Bark Busters of South Florida

Taking Wolfie to a Restaurant

2012-02-15T12:36:00.000-05:00

I would love to take Wolfie to a restaurant, but I am not sure what he would do. I don't want to be "banned" from some of my favorite places! What should I do?

It is very important that you slowly socialize Wolfie with where ever you want to take him. This holds true for your favorite restaurant. Here are the steps you need to take:

Make sure that the restaurant will allow dogs. Most places with outdoor seating will allow dogs, but you still have to ask.
Start to take Wolfie for more frequent rides in the car so that he gets used to traveling with you. Be sure that he is properly restrained using a seat belt or crate (attached to car).
Take Wolfie to the restaurant when it is closed. Be sure you sit outside at a table that is not in a busy area or on the main path to the restaurant's entrance. Take some food or a drink for yourself and something for Wolfie. Stay there for fifteen to thirty minutes and then head home. Repeat this every other day for about a week. Once Wolfie is providing you with the appropriate focus and respect from the time he gets into the car, while he is at the restaurant, and returns home with you, move on to the next step.
Take Wolfie to the restaurant when it is open, but there is a very light crowd. Late morning or in the middle of the afternoon might be the perfect times for this exercise. Make sure he has toys to play with and goodies to chew on. Order something and observe Wolfie's behavior when your Server brings your food. Quietly correct him as the Server approaches and if he starts to become too distracted by the Server. Ask that other people do not approach Wolfie so that he will not have any possibility of feeling threatened or challenged. Continue this for a week or so until Wolfie shows that he is the "perfect puppy".
Now, take Wolfie to your restaurant at the time you would normally be there. Simply repeat everything you were doing earlier. Make sure that you initially don't allow people to approach Wolfie. This will make sure that he will not feel threatened in the enclosed environment. After a while, you might ask people you and Wolfie know in the restaurant to engage him, always making sure that he does not feel threatened.

Now you have a great doggie at your favorite restaurant. Wolfie is now not only great, but a great companion for you and your friends at the restaurant! You never know, Wolfie might get his own picture on the restaurant's wall next to some famous football player!

One Way to a Happy Doggie

2012-02-06T09:04:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I just don't know about Wolfie. I come home after work and give him tons of love, but he still goes nuts with my friends and guests. He seems to be a geed dog, but he seems to always misbehave with anyone else. I'm confused...

Some dogs just need more interaction than others. This is not necessarily tied to a breed, sex, or age. In our experience, we have seen multiple times where dogs who are well behaved with their owners and appear to be very well trained, go "nuts" when other people come over.

In these instances, we want to look at Wolfie's basic need of entertainment and the bonding portion of your relationship. The bottom line is this:

Entertainment: It is our responsibility to provide exercise, social interaction, and mind-stimulating experiences for Wolfie. Just sitting around for most of the day will not necessarily provide these needed activities and environments.
Bonding: This gets back to socialization. This needs to be both with you and with other animals, people, and things.

All dogs are different and their needed requirements of these two items will vary. The important thing to remember is that we must observe Wolfie to determine if we are providing these things.

What if we are not? What can we do?

We suggest two alternatives that have worked great for many of our clients. The first alternative is simple and can be enacted right now. The second alternative requires a larger commitment on your part.

Doggie Day Care: All of our clients who have taken their dogs to Doggie Day Care have commented on the great improvement in their dog's "crazyness" within a few visits. We normally suggest taking your dog twice or three times a week. Also, take him on the same day and at the same time so that he can build relationships with "the regulars".
Another Dog: From observation and personal experience with our dogs, having a "doggie friend" can be a great way to provide the enhanced pack experience your dog needs. All the pent up energy and excited focus can be aimed at the canine pack and not you and your friends. You are still the leader because you have provided this great experience for them. We have seen many "single dogs" who were reportedly crazy all their lives calm down within one day after being placed in a "multiple dog" environment. We still think you should try Doggie Day Care first before you enter into this option.

Things to Consider Regarding Your Dog and the Back Yard

2012-01-29T19:55:00.000-05:00

I just let Wolfie out in the back yard and he should be able to take care of himself, right?

As a good dog owner, you always need to make sure that your doggie is safe, healthy, and happy. The back yard can be a great place for your doggie, if you have prepared it for him. Here are some ideas on making sure your back yard is ready for Wolfie:

FENCE: Make sure that your back yard fence does not have any holes or gaps that would allow Wolfie to get out. This also helps to make sure that anything can't get in the back yard also. Check to make sure that there aren't any gaps at the bottom of the fence or loose boards that could easily be "nudged" to make a door. Putting a little chicken wire at the bottom of the fence and having it lay on the ground is a great way of eliminating any digging issues to allow Wolfie to take advantage of any low lying areas of escape.
POISONOUS PLANTS: Walk around your back yard to make sure that there aren't poisonous plants in your garden. Click here to get a list of many of the common plants that are toxic to dogs.
LAWN CHEMICALS: Many times you or your gardener will put down chemicals such as fertilizer or weed killer on your grass. It is very important that you do not let your dogs out on the grass for several hours up to a day after the material has been applied.
SIDE GATES: This might not seem like a big issue, but we have found that more dogs get out of the yard because of a gate being left open than anything else. Make sure that you have hinges that automatically close when anyone does through the gate. Check the gates once a month to make sure that they are still functioning.
THE POOL: Make sure that Wolfie knows how to get out of the pool if he falls in. Even if he doesn't like the pool, he should know how to get out if something happens and he slips.
Toys: It is always important to have "stuff to do" for Wolfie while he is in the back yard. Balls, rope toys, kongs, Frisbees, and cow hooves are just a sample of toys Wolfie might like to have in the back yard. I always suggest that you have both outside toys and inside toys. This is to make sure that those "dirty toys" don't get into your clean home.
Water: It is always important to hydrate Wolfie while he is running around in the heat in the back yard. Leave a bowl of water out in the shade with some ice cubes in it. Since metal bowls heat up so quickly, I would suggest that you use a plastic water bowl.
SMALL DOGS: If Wolfie is under 8 pounds, NEVER leave him unattended in the back yard. We have a very large hawk population in South Florida and they are always on the prowl for their next meal. We have heard of dogs up to 8 pounds being picked up by hawks and taken away. When in doubt, always look up.

I hope this gives you some good ideas in keeping Wolfie safe while he is in the back yard.

Puppy Training 101 --- Remember Cute Little Wolfie Can Get Big

2012-01-24T17:13:00.000-05:00

Oh, it is so much fun to have Little Wolfie jump on me and then he runs after me and chases me and I chase him all over the house. What's wrong with this?

I always have this problem with my clients who have cute, little puppies that are going to grow into very big dogs. They want to have them jump on their legs, nip their feet, run after them, and do a whole lot of other active play activities. This might be cute and fun with your ten pound Great Dane puppy, but not your one hundred and eighty pound Great Dane dog.

Whatever you teach your little puppy now, he will remember when he gets big. If he is always used to jumping on you, he will also find it perfectly acceptable to jump on everybody when he gets really big and it now hurts. These dogs are normally called "out of control dogs" and will many times find their way to the local dog pound.

So here are a few things that you should not encourage your little puppy to do:

Jump on you or anybody else.
Encourage him to bark by getting him excited.
Have him chase you or you chase him.
Play tug-of-war with him.
Teach him to give you "paw".

These are all cute when he is small, but very annoying, embarrassing, and painful when he gets to be a big boy.

Puppy Training 101 --- Out and About

2012-01-16T09:38:00.000-05:00

Wow! I just got Little Wolfie and I want to take him everywhere in the car with me! It is really fun!

I have talked about this in the past, but if you are a new puppy owner with Little Wolfie, you just might need to hear it again. Let me try to make this very clear to you, the engineers in Detroit did not design our cars for dogs, they designed them for humans! Because of this, we have to make sure that our best little friend is safe while he is in the car with us. An open window or air bag is unsafe and could actually lead to our puppy's injury or death, if not properly managed.

I go nuts when I see a driver with their puppy in their lap when they are driving. I hate it when I see a dog owner allowing their dog to stick his head out an open window when the car is traveling fifty or sixty miles an hour. These are two examples that are just not right for your puppy in the car. Please read my safety suggestions below:

Never let your puppy ride in your lap while driving.
Never let your puppy stick their head out the window while the car is in motion.
Never let your puppy in the front right seat of your car unless you can turn off the passenger seat airbag.
Always keep your puppy properly secured while they are in the car. Even if the car is stopped, your puppy should still be secured.
Always provide a "trip diversion" for your puppy to keep them engaged and focused. One of his favorite toys or a bone are two great examples.

These are just a few rules that I feel are important when you and Little Wolfie are traveling in the car. Follow them and you are off to a great start of motoring with your pup! For more information on dog safety, please contact us at SouthBroward@BarkBusters.com.

Puppy Training 101 --- It Is All About Boundaries

2012-01-10T13:37:00.000-05:00

Little Puppy Wolfie loves to wander all over the place and he gets into all sorts of trouble. What is the deal here?

All dogs roam their territory to check things out, sniff, explore, etc. The problem with puppies is that they have a heightened level of exploration, inquisitiveness, and play. This can lead to things happening in other rooms that you just don't want to take place. Things that you may find are:

Potty accidents
Damaged furniture
Papers all over the floor
Plants pulled out of their containers
"Stuff missing"
... and a whole lot more

Just like we managed our children when they were young, we have to do the same with our new puppies. The one and only rule that you must remember is to always keep little Wolfie in your sight. If he begins to do anything wrong, you have the opportunity to correct him immediately while he is in the act of his misbehavior. In this way, little Wolfie will learn what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior in your house.

Life happens and sometimes we can not always focus on little Wolfie 100% of the time. If that is the case, use baby/doggie gates to make sure you can manage where little Wolfie can roam. If this is not possible, you will need to crate him or place him in a small room, such as a laundry room.

Remember, just like our children when they were small, we must know where little
Wolfie is all the times in order to keep him safe and allow us to teach and socialize him. If you have further questions, please contact your local Bark Buster Trainer.

Puppy Training 101 - All About People, Places, and Stuff

2012-01-02T16:00:00.000-05:00

So I just got a new puppy and have never had a dog before in my life, not even as a little kid! Are puppies different than dogs? Where do I begin?

Isn't Wolfie cute? How could he do anything bad or do anything that would be annoying. The breeder said that all he wanted to do was to give me love and happiness!

Well, that is a wonderful thought, but we are now Wolfie's parents and as such, have a large responsibility to Wolfie to make him feel safe, loved, and part of our pack. Puppies have additional training requirements than dogs that are two and three years old. This is the first of several training blogs that will discuss training that is unique to these super cute "bundles of canine joy".

Today we are going to talk about "socialization" for Wolfie. Simply stated, this is the act of getting him used to the environment around him. That environment is made up of people, cars, the market, the vet hospital, strangers, other animals, the vacuum cleaner, and on and on and on. Since he is a puppy, all these things are new to him and could easily frighten him. What we must do is to put him in a situation where he can learn that all these things are fine and he should feel safe around them.

First, let's look at a partial list of things to consider:

People with...

Canes
Crutches
Wheelchairs
Baby Stroller
Shopping cart
Luggage

People doing...

Jogging
Working
Limping
Driving
Swimming

Home Environment

Phone ringing
Doorbell
Vacuum Cleaner
Dish Washer
Hair Dryer
Repair people
Pool Man

Environments

Vet Clinic
Car
Kennel
Groomer
Pet Store
Crowds
School

Vehicles

Motorcycles
Trucks
Cars
Bicycles

Sounds

Thunder
Fireworks
Loud Noise
Siren

These are just a few people, places, and stuff that, as a puppy, will be new to Wolfie. Depending on Wolfie's temperament, he may or may not need socialization with one or all of them. Now, let's discuss how we socialize. I will give you two examples:

Vacuum Cleaner: One of you will have Wolfie at one end of the house on a leash with some toys and/or goodies. Another person will have the vacuum cleaner at the other end of the house on a long extension cord. Turn the vacuum cleaner on while distracting Wolfie by giving slight tugs on the leash and playing with toys. As you see that Wolfie is calm and giving you focus, slowly (and I mean slowly) move the vacuum cleaner closer to Wolfie. Constantly keep Wolfie's focus on you and watch that he is not becoming pensive or timid. If he is, stop the exercise and start again tomorrow, always trying to get closer until the vacuum cleaner is moving around in the room with Wolfie.

Car: All we want to do is to make sure Wolfie is calm in the car. We initially do this by having Wolfie sit in the car while it is in the driveway. Have some toys and goodies for Wolfie while he and you are in the car. Have the engine running and radio on.

After a few days of this, back the car out of the driveway and drive around the block. If this is going well, take Wolfie with you on longer trips to the store, school, park, etc. If, at any time, he begins to become frightened, timid, or overly distracted, slow it down and back up one level.

Also, and this is very important, you must be sure that Wolfie is properly secured while in your car. Get a harness for Wolfie. When you put him in the car, take the seat belt and insert that through the harness, clicking it to secure the seat belt and Wolfie. Wolfie can only ride in the back seat unless the passenger seat has a method to turn off the air bag. Wolfie is never allowed to ride on your lap or in any manner that would allow him to stick any part of his body out the window.

Remember, the most important part of "socialization" is to get Wolfie used to the world around him at an early age. Successfully accomplishing this will make him feel far safer and happier. It will also make your life a lot easier.

Counter Surfing

2011-12-27T11:11:00.000-05:00

Wolfie loves to counter surf with everybody for the Holidays. He normally doesn't do it during the rest of the year and I don't want it to turn into a regular thing!

This is the time of the year that we have a whole lot of things going on. We also have a lot more food out and about that we might not be watching. We also have guests over who are just leaving stuff around. Our house has become a giant buffet for Wolfie.

What we have to do is to first understand Wolfie's concept of food ownership. If food is left unattended for a long period of time (you our your guests have food on a coffee table, but aren't actively eating) or you abandon the food (physically walk away from it), there is no longer a clear picture of ownership.

Remember, in the wild, the Alpha Wolf would be the first to eat the killed hunt. The Alpha Wolf would then walk away from the food, indicating that he was done and that the killed hunt is now available for everyone else. It it is natural that Wolfie would go after the unattended or abandoned food. This could be on a coffee table, dinner table, kitchen counter, etc.

Here is what you do:

Make sure that food is not left unattended. If needed, pick up your plate and put it in an area that Wolfie can't reach.
Set boundaries. When you are cooking or have food out in the kitchen, set a rule that Wolfie can't be in the kitchen. Correct him as he approaches your boundary and praise him when he obeys you. This can also be done for the sofa or dinner table.
Give Wolfie his own goodies (Kong Toys w/peanut butter, cow's holves, etc). This will help to redirect him from your goodies.
Feed Wolfie when you are eating. This will help redirect him and when he is done, his stomach is full.
Instruct your guests not to feed Wolfie. This might be fun for them, but it will be a terrible thing to teach him for the rest of the year.
Take Wolfie outside and engage in some exuberant play. Getting him tired will minimize his wanting to engage with you inside.

Remember, it is ok to "correct your guests". They aren't the ones who will have to live with the inappropriately learned behavior for the next fifty weeks of the year.

Wolfie, the Holidays, Family Coming to Visit...

2011-12-19T12:24:00.000-05:00

I can just about handle Wolfie when everything is normal, but the Holidays and all my "wonderful family" is coming to visit. How can I keep my sanity?

The Holidays are always a crazy time, especially for all of us down in South Florida. It seems that our guest rooms and every sofa in the house now becomes a Hilton for relatives from up north. All our routines are messed up and our lives are turned upside down for about ten days to two weeks. Since Wolfie likes things calm and consistent, this is not a good time for him. Here are some ideas:

When your family first starts to arrive, have Wolfie somewhere else during the initial "meet and greet time". Bring Wolfie in to meet everyone after they are settled and have stopped arguing who gets to sleep where. This will be a time where the adrenaline is lower and Wolfie will react calmly when greeting everyone.
Tell everyone not to "make Wolfie nuts". No "run-run, yell-yell, jump on me-jump on me" games in the house. This is a recipe to straight disaster.
ONLY DOGGIE FOOD for Wolfie. Do not let anyone give Wolfie all the little goodies that are now in the house. First of all, you aren't sure if the food is good for Wolfie. Many foods can make Wolfie sick and make a big mess in the house. This is not a good thing with a house full of people.
No feeding at the table. This should have been obvious from the bullet point above, but it is something that family members love to do. They all go home and now you have a dog that expects to get stuff from the table. You now have a bad behavior that will take time to correct. Just don't give Wolfie stuff from the table.
Assign a buddy for Wolfie. If you have some kids who are twelve years or older, ask them to be Wolfie's buddy. They are the ones who keep track of him, play with him, help feed him, and manage his time according to the rest of the activities going on in the house.
Keep Wolfie on a leash. If he starts to get out of hand, you can easily step on the leash and regain control.
Manage the front door. Put a sign on the front door that says "WHERE IS WOLFIE?". This will make everyone aware where he is before you open the door. If you aren't watching where he is, he can easily dart out the door. If he is close to the door when you want to open it, you can ask someone to take him to another area while the door is open.
Include Wolfie in many of your events. Make sure he has some presents and that he opens them with you. Remember that Wolfie is a very social animal. The Holidays are a social time. Make sure that you and he enjoy the special moments!

Who can Wolfie Jump On?

2011-12-12T13:42:00.000-05:00

I don't mind if Wolfie jumps on me, but it is now the Holiday Season and I don't want Wolfie to jump on Aunt Minnie...

It was always so much fun to have Wolfie to jump up. He would get so excited and bark and lick! I didn't care if my clothes got a little dirty with dog hair or I got a little slobber on my pants. Wolfie wasn't really big as a puppy, so that "blind tackle" didn't really hurt...

Oops! Wolfie is now big and things hurt! More importantly, some of my friends and guests don't like Wolfie to jump on them. Even though Aunt Minnie is a dog lover, she is 90 pounds and 87 years old. She can break. What do I do?

First of all, you have to understand that dogs need simple rules to follow. You must now tell Wolfie that it is wrong to jump on anyone. Wolfie must understand the rule of "don't jump, period". No jumping on you, your friends who like Wolfie to jump, and everyone else who would rather Wolfie not jump on them. Here are some ideas:
You first have to enforce the "cold turkey rule". Never encourage Wolfie to jump on yourself or your friends. Tell your friends to never encourage Wolfie to jump on them.
If Wolfie comes over to you and appears to be getting ready to jump, walk away. This takes the "moment away" from Wolfie. Don't turn your back on Wolfie when you walk away, but move at a diagonal so that you can still keep him in your peripheral.
If Wolfie actually starts to jump on you, do not knee him or swing around to turn your back. Face him, stand tall, and give him a very stern "NO". As soon as he decides not to jump, reward him with a "good puppy".
Put a leash on Wolfie when you have guests around or plan to have guests around. As you see him getting ready to jump, put your foot on the leash at a point where he can only get a few inches off the ground before the leash stops his upward movement. Allow him to attempt the "failed jump" several times and he will quickly look for other things to do (like sitting, well behaved, next to you).
If you are consistant with the steps we mentioned above, you will have happy guests. As always, if you have any questions, you can always contact us at SouthBroward@BarkBusters.com.

