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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!

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.

 

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…]

Don’t Bake Your Dog (Dogs In Hot Cars)

Yes, you heard me! As the days begin to warm, the temperatures in your car become hot. Hot enough to kill your dogs in hot cars. It only takes 10 minutes for the inside don't cook your dog, dogs in hot carsof your car to reach a temperature that can cause heatstroke in your dog. According to Jules Benson DVM “Heat stroke can permanently damage a pet’s health very rapidly. The change of only a few degrees to a dog’s normal body temperature can quickly result in coma, organ dysfunction, permanent brain damage, even death”.

Your dog’s body temperature of 101°- 102.5° is already naturally higher than a human’s. Coupled with the fact that in minutes the temperature inside your car can soar to deadly levels even on a relatively cool spring or summer day. [Read more…]

6 Fun Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Your Pet

If you are like me you like to find fun ways to celebrate the holidays with your pet. Here are 6 simple and fun ideas on how to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with your pet. St. Patrick’s Day Pet .

st patrick's day pet

  1. Take your dog to a pet friendly restaurant to celebrate. At Lucky’s 

Lucky's Burger & BrewBurger & Brew in Atlanta your dog is welcome on the enclosed pup friendly patio. They have water bowls and dog treats for your furry friend.   [Read more…]

Bad Dog or Bored Dog? 10 Tips to Increase Good Behavior in Your Dog

Bad Dog or Bored Dog?

Is your dog bad or just bored?

If you ask me, there are no bad dogs, really. They are either bored and/or maybe justbad dog or bored dog haven’t been taught desirable positive behaviors. Dogs don’t want to misbehave. Quite the contrary, they want to make you happy. However, even when they have been taught/trained basic manners, if they are not getting what they need in terms of daily mental stimulation and physical exercise they may vent that energy in undesirable not to mention, negative ways.

 

See if any of these behaviors sound familiar…

[Read more…]

Coconut Oil for Dogs, Hot or Hype?

Coconut Oil for Dogs. Hot or Hype?

It seems every time you turn around there is a new discoveryCoconut Oil for dogs. What’s old is new, what’s new is old. Currently Coconut based products are all the rage. What are the benefits and downsides and how does this apply to your pets?? Coconut Oil for Dogs, Hot or Hype?

Coconut Oil is a Tropical Treat! Considered a “Superfood” Coconut Oil provides many benefits to pets (and people). From improving [Read more…]

Simple How-to Tips for Brushing Dog’s Teeth

Simple how-to tips for brushing your dog’s teeth.

Learn why brushing dog’s teeth is so important and see a simple step by step how-to demonstration.

Keeping your dog’s teeth clean affects the overall health of your dog. Dogs with poor tooth and gum hygiene can suffer from a myriad of health issues. Find out what scary brushing dog's teeththing lurks in that yellow tarter you see building up on your dog’s teeth. Learn what vital organs can be negatively affected by bacteria growing in your dog’s mouth. [Read more…]