Back To School

Now that nice weather is coming, Mom and Dad want to be able to take us to lots of fun places like Dog Mountain and hiking in the White Mountains. We love going places with our Mom and Dad but it is important that we are on our best behavior when we do.

You see, only good dogs, with excellent manners, should go to places where there are lots of people and other dogs. Good dogs are dogs who listen to their humans about things like coming when called and dropping things we shouldn’t have picked up in the first place. One of the most super duper important things a good dog knows is how to leash walk well.

I admit I am not an excellent leash walker. Once we leave our yard, there are lots and lots of different things to see and smell that I tend to want to sniff every tree and rock and fire hydrant I see. I am trying to be a better leash walker, but it isn’t easy so Mom is taking us back to school.

Well, I’m going “back” to school because I did have school when I was really little but for DixieLee, going to school is a new experience. She said that when she lived with Mama Mel, she had some training but never went to “real” school.

We don’t go to the school yet, the teacher comes to our house. We like her a lot cuz she brings really good treats when she comes. She teaches us new commands and then we practice with Mom during the week.

I’m a good learner and DixieLee is getting better every week. Mom is thrilled that she knows “leave it” now cuz it's lots easier getting Dad’s socks back. This morning Mom noticed that DixieLee was hiding in her crate, chewing on a pencil.  Mom called "DixieLee Come" and she came out of her crate right away and then dropped the chewed up pencil as soon as she was told to “leave it”. DixieLee was so proud that she did good at listening that she gave Mom a big smile.

She still has to learned that just because something falls on the floor, it doesn’t mean it is hers but one thing at a time.

One of the hardest things we are learning is how not to bark when someone comes up our street. We think it is important to let Mom and Dad know such things like when the mail person comes but they say it isn’t necessary.

School stuff is fun but if we had to choose what we like best about school, I’d say it is recess.

Learning new things is so fun.  Maybe some day we’ll take Agility Training. Then again, agility training takes lots and lots of energy and I prefer conserving my energy for important things like eating.

Your scholarly friend,

Zeva

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Back to School

I almost never get in trouble but I think I may have stepped on Mom's last nerve.

It's not really my fault. You see, she says I need to ALWAYS come to her when she calls my name. Well, there are times when I am really busy and sort of ignore her. Since she is the MOM, she says that is unacceptable. She said DixieLee and I need a training refresher course. I wasn't sure exactly what that means so I went on line to find out about dog training.

From what I read there are lots of ways to train a dog and it seems like nobody is sure which is the bestest way. From all the choices I read about, I like the one called “reward based training” or “conditioning”. Although some dogs respond well to praise or play, DixieLee and I love food or as the professionals say, we are food motivated so I hope Mom decides to use food in our training.

Some people think that using food in training is bribery and when the food stops coming, we will stop listening. There is a trick people use so that doesn't happen. Mom always tells us when we do good and pets us when she gives us our reward. After a while, getting told we are good and getting petted is almost as good as getting a treat.

Others think that we will be afraid that if we don't behave we won't get fed. Only a really horrible person would do that! We trust Mom and know that we will always get fed every day.

DixieLee and I love all kinds of food but some dogs are picky. They would do better with people food like peanut butter or cheese. Not that we wouldn't love getting some cheese or peanut butter! The thing about using people food for training is that dogs should only have tiny bits of it and there are lots of people foods that dogs should not eat so they have to choose the right foods.

We would love to have people food but the treats Mom uses are made special for training. They are small and even healthy but they are really yummy so we overlook the small and healthy part.

Some people don't like to use food in training because they think their dog will get fat. Well, that is a concern and that is why you only get a tiny bit for the reward. Some people use regular kibble for training. They measure out the daily amount and take part of that amount for training. That way the dog is getting his or her regular amount of food only spread out over the day.

Now that I know what a refresher training course is all about, I'm ready to start. I saw that Mom put a box of the special small and healthy treats in the cabinet so I know she is ready too. The next time she calls my name I'll respond the first time. I'd hate to miss out on any of the rewards.

See you after class,

Zeva

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Talkin' Trash

I hate to be a snitch but DixieLee is in trouble again.  We understand.  Before she came to live with us, she lived on the streets and didn’t have anyone to give her food so she had to find her own.  She said the best place to find yummy food was in people’s trash bins and sometimes she didn’t eat for days because she couldn’t find any bins and was hungry for days.

When she came to live with us, she didn’t realize we get good food and treats all day long and she would go into the trash because there was food there.  She was sneaky about it and only did it when she thought Mom and Dad wouldn’t see her so it was hard to teach her not to go in the trash and of course she wouldn’t listen to me.

