Dogs

How To Prepare Your New Dog For Hazardous Weather

Enjoy a guest post by Paige Johnson on preparing your dog for hazardous weather.

When you are a first-time dog owner, odds are you haven’t had the time to consider everything your pup is going to need. Extreme weather is alarming for people, let alone a dog. As your new dog’s guardian, it is your job to keep him safe and calm. Many dogs become nervous around unfamiliar weather and may end up endangering themselves. There are a few ways you can prepare your dog for hazardous weather.

Know the Breed

Each breed of dog has different levels of resiliency to heat, dampness, and cold. Even if your dog is a mixed breed, you should make yourself aware of your dog’s tolerances. If you have a small dog, particularly a Chihuahua, your dog may be susceptible to all weather and will require protection from heat, cold, and dampness.

You also should learn your dog’s specific preferences. Some dogs are indifferent to thunder, while others panic as soon as they hear the first rumble. You need to prepare to handle both your dog’s mental wellbeing and physical wellbeing during a thunderstorm.

Buy Supplies in Advance

It can be difficult to predict what your dog will need during times of severe weather. However, you should do your best to be well prepared. Some recommended precautions include rain jackets, waterproof boots, paw protectors, first aid kits, winter coats or vests, and a Thundershirt if your dog is fearful of severe conditions.

When the weather heats up, you must consider your dog’s paw pads when taking him onto concrete, macadam, or stone. If you can’t handle walking barefoot on the sidewalk or street, it’s too hot for your dog. This is when pad protectors come into play. Some dogs also are prone to sunburn. On the other hand, when the weather turns cold, your dog will need boots and a garment to keep his core warm. For smaller dogs, you may need to invest in a full snow suit to protect their delicate body temperatures.

Keep Up With Training

A poorly trained dog is far more likely to bolt when alarming weather occurs. This puts him in danger and you at risk of never finding your beloved pet again. Make sure your dog obeys your commands regardless of circumstances and can be recalled if he is running away from you. You might want to consider professional dog training courses if you aren’t having success.

Have a Plan

For emergency situations such as flooding or tornadoes, you should have a plan in place that includes your pet’s needs. Including your pet in emergency response practices can be a part of his training. If he knows what to expect in the event of an emergency, he is more likely to remain calm. For example, in case your neighborhood is hit by a big storm, you should teach your dog a command that means he should hunker down in safe shelter and wait for you to tell him it’s safe to leave. Of course, you’ll also need to teach him the safest place to go under these circumstances.

Preparing your family for any extreme weather is stressful enough. Bringing a new dog into the mix can make things even more difficult, as you may not know how best to cope with your dog’s needs. The primary focus is keeping him mentally and physically safe from the weather with supplies and training.

Consult with a dog trainer and visit a quality pet store so that you can rest assured that your pet will be safe no matter what Mother Nature sends your way.

Paige Johnson is a self-described fitness “nerd.” She possesses a love for strength training. In addition to weight-lifting, she is a yoga enthusiast, avid cyclist, and loves exploring hiking trails with her dogs. She enjoy writing about health and fitness for LearnFit.org

image via Pixabay by Hans

Memorial Day Dogs – A Salute To Military Working Dogs

A Salute to Military Working Dogs

A salute to military working dogs: Yes, indeed, it is a holiday. Memorial Day. But honestly it is a time of reflection. A time to give thanks. A time to appreciate.

As dog people, we get it. Dogs are a big part of our lives on a daily basis.

All our dogs are loyal companions but Military working dogs have a much bigger roll to fulfill. Today, we’d like to reflect and honor our military working dogs.

And remind you to go spend a little time doing something fun with your dog!

These dogs are highly trained. They are trained in a much different way than our companion dogs. But one of the amazing things in all the years of training dogs, finding out what works is time.

Yes, time spent with your dog.

So on this holiday, find the time to DO something with your dog. The more you do it the more it becomes the normal. It’s all about creating a life well played. Repetition.

