Dog Training Tip of the Month

• Have a Happy Halloween with your Hound! - October 2008

  It’s that spooky, haunted time of year again, and many proud dog owners desire to show off their pooches by dressing them up in adorable doggie costumes. Doggie Halloween costumes and canine couture have skyrocketed in popularity over the past few years, and numerous dog owners have followed the trend. However, not all costumes are designed for comfort, and perturbed canines may blatantly show their disdain for wearing clothing. The key is to ensure that your pooch is comfortable and that his breathing and movement are not impaired by the clothing. Your dog trainer can help you with these steps.
  
  To properly fit and accustom your canine to his costume, follow these steps:
  
  • Purchase your pooch’s costume early so you can help him become used to wearing it over a period of two to four weeks.
  
  • Bring your dog along with you when you purchase the costume (if possible). Stores may not allow you to try the costume on your dog, but you can at least estimate the size by holding it up to his body.
  
  • When fitting a costume, check the hemlines around the neck, feet, and tail. If it feels tight, it’s most likely uncomfortable and potentially hazardous to his health.
  
  • After purchasing the costume, take it home and begin getting your dog used to it at least several days before Halloween.
  
  If you have a animal trainer, have him or her help you with the following steps during your training sessions:
  
  1. Start by simply draping the costume over your dog’s back, and treat him lavishly for being a good sport.
  
  2. Then, you can move on to putting the costume on loosely, and again, treating him generously for compliance.
  
  3. Practice dog training by having your dog sit, lie down, and stay while wearing his costume to ensure that his movement is not impaired.
  
  4. Once he seems comfortable with the costume, zip or Velcro it accordingly and allow him to wear it around the house for a short period of time each day or during private sessions (if your dog trainer recommends and allows it). Again, deliver cues like sit, lie down, and stay to ensure a proper fit. Treat him abundantly for his obedience.
  
  • Make sure your canine is always supervised by you, a family member, or a dog obedience trainer when wearing his costume.
  
  • If your dog attempts to remove the costume, or if he seems unhappy or uncomfortable even after you have followed all advice from this article and from your animal trainer for getting him used to wearing it, do not force him to wear it. Remove the costume and either attempt a simpler idea (such as adorning him with a festive Halloween bandana) or allow him to avoid a costume altogether. While some simple dog training will suffice for many dogs, other dogs simply will not put up with wearing a costume.
  
  For safety’s sake, it is also a good idea to attach reflective patches to your dog’s costume so he is easy to see on Halloween night. Trick-or-treating with your canine can be fun (as long as he is friendly, non-aggressive to animals or people, and not afraid of costumed kids), but safety is a crucial factor. Consult your dog trainer for advice if needed. If you are not 100% sure that your pooch will enjoy being out and about on Halloween, keep him inside and have him help you greet trick-or-treaters. The children will surely be thrilled by your festively dressed canine.
  
  Happy Halloween!

• Holiday Food Considerations - November 2008

  While you’re preparing for your holiday festivities, picking out a turkey, and inviting your friends and family to your dinner table, please take a moment to consider your dogs’ eating habits, especially during this time of abundant table scraps and leftovers. There are safe and rewarding ways to share the holidays with your pooch; however, sharing too much food or feeding directly off the dinner table can create not only poor health but bad habits, too. Incorporating dog training into holiday meal considerations can not only save you from the stress of having a begging dog at your feet, but it also enhances your canine’s obedience level.
  
  Here are some guidelines for feeding your dog properly in everyday life:
  
  • When feeding your dog her normal meals, make sure to feed her an appropriate amount (not too much, not too little). Take treats used for dog obedience, such as doggie biscuits, and table scraps into account. If you’re confused about how much to feed her, your dog trainer can usually provide you with some guidelines, though consulting your veterinarian is recommended.
  
  • Puppies normally need to be fed twice a day while older dogs can usually be fed once a day.
  
  • However, certain factors must be taken into account, including the dog’s energy and activity level (including animal training sessions), environment, size, breed (if known), and current state of health. Again, talk to a professional animal trainer or your veterinarian if you are unsure of how much to feed your dog.
  
  • Puppies should be fed food meant especially for puppies as it contains the essential nutrients that their bodies need as they grow. As a general rule, they may be switched over to adult dog food as soon as they’ve matured past the puppy stage. This is usually one year for small dogs and two years for large dogs.
  
  • If you notice that your dog is getting skinnier or fatter on her current diet, adjust the portions (by making them larger or smaller) accordingly. Find out what weight is appropriate for your particular dog by consulting your veterinarian, and try to maintain that weight by exercising your dog (dog training is a great form of exercise!) and by weighing her regularly to track her weight.
  
  • If you notice that your dog is not finishing her entire meals or that she finishes her meals and continues to beg for table scraps, she may need to have her meal portions adjusted.
  
