Category: Obedience Classes

Do you have a puppy or older dog that has taken a fancy to eating their feces? This filthy habit, also known as “Dog Coprophagia” is one dog problem, we as owners… HATE! This is generally more common in puppies up to a year old, but can occur at any stage throughout your dog’s life.

There is good news for us dog lovers though. Several proven techniques and training methods can be called upon for correcting this before it can become a permanent habit.

*NOTE* If your dog has this problem (Coprophagia), ensure that all dog vaccinations and worming treatments are current or up to date. The reason for this is that various diseases and internal parasites can be passed from dog to dog due to the eating of their feces.

Possible Causes:

Sadly, in most cases, your dog just thinks poop tastes fantastic. Just the thought of this alone is absolutely disgusting and I’m sure most would agree.

Your dog may have a mineral or vitamin deficiency and they will eat their feces in an effort to help compensate and restore this balance.

It may be a sign or symptom of anxiety, stress or your dog is just suffering from plain old boredom. Certain medications or antibiotics for your dog have even been known to cause this habit to form.

This can be the result from over-feeding your dog. This will not allow for the proper digestion of food, which means his feces will still smell and taste the same as when it was consumed. With this being said, its also a possibility due to feeding your dog too little, such as once a day, some dogs become very hungry and will scavenge around for any kind of food.

Possible Solutions:

Feed your dog twice a day as appose to only once.  Try to get your dog interested in a nutritious and well balanced meal.

If you catch your dog in the act red handed, try to provide him with a distraction. Call him over to you right away with a reward in hand to praise him with. This should be sufficient enough to break this habit, but you must stay consistent when doing this.

You must enforce your strategy every time and stick with it. The longer you let your dog do this, the harder it will be to break the habit.

The term obedience training is generally used for the various methods of helping your dog to behave in a more expectable manner. There are many different methods in dog training techniques such as positive reinforcement, reward training, collar and leash, marker training, dog whispering, and clicker training.

Accomplish the following with the right dog training:

Your dog wasn’t born programmed to meet your behavioral standards.  So don’t expect your dog to know everything right away!The key to training your dog to respond to verbal commands is repetition and consistency. He is looking to you as a guide to lay a good foundation for behavior.

The best corrective measures are rewards and praise. Unlike children, dogs don’t have the mental capacity to fully understand the consequences of their actions. Time outs and repeating “NO” may not be as effective as you would like. Instead, praise your dog when he has done what you have asked of him or her, and offer an appropriate reward. When your dog doesn’t follow commands, provide appropriate correction. Balance is a strong key when doing this.

Don’t punish for unacceptable behaviors your dog has committed when he has no way to know any better. Punishing your dog for a behavior that you have not spent time on or he has not been properly trained to do, if you ask me, this is unfair to your dog.

Make obedience training sharp and short for the both of you to enjoy. So take things slow. Having your dog to follow commands and respond the way you expect doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time. It’s easier for your dog to master one command at a time then move to the next one, and build on the foundation you all have established. Stimulate and challenge your dog throughout the obedience training process.

The Benefits:

Effective dog training is the best possible thing you can do for you and your dog. This will allow for a very rewarding relationship. With the right kind of obedience training can make your dog an absolute joy to be around. When well trained, he is more trustworthy, and you as the owner can feel confident in your dog and his abilities as you extend more and more freedoms to your canine friend. Trust, respect, and boundaries are all keys for unlocking a healthy owner-dog relationship.

Bulldogs of all breeds are known for their adorable features, but what’s underneath all those wrinkles?  The characteristics of a bulldog can be a big factor in considering if the breed is right for you and your family, and can make all the difference in your relationship with your dog.

Temperament

Despite the slightly intimidating look that some bulldogs have (such as the English bulldog),they are actually very well tempered dogs.  Bulldogs rank very highly in dog socialization skills,  and are known to continually act like puppies, even in their elderly years.  Bulldogs are easily well-behaved family dogs, and do very well around children.  Most of the dogs in this breed are lovable attention-seeking dogs that need constant interaction with people, and they are especially good for families of four or more.  However, bulldogs often become attached to one owner just as many other dogs do.