Think about it. Where is your mind focused? Are you too busy to take 10 min, 15 min, a half hour to do something with your dog today?

Our dogs time is limited here. When it comes down to it, so is ours.

*If you’ve got the behavior issue stopping you, don’t let that be a factor anymore. Here are 5 free professional online dog training videos with access to fixing 34 common dog problems!

Now, go out and play. Thank our military working dogs and enjoy the day.

Bark less. Play more!

Life with Dogs What Games Are You Playing

What Games are You Playing With Your Dog?You know the games your dog is playing are all about your life right?

What games are you playing in life? Do you ever take short bits of time and just play with your dog? Or are they games that leave you filled with excuses, lack and feeling a bit empty about each and every day?

The Perfect Game – Life With Dogs

Your dog’s version of perfect game is certainly a life well played and a life well loved. And honestly we all want that too.

But, us humans have all kinds of conflicting criteria as to what makes us happy. Money, career, the person to be with, the right job, owning our own business. The big house with the white picket fence, a nice car, a couple of kids and the well behaved dog.

And we also tend to carry around a lot of excuses as to why we don’t have those thing we define as happiness.

Are you sitting on the sidelines watching. Being a full blown spectator? You wanna have a say in your own personal life but you just aren’t willing to get out there and play?

And what in the world does that have to do with the life you live with your dog?

Everything.

I hear it all the time. My dog does this thing, (go ahead, list all your irritations here)..

She’s doesn’t listen to me.

She’s too hyper, can’t concentrate on what I want her to do. Sitting for a minute is beyond her capability.

She’s a ball of anxiety. New things leave her wanting to check out. Hide in the corner. Everything seems like a chore.

She’s destroyed my newest favorite pair of shoes again.

She barks non stop at anything that walks past “her” house.

Go ahead. Make your list. Do it. Right now… then come back and read this…

Now think about all those things you listed about your dog, the things that really bug you, the things you wish you could change with a wave of a wand. Abracadabra. Fixed!

Read them again, and then think of how in your own personal life you are playing those same exact things out. Oh yeah. OMD… Oh My Dog. Yeppers. We point the finger at our dog, and there are four pointing back at you.

She doesn’t listen to me = you know a lot of times when you should be listening, even learning but instead you are talking over top of someone else, or you don’t even hear what they say because you’re too busy formulating what you are going to say in response.

You’ve got 15 projects you really want to get done, and 45 tabs open on your computer. The multi-tasking has become such a habit you finish nothing but become really good at starting everything = way too hyper, can’t focus long enough to sit for more the 3.5 seconds.

You want to start something new, move, change our life, get a new boyfriend or girlfriend, stop drinking and get fit, but actually taking the necessary steps to do it, that thought brings total ANXIETY, it stops you cold in your tracks = the dog who freaks at the thought of your leaving, or the leaf that just blew across the yard when you let her out to go pee.

Get In The Game

I challenge you today. If you have been sitting on the sidelines; GET IN THE GAME.

Play it. The things you want to do. Do them. Stop being so hyper and grabbing at all the shiny bits out there. Concentrate on what you want. And do that thing. Get everything else out of the way.

If you spend hours and weeks and months worrying, building anxiety about what’s next, what if this happens or what if that happens… I challenge you. Get in the game. Concentrate on exactly what you want. Make a list of how you can get it. And every single time anxiety arises; do something on that list. Get in the game.

And how do you get your dog in the game? Get all those things that bug you so much to magically disappear?

Honestly, you’re playing the same game here. You have a hyper dog, jumps on you, spins around, you’re practically dizzy just getting a leash on. The shiny bits went way out of control in your dogs mind. Practice sit. For more than a minute. Over and over. It’s an exercise that is extremely calming.

I know. Sounds way too simple. But we’ve worked ourselves into it just can’t be done because we’ve created expectations around the way my dog just is. I’ll just put up with it. It’ll either just go away if I wish it away long enough, or when I have more time I’ll get some help (exit to scrolling the facebook feed)… how many hours do you spend there that you could be playing the game of life creating exactly what you want, from decluttering to a new career, to spending a little bit time each day getting your dog to sit instead of letting her spin out. How many hours have you wasted not working on that?

