Here's a great list that I thought I would pass on...very interesting! –Kim
Here's a great picture/poster that reminds us: their lives are completely in our hands! –Kim
Here's a great article about common myths...hope you find it informative! –Kim
False. Old dogs not only learn new tricks but they thrive when trained. My late Pomeranian, Mr. Teddy, who was adopted at an estimated 10 to 13 years of age, was a training superstar in Vetstreet videos, which were filmed two weeks before he passed away. By the same token, older dogs without housetraining experience as puppies can successfully be housetrained. As long as a dog is mentally and physically capable of learning to perform a behavior and is properly motivated, it's entirely possible to train her. While intense agility training for Teddy was not realistic, teaching basic commands was.
Here's a great poem that I thought I would pass on... Merry Christmas! –Kim
And mamma in her 'kerchief and I in my cap
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
I knew in an instant there would be no gifts this year,
Here's a great article that I thought I would pass on...hope you find it helpful! –Kim
Overview of Pet Separation Anxiety
December 1, 2010
Dogs with separation anxiety destroy objects, urinate, defecate, vomit or salivate when they are left alone. In extreme cases, dogs can be left alone for no longer than 10 or 15 minutes before they panic and exhibit behavior associated with anxiety. Sometimes separation anxiety is caused by a change in schedule that necessitates the dog be left alone for longer that normal. Idiopathic changes in older dogs may also cause sudden separation anxiety.
Separation anxiety may also be associated with a traumatic event such as being in the house during a fire, during a burglary attempt, or while an alarm system sounded. Dogs at risk for separation anxiety include those rescued from humane shelters, laboratory situations, the street, and those that have spent a lot of time in kennels or with a housebound person.
Treatment for Separation Anxiety in Pets
Treatment for separation anxiety teaches the dog that it does not have to be fearful and panic when it is left alone. Most dogs respond to a smaller space where they feel secure, such as a crate. If the dog panics when crated, do not force it. This will make the situation worse.
Behavior modification for dogs with separation anxiety is designed to teach the dogs to "sit," "stay," and "relax" while the owner performs various behaviors, some of which may be upsetting to the dog. The dog is trained to do this exercise with all members of the household, in each room of the house, and outside. Dogs with separation anxiety are usually anxious in various situations and it is important to teach them to relax at every opportunity. Each member of the household should practice training the dog every day.
Next, the dog is left alone for gradually increasing amounts of time. Crate the dog or isolate it in a small, well-lit, temperature-controlled room when you are not at home. Make sure that the room is safe (i.e., no dangling cords, uncovered electrical outlets, open areas of water, such as a toilet) and provide a blanket or bedding, water, toys, and a biscuit. Remove the dog's collar (to prevent strangulation) and remove anything in the room that can be destroyed. Leave the television or radio on and place an additional light on a timer to go on 15 to 20 minutes before you come home. A timer can be used to modify behavior and signal to the dog that you will be returning. If possible, have someone visit the dog during the day.
Separation anxiety can sometimes be relieved if the dog can observe the outside world (e.g., if the crate can be placed by sliding glass doors). Some dogs do better if they are safely and comfortably left outside.
Desensitize the dog to cues that indicate you are about to leave for the day. Pick up your keys, but do not go anywhere; put on makeup and dress up on the weekend; go to work wearing a jogging suit; use a different door than normal; change your daily routine. This helps to reduce the dog's anxiety-based behavior, which may include:
Most dogs with separation anxiety require anti-anxiety medication, especially those that experience sudden anxiety caused by trauma. Anti-anxiety medications have limited side effects and tremendous benefits.
http://www.animalhealthchannel.com/separationanxiety/index.shtml
© 2010 Healthcommunities.com, Inc.
Here's a great article that I thought I would pass on...hope you find it helpful! –Kim
What Walking Means to Your Dog
Quite often, when I'm out walking the dogs, I see numerous other dog/handler teams out and about for a stroll in the neighborhood.