Obedience

Bulldogs are infamous for being stubborn, but this is only because they are often improperly taught.  Bulldogs respond best to positive enforcement rather than punishment.  Constant rewards for good acts, and light punishment for wrongdoings will straighten out a bulldog much faster than negative treatment will.  Bulldog training is not a fast process.  Bulldogs take constant reinforcement to good treatment to form a habit, and generally take longer to train than other dogs.  Thusly, it is best to begin dog obedience classes when it becomes a family member.

Health Issues

Bulldogs, no matter how adorable, have a large variety of possible health problems.  Dog care is something that you have to be very willing to see as a regularity if you get a bulldog, because they can be very needy. Some of these problems include allergies, dermatitis, eye lid anomalies, hip dysplasia and heart problems.  The most common issue with bulldogs however is their low tolerance to heat.  Bulldogs can not be left outside in hot weather ever, and are almost permanently inside dogs.  For many people, all this means is that a doggie door is necessary, but for others it means that they will be responsible for taking their dogs in and out of the house.  This is very important to consider if you are thinking of adopting a bulldog.

For more information on bulldogs and dog adoption, contact our Florida Dog Training center or ask your local dog trainers.

Dogs are a common household pet today, and being so common, they are often neglected.  In some peoples lives, free time is a rarity, but spending some quality time with your pet can make all the difference in both of your lives. For many of you, your dogs get a kick out of going on a walk every day, or even just playing around the house, and if this works for you and your pet, great! If it doesn’t than you’re probably looking for some new things to try.  Quality time with your dog is positive reinforcement for them to act well, and it lets them know they’re loved, so for some of you who want new ways to spend time with your dog, here are a few good ideas.

Doggy Dates

Doggy dates are simply when you bring your dog over to a friends house to have a play date! Doggy dates are an especially good idea for people with only one dog. This is because without a friend in the house, they could easily be ignorant in the subject of dog socialization and not know how to act around other dogs.  Letting your dogs play with your friends dogs will let them have friends away from home, creating an outside life for them!

New Terrain

There are many places that your dog has probably never been to, so why not explore a little? Bringing your dog to farms, beaches, the woods, the desert, or anywhere they haven’t had the chance to go on an adventure will give them a chance to experience new things and new places.  You can take your dog hiking, swimming, boating, walking, and easily enhance your relationship by including them in your adventures.  Additionally, always consider bringing your dog on vacation with you, when you’re traveling.  Not only do they make great companions, but they’ll be thrilled at the chance to go somewhere :)

Going Out

I have a friend who takes her dog everywhere with her, if she’s going to drop her daughter off, her dog goes on a car ride with her, if she’s going on a walk, you know she brought her dog, and this is a great relationship.  Taking your dog wherever you go with you will give you some great bonding time without you having to make much time at all for them.  They’ll enjoy your company, and they’ll enjoy yours!

In all, just make time for your dog, weather it be a dog training class, or an off road excursion, they’ll love spending time with you! For more information on Dog obedience classes, take a look at our Florida Dog Training website.

Love your dog!

Many people get worried about having a dog around the house when planning to have a child.  If it’s any consolation, most dogs are great when it comes to coping with children, but for those of you who are more skeptical about the choices you have, here are a few tips. Dog obedience is a big part of child safety, so when bringing a baby home, you should have already laid down some laws.  It is important to establish some basic rules based on what you are comfortable with.  Dogs are often very ‘in-tune’ with their owners.  Therefore, with an event such as pregnancy, they know something important is happening, just as you do.  A few things definitely need to be established before the baby shows up, and you have nine whole months to do it, so if you get on the ball and teach your dog while you have time to spare, things will be easy!

Dominance

Firstly, your dog should know who’s boss in the house.  You need to establish that you are their owner, because when you have an alpha in your house, it should be you and not your dog.  Failing to do this will lead your dog to think that everything in the house is theirs, including your baby.  The reason why we bring this up is because dogs need to be especially well-mannered around a baby, and if you proclaim your dominance through time, they will learn to mellow out and accept the change.

Claiming your baby

Many people go about this in different ways.  Most people have ‘look but don’t touch’ relationships established with their baby and their dog, and this is established by claiming your baby.  Before you introduce your baby  to your dog, bring your dog something that has the babies scent.  When you show your dog the item, they can sniff it, but don’t let them touch it.  This exercise will let your dog know that the smell belongs to you, so that when you bring the baby in, they will understand that the baby is yours.  This will keep it so that they wont get too close to the baby.