Practice becomes permanent. An exercise as simple as sit, it’s calming. It builds confidence. It can even be a game.

Do This Thing With Your Dog and You’ll Play More Good Games

Sitting is zen for dogs. Grounded. Then you can move on to the next thing. Throw in a daily walk, things really change for you and your dog! It’s all a psychology I teach in my ecourse on how to life the life you really wanted with your dog. Of course I work with people privately too, but for now, just start. All on your own.

The big deal is, get in the game and to do that you gotta start.

What’s your game of life? What game do you want to play with your dog? Go do it! You can do anything you want. You can teach your dog a ton of stuff, like the dog on the skateboard. It’s a matter of how you view it. Would you rather sit on the sidelines or do you want to get in the game and play hard?

DO IT. Ask Me Anything You Want About Your Dog. In Fact, If I Gave You A Genie In A Bottle And Granted You 3 Wishes For Your Relationship With Your Dog, What Would They Be?
Grant Me My 3 Dog Wishes

Wish 1 Wish 2 Wish 3

Click the button below and schedule your no charge dog lifestyle session with me today. Grant Me My 3 Dog Wishes

*Note: the button will provide a place for your e-mail and then and then it will take you to a calendar to pick a time that works for you so that you can have the best dog ever. Pick it, add the contact info where I can reach you and you’ll hear from me at the appointed time. It’s pretty cool really.

Slam Dunk Ways To Get Your Dog To Listen Without Going to A Dog Training Class

Ok, so you love your dog. But, there’s these things that he does that drive you crazy. Or you just don’t understand why after all this time, the thousands of times you’ve told him, asked him, pleaded with him to just do this one thing and he still doesn’t get it.

Dog One On One Listening Skills

Well, there are reasons for it. Mainly that your dog thinks and learns much differently than we do and we are constantly trying to logic with him.

Here’s a big secret.

Your dog does not have the capacity to logic.

I know, I know. You mean you’ve been jabbering on all this time and your dog heard, blah, blah, blah, blah… ya wanna treeeat? Oh yeah, ears perk up, tail wags. He got that one.

Why?

Find out why that worked and the rest of what you said didn’t with a simple 15-30 minute phone session with me. No charge.

Seriously, no charge.

Grant Me My 3 Dog Wishes

Your Personalized Dog Lifestyle

The way you live with your dog is as individual as it comes. Which is why so many dog training classes don’t exactly work… and why… I’m putting together some new dog lifestyle programs and an dog training ecourse that can be access online and I want to know exactly what you need help with. So I’ve set up a way for you to schedule a consultation with me and get whatever questions you have about your dog answered. Yep, once again. No charge.

You can ask anything. Could be about:

Behavior • Health • Fitness

Whatever dog lifestyle you want to create. Ask me. And no, I’m not here to sell you on a dog training class you don’t even have the time to go to, nor do you want to try that route again. I’m doing this to find some real solutions for dog people who:

Want to have a better time with the dog they love but just doesn’t quite get exactly what you’re trying to get them to understand.

Want to know how to integrate quality dog time in when you’re on a limited time budget.

How to prepare for your dog getting older.

Your puppy is a nightmare, and yet everyone says they love puppies! What am I doing wrong? (there’s one thing that can help this hugely, and it’s way easier than you think, costs you nothing and is super duper good for you too).

You have ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR DOG! Anyway, join me. Ask me anything. It’s a free dog lifestyle session ($75) value. No charge!

DO IT. Ask Me Anything You Want About Your Dog. In Fact, If I Gave You A Genie In A Bottle And Granted You 3 Wishes For Your Relationship With Your Dog, What Would They Be?