Wolfie Just Doesn't Listen, What Are Some Clues?

2011-12-05T16:03:00.000-05:00

Wolfie just doesn't want to listen when I talk to him. Is he stupid or deaf or obnoxious or what? Should I just give him a kick when he doesn't listen?

No, he is not stupid. No, he is not deaf. No, he is not obnoxious. No, do not kick him!

The problem is that you don't understand how Wolfie talks. There are several levels that dogs use to communicate with other animals (you included), and we are going to discuss one of them now.

One of the ways that dogs communicate is to use their vocal cords. We use our vocal cords to form words, phrases, sentences, etc. Dogs use their vocal cords to create sounds. We sometimes call them "growls" or "yips", or "crys", etc. In any case, they are unique sounds created by Wolfie when he wants to use his vocal cords to communicate.

Now comes the difference between Wolfie and us. As I said earlier, we use words and Wolfie uses unique sounds. We can create and understand thousands of words and sounds to mean different things, depending on how they are used. Wolfie uses unique tones to generate specific meanings.

This means that we can not simply talk to Wolfie in the form "Hi Wolfie, how would you like to take a ride with me and then go see Uncle Bill?". He has no idea what we are saying. We do have the ability to use unique tones to communicate with Wolfie.

One of the tones I would like to discuss is the low, guttural tone. This is a unique tone because it is something Wolfie almost never hears from you. You would use this tone to let Wolfie is is doing something wrong and that he needs to give you his complete attention.

Another tone is a very high pitched, almost baby-like tone. Since we normally don't talk "baby-talk" all day long, this is another tone that Wolfie rarely hears from us. We use this tone only when we want to let Wolfie know that he has done something right and that we are proud of him.

There are other tones and techniques that we also use to communicate with Wolfie so that he can understand what we are discussing. You can find this information either from contacting a Bark Buster Trainer (Click here) or by checking out one of the Bark Buster Books currently available (Click here).

Your "big take-away" from this discussion is that Wolfie does not understand every word you say. Wolfie understands very few words you say. Your tones, and more importantly, the uniqueness of your tones is the verbal communication he is processing.

Wolfie Goes Nuts When Family Comes for The Holidays - Help!

2011-11-27T09:57:00.000-05:00

I hate asking family over for the Holidays because Wolfie terrorizes them the entire time they are here. I have to lock Wolfie in the back room and have to be back there all the time to try and keep him quiet. What can I do?

High energy or “people unsure” dogs can be very annoying and embarrassing when we have a house full of guests. We are unsure what Wolfie might do (lung, bark, growl, jump) and our guests are uneasy in the Wolfie’s presence. It is critical that you socialize him to understand that you are keeping him safe and secure when other people and animals are in his space. YOU are the care giver. YOU are the cop on the beat.

The one thing that you never do is to have Wolfie with you at the front door when you are greeting your arriving guests. This is a high adrenaline time where you cannot give the appropriate focus and correction to him, when required. Inappropriate situations can escalate quickly as he tries to demonstrate dominance and your ability to regain control could be almost nonexistent. Here is what you should do:

Have Wolfie in another room with a family member when the guests arrive. The door is closed. He should be on a leash and be provided with toys and other mental stimulation so that focus with the family member can be easily maintained. You can also have the television on in the room with him to add to the white noise of the house and to minimize the noise of the arriving guests. If needed, you might also have an Italian Basket Muzzle on Wolfie in order to provide you with the confidence that a nip will not occur. It will also naturally calm him down.
When your guests arrive, greet them and guide them into your house. After things have settled down, it is time to work with Wolfie to see where he will be comfortable with them. Remember, he is ALWAYS on the leash and the leash is ALWAYS in somebody’s hand.
Open the door between him and the guests in the other room. Observe him while you are still giving him positive praise and redirection towards you or his toys. When he shows a calm, respective temperament, move him closer to the door.
Observe Wolfie for any change in his temperament towards fearfulness or assertive. It this occurs, return to your prior position and work with him there for another few minutes before proceeding.
Once he his calm, with a respectful temperament, continue to move him towards the door. Now have people pass in the other room where Wolfie can see them. Your guests should move slowly and directly. They should give him passing eye contact and should never turn their backs to him. They should never move directly towards him.
Once Wolfie shows the proper temperament, slowly enter the room with the guests, repeating the process we have just discussed. If, at any time, you feel that he is becoming stressed or nervous, back up and slow down.
As you proceed, following the above process, you will eventually reach the point where you can be seated with Wolfie and your guests. Do not allow your guests or Wolfie to initially interact with each other. They still have to get comfortable with the proximity of each other. He should still have his toys and treats with him during this time while this part of the socialization process takes place.
Have your guests stand up and slowly walk around the room, never moving directly towards Wolfie. Have them leave the room and return. Once this is complete, repeat this process with Wolfie.
As you repeat the above process, slowly and carefully move towards your guests. Repeat this until he is next to them and sniffing them. Do not have your guests pet Wolfie as this might be interpreted by him as an aggressive act (depending how your guests move to pet him).
Continue to have you and Wolfie mingle with your guests. As you see his temperament maintained at a respectful level and his focus on you, you can allow your guests to pet him. This action must be performed in the manner explained to you by your Bark Buster Trainer.
As you continue to see that Wolfie is maintaining a calm and respectful temperament while giving you focus, you can drop the leash. Allow him to meander on his own around the room. Always be nearby to step on the leash, if necessary.

You now have a calm dog with guests in the house. It is critical that you practice this multiple times with friends and neighbors before a big event such as The Holidays, 4th of July, Memorial Day, a family member’s birthday, etc. You need to give the training 100% of your focus to make it effective. If you are in the middle of a “real social event”, you won’t be able to provide that needed focus.

Also, if you see that Wolfie is becoming overly agitated while in the training session, end it. Tomorrow is another day where you can pick up where you left off when everyone is fresh and ready to learn.

Keeping Wolfie Away from The Front Door with Guests

2011-11-18T18:58:00.000-05:00

Wolfie always likes to run to the front door whenever anyone comes over. He is just so annoying and bugs many of my friends! What can I do?

Many dogs like to run to the front door when they hear a knock or a ring. They normally bark, jump, sniff, nudge, nip, and sometimes run out the front door. These are all things that we really don't want to happen when we have people over. It is just rude and embarrassing. So, what can we do about this?

We have to make a very simple rule that we can enforce when people are at the front door. If you think about it, if Wolfie would just stay away from the front door, all those annoying things that I mentioned earlier could not happen. Great, let's just make sure that Wolfie isn't near the front door when someone comes by. There are many ways that you can accomplish this, but let me discuss one. The most important thing with any educational process is that it allows you to maintain focus with Wolfie and that you are calm and collected in your demeanor.

Let's set up an exercise for you to practice.

First, let's put Wolfie on a leash and ask another family member to hold the leash with Wolfie about twenty feet from the door.
You will be standing at the door, facing Wolfie.
You need another person to be outside and to knock and/or ring the bell.
If Wolfie starts to move towards the door, you face him and verbally correct him in a stern manner. Have the person with the leash do the same while giving a slight tug on the leash so that Wolfie looks back at the person holding the leash.
Repeat this process until Wolfie is calmly sitting and not approaching the door.
Open the door and let the person in, always being aware if Wolfie is going to try to run to the door again. If so, repeat the process above.
Close the door behind your guest. If Wolfie is still calm, invite him over to meet your guest.
Repeat this exercise several times a day. In a few weeks, Wolfie will no longer be running to the door.

Again, I want to emphasise that this is one of several methods that can be used to keep Wolfie back from the front door. Some methods work better for specific dogs. If you have additional questions, please contact us at southbroward@barkbusters.com.

Sometimes Wolfie Seems a Little Nervous...

2011-11-10T17:12:00.000-05:00

Sometimes Wolfie appears a little nervous or uneasy. What can I do to help out?

Dogs are very tactile creatures. You always see them grooming themselves or other dogs. This helps to build a bond between them as well as to show a trust that they are all part of one pack. We have a very simple way that you can emulate that same activity. Don't worry, I am not going to ask you to "groom Wolfie".

What I am going to do is to ask you to simulate that you are grooming Wolfie. Think of when you are petting your dog. Many times this entails patting them on the head or on the back. We are going to take this activity and modify it so that it emulates your grooming of Wolfie. Instead of patting him, lightly run your hand over his fur from the back of the neck to the middle of the back. Do this slowly and repeatedly. This emulates the grooming process.

You should see an almost immediate result in Wolfie's demeanor. He will loose that stiffness in his body and will start to give you more focus. This is exactly what you want in order to calm him down and to loose that nervous demeanor.

I have recently tried this technique on one of my more nervous dogs and it worked miracles. Give it a try!

What To Do When A Dog Charges You

2011-10-30T18:58:00.000-04:00

I was walking down the street this weekend and a dog came out of nowhere and ran at me with his teeth showing, baking like a crazy animal. I got away just in time and darted into a neighbor's back yard. Is there any thing I can do to avoid this?

We have all experienced the barking and running dog at one time or another. The important thing to remember is to how to present an uninteresting target to the dog. The barking and running dog does not come around the corner and go after the tree or the stop sign. They are uninteresting. You, on the other hand, present a very interesting "target". Let's look at some ideas to make you more uninteresting.

Dogs need to recognize who you are in order to make a decision about how they are going to act. Many times dogs have a hard time recognizing men wearing dark glasses and hats. If you see a dog approaching and they seem the slightest bit pensive, take off your sun glasses and your hat. This will help the dog to recognize that you are just another animal he knows and not some new, weird beast.
Do not scream and run away if a dog charges. You are only showing your weak side (rear end) and are encouraging him to chase you. You probably can not outrun him and he will eventually jump, knock you down, and maybe even bite (nip) you. Stand upright, face the dog (do not stare), and make no sudden movements.
Allow the dog to approach you and sniff you. If the dog starts to go around to your rear, slowly turn so that you are always facing him.
Cover up your private parts. (You can never be too safe!)
You are presenting an "uninteresting target" to the dog. Keep it up and he will move off to more interesting targets to explore.
Slowly back up, still facing the dog. Once you are a safe distance from the dog (a block or so), continue your walk.

How to Help Wolfie When He is Scared and Growling

2011-10-23T18:04:00.000-04:00

Wolfie seems a little scared all the time. He growls at people and when I try and tell him to stop, it just gets worse! What gives?

This sounds like Wolfie is timid and is manifesting that with aggressive behavior. He has figured out that if he snarls and growls at people, they will stay away.

One thing that you must understand is that your normal response of using a strong correction (yelling “NO”, etc.) to address the snarling and growling does not work. All this is doing is showing Wolfie that he has lost his only ally in the house. What you must do is to build a new foundation based on a relationship of trust and respect between you and Wolfie. This, and only this, will earn you the right to have a relationship where Wolfie respects and obeys you.

Start to correct Wolfie in a very matter fact way. To do this, have a leash on Wolfie when people are over. As soon as Wolfie starts his growling and other bad behaviors, pick up the leash and briskly walk in the opposite direction of the person Wolfie is engaging. Then, have him do simple obedience exercises where he has to give you complete attention. Simple exercises like sit, come, walkies, and stay would be perfect for this.

When Wolfie is calm and has obeyed you in performing the obedience exercises, praise him and return to your guests. You have taken control of the situation and have shown Wolfie that he can be calm and safe while other people are in the house. If you are keeping him safe, you are the leader.

Also remember the rule of classical conditioning. You MUST do this every time Wolfie starts to go nuts with people in the house. Consistency and repetition of your correction are necessary for Wolfie to finally get it.

Wolfie Has Too Much Energy

2011-10-16T19:12:00.000-04:00

I put in long hours at work and when I get home, Wolfie is always all over me. I am tired and I can't get him outside to play a lot. What can I do?

I see this a lot with our clients. They work all day and just don't have the time to have a good, hard "play" with their dog when they get home from their ten hour day. Dogs need to have that time to drain their adrenaline and you and Wolfie need the time to build the Bond, Trust, and Respect that your relationship requires.

We still suggest that you get outside as much as possible, throw the Frisbee, toss the ball, hide goodies and them help him find it, or perform some agility games. What we now want to suggest is one more thing that will help take up the slack of the time you can't spend with him.

The answer is simple and it has worked wonders for many of our clients who have found themselves in this predicament. Take Wolfie to Doggie Daycare once or twice a week while you are at work. He will be well cared for and be around dogs of his own temperament being supervised by professionals. This will not only build his social skills, but it will drain that extra adrenaline so that he will be more prepared to obey you when you are home. You are also placing him in an environment where he feels safe. Since you have provided him with this environment, it will build your leadership role in Wolfie's eyes.

Most Doggie Daycares charge between $25 and $50 for a day session. Many places offer discounts if you buy a "pack of sessions" or if you are on a monthly or quarterly program. Interview two or three establishments in your area and ask neighbors if they take their dogs to a Daycare. Start out going just once a week and then add days, if you feel it is needed.

Again, this has already done the job for many of our clients. Give it a shot!

When Your Dog Doesn't Seem to "Get it"

2011-10-10T11:05:00.000-04:00

I am working with Wolfie every day, but he just doesn't seem to get it. What is the problem here?

Like people, dogs need to learn at a particular speed and at a particular level. Unlike us, they can't "jump ahead" or skip steps in the learning process. It must be slow, methodical, repetitive, and consistent.

When Wolfie "isn't getting it", it normally means that we are trying to teach him a command at a level or complexity above his current ability to process. When this happens, we must back up to find a place where Wolfie can succeed in the exercise and then slowly proceed from that point. For Wolfie, there is no shame in going back a few grades to find a place where he can obey and please us.

Let me give you an example of this process:

Say, for example, I am working with Wolfie on the "Come" exercise. I had him in the house and was using a six foot leash to have him come to me every time I said "come". Once in a while, I had to give a little flick of the leash to get his attention and to guide him to me, but it was working pretty well. This seemed great so I took Wolfie into the back yard without the leash and walked to the other side of the yard from Wolfie. I called "come" and Wolfie didn't come. I tried this over and over again, day after day with the same results.

It isn't that Wolfie is stupid or ignoring me, it is that I jumped too far ahead in the training process of "come" for Wolfie to methodically advance.

I would now go back into the house and reinforce the level of knowledge that I knew Wolfie understood. ("Come" from six feet using the leash.) Next, I would get a longer leash and practice from ten feet, then fifteen feet, and then twenty feet. If that goes well, I would go out in the back yard, with the leash, and repeat the process.

Keep it slow and you will get results.

Wolfie Always Runs Thru The Door Ahead of Me!

2011-10-03T17:39:00.000-04:00

Wolfie always runs through the door ahead of me! Even if I am just walking from the family room to the living room, he always has to be the first one in... It just bugs me!

Guess what! In the dog's world, the alpha leader must always be out front to check out that everything is safe for the rest of the pack to follow. As you go from room to room, that is a new place and a new opportunity for Wolfie to do his job and make sure everything is safe for you. Wolfie thinks he is the leader. I am not going to delve into readjusting the pack to allow Wolfie to understand that you are the leader today. What I am going to do is to provide you with the training instructions to allow you to go through first.

Here is what you do:

Put Wolfie on a leash and slowly approach the door.
Stop when you are about two feet from the door and command Wolfie to Sit and Wait.
Slowly open the door, always making sure that Wolfie is not getting ready to move. If you see Wolfie getting ready to move or if Wolfie has already moved out of his Sit/Wait position, correct him and have him return to the Sit/Wait position.
Continue to open the door until you have the ability to step through to the other side.
Step through to the other side and have both feet on the other side of the door.
Make sure that Wolfie has not moved for three to five seconds. Now invite him through the door to be with you.
Put Wolfie in a sit position next to you for three to five seconds. Give him some praise for doing a great job.
You are now done. You can release Wolfie if you don't require anything else, walk with him, etc.

You will be amazed on how this will turn a normally crazy time into a quiet and respectful moment!

Some Things to Remember When Walking Wolfie

2011-09-25T15:51:00.000-04:00

Whenever I walk Wolfie, sometimes he runs to the bushes to sniff, sometimes he just wants to look around, other times he wants to pull me down the street... What should I do?

The big thing to remember is "who is walking who". Many times, when we go for a walk with our dog, he is walking us. This is not good. We need to be in control when we are in public with our dog. The first thing to remember is that walking is a lot more than just walking. Let me walk (ha-ha) through a scenario of the pieces of a walk and you will see what I mean:

The Front Door: You don't want to just open the front door and dart out into the walk. It is very important that you establish that you are in the driver's seat from the very start. Have Wolfie sit and stay for you at the front door. Now you open the front door while Wolfie isn't moving. Invite Wolfie out and ask him to sit again. Once everything is calm and Wolfie is giving you focus, begin your walk. Do this in reverse when you return home.
The Sidewalk: When you and Wolfie are walking, he must always understand that you are the leader. This is done by keeping him by your side so that you both can maintain peripheral vision. If he starts to get a little ahead of you, use your leash and give a gentile flick to guide him back to your side. Change the speed of your walk to make sure that you are walking at your speed and not Wolfies'.
The Breaks (Potty/Sniffies): Remember that you are in charge. You decide when the walkies stops for a minute for a break. When you deem it necessary, stop and have Wolfie sit. Next use a unique command word like "Free" to allow Wolfie to do his business or just do other "dogie things". When you are ready to continue, use the "Come" command to have Wolfie return to your side. Now you can start your walkies again.

Remember that walking is more than just walking. It is about distinct activities that allow you and Wolfie to bond while you are maintaining leadership. Try this and you will see how Wolfie calms down.

How Often Should I Work With Wolfie?

2011-09-20T20:20:00.000-04:00

OK, I know all about the exercises and I do them with Wolfie every once in a while, but Wolfie just doesn't seem to get it! What's the buzz?

Remember Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy? Most of you probably don't, but if you are as old as I am, you will remember the cartoons where Doggie Daddy was always trying to teach his son, Augie Doggie a lesson. Crazy as it seems, they were spot on regarding how dogs want to learn and how they will retain the lesson.

I am not saying that our Bark Buster methods are based on a 1960's cartoon show, it just so happens that the show mimics the proven methods we use to gain our great results. So what happened between Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy? It is real simple...

YOU MUST BE CONSISTENT. Dogs learn by doing the same thing the exact same way. In order for us "humans" to accomplish this, we can't spend a whole lot of time every day working with Wolfie. If we do, we will get sloppy and we won't be consistent. That is why we urge our clients to not spend more that fifteen to thirty minutes a day working with their dog. If they spend more time, they are trying to build a Guinness World's Record of sits. This doesn't work. Remember, no more than thirty minutes a day!
YOU MUST BE REPETITIVE. Remember how we learned our 'times tables'? Eight times eight is sixty-four. Over and over again. That is the same way that Wolfie learns his lessons. ...Over and over again. This means that you need to practice your exercises every day. You can't just do it once or twice a week and think that it is going to stick. It won't.

