Basic Manners

Give every guest a bag of training treats so that your puppy will be inclined to like them from the outset. Show your guests how you use your puppy's dinner kibble to lure/reward train him to come, sit, lie down, and roll over. Ask your puppy to come. Praise him profusely as he approaches and give him a piece of kibble when he arrives. Back up and do it again. Repeat the sequence several times.
Each time the puppy approaches, have him sit. Say, "Puppy, Sit," and slowly move a piece of kibble upwards, from in front of his nose to between his eyes. As the puppy raises his nose to sniff the kibble, he will lower his rear end and sit. If the puppy jumps up, you are holding the food lure too high.
Repeat the procedure with the food closer to the pup's muzzle. When your puppy sits, say, "Good dog," and give him the kibble.
Now have the puppy come, sit, and lie down. Once the pup sits, say, "Puppy, Down," and lower a piece of kibble from just in front of his nose to between his forepaws. As the puppy lowers his head to follow the food, he will usually lie down. Don't worry if your puppy stands instead; just keep the kibble hidden under the palm of your hand until he lies down. As soon as he does so, say, "Good dog," and give him the food.
Now teach your guests how to train your pup to roll over. Once the pup is lying down, say, "Puppy, Roll over," and move the kibble from in front of his nose to his shoulder blade and slowly over his backbone. Once the puppy rolls over onto his back, say, "Good dog," and give him the kibble.
Repeat the come here, sit, down, and roll over sequence until the puppy responds reliably, and then help each guest practice these maneuvers until each one can get the puppy to come, sit, lie down, and roll over three times in succession for a single piece of kibble.

Training Your Dog in Drive

Once you and your dog have learned to play together and you have built your dogs play, prey and chase drive you can begin teaching your dog to work in “Drive”.

People ask me “Why is drive training important?  Why would you want to work your dog in drive rather than just rely on regular dog training methods?”

The answer to this is simple.  Drive training is more FUN for your dog.  And, hopefully if you are doing it right, drive training should be more fun for you too!

However, training and working your dog in drive is much more work than traditional “yank and pull” dog training, I think it is even more complicated than most clicker training.  It takes excitement and animation when you play, and it also takes superior timing.  Your praise and the release of the toy need to come in a timely fashion in order for your dog to understand what you want and to learn what your expectations are for his training.

It is more difficult for him to pay attention and have patience because you are playing his favorite game, with his favorite toy.  I liken it to taking a child to the zoo and expecting him to do math.  Although this would be a great reinforcer and would likely work well in the long run (he would learn to love math because of the reward he gets for doing it), it would be difficult for him to focus and be patient at first.

It would seem impossible to add structure and fun without frustration to this scenario.  However, with time, patience and learning that success brings the reward; the foundation to complex and reliable focus is built.

The key to this kind of dog training is “the game”.  Your dog must know with 100% reliability that when he does what you want him to (whatever that may be) you will get down and play with him.  This knowledge that as long as he performs correctly he will be satisfied keeps him willing to attempt perfect obedience over and over again.

This type of training gives you ideal, dazzling dog obedience and again it should be FUN for your dog!  Although it is a lot of work, it is certainly worth it especially if you ever have aspirations of competing in any sport with your dog!

Getting Started

The first step is teaching your dog how to play with you and build his drive.  If you haven’t read my previous article “Building Drive” I recommend you start there and practice, practice, practice.

The next is to bring some focus to your dog’s drive.  At first we build a wide array of what seems like wild and crazy play.  This is exactly what we want to accomplish.  The crazier your dog is for the toy (within reason and never aggressively) the longer your dog will be willing to obey you in between work and play sessions.

For example a dog that could take or leave his toy will not be willing to carry out a 20 minute flawless obedience routine for one game of ball at the end.  A dog that lives and dies for his toy and the game you play together would be willing to go 20 minutes or more, as long as you play his favorite game in the end.

Now, this is a step by step process and it take  A LONG TIME to get a dog anywhere near a 20 minute routine, but that is your long term goal!

First things first, we must now harness that drive we have created!

Keeping that in mind, we are now going to add some basic obedience to his game.

