early as eight weeks of age will prevent problem behaviors from occurring or becoming difficult to modify.

On the other hand, if your dog is able to focus around distractions (people and other dogs), is vaccinated, and only requires basic obedience (“sit,” “down,” “come,” etc.), a small group class with friendly dogs might be just the ticket.

In short, clearly define your training objectives, and decide upon the best training environment for your dog before starting any training program. Help your dog by setting him up to succeed!

For more helpful training tips, check out my facebook page at Wonder Dog Training!

Summer Road Trips with Fido

Dog-Friendly Travel, Restaurants, and Parks, Miscellaneous, Training Tips

Summer is just around the corner. The kids will soon be out of school, and the wide open road beckons! It’s time to take that long-awaited road trip with the family, which of course includes your favorite furry friend!

Before you go, here are a few important tips to remember.

Safety and Planning Tips:

1) It’s safer for everyone if your dog is securely fastened or confined during car trips. Consider a soft sided, easy to carry, collapsible crate safely secured in the car, or a dog vehicle harness with seat belt attachment or anchor. Harnesses offer the advantage of allowing your dog to move, but not to the point of causing safety issues. Be sure to secure your dog in the backseat. Dogs can be seriously injured if you have an accident and an airbag deploys.

2) Microchip your dog prior to leaving home, and make sure his ID tag info is up-to-date and includes your cell phone number. You may also want to check out the new facial recognition app for locating Fido. With this new app, it’s a cinch to map your dog’s facial features and register him with Finding Rover in case he ever gets lost.

3) You have heard it before, but it bears repeating! Never leave your dog in the car unattended. Temperatures can rise very rapidly in a short time and be life threatening.

4) Locate animal emergency clinics along your route ahead of time. A first aid kit including natural calmatives such as ginger (for soothing an upset tummy) may also come in handy. Dog appeasing pheromone spray can also help ease your dog’s anxiety. Just spray it on a bandana and have your dog wear it during the trip. Studies show that dog appeasing pheromone spray works as well as Clomicalm (the most often prescribed drug for anxiety), but has no side effects!

5) Does your dog love to flap his ears in the breeze? Then it’s a good idea to invest in a pair of eye goggles (or doggles) to protect his eyes against flying dirt and debris. He will thank you and look WAY too cool all at the same time. (Think Snoopy WWI flying Ace).

6) Bring a spill-proof water bowl, plenty of fresh water, and some durable long-lasting chew toys to keep him happily occupied along the way.

Training Tips:

1) Teach your dog to remain calm, and “wait” or” stay” until you are certain he will be safe upon exiting.

2) Train your dog to eliminate on cue in areas other than the backyard. Use a specific cue, like “go hurry” just before your dog eliminates, and then praise and treat to reinforce the behavior. Teaching your dog to eliminate on cue will allow for faster bathroom breaks at rest stops.

3) Teach your dog how to jump up into your vehicle on cue. For large senior dogs or for those that cannot easily get into your vehicle, a folding ramp can be a great help.

4) Socialize your dog well and make sure he is comfortable and happy in a variety of situations before taking him on a long trek. Take him with you on local trips around town, when running errands , or when visiting friends. Frequent trips to the park, beach, and a couple of outdoor dog-friendly restaurants or coffee shops will make things a lot easier on both of you when you have your summer adventure.

Road Trip! 🙂

 

 

7 Things You MUST Know About Choosing a Vet

Health and Nutrition

Good veterinarians are hard to come by. It’s getting harder to find the country vet who knows all about you and your dog and can tell you all of the local gossip. Vets who offered discounts for multiple pets and client loyalty are disappearing. In their place we have vets with more sophisticated equipment but often less time for you and your dog. He or she may see lots of clients every day and be part of a large practice. You may not see the same vet each time you go to the offices.

How can you find a good veterinarian these days? Here are a few tips.

1. Ask around. Word of mouth is still one of the best ways to find a good vet. If you have friends with pets ask them who they use and whether they like them or not. Ask them about their experiences with the vet. Have they been satisfied or are they looking for a new vet? How is the vet with their dog? (Or cat or whatever!) You can learn a lot just by talking to a friend.