So remember, consistency and repetition with your exercises. That is what is going to make it work!

Getting Wolfie Ready for a Plane Flight

2011-09-11T16:42:00.000-04:00

So Wolfie and I are taking our first trip up to see Grandma up in Ohio this Thanksgiving.... Why do I have to worry about this now?

Getting Wolfie ready to take a long plane trip is something you can't just do with the snap of your fingers. There are many things that you need to prepare and teach Wolfie. Remember that being under the seat of the plane can be a very scary thing, if Wolfie is not properly prepared.

(Please note: I will not talk about putting your dog in the baggage department of a plane. We did this with our dogs once and I will never do that again. I suggest you please follow this same policy.)

Now, back to our regularly scheduled blog... So what do I do to prepare for the trip? Here are some quick, initial steps:

You are going to need a proper carrier to transport Wolfie on the plane. Contact the airlines you will be using and ask them for the proper specifications for the dog carrier.
Have the airlines confirm that Wolfie is the proper size to be in the passenger section, with you.
Most airlines only allow so many dogs on a particular flight. Make sure that Wolfie has his spot.
Start to socialize Wolfie with the dog carrier by placing him in it for short times during the day. Begin to extend these times and start to carry Wolfie around the house in his carrier. This will simulate your carrying Wolfie through the airport.
Place Wolfie, in his carrier, at your feet when you are sitting. Read a book for an hour or two to simulate the flight.
Make sure that Wolfie has toys and other distractions in his carrier to keep him busy and to stimulate his mind.
Make sure that Wolfie has gone to the bathroom before you have boarded the plane to avoid any unfortunate and smelly accidents.
If Wolfie still shows intrepedation or fear, you can try giving him Bach Flowers Rescue Remedy or a relaxant perscribed by your Veterinarian before you board the plane. (This is the equivalent of all the nervour human passengers hanging out at the bar next to the boarding gate.)

The most important thing to remember and the one thing that will make your plane flight enjoyable is to start practicing these suggestions now. When Thanksgiving rolls around, a plane flight will be a piece of cake for Wolfie because you have properly socialized him to all the unique actions he will experience.

Going Nuts With Your Dog

2011-09-05T14:10:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I just get so mad at my dog, I start screaming and chasing him... ...But it doesn't do any good! He doesn't respond to me. Is my dog just nuts or stupid or what?

Well, there is "someone" stupid and nuts in the group, but it is not the dog. We have to understand that the way we communicate is not necessarily the same way that our dogs communicate. We get mad, we yell, we scream, we chase. What we aren't doing is communicating to Wolfie that he is doing something wrong and that is why we are mad.

Even though the way that humans and dogs communicate is quite similar, it is different enough to breed miscommunication. Eighty percent of how dogs communicate is with their body language. When they are looking at us for communication, they are watching our body language very carefully to understand, from their point of view, what we are trying to say.

One of the most important parts of good body language in portraying that you are the leader and should be respected and obeyed is your ability to stay calm and still. Running, screaming, jumping, chasing; do not send the message you are trying to deliver to Wolfie. When Wolfie is doing something wrong, the first thing that you must remember is to stay calm and still. You can absolutely correct him in a firm and resolute manner, but you must do it while remaining calm and still.

It is amazing how many dog owners do not employ this simple, and almost obvious piece of advise. Not only will you be sending the right message to Wolfie, you will feel better too. Give it a shot!

How to Get Wolfie to Eat His Kibble

2011-08-28T17:08:00.000-04:00

I just have the hardest time to get my dog to eat his dry food. Wet food is expensive and hard to break up with the dry food. He just seems to pick out the wet food and still leaves the dry. What gives?

We always had a hard time to get Wolfie to eat his dry food. Our Vet has always told us to stay away from the wet foods because they will cause tooth decay if we didn't regularly brush Wolfie's teeth. The one thing I didn't want to do is to spend my evenings being a dental hygienist for Wolfie. After some thought, we came up with two, really simple answers to get Wolfie to "love" his dry food.

Low Sodium Chicken Broth. You can normally get low sodium chicken broth in a box from the market. After you put Wolfie's dry food in his bowl, pour some chicken broth on as a "light gravy". The dry food will soak up the broth, making it moist and adding additional flavor. Wolfie loves it!
Cottage Cheese. Get some plain old cottage cheese and add a few table spoons into Wolfie's bowl with the dry food. The cottage cheese curds and dry food easily mix together to form a constant blend of curds and kibble. I am adding moisture and cheese and, again, Wolfie loves it.

So these are two simple and inexpensive ways to put some zip into Wolfie's meal. Try it. Wolfie will love you for it!

It's Raining in Wolfie's Bathroom!

2011-08-21T16:51:00.000-04:00

Wolfie is potty trained, but he won't go outside when it is raining! He is 75 lbs. and I am not going to try and use potty pads. What gives?

If is was raining in your bathroom, would that be the most conducive place for you to go? I think not. I have had this problem with many clients and have provided them with an idea that just about always works. Let's think about the issue facing us:

Wolfie has been trained to go to the bathroom outside.
Wolfie does not like to go to the bathroom in the rain.

The answer is simple. When Wolfie goes outside to go to the bathroom, it never rains. But we are in South Florida and this time of year it is always raining. What do I do? Here is the answer:

Go to Home Depot and get a few flats of grass.
Pick a place on your covered porch where you want Wolfie to go.
Put down a drop cloth that is just a little bigger than the flats of grass.
Put the flats of grass on the drop cloth.
Direct Wolfie to the flats of grass for his potty area when it is raining.

I have now removed the rain from Wolfie's bathroom.

Wolfie in the Pantry

2011-08-14T14:58:00.000-04:00

When I go out, Wolfie always likes to steal food from the pantry. I close the door and tell him "No!", but he still does it. What can I do?

The big problem is that you don't understand Wolfie's sense of "food ownership" and what the pantry represents. In Wolfie's eyes, there is no direct ownership of food, even for the "pack leader". If you are eating the food, it is yours. As soon as you walk away and leave the food, it is anybody's, including Wolfie. You go to the market, buy food, and store it in the pantry. You then walk away, leaving the food in the pantry. In Wolfie's eyes, you have abandoned the food and it is anybody's for the taking.

Also, you have left Wolfie with the ability to get the food. It is unattended food in his territory. Wolfie sees no problem to go into the pantry and pick out that nice bag of corn chips, take it to his bed, and have a party. This is a natural instinct and is very difficult, if not impossible, to correct without a great deal of time and training.

Don't worry! I have the answer. As the "pack leader" of the territory, you have the ability and right to modify the territory into any form needed to maintain your pack rules. All you have to do is to go down to the hardware store, buy a two dollar latch, and put that on your pantry's door. Simply latch the door when you aren't actively using the pantry and Wolfie won't be able to enter that part of the territory. Your problem is solved. Over time, Wolfie will just stop attempting to go into the pantry. This is because you have changed his behavior through a consistent and repetitive negative result of his attempts.

Remember, as the pack leader you can use corrections, redirections, and modifications to your territory to gain the results you require and maintain your pack rules.

How to Talk to Your Dog

2011-08-07T15:06:00.000-04:00

I am trying to get Wolfie to sit. I say "Sit! Sit, Wolfie, sit! Come on you crazy dog, put your bottom down on the ground! OK Wolfie, now I am getting mad, SIT SIT SIT!" He's not doing it....

Ya think so! You have run head long into a big difference in the way we communicate and the way Wolfie communicates. We have words, languages, punctuation, synonyms, antonyms, abbreviations, and a whole lot of other ways we verbally communicate. We can describe the same item or action in multiple ways that we all understand and can agree upon.

Wolfie does not have "all those verbals" that we have. Wolfie does not have the dictionary where the same word might have multiple meanings and a list of ten other words that mean the same thing. All Wolfie has are the sounds and tones that come out of his mouth. We might call it barking, yipping, or growling. That is all Wolfie has when he wants to communicate verbally with other dogs, other animals, and us.

In order to verbally communicate with Wolfie, we first have to understand that words are simply sounds and for a sound to be understood, that sound can only have one, unique meaning. For us, this could be equivalent an emergency vehicle's siren. We hear that siren and we know that there is an emergency vehicle in our close proximity. We look for the vehicle and make sure it can pass. The unique sound of the siren invokes a unique response from us.

That is how Wolfie verbally communicates. So if we want to have Wolfie sit, we must have a unique sound that will always elicit Wolfie putting his bottom on the ground. Most people use "Sit". This means that you will only say "Sit" once when you want him to sit. Do not say "Sit, sit, sit, sit" because that is now a different sound.

So remember, you must use unique sounds with Wolfie to have him understand you.

Wolfie and Your New Baby

2011-07-30T21:34:00.000-04:00

Wow! I thought I had made this clear to all my clients in the past, but I stand corrected!

A client recently told me that they have a newborn baby that they put down next to their two dogs and the baby pulls their ears and pokes them in their eyes. "Nothing bad seems to happen", so that must be OK.

No, it is not OK. A newborn baby is small, low to the ground, makes quick, forward motions with their hands, and squeals in a high pitch. These are all actions that aggravate the normal dog into a point of "don't bother me". When this occurs, the dog will first give off a low growl indicating that they are done with the interaction.

Guess what? The newborn baby doesn't "speak dog"! They will continue to poke and squeal and approach. Now comes the "bad part". When your dog sees that their verbal communication has not been successfully received, they will ramp it up to a snap. In your dog's mind, a snap is still a passive action designed to passively, yet forcefully explain their position of "leave me alone".

What I have seen too many times is that the snap comes into contact with the baby. This results in a bruise at the minimum and several stitches at the maximum. The point of this discussion is that this does not have to happen.

PARENTS! Manage your baby and your dog!

Do not leave your baby and dog alone. Ever!
When you are together, have your dog on a leash and always be between both of them.
If you feel it is time to let them meet, two adults must be present. One adult has the dog on the leash, ready to remove him from the area. The other holds the baby. Allow the dog to approach and manage the baby so that they don't employ quick, forward movements.
If any form of aggression takes place, separate the two instantly.

The takeaway from this discussion is to keep a safe environment in your home. You have all the time in the world to have your baby and dogie meet. Let's do it when everyone is happy and the environment is safe.

Please... If you have questions, please email me at southbroward@barkbusters.com

The Summer Heat and Wolfie

2011-07-24T18:26:00.000-04:00

I know that we have talked about playing in the pool to beat the summer heat, but what if I don't have a pool? Wolfie wants to get outside, but what guidelines should I use?

I have already talked about pools, proper hydration, and several other topics as Wolfie and I deal with the summer heat. The problem is that Wolfie really needs some good exercise, but in the heat, what is safe?

Wolfie needs exercise and this summer seems to be one of the hottest in recent memory. These are two inescapable facts. The solution is to deal with these facts in a safe way. What I have suggested to many of my clients is to manage the times you get your dog outside.

Down here in South Florida, it is already over 80 degrees by 10AM and can get way over 90 degrees by the afternoon. Many times, it doesn't get down to the 80's again until 6PM and doesn't drop into the 70's until 10 in the evening. I provide the following "Play Outside" schedule for my clients:

In the Morning until 10AM: Play outside for no more than 15 minutes at a time.
From 10AM until 5PM: Play outside for no more than 10 minutes at a time.
From 5PM until 9PM: Play outside for no more than 15 minutes at a time.
After 9PM: Play outside for up to 30 minutes at a time.

I also suggest that the activities in the middle of the day are not as "active" as the other times. You can throw the Frisbee, but not for the entire time. Activities like rolling a ball for Wolfie to fetch or a brisk walk (on leash if necessary), or simply wandering around the back yard together would be appropriate in the middle of the day. And, I can not state this enough, always plenty of water when play time is over.

One last thing... If your pooch is on medication which might cause rapid dehydration or is getting on in years, I might cut these times down by as much as 50%. If you see your dog begin to become lethargic in any way, bring him inside at once. If he continues to be lethargic for one to two hours after you have brought him inside, call your vet.

We can play outside in the heat, but we must be safe about it.

The Wee-Wee Pad (Ramp it Up)

2011-07-14T12:14:00.001-04:00

I am trying to train my puppy to go on the wee-wee pad, but he just doesn't pay attention to it! What gives?

The wee-wee pad was originally designed around the notion that "if it smells like a toilet, it must be a toilet". The wee-wee pad manufacturer would put a chemical on the paper so that the pad had a slight scent of urine. We, of course, couldn't smell it, but Wolfie could. Sometimes, when your pup is not paying attention to the pad it is because the scent given off by the pad is not strong enough to gain his attention.

This doesn't mean that you just put down more pads. What you need to do is to enhance the smell or "super-size the odor". Here are three suggestions:

Many pet stores sell "urine odor enhancer sprays". Get a bottle and spray it generously in the exact middle of Wolfie's wee-wee pad.
There is an old wife's tale that the smell of beer enhances Wolfie's potty drive. Pour a little bit of beer (careful, don't waste the whole bottle!) in the middle of Wolfie's wee-wee pad.
(Now, this may be a little gross, but hear me out on this one!) If Wolfie has gone Number One on a hard surface (tile, wood, etc.), put on some dish washing gloves, get a sponge (that you are about to throw away), and soak up the urine into the sponge. Take the sponge and squeeze it over the middle of Wolfie's wee-wee pad. (Be sure to throw the sponge away!)

These are three simple ways to enhance the productivity of the wee-wee pad. Please understand that this is only a single piece in the potty training process. There are many other matters that you must understand and consider. Check out other articles in this training blog for additional information.

Keeping the Start of Your Walk Nice and Quiet

2011-07-07T16:23:00.000-04:00

Every time Wolfie and I go out for a walk, he pulls me through the front door and down the street. This needs to stop! What can I do?

Many times we answer our own questions without even knowing it. Our dogs get all excited about the walkies because we have built up the moment with distracted anticipation. Of course they are going to go nuts when we open the door and, of course, they are going to run out the door and pull us down the streets!

What we must do is to manage the situation before it takes place. We must do two things to regain control of the walkies:

Break the association of "leash means walkies".
Dogs learn by "A = B". Whenever Wolfie sees the leash, it means "walkies". Oh boy! Oh boy! He gets all excited and runs all around the house in celebration. We, of course, chase him, yelling and screaming, until we catch him and get the leash on. Can you say "adrenaline rush for Wolfie"?

We must break the "A = B". Start putting the leash on Wolfie at different times during day (while you are home and can keep an eye on him) and simply walk away. Have it on him at different times so that he can not make an association of a related action with clicking on or off the leash. This will take the "leash means walkies" association away. It will transpose Wolfie's reaction to the leash from excitement to lack of attention.

You now have the ability to prepare for the walk with minimum adrenaline and maximum focus on you.

Make sure you go through the front door first.
Starting a walk is not the begin of a race. Wolfie should allow you to calmly step through the front door while he politely waits for your permission to come with you. Here is what you do:

Approach the front door and put Wolfie in a "Sit".
Open the door and tell Wolfie to "Wait".
Calmly step through the front door to the outside while Wolfie remains inside.
Give Wolfie the "Release" command to allow him to calmly walk outside.
Have Wolfie "Sit" outside the front door. When you are ready, calmly start your walk.

Of course, there are many other aspects to walking Wolfie and this blog contains many other training tips on the subject. The problem is if you don't start your walk off on the right paw, it will be overly difficult to maintain control over Wolfie.

Wolfie and the Elevator

2011-06-28T09:20:00.000-04:00

What can you do with a dog that is slightly fearful of other dogs and you live in a building and have to use the elevator?

Let me tell you one thing for sure. You don't want to force Wolfie into a situation where he is placed in a fight or flight situation in a confined environment (like an elevator). You don't want to let the other dog in the elevator and do something like move to the corner of the elevator and hold him on a very tight leash or pick him up and firmly hold him. When you are doing these things, you are placing Wolfie in an unsafe situation.

As the "Alpha Leader", you never want to put your pack or any members of your pack in an unsafe situation. You are now "telling" Wolfie that you are a bad leader and don't have the ability to keep him safe. This means that Wolfie will step up to be the leader and will take a more aggressive stance in the elevator (bad!).

We must understand that as the Alpha Leader, it is our biggest responsibility to keep Wolfie safe. Sometimes, the best way to maintain safety is to avoid unsafe situations. This is not "running away", it is simply good pack management. With this in mind, here are my suggestions for the elevator situation.

If you are in the elevator and someone with a dog starts to enter, politely mention that your dog is a little fearful of other dogs when in the elevator. Since you don't want an incident in such a closed space, could they please wait for the next elevator. If they agree, thank them. If they still step into the elevator, excuse yourself and get out of the elevator. If there are other people in the elevator, they will see that you are a responsible dog owner, no matter which outcome occurred. You will also show Wolfie that you are keeping him safe.
If you are about to enter the elevator and you see that there is another dog in the elevator, do not enter. Mention that Wolfie is a little fearful of dogs in the elevator and you want to wait for the next one. This, again will show that you are a responsible dog owner to your neighbors and that you are the strong alpha leader to Wolfie.

Yes, I know that it might take you a few more minutes to go up and down the elevator, but the extra few minutes will do wonders in building your relationship with Wolfie and your neighbors.

Wolfie and Me in the Pool

2011-06-21T16:02:00.000-04:00

I would love to have Wolfie in the pool with me, but I don't want it to be a crazy time...

So, how do we get Wolfie to play with us in the pool while not driving us nuts, jumping on us, and all those bad things? Well, in fact, we actually have two dogs that play with us in the pool. Wolfie, who I have always talked about, and Fang, our Poodle. Here is my secret:

We had to first pick an activity that we would associate with "pool time". When we are in the pool, this is what Wolfie and Fang will always do. We found that both dogs have a very strong "fetch" drive. This is great because it is a "high energy" activity and it drives them away from being on top of us. We started playing fetch with them while we were all outside the pool. This allowed us to practice the exercise and to focus on how they would deliver the fetch toy back to us. It is very important that you make them drop the toy at your feet and to then step back, waiting for you to throw the toy again. The purpose of this exercise is to create a great "play activity" and to have them calm as they return to you.

Now that we have mastered the fetch game and they are calm when they bring the toys to us, we are ready for the pool!

Start by standing on the steps in the shallow end and play fetch with them. Have them bring you the fetch toys and drop them by the side of the pool. Slowly move down the steps into the water, continuing to play fetch. Get all the way in the pool and throw the toys for them. If the toys float, throw the toys in the other end of the pool every once in a while. This just breaks up the game and allows them to cool off. (Be sure that they understand where the steps are located so that they can easily exit the pool and bring the toy back to you.)

Wolfie and Fang are now playing with you in the pool and they are not always on top of you. Because of the nature of the game, you have control of where they will be playing (or not playing). This assures that if you have friends or guests who don't want to interact with them, they will have a good time too.

Give it a shot! It has worked for us and has given us countless hours of fun pool time with family, friends, and Wolfie & Fang!