Make Your Dog Sit for His Ball

    Grab his toy and fling it passed his face again like you have been doing while building his drive.
    Once he is super excited and amped up to play with you; snap the ball or toy into your palm and ask him to sit.
    The exact moment your dog sits mark the behavior by saying “YES” or “GOOD” or use the clicker and then throw his ball or swing it by him and let him play.  You must mark the behavior the moment it happens and as quickly as possible toss his ball for him.
    He must now learn that in order to play his favorite game with you he must comply with some obedience.  This compliance with obedience paired with his favorite game makes obedience and listening to you FUN!
    When he is habitually listening and quickly sitting when you issue the command it is time to move on to the next step.

The next step is to switch the focus from the ball to YOU.  By this time your dog should be glued to his ball; his eyes, his body, his everything should orient to the ball the moment you take it out.  Now it is time to get that kind of focus on your face and eyes.

There are two ways to get good focus on you:

Get the Focus on YOU!

#1

    Hold the ball away from your body, in your palm and keep it completely still.
    Your dog will probably focus on it, jump, bark and do just about anything to get you to throw or activate his ball for him.
    Stand completely still and keep your eyes focused on his face.
    Eventually he should give up on all other behaviors and he should stare straight at your face as if frustrated that you won’t throw his ball.
    The MOMENT he stares up at you mark that behavior with your marker “YES” or “GOOD” or your clicker and throw his ball for him.
    Continue quietly and patiently playing this game.
    He will quickly learn to stare up at you and give you eye contact.



#2

    Hold the ball up to your eyes
    Although this seems easier, your dog’s focus will likely still be on the ball.
    You may reward and play with him when he looks at you, but he will probably have trouble giving you focus without the ball.
    Try to wait until your dog’s eyes make contact with your eyes, instead of just rewarding him for looking at the ball or at your face.

Some dogs require this step in order to be successful.  But the point of this type of training is to change your dog’s focus and make sure it is on you, specifically on your face!

Practice, practice, practice and when your dog understands you may then begin to extend the time between eye contact and when you throw the ball or play with your dog!

Keep up this training until your dog can stare at your face non-stop for several seconds if not a minute or more!  Once you have accomplished this, we can move on to advanced training in drive.

The Working Man or Woman Conundrum in Today’s Dog Ownership

I recently worked with a client at my house.  She had a lovely Pit Bull mix who was full of energy and excitement!  He was 10 months old and she and her boyfriend were at their wits end trying to deal with him and his excessive energy.  As I watch dogs bounce and fly around during training, I often wish I had just a fraction of their vigor and zest for life!

This couple’s problem is probably one of the most common problems I encounter in dog training.

They work 10 hours a day.  Now I realize that most of you are probably hackling in anger at the thought of a dog being left alone for 10 hours a day, but the truth of the matter is that this is a very common scenario.

I wish that you had to get a license, pass an ethical, knowledge and skills test, and promise to be able to spend a certain amount of time with your dog in order to own a dog; but the truth is that there are too many dogs and not enough good homes to involve such sanctions.  If requirements to own animals were stricter there would be an even higher and more astronomical rate of euthanasia.

Not all people who work are unfit owners; even those that have to work crazy long hours can make sure their dogs live fulfilling lives if they are willing to make some sacrifices!

I have had jobs where I had to work long hours in order to pay the bills and with the economy plummeting most dog owners are faced with long work hours and lots of commitments on their days off!

So What Can You Do If You Find Yourself Facing the Same Problems?

You Must Find Happiness at Work and at Home with Your Best Friend!

First:

Acknowledge that you have a problem and you need to make a change!  As difficult as it sounds if you want to keep your dog, not be abusive and ensure you are both happy you need to make some significant changes in you and your dog’s life.

Next:

Get up earlier!  I empathize with those of you who want or think you NEED to get as much sleep as possible, but your dog needs exercise and positive interaction with you as much or, dare I say it, MORE than you need your sleep!

In order to make sure your dog is ready for his day of solitary, you MUST wear him out and spend time bonding with him!  So, start running or biking or playing ball in the mornings until he is sincerely tired out.  That means that 5 minutes of ball playing probably isn’t going to cut it; you need to leave him exhausted!