Wish 1 Wish 2 Wish 3

Click the button below and schedule your no charge dog lifestyle session with me today. Grant Me My 3 Dog Wishes

*Note: the button will take you to a calendar to pick a time that works for you. Pick it, add the contact info where I can reach you and you’ll hear from me at the appointed time. It’s pretty cool really.

3 Great Tips For Leash Training

Dog Leash Training That Will Make Your Life so Much Easier!

*guest post by Austrian Pro Dog Trainer Brigid Weinzinger

Dogs pull on leashes.
Full stop.
Like it was a law of nature.

Do you feel like this sometimes?

Like there is nothing you can do about it? Not much at least. Because you have tried it all and still you got that dog of yours pulling on the leash.

Well, your are not alone! We have all been there!

As a matter of fact there are solid reasons why your dog pulls on the leash.
(I’ll go there in a minute!)

However, there is no reason to stay there.
You, too, can have your dog walking nicely on leash with you.
Without years of harsh training or putting stuff on your dog that will just hurt and harm them.

And I will tell you how.

Before that we’ll just take a quick glance at why the dog pulls in the first place.

There are three simple reasons

Reason: That interesting thing over there!
Dogs follow their impulses, go for whatever is interesting, smells interesting. And bet you: most of the time that interesting thing is well beyond the range of the leash. Plus dogs move faster than humans do (at least as a general rule). So what do you end up with? A dog that pulls on the leash trying to get to the interesting thing. It takes impulse control and thus training to not pull.

Reason: You pull on the leash!
Have you ever watched your first reaction when the dog starts pulling? Yes, your reflex is to pull or jerk back. It is simple physics: force and countervailing force. In plain language: the dog pulls, you pull. The terrible thing, though: The same thing will happen to your dog. You pull, so they pull. Countervailing force! It will just go on till you end up in a tug of war on the leash or you decide to break the vicious circle. How do you expect your dog to keep the leash loose when you don’t?

Reason: It works!
Dogs will do what works and stop doing what doesn’t. It’s what learning theory calls the “Law of Effect“. If the effect of leash pulling is success – as in, “I get to go where I want to go and faster than any other way“ – the dog will continue the successful strategy. Honestly, anything else would be madness, wouldn’t it? Now, who set the dog up for success with pulling?

Yes. You. Because you walk along and let yourself get pulled. Sure way of actively teaching your dog to pull! So don’t complain if they do…

By now you probably have a notion of where we’ll be going….

Eliminate the reasons
Establish impulse control
Effectively train for success on a loose leash

Let me give you the best three tips I can come up with for that later.

We are talking best three tried and tested on hundreds of dogs!
They always work. Always! I mean ALWAYS!

Provided the human part in the equation stays cool and consistent :).

So, here we go!

Get the Right Leash Training Equipment for Your Dog!

Does it really matter what type of leash or collar or harness you use?

Oh Yes!

Let me tell you a short story: Many years ago with my first dog, a then very young and (always) lovely lab called Maluna I spent some days with a great dog trainer and was asked to join them for a group training. It involved walking in a group of dogs on leash trough a stretch of forest at 6am. God! That was going to soooo embarrassing: me half sleep walking at 6am with a dog who never ever was on leash in the forest (only in the city) and not used to being in a group of dogs!

You know what saved me? The night before I had bought a harness instead of a collar and a 3 metres leash instead of the short 1.5 metres leash. It worked magic!
The harness was so much more comfortable for her, no pressure on her sensitive throat which she tried to escape from! The 3 metres gave her enough space to walk normally, take a sniff here and catch up again. Pure magic!

Since then I have changed hundreds of dogs onto nicely fitted harnesses and long leashes – and it always does the trick! So go and get some of the magic for your doggy, too!

(and don’t they look pretty? Yes, that’s the famous Malune in the pic!)

Make Leash Pulling a Failure!

Remember? Your dog pulls because it works. Well, make sure it doesn’t!