2. Make a list of some of the things that are important to you in a vet. Do you need a vet who specializes? Probably not, unless you are a breeder or you have a dog with a particular health problem, but if you do need a specialist, start looking. They can be hard to find. Do you need a vet who will write prescriptions for you so you can buy heart worm medication online? This can be a bone of contention with some vets so you may have to try several vets before you find one who is willing to do this for you. It’s certainly worth pursuing because heart worm medication usually costs twice as much at the vet’s office. Do you need a vet who handles his own emergencies? This is becoming rare. You may have to look far and wide for a vet like this. Most vets now send their emergency cases to a vet emergency clinic at nights and on the weekends.

Decide what is most important to you and look for a vet who can meet your needs.

3. Call vet offices near you and talk to the receptionists. Better yet, go by and meet them in person. Discuss billing arrangements. Veterinary care can be very expensive, especially if your dog has a serious problem that requires surgery and post-op care. What is the vet’s policy about payment? Does he or she require you to pay upfront? Can you make payments? Will they turn your dog away if you can’t pay for the entire procedure ahead of time? These are important considerations and it’s best to know how your vet handles these matters before your dog is in a life or death situation.

4. Does the vet take pet health insurance? Some vets do take health insurance for pets now. If so, which ones?

5. Find out the days and office hours for the vets near you. Do they fit your schedule? Some vets are closed on Saturdays or may only be open half a day. They may not stay open late through the week. Will you be able to work with their schedule? You can have the greatest vet in the world just down the street from you but if you have to work when they’re open it won’t do your dog any good.

6. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has a listing of state veterinary medical associations. You can find veterinarians who are listed with these state medical associations here: http://www.avma.org/statevma . This is an excellent place to look for accredited vets in your area.

7. Looking for a holistic vet for your pets? You can locate one online through the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association. This list organizes vets by the type of animals they treat, the modality of care they offer, and by the state in which they reside. You can find a holistic vet here: http://www.ahvma.org/Widgets/FindVet.html

 

Puppy Parents: 10 Things You Must Know

Puppy Parenthood

Just about everybody loves a puppy. What’s not to love? Okay, maybe there are a few things — like accidents in the house, torn up blankets and potty pads, needle sharp baby teeth, whining and crying. The good news is that it will get easier in time…as long as you know how to get things off to a good start.

Here are a few things that you should know about your new puppy:

1. When you bring your new puppy home, he won’t know very much. He’s spent most of the first weeks of his life living with his mother and siblings, who are dogs. That means he knows some basic dog things, like how to whimper and bark to get attention. He knows how to poop on papers. His breeder may have taught him a few things but there wasn’t time to teach him very much. Your puppy is pretty much a blank slate. It’s up to you to teach him everything he needs to know.

2. Your puppy is a little animal, not a small person in a furry suit. He has animal instincts and will always react as an animal when he doesn’t know what to do. That means that your puppy can bite and scratch and hurt somebody if he’s not supervised and trained. He needs training while he’s young so that he grows up to be a well-mannered dog.

3. Puppies need socialization at a very early age. The best window of opportunity for socializing is up until 12 weeks of age, which doesn’t give you very much time! Socialization is the process of introducing your puppy to the big, wide world and everything in it. Your puppy needs to go places, see new things and meet people. What’s more, your pup’s encounters need to be very positive, not frightening or overwhelming in any way. He should learn that new things and new people are good. Socialization teaches a puppy to be confident and helps him later in life. Puppies that are well-socialized tend not to develop behavior problems later on.

4. You should begin training your puppy early. You can train a dog throughout his life but it’s always easier and advisable to start training a puppy when he’s young. Ideally, you can start training as early as 8 weeks of age. Teach your puppy good manners and some basic obedience skills like Sit and Come. You may also wish to enroll him in a local group puppy class, such as Puppy Socialization, or AKC STAR Puppy, where he can learn some simple obedience and enjoy some socialization at the same time.