The good news is this is just as good for you as it is for him and after about a week your body won’t feel as groggy anymore!

Then:

Make some efforts to make your dog’s day alone as happy and exciting as possible!

    Hide and leave treats for him to discover throughout the day.
    Make sure he has things to chew on and play with while you are gone.
    Stuff bones with peanut butter and give him novel things to chew on occasionally.
    Leave the radio or TV on to keep him from being overwhelmed by outside noises.

And Then:

If you are gone 8 hours or more get someone to come over and let your dog out to walk or even to play with him.

Neighborhood kids often love making a little extra cash and you can pay them to come and play with your dog afterschool.

If those are not options take your dog to a doggy day care!  Doggy day care, especially those that will walk your dog or let him play in play groups, are wonderful because when you pick your dog up he is already tired and ready for a nap when you get home!

But:

If you can’t do doggy day care and return home with an exhausted dog; it is your responsibility to exercise again him when you get home!

Remember your dog has been alone for the last 8 hours and he has probably spent most of his time sleeping, so when you get home he is filled with enthusiasm and full of energy!  In order to insure his life is fulfilling, you must spend time with and exercise him when you get home from work, too!

If you exercise him and wear him out immediately when you get home, then #1:  you won’t procrastinate taking him out and #2:  you can then cook dinner or spend time doing whatever you need to do to unwind after your hard day at work.

Don’t Forget:

Not only does your dog need exercise, he also needs mental stimulation and training!  You must spend time teaching him and working with him and the good news is that mental stimulation and training can be tiring to your dog so you “hit two birds with one stone” analogy!

You don’t have to spend an hour training, just spend a few minutes during commercials from your favorite show to get your clicker out and teach your dog a trick, or work on his down stay, or his attention and focus.  Any time you spend training will help solidify your relationship and will help him to listen to you throughout the day.

On Your Day Off:

Spend time together.  Go hiking or biking and include your dog in your plans if possible!  There  is no sense in having a dog if you don’t spend time enjoying one another and spending time together!

The reason my clients were having problems was because they were spending all of their time working but no one was really devoting time to Duke, neither before nor after work.  When they did spend time with him, they were yelling at him for jumping up on them and because he was not listening to their commands; but in truth they had never taught him obedience or even manners.

If they got up early and exercised him, left him with games to play during the day, had someone let him out then came home and took him for a walk or a run and then taught him a trick after dinner, I guarantee they would all be happier together!

I realize it is difficult to get up early and spend time working with your dog but if you want a dog and the companionship, love and devotion that goes with dog ownership you must make it a priority in your life!  You can have a demanding job and still be a kind and successful dog owner!

Great Dog Training

I have been living under a rock for the past couple months just getting classes and seminars scheduled, teaching every night and during the day and haven’t really had much to post about.
I just returned from NB for the third session of a five part mentor group series.  I have three different level groups that I teach there and all showed huge signs of improvement.  I walk away from most seminars I teach knowing so much more and being very motivated to go home and train.  Seeing students who didn’t have much knowledge of positive dog training or students who new little about handling improve so dramatically over a short period of time is really so inspiring.  The thing I enjoy most is seeing dogs enjoy working and thinking and gaining confidence and speed.  Agility is definitely a huge passion of mine but much more important is that there are fewer and fewer dogs who are trained and treated like crap, anyways I am going on a tangent here.
With the masters group in New Brunswick we ended the weekend with some courses and the first course we ran was not overly complicated and almost every dog ran clean.  So I told them we were going to run the same course once more but this time people were to put in as much effort as they expected from the dogs, everyone was lined up and tugging waiting to go into “the ring” they left their dog on the line and ran out to position and drove ever line and ran hard as if it were the steeplechase finals.  Well I almost killed myself laughing because half the dogs broke the start line, didn’t hold contacts, mislead the lead out, knocked way more bars and took way more off courses.  Which dogs do you think they will have in a trial?

