365 Days of Dog Training - the dreaded nail trim!

I woke up this morning a bit apprehensive about a dog that I would be working with.  He has always had to be sedated for nail trims but when I met him he didn't give me a vibe that he was unworkable.  So I decided to take a chance and work with him.  Well guess what he did GREAT!

I spent the morning with this little guy - he was so happy and excited to work.  We desensitized and counterconditioned him to handling of his feet while he was on the floor.  He barely even flinched.  Then I thought let's try putting him on the exam table - immediately he stopped taking food.  What does that tell me - he doesn't like the exam table and probably doesn't like restraint.

This again proves to me the importance of a good understanding of dog behavior for all people who work with or live with dogs.  If you can figure out what they are trying to tell you then you can help them to get more comfortable with the things they find scary around them.

Nail trims are FUN!

We will see this guy again next week and teach him to wear a basket muzzle just so he is comfortable in case it is needed in the future but honestly I think we will be able to trim his nails with no trouble at all.

Stay tuned - powerpoint on the basics of dog body language is coming very soon!

365 Days of Dog Training - Drop It

Good Afternoon and welcome to another week of dog training!  Lulu is unavailable today so our guest dog in training will be Sophie my ador-a-bull pit bull terrier.  Sophie has had a long history of fearful behaviors but she is an amazing dog that I absolutely adore.

I get a lot of emails with questions about why does my dog ___________?  Today I received an email about a dog that steals a lot of things around the house and the owners were wondering what to do.  When a dog has stolen something is not the moment to try to teach them a new behavior it is best just to distract them or give them something they like better to trade them for the valued or dangerous object.  Once the crisis is averted, it is time to start teaching your dog to Drop It on command.  Drop it is a wonderful command and a great game to play with your dog.

Here is a video of me demonstrating Drop It with my dog Sophie - obviously she has done this once or twice before!  Word to the wise - don't start teaching your dog to Drop It using a rawhide chewy - this is for advanced dogs because this is very difficult!  Best to start with a toy or something they don't like all that much as the thing they have in their mouth and then move to more and more valued objects.

As always happy dog training!