Wolfie Going Nuts When We Are In The Pool

2011-06-11T18:41:00.000-04:00

Whenever anyone gets in the pool, Wolfie goes nuts and wants to jump right in the middle of it. We found this fun when he was small and it was just the family, but we don't want him to "belly flop" on my pool guests! Any hope?

Oops! You did the classic "it is so cute when he was small and it isn't any fun now that he is big" mistake. This problem is just exacerbated because a lot of people splashing, jumping, and yelling in the pool is a really big distraction. Since most dogs are very social animals, they want to get into the fun too. This issue really has to be nipped in the bud when Wolfie is still young and the bad habit has not been mistakenly taught to him by you.

Here are some thoughts:

Everything here must be started when Wolfie is still young.
Have Wolfie (under supervision on leash) outside, near the pool with you. You swim around the pool, but don't make a lot of "crazy pool sounds". As soon as Wolfie starts to react to you, have the person supervising Wolfie redirect him in the opposite direction. Direct him to a toy and have him focus on that. Repeat the process until Wolfie understands that there are other things to do in the back yard besides focusing on you when you are in the pool.

As Wolfie gets better at a farther distance, move him closer to the pool and add people in the pool. As this improves, have people enter and leave the pool. Finally, have people leave the pool, interact with Wolfie, and then get back into the pool.

This process teaches Wolfie that he doesn't have to be in the pool to have fun with you while you are all outside in the pool area.
Have Wolfie in the house (under supervision with leash) while you are swimming in the pool. If Wolfie starts to bark and run towards the door, have his handler redirect him towards a toy and social interaction.

Continue to ramp up the process with more activity in the pool and with more activity in the pool. As Wolfie is improving, remove the handler, first to the other side of the room, next to an adjacent room, and finally outside.

The focus of our entire exercise is to socialize Wolfie with the notion that he is fine where ever he is while there is activity in the pool.

NOTE: If you want Wolfie to be a social dog in the pool with you, you will have to invite him in the pool, and on your terms. This will be a topic of a future blog.

The Two REAL Tips on Potty Training

2011-06-06T17:05:00.000-04:00

OK, OK! I know that I spend a lot of time on potty training! 80% of all my clients' puppy issues deal with potty training, so that is always my focus!

Today, I am going to give away one of my secrets. It really is not a secret, because I teach it in my Potty Training lesson, but most people forget...

Pay attention, because this is going to be quick. There are normally two reasons why potty training your new little puppy isn't going well. Are you ready? Here they come:

Water: You leave the water down too long. Always pick the water up after the meal is complete (with the food). If you leave the water down all day long, you have no idea how much Wolfie has consumed and when he drank it. This destroys you ability to build a schedule based on planned events.
Visibility: ALWAYS keep Wolfie in sight during your potty training process. If you don't keep him in sight, you will never see when and possibly where he made an accident. It is critical that you have this information because it will allow you to analyze what you did wrong to allow it to happen. You can then create a plan to address this issue in the future.

I spend between one to two hours discussing potty training with my clients, but when the "rubber hits the road", here is where they fail. I hope that you can use this information to help you with your potty training issues.

What To Do When An "Off Leash" Dog Runs At You

2011-05-29T17:40:00.000-04:00

I live in a area where a lot of people let their dogs roam free (off leash). What do I do when I am out on a walk and one of them runs at Wolfie and me? (I don't want either of us to be bitten!)

We definitely don't want the picture above to happen to us!

It just so happens that this happened the other day while Wolfie and I were out for a walk. An off leash Pit Bull charged us while we were walking down the street. Needless to say that I can still type with all ten fingers, so we made it out just fine. Let me recant what happened...

Wolfie and I were walking down the street (Wolfie was on a leash) when I noticed a Pit Bull on the front porch of a house about half a block in front of us. I crossed over to the other side of the street and continued to observe the dog. I noticed no body tension or posturing from the dog. He didn't seem to have a great deal of interest in us. I also noticed that Wolfie was also not reacting to the dog in any manner. Since the body language of the two dogs exhibited no aggressive or fearful tendencies, I decided to proceed.

Wolfie and I continued to slowly walk down the street past the dog. As we were directly across the street from the dog, he bolted for us. At this point, Wolfie and I could not run. All we could do was prepare for the "meeting".

I observed that the Pit Bull was running at us, but in a relaxed manner. As he came closer to us, he slowed down and stopped about ten feet away. Wolfie and I stood tall and faced him. We did not make any quick moves that the Pit Bull could interpret as aggressive or "attacking". We allowed the Pit to make the next step.

After a few seconds, he slowly approached and gave the "doggie greeting" to Wolfie. Wolfie stood still. At this point, I knew that we were going to be just fine. The Pit then wandered off for a second to mark some flowers in a neighbor's yard and then ran back to us. Wolfie then gave the "doggie greeting" to the Pit Bull.

The situation had been successfully defused through the use of observing canine behavior and acting in a calm and assertive manner.

Training with a Crazy Family

2011-05-18T13:13:00.000-04:00

Wolfie needs training, but it really isn't working. I know our family is kinda nuts. Is that causing any problems?

To paraphrase Charlie Sheen... "Duh, Yes!"

When educating dogs, you need to provide a consistent, calm, educational environment. This is the only way that you can portray an assertive position to Wolfie that will naturally allow him to learn. Yelling, screaming, inconsistent interaction with Wolfie, and just generally being nuts will drive Wolfie away from the class room. Your entire family must provide Wolfie a calm, consistent, and assertive relationship in order for Wolfie to see you as his teachers. I know that this sometimes can be really difficult, but here are some suggestions:

Before you start the training process, have the entire family sit down and discuss what they think is wrong with Wolfie and what they would like to see. Make a list.
Review each item on the list and discuss how you plan to resolve the issue.
Get every member of the family to agree with the issues and the plans to resolve those issues.
Have every member of the family work with Wolfie every day on one or more of the issues your family has identified. Have family members work in teams so that you can assure consistency in your actions.

With this said, be sure that you don't:

Scream at Wolfie.
Hit, kick, push, or do anything hurtful or frightening with Wolfie.
Play rough with Wolfie.
Get Wolfie to do what you want by giving him treats.

Remember, the biggest thing thing to remember is to be calm and constant. As always, the best way to assure that you will meet your goals is to contact your local Bark Buster for training assistance.

How to introduce a new doggie into the family

2011-05-11T17:19:00.000-04:00

I am about to get a new dog, but how do I make sure that Wolfie and he will get along?

The biggest problem that we have when we bring home a "new dog" is to understand how our current dog(s) will react. Remember, Wolfie didn't have a clue that someone new was coming to live with him. Here are a few, quick tips:

Before you actually bring the new dog home, take Wolfie to the Humane Society, breeder, or pet store to meet the new dog. Keep both on leashes and allow them to sniff each other. Watch their body language to make sure that you don't see any possible aggression or timid behavior. If they both eventually just sit down and are not focused on the other dog, you are fine, so far.
When you bring the new dog home, have Wolfie meet the new dog in the front yard. This is a neutral spot for both. It is also not Wolfie's territory and you don't want to suddenly introduce a new "pack member" into Wolfie's territory. Allow both dogs to meet (on leashes) and sniff. Walk them around the yard together for a few minutes and then walk them in the front door. Make sure that Wolfie goes first.
Now that you have them in your home, always supervise them when they are together. You just want to make 100% sure that everything is going well. When you can't supervise them, separate them in their crates.
After a few days, let them in the back yard by themselves. Watch them from the house. If you see friendly play and respectful interaction, you can assume that they are fine with each other.

Congratulations on extending your family!

Teaching Wolfie to Fetch

2011-05-05T12:17:00.000-04:00

I thought that all dogs just knew how to fetch, but Wolfie has no idea! What's up with that?

First of all, dogs don't intuitively understand "fetch". Based on different distractions, reward systems, and individual tendencies, some dogs might pick up the "idea" faster than others. The bottom line is that you still have to show them what you want them to do over and over again for them to learn the process.

Here is what you do:

Start out by just rolling a tennis ball towards Wolfie so that it will be a distraction that will keep his focus and interest. You might even soak the tennis ball in beef broth (letting it dry before you use it) to further enhance the distraction. Repeat this over and over again until Wolfie always goes for the ball you are rolling towards him.
Slowly change the direction of the rolling ball. Repeat this slowly until you are now rolling the ball away from Wolfie and he is going after the ball.
Now, we want to have Wolfie to bring the ball back. Attach a long lead (10' - 20') to Wolfie. Once you have rolled the ball and Wolfie had captured it, give Wolfie a "come command". If he doesn't return to you, give the lead a slight tug to encourage him to come back to you. Repeat this until Wolfie will catch the ball and then return to you.
Now, begin bouncing and then throwing the ball. This adds more movement to the activity, but Wolfie should be ready for it. Repeat this until Wolfie is catching the ball and bringing it back every time.
Remove the lead and continue the process. If Wolfie doesn't being the ball back, attach the lead and continue with that until he repeatedly brings the ball back.

You have now taught Wolfie how to fetch. Understand that all dogs might not like to play fetch. To be completely successful, Wolfie will want to play fetch and see it as a fun time of bonding with you. If Wolfie doesn't like the activity, he will do it, but it will seem like work and it won't be a fun time for the two of you.

Tips on Not Getting Bitten by Wolfie

2011-04-30T13:42:00.000-04:00

So just what do you need to do in order to not get bitten by a dog?

You can never be 100% sure that a dog won't bite you, but there are ways to really minimize the chance. Here are a few tips that have kept me all in one piece over the years:

Don’t turn and run—dogs naturally love to chase and catch things.
Stand still, with your hands at your sides. In most cases, the dog will go away when it determines you are not a threat.
Don’t put your hand out—just allow the dog to approach you to sniff you.
Don’t scream. If you say anything, speak calmly and firmly.
Face the dog at all times, but don’t stare. Avoid eye contact.
When possible, back away slowly, watching the dog from the corner of your eye, until the dog is out of sight.

I know that some of these suggestions might be counter intuitive to "us humans", but remember that we are dealing with a dog who may or may not bite us.

My Puppy Wakes Me Up At Night

2011-04-21T19:06:00.004-04:00

It is always "hit or miss" if our little puppy, Fluffy, is going to wake us up in the middle of the night. The important question is "What can we do?"

I recently had an experience helping a client with a twelve week old Sheppard who would wake up after three or four hours of night-time sleep. Sometimes he simply wanted out of his crate to walk around the bedroom. Sometimes he wanted to go outside "just to check it out".

We determined that the Sheppard just wasn't "tired enough" to hit that "deep sleep" to last through the night. We came up with a two phased approach to make sure that our little puppy was ready for "sleepy time".

Get the Energy Out of The Dog
We decided to take the dog out in the evening and engage in multiple, high energy activities. These included Frisbee, fetch the ball, run for treats, jogging, etc. Our goal was to drain the adrenaline and just make the dog tired. These actions simply increased the "I want to take a nap" with the dog and increased the likelyhood of a long and peaceful sleep.
Bach Flowers Rescue Remedy
This is a holistic, herbal relaxant. It is made up of flower pedals that have been shown to relax both dogs and humans. I suggested to put several drops of this liquid on the dog's toung an hour before bedtime. This is the equivalent of having a nice, warm, glass of Ovaltine before bed. It simply relaxes our little puppy and helps him sleep throuth the night.

By employing these two, simple processes, we were able to get our little puppy to sleep through the night. Many times the simple processes are the best.

Getting Wolfie to Stop Barking All The Time

2011-04-14T09:26:00.000-04:00

Barking is something dogs often do to sound the alarm of a potential threat (in his mind). Unfortunately for you and your neighbours, these ‘threats’ can include squirrels, birds, people or dogs walking by, noises, the garbage man, etc.

A dog that barks at everyday occurrences is not a good watchdog. A dog like this is similar to a car alarm that keeps going off for no reason. People will eventually take no notice, even when he barks for a legitimate reason. He will only annoy the entire neighbourhood.

A good watchdog is one that barks only when something out of the ordinary happens; when someone attempts to enter your property or when there is imminent danger like a house fire. Dogs naturally protect their territory but you need to teach him what is not a threat to you, your family or the territory.

Dogs that bark a lot can be of various personality types. The very confident dog will feel it is his duty to ward off everything and everybody from his turf.

He is insistent in his warnings and is vigilant in keeping things away. The timid or fearful dog may be very worried about these scary threats, as he feels vulnerable. He will do everything in his power to keep them from approaching his domain so he or his pack isn’t hurt. This can even escalates into growling and biting.

A dog may also be barking to call the pack back to him (separation anxiety) as he is worried for his safety and that of the pack.

These are all natural survival instincts for dogs. Since they are dogs living in a human society, we need to teach them in their own language what warrants concern, what is acceptable barking, and what is not.

Things that you can put in place to help the situation include:

1) Don’t react to your dog every time he barks by calling him, going to him, or yelling at him. You are only reinforcing his ‘calling of the pack’ responsibility.

2) Provide a safe place for him to sleep and relax when he is left alone. Patrolling an entire house is a huge job that will require lots of barking.

3) Provide your dog with a sense of strong leadership from you. He will feel less vulnerable if he knows you are capable of taking care of him and the pack. This includes setting rules, getting him to work for you by following and focusing, and not acceding to requests from him for attention, games, coming in or going out, etc.

Understanding the temperament of your dog, the constant messages he’s sending to you and others, and the scope of his concern is paramount to educating him and controlling the barking. Some solutions that are available to stop barking can possibly make the matter worse. Seek the assistance of your local Bark Buster trainer for professional guidance with excessive barking.

Playing in the Heat

2011-04-05T16:13:00.000-04:00

I normally don't talk about this subject this early in the year, but it seems that we have gone from Winter to Summer. So, what do you need to know about playing outside with Wolfie in this "South Florida heat"?

Most of what I am going to tell you is common sense, but it is sometime worth repeating to get it stuck in our brains.

First, try to be outside only in the early morning or early evening with Wolfie. This is when the sun is lowest in the sky and the temperature is lower. If you have to be outside in the middle of the day, limit it to 20 minutes.
Always be sure to hydrate yourself and Wolfie. You can bring a water bottle for your self and Wolfie. There are some "really cool" water bottle/dispensers that you can get at the pet stores.
Whenever possible, try to play in the shade.
If you are on concrete or a "hard surface", put your hand on the surface to determine if it is too hot for Wolfie's paws. If you wouldn't want to walk barefoot on the surface, why do you think he would want to walk "barepaw" on it?
If possible, play in the pool where you and Wolfie can keep cooler. Jump out of the pool for a little bit, then jump back in.
If Wolfie begins to slow down, let's get him back inside.
Be sure to provide water once Wolfie is back inside to allow him to naturally rehydrate.
If Wolfie appears unusually lethargic and listless, monitor him for several hours. If this continues, Wolfie might have "overdone it". Call your veterinarian for advice.

The bottom line is that we can definitely have fun with Wolfie in our "early" Summer heat. We just need to take some precautions to keep everyone safe and healthy.

Wolfie in the Pool

2011-03-25T19:38:00.001-04:00

Wolfie has never been in the pool. What do I do to make sure that he will be safe if he jumps (or falls) in the pool?

This is a good question and one that is (thankfully) easy to answer. Dogs naturally believe that any body of water has a gradual incline that will guide them out of the water. This is very similar to a lake, stream, or beach. Unfortunately, our pools have vertical inclines defining the separation of water to land.

We need to educate Wolfie regarding the "exit points" of our pool. Here is what we do:

First of all, we put a leash on Wolfie.
We will gradually take him into the pool.
Once he is calmed down, we will let him go to swim on his own.
We guide Wolfie, via the leash, to an exit point.
We repeat this process for all exit points using the leash.
We repeat this for several days until we feel that Wolfie is naturally swimming towards the exit points.
We remove the leash, bring Wolfie into the pool, and let him go. If he swims towards an exit point, we are successful.
If Wolfie does not swim towards an exit point, we continue the process with the leash for several days and then attempt the off leash process again.

The goal of our entire process is to familiarize Wolfie with the specific exit points of the pool. A "side effect" of the process is to socialize Wolfie with your group interaction with the pool. You want Wolfie to understand that he can play with you, but not take charge and bark/jump on you at will.

Summer is coming and the the pool is now a major focus of our lives in South Florida. Please be sure that Wolfie is ready!

Can I Give My Doggie "People Food"?

2011-03-12T20:33:00.001-05:00

This is a very interesting question and one that I am often asked. My first quandary is "what is people food"?

I can make myself a hamburger made of beef, have some soup with carrots and peas, eat some mashed potatoes, and have some nachos with corn chips. Is this "people food"?

I can look on the side panel of Wolfie's dog food and see most of the same ingredients right there. (I won't see corn because that is an ingredient found in low quality dog foods and I believe I have already ranted and wrathed on that in another, earlier blog.)

So, dog food and people food seem to be the same food! The problem is that we are asking the wrong question. The appropriate question would be "How should I present Wolfie's food to him"?

The answer is simple. We can give Wolfie any type of food we want, as long as it is in a bowl we present to him at a location away from the place that we normally eat.

Wow! That was simple.

When Your Head Strong Pup Won't Walk Next to You

2011-03-06T19:24:00.001-05:00

I was recently at a training with a head-strong Doberman puppy who just would not want to walk next to me (on the leash, of course). What do I do?

Sometimes, with head-strong, large puppies, you have to rethink your course of education. If the puppy is constantly pulling you on the leash and the standard methods are not showing results, you are obviously not at the proper educational level to provide the necessary training for improvement. This is one of the most common issues when the training process is not gaining traction. Well, what do you do and how do you do it?

Wolfie was obviously a puller, but the question was "Why?". He also was in a small condo most of the day and appeared to be very excited to get out in the open spaces and fresh air. In observing him for about ten minutes, I decided to give him more leash to see if he acted the same way with a little more freedom.

Allowing Wolfie to have a few more feet of leash changed his demeanor completely. He no longer pulled and quieted down completely. If he got out to the end of the leash, I simply gave it a little tug and he returned to me immediately. After a short period of time, if I stopped walking, he would too.

What I simply did was to postulate that giving Wolfie a little more leash, his focus on the distractions would decrease and his ability to focus on me would increase. It worked. I now had him at a point where I could successfully educate him. This is obviously not the final place we want Wolfie to be when on a walk, but it begins to allow us to educate him on the process. Slowly, over time, I will move him back to my side.

Riding in the Car with Wolfie

2011-03-01T14:44:00.000-05:00

I have heard so many ideas on properly transporting Wolfie in my car, but what is the right one?

DON'T

have your dog in a car seat elevated above the rest of the occupants. This gives your dog heightened dominance and can cause excessive barking.
let your dog loose in the car. This is an extreme safety risk.
let your dog stick their head out the window. Yes, I know that everyone sees dogs to this, but the wind can cause neck injury.
leave your dog in the car for excessive periods of time when you are running an errand. Heat and anxiety can lead to dangerous results.
have your dog on your lap or on the front passenger seat. If the airbag deploys, it could cause harm or death to your dog. This is important, DO NOT DO THIS!

have your dog restrained either on the rear seat or floor. You can also use a properly restrained crate. This makes sure the dog is safe in the event of an accident. It also keeps him at a proper, non-dominant level in the car.
have toys or other "goodies" to keep your dog occupied. Boredom can lead to inappropriate behavior on long car rides.
make frequent stops on longer rides to let your dog stretch and have potty breaks.
take your dog with you on your errands. This helps stimulate his mind, provide socialization, and demonstrates your ability to keep him safe.