5. Your puppy will most likely chew on things so you should try to “puppy proof” your house as much as possible. Put away your shoes and other things that he can reach. When your puppy chews on things take them away. If you catch your puppy in the act of chewing on something he’s not supposed to chew on, you can correct him (no physical punishments). Otherwise, if you don’t catch him, you should let it go. There is no point in correcting a puppy or dog for something that has already happened. Your puppy or dog won’t know why they’re being corrected.

6. Puppies may nip, and bite too hard when they are playing and feeling rambunctious. If your puppy nips you, let him know it hurts. If he even touches his teeth to your skin, yelp and stop playing with him. Immediately disengage, walk away, and ignore him. If you stop playing with him whenever he tries to nip, he will stop nipping.

7. If you have children teach them that they can’t mistreat a puppy. Tell them not to stare at a puppy, wrap their arms around a pup, squeeze a puppy, pull on tails or legs, lay on the puppy, or otherwise make the puppy uncomfortable. Many pups will lunge at and even bite kids if provoked too much. If a child runs away screaming, the puppy is very likely to chase them, and in fact, it would be difficult for a puppy to resist. Children under six should be supervised at all times when they play with puppies.

8. Puppies may whine and bark and whimper for attention. Sometimes you will have to ignore them, especially if you want to get any sleep.

9. You should be sure that you are feeding him a good  quality dog food. Check the label to make certain that there is no corn, soy, wheat, by-products, or artificial ingredients. The first two ingredients should be a specifically named protein, such as chicken meal, lamb , beef, or chicken. Avoid foods that list generic proteins, such as meat meal.

10. Puppies of all breeds have a TON of energy and must be able to exercise multiple times per day. Even so, remember that bones and joints are still forming, and be careful that you don’t overdo the exercise. Play dates in your yard with other friendly, healthy puppies can be an excellent way to burn off some of that excess energy. A daily game of fetch can also be a huge help. Be creative and have fun with your pup! After all, that’s half the fun of having a dog.

Puppies can be a lot of work, but if you make an effort to do things the right way from the start, you will reap the rewards: a dog that is house trained, has good manners, is comfortable and confident with other dogs and people, and is a joy to be around. 

 

Insurance for Your Pet

Miscellaneous

Wait!  Before your eyes glaze over.  Good stuff here!

At one time or another, all pet parents face the decision of how cover Fido’s medical costs.  Vet bills, especially emergency pet hospital visits, can start in the hundreds of dollars and can easily run into the thousands, Yikes!

Pet insurance decisions can be confusing and overwhelming for many.  Fortunately, there are options, but pet parents struggle with questions about the value and coverage of pet insurance.  But wait…

To assist you with answering these questions and more, we found this great website called petinsurancereview.com that has helpful articles like these:

Is Cheap Pet Insurance a Good Idea?

How do I figure out which pet insurance plan is best for my older dog?

Pet Insurance vs. Savings Account

This site will help guide you through the list of available pet insurance choices, and provide you with the answers you need to make a good decision about this very important matter.

Here are some recent reviews from petinsurancereview.com where customers saved a bunch of money:

Liz from Seattle, pet parent of a Rhodesian Ridgeback

“…Pet’s Best seems to pay about 40-50% of the vet bills, much higher than other companies I’m aware of.”

“…the premium has only moved up slightly in eight years, and is now about $200 a year.”

“Some years we’ve only done his $100 annual exam, but it has really paid off during the years when there’s an incident. Over the last eighteen months, … Pet’s Best has paid over $3000 of the bills”

…and

Natalie Murphy from New York, pet parent of a Sphynx cat

“I’ve been with PetPlan since 2008…“

“Since then he’s had two surgeries (mast cell tumors), a two night ER stay (for vomiting and bloody diarrhea) and countless vet visits over the years. Most recently his ER bill alone was over $4300! Thank goodness I got 100% coverage because after $5K in total vet bills this month, literally all I paid out of pocket was the $50 deductible (and of course the annual premium).”

