Austin Dog Trainer Blog

Set some dog training criteria for yourself

As you begin to look for dog training for your dog, set some criteria for yourself. Ask yourself what methods and training philosophies you are willing to use on your dog.

At our Austin Dog Training facility, we ask ourselves the following questions in evaluating dog training methodologies:

 

1. Is this a method that is based on science? Although there is certainly art in applying dog training methods, the training itself is and should be based on science. This is the science of psychology (operant and classical conditioning) and the science of ethology (the study of the dog in its natural environment). Dog training should be based on science not on myths and fads, family recipe, or something that wolves supposedly do.
2. Is this a method that all of the members of my family, our neighbors and friends, or a child can employ? Children and friends cannot safely alpha roll a dog or challenge a dog with physical force to get what they want. If you cannot ask a child to do it safely, is it something that you should do as part of training? No! Dogs don't generalize concepts very well so just because you and I can do something with a dog doesn't mean that they will understand things should work the same way when a child approaches them. Children, friends, and neighbors should all be able to safely participate in dog training if you choose the right methods!
3. Does it demonstrate res[ect for the animal? At our Austin Dog Training Center, we believe in treating dogs with respect. I don't believe that I have the right to put a shock collar on a dog or to kick a dog (yes, this still happens!) in the name of dog training. This doesn't mean that we don't set limits and structure on our dogs. We absolutely set rules and enforce the, but we do this without causing pain or fear.

As yourself what you believe in as you look for a dog training program and stick to your guns! Your dog will thank you for it.

Cara Shannon, Austin Dog Trainer

Add dog grooming prep to your puppy's training list!

If you have a puppy that is going to need dog  grooming as an adult, don't wait to get that puppy grooming started!

One of the most important jobs our Austin dog groomer does is training young puppies to handle dog grooming with ease and comfort! There are so many elements to dog grooming that can cause a dog concern. The water from the bath, the sound of the clippers coming near them, the sound and blowing of the blow dryer, trimming of nails, being up on the table ... the list just goes on and on!

A good dog groomer can take your puppy for short baths and brush outs as soon as you get your puppy and start easing them into the process with fun toys, games, and treats. Book your puppy in with a dog  groomer ASAP!

Build your puppy's confidence

When raising your puppy, don't just focus on obedience! Be sure to include exercises that will build your puppy's confidence. Here, one of our Austin puppy class students lures his puppy onto a safe, stable surface and teaches her to walk around it. You can do this on a rock wall or a board laid across bricks.

 

 

 

Cara Shannon, Buddy's Chance Dog Training

Great resource for dog owners

I try to give the puppy owners that come to our Austin puppy training classes as many resources as possible to help them raise their puppies as successfully as possible. One excellent resource I have started sending all of my puppy owners to is www.dogstardaily.com - if you're looking for great information to help you raise your dog or puppy, check it out!

Cara, Austin Dog Training and Dog Daycare

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

What are the most important things to teach your new puppy?

Most puppy owners are eager to work on things like sit and stay.  I want the  focus to be on socializing that puppy (teaching the puppy about sights, smells, sounds, people, and other dogs), teaching the puppy not to jump up or nip at your heels, and teaching the puppy to pay attention to you when you say its name.  If I had a puppy, my puppy would:

1 - Never see the inside of a food bowl:  All food would come either from me for sitting, looking at me when I say its name, or coming when called.  Any food I wasn't using for training would go into interactive feeding toys for my puppy to figure out.

2 - Go with me to a new place every single day:  No matter how tired I was, my puppy would go to the vet's office to say hello, a Home Depot to see sights and sounds, a children's playground, or a shopping center every single day for the first few months of its life.  I want a puppy that is not afraid of new experiences.

3 - Get fed for sitting from as many people as I could possibly find.

4 - Be crate trained and trained to stay alone comfortably.

Sure, there are other things I would teach and we would do a lot of training, but these are the things I'd focus on for the first couple of months of that puppy's life! 