When you go out to your clubs practice night it is usually extremely hard for me to watch.  People get lazy and just “practice” rather than training something specific and ensure that in that hour session there is huge improvment in both dog and handler.  This blog was inpired from the video below:
In this training session Greg gives the dog absolutely no time to be distracted or disinterested.  The transitions from reward to work and back to reward are flawless.  Even though this is not a young dog it gets 6 rewards in one sequence.  I think it every dog was trained this well not only would they show much more improvement in a short amount of time but there would be no unmotivated dogs.
So next time you go to class or practice be aware of how much time your dog has to lose that 110% effort and focus that we all aim for.  Think about the dogs rate of reinforcement, are you more worried about running the sequence or are you looking for specific things that you would like to see more often.
For the last month I have focused on keeping sessions short and having a plan of something I would like to improve within that one session.  I have tried to run every sequence as if it were the world championships so my dogs learn how to deal with that level of arousal and still respond to all cues and keep the bars up.  When my dog makes a conscious effort to turn tight, increase speed, respond to a cue such as deceleration or a shoulder turn I immediately reward.  Reinforcement builds behavior and the more you reinforce a certain behavior the more it will occur.   Which dog will be faster and which dog will learn more, one that receives a reward every 20 obstacles or every 5 obstacles?

Did I mention he’s Perfect

I know, I know, everyone think their puppy is perfect, but he really is the most perfect puppy in the world! He stayed up until 2 am last night playing with me, he is just so entertaining its hard to put him to bed.
This morning we went down to the river valley for some socialization.  What was supposed to be a short trip turned into 2 hours.  We met lots of new people and even a few other dogs.  We played tug in the forest, in the parking lot, beside the path, while skateboards went by, in the presence of children, bikes, and lots of joggers.  How do those 2 minute sessions turn into 2 hour sessions…im not sure
One of our biggest adventures was when a toddler came running and yelling at us with a 6′ long tree branch, waving the branch and all its leaves with all his might.  Summit stopped tugging, looked at the branch then took off leaping into the air and grabbing hold of the branch and enjoying a game of tug with his new found friend…it was hysterical.
After the river valley we went to a friends house to groom dogs and we got to play with 11 dogs running around in the back yard for a good four hours before we fell fast asleep.  After that we went to agility class and got to visit our new friends Fly and Rush, also border collie pups.  He got to spend most of the night in my arms while I instructed or with one of the students.
After class we did some restrained recalls, it was only his second session with recalls but already he knows the game!  I really wanted my border collie to be one of those dogs that screams the whole way around the course, it just makes me laugh.  Bounder is my only dog that is vocal around the course and its really not the same since she has been de-barked.  Well…my perfect little puppy is a screamer!  He goes crazy as soon as I start to lead out or as he tries to catch me, he even screams while tugging, too cute!  I will have to get some video of his restrained recalls up soon, but for now we are off to work on “sit” and some hand targeting.

No Need for Cable

Well the good news is that Summit is great about sleeping through the night, ironically that is about the only time he does sleep! He is good about hanging out in the crate (as long as I am close by) but he always keeps at least one eye open
So here was today’s itinerary:
-morning walk around the lake at the off leash park, lots of kids, dogs and playing with friend “Rush”.   Fell in the lake a couple times and met a couple big scary dogs.
-long drive to the doggie chiropractor
-recalls at the training field
-2 hours at Home Depot and Rona with buddy “Rush” where we hung out by the power tools center and played in the bumpy shopping cart
-Back to the training field to hang out
-Off to Pet Smart where we did recalls up and down just about every aisle
-Down to the river valley for a long walk with buddy “Will”
- hung out in a crate while I worked on the computer
-discovered the best kept secret in the puppy world – the squeaky ball!!!

I realize this cant be good for our retrieve training but it was just too entertaining   I know its long but you have to watch the whole thing!

Great Trial.

We had a great trial on Sunday, the weather was perfect and all the dogs did well.  Riot and Preston ran their dogwalks in every run, Preston had one bad one but the other two were great.  Riots were perfect except she was sucking to the dogwalk allot because she loves her dogwalk!

