Yet another dog friendly venue in the San Diego area; the 2009 Wags for Wishes is set to start July 10-12, 2009. This is an event you can bring your dog to watch or participate in events like Field Luring, Splash Dogs, Canine Good Citizen, Rally-O and Freestyle. Agility, Flyball and Disc Dogs and many more dog sport enthusiast events as well as cool dog stuff to buy, dog adoptions and much more will interest any dog lover.
The 4th of July is always a fun holiday for Americans. Its usually one of those holidays that involves outdoors, food, friends, and a grand finale of fireworks to end the day. All would be very well for the dog, one of our most trusted family members, except for the finale. Most dogs would really rather skip the fireworks.
With good reason. Dogs hear things 10 times louder than we do. Imagine how comfortable that would be on your ears. Fireworks happen once a year for the most part and dogs are not exposed enough to feel comfortable. Many dogs have a huge fear of fireworks to the point serious anxiety replaces the normal happy wag of every other day.
Whether your dog has anxiety or not, here are recommendations so your dog has a comfortable happy 4th July. Click to read a must-know guide for your dog: Fireworks, Your Dog & the 4th of July
This is a post that was done by one of my colleagues on Facebook this morning. She gave me permission to re-post this to my blog. It’s very important for dog owners to know that just because its sold in the big pet stores doesn’t mean it’s safe! Thanks to Tracey Lamerbert and if you need a good dog walker in the San Diego area contact her!
I thought i would share this with any of my friends that own a dog and use the very popular retractable leash.
This morning as i was out making my rounds. I was heading up Alga and saw a client walking her dog. Happy bear a very friendly,energetic cocker spaniel knows my truck well and loves me lots
He heard me coming up the hill with 7 other cars and all of the sudden darted out onto Alga. My heart jumped! We were all traveling about 50mph…He came within inches of a on coming car. His owner in a panic had a hard time controlling him with the retractable lead and like most of them,when the dogs darts doesn’t lock correctly. Now she will not be using the retrractable lead on busy streets.
Here is a little more information on the dangers of theses leashes:
A veterinary rant on the plague of retractable leashes in our midst
A plague of retractable leashes is upon us! Though that statement comes perhaps ten years too late, I’m happy to offer you my take on this important subject here and now.
Call me a hater, but I HATE retractable leashes. Here’s why:
I’ve never found one that didn’t click and stick or unspool suddenly at the exact wrong time (like when a stray cat crosses your path and an oncoming car has to slam on the brakes to spare your dog’s life). Sticky situations like this serve to illustrate how the “canine lunge line” can serve to thoroughly foul up your control over the animal.
Last weekend, my aunt’s dog was on a placid walk up in northern Florida when another dog came bounding suddenly from the end of a twenty-foot super-Retracto. Dog-fearful Trixie did what any other encroached-upon dog might under the circumstances. She bit the dog.
My aunt, being the responsible dog owner she is, offered to pay for the care of the bitten dog and called immediately to determine what measures she might take to prevent similar incidents in the future.
My take? It’s the other owners fault. And not just because lovable Trixie spent six months as one of my foster dogs before finding a home with my aunt. If my aunt truly had control over Trixie and the bitee’s owner didn’t have control ever her extendo-apparatus, then, well, it seems pretty clear, right?
The same situation plays out in our waiting room on a regular basis. Owners with ill-behaved or over-stimulated and stressed dogs often lose control of their charges. No degree of thumb clicking and hand over hand reeling-in will suffice when the thin line is already wrapped thrice around an elderly woman’s ankles.
Retractable leashes do have their places. But heavy dog interaction zones are not among them. Pet owners thinking about using this kind of leash as their tried-and-true standard would do well to consider the vet’s point of view: They’re a liability.
It’s Mother’s Day weekend. Many husbands and kids are out shopping like crazy trying to find something Mom might like for Mother’s Day….. here’s an idea to add to what you have gotten her already, or if you haven’t come up with the perfect gift take this idea and build on it.
Mom’s take care of so much every day, and most likely if you are a family who has a dog, this includes all the dog things too. Since dogs have no transportation, only paws, a wag, and a bark to work with, it’s a little tough to really get anything special for Mom. So…. help Mom out with the dog. If Mom feeds the dog, picks up the poop, and does the walk thing… take the slack up for her as a Mother’s Day present from the dog.