  • If you have a dog that is particularly active (e.g. trains for and/or competes in agility trials, plays ball excessively, or simply has a higher level of energy), her feeding rations should be compensated and increased. Likewise, dogs that are particularly lazy (e.g. they live in an apartment and/or lie around all day) should be fed less as they are not burning off as many calories.
  
  • While dogs are not true carnivores and can survive on a vegetarian diet, make sure to speak with your veterinarian if you are considering this route. It is crucial that all dogs get the recommended amount of calories, protein, fat, etc. each day.
  
  Table scraps are an important factor to consider around the holidays, not only in feeding your dog appropriately but also in consideration of her level of dog training and obedience. When eating a meal, do not feed your dog directly from your plate or at any time while you are still eating or sitting at the dinner table. This encourages begging, which can be annoying to you and your holiday guests and is an overall bad behavior. It is also detrimental to any animal behavior that you and/or your dog trainer have worked on with her so far. Instead, wait until after everyone has finished eating and reward your dog for minding her manners by taking her outside, asking for an obedience cue (sit, down, etc.) and treating her with a piece of meat or potato. Or, you may decide to give her an extra yummy dog food meal by putting doggie gravy on top of her everyday kibble as a special treat. Your canine can enjoy the holiday festivities, too, as long as it is in moderation and under the right circumstances.
  
  Also, when cleaning up after a holiday meal, make sure all leftover bones and other discarded food scraps are thrown away in a place where your dog cannot dig for and extract them. It is important to train dogs to avoid scraps, as turkey, chicken, and other animal bones can splinter in a dog’s throat, stomach, and/or intestines and cause major medical issues. If her level of dog training is not sound enough to trust her in the company of a trash can full of yummy goodness, take the trash out or put it up on a counter to eliminate the option for bad behavior. Even with a solid foundation in training from the best animal trainer in the country, you cannot 100% reliably prevent a dog’s desire to dig through the trash for delicious scraps, and the risk can be immense.
  
  May you and your canine have a wonderful holiday season!

• Work Out Together - January 2008

  The amount of daily physical activity your dog needs depends on her age, breed, and current state of health; however, every dog requires and thrives on at least 30 minutes of vigorous daily exercise. Practicing your canine’s dog training with her can help to satisfy some of this daily requirement, but you will probably still need to supplement it with some light exercise.
  
  If you are an active person with an established exercise regimen, try incorporating your dog’s exercise and animal training into your own routine. Involving your best friend will brighten up her day. Not only will she be getting extra time to spend with you, but she will also obtain added socialization, become more focused, sharpen her training skills, and maintain her fitness and health.
  
  When exercising together, there are several things to keep in mind. First of all, make sure your dog is properly hydrated and has access to a sufficient amount of water during and after exercising. Secondly, if walking or running on concrete or other rough surfaces, check the pads of her feet frequently for cuts and scrapes. Try changing up the surfaces on which you walk and run; constant running on concrete can be hard on a dog’s joints and bones. Your dog trainer can give you advice on suitable, safe surfaces for your dog to run on. Additionally, while walking, running, or hiking, do not let your dog’s animal training slack. She should still obey all of her obedience standards while exercising. Also, make sure to follow all leash laws at all times. Allowing your dog to run off-leash can not only earn you a ticket, but it could also cause her to dash out into the street or up to another (less friendly) dog. Socializations with other dogs should be done in a controlled environment, often with your animal trainer present to ensure that everything goes smoothly. Finally, make sure you start off slowly and gradually build up the distance that you walk or run.
  
  Here are some ideas for working out with your dog. Not all dogs will enjoy all activities, so find what the best joint workout routine is for both you and your canine. Consult your dog obedience trainer for suggestions.
  
  • Walking or running
  • Hiking
  • Mountain biking
  • Rollerblading
  • Dog park
  • Interactive fetch
  • Hide-and-seek
  
  Both you and your canine companion will benefit from brisk activities like these. May you and your dog have many enjoyable, healthy outings together!

• Canine Vehicle Safety Systems - February 2008

  Studies show that seatbelts save lives – according to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), 64% of people killed in car accidents were not wearing a seatbelt. For this reason, and due to the enforcement of seatbelt laws, most people wear seatbelts while driving and while riding in the cars of others. However, many people neglect to follow the same precaution with their dogs, allowing their dogs to roam freely inside the cab of their vehicle and endangering their lives, though it is simple to protect them using a safety system and dog training. Think about it – the average Labrador Retriever weighs approximately 60 to 75 lbs, which is the average weight of an 8-year-old child. An unrestrained Labrador would receive the same trauma that an 8-year-old child not wearing a seatbelt would in an accident. We wouldn’t let our children ride without seatbelts, so we should make sure we “buckle up” our precious companions as well. Owners can do this with the help of a dog trainer and specialized restraint system.
  