I can see how frustrating it was for Mom and Dad to come into the kitchen and see trash spread all over the place.  DixieLee especially likes to eat paper towels so she would hide paper towels in her crate.

Mom bought trash bins with tops, but DixieLee figured out how to get into all of them, until, Mom found a bin with a top that could only be opened by stepping on a thingy on the bottom.  As smart as she is, DixieLee couldn’t manage the stepping on the thingy part.  She tried just knocking the whole thing over but the top still stayed shut.

We thought she was cured of her dumpster diving but recently she started trying to get into the little bin in the bathroom.  A dog has a sense of smell that is a gazillion times better than a people’s sense of smell so I can see why she would want to get into the kitchen trash where food goes.  I sometimes get tempted when I smell chicken bones but I know how bad going in the trash is.  So I asked DixieLee what was so interesting in the bathroom.  She said not much but she gets bored easily and getting into the trash is just something to do.

If your house has a trash can bandit there are a few things you can do to keep the peace.

1.  You can buy trash bins with tops.  There are several different kinds and you may not need the super metal ones with the step on thingy like we have.  They work best for us and they come in lots of sizes so we use them in the kitchen, bathrooms and Mom’s workshop.

2.  Keep your trash in a cabinet or closet.  That didn’t work for us since DixieLee learned how to open all the cabinets.  We even have a child proof lock on the cabinet that holds our dog food.   It’s not too bad when you only have to open it a couple of times a day but having to unlock it several hundred times a day gets old fast.

3.  Place the can out of reach.  This is sort of like using a cabinet or closet.  Mom keeps one bin in our studio on top of her work station.  It’s convenient for tossing ribbon ends and other trash but too high for DixieLee to reach.  Your garage is a great place for your bin if you have a door right in your kitchen.

4.  If your dog is getting into the trash because she’s bored like DixieLee, the best way to stop her is to find ways to make her not bored.  More walks or toys like a Kong with peanut butter inside are good ways to keep any dog from getting bored.

Let me know if you are a recovering dumpster diver and what your humans did to help you break your habit.

Your friend,

Zeva

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Walkin' The Dog

The mail person brought a package for me and DixieLee the other day.  It was a surprise.  Mom bought us new harnesses.  I have to admit I am not the best leash walker.  I like to go fast and Mom is so slow.  It’s not her fault that humans only have two legs so they can only go half as fast as us dogs who have four legs. 

 Not being a great leash walker hasn’t been a big problem since we do most of our walking at Dog Park or at Dog Mountain where I don’t have to be on leash.  It would be nice to be able to walk other places so we have tried a bunch of different collars and harnesses but I didn’t like any of them.   I had a nice harness that I sort of liked but I still pulled cuz I wanted to go faster.  I know, we are supposed to do training but it just frustrates Mom and me so we gave up

 I liked that harness, it was a pretty purple color and it worked okay until DixieLee ate it. With two dogs to walk, we really needed to find something that made us be good leash walkers. Instead of buying a new harness right away, we tried using a gentle leader but I didn’t like it on my face.  DixieLee is okay with her gentle leader but it makes her face itchy and she tries to rub it off after it’s been on for a while.

 We looked at all kinds of leashes and harnesses but we didn’t like any of them much.  Then Mom heard about a new kind of harness that connects the leash to the front on my chest instead from behind on my shoulders.   It’s called Walk Your Dog With Love.  It works sort of like the gentle leader, turning me around if I start going too fast or going in a different direction than Mom wants me to go in.

 My new harness is black which looks absolutely stunning on me and goes nicely with my pink collar.   DixieLee’s is blue which looks very nice with her brown coat.  Mom’s pretty good with knowing fashion stuff.  This harness is very easy to put on too.   With my other harness, I had to pick up my foot and then Mom had to clip it this way and that.  The Walk Your Dog With Love harness is super easy to put on.  It slips over my head and Mom takes the strap under my tummy and clips it on the other side.

 Having an easy to get on harness is very helpful when you have a dog like DixieLee who gets so excited that she rolls around and squiggles every which way when you try to get her ready to go out. Mom likes that these harnesses are made in the USA.  They even have some stuff called Scotchlite on it which makes it easy to see us in the dark. 

 We tried them out today and I think they are going to work good.  We all went for a big walk in town and I hardly pulled at all.  I walked slower and Mom was able to keep up.  DixieLee walked better than me but that’s cuz she got to practice yesterday.  The only one who failed walking was Dad.  He was a real slow poke.  He needs lots more practice if he is going to walk with us again.