Do all the feeding, clean up, and even go out for a walk with the entire family. Just be in charge of the dog walk. Leash on dog, bags for poop and ready to take charge of the getting the dog to walk with you.
Mom’s love time that’s dedicated to them… they dedicate so much to every one else. So have a great day and give a gift to Mom from the dog too!
With all the media on swine flu these days things that we never even thought of tend to pop into our heads… and it does start effecting all those things that are near and dear to us in our lives. As a professional dog trainer I get dog specific questions every day. Lately I’ve been getting questions about swine flu and dogs.
Here is the good news. According to a professor at the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, located at the University of California, Davis, Sharon Hietala said that the H1N1 influenza virus “has never been shown to transmit to dogs and cats.”
An expert in clinical immunology and diagnostic techniques for infectious disease in animals, Hietala added that at this point there is no need to be concerned about your dog or cat becoming sick from swine flu, but that they should take all precautions for themselves as humans including washing hands, avoiding contact with your face and eyes, and certainly being aware of staying out of public places should your develop any symptoms to help stop the spread of swine flu to others.
Health concerns of influenza transmission is from human to human, not from human to dog or cat or vise versa.
So in these times of “pandemic” don’t be afraid to get out and get some fresh air with your dog. Healthy exercise for you and your dog builds a better immune system and allows you to maintain health and wellness for your family.
For more dog tips and training, cool dog photos, and dog news follow K9 Coach on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/GoTrainYourDog
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And of course for private lessons and dog training camp in the San Diego and Temecula areas contact us for more information about your specific dog and puppy training needs.
Well there you go. The truth about puppies. Crazy. Michelle Obama asked about the new White House dog and she described him as “crazy”. Hearing that both Michelle and President Obama jumped up late at night when they heard the puppy making ruckus to see what it was all about was cool in the fact that they are the same as everybody else.
And, yes, the puppy is just like any other puppy. Sort of like having a baby. Sleep, play, eat, go potty, sleep, play, go potty, sleep, play, eat, go potty.. and it doesn’t exactly go on a normal 24 hour schedule. It’s more on a every few hours schedule.
The key to puppy training… supervision. Number one mistake people make is thinking the puppy knows something clearly because they do it a couple of times right. It really takes repetition. So for those of you potty training, a few times of going in the right place is awesome… however, it doesn’t mean the job is done. Get yourself on a schedule to take your puppy out and don’t let them run loose in the house without supervision for literally hundreds of correct repetitions.
It may seem like a big job in the beginning, but the pay off of having well potty trained puppies gives years of joy.
For more dog training tips & tricks, cool dog photos, and dog news follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/GoTrainYourDog
Why is it that bringing a new puppy home is just like having a new baby in the house? It doesn’t seem like it used to be like that. Actually I think it wasn’t like but in the last couple of decades the way we live with our puppies and dogs is much different.
The biggest difference is that our pups have become family members and live in the house with us. So the way we train them is much different because of that. Potty training used to be as simple as putting the dog outside and leaving it there for quite some time.
No more. Our dogs live in the house with us and teaching a new puppy when and where to go “potty”, manners so you end up with your furniture, shoes, and other favorite things in tact, and knowing what toys to help out with keeping your fingers from feeling like you have been poked with needles due to the very sharp puppy teeth is essential!
Its somewhat complex, yet very simple at the same time. Good puppy training really comes down to really awesome supervision. The hard part is paying attention all the time with everything else going on in your life.
The K9 Coach Puppy Training tip this week for potty training is to set a watch alarm so it goes off every two hours. Take your puppy out to “go potty” when it goes off. It may seem a bit over the top, but depending on the size of your puppy it’s going to save you a whole lot of grief in not having to fix mistakes.
Showing your puppy the place you want “potty” to be is important as well… so keep in mind the time you take to be consistent in the first 3 months is going to pay off BIG in the months and years to come.
And become a fan on our K9 Coach Dog & Puppy Facebook page and you’ll get updates for online dog training events and many more tips, tricks & dog photos.
How has the life of a dog changed in our American family? Well, we used to see the dog outside the back door, bowl of scraps and water, and a dog house. Now. Dog lives in house, all natural dog food, nice dog bed… and in more cases than not they sleep in our beds with us!
It brings joy to our lives in so many ways…. except when you have the dog that needs a little extra help in the training… then we tend to have a love hate relationship… and we’d really like like to drop the second part of that and just go with the love part!