What About Dog Parks?

2011-02-18T21:02:00.000-05:00

Normally, I don't like dog parks because of the uncertainty of the dogs and dog owners that might be there with you and Wolfie. But if you must, let me give you some tips on keeping everyone safe and happy!

My big problem with dog parks isn't the dog park, but the dog owners who bring their dogs to the dog parks. Some dog owners who have aggressive dogs take their dogs to the dog park to socialize them with other dogs. Without the proper training and leadership, an aggressive dog is still an aggressive dog and my Wolfie is now in a confined area with that dog. I don't think that is a very good idea.

If you want to take your dog to the local dog park, please let us provide you with some suggestions to keep everyone safe:

Go online and research the dog parks in your area. See if there are any comments about the quality of the park (bugs, cleanliness, fences, etc.) and the people (bites, fights, inappropriate dogs in areas, etc.)
Take Wolfie to the park during a quiet time and sit outside on a bench with Wolfie on a leach. See if Wolfie shows you any signs of anxiety or tension. If he does, try coming a few more times with toys or treats. If the anxiety or tension continues, the park is not for you. You can try another dog par on your list.
If Wolfie is fine with the park, return at that quiet time and take him inside the park. Let him off the leash to explore, sniff, and do all those doggie things. If you see anxiety or tension, back off to sitting outside for a few times before you try again.
Now, let's go at a time when you would normally take Wolfie. Sit outside on a leash and check for anxiety or tension. Also check for any crazy dogs or crazy dog owners. If you and Wolfie are OK, take the next step. If either or you are not, check out the next dog park on your list.
Now comes the BIG STEP. Take Wolfie in the dog park and let him go. See how he interacts with the other dogs. Check for anxiety or tension and also check the body language of the other dogs. If anything doesn't seem right to you, back off and try another park. If Wolfie is a happy dog and the other dogs and dog owners are fine, congratulations! You now have a great dog park for Wolfie!

This is a very important subject that goes well beyond a short blog. If you have any questions, please visit our web site at Bark Busters South Florida and we will gladly provide you with additional information regarding your specific situation

Working with your Dog

2011-02-12T18:53:00.000-05:00

How long should I train my dog? Believe it or not, we are asked this question quite often and the answer is very important...

The answer is quite simple. You should work on obedience and staged behavioral exercises every day for fifteen to thirty minutes. If there are multiple members of our household, everyone should try and be there during the exercises. As you complete each exercise, the family members who were not directly involved in working with your dog should critique your training. This critique does not have the intention of "picking on anyone". It is designed to help everyone to perform the exercises in a consistent manner.

Dogs learn through consistency and repetition. We limit the training time and provide critiques to assure consistency in the process. We want to do the exercises every day to insure repetition. This is the fastest way to teach our doggies what we want them to do!

Pottying and Walking

2011-02-05T10:29:00.000-05:00

I take my dog for a nice, long walk, but he still potties in the house! What is going on here?

I was with a client last week who had the exact same problem. He would take his doggie out for nice, long walks several times a day. His dog would not go potty on the walks, but would wait until they got back to the apartment. We tried a few things and here is what we discovered:

Some dogs have their favorite "potty place". They also love to walk, so they also would rather walk and "go potty later". We took both of these principals, put them into action, and discovered that my client's dog loves the dog park in the complex and will always (100% of the time) potty in the dog park. He also has a high level of distraction on walks. We came up with the following, simple solution:

Always go to the dog park first (his favorite potty place) to let him play and potty. After about ten minutes of no pottying, we then go for a walk. The problem was solved and there is now no more potty accidents in my client's apartment.

So remember, always get your dog to his favorite potty place as early as possible when you get out for a walk. This breaks the walk into two phases. First, it is potty time. Next, it is walkies time. Give it a shot.

Let's Stop Digging

2011-01-30T17:27:00.000-05:00

Please, I really don't want my dog to be the gardener! He just keeps digging everywhere and I don't know why? Should I just pave over the entire back yard?

The answer is No. One of the main causes of digging in the back yard of boredom. Let's think about it for a moment, if you were left in the back yard for a long period of time without anything to do, you would get pretty bored. All we have to do is to replace Wolfie's boredom (leading to digging up my petunias) with something to do. Here are two ideas that I recently offered a client with two young Rottweilers:

Scatter Feed: Get a bunch of Wolfie's kibble, raw veggies, or other small pieces of food, and toss that in the back yard. You have now created an Easter Egg Hunt for Wolfie. All dogs love to forage and you have just created a humongous forage area. This will keep Wolfie busy for a very long time and will provide an alternate, fun activity for him.
Digging Pit: "If you can't beat them, join them!" (Not really) Wolfie is telling us that he likes to dig, why not encourage that in a way that meets our guidelines regarding the back yard? Find an area in the yard that you can clear of all vegetation and top soil. Next, line the area with a border of wood (redwood or cedar planks). Fill the area with a good helping of white sand. Now, hide some of Wolfie's toys in the sand, exposing their tops. Also, bury some of his favorite (smelly) treats in the digging pit. This offers Wolfie a target rich environment in which to dig. Why dig anywhere else when he can dig in the soft sand and find a lot of great things?

Try these two tips and you will regain your back yard and loose Wolfie as an unwanted gardener.

Super Sizing!

2011-01-21T15:29:00.002-05:00

You aren't sure what I mean by "super sizing"? Never been to McDonalds?

We Americans have been "super sizing" things for so long, it is now almost impossible to recognize when we are and aren't doing it. "Yes, I will take the large soda and fries with my 1/3 pounder with cheese!" What we have to understand is that we take this notion and spin it off into other parts of our lives, and Wolfie's life as well.

When we feed Wolfie, we simply fill up his dog bowl with food. We really have no, actual idea how much he really needs. We just assume that if we fill up the bowl, that will be fine. Since many dogs eat and drink out of boredom, we could be creating an unhealthy opportunity that Wolfie can't pass up. We are unknowingly making Wolfie over weight and shortening his live expectancy by years. We don't have to put Wolfie on a diet, we simply have to make sure that he is receiving the appropriate, healthy portions on a daily basis.

The solution to this problem is very simple. You simply have to read..... Read the information on the dog food bag that indicates the daily recommended proportion by weight (and sometimes age). If you give Wolfie that amount, things will be fine.

Go and get a measuring cup for Wolfie and measure his proportion of food on a daily basis. If you feed him twice a day, give him 1/2 of the food in the morning and 1/2 of the food in the evening. If you use his food as treats, take that food from the measuring cup.

See, I told you that the solution was simple. Wolfie will be healthier and live a longer life because of it!

A Quick Training Tip -- Walking Multiple Dogs

2011-01-13T15:13:00.000-05:00

I have two Lab puppies and they pull me down the street!!! I can't get them to walk correctly!!! One is always doing something!!!

I hear this all the time and the answer is really simple. There are too many students in the classroom. Teaching a dog to walk is not a group activity, but a one-on-one experience. You must be able to give Wolfie complete focus so that you can determine if Wolfie is paying attention. If he isn't, it you your job as his teacher to instantly enable him to pay attention and walk properly. If you have "two Wolfies" misbehaving at the same time, you won't be able to do this. So, what do you do?

As your puppies are learning to walk properly, you will walk them individually. This will allow you to give complete focus on the training process with each puppy on an individual basis. Your corrections will be better timed and more consistent. This will allow Wolfie to gain a far faster understanding of what he needs to do. After you walk one puppy, you will walk the next.

Once both are walking properly on an individual basis, you can then try taking them out together. For these walks, don't go as far as you would have walked individually and also try to time them when there are minimal distractions in the neighborhood. Also, continue the individual walks for the next few weeks to help build a transition and to provide consistency and repetition within the training process.

Follow this process and you will look just like a professional dog walker in no time!

A Little Trick with Potty Training

2011-01-06T18:59:00.000-05:00

I think I am doing everything right, but my puppy still pees in the house!

I hear this many times when I am out working with my clients and their puppy's pee accidents in the house.

A new and interesting "Plan B" came to me when I was out with a client walking their puppy. The puppy just loved to mark everywhere. He loved to mark so much that he ran out of pee before the walk was over. He would still stop and lift his leg. The funny thing was that nothing was coming out. He ran out!

Besides all the other potty hints I have given in this blog and on my lessons, this seems like a "no brainer". If I have a puppy with a pee problem in the house that loves to mark on walks, well get him out for a walk!

New Years Resolutions for You and Wolfie

2010-12-31T21:31:00.001-05:00

You know all those New Years Resolutions that you make every year and never keep? A great way to make sure you keep them is to have a friend help or to help a friend. Why not engage Wolfie in the process?

EXERCISE

"I am going to exercise and loose those five extra pounds this year! This is a great idea, let's do it with Wolfie. Start taking long walks with him. Get out in the back yard and throw the Frisbee or just throw tennis balls. If your Vet approves, go on bike rides with him (no, he does not have his own bike!) or roller blade with him. This builds your bond and gets you both into shape!

START EATING RIGHT

The new year is a great time to start respecting what we put into our bodies, as well as Wolfie's. Get rid of the chips and the cookies. Stop making the fast food drive through your restaurant of choice.

On the same thought, look at the ingredients in Wolfie's dog food. I want to see a meat as the very first ingredient and I don't want to see "by product" following the meat. Next, I don't want to find corn in the list of ingredients. If Wolfie's food fails these two tests, it is like our fast food. We all know what that means. If you aren't sure what kind of food might be best for Wolfie or where to get that food, please contact us and we will be happy to provide you with some suggestions.

ENTERTAINMENT

Let's starting to get out to see some of our favorite movies, get to that play that we always wanted to see, cheer for our favorite sports team. Let's do anything that gets us out of the house and into the "real world". What a wonderful thing to start for our lives in 2011!

This is a great thing, but (again) let's make sure that Wolfie has the opportunity to enjoy the same quality of life. Let's make sure that we start to socialize Wolfie with going to Panera Bread or your local outside Bistro. Let's take Wolfie to the local Doggie Day Care for a morning or afternoon of socialization. I bet that Wolfie would love to go with us to pick up our kids or to get the laundry. All these things are entertainment diversions that we can share with our favorite pet. Let's make sure that we put them in motion and enhance Wolfie's lifetime experience!

These are some great ideas to get both you and your best friend into shape! Start working them and you and your pup will be the better for it!

Wolfie Jr. Has Arrived! Our New Christmas Puppy is Now Home!

2010-12-25T17:43:00.000-05:00

Oh Boy! We just got a new puppy and he was so much fun to play with at the Pet Store! He is now home and things should be just fine... Really?

Many times, especially for first time puppy owners, we don't understand the responsibilities and challenges owning a new puppy entails. He was great at the pet store, we see other people with puppies having a great time, and they are always fun on TV shows. These are all the fun times. We have to understand that we now have the responsibility to manage them and teach them how to act in our family.

Here are some tips that you should start today:

Make sure that you are feeding your puppy a high quality dog food. The rule of thumb is that anything you buy at a super market is not high quality. Read the side of the dog food bag to determine the appropriate amount to feed and do not over feed. Put the food and water down for the meal and then pick both up at the end of the meal.
Be sure that he has a good food and water bowl, a well made collar (no choke chains or prong collars), and a strong leash (no extension leashes).
He should have a few toys such as Kong Toys, plush toys, or fetch toys. Do not give him tug of war toys or toys that make that high pitched squeak. This will only encourage bad behavior.
Begin crate training him as soon as possible. We humans think that crates are cruel. This is completely wrong. Crates, when properly introduced, become their place of safety and refuge. They are always happy and relaxed in their crates and it is also a place that they don't want to soil. This means that the use of a crate will deter the possibility of their pottying in the house.
Puppies need lots of play time. Make sure that you get him out often for a lot of interactive play. All puppies are different and they will tell you when they are tired and ready to come back inside. Do not jog or run with him until your Vet has told you that he has developed sufficiently for those types of activities.
Puppies are very curious and their mouth is one way of exploring. If your puppy is biting your nipping you, try spraying Bitter Apple on what he is biting. This unpleasant, yet completely safe, taste can deter such activities. Be sure to have an appropriate toy to offer him in place of his nipping.
NEVER HIT YOUR PUPPY WHEN HE IS MISBEHAVING. This could easily lead to aggression and mistrust as your puppy grows older. Instead, you must teach your dog the appropriate behavior through proper guidance and feedback. In this way, you are building a bond of respect and leadership with him.

(And now a plug for ourselves!) Being a new puppy owner with a new puppy, the best thing you can do for both of you is to receive the appropriate, professional training. Right now you have the opportunity to do everything right and experience a lifetime of happiness with your new puppy. A professional dog trainer can assure your success.

What to Give and not Give Wolfie this Christmas

2010-12-19T15:46:00.001-05:00

Oh boy, it's Christmas time and all my friends will give my Wolfie presents! (Watch out!)

Presents are always a good thing, but there are some presents that are better than others. Let's first talk about the "good presents":

Any toy that stimulates Wolfie's brain and keeps him engaged is a good toy. An example of this is a Classic Kong toy. Kongs are designed for dogs by their weight. Find the right weight range on the Kong and you have found the right size for Wolfie. Now, get some peanut butter and fill the little hole on the bottom with peanut butter. Now freeze it and then give it to Wolfie. It will keep him entertained for up to an hour!

I have found that Doggie Plush Toys are also great for them. The big thing that you have to watch out for is that the Plush Toy is not the same color or looks like the pillows on your sofa or other furniture. If you are allowing Wolfie to chew on the Plush Toy, he might become confused and think that your sofa pillow is another Plush Toy that you have given him. There is no need for Wolfie to start eating the furniture.

Things that they can chew are great for them. If Wolfie is a chewer, let's direct that action to something that will maintain our rules and that we actually instigate. A rubber bone is an example of a toy that will fulfill this requirement.

A Water Bottle. Believe it or not, dogs love to play with the empty water bottles that we recycle every day. Just make sure that you take off the paper, remove the top, and clip off the plastic ring around the bottle's neck. Now, give it to Wolfie. He will have a blast with this. He might paw it around the ground, throw it in the air, chew on it, or even use it as a floaty in the pool.

Now, let's talk about some "bad presents":

Tug-of-war toys are not good if you are going to use them for tug-of-war. Long story short, we almost always loose the tug-of-war, even with the little doggies. This is not good because when we loose the game, we are increasing Wolfie's position in the pack. Since we want to be the pack leaders, this is not good. If someone does give Wolfie a tug-of-war toy this Christmas, you can use it for a fetch toy instead.

Squeaky Toys are not good for Wolfie. The "squeak" makes the same sound as a dying or wounded animal. When you give Wolfie toys that make this sound, you run the risk of increasing his aggression and general excitement. Although this is not always the case, I always recommend eliminating these toys or only allowing one or two Squeaky Toys in Wolfie's toy basket. If you can remove the squeak device from these toys, they are fine for Wolfie.

Of course there are many other suggestions that one can give for Christmas presents for Wolfie. These are only a few. If you use common sense, you will probably do fine and Wolfie will have a great Christmas!

Surviving the Trip Home for the Holiday's with Wolfie

2010-12-08T16:47:00.000-05:00

How many of us look forward to the trip home for the Holidays? Before you answer that, think of a car full of kids, presents, suitcases, McDonalds bags, and Wolfie for a 22 hour drive. After that, think of Wolfie going nuts in Uncle Al's house and then the 22 hour drive home... Change your mind?

Put the phone down! You don't have to call Uncle Al and make up an excuse why you won't make it up there this year. With some planning and common sense, it will all be just fine. Here are some points to remember:

THE TRIP UP:

Plan out what you are going to need in the car ahead of time and pre-pack. (You don't need to pack the suitcases, they can be empty.) The point here is to see if there is enough room for everyone (including Wolfie).
Put everyone in the car and drive around the neighborhood for a few times. Maybe go and get some gas or drive through McDonalds. This is to make Wolfie calm with the situation he is about to undertake.
Make sure that you have included some of Wolfie's toys and a water bowl. Also, make sure that you have brought enough food for Wolfie to last the entire trip up and back. You might not be able to find his same food on the road or at Uncle Al's.
If you are going to a cold weather destination, make sure that Wolfie has what is needed to keep him warm.
If you are going to stay overnight on the trip, make sure you find a dog friendly hotel and call ahead to confirm that Wolfie will be a welcome guest.
On the morning of your trip up, feed Wolfie several hours earlier and make sure he gets out to go to the bathroom before you leave.
Stop regularly on the road to let Wolfie out to go to the bathroom and to get some exercise.
If you stop for the night, get Wolfie out immediately to go to the bathroom. Feed him as soon as you arrive so that he will go to the bathroom again before bed time. Try to have someone with him in the room at all times. This is a strange environment and we don't want Wolfie to display any destructive or annoying behaviors that might have the hotel ask you to move on.
When you arrive at Uncle Al's, have everyone come out to meet Wolfie. We want to get all of his "stored adrenaline" drained outside before we all to in.

AT UNCLE AL'S:

Make sure that Wolfie is with someone at all times. We don't want him wandering off and doing something destructive out of boredom.
Be acutely aware of who is in the house and their temperament towards dogs (and Wolfie). If we have a family member who is afraid of dogs, we want to make sure that they remain separated. If we have a family member who likes to play roughly with Wolfie, we don't want that to happen.
Maintain the same rules with Wolfie at Uncle Al's as you had at home. You must maintain your consistency to portray your leadership to Wolfie. Remember, you are in a strange place and Wolfie is looking towards you for leadership and safety.
Set aside plenty of time to interact with Wolfie and get him outside to run and jump. This will keep him calm while in the house and minimize any issues you might have that would be caused through boredom.
Wolfie will still have to go to the bathroom at Uncle Al's. Make sure that you have the potty pads near him or take him outside using the same schedule you used at home.
DO NOT FEED OR ALLOW FAMILY MEMBERS TO FEED WOLFIE HOLIDAY FOOD AND GOODIES. The same food that makes the Holidays special to us could be poisonous or very upsetting to Wolfie's stomach.
If Uncle Al is throwing a Holiday Party, keep Wolfie away from the general area until most of the guests have arrived. By then, things should have calmed down. Bring Wolfie out on a leash and guide him around the room. Do not allow him to jump or bark. After you see that Wolfie is calm, you can then let him join the festivities.

If you follow these simple steps, the Holidays will be great for you and Wolfie.

A Quick Idea On a "Calm Wolfie" this Holiday Season

2010-12-02T13:21:00.000-05:00

The Family and your of town friends just left after being here all Thanksgiving weekend and Wolfie is going nuts! What is going on? He was fine before!