  While seatbelts did not always exist for dogs, this has changed in the recent past with the invention of canine vehicle safety systems. One excellent canine restraint system is the Ruff Rider “Roadie,” which is manufactured by Ruff Rider Products, LLC. Animal training sessions can help animals get accustomed to using the system. The Roadie's tensile strength exceeds the Society of American Engineers’ tensile strength standards for human seatbelts of 5,000 pounds. In addition, when creating the “Roadie,” consideration was given to the forces that occur in all directions while traveling in the car in both normal and emergency situations. Thus, this system was manufactured with great attention to all things that could go wrong and injure a dog while he is a passenger in a vehicle.
  
  Canine vehicle safety systems can be purchased from many pet supply stores. Bring your animal trainer along with you on your shopping trip for assistance. The “Roadie” offers 5 models to choose from, and they manufacture systems that fit dogs ranging in weight from 7 to 160 lbs. Make sure to choose the right size for your dog as proper fit is essential in maximizing the efficacy of the system. Also, read all manufacturers’ instructions for adjusting and applying the harness to your canine. Be patient during the first few tries as your dog may resist being strapped down. Some patient dog training by you and possibly your dog trainer will be necessary to accustom your pooch to being belted in. However, while applying the harness may prove tedious at first, it can make a world of difference in the event of an accident.

• Just Say No to Table Scraps – Human Foods that are Poisonous to Dogs - March 2008

  When little Fido is sitting at your feet under the dinner table with his wiggly tail wagging and his eyes bright and pleading, it can be tempting to toss a scrap of your dinner under the table to him. He gobbles it up with delight and awaits his next treat, and you can almost see his adoration for you growing. However, any dog trainer or veterinarian will tell you that there is more than one reason to avoid feeding table scraps to your beloved, spoiled little guy. Not only does it harm his level of dog training obedience by teaching him that begging brings rewards, but you can also inadvertently be causing harm to your pooch. Here we will discuss human foods that are poisonous and sometimes deadly to canines.
  
  According to the Humane Society of the United States, the following foods are harmful and even potentially deadly to canines, so should never be used by an animal trainer or owner:
  
  • Chocolate, coffee, tea, and other products containing caffeine
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Fruit pits and seeds
  • Bones from fish, poultry, and other meat
  • Fat trimmings from meat
  • Any candy containing the artificial sweetener Xylitol
  • Grapes and raisins
  • Onions and onion powder
  • Garlic
  • Salt
  • Macadamia nuts
  • Mushrooms and mushroom plants
  • Hops
  • Potato, rhubarb, and tomato leaves and stems
  • Yeast dough
  
  Moldy, spoiled foods, such as those found in garbage, are another source of toxins that can cause illness in a dog. Garbage often contains multiple toxins that can induce vomiting and diarrhea. In addition, other organs and systems are affected and the damage can be permanent and severe. This is yet another reason to avoid feeding your canine table scraps. If you insist on spoiling your canine companion from time to time, remember that table scraps are not nutritionally balanced and should never exceed 10% of his diet. Consult your ABC Certified Dog Trainer for advice if your dog is digging in the trash or “counter surfing” (meaning stealing food from counters). Some targeted animal training sessions can teach both you and your dog how to prevent these behaviors.

• Swimming with your Best Friend… Safely! - May 2008

  Many dog owners are surely considering bringing their pooches along on their summer excursions to enjoy the season together. In regards to canine water safety, what precautions should be taken to ensure an enjoyable and secure experience for both dogs and the water enthusiasts they accompany?
  
  It is important to consider that not all dogs can swim well enough to be completely safe when in or around water, but dog training can provide them with useful skills. Basset hounds, French bulldogs, and English bulldogs, for example, have very short legs that usually cannot move quickly enough to keep their bodies afloat. Also, dogs of breeds that naturally have a low body fat percentage, such as Doberman pinschers and Boxers, are more likely to sink. While many dogs love water and can swim without a problem, others do not like water or are afraid of it. This can inhibit their ability to swim. Any dog can drown, and hypothermia is always a risk.
  
  To ensure that your canine is comfortable in water, some animal training will be required prior to taking him/her out on the water. Consult your ABC Certified Dog Trainer for techniques and follow the advice provided here. Begin by assessing your dog’s skills in a swimming pool or just off the shore of the lake or ocean. Never throw your dog in the water – introduce him/her to swimming slowly without encouraging a negative reaction. If he/she seems happy and proficient at swimming, you can attempt an outing on your boat or at the beach, but keep your first outing brief. Again, consulting your animal trainer is recommended.
  
