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No You Can’t Pet My Dog

No, You Can’t Pet My Dog

Terie Hansen 

Question… Do you let random strangers come up to you or your child, get into your personal space and touch you, your child? No, of course you don’t. Why? Because you don’t know them, becauseno you can't pet my dog it would be uncomfortable, because it would make you feel nervous, anxious or even scared. Because it’s just plain weird.

Well, it’s no different for your dog. Having someone they don’t know approach them and come into their personal space, make direct eye contact, touch them, talk to them etc… makes most dogs uncomfortable. You just don’t realize it because you don’t recognize subtle cues your dog exhibits to show their discomfort. Cues such as turning their head away, looking away, yawning, exposing their belly or licking their lips are just a few of the cues they display. Furthermore, just because a dog is wagging its tail doesn’t mean it’s happy. Dogs wag their tails for many reasons, even right before they attack.

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Introducing the New Dog, What’s the Rush?

What’s the Rush?

Terie Hansen

As the saying goes “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression”. The same applies when introducing a new dog/puppy to your current dog(s). My best advice? Go slowly through the process. And it IS a process. Let’s face it, it could go either way if you just put them together to see what happens. Which is what most people do. It could turn out just fine in the short term, but in the long run it could be building towards a fight.

Taking it slowly means, for the first few days to a week just allowing the dogs to exist around each other. Not interacting and certainly not playing. Have a separate crate/area where, at least the new dog is confined for sleeping, meals and down time (preferably for several weeks) and when you need a break from supervising/working your dogs. Walk the dogs together (preferably you and another person each with a dog). Having the dogs hold a command such as place or down around one another. Having them on leashes that are tied to doors so that they can’t make contact. Working each dog through obedience commands while the other looks on.

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Remote Collar Dog Training, Yes or No?

Remote Collar Dog Training, Yes or No?

Petco says “stop the shock” and has decided to stop selling the low quality, remote collars they carry.
I say “good riddance” to those crappy systems, but not to high quality systems that are available through companies like E-Collar Technologies that, in the hands of professionals, who know how to properly train and use them are saving dogs lives on a daily basis.
But seriously… Things are heating up in the dog training world!
While this is an important conversation, you should have all the facts.
Some say… “Shock collars have been shown to increase fear, anxiety and stress in dogs… “. The same could be said of any tool (even a leash) used improperly.
A good trainer doesn’t increase these issues. The dogs come to us already with these issues and we work to alleviate them.
First of all, the e collars they sell in Petco or Petsmart are crap. The consumer who walks into a pet store to buy a crappy, low quality remote collar system without knowledge of how to properly use one or without help from a professional could certainly impact their dog in a negative way, but so does owning a dog and showering it with love and affection but not training it, not setting boundaries or creating structure. This can yield the same or worse fear, anxiety and stress and even result in the death of the dog. Remote collar dog training is not just about correcting bad behaviors. It’s so much more.
Hundreds of thousands of dogs are euthanized yearly because they are ill mannered (because they were showered with love and affection but weren’t trained. Love and affection are easy, training

Heart breaking photo shows how many dogs are being euthanized at one shelter a day.

takes effort and dedication). Euthanized because they jump too much, bark too much, fight, bite, run away, get hit by a car, pee and poop in the house, get into something harmful, have to have a surgery that the owner is financially unprepared for etc.

Yes there are many ways to train a dog and remote collar training is one of them, and If you’ve never owned a dog that needed another level of training such as remote collar training (not that you can’t use them to train all dogs, because you can) than you can’t speak to this.
Many a dog’s lives have been saved and are happier than they’ve ever been as are their families because of remote collar training. Would you rather those dogs be euthanized?
And by the way, 90% of training with a remote collar dog training program is positive reinforcement! But nobody talks about that of course. When training a dog, most of what we do is positive reinforcement. That’s how we teach dogs good behaviors such as sit, down, place, come, heel, kennel etc. But you must stop the negative behaviors as well.
Negative behaviors that can kill a dog such as counter surfing, trash diving, digging under or jumping over fences and many others can all be stopped with remote collar training. Can these behaviors be stopped without the use of a remote collar? With some dogs yes, but not all. So that begs the question, what about those dogs? What would you have us do with them??

Do you know a dog that counter surfed and died? I know of many, and many more who needed surgery to remove an obstruction. Wouldn’t you rather have stopped the behavior? I would.

 Sadly, it’s this lack of control that is the number one cause of dog abandonment and euthanization in the United States, and that’s the truth.