The “good dog” gets to do more and brings way more fun, joy and peace to our lives. Many times the thought of “dog training” can seem like such a daunting idea in the midst of the rest of our lives, that it just doesn’t get done. Unfortunately in the end, everyone misses out including the dog.
Many people get overwhelmed with how to get a well trained dog and tend to start at the wrong end of things. Start with simple. Seriously simple.
Try this: Start with a simple “sit” for anything and everything. Sit to get any attention. Sit to get a treat. Sit at the door. Sit before getting in bed with you….
Make it very simple for yourself and for your dog. Even if for a second the “sit” will establish the first step. Then build on how long you can get your dog to sit. You can add distraction when the simple sit becomes routine. Most important, start today and don’t put it off for more complicated dog training. You can always contact us at K9 Coach if you get stuck and need some help!
For more dog training tips & tricks, fun dog photos, & cool dog news follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/GoTrainYourDog
Meet Dozer, she is at K9 Coach San Diego and Temecula puppy training camp. Dozer is a mixed breed, female puppy, 4 months old and full of non-stop energy. She wants to chew on everything and liked to grab small kids by the sleeve and wrestle them to the ground!
Rough play is common in puppy behavior and does not “go away by itself”. Puppies lose their baby teeth (which are very sharp and needle like) and get their adult teeth ages 4-6 months. Along with their strong drive to play, they have an urge to chew in this teething period. Make sure you give your puppy safe toys made in the USA such as Nylabone, Kong and select made in the USA Dog Planet toys, rated for strong chewers, if you have a puppy who tears everything up.
Give the toy to your puppy again and again, when they try to chew on things they shouldn’t. Puppies have such a short attention span and are so easily distracted. They require patient and repetition in order to learn the right thing to do.
The biggest mistake a new puppy owner can make when training to chew only their toys, is to give them a rawhide chew! Countless puppies and dogs die every year due to rawhide consumption, but the big retailers still have their shelves stacked full of rawhide toys, it seems crazy, but it’s true, it is not against any federal regulation for this and several other harmful items sold to our puppies by big corporations with an eye only on profit.
Puppy training camp at K9 Coach San Diego and Temecula provides puppy household manners, potty training, crate training, basic obedience, nutritional and safety counseling in addtion to training the family how to have fun and freedom with their puppies new found skills!
Dozer is doing great at puppy training camp and her family already has her on the right healthy puppy food. Instead of giving your puppy harmful treats and unhealthy food find out about our safe and all natural puppy treats. If you want your puppy to learn to be a calmer, potty and leash trained pup, call us, we can set up a training program for you.
Omar, the Curly Coated Retriever is doing awesome! He’s in his second week at his San Diego Dog Training Camp and the wild puppy has become one that actually will come when called, even in the midst of sneaking off with your shoe.
That was one of Omar’s famous games. Steal something he wasn’t supposed to have and then run, enticing you to chase him which turns into a great game of “catch me if you can”. Omar is quick, can dodge and dash… and catching him was not an easy task.
Now, not only will he come, but he’ll drop whatever it is he has in his mouth, and he’ll even add a really nice sit at the end of it all. Much better behavior for sure!
Because Omar is a working breed he does have a tendency to want to chase after small fury moving things, and birds… now there is something that perks his interest above all else, birds. The great thing about working with a dog like Omar is the ability to teach him how to come in the distraction of all those things he digs so much. And the reason that its so cool… because with a dog that has instincts like that, taking it all away just isn’t going to work.
Instead, now Omar can be out on trails, or at the beach and be able to play a little chase game with a bird, yet the confidence when he gets too far knowing he will come back when called is there.
What does that mean for this Retriever? Simple. Freedom to be a dog.
Omar doesn’t have to be tied to the end of the leash, his only outlet the speed you can walk. I guarantee no matter how fast you walk or run, it isn’t enough to suffice sufficient exercise for Omar.
My advice to anyone with a dog that comes from a working breed, get an off leash recall. And get that recall (come when called) in major distraction.
As always the steps to do this start with the basics. Get your dog to come to you from short distance with no distraction consistently. Then add distance. Then go back to short distance and add distraction. Then start adding distance and distraction.
It’s that easy really, but with a busy life, limited time, and the frustration of not getting it right due to inconsistency a Dog Training Camp by K9 Coach like Omar got to come to could be your answer to freedom for your dog and you to have a really good time.