Let's say that you have been working with Wolfie so the he knows you are the great leader, you are consistent, practice with him regularly, and are building the trust, bond, and relationship that epitomizes an appropriate dog/owner relationship. Life is great!

Now come the Holidays. You have had the extended family with their extended friends over for the last few days and everything went great. Wolfie was having a great time by having everyone play with him, giving him goodies, and bringing him presents. Wolfie always had something to do and someone to do it with. Now everyone packs up their stuff and heads out to their own respective homes. Life is quiet again and you can take a big sigh of relief.

But something has changed with Wolfie. He used to obey and listen. Now he is always pushing toys in your laps, barking at you, nipping, and pulling pillows off the sofa. He never did this before. What happened?

Up until the hoard of people descended on your home, you were consistent with Wolfie in what you expected of him. Whenever he did something that "broke the house rules", you were right there to correct and show him the right way. Wolfie expects this from you each and every day. For the last few days this wasn't happening. You didn't have time to work with Wolfie and correct him when he would break your rules. Everyone else would do whatever Wolfie wanted and he saw that he could get away with anything. In Wolfie's eyes, you had become bad leaders and it was reinforced that he could do whatever he liked.

Don't worry, this is easy to fix. The first thing I would suggest is to drain some of that "play with me" adrenaline that Wolfie has built up. Take him to a doggie day care a few times a week. Let him drain his "I want to play! I want to play!" with other doggies. When he comes home, he won't be demanding the play from you. Once this occurs, you should jump back into performing obedience and behavioral exercises with him on a daily basis.

Also, remember your rules and as soon as Wolfie tries to test you and break your rule, correct him so that you can show him what is right. You must do this every time Wolfie tests.

In a very short period of time, you will re-establish your leadership and Wolfie will understand that his role is to obey you and be a great and non-demanding member of your family.

Going to Your Relatives with Fluffy

2010-11-24T20:07:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and some of us have found a way to get a free dinner at the relatives'. Of course, we will bring Fluffy along too. It is always fun at Uncle Al's, I am sure that Fluffy thinks so too! Really?

Remember, Fluffy is a dog. Things that stimulate and entertain Fluffy are not necessarily the same things that stimulate and entertain us. Things that give Fluffy a sence of safety and security while we are away from our house can be very different than how we percieve safety and security. So, what does Fluffy really think of Uncle Al's house (full of strange people and possibly other dogs)?

First, let's think of what we are walking Fluffy into. Here is a new house "strange territory" filled with all sorts of unfamiliar people, smells, sounds, and other dogs. We normally think "Oh, let's put all the dogs in the back where they can play". Several things have just occurred here.

First, we have abandoned Fluffy in a strange area with other dogs of divergent personality types.
Since we have established ourselves as the Alpha in our pack, it is our job to keep Fluffy safe by being in his sight or in his sight on a regular basis. This isn't happening (we are inside with Uncle Al checking out his new High Definition 52" TV)!
Dogs always attract kids. Now the kids are out with the other dogs and Fluffy. They might be pulling his tail, chasing him, screaming, and all the other wonderful things that little kids like to do with dogs. This puts him in a very stressful situation!

Bottom line: Fluffy is not having a good time at Uncle Al's. So what can we do?

First of all, we need to transition being with Fluffy and not being with Fluffy. Stay outside with him for ten to fifteen minutes playing with him and the other dogs. Observe which dogs might be aggressive towards Fluffy and how he reacts to their body language.
Check on Fluffy regularly. "Hey Guy, how are you doing?" This goes a long way in allowing Fluffy to understand that even though you aren't right there, you are always close at hand. This goes a long way in his understanding that he is safe because you are always there (although sometimes night in direct sight).
Every once in a while, bring Fluffy inside (on a leash) to see the rest of the party. This assures that he has not been ostrisized to the outside and is still a part of the "party". It helps to build his self importance while keeping focus on you as the leader providing his safety.
Be sure that you are providing him with the water and food he needs.
If the kids start to go outside to play with the dogs, think of going out to supervise. Kids can do things that cause dogs to "nip" and many parents call a "nip" a "bite". We don't need this to happen.
When you are leaving Uncle Al's (stomach full of free food), praise Fluffy for doing such a great job.

If you follow these steps, you might even be asked back to Uncle Al's next time for more free food!

Let's Not Play Tag in the Living Room

2010-11-15T14:36:00.000-05:00

"Don't play tag in the living room!" Well, that makes perfect sense to us, but what about Fluffy?

The answer is, it depends. (Don't you just hate when I do that? But let me explain why...)

Playing with Fluffy is always a lot of fun. The exercising, the bonding, the good times... are all reasons why we decided to become dog owners. The important thing is to let Fluffy understand where he can play.

As humans, we have the ability to understand that when we are home, by ourselves, it might be OK to rough house inside. When we have a dinner party with guests wearing nice clothes, we understand that it is not a good idea to go "nuts". We can understand "We can go nuts except when we have guests over".

Now we come to Fluffy. Fluffy can understand "We can play rough inside". Fluffy can understand "We can not play rough inside". Fluffy can not make the distinction of "We can play rough inside except...". No matter how much we love Fluffy, we have to remember that he is a dog and does not have the ability for higher lever cognitive thought.

So we get down to the decision of allowing Fluffy to go nuts in the house when guests are here or not. I think that it would be best to say "not". Besides just being annoying, he can jump and ruin nice clothes or jump/push/nip small children and possibly make them afraid of dogs the rest of their lives.

Here's what you do. Let's take all the rough housing outside in the back yard. Isn't that where you would play football anyway? I don't think that you would play football in your living room! Play Frisbee, let Fluffy chase you, even set up a small agility course and run him through that. Build that bond outside where you have the ability to go nuts. When you come inside, do more of the gentle petting and correct him if he starts to ramp up.

Do this and you will have a great dog that understands your rules and will be great around your guests.

Traveling with Fluffy

2010-11-09T21:47:00.000-05:00

Over hill and dale, off to Grandmother's house we go (with Fluffy)...

It is getting to be the holiday season and many of us will be traveling to family festivities with our dogs. How do we make this a good experience for everyone in the car? Here are some pointers:

First, let's talk about Fluffy's "happy time" in the car. If Fluffy doesn't like to be in the car, "hill and dale" can be an eternity. Here are some training tips:

Start walking Fluffy by taking him out to the car in the driveway. Have him sit for a few minutes, have some toys and other distractions there, and then walk him back in the house. Repeat this for several days.
Next, open the car door. Have fluffy walk to the car and jump in the back seat. You might need to have some toys or other enticements in the back seat to have this happen. As soon as he jumps in, praise him. Wait a minute or two and have him come out and go back in the house. Repeat this for several days.
Repeate the above step, but close the door. Repeat this for one or two days.
Now, have Fluffy get in the car, start the engine, and back to the end of the driveway. Then pull back, praise him, and bring him inside. Repeat this for several days.
Put Fluffy in the car and drive around the block. Repeat this for several days.
Now, go on a little trip of ten to twenty minutes. Do this a few times.

Fluffy is now ready for "hill and dale".

Next, let's talk about safety,,,

Remember that I asked that Fluffy be put in the back seat. This should eliminate the passenger side air bag deploying in Fluffy's face if you (I hope it never happens) get into a car crash. I would also include that you either keep Fluffy in a crate that is stable or a restraining device that would keep him safe in the event of an accident. A crate or restraining device is Fluffy's "seat belt" that will help him survive a crash.

I have heard of so many horriffic accidents with unrequired fatalities because of unrestrained dogs. If you restrain your dog on a car trip, everything will be great. Please do this. If you have any questions, please email us at southbroward@barkbusters.com.

How Dogs Learn

2010-11-03T14:47:00.000-04:00

Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Or, is it that you can only teach a new dog old tricks?

The answer is that it doesn't matter the age of the dog or really what you are trying to teach him. Dogs learn in a very specific way and if you are willing and able to follow the process, you will have a trained dog.

First, dogs learn through consistency. Whatever you are trying to teach Rover, you must perform it in the exact manner every time. For example, if you are teaching Rover to walk, always walk him on the same side of you. Make sure that everyone else in the family who is walking Rover is walking him on the same side. This simplifies and streamlines the learning process by removing unneeded variables in the training.

Next, dogs learn through repetition. You must practice with Rover between fifteen and thirty minutes every day to reinforce the action you are trying to teach. Think of when we were learning our "times tables". We would practice every day with our flip cards until we always knew that "eight times eight is sixty-four".

Finally, you have to understand that Rover is ready and willing to learn, just not at lightning speed. We humans like to rush things, jump ahead, and fill in the blanks later. If we teach Rover slowly and patiently, we will succeed in our training.

A Quick Halloween Tip

2010-10-24T13:16:00.000-04:00

Let's not make our dogs nuts this Halloween!

If you haven't already checked out our regular Halloween Safety Tips, please visit Bark Busters of South Florida Halloween Safety Tips. After that, I want to add one more for your review.

Here is what we do on Halloween to minimize the Halloween stress on our three dogs...

We take a table and chairs and set up a "Halloween Booth" at the end of our driveway. We have all our candy and goodies ready for the kids along with all our regular skulls, pumpkins, ghosts, etc. Being out by the sidewalk is a great way to see everybody and also to keep an eye on the "trick" side of trick or treat. When we are out there, our neighbors tend to spend more time chatting than when we had everybody come and ring the doorbell.

This is also a great thing for our dogs. Instead of having the doorbell ring over and over again, it is nice and quiet in the house. Instead of having strange ghosts, pirates, monsters, etc. enter our home, it is again nice and quiet in our house. All of the stress of this holiday is removed from their environment and kept outside.

We have now kept our dogs safe and that is what they really want. Have a great Halloween!

Do I Walk My Dog on the Left or Right?

2010-10-19T20:37:00.000-04:00

I was always told to walk my dog on the left side of me. Is that right?

(I love this answer...) It depends.

Unless you have a dog that you are going to enter into dog shows, it doesn't matter. In a dog show, you always walk your dog counter clock-wise around the judge. Because of this, it is best to teach your dog to walk on your left side. This will keep your dog on the side of you where the judge can observe and grade.

If you don't plan to have your dog entered into dog shows, it doesn't matter what side of you your dog walks. With that said, let me give you some pointers regarding walking:

Pick a side that you want to walk your dog. Left or right, it doesn't make a difference. The important thing is that he is always walked on that side. This helps to build his perception of "where he should be" on a walk.
If you have a "big dog", pick the side where you and the rest of the "walkers" have the most strength. If you need to correct him, it is important that you do it from your strong side. (i.e. Are your left handed or right handed?)
Everyone must walk him on the side that all of you have picked. If you don't do this, it will add to his confusion and extension of the learning process.
Make sure that he walks next to you and not in front of you.
(My pet complaint!) Use a regular six foot leash when walking. NO EXTENSION LEASHES!

Follow these simple suggestions and your "walkies" with your dog will be a great experience!

Who Started What?

2010-10-10T11:27:00.000-04:00

Is it really important to think about who started something or who said "Let's do this"? I don't really care...

I know for a fact that the personal/animal that made the above statement was a human and not my dog, Fluffy. In a family, anyone can say "Let's go to the movies", "Let's go to the mall", "How about getting a bite to eat". We (humans) don't care who's idea it was. If it is a good idea, we do it.

Remember that Fluffy is a dog and not a human. Different behaviors, different instincts are going on inside Fluffy's canine brain. In the dog world, the animal that says "Let's do this", is the Leader of the Pack. The Alpha Leader is the one in charge and the one who says "Let's go".

So why is all this so important?

What we don't want to do is to constantly be telling Fluffy that he is the leader of the pack. This means that we are telling him that it is his job to be our protector and that he can do whatever he wants. "Whatever he wants" can include jumping, running out the door, biting, nipping, incessant barking, and all those other things that drive us nuts.

Is Fluffy wrong in doing this? Not if we are constantly telling him that it is his job to do those things! But, how do we stop it?

Here is the bottom line...

Whenever you are interfacing with Fluffy, make sure that everything is your idea and not his. This will maintain your role in the interaction as the leader and Fluffy's role in the interaction as a happy member of the family.

Calm and Still

2010-10-03T19:20:00.000-04:00

When Fluffy is running, jumping, and barking all around me, how can I stay calm and still?

Our initial training visits with our clients normally last three hours or more. We cover a lot of information and demonstrate a great deal of techniques to get Fluffy to be a great dog. I have often thought that if I only had a moment to give a dog owner some useful and productive training advise, what would it be.

I keep coming back to the simple credo of "Calm & Still".

Eighty percent of the communication between Fluffy and myself is body language. The most important part of body language, in my opinion, is the ability to portray a sense of confidence. Everything is OK, I am in control, I will take care of you... This is done by remaining calm and still while engaging the situation at hand.

Humans are emotional animals and we get so mad at Fluffy when he is going nuts. We raise the level of adrenalin through our screaming and running when we are trying to calm Fluffy down. It just doesn't work, and why should it? Craziness breeds craziness.

By staying calm and still when you are addressing Fluffy, he will naturally feel your confidence and will have a far better sense that you are the leader, provider, and safe keeper. Staying calm also allows you to more effectively evaluate the situation and determine the best course of action to get Fluffy back to being a "good dog".

If you are a fan of old TV shows...

Did Mr. Spock go nuts when the Klingons were attacking the Enterprise?
Did Sheriff Andy Taylor ever get scared, yell, and scream when he was capturing escaped criminals?

No. That's my point!

Do We Train Guard Dogs...

2010-09-26T09:16:00.000-04:00

We are often asked "Do you train guard dogs?" The answer is "It depends".

And what do we mean by that? Most people think of a guard dog as that big German Sheppard with the spike collar that is always barking and trying to bite you if you jump the fence onto someone else's property. They stay outside all day and their only purpose in life is to go after anyone that enters that yard, store, lot, etc. Well, we don't do that, we don't train dogs to be overly aggressive.

A better question would be "Would the dogs you train protect their family if a dangerous situation arises?" We would then answer "yes".

When Fluffy and your family, are properly trained, everyone knows their appropriate position in the family. They know their roles and responsibilities as well as everyone else's roles and responsibilities. Fluffy understands that it is not his responsibility to be the protector of the family. That is the responsibility of Mommy and Daddy. On a normal basis, they will make the appropriate safety decisions that will impact him and the children. When a guest comes in the house, the mailman comes to the door, etc., Mommy or Daddy will take charge and make the safety decision. That is why Fluffy does not bark incessantly, growl, and jump in the guest or mailman. It is not his role at that time.

But if someone jumps the back fense and Mommy or Daddy aren't there, someone breaks into the house and Fluffy feels tension or fear from the rest of the family, something different will happen. It is not Fluffy's role to be the protector of the family, but it is his responsibility to engage when the family becomes threatened. In the canine world, this is a natural pack behavior. In this case, Fluffy will guard, confrount, and possibly attack.

So, to answer the question...

We do not train guard dogs, but the dogs we train will guard and protect.

How Do You Know You Are a Responsible Dog Owner?

2010-09-21T17:30:00.000-04:00

I think I am a responsible dog owner... How can I tell?

First of all, let's remember that we aren't talking if you are the "leader of your pack" in this discussion. We are discussing if you are a responsible dog owner. Let's go over some simple ideas that I feel are important:

Get your dog spayed or neutered. They live longer and have healthier lives.
Provide proper identification. If Fluffy gets out, you have a far better chance in getting him back if he has a dog or electronic tag.
Get training for you and your dog. This will help build the bond, trust, and respect between you and Fluffy. Both of you will be better for it.
Schedule regular check-ups with your veterinarian. Catching issues early will provide Fluffy with a far better life and will cost you far less in the long run.
Make time for Fluffy. Schedule play dates and include him in your regular family activities. Fluffy is a part of your family. Make him feel as such.
Give Fluffy regular exercise. Exercise is one of the four major functions that Fluffy needs to function. Fetch, walkies, or any interactive exercise will keep Fluffy healthy and build your bond.
Provide Fluffy with shelter. Fluffy should have his place where he can simply go and "hang out". The best shelter is a dog crate. This is the place where only Fluffy can go and where he will always feel safe.
Make sure you travel safely. Always have Fluffy in a harness that is properly secure when driving. Don't have him in your lap or the passenger seat!

It is your job to be a responsible owner for your dog. Please follow the above guidelines to accomplish that. For more information, you can contact your local Bark Buster Dog Behavioral Therapist at http://www.barkbusterssouthflorida.com/.

Adding a Little Zip to Rover's Meal

2010-09-13T18:24:00.001-04:00

What if you only could eat corn flakes, toast (no butter), or crackers? Pretty boring, right? Well, how do you think Rover feels when you put that bowl of dry kibble in front of him?

The answer to "zip up Rover's meal" is really very simple. First of all, we always suggest that you feed Rover a high quality dog food. Now, take a spoonful or two of regular cottage cheese and mix that with the food. Cottage cheese is natural, provides calcium, and dogs love it.

Thoroughly mix the curds of cottage cheese with the kibble and then provide Rover with his new dinner. Wow! He will love it.

My Dog is Marking in Our House!

2010-09-05T10:50:00.000-04:00

What can you do when your Fluffy is constantly picking up his leg in your home? Move? No, I have a better idea!

What we first have to ask is why Fluffy is marking in your home. The answer goes back to the idea that Fluffy thinks he is part of a pack of animals and your home is part of their territory. What Fluffy is doing is making sure that the territory smells like him. In essence, he is leaving his calling card. The bad news is that this natural instinct can be very strong in some dogs and that this behavior will naturally occur and continue to occur. The good news is that there is a very simple way for us to take control of the situation and "manage" the smell.

Remember that Fluffy wants the territory (your home) to smell like him. All we have to do is to make sure that the smell is something pleasant to us and natural to him. What we are going to do is to use a lavender smell in the home and to have Fluffy gain a very slight smell of lavender. Now your home and Fluffy smell the same. Fluffy is happy that his territory smells like him so there is no need for him to lift his leg. You are happy because your home doesn't smell like a kennel.

So, how do you do this?

Get some lavender Glade plug-ins and place them around your house.
Get some of the bamboo-lavender oil holders and place them on some tables.
Start cleaning with Lavender Fabuloso.
Get some lavender carpet dust and use it when you are vacuuming.

Now, the house will have a very slight smell of lavender. You might not even notice the smell, but Fluffy will definitely notice the new smell.

Next:

Go out to the Dollar Store and get a small vile of lavender oil.
Place a few drops of the lavender oil on a terrycloth hand towel.
Lightly pass the towel over Fluffy's fur. You want to have the lavender come in contact with the top of his fur and never his skin.

Now, Fluffy has a very, very slight sent of lavender oil. Fluffy and his territory smell the same. No more marking!

Keeping Your Doggie Happy When You Go Back to School

2010-08-22T16:17:00.000-04:00

School has just started and my dog had gone nuts! What happened?

After a long summer of playing and being with the entire family, school starts and Fluffy's world is thrown for a loop. Dogs don't like sudden changes and the dramatic schedule change that school brings can place a great deal of anxiety on Fluffy. Let's talk about some things you can do to minimize this.

