Winter Training

I recently spoke to a dog trainer in Florida and was jealous how he had a nice grassy field with fair weather to train in. In Michigan, we work around ice and snow. But the payoff is in the summer Florida has very high heat and humidity. Many trainers in the south have to wait until the sun goes down to train. Winter is the time of season my dogs learn to train in a variety of environments. Each week I'm in a different building with my dogs for a short training session. My job has benefits where we have buildings available to train our police service dogs. Also I can take my dog to work. If you don't have building readily available take your dog to the dog park for training. Training first and then play with other dogs. Pet stores are another option to work on heeling, sits, downs, etc. Take your dog on a field trip to the downtown area, beach, or mall to a walk. I also have a neighboring buisness who keep their lots plowed and clear to the pavement. I use this opportunity to work with my dog and a safe surface. Just because we have cold and snow during the winter is no reason why you can't get out and work with our dogs. Dogs will love the attention and new experiences.

December Training

So far we have no snow on the ground which is great for me. I started training my 11 month old Bouvier, Titus, to track. In addition to tracking we are also working on obedience. In addtion to Titus I'm pre-servicing my Malinois, Mojy, for police services. Mojy is working on his obedience, tracking, and narcotic detection. What ever breed type you have dogs were ment to have jobs. Their lives are fulfilled if you give them a job to do. It can be agility, tracking, hide and seek, personal protection, obedience, or tricks. Keep challenging your dog. They will continue to learn and build confidence as they learn. Most importantly make sure you are training in a positive manner. Rewards must be balanced with corrections. More corrections than rewards will depress your dog and they won't be having any fun. Remember, the more time you spend training your dog, the happier both you and your dog will be.

Your Dog

He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. ~ Unknown

September, 2009

It's September and the field trials are now over in Michigan. One last trip to Des Moines Iowa to judge the USPCA National Police Dog Trials September 26-October 4th. Wyoming's Canines are all healthy and happily finding dope and bad guys. Whether you are a professional dog handler or a dog lover, your dog's behavior and obedience is directly is related to the time put into your dog. The more training time the better your dog wil be. Train hard my friends...

Keeping Dogs Busy

If you need to leave your dog in a crate or want to keep him busy on a rainy day consider giving your dog a femur bone from your butcher. Ask your butcher to cut the fermur in several pieces. Freeze them to when they are needed. Your dog will be delighted with this treat that will keep him busy for some time. You can also put peanut butter in a kong and freeze that. The frozen peanut butter will keep your dog. Another great toy that will keep your dog busy is a ruuber hydrant that you put treats in. All these are examples of ways to keep your dog from getting bored and busy.

Toys

I have seen a variety of dog toys over the years, including shoes or socks as chew or tug toys. You are sending mixed messages to your dog by letting her play with one of your old shoes or socks. Shoes or other personal items are not appropriate toys for two reasons. First of all a shoe is not made and tested for a dog to chew on. It will fall apart and your dog can ingest materials that can be harmful to her. Second, your scent is on the item and your telling your dog it's alright to chew your things.

There are two types of toys for dogs. Chew toys and interactive toys. Chew toys are made and tested for dogs to chew on. I prefer tough chew toys such as Nylabones and real bones. Rawhide's can be swallowed in large piece and can lodge in your dogs intestines, so I don't give my dogs rawhide's. Interactive toys are toys such as balls, Frisbees, Kongs, tugs, and rubber fireplugs. Interactive toys are just that, meant for you to play with your dog. Dogs should be monitored with the interactive toys. Interactive toys are not meant to be chewed on. Dogs can destroy and chew up interactive toys so once you are finished playing with your dog, put the toy up. A note on tennis balls. I know a lot of handlers who like playing with their dogs with tennis balls. If you let your dog play with tennis balls as an interactive toy you must put the ball up when you're finished and never allow your dog take the tennis ball into her kennel. Many dogs have ingested tennis balls which can cause death. My professional recommendation is to purchase your toys from a pet store and don't take the chance on tennis balls which are made for tennis and not dogs. With any toy you need to periodically inspect it. When its begins to break down it's time to throw it out and purchase your dog a new one.