I definitely have stuff to work on with Preston, as I was driving to the trial on Sunday morning I realized I had never taught him the table so as you can see in his first run he got on and then attempted to target off the side of it   Also need more proofing on weaves and contacts before we trial again.  Other than that I was very pleased and he seemed to get more and more confidence in each run.  Here is a video of his first run and a few highlights from the day.Riot and Preston now have a couple weeks off training as we leave for Worlds tomorrow morning!

A Great Week for Dog Training

This week we had Fanny Gott here for a week of seminars.  We had a great turn out and everyone was left with some great tips and lots to work on.  The two day obedience workshop was very interesting as I have never done any formal obedience training and it is so nice to have methods that are all positive and based on operant conditioning.  Preston showed lots of potential for competition obedience and we will continue to focus on the foundation for heel work and a formal retrieve. 

Puppy day was great and it just makes me want to get my border collie even sooner.  I have so many plans and so many ideas of how I would like to raise her, I don’t know if I will be able to wait until next summer.  We worked on lots shaping and flat work and Fanny stressed the importance of creating a dog who is easy to reward both with tug and food.  It was a common trend that most puppies at the workshop were lacking the enthusiasm we want when it comes to tug drive.

Of course the handling workshop was my favorite and I am so happy that there was such a great group of people who all seem dedicated to Greg’s handling system.  The workshop started with a lecture on Greg’s system which is always good for everyone to hear.  We worked on lots of challenging sequences and even though Preston got into the dog food the night before and was a couple pounds heavier I still enjoyed running him. 

It was so enjoyable to sit back and be a student for a change and work my own dogs.  I plan to bring in more presenter in the next year so I have the opportunity to train my own dogs and be a student every once in a while.

Welcome to Fast Pup Dog Training

At Fast Pup Dog Training our mission is to provide training programs that result in a happy, confident and obedient dog, as well as a happy, confident and satisfied owner. To do this, Fast Pup Dog Training will customize a program that not only trains your dog quickly but also teaches you how to control your dog at all times. Upon completing your customized program you will confidently:

• Walk your dog off leash
• Maintain complete control in distracting environments
• Call your dog and know that you can expect immediate obedience
• Be in charge while maintaining calm composureHere at Fast Pup Dog Training, we specialize in helping you and your dog with behavior problems!
  
• Jumping up
• Nuicsance Barking
• Running Away
• Destructive Behavior
• Separation Anxiety
• Leash Pulling
• Soiling th House
• Nipping and Chewing
• Aggression
• Other Annoyances

Kratos the Husky.

Meet Kratos!

Kratos is one adorable, feisty ball of Husky energy. But like any puppy, he doesn’t know the household rules yet, and doesn’t have any way to learn unless we teach him. Puppies are naturally curious, inquisitive and pre-programmed to explore their world. Kratos is like any animal -- people included! -- if a tactic is successful, he’s likely to do it again. If he's running around, biting and exploring, and he has to go to the bathroom, he'll just go wherever he feels is a good spot. After peeing, he feels instantly better! In his little puppy brain, going to the bathroom inside makes him feel great! So why shouldn’t he do it again?

This is the point where we have to step in. Any time a puppy goes to the bathroom, he feels great! If a puppy is able to go to the bathroom whenever and wherever he wants, what’s the point of going outside to pee when there's a perfectly good rug in the bedroom? One vital part of housetraining a pup is to teach them that going to the bathroom inside does not work. And the only way to do this is to watch them like a hawk!

The goal is to be able to have 100% supervision of your pup. This means that he will be with you, in his crate, or in a puppy-proof confinement area at all times. When you are home, keep your pup with you as much as you can. Set up baby gates to keep him in the room, use a dragline to keep him nearby, or simply tether his leash to whatever you are sitting on. This way you can keep an eye on him and if you see him start to sniff around, you can whisk him outside to use the bathroom.

If you just need to get something done without your pup or if he needs a nap, just pop him in his crate. Dogs are den animals and are naturally inclined not to go to the bathroom where they sleep, so the crate makes a fantastic training tool. Also, when he’s been napping in his crate for a bit, you can guarantee that once he's awake he’s gotta go, so you can take him straight outside to do his business.

