Attention Dog Owners:  Group Training? Poisons & Chemicals in Dog Food?

1. Avoid participating in group training obedient sessions. All dogs are unique, having different temperaments, personalities and breed specific traits. The one-size-fits-all approach implies that all dogs learn the same and consequently will comply the same when being given a command. For example, many Great Danes have difficulty with the "Sit" command and must be allowed lee-way or given alternative instructions to master this directive.

Please train your dog, one-on-one, in the real world, not in a pet food warehouse.

If consumers continue to patronize big-box-pet-store dog training programs, quality trainers (professional who care about enhancing and then maintaining the human-canine bond) will cease to exist. 

2. Men and women acquire, interact and then train their dogs with different objectives and goals. Try telling that to a big-box-pet-store dog trainer who has been conditioned to follow a preset instructional guide where consumers, like their dogs, are expected to adhere to the one-size-fits-all approach. 

Women have been disenfranchised for years by the professional dog training community; especially when they are instructed to act like a "leader of their pack", or "Alpha dog". Dogs are scavengers and consequently have no need for a leader - Alpha or otherwise. 

Mother dogs does it all without the help of a "daddy dog", so the questions begs to be asked, "Why aren't women being asked to act more like a mother dog?" 

3. Most dog foods are junk. Avoid purchasing dog foods with the following ingredients: Meat by-products, Meat meal, Beet Pulp, BHT, BHA, Ethoxyquin, Propylene Glycol (now found in many products consumed by humans), Dyes, Sodium Nitrate, Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Soy, and any Kibble/Burger-shaped products.

I have been telling this to dog owners for more than 18-years, but yesterday, during an in-home consultation, I had to convince my client to discard all her dog food and treats (something her veterinarian should have recommended long before my arrival on-the-seen.)

It Aien't necessarily so! 

I client was told by a veterinarian to praise and then give treats to her puppy for eliminating outside. This makes no sense for several reasons.

1. Mother dog doesn't use treats to train her puppies to go outside - why would you? 
2. Giving a puppy a treat for eliminating can cause several problems. The puppy will expect a treat every time and possibly feel duped when one is not forth-coming. Smart puppies eventually learn to eliminate just some of their waste material and save the rest for later (because they want a treat - instant gratification). Imagine their confusion when later on they are reprimanded for  eliminating in the house and not given a treat reward?
3. Direct eye contact with a puppy while its eliminating could be misconstrued - meaning, the puppy might think you are displeased; despite the fact your are offering it praise for a job well done. Mother dog doesn't stare at her puppy when its eliminating. Remember: mother dog's direct stare means "freeze!" or "your in trouble - now stop that!".

 

Women are the creators and sustainers of relationships. In fulfilling this role the are often required to sacrifice who they are; postpone or rearrange personal schedules and place themselves second in importance to the needs of their mates, children, family or work responsibilities. In many cases even the family dog gets preferential treatment. 

Because women are capable of giving birth, and in many cultures are the primary care providers for their children, some men erroneously assume it is only natural for women to also be the exclusive caretaker of the family dog. This; however, is unlikely to occur in homes where canine care responsibilities are predetermined and then delegated to other members of the family. 

Unfortunately, this is not the case in many American households, for someone has to care for the family dog's needs, and that someone is usually - a woman.

Buyer Beware Regarding Dog Breeders

Many breeders offer attractive Web sites, detailing credentials and services, but do not be taken in by a polished, professional presentation. Just about anyone can create an impressive website. Client referrals continue to be a quality breeder’s best form of advertisement. Contact the Better Business Bureau or Humane Society in your city or town to determine a breeder’s business record and timely response to consumer complaints. 

Is the mother dog available for inspection?

Avoid patronizing breeders who will not allow you to interact with the mother dog prior to an adoption. A mother dog not living on the premises or unavailable for immediate inspection should be a warning sign to the consumer. A mother dog that is overly protective or fearful may have temperament issues, which she will pass on to her litter. You don’t need those kinds of problems. Walk away no matter how cute the puppies may be.

 A client made a reasonable request to view the mother dog before agreeing to an adoption. The breeder declined; he did not want the mother dog disturbed, and asked my client to please respect the agreed upon adoption date.

Three days before the adoption my client made a surprise visit to the breeder’s facility. The breeder was not there at the time but a kennel assistant offered to take her to see the mother and her puppies. She was appalled to find the mother dog and litter confined to a chicken coop among all the filth and feathers created by the previous occupants!

          

Divorce Settlements: Who's paying for the care of the family dog?

I have been a canine behaviorist/trainer for more than 18-years, and I continue to be shocked by the number of individuals filing for divorce who fail to ask for financial compensation toward the family dog's long-term care. 

The minimum cost to own a dog per year is approximately $1,200.00. This figure includes: cost of food, minor essentials and yearly veterinary exams, but doesn't cover unexpected expenses; such as, obedience training, medical emergencies, kenneling, doggie day-care, grooming, personal or property damage due to a dog's aberrant behaviors. 

Clients (especially women) seem to get stuck with the family dog's care after a divorce. They often have to request paying for my services in installments, due-to-the-fact, they either could not afford an added expense or needed to request financial assistance from family or friends. Asking for additional monies from an ex-spouse might not only be embarrassing but lead to a confrontation. It's all unnecessary.

