Dog’s Point of View – Why won’t you just stop pulling???
Thanks to Jennifer Anderson for her question. “Why is my dog willing to choke himself to death by pulling me the entire walk, instead of avoiding what can’t be comfortable and just walk like normal!”
This is a very common question among dog owners. When we look at it from the dog’s point of view we can sometimes see why they they may choose pulling as the best behavior to do on leash.
First we have to think “What is the DOG getting out of pulling?”
Do you use Cues or Commands?
It may seem like semantics, but here are my brief thoughts on the topic. I think it will illustrate clearly why semantics matter and how it can change your outlook on training.Dog trainers are not perfect. This is the story of Kelly Keeney, the frustrated dog owner and a certified professional dog trainer and how easy it is to forget how good behavior is built in training.
I do not like living in a house where dogs bark at every little thing. It makes my brain go crazy.
When your reinforcers don’t work….
Walks with my dog are for HER enjoyment. I love the walks, but my agenda stays at home. So we “go for a bumble” (Helen Philips of Clicker Gun Dog Centre), just wandering around with no real goal in mind. As long as she does not pull (or go somewhere unsafe) she is free to sniff and wander to her nose and brain’s content. Most days it is a good combination of walking and sniffing. One day we we spent the whole hour in the parking lot of our local park. She loved it and was exhausted when we were done.
HELP, my dog bites and growls at me when I try to put in his eye drops.
Typically we wait until our dog needs eye drops to find out that they don’t really like that experience at all! Cooperative Care practices have shown us that begin we should begin teaching our dog about the things we “may need” for medical treatment before we need them. My short list would include eye drops, ear drops, nail trim, baths and teeth brushing.
Bonus Blog: Expert Tips for a Stress-Free Move with your Pet
Check out our feature in Redfin’s latest article: “Moving with Pets: Expert Tips for a Successful Move”
Moving to a new city or town can be incredibly stressful, and it’s also a huge stress to your pet. Whether you are relocating from Austin, TX to Portland, OR, or just moving a few neighborhoods over, taking your pets’ feelings into consideration is important. Take a look at what we had to say about the best ways to make moving with pets go more smoothly.
Potty Training
Typically, the behaviors we see our dog use most frequently are the ones that we have TAUGHT our dog, whether we did so consciously or unconsciously. Once you realize what purpose the behavior serves in the dogs eyes, it will become easier to make them stronger or...
Dog Safe Gardening Tips
Well here we are Springtime and time for gardening. It is a great way to hang outside and enjoy your dogs company. There are some plants (many actually) that can be toxic if your dog ingests them.
Always good to take a look at your yard and try to choose beautiful non-toxic flowers and shrubs. If you already have plants in your yard that are toxic (who doesn’t have daffodils) keep an eye on your dog when you are gardening, place gates around that section of the garden if your dog like to eat plants or spray the plants with some of the non-toxic natural sprays/granulars that will keep your dog out of the area.
FOR THE MULCH EATING MUTTS
FOR THE MULCH EATING MUTTS
Remember just like with humans, old habits are hard to break the earlier you start the faster changes will happen.
Be patient, train, manage them well and give your dog something else to do. Below are my top tips – with the caveat that none of these work for every scenario/og/owner, so your mileage may vary
First and foremost – Make sure that the mulch doesn’t contain cocoa bark. Very high in theobromine which is toxic to dogs.
My Puppy won’t stop biting me!
Learning how to moderate the force of a bite is very important for all dogs. Puppies naturally nip at each other while playing. If they bite too hard on their mother or littermate, the other dog will likely make a loud yelp sound, warning the puppy, “Hey, that hurt!” and the pupies learn not to bite so hard as a result. If you rescued your pup or even if you purchased your pup from a breeder, it is possible they did not get enough practice before they came home with you. It is even more possible that they just don’t know that the same rules apply with fingers, toes and clothing as it did with their littermates.
Stop Barking!
One of the things every one can agree with is that having a dog that barks inappropriately or incessantly is annoying at the very least. This week we are going to give you the way to teach you dog to “Stop Barking at The World” when you ask them to. It will also provide ways to test (Pup Quiz) to see if your dog is ready to move to the next step.