Cara, Austin Dog Trainer

Can't find a good puppy class?

We'll have a foster puppy, Sabrina, coming to us in about two weeks!  She currently weighs in at about 2.5 pounds and is 7 weeks old.  Isn't she a cutie?  Even though she'll attend our puppy classes three times a week, I thought it would be fun to take her to another Austin dog training school for puppy class.  I'd get to experience puppy classes from a client point-of-view and she'd get even more socialization (which we all know is the key to raising a great puppy!).  When I went searching for a good class, I was surprised at how hard it was to find one!

I know a good trainer down South so I can travel to her if I need to, but I wanted to find one up closer to Central Austin, where I'm located.  Here are the problems I ran into (and a little bit about why I think they're problems):

Private training was the only option offered.  I ran into this one a lot!  Apparently many of the dog trainers in Austin are only offering puppy training in your home.  Many even touted this as a selling point (fewer distractions for your puppy or easier for you since you don't have to load the puppy into the car).  To me, this makes no sense at all.  If you understand puppy development, you know that a puppy needs to be exposed to new sights, smells, sounds, people, and other animals in a safe environment at a young age.  Puppy classes should include opportunities to interact with others, explore new textures or obstacles, and listen to different sounds.  Of course, we also teach some basic manners in our puppy classes (like Sit, Come, and Leave-It), but a primary focus of puppy classes is to socialize your puppy!  Classes at home do none of this for me!

The class was for people only.  This setup has the same pitfalls as the private puppy training option.  No opportunity for socialization and experiencing the world that my puppy has to live in!

The website didn't tell me anything about who would be teaching the classes.  A couple of the dog training places that did offer group puppy classes didn't offer any information about the teacher that would be holding the class.  I want to be able to check out the teachers, see who they are, what their education consists of, what their experience level is, and what their training methodologies are.  I'm not signing my puppy up for any classes without knowing who is teaching the class!

Many didn't offer puppy training at all!  Puppies can learn so much in such a short period of time.  I want a dog training school that understands this and can help me capitalize on it!

Some classes included 6 month old adolescents with 10 week old puppies.  Well, here's one where you need to call and do your homework.  The crucial thing here is to find out if the 6 month old adolescents are going to be allowed to play with the younger puppies.   Remember, a 10 week old puppy shouldn't play with an adolescent - it's a recipe for rough play manners, poor social skills, and an overwhelmed puppy!  If they split the class into appropriate ages for play, I might consider attending.

Puppy classes were taught at a local park.  When you take your young puppy out to a puppy class, they won't be fully vaccinated yet.  Because of this, you're really trying to balance the risk of being exposed to a disease like Parvo with the risk that your puppy may develop serious behavior problems (leading to rehoming or euthanasia) if the puppy is not well-socialized at an appropriate age.  Although as a canine behavior consultant that deals with aggression and anxiety I err on the side of socialization at an early age, I always recommend being smart about that socialization.  For example, we sanitize our training center with Trifectant before each puppy class (Trifectant kills Parvo, Distemper, Hepatitis, and more).  I also recommend skipping the dog park or pet stores until your puppy is older.  For these reasons, I'm going to cross classes held in parks off of my list - I don't know if the dogs that were there earlier in the day were healthy and vaccinated and I'm not taking a chance on it!

Well, it looks like Sabrina and I will likely drive South to the trainer I know down there and she'll do puppy classes with me at our Austin Dog Training School.  I'm skipping the rest of them for now!

Cara, Buddy's Chance, LLC, Austin Dog Training, Behavior, and Dog Daycare

Can my puppy spend the day outside when I'm at work?