I see all kinds of things that I don't particularly like – dogs getting yanked around on leashes, yelled at, and constantly scolded. I can't recall a single time I've seen a dog in my neighborhood actually get a treat for doing the right thing when out on a walk.
But of all the things I see on walks, one of the most frustrating for me is seeing dogs being punished, incessantly, for being dogs.
Sometimes it seems as though owners take their dogs on a walk and forget what a walk is all about for their dog. For dogs, a walk is about sights, sounds, experiences. It's about checking "p-mail," sniffing hydrants and trees to find out where the neighbor's dog or cat last peed. It's about shoving their faces down the hole of a groundhog and sniffing until they finally pull their faces out, dirty, blissful, nostrils full of the smell of wild animals. It's about munching a particularly tender blade of grass, saying "hello" to a friendly stranger they'd like to greet, lifting a leg on every fire hydrant, sign, or tree you pass, splashing in a puddle or creek, or chewing a stick for a brief moment.
This is what walks mean to dogs. It's a chance to investigate and interact with their environment. It's mental and physical stimulation.
Many owners approach a walk with the mentality that, "We're going to walk x route in y amount of minutes whatever that takes. It will be your exercise for the day and you'd better well like it." It's a "let's just get this over with" mentality, a "you're an imposition to me and I'm doing this because I have to, not because I like to," mentality. For these people and their dogs, walking is a chore. For me, Cuba, and Mokie, more often than not, it's a game.
Let's face facts. For many, many dogs, a half hour leash walk every day barely scratches the surface of their true exercise needs. Mokie, my Chow mix, is a very active dog and for her, a walk is certainly more about mental stimulation than it is about physical stimulation. A 30-minute walk is a drop in the bucket for her. If I want to really tire her out, we need to go hiking, backpacking, swimming, or have a long and adventurous romp with some of her favorite doggy pals.
When we go on a walk, I'm walking for my dogs. It's their chance to just get out there and be dogs, to sniff and explore. If I want to go on a brisk, no-nonsense, let's-not-stop-for-anything-power walk (which happens rarely, I just can't see the point in walking without at least one dog and would feel utterly naked), I would go without the dogs.
Despite the fact that I'm a trainer, I also don't insist on perfect obedience from my dogs when we walk. A colleague once said, "well, my dogs would NEVER pull on the leash, because I'm a dog trainer." Well, la-dee-dah. Dogs are dogs. They move faster than we do and think poop is more interesting than we do. I'm not saying I let my dogs pull me around, but sometimes the leash does go tight. So what? I just stop, wait for the tension to come off the leash, and we start walking again. Easy-peasy. No mess, no fuss.
I do use equipment as a cue for the type of walk we're having. If I'm going on a training walk, where we're going to work on heeling or obedience, my dogs can wear their collars and six foot leashes. If we're going on fun, "for the dogs" walk, they get to wear front-clip harnesses and a long-line or flexi leash. (For dogs — and owners of dogs – that are not already trained to walk politely on a regular leash, a flexi leash can actually be both a safety risk and inhibit the learning of appropriate leash manners.) When they have those "clothes" on, they know they're off the 
hook. It's dog time – do whatever you want. Sure, I'll still call them back and reinforce them for coming, ask for a few steps in heel and reward with a chance to shove their face in a hole dug by a woodchuck, or ask for a few hand targets and reward with a stick tossed into the creek for retrieving.
But my dogs aren't always "on." They're not always performing, I'm not always rigid. I don't spend every second we're together thinking of criteria, reinforcement schedules, etc. I think of behaviors I like, and try to find ways to make it fun for them to offer those behaviors by giving them the things they want and need. Yes, dogs do NEED to sniff things and interact with their environment.
Sometimes, I'm not even a dog trainer, I'm just She Who Likes to Have Fun with Dogs.