Another option is teaching your dog not to go inside the nursery.  Many people are comfortable with their dog visiting the baby regularly, but if your dog has repeatedly shown signs of aggression, you should be concerned.  Aggression can either grow, or dissolve when a new family member is introduced.  Many dogs fall in love with ‘their’ babies and watch over them like their own, but others grow frustrated and confused, leading to possible outbreaks of violence.  Remember, dog training is always the best route if you are concerned with the relationship between your dog and your baby.

Crates and Kennels have become a popular way to begin dog training for furry friends of all ages.  Crates are known as a great way for puppies get through stages of separation anxiety, as well as a good way to put positive reinforcement on dogs ‘alone time’.  However, many dogs of older ages have issues adjusting to crates, so here are a few dog owner tips on how to handle Kennel training.

When you first get your dog a crate, it may be a foreign concept to your pet. The new addition to your home will most likely take some time to ease your pet into, so here are a few ways to make the comfortable switch into using one.  Make sure to introduce your dog to the idea of the crate.  Leaving the crate in an area that is frequented by family members (such as the living room) will reassure your dog that it is safe, and soon will become a normal thing in your home.  Many dogs have an automatic curiosity as to what the crate is, and end up looking around it.  Many dogs even grow automatically accustomed to spending time in the crate and need no training, but if that is not your case, keep reading!

Familiarity and Food

One of the easiest ways to get your dog into the crate, is to start feeding them inside it on a regular basis.  If you consistently present your pets meals inside the crate, they will grow to see it as a common place and become more comfortable spending time in it.  Another way to help familiarize your dog with the crate is to put some of their favorite objects inside.  Weather it be a loved toy or a comfy bed, placing these objects inside will make the kennel or crate more homey for your pet. Once they become less anxious inside of the crate, try leaving them inside for small amounts of time while you are home, and gradually increase the time until they are comfortable with going inside of it on a regular basis.  Additionally, try leaving them inside while you are gone until the action becomes routine.

Potential problems with crates and Kennels include dog separation anxiety and whining.  Try to always let your dog outside to go to the bathroom before you put them into the crate to assure that it is not because they need to pee.  If problems persist, consider Florida dog training for your pet.

Dog training is a necessity, and it especially helps if you do it when they are young.  it is very important to teach puppy commands in their first year; it will form good habits that will come in handy with basic dog care, and keep the both of you out of trouble!  Here are a few basic things every puppy should learn.

Potty Training

It seems that all people should know to teach their dogs to go to the bathroom outside, but it is equally important for you to teach them to alert you when they have to go.  Unless you have a doggy door, you need to know when they have to go or you’ll end up with a soggy carpet, and that doesn’t smell so good.

Stop and Stay

Training your dog to stop and stay is very important when considering dangerous situations and manners around others.  If your dog runs off when you open the door or if they get off their leash, you need to have the control of making them stop and stay.  This also comes in handy when you have guests over and your puppy is pestering them.

NO jumping

Jumping may be adorable when they are puppies, but you don’t want your full grown dog jumping on children or elderly friends, so break the habit!

Puppy Socialization

Let your puppy be friendly and be around other animals, but know when to limit them.  It is fine to let your dog play with other kitties or dogs, but don’t let them start chasing, biting, or harassing the other animal. Don’t eliminate dog play, just watch over how your puppy acts around other dogs.  Basically, teach them their limits of puppy socialization in order to be polite around others.

Dominance

Many dogs mistakenly believe they are the alpha of the house and take over the space as their territory.  This is a horrible thing to let your dogs do.  Letting them think that they are in charge will make them lash out and become violent in situations that are not appropriate.  If your dog starts growling at you as a puppy, it is a good idea to take them to a dog obedience class.  One of my puppies used to growl, and a good way to show them that you are in charge is to simply flip them onto their back.  We repeatedly flipped him on his back whenever he acted out, and now he is now the nicest family dog you could ask for!  Doing this a few times will send the message that you’re the boss.

If you have any questions about puppy training, ask, message, or call our Florida dog training center.

