Dog Crates: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

<small>photo courtesy Flickr.com/oakleyoriginals</small>

photo courtesy Flickr.com/oakleyoriginals

It is my humble opinion that the dog crate is the most awesome invention to hit the world of Dog Stuff since the tennis ball.
 
They’re a great tool for keeping mischievous canines out of trouble, and for traveling. Crates make the dreaded housetraining process so much faster and easier, since dogs don’t like to soil their sleeping area.

Dogs are den animals, naturally preferring to sleep in enclosed spaces (this isn’t true of all dogs, but generally speaking). If properly introduced to his crate, a dog will come to treat it as his bedroom; a safe retreat from the stress of life with those crazy two legged members of his family. It is not uncommon for dogs to …read more

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Video: Keep Your Hyper Dog Entertained And Out Of Trouble

Want more? Check out 14 Quick and Easy Ways to Keep Your Dog Occupied

Music by Jason Shaw at Audionautix.com

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On Catching The Door Dashing Dog

<small>photo courtesy Flickr.com/defrostca</small>

photo courtesy Flickr.com/defrostca

So you’ve read this post, and you’re in the process of training your dog to wait at doors.

Great! This is all well and good, but sometimes, the committed door dasher will still get out. Someone will accidentally leave the door open, and Rover will make a break for it.

When he does:

You call him. “Rover, COME!” He ignores …read more

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How To Stop Your Dog From Bolting Out The Door

<small>photo courtesy Flickr.com/helloturkeytoe</small>

photo courtesy Flickr.com/helloturkeytoe

The Door Dasher is the dog who barges out past you when you open the front door, or who waits until your back is turned for an instant before running off shouting “free at last!” Sound familiar?

How To Prevent Door Dashing
“Come” is one of the most important commands you can teach a dog and is very useful for getting the dog back after he’s run off, but it won’t stop the problem – he’ll still be running out the door. You need to teach the dog to wait at doors.

To do that, teach Rover that he has his cues all out of whack. Because at the moment, the sound of the door knob turning means “prepare to launch.” Change it to mean “stand back and you’ll be rewarded.”

Teach the “wait” command, if you haven’t already. I use wait instead of stay for door dashing because …read more

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WAIT! (how to train it, that is)

RearCross1 085 Here’s a quick tutorial for teaching your dog to wait.

Not to be confused with the stay command, Wait is a useful command to have in addition to Stay. “Stay” means “stay in that position until I release you.” Wait means “don’t move forward.”

Tomorrow I’ll post a how-to that follows up on this, for teaching your dog to wait at the front door. (Update: Here’s the article: How to Stop Your Dog From Bolting Out The Door)

…read more

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Hey! That WAS my iPod: How to Stop Your Dog’s Destructive Chewing

Does your dog have a knack for search-and-destroy missions?
That is, does she find everything that you don’t want her to chew on, and chew on it? Check out this video for step-by-step instructions on breaking this expensive habit:

(Note: this video was designed to be watched on Youtube, so when I mention links in the sidebar, I’m talking about the Youtube sidebar. Capiche?)

Music by Jason Shaw at Audionautix.com

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Video: The Easy Way To Stop Your Dog’s Digging Problem

Does your dog have a digging problem?
Is your yard/garden starting to look like the surface of the moon? Good news: There’s actually a pretty simple solution.

You just have to realize that digging isn’t a “problem.” It’s actually a completely normal thing for a dog to do. What do you do when you’re bored? Watch TV? Read? Play games? Browse Youtube? (I’m guilty of that one)

It’s the same thing for your dog. Sparky digs because he’s bored and digging is fun. So instead of punishing the dog for this, you just have to redirect the behavior.

Check out this short video (less than two minutes long) to find out how:

Music by Jason Shaw at Audionautix.com
Photo credits:
Digging dog: Flickr.com/jkleeman
Sandbox puppy: Flickr.com/carradine65

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Mischief Managed

<small>Photo courtesy Flickr.com/cptspock</small>

Photo courtesy cptspock

When I adopted my dog Merlin, I made a couple of rookie mistakes.
One: he was kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision; my life and home were not prepared to handle a six month old border collie. And two: I let him have free roam of the house and yard way before he was ready- before he understood the rules of the house.

The result?

A bunch of chewed up valuables, torn up couch cushions, dog poop in the garden, and a yard that was beginning to look like the surface of the moon. Not to mention the nasty habit he developed of lunging at visitors.

This is all kind of embarrassing to admit, because as a trainer, I was supposed to know better. Eventually I shaped up and started working with him appropriately, but the damage was done. …read more

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Puppies Behaving Badly: Jumping and Biting

<small>Photo courtesy Flickr.com/meaganjean</small>

Photo courtesy Flickr.com/meaganjean

Jumping up and mouthing too hard: two of the most common behavior problems in dogs, especially young dogs. Fortunately the solutions are fairly simple – they just require some patience and consistency on your end.

Each of these solutions are based on the following basic process. Most behavior problems can be solved by following these three steps.

1. Dog misbehaves, so you take the Good Things away immediately the “Good Things” will vary depending on the situation. It might be attention from you, toys, or playtime.
2. Redirect the behavior by telling/showing the dog what to do instead, OR waiting until she does something good on her own.
3. The dog does what you ask, so you immediately give her the Good Things that she was after in the first place. …read more

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On Getting Your Dog To Come When You Call Him

<small>Photo courtesy Flickr.com/marilynjane</small>

Photo courtesy Flickr.com/marilynjane

As far as basic obedience goes, “come” is a pretty easy command to teach.
You excitedly call your dog toward you, maybe tugging the leash or offering a treat. When he comes, you praise him. Eventually you attach the word “come” to it, and there ya go, you have taught the recall command. But that’s not what people have trouble with. What really frustrates dog owners is
a) getting the dog to respond no matter what, and/or
b), maintaining the command.
How many of you started out in your training with a beautiful response to the recall, only to have it deteriorate to the point where you’re lucky if the dog even flicks an ear in your direction when you call him? I’m in the process of fixing a broken recall …read more

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