What’s more inhumane? Allowing these behaviors to go on? Euthanizing the dog? Why not just stop the behavior with remote collar training?
High tech, high quality remote collar systems and professional training results in a happy well-balanced well-trained ALIVE dog.
In the many years I’ve been in business, I have worked with hundreds of clients who have been through dog training at Petsmart and Petco (or were currently training there when they reached out to me), only to realize that their methods are not working for the their dog. I also continue to have many clients referred to me by TRAINERS at Petsmart and Petco.
I’m not saying that there aren’t some great trainers that work at Petsmart or Petco, but the methodologies that they use can only take a dog so far and certainly don’t work with all dogs.
People feed into the belief that all dogs can be trained by 100% positive reinforcement, force free methods, no corrective measures needed, because wouldn’t that be wonderful?  If that were the case, that is what would be happening!!! Just ask the owners of the dogs who have tried those methods with no success.
Because it sounds so much better than the fact that WE DO sometimes have to correct our dogs. WE DO have to share consequences. WE DO have to set boundaries. We cannot reason with the dog. It is not a human being. Mother nature herself corrects and shares consequences with animals of all kinds. Just because a dog lives in our home does not mean they are exempt from the rules of nature.
Not to mention, people live with behaviors in their dogs that would not be tolerated by other dogs if they lived in a pack in a natural environment.
Overexcited, over aroused, pushy, bratty obnoxious, demanding behaviors would not be tolerated. In fact it wouldn’t ever get to that point because at a very young age the adult dogs would be teaching the pups appropriate behavior. And yes, corrections would be involved! Here is a great example of a mother dog correcting her pups for unwanted behavior…watch and learn, it’s a beautiful thing to see mother nature in action… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHBe0jT6S3U
People seem to think that their ill behaved, out of control, or even mildly disobedient dog is as happy as it can be. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The bar is low for what a well balanced dog should be.
There is a movement out there trying to brainwash people into believing the fact that we should never say “no” to our dogs, there shouldn’t be consequences for their negative actions. And if they don’t know how to live within this realm of everything being positive then there must be something wrong with the dog. So we throw them away, let them harm themselves and others or worse, we euthanize them!
These people are on a mission to take away the training tools that allow us to get these dogs in a better state of mind so that their families can keep them and live together happily and peacefully. Do not let this happen! Trainers and owners alike, stand up! Speak up!
Petco says…
“Today, we stop the pain for Buddy because he barks at the doorbell.
We stop the stress for Sadie because she jumps for joy all over the neighbors when they walk in the door.
And we stop the fear for Cooper because he prefers a good pair of sneakers over all the chew toys on the market”.
WAIT WHAT?!! ?
So what they’re saying is it’s OK for your dog to bark his fool head off in a state of over excitement or panic just so we won’t have to correct the behavior.
Or it’s OK for your dog to jump all over people, while scratching them and possibly knocking them over just so we don’t have to correct the behavior. Are they serious??!!
Or it’s OK for your dog to chew on your shoes or something that may harm them because they prefers it to a chew toy?!!??
Get real people! Do any of us live without consequences? What kind of world we live in if we did???
Again I say, Do not let this happen! Trainers and owners alike, stand up! Speak up!
Tell the stories of how you and your dog’s life have been changed and improved by the use of balanced training methods with or without remote collar dog training. People Who don’t know any better need to know. We are not harming dogs, we are saving dogs!

New Year, New Dog

New Year, New Dog

Terie Hansen

A dog can learn new things at any age. If you’ve been living with a dog that has less than desirable behaviors, there’s no time like the present to make a change. It’s a new year, new dog!
puppy leash training in lawrenceville, ga

Obedience training can change your dog’s behavior dramatically. Start with simple commands like sit or down. Teach your dog one new command every couple of weeks. Start with a simple sit command, then add walking nicely on leash (no pulling) etc. Make sure to have a leash on your dog so that you have control when needed and can guide your dog into position.

Teach the commands with an implied stay. The sit command for example, doesn’t just mean to sit down for a moment it means to sit and keep sitting until you release the dog. No need to even say stay. [Read more…]

How to Train a Dog to Be Balanced

 To HAVE what others don’t, you’ve got to DO what others won’t.
how to train a dog

These words are as true for dog training as they are for anything else. How to train a dog
Many people say they want a well trained dog but not as many are willing to do what it takes to achieve that.
It’s easy to share love and affection. It’s not as easy to share structure and discipline.
But these things in combination are the things that yield a well-balanced dog.
Too much affection and freedom create anxiety and nervousness. Which often leads to a reactive even aggressive dog.
Implementing a level of structure, leadership and boundaries will create a relaxed, well adjusted dog. Teaching your dog how to remain calm in any and all situations goes a long way in creating a well balanced dog. Socializing your dog to different situations, environments, people, places, things while teaching your dog to just exist, not get excited by the newness.
Exercise, training, down time in their crate are all a part of the process. And it IS a process.
You must also redefine what love is.
True love is giving your dog what they NEED not just what feels good to you the human.
Love your dog by training your dog.
There are no shortcuts. You must put in the time and effort. But what you and your dog will gain in the process is a bond like no other as well as the ability to take your dog anywhere. Which enriches both your life and theirs!
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Who Advocates for Your Dog? You or Your Dog?