Any time a puppy is able to go to the bathroom inside, it will set back how long it takes for him to become housetrained. By managing where your pup is and keeping an eye on him 100% of the time, you can prevent any accidents from happening inside and housetraining will happen that much faster.

To learn more about Housetraining and to read our complete Housetraining eBook, check out Zen Dog Training Online.

Olive the Pit-Mix.

Meet Olive!

Olive is one energetic and joyful pup. She just about wagged herself to pieces when she met us, and continued the entire time we were there. We had to ask her owners to send us a picture because she was just too excited to stay still! While she was thrilled to be with us people, when around other dogs happy, bouncing Olive unfortunately became very unsure of herself.

When Olive would see a dog from a distance, she would first get very tense. As the distance grew smaller she would continue to stare and start to bark, and if the dogs met, Olive would run straight up to the other dog. This may not seem like a big deal to us, but in doggy language, Olive was being very, very rude. If she were human, it would be similar to pushing her way through a crowd, stomping up to a stranger, and yelling in their face “HI! MY NAME IS OLIVE! WHO ARE YOU?”

That doesn’t sound like someone you’d really want to stick around and meet, does it?

While Olive learned to be more confident and proficient in dog communication, we decided to teach her and her owners how to Leash Tango. The dance is simple:

When you see another dog, walk briskly towards him while keeping your own dog relaxed with Jolly Talk. If your dog pulls ahead, stop, take a step back and turn your dog back around to face you. Once you’ve spun your partner, head briskly back towards the other dog. Repeat this as often as the leash goes tight until you reach the other dog. A brisk walk-to-jog does help, but you want to avoid your dog rudely meeting strangers, so make sure to Leash Tango once or twice.

Playing Leash Tango accomplishes many good things at once. First of all, it keeps your dog from going straight at a stranger, and teaches them more appropriate behavior. It also helps the dog you are meeting; for dogs, turning to the side and not approaching straight on is the polite way of saying, “I’m friendly and I would like to meet you!” On top of that, Leash Tango keeps your leash loose. Since the leash is a direct line of communication, a tight leash signals tension. If the leash is loose, your dog is more likely to be relaxed as well. The first step of proper play is a good greeting, so use Leash Tango to help your pup get off to a good start!

To learn more about Leash Tango, as well as how dogs communicate, check out Zen Dog Training Online!

Maggie the Bernese Mountain Dog.

Meet Maggie!

Maggie is one of the nicest, most loving dogs we have ever met. So what's the problem, you ask? Sweet, friendly Maggie always needed to be the center of attention.

She didn’t just ask for her owner to pay attention -- she demanded it loudly. At home, her owner had a hard time making dinner without Maggie interrupting. Just sitting down to eat peacefully was almost impossible!

Maggie’s humans were just like most other dog owners: when the dog came over to say “Hi!” they would instantly give Maggie some attention. On top of that, Maggie learned to do something naughty so all eyes would be on her.

To help teach Maggie to be more polite we played one of our simple (but very powerful!) relationship changing games: Rewarding with Love. Our goal was to help Maggie learn that she couldn’t always get attention when she wanted, and that before she got her way, she had to do something for her owner first. Most importantly, we needed Maggie to understand that when she tried to be demanding, she would get ignored, shunned and sent "out of the pack," so to speak!

At first Maggie was confused. She tried and tried to get our attention, and was surprised that her old tricks weren't working like they used to! She got louder, and more frustrated but she was learning. When she finally settled down, Maggie got the attention she craved so much and quickly learned the rules of the game.

Playing a game like Rewarding with Love is transformational. Rather than a dog being able to get what she wants whenever she wants, we use attention and love as an important reward, not just something a dog gets all the time for free.

To learn more about Rewarding with Love and other strategies to manage demanding behaviors, check out Zen Dog Training Online.

So You Want to Be a Dog Trainer

Whenever I am out dog training or I meet people in a social setting they say they have always wanted to be or would like to be a dog trainer like me!  Whereas this is flattering I often wonder if people really realize what it takes to truly be a professional dog trainer!

I do not lead a glamorous life!

