One reason why puppy classes are important

For the single pup in a family home it is vital they have access to adult dogs to continue the parenting role and develop good communication skills. More behavioral problems in adult dogs can be traced back to the absence of this lesson more than any other single factor. They simply do not know how to say "hello," or how to say "hi-but-not-today-thank-you." - Kay Laurence

SIRIUS Sniffer Workshop

Saturday and Sunday saw me and Clyde attending a two day SIRIUS Sniffer Workshop at Dog Training Ireland, Blanchardstown. It was a great thrill to see the International trainer, Kelly Dunbar, utilising the natural instinct of dogs to sniff and turn it into a challenging game where the dog has to switch from using its brain to using its nose.  

Instead of stopping your dog to smell, like almost all of us do almost all of the time, why not allow him to use this, his strongest sense, remember that dogs “see” through their noses similar to how we see through our eyes.  You, as handler, can decide what is appropriate in what circumstance but don’t stop your companion from “seeing” his environment totally. 

CIRIUS Training

Lawn Burn: The Cause & The Cure

Lawn Burn: The Cause & The Cure

Teach Your Puppy to Play Tug of War

Teach Your Puppy to Play Tug of War

The Danger of Incorrect use of Training Aids - Part 1

Last week I took my dogs for a walk along the Slaney River, an amazing walk, with a variety of people with and without dogs, making use of the route.

Not too long after we started the walk I saw, with great delight, a guide dog pup in training walking toward us. Guide dogs are one of my great weaknesses, such a fantastic vocation for amazing dogs. I digress, as we got closer to the oncoming walker and dog my heart sank. The poor dog was walked in a Halti Head collar, now before I get some people’s hackles up, Halti collars can be very good, once the dog has been adequately conditioned to wearing the head collar and, like all other training aids, are used correctly and the user is cognisant of the potential problems that can coincide with the specific training aid.

Let me explain what I saw, the nose strap was pulled right into the dog’s eyes and it was very obvious that the dog was experiencing distress.  It is also important to point out that apart from the immediate distress and definite possibility of future eye problems,  this level of distress can cause longer term problems for the dog, in that he/she can start showing an aversive reaction to the head collar which in turn can lead to it shying away from going out on a walk. For a future guide dog this can cause major, major problems, even to falling out of the training programme.

As part of the process of choosing the training aid that will suit you and your dog it is vital that you investigate the advantages and disadvantages of each aid you consider.

I will share some facts on training aids with you during one of my next postings. 

Travel Sickness

Earlier this week a friend asked what she could do about her pup getting car (travel) sick. I gave my normal advice when the topic comes up: To use a travel crate or something similar and cover the crate to prevent her seeing out. I have found this to work for me before. She was happy to report back that after using a box for Ruby to travel in she had her first “sick free” journey.

But Ruby’s travel sickness made me think about highlighting some more tips to try and prevent what can be very stressful for you and your dog:

·         Do not feed your dog just before travelling

·         Allow plenty of fresh air into the car

·         If you are undertaking a long journey use regular comfort stops and give your dog fresh, clean water

·         It is always good to introduce your new pup to car travel gradually, from an early an age as possible, taking short trips

·         Create a positive association to travelling for your dog by linking it to an activity such as going for a walk, going to the beach, etc.. By doing this you can alleviate any stress associated to car travel

·         If your dog as already experienced a number of bad experiences stop taking him in the car for a week or two then, if possible, use a different car when starting to take him on trips again

If your dog continues suffering from motion sickness do and see your vet. There are anti-nausea drugs that can help. 

Rules about Crate Training

Crate Training Made Easy
by Pat Miller

A crate, or, in other words, short-term close confinement, can be used to help dogs teach themselves two very important skills. The first is eliminating only when and where it is appropriate. The second skill is keeping out of trouble - behaving appropriately in the house. Without these two skills, a dog doesn't have much of a chance in this world.

A crate is inappropriate for long-term confinement. While some puppies are able to make it through an eight-hour stretch in a crate at night, you should be sleeping nearby and available to take your pup out if he tells you he needs to go.

During the day, a puppy should not be asked to stay in a crate longer than two to four hours at a time; an adult dog no more than six to eight hours. Longer than that and you risk forcing Buddy to eliminate in his crate, which is a very bad thing, since it breaks down his instinctive inhibitions against soiling his den?