Austin Dog Trainer Blog

The expansion to our training and boarding facility is almost complete!

We've been working hard over the last few weeks to complete the expansion of our Austin Dog Training and Dog Daycare/Boarding facility. The new kennel room, designed to help the dogs have a more relaxing stay, is now complete and the dogs moved into it today. The new Austin dog daycare playroom is almost painted, the floors are complete, and we're busy assembling the small play areas that will line the large play area in the middle. This new set up will let us break off small play groups tailored to each dog's needs and play style on a particular day, keeping play groups personalized and small.

A few more days and he change over to the new play area will be complete. We can't wait to show the new space off to all of our clients and their four-legged friends!

Cara, Austin Dog Trainer.

Live In Apprentice Position Available

Have you always wanted to become a dog trainer? We have a live in dog trainer apprentice position available in our Austin Dog Training Center. Move in in January and immerse yourself in the science of dog training for one year. You'll work with hundreds of different breeds, ages, and temperaments of dogs, work with dog owners, and gain experience teaching classes and private sessions. For details, contact us through our email us form at the bottom of any page of our website at www.buddyschance.com.

When do I need to check with a vet?

There are several behavior problems that may be connected to medical or physical causes. How do you know when to call your veterinarian for behavior issues? Here is a list of times when you absolutely want to consult with your veterinarian. You should also ask your dog trainer or behavior consultant if they see any red flags that they think indicate a trip to your veterinarian is in order.

• Any sudden changes in behavior should prompt a call to your vet. For example, if you have a dog that was previously housetrained but suddenly begins to have accidents in the house or urinate on an odd place (like your bed), make tha call!
• If your dog has issues with being handled physically, it may just be a matter of never having taught your dog that human hands are a good thing. It may; however, also be a sign that your dog has a physical issue that needs to be addressed. For example, if your dog is sensitive about being touched, they may have some pain that is either causing or exacerbating the problem. It's worth asking your veterinarian for their opinion the next time you're in.
• If you're working on an anxiety issue, you may want to ask your veterinarian if they think supplements, herbal treatments, or medication should be considered. Don't try any herbal or other supplements or medications without checking with your veterinarian! Even over the counter supplements or treatments can interact with any other medications your dog may be on and can have an effect on your dog's body and health. Always consult your veterinarian before use!
• If you have worked with a professional dog trainer or behavior consultant to tackle a behavior problem and, despite following the training protocol and making adjustments to troubleshoot the training protocol, you do not see effects, you may want to ask your veterinarian if there could be a medical problem contributing to the problem.  

Cara Shannon, Austin Dog Trainer

New puppy? Teach it to handle vet trips with ease

Puppies can be taught to handle vet trips with ease - follow these steps to help your pup ease into vet trips:

• Ask your veterinarian if you can bring your puppy by periodically for visits with the front staff without having to undergo any exam. Simply let the staff cuddle with your pup and feed treats for sitting politely. Put your puppy on the scale and feed treats and then head home. Just be sure that you don't let your pup say hello to any dogs waiting in the lobby - they may have a contageous illness! And, bring a towel or mat for your puppy to sit on when greeting the staff and sitting on the scale so that your puppy isn't sitting on surfaces where other dogs have been.
• When going to the vet for an actual examination, take extra special goodies. My favorite is a can of dog food and a small teaspoon. Keep your puppy lapping up the food while the vet examines her and while vaccinations and temperature taking happen.
• While at the vet, don't make a huge deal over any fear your puppy shows. Your puppy will pick up on your cues and become calmer when you remain calm and happy and become more worked up when you let yourself get upset.
• When waiting in the waiting room or examination room, play your puppy's favorite game of tug or with a squeaky toy.
• At home, teach your puppy to handle things like looking in the mouth or ears, rolling your puppy gently onto its back for a tummy exam (don't force this - just rub your puppy's tummy and ease her onto her side or back and do nice little massages for a reward!), and practice hugs, holds, and lifts so your puppy is not spooked by these things during a veterinary exam.

Cara, Austin Dog Training

We're expanding!

We're excited to announce that we are expanding our Austin dog boarding and dog daycare next month, just in time for the holidays! Now, for all of our clients who love the small nature of our boarding facility, don't panic just yet. We're going from a facility that houses 10 dogs to one that houses 15, so the personalized nature of our Austin dog boarding and dog daycare won't change!

In mid to late October, we will be breaking through the wall of our existing Austin Dog Training Center, to create a new open air playroom for the dogs. The room will be open on one side to allow in fresh air for the dogs but still be covered and closed on three sides to protect from the hot Texas sun! We will be splitting this space into 3-4 play areas so that we can continue our tradition of splitting play groups into small groups of dogs that are carefully matched by play style and temperament. As dogs play, they sometimes become cranky and begin to have trouble with one dog or another in their play group. With our multiple play area approach, we can rotate dogs into different play areas as this happens or even give them a little one-on-one break in a play yard by themselves to give them a breather when they need one! 