Advocate for your dog. If you don’t your dog will advocate for itself and that doesn’t usually turn out well. Who advocates for your dog?

advocate for your dog

Learn and Understand Canine Body Language.

When we say “advocate” what do we mean? Who advocates for your dog?
We mean, putting your dog’s physical and emotional well-being first. BEFORE your own wants and needs. You protect your dog, not the other way around. This requires you to be aware, alert and proactive. Practice constant situational awareness. Who advocates for your dog?

Learn and understand canine body language. Make sure to look at the dog’s entire body (a wagging tail does not always equal a happy dog). Doing so affords you the opportunity to not put your dog into or to remove your dog from situations where your dog feels stressed, fearful, overwhelmed, threatened or overexcited. Preempting your dog from taking matters into his own hands or practicing unwanted behaviors. [Read more…]

ID Your Dogs and Cats for Safety

Why is it so important to ID your dogs or cats for safety? Having up to date identification on your pet greatly increases the chances of return should your pet escape or get lost.

If your pet escapes your home or yard and is running loose, a neighbor or other person is much more likely to stop to help your pet if they are clearly wearing a collar and tags. 

A collar and ID tag signifies that the pet belongs to someone and isn’t just a stray.ID Your Dogs or Cats for Safety

Having an ID tag with your pet’s name and your phone number makes it easy for the good Samaritan to act quickly without much effort.

Even if your pet is micro chipped, if they don’t have a collar and tags the chances of someone helping are reduced greatly. 

Just think about it. If you saw a dog without a collar and tags running loose, would you take the time to pick it up only to have to take it to a vet or local shelter to be scanned for a microchip??? Highly unlikely for most people.  [Read more…]

Flirt Pole Fun, How to Engage Your Terrier

Flirt Pole Fun, How to Engage your Terrier Breed. Terriers love to chase. It is an instinct that runs strong in the breed.

A flirt pole is a great way to allow your Terrier to engage that instinct in aFLIRT POLE positive manner.

It’s also a great way to reinforce impulse control and other commands such as sit, down and out.

Have your dog sit or down. Then just before you engage the toy, release them from command “break” and off they go! Go a few rounds letting them [Read more…]

Get Your Dog Walking In Following Mode

Get Your Dog Walking In Following Mode by using these techniques. 

I get so many calls from people that have dogs that are reactive on the leash when they are walking them. dog walking reactive dog

Reactive towards people, dogs, bicycles, cars, motorcycles, kids, skateboards, squirrels, cats and the list goes on. Teaching your dog how to walk properly on a leash in the “following mode” (heel position, their nose should be no further up than your heel) is very important. It puts your dog at ease and helps them to be more relaxed while you share leadership by leading the way!

Start with your dog walking in your driveway. Doing driveway drills up and down your driveway. [Read more…]

How to Train a Dog – Dog Training When Life Happens

How to Train a Dog – Dog Training When Life Happens

Terie Hansen

 

You’ve been consistently training your dog, things are going well and then life happens. Whether your dog is the friendly, exuberant, overexcited type or the reactive, growly, lunging, and possibly biting type, life will throw you a curve ball now and again and you are best to be prepared. How to train a dog when life happens…

dog training stop dog jumpingA friend or family member visits, and although you’ve asked them to ignore your easily excitable dog, (who is, clearly one acknowledgement away from losing it) your friend reaches toward your dog, speaking in a high pitched voice, encourages your dog’s excitement and allows him to jump all over them. Your attempts to corral your dog are followed by, ”Oh, I don’t mind! I’dog training in publicm a dog lover.” from your friend.

At a local pet or home improvement store, while working on your dog’s public access skills, a stranger approaches, outstretched hand, swooping in to pet your dog without so much as asking permission.

reactive dog training on a leashWhile walking your dog, an off-leash dog approaches seemingly out of nowhere and a fight ensues.

Your puppy, who you’ve been training diligently, spends a week with Grandma because of work travel. Upon returning home, it’s as if you never trained him at all.

These are all things that can happen through no fault of yours. Your best defense? Think ahead for scenarios that could come up while training with your dog and be prepared. how to train a dog.

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