 Going for walks is one of the best funs we have so I’m happy we found a harness that makes walking even more fun.  Were you always a good leash walker and if not, how did you get better?

 Your good walking friend,

 Zeva

 P.S.  Blatant Self-promotion.   Our To The Rescue Gift Basket has everything a new dog needs, even a pretty leash.

Begging 101

I have a problem and I'm hoping you can help. I'm looking for some professional advice. I rescued my humans when I was only 11 weeks old so they were pretty easy to train. It was easy to get them to make room on their bed for me and it was easy to get Mom to take me to work with her every day so I didn't have to stay at home by myself.

It was easy to get them to take me to doggy daycare on days when neither would be able to stay with me. And it was easy to get them to take me for long walks.

Here's my problem, I can't get my humans to give me people food. I have tried all of the tricks. I've got the soulful eyes look perfected to Academy Award level. I've found that a soft whimper gets their attention but it doesn't get me any food.

Sitting in the kitchen while they are cooking only gets me banished to the living room and they always seem to catch me when I try to sneak back. I try to ease my way under the table while they are eating but again, I get banished to the living room. How can they expect me to sit by and ignore the wonderful scents of a chicken or a roast? Man, I'll even settle for scrambled eggs or tuna fish but nooooo.

Okay, so every once in awhile I get some tuna juice or a soft boiled egg mixed in with my dry food and I do get a marrow bone every Saturday, but they get that stuff anytime they want. It's not fair!

Do you get your humans to give you human food any time you want?  How do you do it?

Your starving friend,

Zeva

Train Like An Olympian

One of the discussions that seems to happen quite regularly among us dogs at the dog park is how to choose a personal trainer.  Lots of us go to the park with our humans and part of the time there is spent on training exercises.  I noticed there appears to be several different methods being used.

I thought I would ask my friend Eric The Amazing Dog Training Man what advice he would be able to share about how to make sure your human chooses the best trainer for you.

Zeva:  So, Eric.  What should a dog look for when choosing a personal trainer?

Eric: First, I'd like to thank you for interviewing me. I feel very honored. Choosing the right trainer is important. I think a good trainer is experienced, patient, positive and most importantly fun. A good trainer will help the owner train their dog using positive methods. I would also recommend going and watching the trainer do a class. This will give you the best indication of what the trainer is like.

Zeva:  Do all trainers use the same methods?

Eric: Nooooooooooooo!!! Let me share a very popular quote among dog trainers: "The only thing two dog trainers can agree on is what the third one is doing wrong." Being in a room of dog trainers can be worse than being in a room full of Democrats and Republicans.
Zeva: BOL.  How do I know which training method is best for me?  After all, I'm very special.

Eric: Well Zeva, I've been in this game for a long time. I have trained dogs for security and police work, dogs for deaf people, worked with and helped thousands (millions if you count my YouTube videos) and I can tell you that ALL dogs should be trained using positive methods. When you train using negative methods you always have side effects that will harm the dog. You can't go wrong using positive training methods.

Zeva:  Interesting.  How old should a dog before starting training and when is a dog too old to be trained?

Eric: I start training as young as eight weeks old. Puppies can learn how to do the basics at that age. Sessions should be very short and fun but they can learn a lot. More importantly puppies should get a LOT of socialization. Puppies need to play with other puppies, go places, be exposed to a lot of different sights, sounds, smells and people. You can't over socialize a puppy. As far as age goes you can teach an old dog new tricks. I have had dogs in my classes as old as 12.

Zeva:  12, that's pretty old! How long should each session be and how many sessions should a dog take?

Eric: I always advise keeping sessions short - 10 to 15 minutes. You can do as many sessions as you want in a day but each individual session short be short and fun. I think training is an ongoing process and the owner should do as many classes as they like. If you get bored with obedience you can do agility, flyball, scent work, search and rescue, dock diving and much more.

Zeva:  Anything else you would like to add?

Eric: Just wanted to thank you and share the best advice I ever got about dogs. Here it is: "If you want a good dog, learn how to be a good dog owner. If you want a great dog, learn how to be a great dog owner."

Thanks Eric for sharing all this great information with us.  If any of you have specific questions, go to The Amazing Dog Training Man's website or contact Eric directly. He has lots more good tips he can share.

Let me know of any fun training exercises you would like to share with us.  I'm always looking for new things to learn.

See you at the park,
Your Friend,
Zeva
P.S. in our house positive method means cookies so I also highly recommend this method of training.
Shameless self promotion:  Follow me on Twitter @zevathedog and check out my website at www.laurelmtbasket.com Pay special attention to the Pet gift baskets. You'll want every one of them!