Whether you are a woman or man, before taking sole responsibility toward the care of the family dog, procure a divorce settlement that either provides you the means to meet all the dog's needs or a trust fund from which money can be drawn to cover costly medical or legal procedures. 

CBS This Morning: Determining Canine Intelligence 2/7/2013

The CBS feature showed dogs being tested for their intelligence. Unfortunately, every dog in the study was being motivated with treats. The mother dog doesn't use treats to train her puppies, when then, did the concept of bribing dogs to determine their intelligence or ability to follow directives (commands) come into fashion?

It was distressing for me to see the trainers in the presentation using treats as a reward system for getting a dog to respond to a command. The treat - not the trainer (mother dog) became the stimulus. 

The presentation also failed to address the fact that men and women acquire, interact and then train their dogs differently. How could this not have an impact on determining a dog's intelligence?  

I have been training dogs for more than 18-years and have never had to resort to using treats to motivate a dog to perform a task. Instead, I depend on a dog's natural instinct (allelomimic behaviors)to mimic my behaviors, much like a mother dog expects her puppies to follow her lead.

I am also aware that men and women, who sign-on to a training program with their dogs, have different behavioral characteristics: as well as, goals and expectations. Why weren't these factors taken into considered during the CBS presentation? Whether it was a journalistic oversight or ignorance, the results remain the same - misinformation regarding canine intelligence. 

  

6 Dog Ownership Questions & 6 Unique Answers that may surprise you.

          Despite the numerous books on dog training and behavior, the almost mushroom-like growth of national pet supply stores offering dog obedience training courses and the increased number of celebrity canine trainers on television, I continue to receive questions from clients that reflect a profound lack of knowledge or naivete regarding canine behavior.

“Will spaying or neutering my dog make it calm down?”

          Answer: No. A dog’s personality and temperament, two key components of a dog’s psychological profile, cannot be altered by a medical procedure.

           "What steps do I need to take to gain control of my alpha dog?”           

          Answer: There is no such thing as an alpha dog because dogs are not wolves or pack animals - they are scavengers. Do you doubt that?  Next time you view a National Geographic special being firmed in a third world village, take note of the number of dogs milling about waiting for a hand-out or an opportunity to steal an unguarded food morsel. They work alone and don't need an Alpha dog or pack to help them  find food.  

Out-of-control dogs, often misdiagnosed as alpha dogs, typically belong to owners who fail to establish house rules that provide a dog with behavioral boundaries. These same owners will sometimes deliberately or inadvertently allow the family dog to become a decision maker, opening the door for many unwanted, aberrant canine behaviors to foster and develop.

“Can I use a squirt bottle or a can filled with pennies to control my dog’s jumping-up behavior?”

Answer: No. A human implement used as a disciplinary tool can trigger some dogs to attack or display fear when the object is later used for its intended purpose.

“If I give my dog human food, will this cause it to beg at the table?”

Answer: It is impossible for a well-trained, uninvited dog to beg at the table. But don’t refrain from occasionally giving a dog (away from the table) unprocessed human food (chicken, fish, beef, grains, vegetables and fruits). They have been eating what we’ve been eating for more than 8,000 years.

                                       

“My husband dislikes having our dog sleep in our bedroom, but several national canine celebrity trainers promote the idea. What should I do?”

Answer: The important issue that needs to be addressed is how any canine professional can theoretically offer canine behavioral modification advice when so many unknown factors such as the dog's home environment, temperament or health profile is unknown.  Before venturing an opinion or recommendation, I believe it is imperative for any canine training professional to adhere to the following guidelines:

• Observe the dog in the home to determine if the environment is conducive for supporting its needs. How might a national canine celebrity be expected to do this? To my knowledge, no in-home consultation service is offered at any national pet store either, yet these facilities offer group training sessions and puppy socialization programs without first ascertaining this vital information.  My hope is that this will one day change. Ultimately, consumer dollars decide the success or failure rate for book sales or businesses offering, in my opinion, less-than-stellar advice or services.     

• Conduct a canine psychological profile to determine the dog’s temperament and personality. This information aids the trainer in determining if the dog is mentally prepared to receive training instructions and then possibly better predict how a dog will react in a familiar or alien (public) environment.

• Recommend client lifestyle changes and create house rules that will enable their client toward providing consistent and predictable guidelines to their canine companion; and establish acceptable rules of conduct that will enhance the human-canine bond.  

“My dog failed obedience class at a local pet store. Now what do I do?”

 Answer: Your dog didn't fail, nor did you. Group training classes are conducted with the implied assumption that all owners and their dogs are the same. You know that defies common sense, don’t you? This one-size-fits-all approach to training a dog also negates several important, undeniable facts. Dogs participating in a group training session will vary in breed affiliation, and like their owners will also vary in age, personality (a physiological trait often displayed when a dog is in a familiar or comfortable environment), temperament (a psychological trait often displayed when a dog is in an unfamiliar environment, e.g., public park, or someone else's home)  as well as physical and mental ability. How could this hodgepodge of human and canine characteristics, traits and the distractions possibly be conducive to learning?