That requires you to do one thing that sounds simple but does take some practice: The very second you feel the leash isn’t slack or loose, you stop. Immediately! Keep your elbow to your side, let your feet stop and grow roots. Your dog must not have any success with pulling. Not one centimeter of ground to be gained through pulling. The only way to ensure that pulling does not work any more!

Be prepared that your dog might try really hard and even jump into the leash. After all it’s a case of, darn it, this always used to work!!! I’ll try just a bit harder“.

Just stand still, don’t move. Don’t pull back. Keep breathing. Stay calm.
And wait. Wait for this one moment when your dog notices that pulling won’t work and when they are maybe giving you that doubtful glance (hey there, what is going on?“), call them and reward when they come. What happens? Your dog will have stopped the pulling and procured the slack in the leash – which you reward. BINGO!

Reward the Loose Leash. Reward and Reward!

Let’s be honest: As long as the dog behaves nicely we normally don’t do anything. Only when their behavior takes a turn to the unwanted do we start to react and want to change things. The nice walking on leash goes unnoticed, the pulling gets immediate attention. It is human nature, so don’t blame yourself!

But please train yourself to do otherwise – to reward all the good things your dog is offering. You remember that dogs will do what is successful? So make sure the right behaviours are successful! The secret in successful leash training lies in the timely rewards.

Reward as long as the leash is loose! Use great treats! Reward frequently! If need be reward every two steps on a loose leash in the beginning. Then start asking for more steps and more and turn your frequent rewards into occasional ones. Make leash walking a fun game and you will get a dog who won’t leave your side any more…

Brigid Weinzinger lives and works with animals and their humans. She has made her passion her profession and offers soulful animal training and coaching to all who want to experience the same magic she finds in animals: Deep bonding, an understanding beyond words and the joy of learning and discovering things together (including good manners with each other). She lives in Austria and posts on http://www.denktier.com. Sign up for her blog and a free brochure “Share the Joy, Double the Fun with your Dog“ or follow her and her animal adventures and advice on http://www.facebook.com/brigiddenktier.

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Are Tennis Balls A Good Thing For Your Dog?

You just got home from a stressful day at work. Nice. Home. Even better… you are greeted at the door with a huge wag and your dog, tennis ball dog toy in mouth! Seriously you can’t help but smile. Play time.

After all we all need to live a little more in the play mode like our dogs do so often. It is what makes our dogs so dear to us. Unconditional love and the insatiable idea of play.

But Wait, Are Tennis Balls A Good Thing For Your Dog?

Most dogs have a favorite toy and high on the list seems to be the age old tennis ball. Yet there is the concern that tennis balls aren’t safe for your dog. While nothing is absolutely fail safe, let’s take a look at the tennis ball and is it safe for your dog.

Tennis Balls and Dog Teeth

One of the big reasons tennis balls are touted as bad for your dog is tooth wear and tear. After doing a little research it turns out it might not be the ball but the dirt.

Tennis players tend to get new balls frequently due to the fact that after a short amount of play the ball’s diameter is smaller. Tennis players will tell you that the racquet strings will quickly abrade the softer surface of a tennis ball which is covered with a substance made of wool and nylon or a felt type surface.

Dirty Balls

Tennis players who play on clay courts will tell you that the strings on their racquet will get worn down quickly by the tennis ball due to the fact that clay, ultimately dirt and/or sand picked up on the surface of the ball is very abrasive.

Go ahead, get an affordable toy your dog loves. Like the bestest thing ever… My Lab finds them at Baldwin Beach on Maui all the time. Score. Big score. Favorite toy of all time!

Other considerations are if your dog chews a tennis ball to pieces and ingests them big danger could make for a really bad play session in the end. As well there is latex in the “ingredients” of a tennis ball and like people, some dogs could have an allergic reaction.

So, ultimately it’s up to you to decide if you feel it’s safe enough to continue your dog’s obsession with the tennis ball or deprive your dog of the wild wagging that starts with a mere glimpse of that tennis ball.

Personally, my dog’s a Lab, she LOVES and I mean absolutely loves the tennis ball. Luckily she doesn’t chew them up, she’d carry one to he end of the earth though.

