Summertime!
Time to put the dog in the yard where they
will be happy!
Not really....Keep in mind that your dog is a pack animal and very social.
It’s main desire is to be with the family and that does not mean
tied out in the yard while the family is in the house.
I see an awful lot of back doors with the paint scratched off
from the dog trying to get back into the house. To me this is a
pretty good sign that the dogs wants to be with you, and that they
don’t find the back yard all that interesting
If you must put the dog outside for long periods, do it
correctly. Don’t tell me "It’s okay, I have a fence." Any
determined dog can beat the average fence by going over, under
around or through, or just awaiting that chance when the gate is
left open.
Probably the best type of fence is an invisible fence where the
dog wears a radio collar and gets a small shock when they try to
cross a boundary. Also it only takes about a day to install one.
The most secure way to confine a dog is an enclosed wire kennel
with a wire top and a cement floor. Unfortunately it’s not all
that nice for the dog, it can be very expensive, but you can be
sure the dog will still be there when you come home.
My preferred method of confining a dog outdoors is the simple
overhead cable run between two trees or a post and the house. It’s
inexpensive, safe and very effective. Also most pet stores carry
kits with everything you will need.
Creature Comforts
- Something else to keep in mind is providing adequate shade - a
tree is best - or a large awning.
- A dog house
should be provided if the dog is going to be outside in cold
weather.
- A good source of
water should be provided, meaning something your pet cannot tip
over.
- This may sound extravagant but some dogs actually enjoy having
a child’s wading pool to cool off in on a hot day.
But getting back to the beginning, the dog would prefer to be
in the air-conditioning with you!
It Only Takes A Minute
- Read many compelling reasons for ID tags for your pet!
What Can
Make a Dangerous Dog - Reinforce
good behavior or bad behavior...sometimes we don't realize we are
reinforcing exactly the behavior we do not want....read this
article for great tips.
No
Treats for Tricks
I was sent out on an aggression case that was a real puzzle.
A little old lady and her white teacup poodle. The dog would come
running into the room after eating his evening meal. Stop in the
middle of the floor, have what appeared to be some sort of
epileptic fit. Then growl, run over and bite the little old lady
on the ankle. I asked if she had taken the dog to the vet to rule
out a brain tumor or something. She had of course and they found
nothing wrong with the dog. I asked if this was a one time after
meal thing. She said no, periodically throughout the evening this
dog will have a fit and do the bite thing.
So I put a line on the dog so we could have some control
over the biting part and we just waited for the next episode.
Meanwhile I worked the little dog to see if it was trainable and
while a bit stubborn he was certainly trainable. Meanwhile I spoke
with the woman getting some history and trying to establish some
sort of pattern. I asked if she had worked with training or
commands, she said no but that she had taught the dog some tricks
using treats. I asked what sort of tricks and she replied the
usual, to dance on his hind legs, to sit up, to lay down, to roll
over.
I got to see three more episodes of the seizures when the
lightbulb went off over my head. I asked one more question. Does
she still do the tricks with the dog.
The answer was no, he just stopped doing them one day.
That’s when I was sure of what was going on. The dog had been
doing his tricks all along. This
dog would run into the room after his evening meal, go through
every trick in rapid succession and then when he didn’t get his
treat he would run over and bite the woman’s ankle and run off.
Now that I had the pattern it was relatively simple to break it
with some obedience commands. This dog had to learn some patience.
As with all cute little dogs people don’t require much of them
and when they first start any biting behavior or disobedient
behavior they have a tendency to think it’s cute. But as with
all behaviors things are always progressive, they will continue to
get worse if your don’t take steps to establish yourself as the
top dog in the pack
That’s why I’m not a big fan of training with treats. It
becomes all about the treat, not the trick or the command or
paying attention to you
Last Chance Dog Training
