You hear it all the time. “Sit, Fido.” (Fido sits). “Good sit!” It’s in my old training, too, but it’s a habit I’m mostly over. It’s not helpful for dogs when you use the cue (like “sit”) in the praise. It’s probably actually making your dog learn more slowly Continue reading “Good Dog!” NOT “Good Sit”
Category: Tips & Safety
How to Get Your Dog Comfortable in a Head Collar
There are many different brands of head collars for dogs these days. Popular dog head halter brands are Gentle Leader, Halti, NewTrix, and the ones that we carry on our website, the Comfort Trainer and the K9 Bridle. Head collars give you a lot of control, but dog’s can take several weeks to get used to them. This post gives instructions desensitize your dog to a head collar. I also have a blog post with fitting instructions for the Comfort Trainer. Continue reading How to Get Your Dog Comfortable in a Head Collar
How to Click Your Dog’s Cute Behavior Into a Trick
Your dog does a million cute things every day, if you look closely. Yoga stretches, head tilts, lip smacking, barking, you name it. Let’s turn one of them into a trick using clicker training! Here’s how: Continue reading How to Click Your Dog’s Cute Behavior Into a Trick
My Dog is Afraid of the Clicker!
Some dogs are nervous about the clicker. It does happen from time to time, and almost all dogs will get over their fears, given the chance. So you have one of those dogs? Here’s what to do. Continue reading My Dog is Afraid of the Clicker!
Recalled Dog Treats – Smokehouse
It’s not an official recall yet, but Petsmart is pulling the following Smokehouse dog treats from their shelves, because of some dogs becoming ill after eating these treats. Continue reading Recalled Dog Treats – Smokehouse
Upcoming classes, call for volunteers, free training
In this post:
* Free Training Sessions moving to Thursday
* Volunteers needed for Growly Dog class
* Ahimsa won a “very close second” in the CityDog Magazine Top Dog awards (and the first place center isn’t in Seattle!)
* Upcoming classes
* Dog Training Conference Continue reading Upcoming classes, call for volunteers, free training
Hiccup Cure!
The cure below is for curing human hiccups, but do dogs get hiccups? (hiccoughs?) Yes. Puppies are more prone to hiccups than adult dogs. My dog had hiccups every single day when she was a puppy, and has since grown out of that. But I wanted to write this blog entry because I got hiccups last night and was so frustrated that I couldn’t get rid of them that my wife finally began searching the internet for a hiccup cure. Continue reading Hiccup Cure!
Seatbelts or Crates in the Car
When I was growing up, the concept of having a dog in a seatbelt was never even considered. Even having a baby in a strapped-in secure, safety-tested car seat was a pretty new idea. But now that they are available, would you take your newborn home from the hospital just sitting on the car seat next to you? Or on your lap when you drive? Continue reading Seatbelts or Crates in the Car
Household Poisons & Toxic Plants (Dogs and Cats)
People often ask what things around the house – and what plants – are dangerous for their dog. The ASPCA has a list of poisonous items. Some of them “just” cause vomiting, others are things that some dogs are allergic to and others aren’t, and some will kill any dog.
The ASPCA Poison Control Hotline is (888) 426-4435. It costs $55. I have also called the regular human poison number. Continue reading Household Poisons & Toxic Plants (Dogs and Cats)
Recalled Dog Foods – Up-to-date list
I can’t seem to keep up with all of the different foods that have been contaminated with Melamine. I think what this crisis has shown us, more than anything else, is that most dog food manufacturers are relatively the same and treat our dogs as not being worthy of truly good nutrition. Makes you want to cook your own food. At the very least, find a place that is made in the U.S. that offers a balanced diet.
Collar Warnings, Foxtails
COLLAR & HARNESS WARNINGS
I have some awful news. A dog that took puppy class with me this spring passed away last week. Her harness caught on the exercise pen that she was kept in when her owners were gone for a bit, and she strangled.
The family emailed me because they wanted to prevent other dogs from danger. They asked me to be sure to tell people that it was a Shih Tzu – not the kind of dog one might expect to leap acrobatically into the air and get stuck on something high up.
I had heard rumors of this problem, and put my dogs into breakaway collars, but having never actually known a dog that had this happen, I thought it was very rare and got rid of the collars.
Looking into it, it seems it’s common enough to warrant warning you: 91% of vets say they have had 1-5 dogs in their practice who have strangled in the last year. I have just ordered several KeepSafe breakaway collars, which bust open if the dogs tangle in something but can be clipped to work like a regular collar when on leash. You can get them at the training center starting next week, or you can order them on our online dog store.
If you do get a breakaway collar, or have your dog go collarless in the home, it’s *especially* important to microchip your dog.
Love them every day, and don’t sweat the small stuff. Life is too short for dogs, even if we do everything right.
FOXTAILS – Danger!
Foxtails are a plant seed that land on your dog’s fur and then keep burrowing in, given the chance. I’ve had clients whose dogs and cats have had them in eyeballs, paws, and skin. They are known to go deeper, too, into the animal’s body, winding up in hearts and lungs. The dog parks are full of them and they are traveling now due to the hot weather drying up the plants. I spent yesterday removing as many as I could from the front of the training center.
Continue reading Collar Warnings, Foxtails
King 5 News Interview – June 07
A visit with friends turned tragic when a child approached a family dog with a bone. You hear about this sort of thing all of the time, but too often, people “correct” the dog by telling it not to growl, rather than changing the emotionally charge of the situation. Now the dog is still angry or fearful, but it’s been told not to growl at people any more. Then we get the Silent Biter – the dog who shows no warning before biting. Continue reading King 5 News Interview – June 07