And your dog, is the tennis ball way up on the toy priority list?

7 Ways Your Dog is Better Than Therapy and WAY More Effective

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A Simple Way To Stop Your Dog From Peeing In The House That Works

Do you feel like you’ve tried everything to get your adult dog to quit peeing in the house? *true for puppies too!

I know you are busy. And it seems like your dog should have clearly gotten the message by now, but there’s habit and there’s enzymes….

That’s why this re-training the peeing in the house issue seems to get away from you.

Even though it’s driving your nuts.

Even though its embarrassing to have other people come to your house.

Even though you’re sick and tired of listening to the a family member go off about it.

Even though it causes you to be mad at the dog you love so much.

Here’s the thing… DON’T MAKE IT TOO HARD.

and… know there is a mistake that 99% of people make I’m going to tell you about even though you do make a solid attempt at the steps you’ve been told over and over to re-training your dog not to pee in the house.

YOU CAN get your dog to stop peeing in the house and it’s really not that hard.

There is indeed a secret to it.

The trouble is most people don’t follow a formula that works because they think it’s gonna be hard and they have this idea in their head that its not nice to their dog. Or that it’s not going to work before you start. Or you’ve tried everything already and it hasn’t worked.

I’m here to tell you that I’ve been training dogs professionally for over 14 years and these simple steps to retraining your dog not to pee in the house work and you can do them easily. And your dog won’t be mad at you!

I’m also here to tell you that you MUST pay attention to the one thing most people don’t do and it has to do with clean up. But we’ll talk about that in a minute.

Here’s What To Do To Stop Your Dog From Peeing in the House

Take your dog out to your chosen pee spot OFTEN on a leash.

Dogs think and learn in pictures. Show your dog where to go repetitively. Take your dog out:

First thing in the morning
Last thing before you go to bed
Every time you come home
Every time you leave

During potty re-training – do not leave your dog out and about in the house unattended.

Ok, so this is the one people freak on. Yes, crate your dog or put them in an x-pen when you are gone or not paying attention to them. *Note: this is for a short period of time if you just follow this formula.

It’s just like a baby crib and let’s face it, you wouldn’t leave a baby or small child to roam around without getting into something they shouldn’t if you weren’t watching would you?

Your dog will get it after repetition of doing it right, but the set up for success in the beginning is important, and then you will be able to let them roam around on their own without peeing in the house.

Make a big flippin deal with treats, petting praise or both when your dog goes in the right place.

No further explanation needed here. We all look for recognition. Your dog totally digs it. Encourage the behavior when they do the right thing.

The mistake 99% of people make in all of the effort of these 3 simple but effective potty training tips to ruin it all.

Cleaning up the mistakes incorrectly.

Seriously. You can do the above steps to a tee and still have your dog peeing in the house if you don’t clean up past mistake correctly.

It is a big secret and it is also frustrating because I swear dog trainers create job security by not including this most important factor in re-training your dog not to pee in the house.

Just so you know, I’m not a product person. Really. I think most of the things that we get out of life with ourselves and with our dogs, comes down to what we DO, not something we buy.

However, several years ago when I was training search dogs for scent, I learned this secret and it made me look like an absolute rock star whenever someone called me to help them with potty training of any kind.

Dog pee leaves an enzyme that then names that spot as “the dog bathroom”

Ever deal with your dog stopping at every bush, tree or post to sniff? And often times your dog pees there too, even if it’s only a couple of drops?

It’s the urine enzyme. And it calls LOUDLY to dogs. PEE HERE!

Until you remove that enzyme from your house, good luck with stopping your dog from peeing there again.

So, here’s what you should do to remove that enzyme and get your dog to stop peeing in the house.

Stop adding cleaners or liquid that cover up the smell and get Urine Out which in fact removes the enzyme, the stain, and the silent announcement to your dog that says, “The dog bathroom is here!”

Get URINE OUT

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