Cool Dog Friendly Park

If you are ever in the Silver Lake, Penwater, or Bass Lake area of Michigan I have a very nice dog friendly park on Lake Michigan called Summit Township Park. Better yet, go to Bortella's on Lake drive which runs north off of 31 Business in Bass Lake. Their specialty is fish fry, they have a variety to choose from and you take it to go. About 100 feet south of Bortella's is Summit Township Park. Alcohol is not prohibted. When we went the only people there were others from Bortella's having their dinner with a bottle of wine, beer, or whatever your beverage of choice is. We watched the sun set and had a wonderful time. Dogs are allowed, just keep them on leash and pick up after them. One of many of Michigan's gems.

Consistency

Dogs like schedules and consistency if their lives. You ever notice your dog knows when its time to go for a walk or time to eat? It's their internal clock that tells them. Dogs learn rules, boundaries, limitations by consistency. Many times dogs are slow to learn due to inconsistent training by their owners. Every time you feed your dog, he needs to sit and wait when you put the food down until you give him a release command to eat. Everytime the dog goes outside he sits and waits at the door (even when its open) for the ok to go out. Everytime you go for a walk he walks nice on the leash. You can imagine how the dog can become confused and not know what the appropriate behavior is when sometimes he's aloud to pull on the leash when walking, jets out of the door when going out or is permitted to dive into the food dish as soon as it hits the floor. Be consistent with your dog and you well see progress in his learning.

Fake Scent Tracking Dog

Every now and then you read about a wonder dog that can track an 8 day old track down a highway 4 miles and straight to where the suspect lives. Dogs are not magic and these people who handle these dogs are lying. Sure dogs can track scent but you have to provide evidence with certifications and training records that the dog is reliable and credible in his ability to track. Where I work we train our dogs to work up to an hour old track. This is because we never have street tracks older than an hour in fact most of our tracks are 15-20 minutes old. To read more about a fake tracking dog go to the link and read about the guy who spent 22 years in prison due to a fake tracking dog. http://news.aol.com/article/face-scent-tracking-dog-sent-man-to/597931 One way to combat these incredible stories is for police canine associations to police themselves. Attorneys also need to educate themselves and know what kind of questions to ask. In court its important to show that the dog is certified annually with nationally recognized police canine association and that the dog's track was not outside of his level of training.

Traveling

We are packing for a weekend camping trip to Silver Lake. When traveling with your dogs make sure you bring the necessities for your pet. Bring your own water. Changing the water can upset your dog and cause a loose stool. Make sure you pack food, toys, crates, and bags for picking up after your pet. My dogs love going camping because every morning we go for a walk to the lake for a swim. Its important to make sure your dog gets the needed exercise during vacations as well. Plenty of exercise with help them cope with the stress of being in a strange place and will help them rest while they are left alone.

Michael Vick

Michael Vick is the hot topic these days and whether he ought to be permitted to return and play in the NFL. Some are saying the abuse of dogs is a heinous crime and he should not be allowed back in the NFL. Others say anyone convicted of a felony should not be permitted to return to being a professional athlete. There is the argument that he has served his time and paid his debt to society, so he should be able to return to his job playing professional football. The bright side of this story, of the 49 dogs evaluated by animal behaviorist, only 1 was deemed too dangersous to rehabilitate. Surf the web and you can read countless stories how these dogs have found loving homes. It goes to show that specific breed laws are not what we need but responsible owner laws.

House Breaking

I get a lot of calls asking for help house breaking a puppy. First of all you must use a crate. I introduce the crate to dogs by putting treats in the kennel. Let the pup go in and out, use a kong stuffed with treats for short periods of time in the kennel and feed the pup in the kennel. The pup should view the crate in a positive way so it should not be used for punishment. Next I keep the pup on the leash with me in the house. No free time running loose in the house until the pup understands going potty is done outdoors. If your pup attempts to go in the house say "no" pick him/her up and take your pup outdoors. Take your pup outside frequently saying "take a break" when they go potty. They need to go out immediatly after naps and after they eat. Monitor their water intake. Once they go praise your pup. I also use a solution of vinegar and water to clean up any messes inside the home. If you are consistant and patient, house training your new pup should only take a few weeks.