Some days I wish I could dress up, have long nails and wear jewelry, but alas…clothes get stained and ripped, nails are torn off, and I have had jewelry ripped off my neck by boisterous dogs.  And I have been bitten more times than I would like to admit; some being my fault and others blocking more serious damage.

I have one dog trainer friend that was disemboweled by a dog and another whose arm was broken by a dog that ran to the end of his leash!  Dog training is not always full of walks, snuggles and roses!

And, unless you import and train personal protection dogs or police dogs, it can sometimes be difficult to find your niche and actually make money in this business.

BUT, this article is not to discourage.  I actually welcome fresh faces who are willing to learn and dedicate their lives to improving the lives of dogs and their families.  We need as many kind and compassionate dog trainers out there as possible!

Cooking For Your Dog

So I am going to start cooking for them, at least in moderation!  And, I am going to share some recipes with you so that you can do the same!

When cooking for your dog, remember that simplicity is best!  Dogs don’t need added salt or onion or garlic flavorings.  Actually onions and garlic can be toxic for your dog, and salt is hard on his kidneys so when I cook for them I decrease or leave out any salt, garlic, onion or other spice.  My dogs don’t care about spices!  They just want treats that taste good to them, and we all know that dogs eat unimaginably gross things!  Keep it simple, they also don’t need sprinkles or anything that “looks” like chocolate!

Chicken Jerky Oven

    1 cooked chicken breast cut into thin strips
    Preheat oven to 200 degrees
    Place strips on baking sheets and bake 2-3 hours (depending on thickness) to remove moisture.
    Allow to cool in oven as oven cools to continue dehydrating
    Freeze to preserve freshness

Keep it Simple!

Chicken Jerky Dehydrator

    Raw chicken breast (as much as you desire or have room for) cut into thin pieces
    Dehydrate for 8-10 hours depending on thickness
    Freeze to preserve freshness

I assume you could dehydrate almost any kind of meat this way!

Liver Biscuits

    1 lb Liver
    1 box of corn muffin mix
    Liquefy liver in food processor or blender, mix with muffin mix, knead until doughy, spread on a nonstick cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Cool, cut and put in fridge or freezer.

Cooking For Your Dog

I have been a dog trainer and a vet tech for what seems like forever!  I have never “catered” to my dogs’ food choices.  If I were to let them choose, my 12 year old dog would opt for Reese’s Pieces and Peanut Butter Cookies for all of his meals!  He is a dog after my own heart!

I haven’t jumped on the raw diet bandwagon and I don’t have the time or effort to cook all of my dog’s meals for them.  I don’t believe in spoiling them when it comes to their meals either.  You surely know someone who’s dog will only eat homemade meals.

Personally I don’t believe that most homemade dog food recipes and raw diets get the dogs all the vitamins and nutrients they need in all the right amounts.  I know that most try, but I don’t believe that they have been around long enough to provide my dogs with all that they need.

I understand that there are many of my readers that make their own dog food or feed the raw diet and do a great job and have wonderful results, but for now it is just not for me.  I believe in the research and nutritional components of some of the large dog food companies.  I am not here to discourage anyone from making their own dog food.

However, I recently had a scare when it comes to dog treats.

I use to give my dogs a third of a piece of chicken jerky at night when we all went to bed.   And, my dogs started begging to go to bed around 7 p.m. each night so that they could enjoy their nightly ritual!  I didn’t realize that the FDA had been cautioning pet owners about chicken jerky products made in China since 2007!  YIKES!!!

It got me thinking; perhaps it would be safer for me to make my own dog treats!

For years I have been telling my obedience clients to use human food for treats (in moderation of course) because if lots of small children get sick from string cheese we will know a lot faster than if dogs get sick and the process it takes to diagnose and relate it back to a food or treat item.