  You may consider purchasing and using a canine personal flotation device (PFD) as this can help your dog to float in case he/she falls off of a boat or gets pulled out into the ocean. Many manufacturers have created PFDs for dogs that come in various sizes and colors. Bring your canine (and, if necessary, your dog obedience trainer) with you when purchasing a PFD so you can try it on him/her and ensure correct sizing with help from your dog training professional. PFDs for canines often come equipped with a handle on the back of the vest that allows the owner to lift the dog out of the water if necessary. You may want to choose a vest of a color that stands out, such as neon yellow or orange. This can help you to find your dog in the water.
  
  Remember that the sun’s rays and heat are harmful not only to humans but to dogs, too. When conducting animal training in the sun, remember that dogs can get sunburned (especially those with short fur and/or pink skin) or suffer severe repercussions of heatstroke just as humans can. Owners should be aware of early heatstroke symptoms of heavy panting, rapid breathing, excessive drooling, bright red gums and tongue, and standing four-square in an attempt to maintain balance. Your dog trainer will know what to look for. White or blue gums, lethargy or unwillingness to move, uncontrollable urination or defecation, labored, noisy breathing, and shock are all signs of advanced stages of heatstroke. You can cool your dog down by applying rubbing alcohol to his/her paw pads, applying ice packs to the groin area, hosing him/her down with water, and allowing the dog to lick ice chips or drink a small amount of water. Pedialyte to restore electrolytes is also recommended. If your dog is not cooling down, immediately take him/her to your veterinarian.
  
  Have a ton of summer fun with your dogs!

• Caring for your Dog while on Vacation - June 2008

  Summer time is a popular season for getting away on vacation, and many airlines and hotels will not allow owners to bring their dogs along for the trip, especially those of larger breeds. True relaxation will prove difficult if you are constantly worrying if Fido is being well taken care of. So, how do you ensure that your beloved canine is properly cared for while you and your family enjoy your trip?
  
  Here are a couple of reliable options for leaving your pet behind and keeping him or her happy and comfortable until you return. You might even receive dog training as an added bonus!
  
  • Boarding kennels – Boarding kennels are brick-and-mortar businesses that have been established for the sole purpose of housing and caring for pets while their owners are away. According to the American Boarding Kennel Association (ABKA), there are approximately 9,000 boarding kennels in the U.S. and Canada offering services to more than 30,000,000 pet owners annually. Some kennels even have a dog trainer or two on staff and provide training (also known as board & train) to dogs that are boarded in the kennel, upon the owner’s request. To find a boarding kennel in your area, you may try an internet search, phone book, or better yet, personal recommendations from experienced friends, your animal trainer, or even your veterinarian. Some veterinary facilities also offer boarding services. Make sure to book your pet’s stay as early as possible as boarding facilities can become booked up, especially during popular vacationing seasons. Also, check out the facility personally in advance to make sure that supervision, sanitation, and security are up to par. All boarding kennels should require that your dog is up-to-date on his or her immunizations. For canines, required immunizations are the DHLPP (distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parainfluenza, and parvovirus) and bordatella vaccines as well as the Rabies vaccine. Inform the kennel staff of any special instructions upon booking your canine’s spot; for instance, if your canine is dog-aggressive and must be kept away from other dogs, it is essential for the kennel to be aware of this in advance.
  
  • Pet Sitters – For some dog owners, hiring a pet sitter may be preferable to boarding their dog in a kennel. A pet sitter is a person who comes to your home to feed, water, exercise, and watch over your pet while you are away. Sometimes pet sitters also work as dog obedience trainers. Many offer the option of staying at your home for 24-hour supervision, though you can also choose to have them stop by once or twice daily instead, depending on your preference. Some families have the ideal situation of a pet sitter who stays in and provides animal training to their canine throughout the vacation. Another one of the benefits of hiring a pet sitter is that your pooch or pooches can stay in the comfort of their own home during your absence. This can be especially comforting for the dog. You can also give more specialized instructions for care of your pet, such as daily maintenance of your canine’s dog training. It is recommended that you meet with potential pet sitters before choosing one to confirm their qualifications. Some pet sitters are certified through Pet Sitters International (PSI) or the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS), meaning they are pre-screened by the association. These and other sitters can achieve certification in pet CPR as well, which can be an added comfort to an owner away from home. Your pet sitter may also be an ABC Certified Dog Trainer as many of ABC’s graduates become pet sitters post-graduation. If you desire a sitter who is educated in animal training, try browsing ABC’s online database for graduates who market themselves as pet sitters.
  
  No matter which option you choose, make sure to personally check out the facility, sitter, or animal trainer before leaving on vacation. Also, ensure that your pet is essentially healthy, and if he or she has special medical needs, inform the kennel operator or pet sitter of required medications prior to your departure. ABC wishes you and your pets a happy summer!

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