I don't want robots, I want canines. Yes, I find their good behavior rewarding and fulfilling. It makes me proud to know how wonderful my dogs are. But at the same time, I want them to have plenty of opportunities to just do the things that they like to do, even if means that they're sniffing for 30 minutes our of a 45 minute walk and we only make it around four or five blocks instead of walking a few miles. Sometimes, I let the dogs pick the route we take on our walk. Something smells good on Fairview Avenue? Let's go that way instead of taking Riverside today!
Next time you leash your dog up for a walk, ask yourself, "whose walk is it anyway?"
Source: http://blogs.dogster.com/dog-training/whos-walk-is-it-anyway/2010/08/
Copyright 2010 Dogster, Inc.
Here's a great article that I thought I would pass on...hope you find it useful! –Kim
Jumping Up on People or Escaping & Running
By Dawn Keadic
Every dog owner must eventually deal with some unwanted behaviors on the part of their four legged companions. Some of the most frequently encountered training problems with puppies and dogs alike are jumping on people and performing those amazing feats of escape.
Jumping up on people
Jumping up on people can be a cute trick for puppies, but it quickly becomes a problem behavior as the dog gets older, larger and heavier. A very heavy dog can easily knock a child or even a small adult of his or her feet, so jumping on people can be a dangerous problem as well as an annoying one.
The reason puppies and older dogs jump on people is obvious – they are excited and happy to see them. Many people are reluctant to discourage this exuberant behavior, but it is important to redirect that happiness and energy in other ways. Many well meaning owners, family members and friends inadvertently encourage this jumping up behavior by picking the puppy up, kissing it or otherwise providing encouragement.
This type of inconsistency is anathema to proper dog training, and in order for the dog to be trained not to jump, every member of the family must recognize and accept the importance of the training. If one member of the family allows the dog to jump up while other family members do not, the dog will understandably become confused and frustrated. The training must be firm, kind and consistent in order to be effective.
One way to redirect the dog's happiness and excited ness from jumping is to teach him to lift his paw when greeting you. This "shaking hands" posture is an acceptable way for the dog to show his happiness and his respect. Many people even teach their dogs to do simple tricks, like rolling over, instead of jumping on people.
Escaping and roaming the neighborhood
A responsible dog owner would never dream of allowing his or her dog to roam the neighborhood freely. Allowing a dog to roam on its own is irresponsible, dangerous (to the dog and the neighborhood) and probably even illegal. Most towns have ordinances which prohibit dogs from being allowed to roam around free, so you could be in legal trouble if your dog is found wandering the neighborhood unattended.
Of course, sometimes that wandering dog is not the owner's idea, and many dogs perform amazing feats of escape when left on their own. The temptations for unattended dogs are many, including passing bicycles, joggers, children, cats and other dogs. It is much easier to prevent escapes than to recapture a loose dog, so let's talk about some preventative measures every dog owner can take.
Removing the motivation to escape is a big part of the solution. A bored dog is much more likely to spend his day plotting the great escape. A dog that is surrounded by everything he or she needs, like lots of toys, a soft bed, and plenty of fresh clean, water, is more likely to spend his or her day contentedly sleeping or playing with toys until the owner returns.
In addition, a dog with lots of pent up, unused energy is likely to try to escape. Try incorporating several vigorous play sessions with your dog into your daily routine. Make one of those play sessions right before you leave. If your dog has a chance to work out his or her energy, chances are he or she will sleep or relax much of the day.
Of course, dealing with the dog is only half the problem. It is also important to make the property as escape-proof as possible, through proper fencing and other measures. For dogs that dig, it may be necessary to extend the fence underground by placing metal stakes in the ground every few feet. For dogs that jump, it may be necessary to make the fence higher. And if none of these measures work, it may be necessary to confine the dog to the house when you are not at home.