Preparing Your Gun Dog for Gunfire

Gun dog training, specifically, is something I have never really gotten into, being the animal advocate that I am, am not really into hunting (although I am not here to pass judgment on hunters)!  However, I have spent many years working with police and protection dogs so I am not new to desensitizing dogs to gun fire.
It is critical to teach your dog or your puppy correctly when it comes to desensitizing him to noise, especially gunfire.
Dog hearing is much, much better than human hearing!  Did you know the ears of dogs are controlled by at least 18 muscles?  And, upright and curved ears amplify sound.  Humans often use ear protection when they shoot a gun, can you imagine how loud that same sound is for the dog ?
Police dogs and gun dogs are often right beside the gun when it fires and in order to be successful I believe it is best to slowly incorporate gunfire into his life.
I have personally seen and worked with dogs that were traumatized by gunfire or loud sounds and although these dogs can be desensitized to a point, some of them will never be effective working dogs.  It is much better to prevent a problem than it is to set your dog up for failure and then deal with a problem later.
I once worked with a police dog that was purchased due to his high drives sociability and workability; however the police department did not test his gunfire readiness.  Turns out that he detested gunfire!  Gunfire or loud noises sent him running for the car.  As you can imagine no officer wanted a dog they couldn’t trust in a shootout!  Turns out his first owner’s husband had gotten drunk one night and shot a goat right next to him.  The sound of the gun plus the bleating of the goat traumatized him for life.

movie of Success Story From A Client

I just got this video entry for this month’s dog training contest that I thought you’d enjoy.
If you didn’t already know, each month I award $100 petsmart giftcard to the client who sends me the best video of how their dog turns out AFTER using the techniques I teach in one of my programs.

If you’d like to compete against this video and try to win the $100 petsmart gift card here’s a hint… shoot a video of your dog ‘Misbehaving’ BEFORE you do any training with your dog, so I can see just how badly behaved they were.  Then shoot a second video of how much progress you’ve made AFTER you start to see results (it usually only takes a few days)!

How to Speak So Your Dog Will Listen

Welcome to the Natural Dog Blog, the most complete and practical resource for Natural Dog Training on the web. This site will help you learn about the philosophy and practice of Natural Dog Training, elicit obedience from your dog, and solve problems like dog aggression and hyperactivity.
Through the techniques of  Natural Dog Training (developed by Kevin Behan), you will learn how your dog actually sees the world (or rather, how your dog feels the world), and develop a thorough understanding of how a dog’s prey instinct is at the core of all of their behavior.  Rather than fighting your dog’s natural instincts, you will discover how to work with them, so that your dog will respond to you even at increasing levels of energy and stimulation.  Natural Dog Training will transform your relationship with your dog, fostering a deeper emotional connection based on satisfying your dog’s innermost desires.

A Guide to the Natural Dog Blog

• Subscribe – If you’re new to this site, the first thing that you should do is subscribe (see the link in the upper left hand corner?  you can subscribe with e-mail or RSS).  Subscribing will ensure that you get blog articles when they’re written – delivered to your newsreader or Inbox.
• Training How-To - Go to this section to get a (reasonably) ordered presentation about how I train dogs, and how YOU can start implementing the same Natural Dog Training-based style that I use.
• Blog – Here’s where you’ll find the most current articles that I’m writing about all things “Natural Dog”.  The latest and greatest info is here.  You can also click on the “Archives” and see all of the articles I’ve ever written here on the Natural Dog Blog, in reverse chronological order.
• Store – I have a couple essential items for you here in the store.  The first is my DVD set, which gives you in-depth visual instruction in the dog training methodology that I use.  You’ll see many of my techniques with different types of dogs, so that you’ll have a sense of how to do this kind of training work with your own dog.  I also sell extra-long (50 foot) nylon training leashes – specially designed to be durable, visible, and enable you to have control over your dog, at a distance, while you play or train.
• Forum – People are talking about Natural Dog Training.  Come join in!  Get your questions answered, meet others, become part of the community.

With the tips contained in this site, you’ll become the center of your dog’s emotional universe (aka “the moose”), and then you’ll be able to easily elicit rock-solid obedience – teaching your dog how to heel, sit, lie down, stay, and, most importantly, come when called no matter what the distraction.  You’ll  solve difficult problems like aggression, anxiety, fearfulness, or hyperactivity by learning what’s at the core of these behaviors and addressing them at their root.
The best part is that no matter what you do, you will have fun doing it!  My goal is to help you learn how to be the moose and have the happiest dog on the block.  You might just end up being the happiest human on the block as well.