Well, as with a lot of questions in dog training, the answer is, "it depends."  It depends on what breed of puppy you have (a lab will do better than a Maltese would in the yard).  It depends on whether you want a dog that might bark all day or dig holes in the yard (if left to their own devices outside all day, your dog will learn bad habits like digging and barking).  It depends on whether you want your dog to be house trained (if your puppy is outside all day, she won't need to use her muscles to control her bladder and bowels - if those muscles aren't being used, your puppy won't learn to hold it and your house training efforts in the house will be sabotaged).

Ideally, use a pet sitter or dog daycare instead.  And, if you must leave your dog outside during the day, create the perfect setup to protect your pet and keep them safe - see our post on outdoor kennels for more info! 

Cara, Austin Dog Training, Behavior, and Doggie Day Care

Puppies and Play

How important is it for my puppy to play with other dogs?  Who should my puppy play with?  What should that play look like? 

These are all important questions to ask when socializing your new puppy.  Ideally, get your puppy into a GOOD puppy class before the age of 10-12 weeks so that you can have some playtime with other puppies in a well-supervised setting.  Look for an instructor that will actively supervise the puppy playtime and stop play that is overly rough or frightening for any of the puppies.  Ask questions about why the instructor is or isn't stopping play so that you can learn what is acceptable play and what is not. 

In general, you want your puppy to play with other puppies very close in age (even a few weeks older than your puppy may make a big difference at this age!) or with good adult dogs that are calm enough to not overwhelm the puppy.  For example, if your puppy is 9 weeks old, she should not play with a 16 week old puppy or an adolescent 2 year old Labrador!

As for what the play should look like, it should be fairly even.  Both puppies or dogs should spend some time on top of the other rather than one puppy always being pinned to the ground.  If one dog looks fearful (cowering, hiding, etc.), give it a protected area to stay during initial play sessions.  An exercise pen or baby gate works well for this.  If you're uncertain about the quality of play, pull the two puppies apart and hold them apart for a few seconds.  Then, let them go and see what happens - if they both run back eagerly, the play is probably okay.  If one seems less eager to return to the play, or even relieved at having the play stop, it was too rough!

Last, stay out of the dog parks at this age!!!!!!! Not only is your puppy at risk in a dog park because it is not fully vaccinated, you have no idea what play style and manners the dogs at the park will have.  Your dog may be exposed to bullies and dogs that will teach it very poor play rather than teaching nice manners.  Stick to puppy classes or play dates with pre-screened dogs in your own backyard until your puppy is at least 6 months old.

Cara, Buddy's Chance, Austin Dog Training, Dog Behavior, and Dog Daycare

My dog won't stop chewing up the carpet!

Yikes!  A new puppy, or even an adult dog, can wreak havoc on your home with their endless need to chew.  Those jaws do need exercise, but YOU should control what your dog chews up, not the other way around! 

When you have a new puppy in the house or an avid adult chewer, the following steps will help protect your house and home:

1 - Limit your dog's access when he isn't being supervised.  You can use crates, exercise pens, or baby gates to keep your dog confined to one room or a safe space.

2 - Feed your dog its meals out of interactive dog toys.  There are all kinds of toys designed to dispense treats or your dog's regular kibble.  Instead of feeding your dog from a bowl, put its regular kibble ration in a toy with some peanut butter or a little canned dog food and let your dog work to get the food out.  If your dog is busy working for its breakfast, it won't have time to chew on your carpet!  Just be careful if you have more than one dog - they'll often fight over food-stuffed toys.  Separate them or crate them whenever they have a food stuffed toy.

3 - Provide enticing chew toys to redirect chewing energy and allow your dog to exercise its jaw in safe ways.  Provide several good chew toys and edible chew bones for your dog to work on throughout the day!  Always supervise your dog whenever you give them a new bone or chew toy to be sure they aren't eating large pieces.  Safety first!

Lastly, if your dog's chewing always occurs at doorways and windows and you believe it may be caused by separation anxiety rather than boredom or a need to chew, consult a qualified dog trainer or behavior consultant to rule out separation anxiety.

Cara, Austin Dog Trainer