The new play area will let us take on more dogs just in time for Thanksgiving, which is good news since we're booking for Thanksgiving already! It will also let us go back to doing dog daycare full time, giving clients the option of one to five days per week for Austin dog daycare! 

Other pluses: the new play area will have drains built right into the floor, making sanitizing the floors a breeze (a KEY to running our Austin dog boarding and dog daycare facility safely). And, because we'll now have 3-4 play areas instead of one play room, we'll be able to give the dogs even more play time because we can have multiple play groups out at one time. We'll keep you guys posted on our progress as the build-out begins!

Cara, Austin Dog Trainer

Working on Offleash Control

Working on offleash control with your dog is one of the biggest challenges in dog training. It means taking your dog to new levels of training, with less of a safety net if your dog becomes distracted by all of the challenges in the environment around you! Always begin your offleash training by getting full control ON LEASH! Master things like walking in a heel, coming when called, and laying in a down stay by your feet. Then, begin to fade out the leash bit by bit. Begin by having your dog's leash around your waist instead of on your hand. Next, begin to have your dog drag the leash so that you can step on it if you need to. After that, have your dog wear a short, 6-8 inch leash that you can grab quickly if you need to.

Remember, keep your reinforcers fun and interesting so that you can compete with the squirels, birds, and smells along the way! A tid bit of tuna, a surprise squeaky toy, a game of chase where they get a piece of cheese for catching up to you, or a quick game of tug for looking at you not the squirel!

Cara, Austin Dog Training

Why train?

Our clients come to us for so many reasons! Some people are coming to our Austin dog training classes as a preventative measure. They have a new puppy or they just adopted a dog and they want to make sure they start off on the right foot. This is an excellent reason to come to dog training classes!

Some of our clients have serious behavior problems, like aggression towards people or other dogs. They have to take one of our more advanced classes for dogs with aggression issues or do private dog training with one of our Austin dog behavior consultants.  They can be very successful at addressing the aggression but they have to work hard and take the training very seriously!

Other times, people are working with their dog towards a service dog career and they come to us to work on the Canine Good Citizen test as part of that training and preparation! Some of our Austin dog training clients just want a way to spend more time and bond with their dogs! I just had a call from a client who is going to do our Canine Good Citizen class with her 9 year old dog to spend some extra one-on-one time with him and to bond a little and have fun! This is also a great reason to train your dog! I have a 7 month old puppy and he and I have done two dog training classes around Austin and now we're going to do dock diving and search and rescue classes up north! It's a great way to spend some quality time together and to continue to work on his training at the same time. 

Cara, Austin Dog Training

Should your puppy go to a group class or private training?

I occasionally hear trainers who don't offer group classes argue that private training is better than group classes for puppies. The argument is that puppies will learn better in a less distracting environment. While it is an accurate statement that puppies would learn better in a less distracting environment, that does not in any way meant that private training is the best option for a young puppy. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth!

Your priorities with training a puppy should be on introducing them to a myriad of people, other dogs, sights, scents, sounds, and experiences in a safe way to allow them to learn about the world they live in. A good puppy class does this and teaches your puppy bite inhibition and basic manners.

In addition to teaching puppy classes at my Austin dog training center, I work on an almost daily basis with dogs with fear, anxiety, and aggression issues. A very large percentage of these dogs' problems likely stem from a lack of proper socialization and training as a puppy. So many problems that dogs suffer from today can be prevented by the wonderful exposure that a good puppy class can provide. In fact, before owned my dog training center in Austin, I would often tell people who called me for private puppy training that they should look for a group class either instead or at least, in addition to the private sessions!

But, don't take my word for it! The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior has an excellent position paper on the need for early socialization of puppies. 

Now, that doesn't mean that we never do private training for puppies. There are times when a puppy cannot join a puppy class for medical reasons or the owners are unable to leave their home easily because of a physical condition. In extreme cases, such as these, we will do private training, but we must supplement this training with a lot of extra socialization exercises, including bringing people to the house to work with the puppy, letting the puppy explore different surfaces and scents or sounds at home, and - whenever possible - bringing good, adult dogs to the house to socialize with the puppy.

All-in-all, though, the group class is the best option! If you really feel that you and your fog need to work in a more quiet environment, attend a group class and then ask your dog trainer if you can supplement the group class with some private training for basic obedience!

Cara Shannon, Austin Dog and Puppy Trainer!

New article on Buddy's Chance!

Every once in awhile, I stumble upon an article or weblog that talks about Buddy's Chance and our dog training. I just discovered a new article that highlights Buddy's Chance and some of our Austin dog training programs. Happy reading!            

Think you know a pit bull when you see one?

Take this test and see how wrong you may be! http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/find-a-bull1.pdf

Cara, Austin Dog Trainer