The biggest thing you can do to assist in this matter is to minimize Fluffy's separation anxiety. This can lead to destructive behavior and endless barking.

Pay less attention to Fluffy - A week before school starts, ignore him for increasing amounts of time each day so he gets used to not being the center of attention.
Start early - Several weeks before school begins, get Fluffy comfortable with being alone by separating him from the family. If you often take him with you to run errands, leave him at home.
Practice leafing the house - Gather your gear, exit the door, but then come right back in again. Fluffy will cease associating the routine of leaving with your departure and will be more relaxed when you actually leave.
Be calm and assured - When leaving the house, you inadvertently confuse your dog if you say sweetly "It's okay, Fluffy - we'll be home soon". If he is feeling concerned about your leaving, your happy, high-pitched voice tone can make him think it's okay to feel anxious. As pack animals, dogs expect their leaders to be strong when they leave the pack. Therefore, ignore Fluffy for about ten minutes before you leave.
Toys - Make sure that Fluffy has his favorite toys with him as you leave. This helps redirect his focus on your departure.

Do this and you will be a long way in making the first few days of school a great experience for everyone.

When Your Dog Pulls on the Walk

2010-08-15T16:46:00.000-04:00

It is really amazing how many of our clients' dogs pull them down the street... Even the little five pounders!

I would like to provide you with a quick and easy thing to try when your dog is pulling your down the street. Simply turn around 180 degrees, walk in the opposite direction for about 10 feet, and turn around again 180 degrees. Just keep walking like nothing happened.

One of the things that is going on when your dog is pulling you down the street is that he thinks that he is in charge of the walk. He is in charge, he sets the pace, direction, etc. Well, he is not in charge, you are! (I hope you are.) To let your dog understand that you are in charge, you need to make drastic course corrections that will require your dog's immediate response. Turning around is a simple and very effective course correction.

After doing this a few times, your dog will understand that you are the one in charge of the walk and will start to provide you with more focus and attention. He now understands that he is with you and he needs to focus on you to know what to do.

Although this is not the only reason why a dog might be pulling on a walk, this technique is easy and has helped hundreds of our clients with their dog walking issues.

Some Quick Pool Safety Tips

2010-08-08T16:48:00.003-04:00

Can you teach my dog to swim?

No.

Some dogs are Olympic swimmers and some can just do the "dog paddle". That is up to them. What we can do, as good pet owners, is to assure their safety in the pool. Here are some tips.

MAKE SURE YOU PERFORM ALL THESE STEPS IN A CALM ENVIRONMENT! NO SCREAMING KIDS (OR ADULTS) IN OR AROUND THE POOL!
Don't assume that your dog "wants to swim". Some water dogs hate the water and others can't wait to jump in. If you force your dog into the water, you will create a negative, physical experience that could harm your dog as well as his trust and respect for you.
Have your dog on a leash and slowly coax him into the water.
Hold him next to you and keep him calm.
Slowly guide him around the pool and back to the steps.
Repeat the above process several times.
Now, when you are in the water with him, gently let him go so that he can swim under his own power.
Passively guide him back to the steps to get out.
Repeat this process several times.
Practice this for several days until he naturally goes to the steps without your guidance.
Once he has accomplished this, have him jump in the pool (away from the steps).
If he does not go back to the steps, guide him back.
Repeat this process until he can jump in the pool and go back without guidance.
Keep it slow!

Once you have successfully accomplished the above steps, your dog should be safe around the pool. As always, we never encourage leaving your dog unattended around the pool.

Here are some "Real Life" Doggie Traveling Tips

2010-08-01T21:31:00.002-04:00

Right now we are in the middle of a two week trip with our three dogs. While we are "living this experience", I thought it might be worthwhile to review some "doggie travel tips" we are living right now...

Traveling with your "best friends" is not hard. The biggest thing that we forget is to prepare and observe. We must prepare what our dogs will need for the trip and observe their needs and their environment while we are traveling. Here are some quick tips:

Be sure that your dogs will have secure locations in the car. This can be a crate, leash/safety belt, or any other location where they will not "be propelled" in sudden stops "lane changes".
Do a "practice pack" of the car ahead of time. This will assure that your dogs will actually have the space they need. Get your dogs into their "places" to make sure that they are comfortable with them.
If your dogs aren't comfortable with car rides in general, start taking them on short rides to positively reinforce the experience.
If you will be leaving your dogs at day cares along the way during your trip, be sure that their medical records are up to date. Be sure that you have up to date copies of their medical histories.
Make sure that your dogs have collars that fit snugly and they have dog tags. If possible, make sure they are chipped and that the chip is working and up to date.
Make sure that you exercise your dogs an hour or two before you start your trip so that they are ready for a good sleep. Feed them early enough so that they have already gone to the bathroom before the trip begins.
Be sure that you have food, toys, leashes, training leads, goodies, etc. packed and easily accessible as your trip begins.
Now that you are on the trip, stop every two or three hours to let them out to go to the bathroom and stretch their legs. Also, be sure to properly hydrate them during your daily drive.
Call ahead to make sure that your hotel accepts dogs and try to get a first floor room. When you reach your hotel, take them out as quickly as possible to allow them exercise and the ability to go to the bathroom. Feed them early so that they have time to go to the bathroom before you turn in for the night.
When you are not in the room, keep your dogs in their crate. This assures that they can't open the hotel door and "hit the town". It also assures if a hotel employee enters the room, there will be no issues. (Some crate socialization may be needed before this can take place. Your Bark Buster Trainer can help you with this issue.)
Plan your "away from the room time" so that you aren't gone longer than they can "hold their potty". You might have to stagger your "away from the room time" by coming back to the room for a short period of time to handle their needs.
Be sure to spend as much "non-car" time as possible with your dogs while you are on your trip. This will help to socialize your dogs with unique situations and help build the bond between you and them. While on our "college looking trip", our dogs joined several college tours. They loved the new sights and sounds and the college students loved to meet them.

If you are still planning a late summer trip, I hope this helps. Our dogs are great. Many times it takes some proactive planning to help them stay great.

When Your Dog is Really Bugging You -- Here's an Idea

2010-07-23T20:43:00.002-04:00

The other day a client asked me a question about their dog constantly "bugging them" to play with a toy. There are a lot of "official Bark Buster" replies, but I decided to give them an idea that worked with me. Shush! Don't tell our Home Office, but let me share this with you...

When I was out in the back yard, my dog, Millie, would bring Frisbees to me all the time and bug the heck out of me to throw it for him. I would practice the passive dominance with him (ignore the behavior) and he would push and push and push. The "human side of me" became annoyed and angry at him and he picked up on this. He would simply continue and step up his campaign on "throw the Frisbee".

I then came up with an idea of taking charge and eliminating the initial request ("I am the Alpha") from Millie. The next time he brought the Frisbee to me and began to bug me to throw it, I ignored him, picked up the Frisbee, and put it in the barbecue (off, of course). Millie couldn't get it and I went back to what I was doing.

If Millie brought me another toy or goodie, I would repeat the process. He quickly understood that this was a "loose-loose" situation for him because of the passive dominance process and redirection methods used.

This method has worked wonders for me and I am waiting to hear back from my client regarding his success. I hope that this helps you.

Keeping Summer Safe - Rules of the Road

2010-07-17T16:32:00.003-04:00

It drives me crazy when I see dog owners transporting their dogs in an unsafe manner. This could cause a bad situation, even death. It doesn't have to be that way!

An unrestrained dog in a vehicle is dangerous to everyone in the car, including the dog himself. Secure your dog in the back seat with a safety harness or in a per carrier fastened to a seat belt. Another option is to install a pet barrier to keep the dog in the back area of your vehicle. Dogs riding in the front can be seriously hurt if the airbags deploy.

Here are some other important hints:

If you must transport your dog in the bed of a pickup, be sure he is restrained, preferably in a crate or carrier secured to the truck.
Avoid allowing your dog to hang his head out the car window - he could suffer eye injury from flying debris.
When stopping the car along the way, attach a leash to the dog's collar before opening the door so he can't escape. Use a leash to walk your dog.
It is hot! Never leave your dog unattended in the car in this heat. Within a very short time, your dog can suffer from heat exhaustion and could possibly die.

Let's keep it safe out there this summer. Follow these rules of the road and you are on your way!

Keep it Slow and Easy

2010-07-08T20:41:00.003-04:00

Isn't it always good advise to keep it slow and easy? In that way, things will probably work out better?

Just to let you know, the answer is "yes". We humans hate that answer because we love to get things done fast. I will text you, drive through the teller window at the bank, take the express way, fast forward, etc., etc, etc. (see, I didn't even write out the entire word "etcetera")....

Let me give you a hint. That doesn't work for dogs. One of the biggest training problems that we run into is when our clients try to push too fast with the training process. They try and teach their dog something too quickly, not paying attention that the dog has no idea what they are asking. The dog doesn't respond, the owner becomes frustrated, and the entire situation becomes a non-learning event, inconsistent event.

Here is what you do:

Stop thinking like a human! There, I said it. Now let's continue.
Dogs learn in a consistent and repetitive manner. We must teach using the same process.
Whatever you want to teach your dog, determine what they currently can accomplish and what they can't accomplish.
Begin asking them to demonstrate what they can accomplish.
Slowly add complexities and distractions to the point where they begin to fail.
STOP! This is the learning horizon where the most productive instruction will take place.
Work at this point, slowly, until your dog can make small, but observable improvements.
Continue the process. If at any time, you observe that your dog is consistently failing your requests, back it off. You have gone too far too fast. Back it up until your dog is succeeding again. Now proceed.

When we think like a dog, it works. When we think like a human, it fails...

What to do on the 4th of July

2010-07-01T16:15:00.003-04:00

My dog goes crazy on the 4th and I have no idea what to do! Don't worry, here is the scoop...

Here are some ideas to keep your dog safe and happy on the 4th of July:

If you are going to a fireworks display, leave your dog at home where he will be the most safe and comfortable.
If you go to a holiday event, never leave your dog in the car. A partially opened window does not supply sufficient fresh air, and it creates an opportunity for your pet to be stolen.
Always keep the proper identification securely fastened to your dog's collar in case he gets out. Talk to your veterinarian about implanting a universal microchip in your pet, and make sure that your veterinary clinic and animal shelter have your correct contact information in their databases.
Don't leave your dog outside. If you cannot bring him inside, cover his dog house with a blanket to protect him from the bursts of bright lights and loud bangs. A dog's sense of hearing is acute --- about four times more sensitive than humans'.
Create a special den-like area in your home where your dog feels safe. A properly introduced crate or kennel can be a calming refuge for him.
Some dogs become destructive when frightened. If you don't use a create, remove any items in the room which your dog could destroy or which could hurt him if he chewed them.
Keep your dog away from the front and back doors. Your dog may be under significant stress, which could result in unnecessary injury to others or cause him to dart out the door.
Keep windows and curtains closed to reduce noise and bright flashes.
Turn on a TV or radio at normal volume to distract your dog from loud noises and help him to relax.
If possible, stay with your pet during the majority of the fireworks. A dog often reacts more intensely top loud sounds and flashes of lights when you are not with him.
Consider hiring a pet sitter to stay with your dog while you are away from home.

Follow these simple steps and you and your pooch will have a great 4th of July!

Preparing Your Doggie for the Veterinarian

2010-06-23T22:19:00.002-04:00

Visiting your veterinarian is essential to keeping your dog healthy and happy, and it is an important part of being a responsible pet owner. However, a routine checkup can sometimes be distressing to our canine companions. It doesn't have to be that way...

When you consider what a vet visit entails, you can begin to appreciate why your dog may become so overwhelmed and (sometimes) hard to control. Not only will he encounter dozens of new smells, but he may also hear barking dogs, meowing cats, and strange voices. He may be handled by vet staff in unfamiliar ways that could add to his apprehension.

Help your dog feel more relaxed and even enjoy his vet visits by following these tips:

Take the dog to the vet clinic for brief visits prior to your appointment. Introduce him to the clinic when it is quiet to get him used to the smells and sounds of the new environment so it won't be entirely strange to him when you actually go for the exam. Let him meet the wonderful people who work there; have the staff give him a treat and place him on a scale, and allow him to sniff the exam room. A few visits like this will help him associate the vet clinic with a positive experience.
At home, during quiet times, you can help your dog become comfortable with being handled for a medical examination. Gently pat him on different areas of his body while he is in a relaxed state. Mimic how the vet will examine your dog -- touch around his eyes and ears, gently hold his feet and toes (which also helps alleviate his fear of nail clipping), lift his lips and touch his teeth, gently move his legs, etc. Take your time with this kind of touch, and do it ofter so that it becomes an agreeable experience for your dog both at home and at the vet.
Some dogs never go anywhere in the car except to the vet. Thus, a dog may begin to associate a car ride with visiting the vet and may begin to worry the moment you put him in the car. To prevent this anxiety, do some practice drives. Take him somewhere fun, so he learns that a ride in the car can end in a pleasurable destination.
Exercise your dog before a visit. A tired dog is more relaxed and easier to manage.
Throughout the visit, stay relaxed and unconcerned. Your dog can sense your feelings, and you need to remain calm so he can feel calm. Remember, your dog looks to you for his safety and security.
Keep your pet on a short leash while in the waiting area, and maintain control of him throughout your visit to avoid any stress, injury or altercations with other pets. If he shows any signs of aggression towards dogs or humans, be sure to have him muzzled for every one's safety.
If you have a small dog, take him into the clinic in his carrier. He'll feel more comfortable being in a familiar space, with his blanket, toys, etc.
After the vet visit, take your dog somewhere fun to play and to reward him.

Your veterinarian and clinic staff will also appreciate you taking the time to ensure your dog is calm and comfortable during his visit.

Proper Exercise in the Summer Heat

2010-06-17T10:36:00.004-04:00

Wow! It is really getting hot out there and it is only the middle of June!

We always have this old idea that when it gets to summer, we all get outside and have fun. Well, that is the case if is doesn't feel like 100 degrees at 10AM in the morning. Because of the heat, we are spending more and more time inside. The same goes with our dogs. We don't walk them as much, we don't throw the Frisbee as much, we don't "roll in the grass" as much.

Exercise and entertainment are required activities to maintain a healthy and well behaved dog. I have recently experienced several clients who are keeping their dogs inside, without the needed "play time" and "exercise time". They start to misbehave and become "bored-destructive". The answer to this is simple. You must proactively manage a consistent "play time". Here are some ideas:

Get up early and take your dog for a walk in the cool of the morning. The sun is low and there are a plethora of great "morning smells" for your doggie to enjoy.
Plan pool time. Depending on the shades around your pool, jump in the water with your pooch for fifteen to twenty minutes. Have some floaty-catch toys that you can toss. Watch him carefully for any signs of exhaustion of fatigue. When you get out, go to your covered porch, dry him off, and then give him some water.
If you don't have a fenced area that you can use as a play yard, get a strong rope, put some hooks on the ends, and find an open area with a tree. Attach one end of the rope to the tree and the other to your dog's collar. Throw the Frisbee or ball. Just sit out there with him. Even if he isn't going crazy, the pure event of being out with you is something all dogs love. Do this, of course, in the cool of the morning or evening. And be sure to provide plenty of water.
NEVER leave your dog outside in the summer heat unattended. Like all dumb humans, we will forget they are out there. Hours could go by with them in the sun, heat, and possibly without water.

The big thing that I want to stress is that we shouldn't decrease our play time with our dogs simply because of the heat. Entertainment is one of the key factors our dogs require. We simply need to manage and plan our play time to take the summer heat into consideration.

Why Extension Leashes are Bad

2010-06-10T17:07:00.007-04:00

I hate extension leashes!!! ...And let me tell you why...

We Americans love things with buttons and gizmos, widgets, etc. An extension leash has a handle with a button. Button! Wow! I have to have that! No you don't. Bad, Bad dog owner.

When we are walking our dogs down the street, in the mall, at the park, etc., it is our job as dog owners to keep them safe. Our dogs need to understand that. They need to keep their focus on us so that if we change the direction of our walk, they will too. If we speed up or slow down, they will too. If we stop, well, you get the point.

In order to maintain this focus, our dog must always have an eye on us and we must have an eye on them. The only way we can accomplish this is if they are by our side. If they start to stray from our side, we must be able to appropriately guide them back to their proper position. When this takes place, we are providing the proper consistency and repetition of our actions to communicate to our dog "don't worry, you are with me."

Now we come to the dreaded extension leash. The only thing this leash does is to give your dog the ability to do whatever they want. Your dog is ten of fifteen feet out in front of you or beside you, or even behind you. Is he giving you focus to make sure that you are protecting him or is he sniffing the bush or barking at the squirrel? They are doing what they want. When this occurs in the canine world, and you allow it to occur, you are placing the "Boss Hat" on your dog. He gets to do whatever he wants because you are letting him.

When another dog or person starts to approach you, your dog will bark and jump at them. He is simply taking the leadership/protective role in the situation. You now get mad at your dog for his actions, but you were the one telling him he is the leader and has to protect you. That is that the extension leash does for you.

With the good old fashioned leash, you can keep your dog right next to you and naturally provide the leadership your dog requires. You will have a great "walkies" and a dog that will be well behaved on and off the leash.

A Tip on Good Doggie Food

2010-06-04T14:34:00.003-04:00

I feed my doggie Beneful because it looks so good on the TV Ad.... He always seems to be wacko!!!

I have never tried to pretend to be a nutritionist, but I would like to share some "rules of thumb" guidelines when looking for your dog's food.

Feeding your dog a good quality food can definitely help to extend their life. Just as we are encouraged to eat healthy, so should our dogs.
Feed your dog a dry food. Unless you are prepared to brush their teeth on a regular basis, wet food can lead to accelerated tooth decay.
When you are looking at the dog food ingredients, make sure that the meat is the very first ingredient. You do not want to see the word "by-product" following the meat. This means that it is a part of the animal that is normally thrown away. This is not healthy.
When reading the ingredients, you don't want to see corn, corn meal, maize, or any other corn derivative in the list. Corn can not be digested and simply passes right through your dog, providing no nutrition. The only thing that corn does for the dog food is add to it's weight.
Don't feed your dog Beneful. It simply makes them hyper and more likely to misbehave and not listen to your commands.

If you have any questions about your dog's diet, please ask your Veterinarian. They are the ones who clearly understand your dog's particular health concerns and can help direct you towards the products that will provide your dog with a happy, healthy, and long life.

Bark Busters Offers Tips for Guests at the Door

2010-05-29T10:58:00.003-04:00

Bark Bark Bark.... Jump Jump Jump.... Crazy Crazy Crazy!!!! After our guests ring the door bell, this is what we hear next. I don't think this is part of your door bell chime!