Source: http://www.chicagodogtrainer.com/index.php/chicago-dog-training-articles/52-problem-dog-behaviors
Here's a great article that I thought I would pass on...hope you find it helpful! –Kim
Chaining Dogs Unleashes Bad Behavior
By Victoria Stilwell, Special for USA TODAY
8/12/2009
I am constantly surprised at the number of my clients who regularly chain or tie their dog in the backyard for long periods of time and then wonder why the dog is misbehaving on and off the leash.
Unfortunately, such tethering is common practice in the U.S. because of the less structured design of American real estate and common lack of fencing between properties. The well-meaning but misguided rationale I usually hear is that tethering is the only way for the dog to be under control outside without owner supervision.
Further, many clients have the incorrect belief that if the dog is outside most of the time, it doesn't need to be walked and won't suffer as much from lack of human contact.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that keeping your dog in your backyard most of the day will replace his natural need for stimulation and get you off the hook for not walking him. In fact, it almost always does more harm than good, since the backyard becomes just another "room" in which he can quickly get bored.
At the mercy of kids and other animals
A study by the American Veterinary Medical Association in 2000 showed that 17% of fatal dog attacks on humans between 1979 and 1998 were from dogs that were restrained on their property by tethers at the time of the attack, and many of the victims were children.
So why are chained dogs more likely to bite, and why are the incidences of these attacks becoming so common?
Tethered dogs have a greater tendency to respond aggressively to an approaching person (even if it's someone the dog knows), yet owners often seem unaware that continual confinement can cause immense frustration, which leads to increased reactivity or desire to chase and bite a person. Certain dogs are particularly territorial, becoming protective over space or property and putting anything approaching their territory at risk.
Dogs tethered in yards with no fences are much more accessible to the public, including children who often can't resist touching or sometimes teasing a dog. Unable to increase the distance between itself and an approaching stranger, the dog has no option but to fight. Tethered dogs are also at the mercy of other animals that may wander onto their territory and are at risk of getting tangled in their tethers and being injured.
A dog is a social animal, so lack of social interaction can seriously damage its psychological well-being, causing a buildup of frustration and anger that can explode at the slightest trigger.
Other commonplace scenarios besides tethering can create what dog behaviorist Jean Donaldson describes as "barrier frustration." Crate training is a popular and sometimes effective method of house training a puppy, but some dogs can't cope in such a confinement. Lack of space can cause excessive anxiety, which manifests itself in whining, barking or chewing on the crate. Dogs that suffer separation anxiety often become more anxious in crates.
Owner and pet in a dangerous cycle
A dog can experience similar frustration on the leash. In normal circumstances, an unleashed dog would be able to put sufficient distance between itself and a fear source, but if the same dog is leashed and unable to increase distance, he will react or behave aggressively, hoping the fear source will go away. If his behavior is validated by success, he is likely to react in the same manner again. In response, the owner often becomes tense when walking and keeps the leash tight, transmitting the nervousness down the leash to the dog, effectively making the behavior worse. Dog and owner are then locked into a cycle of tension and leash-lunging that's hard to change.
Many common behavioral problems could be avoided if owners understood how severely confinement can compromise natural behavior. Some local governments are becoming aware of the potential problems that chaining can cause for dogs and humans, and many cities and counties are making tethering illegal.
The key is to see the world from the dog's point of view if we want to understand why dogs behave as they do. Only then can we truly identify the root cause of the behavior and humanely solve the problem using positive reinforcement.
Source: http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/pets/2009-08-12-stilwell-dog-chains_N.htm
Copyright 2009 USA Today
Victoria Stilwell is the host of Animal Planet's "It's Me or the Dog." Her no nonsense, common sense approach to dog training is both practical and effective. It's about educating owners on how to see things from a dog's perspective and use positive reinforcement to encourage good behavior. With a little patience and effort, anyone can live happily with their canine companions. Visit Victoria Stilwell on the Web, get her training tips and watch full episodes of "It's Me or the Dog" by clicking http://animal.discovery.com/tv/its-me-or-dog/index.html or http://www.victoriastilwell.com
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