Sooner or later everyone needs to do home renovations, so why not make them good for your pet too?  Making pet friendly home decisions won’t only be good for house care, but also good for dog care.  Here are a few ways in which you can redo your home that will benefit you and your dog!

Carpet

When getting new carpet, it is important to consider if you will be able to tell if your pet has an accident.  Not being able to see where your dog has urinated will make the room smell horrible, and you won’t be able to tell where it’s coming from.  Also keep in mind that white carpet is generally a bad idea.  Many people adore white carpet for looking so clean, but that’s because it is clean.  Keeping a white carpet in it’s natural state is back-breaking, and with a pet, it is best to go for a different color.

Furniture

Dogs and cats love to lie on the couch and relax, but shedding can be an extreme issue.  Your dog’s behavior should depend on what you find acceptable, but if you have issues with pets lying on your furniture, you might want to look into Florida dog training.   I think I’m right in saying that everyone has been to a  house in which the owner lets their dogs hair stay all over their couch, and let me tell you…  it’s gross.  Not only do you get dog hair all over your clothes but it can be very smelly, itchy, and uncomfortable.  With this in mind, try to pick a couch that has a color similar to your dogs hair, and that is easy to clean.  Leather and materials of that kind are easy to clean, but if you have a leather couch, remember to trim your dogs nails regularly; dog’s nails are infamous for effortlessly scratching up pricey leather couches.

Decorations

Many people (including myself) have playful dogs.  This being said, anything within their reach is fair game for play, including household decorations.  Try to keep things away from where they can reach, so if you buy a nice vase, when placing it in your house, remember that your dog could easily run into the table it’s sitting on.  This is especially true with hanging curtains.  Dogs (and especially cat’s) can easily tear up curtains and ruin them.

Making pet-friendly home decisions will make life easier for you and your dog!

Dogs bark for many reasons. They can be warning you of strangers, or greeting you home excitedly, but either way there should be a limit to how much you allow them to bark.  Many people have issues with excessive barking, and if this is something you need to teach your pet, it is best to start at an early age due to the fact that it will become habitual and sometimes even irreversible.   With some easy dog training tips, it will be simple to teach them to bark and be silent on command.

Ways of Barking

Dogs bark in many different ways for many different reasons, and it’s important that you can decipher what your dog means by the way that they bark in order to resolve the issue.  Dogs often bark because they feel that a threatening situation is in place.  Reasons for the ‘threatened’ bark can range from situations dangerous to simple, such as when a stranger is on what your dog considers his/her ‘property’ to seeing  you talk to an old friend they do not recognize.   This bark usually sounds loud and sharp.  The ‘threatened’ bark is very commonly used as a protection for your family, which can be good because it is used by many families as a warning.  Another reason for barking is playfulness.   The playful bark is used most often by puppies when they are playing, and should be easy to spot.  One other reason that dogs bark is just for attention.  Much like toddlers, dogs love attention and will be excessively loud to get it.  The last type of bark that we will mention is the anxiety bark.  Many dogs have separation anxiety, especially puppies, and bark out of self pity.  This type of high pitched barking is usually accompanied by whining.  All of these types of barking can get extremely annoying (especially the anxiety bark) So if you have a dog that constantly barks unnecessarily, there are many options you should consider.

Solutions

Once you have found the reason for your dogs barking, the solution becomes easier.  Putting your dog in a dog obedience class is always a good way to go, seeing as a trained professional will be able to better administer information and solutions to your problem, and teach you how to handle the situations.  A good idea is to get your dog plenty of exercise to release all that extra energy that may be causing them to bark.  If your dog has the ‘anxiety bark’ never give in, but also don’t leave them alone for long periods of time to teach a lesson; if they are barking, don’t pay attention, but feel free to once they stop.  You can also train your dog to react with a clap, a dog clicker, or a whistle, and give them treats when they don’t bark as a reward.  As a last resort, you may want to consider debarking your dog.  Debarking your dog will work by altering their vocal tract, in order to quiet a dog.  The coined phrase ‘debarking was created by animal rights activists as a way to put a negative connotation on on the surgical procedure, but it will not harm your dog.  Debarking your dog will not completely eliminate barking, but rather make it quieter.  Another common result of debarking is a raspy and quiet bark, sort of like a broken squeaky toy.  But remember that when dealing with barking, always look at surgery as a last resort.