Most dogs are always excited when new people are coming into the house. We really don't want to eliminate this behavior because it can also act as a defensive/protective mechanism. What we do want to do (at least I do) is to not be embarrassed when anyone enters our house because they are constantly attacked by my doggies. The best way to accomplish this is to nip it at the bud. Here are some tips:

If you know that you will be having guests, put your dog(s) on a leash. As their arrival time approaches, make sure that they are fully engaged with toys or other distractions.
If you are in a community where you receive a phone call before your guest's arrival, grab your dog's leash a few moments after you have "beeped your guest in".
If you are in a community where your guests need no security check. Be sure that you are near your dog(s) around the time of your guests arrival. You can also keep them in the room with you until you hear the door bell. As soon as the door bell rings, take your dogs by the leash.
Now, your guest is at the front door. Calmly walk to the door with your dogs. Have them sit before you open the door.
Open the door and greet your guest. If your dogs start to jump or move, correct them and have them sit again.
If your dogs become too hyper, walk them ten or fifteen feet away and then return to your guest and have them sit.
Have a short conversation with your guest ("How was the traffic?, Did you have any problem finding the place?", etc.)
Now, walk with your dogs and your guest to where you will be spending your time. If the dogs seem to be calm (minimized adrenaline), drop the leashes.
If your dogs begin to jump, bark, or just go crazy, pick up the leashes and walk them around until they become calm. Then, simply drop the leashes.

What you are teaching your dogs is to be calm when you are meeting guests. The leash serves as a simple, non-physical training aid to for you to direct your dogs to make the right decision. It also allows you to be consistent in your direction of them.

As your dogs become "more polite" around arriving guests, still keep the leashes on them, but don't hold the leashes. This gives you a "backup option" if they start to get out of control. It also takes you to the next step of observing them to see if "they really got it".

What you have just done is to use body language and canine training techniques to easily direct your dogs in a way that they understand.

Grooming Tip

2010-05-20T15:22:00.002-04:00

Here is a little tip if you doggie always gets the "wiggles" when you are trying to groom him. I used it with a client with great results...

When you are getting ready to groom, I would suggest that you get your dog at a height that is comfortable for you. If you will have to be bending or stretching, that will divert your attention and give your dog the opportunity to move or leave. Also, make sure that you have all your items (brushes, scissors, etc.) within easy reach.

Now, bring your dog in and place him in the "grooming place". Have him on a leash. Now (here is the great little trick) have a smelly little goodie hidden in your left hand. Hold the leash a few inches away from your dog with the smelly little goodie hidden in your palm. Your dog is now secure and focused on the smelly little goodie and you can now "groom in peace".

After you have finished grooming, place the smelly little goodie on the ground in front of your dog and let him have it. Give this a try. As I said earlier, I used this with one of our clients and it worked like a charm!

Summertime and Outside Activities

2010-05-12T13:12:00.002-04:00

It is only mid May and already into the mid 90's! Summer is going to be HOT this year!

Now that it is getting into South Florida's "hotter season", we have to be careful when we take him outside to play or for his normal walk. Dehydration and overexertion can easily set in far faster now than in the Winter months. Here are a few guidelines to follow for the Summer season:

If possible, only take your dog out in the early morning hours or in the evening. Even at these times, limit their outside time to about 45 minutes.
If you must take your dog out during the heat of the day, limit their outside time to no more than 15 minutes.
Always try to keep in the shade.
Allow your dog to walk on the grass and not the sidewalk or street. Think of how hot those surfaces have become. Don't believe me? Next time you are out in the heat of the day, take your shoes off and walk on the sidewalk and street. That is what your dog is experiencing!
Take plenty of water with you along with a collapsible dogie bowl. Stop often and offer him a drink.
If you see your dog start to slow down, it is time to come inside.
When you come inside, stay with your dog for 10 to 15 minutes just to make sure he had not become overheated.

Remember the old saying "Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun". If you must, take precautions. If you go out in the cooler times of the day, remember that we are still in South Florida and our cool can be other peoples' hot.

Potty Training and Food Management

2010-05-06T15:52:00.002-04:00

Don't you just love it when there is a free buffet? Guess what? Your little puppy loves it too...

One of the most prevalent mistakes that our clients make when potty training their puppy is food management. They leave the puppy's food and water down all day long and then they wonder why the puppy is always going to the bathroom at indiscriminate times.

Except for health reasons (consult your vet) or hydration reasons (hot, exuberant play inside or out), your puppy does need to have their food and water down all day long. If you really think your puppy needs extra water, leave 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch in their water bowl during the day.

Many times a puppy will drink or eat out of boredom.

"I have nothing to do. Look! There is a bowl of water! I think I will wonder over there and have some water..."

This leads to the puppy over eating and over drinking. They will go to the bathroom more frequently with less predictability.

Put the food and water down at meal time and then pick it up when the meal is done. I normally like to leave the bowls down for about 30 minutes. This will allow you to clearly manage the amount of intake and the time of intake.

If we now know when our puppy eats, we can determine when he has to go to the bathroom. Success!!

Please note: This is only part of the Potty Training process, contact your local Bark Buster for additional, complete information.

How to Avoid Dog Bites (Part 2 of 2)

2010-04-30T14:52:00.003-04:00

Here is Part Two of our training tips to avoid being bitten.

In this blog, I want to talk about what to do (and not to do) for parents. All of this stuff might seem obvious, but you can't believe how many times we have been called out because the family dog has bitten because of one of these tips not being observed. Let's get you on the right track:

Safety Tips for Parents

Never leave a young child or baby alone with any dog.
Never allow your young child to discipline a dog.
Never allow your child to feed or walk a dog unsupervised.
Never allow your child to pull on a dog’s collar, ears or tail.
Never allow your child to play aggressive games (like wrestling) with any dog.
Never allow your child to pet a dog that is in someone else’s car or truck.

Our whole focus is on safety, both for you and your dog

How to Avoid Dog Bites (Part 1 of 2)

2010-04-24T17:16:00.002-04:00

I bet everyone has either been bitten or put in a situation where you might be bitten at least once in your life. It doesn't have to be that way...

Here is Part One of our training tips to avoid being bitten. In this blog, I want to talk about what to do (and not to do) when a dog approaches. Believe it or not, many times WE cause the bite to take place. Let's get you on the right track:

Don’t turn and run—dogs naturally love to chase and catch things.
Stand still, with your hands at your sides. In most cases, the dog will go away when it determines you are not a threat.
Don’t put your hand out—just allow the dog to approach you to sniff you.
Don't scream. If you say anything, speak calmly and firmly.
Face the dog at all times, but don’t stare. Avoid eye contact.
Back away slowly, watching the dog from the corner of your eye, until the dog is out of sight.

Some of these tips might appear difficult to accomplish (like not moving), but they work. I have used them many times and still have my fingers and toes.

Some Tips for the Vet's Office (Part 2 of 2)

2010-04-17T18:54:00.002-04:00

Last time, we talked about being safe in getting to the Vet's Office and being in the Waiting Room. Now we are ready to get to the Examination Room...

The Examination Room offers new challenges for us because it is normally a very confined area. This heightens the speed at which "Fight or Flight" might occur. Here are a few tips to make sure that ensure a safe and happy experience for all:

If at all possible, you should put your dog on the examination table. You are the best to know if there are any "ouches" that your dog doesn't like touched and you are already a familiar figure who should have no problem in approaching and raising them to the table.
Never show agitation or fear. Whether you are the "Alpha" or not, this will heighten the adrenalin and reactive tendencies within our pooch. If the Vet Tech needs to give your dog a shot or draw blood, do not show emotion (i.e. sorrow that it might hurt them). If you think that you might, ask to leave the room for that moment.
Always obey the instructions of the Vet Tech. They "do this all the time" and all they are trying to accomplish is to finish the procedure while providing a safe and happy experience for your doggie (i.e. not being bitten).
Always stand tall and face your dog while in the examination room. This shows dominance and will give them a sense of security and safety.
If anything happens in the examination room that you are unsure of, ask your Vet to explain what is happening so that you can maintain your confidence that you are providing your doggie with a safe and happy experience.

I hope that you can start to see a trend here. If we can associate the Vet's Office with "everything is OK", that will minimize any possibility of heightened fear that could lead to aggressive actions. As the "Leaders of the Pack", that is our job.

Some Tips for the Vet's Office (Part 1 of 2)

2010-04-09T11:12:00.003-04:00

Sometimes going to the Vet's Office can be a real pain. It doesn't have to be that way...

Today I want to give you some tips on entering the office and being in the waiting room. Here are some tips:

If your dog's feeding schedule falls before you go to the office, try and feed him at least an hour before your visit. Since this can be a very nervous time for your dog, you want to minimize "mistakes" in the waiting room or (even worse) the examination room.
Make sure you have a good collar and strong leash. You don't want your dog to get away from you.
On the drive to the Vet's office, be sure that you have your dog secure with a seat belt devise so that he won't become airborne if you have to quickly apply your breaks.
As you approach the waiting room, open the door and look in to see the dogs and owners currently waiting. If the waiting room is crowded, you might tell the receptionist that you are there and that you will wait outside until the number of dogs and owners in the waiting room declines.
Once you are inside, always keep your dog next to you. Don't let him "wander" on a loose leash to sniff or bark at the other dogs. This could lead to nipping or a dog fight.
Try to take a seat where you can see the door to evaluate new dogs and owners entering the office. Don't sit in a corner where you might be "trapped" if an aggressive dog approaches.
Keep your dog's focus on you. You are the leader and you will be the one keeping him safe.
If you see an owner who is "out of control" with their dog, ask one of the Vet Techs to assist them. There is probably an Office Policy that already outlines this.
When it is your turn to go to the examination room, walk your dog next to you in a deliberate manner.
Last thing... If your dog is fearful or shows signs of aggression while at the Vet's Office, you might ask that when you come to the office, you enter by a side door so that you won't interact with the other dogs/owners and so the Vet Tech can give you and your dog more complete and immediate focus.

Toys and Training (Part 2 of 2)

2010-04-01T20:16:00.005-04:00

My dog is acting somewhat aggressive. What is going on?

Our dogs sometimes act agressive, just out of the blue, and we have no idea why. Well, there can be many answers. Let me give you just one of them.

Don't you love it whey your doggie takes the squeakie toy, growls at it, shakes it in his mouth, barks at it, and then tries to rip it apart? That is so much fun to watch and many times it is just really funny. Do you have any idea what is going through your dog's mind when that is going on?

Let me give you a little hint. The squeak that the toy is making emulates the sound of a wounded or dying animal. You have thrown this "animal" to your pup and given him the "thumbs-up" to maim or kill it. Does that sound aggressive to you? (I hope so...)

In continuing this, you are promoting aggressive behavior and providing a repitition that is part of the dog's natural learning process. You must limit or eliminate all squeakie toys and replace them with toys that otherwise stimulate your pup's mind and directs his focus in a manner that is acceptable to you.

Toys and Training (Part 1 of 2)

2010-03-27T10:50:00.003-04:00

Believe it or not, but toys can definitely impact your training experience...

We all love playing tug-of-war with our doggies. They pull and growl and we pull back and laugh. This can go on for a pretty long time. Sometimes they get the tug-of-war toy and run around the room while we chase them, trying to grab the other end. Sometimes we end up with the tug-of-war toy and then normally make high pitched sounds, encouraging them to jump and grab the toy again. Wow, isn't that a lot of fun!

Do you ever wonder why your dog jumps, barks, and nips at people? Our dogs learn through repetition. We are constantly playing a game with them that requires actions of biting, jumping, and barking. Oops!

Also, guess who normally ends up with the tug-of-war toy at the end of the game? Our doggie normally ends up with the toy and takes it of to his corner or into the other room. This is because we are now off to other of our "human activities" like answering the phone, getting the door, sitting down to the computer, etc. In our dog's mind, they have "won the game" because they ended up with the toy.

So what does all this tell us?

From our dog's perspective, playing tug-of-war enforces that he is the leader and he can do whatever he wants. Why not? He is the leader and we have told him so.
Jumping, nipping, barking, and other "bad habits" are enforced by playing tug-of-war because we are constantly condoning such actions.

Bottom line, do not play tug-of-war with your dog. It is fine if your dogs play tug-of-war between each other, just not with you.

When Training, Always Keep it Slow

2010-03-20T16:08:00.003-04:00

We Americans always like things fast. We love fast food. We always want to be in the fast lane. We read the Cliff Notes and not the Book.... It doesn't work that way with our best friends...

One of the biggest reasons that we have problems training our dogs is that we are impatient and want the training to be fast. Dogs learn through repetition and consistency. Neither of these two words connote "fast".

The best way to train is to take "baby steps". If our dog is having a hard time sitting, let's first make sure that he can stand next to us and look at us. If he can't do that, he won't be able to sit. If our dog is misbehaving while in a room full of people, let's first make sure that he might be in the room with just ourselves.

The secret to this process is to break down our training exercise into many "little goals". Each goal is obtainable and is required before we move on to the next "little goal". You will now be able to succeed because you have forced yourself to take "baby steps".

This will allow you to be consistent and succeed. Your dog will feel better because he will have the ability to obey you, you will gain much needed confidence. The relationship between you and your dog will be a happy, learning, and loving experience.

Walking in a Crowd

2010-03-14T17:09:00.006-04:00

We always think it is great when we walk our dog around the block, but what happens when we take our best friend to a crowded place, full of people and other things?

We must always be aware of our surroundings and consider if our puppy is comfortable. If he is not, we run the risk of our guy barking, jumping, lunging, and even biting. These are all actions that we definitely don't want in public and actions that can easily be avoided. Follow these simple steps to assure a great time with your pup while in a crowded, public area:

Always be aware of your pup's body language. If you see excessive focus on other animals or people, their tail tucked under their body, or low growling, you are about to experience an unwanted incident.
Turn around and go towards the nearest exit with the minimal number of people and animals. Keep your dog's focus on you and walk briskly.
As soon as you get outside, stop and allow your dog to regain focus on you. If the crowd will be thinning soon, you might wait in a quiet area and then proceed again when there are less distractions. If not, you may consider leaving for the day.
Although this may seem like you are avoiding the issue, you are really showing that you are looking after your pup's safety in the best way that they currently understand and accept.

Now, what can we do to help fix the problem? You must create life experiences where your doggie becomes comfortable and accustomed to a place with a good amount of hustle and bustle. We will take baby steps here:

Take your dog to a Mall (or place that normally has a good amount of people) when there are very few people and sit on the perimeter of the area. Bring toys and even treats to keep him entertained and focused on you.
Start to come at times when there are more people and repeat the above process. If your pup becomes agitated, slow the process down and start to come at less crowded times.
Once your pup appears content and calm with the area, start coming at low traffic times and walk in the area. Still keep a little distance between you and the other people/dogs.
As your doggie shows a proper comfort level, come at times of higher traffic and repeat above. As soon as you see fear, anxiety, or aggression, slow the process down and subtract a portion of the people.dogs.
Follow this process and you will have a doggie that is great in crowds.

We hope you find this information useful. For more information, please contact us via http://www.barkbusterssouthflorida.com/.

Rover and my Mocha Latte

2010-03-07T20:57:00.002-05:00

Many of us would love to take our "best friends" to Starbucks or Panera Bread for a nice coffee, but it just doesn't work. It doesn't have to be that way...

Many times, we make assumptions regarding our dog's "happy place". Just like our mothers did with us when we were young, we must socialize our dogs to situations in which they will normally be placed. Today, I want to talk about having a coffee, iced tea, or whatever at a public cafe. Here is what you do.

First, take your dog to the cafe when it is closed. Just sit outside and drink a coffee that you might have brought from home. Be sure to have something to entertain your dog.
After doing this several times, now come back when the cafe is open, but during a slow time. Your doggie will now experience a few people. Be sure to watch your dog's body language and to keep his focus on you.
When your dog is comfortable in this situation, come back when there is a normal amount of people in the establishment. Never sit in the main entrance, but always off to the side. Continue to watch your dog's body language and to keep his focus on you.

The most important item to remember with this exercise is to keep it slow and to keep your actions consistent. If, for any reason, your dog becomes too agitated on any visit, get up and walk down the block.

Your Bark Buster Behavioral Therapist can provide you with more details regarding this process and can even lend assistance, if necessary.

Starting your Walkies off Right

2010-03-01T15:51:00.002-05:00

For many of us, walking is a cross between tug of war and the 100 yard dash. It doesn't have to be that way...

I would like to give you one, very simple tip to help your "walkies" be enjoyable. Here's the secret, start out calm.

For many of us, our dogs start to go crazy when they even see the leash. We wrestle with them to get it on and then they race to the door. We chase after them to get the leash and when we open the door, they bolt out, pulling us along for the show.

No wonder our "walkies" is crazy! As I mentioned earlier, let's start out on a calm note.

If your dog goes crazy when they see the leash, put it away and bring it out again in five minutes. Repeat this until you can easily place the leash on him.
Make sure that your dog sits quietly at the front door as you open it. You must go out first and then invite him.
Have your dog sit on the front porch until you are ready to walk. Then proceed calmly.

I assure you that if you follow these hints, you will have a great "walkies experience" with your pooch.

Please, Please Don't Break the China...

2010-02-23T14:01:00.003-05:00

Many times we wonder why our dog is always going crazy in the house...

I have been to many clients who always complain about their doggie going crazy for hours on end in the house. Carpets are pushed into the walls, plants are tipped over, plates are broken, and on and on and on. They say that the walk the dog two or three times a day and they still go crazy.

Dogs build up adrenaline during the day and they need an avenue to release it. Walking, unless you are on your bike or roller blading, will not effectively release the adrenaline. You need to get out to a fenced area where you can play fetch with your dog. You might think about taking a canine agility class. Why don't you take it too? We all still have those few extra pounds from the Holidays still lingering. As I already mentioned, you might try jogging or roller blading.

Be sure that you engage in these activities in the cooler hours of the day and be sure to have enough water for current hydration.

When you take charge of your dog's activity it will not only drain your dog's adrenaline in a manner that will keep the interior of your house in one piece, it will also show your dog that you are the leader of the pack.

Bark Busters Offers Tips to Introduce a New Dog to the Pack (Part 3 of 3)

2010-02-19T13:49:00.002-05:00

Bark Busters provides tips to help pet owners introduce a new dog to their current pack of animals with ease.

Bringing a new dog into the family is an exciting time for the human “pack” members but can create stress for the non-human pack. This is the third of three training tips to make sure that the process is relaxed and safe for both human and canine members of the pack:

Introduce in a Neutral Location
Introduce the dogs in a neutral location that is unfamiliar to both dogs, such as a park. This prevents your resident dog from feeling his territory is being threatened.

Each dog should be on a loosely held six-foot leash and handled by a separate person. Try to stay relaxed so the dogs don’t pick up on any tension you might be feeling.

Don’t force an interaction between the dogs. Just walk near each other for a few minutes. One or both of the dogs may ignore each other, which is fine. Just stay upbeat and give the dogs time to get comfortable with the situation.

Well, there you have it. We have successfully used these three simple tips when introducing new dogs with hundreds of our clients.

Bark Busters Offers Tips to Introduce a New Dog to the Pack (Part 2 of 3)

2010-02-15T08:58:00.001-05:00