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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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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…]

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…]

10 Tips for Responsible Dog Ownership

Responsible Dog Ownership Top 10 Tips 

When we think about responsible dog ownership we mostly think of providing food, shelter, veterinary care and love. But being a responsible dog owner goes way beyond those minimum requirements. Some questions to ask yourself… How am I providing for my dog’s mental health and well being? How am I and my dog impacting others? The environment? With these and other questions in mind here are my Top 10 tips for responsible dog ownership. [Read more…]

Fido, July 4th Fireworks 6 Simple Safety Tips

More pets go missing July 4th through the 6th because of Fireworks. Sadly, on average only 14% are returned to their owners! Here are 5 Simple safety tips about Fido , July 4th fireworks and Fido July 4th Fireworkshow to minimize the trauma. 

  1. KEEP YOUR PETS INDOORS! Preferably with no access to any exterior doors. If your dog is crate trained, this is a great time to crate them. Place their crate in an interior room, turn on music to help drown out the sounds of fireworks, close blinds to minimize the flashing lights.
  2. BRING OUTDOOR PETS INSIDE! At least into your garage for safety. Dogs can and do jump fences and/or dig out. Even if they never have before, there is higher likelihood of them doing so during fireworks.
  3. DESENSITIZE YOUR DOGS. Prior to these events, work to teach them not to be afraid. You can do so by doing obedience training, using positive reinforcement with food. You can download fireworks sounds from the net, play them very quietly at first while you have your dog do simple tasks such as sit, down and place drills (lots of repetition). Gradually (over time) increase the volume while training. Use high value treats, hot dogs, boiled chicken etc. You can actually teach your dog to like the sound because it has a positive association with food. When you get a new puppy, start right away. This can be a life saving training exercise!
  4. MICROCHIP YOUR PETS! But also make sure they are wearing a collar and have name tags. People are much more likely to approach a dog with a collar on because they know it belongs to someone. Without a collar it looks like a stray. Also the tags make it easy for the good Samaritan to act quickly and easily. These days they have dog collars that you can have your phone number and dog’s name embroidered right on it!
  5. LEAVE YOUR DOG AT HOME! Don’t bring your dog in the car to fireworks displays. They are likely to escape when you enter and exit your vehicle. Follow tip #1 while you are gone to a fireworks display. 
  6. HIRE A PET SITTER! Many people don’t just go see fireworks. They go to parties that last for hours. While you are away enjoying the festivities, hire a pet sitter to come keep your pets company! This can go a long way to minimize the stress your pets feel. Just knowing someone is there can be hugely helpful.

You love your pets so, follow these simple measures to avoid losing Fido July 4th Fireworks.

 

When In Doubt, Dogs Work It Out… To Their Advantage

When In Doubt, Dogs Work It Out…To Their Advantage.

Dog’s don’t live in a vacuum. They are constantly learning about their environment and about us. They are watching and decipheringdogs work it out place command dog training what they think we are trying to communicate to them, even though we may be unaware that we even ARE communicating to them! When unclear about what we are saying to them (and let’s face it, we usually use WAY more words than we need) they “listen” to our body language and tone of voice. Cues, cues and more cues! Your body language (cues) may be incongruous with your verbal commands (or even unintentional) causing your dog to be confused as to what behavior you prefer. When this happens, they shape their world to their best advantage. In other words, they will resort to whatever suits them. When in doubt, dogs work it out… to their advantage. [Read more…]

Dog Training How To, Patience, Persistence and the Right Tools

Dog Training How To, Patience, Persistence and the Right Tools. 

In dog training as in many things you have to have the right attitude and the right tools (whether they be actual tools or techniques) in order to get the job done. Ask 10 dog trainers how to teach a dog any one specific command or behavior and your likely to get 10 different answers. [Read more…]

Is My Dog Playing or Being Aggressive?

Dog Play, Aggressive or Playful?

Is my dog playing or being aggressive?

Knowing how to tell if your dogs playing at dog parks in Buford, GA is my dog playing or being aggressive?dog or puppy is being aggressive or playful when playing with another dog can be tricky for an average dog owner. What looks sometimes scary, -open mouths, mouthing each other, vocalizations from growling to barking, hackles up, jumping on each other, one dog pinning another down and wrestling can actually be just play styles. Dogs often exhibit behaviors similar to those used in aggressive encounters when playing. is my dog playing or being aggressive?

So how do you know if it is aggressive or playful? [Read more…]

Dog Training Follow Through is Important

Dog Training Follow Through, the importance of Consistency.

When consulting with a prospective training client, I am often asked dog training follow through“How much training will my dog need?”. My answer, “That depends on many variables. Your dog of course, but mostly on your consistency and follow through in applying the techniques you will be learning.”.  [Read more…]