 

🙂 The Good Doggy Bloggy is not affiliated with petinsurance.com or any of the companies listed on their site.

Renting with Your Dog

Miscellaneous

I recently received a panicked call from a client of mine. Her landlord had given her notice that she needed to vacate her home because her dog “looked” too much like a Pitbull. Not sure how to find a new place for herself and her longtime companion, she reached out to me in a state of desperation. What was she going to do? She had been looking for a new place for nearly two weeks with ZERO luck. No landlords or owners were even willing to consider allowing this dog, despite the fact that this dog was clearly a mixed breed, had no history of aggression with other dogs or people, and was quite well-mannered. Things looked bleak and she was in need of some hope.

The first thing I recommended was that she get her dog Canine Good Citizen certified. This is typically a 6-week group class based on several objectives outlined by the AKC. Many landlords/owners, insurers, and condo associations are now accepting dogs that they would not have otherwise allowed as long as they have passed the Canine Good Citizen test.

This class teaches dogs how to demonstrate polite behavior around other dogs and people in a variety of everyday situations. The test provides evidence that the dog has mastered these skills. For more information about CGC Classes, please visit our Canine Good Citizen class description, which is located at the bottom of the page.

As it turns out, my client’s dog did pass the CGC test with flying colors, and she and her dog were allowed to stay!

If you have similar concerns or know of somebody else who does, I highly recommend you check out this article about Renting with Your Dog. It is chock full of excellent advice, tips, and information. You may find it comes in handy if you ever find yourself in a similar situation.

Ian Dunbar TED Talk

Training Tips

In this short video, Ian Dunbar discusses how to train your dog using positive reinforcement, rather than punishment. Dunbar helps us see training through our dog’s eyes, and talks about how to become better leaders and communicators. He stresses the importance of making training fun and motivating for your dog, rather than focusing all your time and attention on the negative. Much wisdom here. Enjoy! 🙂

Dog Park Body Language

Doggy Body Language

If you decide to visit a dog park, it is important to be able to read the body language of your dog and the other dogs present. The ideal body language is playful, but dogs will exhibit a variety of behaviors as they contact new dogs and spend more time at the park. Overall you are looking for balanced play between dogs – sometimes one is on top and next time he’s on the bottom. Sometimes he’s the chaser, and next he will be the chased.
It’s always wise to leave the park if your pet shows signs of tiredness, stress or fear or if there are dogs present who seem threatening.

Playful actions to watch for:

  • Back and forth play – dogs change position – role reversals
  • Bouncy, exaggerated gestures
  • Wiggly bodies
  • Open relaxed mouth
  • Play-bows
  • Twisted leaps or jumps
  • Pawing the air

Signs of Anxiety/Stress to Monitor:

  • Fast wagging low tail
  • Whining or whimpering
  • Ears may be back
  • Hiding behind objects or people

Signs of Fear:

  • Dog will try to look small
  • Tail tucked
  • Hunched over, head down
  • Tense
  • May urinate submissively

Red Flags that Require Intervention:

  • Excessive mounting
  • Pinning (holding another dog down and standing stiffly over them)
  • Shadowing another dog (following) incessantly
  • Bullying: repeatedly bothering another dog that does not want to interact
  • Fast non-stop running with a group – high arousal situation
  • Full-speed body slams
  • Putting head repeatedly onto another dog’s neck or back
  • Staring with a fixed gaze directly at another dog
  • Snarling or raised lips
  • Showing teeth
  • Hackles up at the shoulders

Signs of Potential Illness – While not necessarily related to behavior, you will want to remove your dog from a park where dogs are showing the following symptoms:

  • Coughing or gagging
  • Vomiting
  • Sneezing
  • Diarrhea

In theory, dog parks are a wonderful way for dogs to socialize with other friendly dogs. It is important that owners who frequent dog parks know the limitations of their pets and act accordingly to keep playgroups interacting in a safe and responsible manner.

Resources

This article was first posted by APDT. http://www.apdt.com/default.aspx.