Unleashed Unlimited
THE Dog Training Blog

This article comes to us from Wayne Booth, of Canine Behavior Specialists, a dog training company in Nashville, TN.  Wayne also offers dog training information on his blog at DogTrainingBlogger.com .  I hope you enjoy the article.

This is a question I am asked quite often…. here are my thoughts on the subject.

Bringing home a new family member is an exciting event in anyone’s life. You may thinking - “I don’t want my puppy to be alone. Maybe I should bring home his brother or sister to keep him company.” Is this idea a good one or not? There are several things to consider before bringing home two sibling pups.

To begin with, as you probably know, a single dog is a huge responsibility that should not be taken lightly. Puppies require a lot of time, effort, love and attention that will be a significant part of your life when they come home with you. Two puppies is twice the amount of time, effort, love and attention and twice the responsibility. Be sure that you have the desire and the resources to offer that to two new family members.

Another thing to consider is that when two dogs are raised together, they bond a lot more to their sibling than they do to their human companion. Oftentimes, this affects their capacity to be trained, as they have less a desire to please their human handlers than if they had had time to bond closely and solely with their master. If a dog has his brother or sister to be close to, they may very well wind up too close and pay more attention to their sibling than to you.

Dogs are pack animals and two dogs together are a pack. Remember that packs are powerful things that function away from and outside of human influence and can be tough, if not impossible, to control. When a pack forms, a pack order must be established and this can mean problems for your brother sister team. Fights can break out when the two are bickering for the alpha role. This means that one or both of them could get hurt and that they could easily develop aggression issues, which are very difficult to deal with as a human handler.

If you are considering taking home two puppies from the same litter because of your breeder’s influence, be cautious. Remember that this is the breeder’s business and they may be just trying to make an easy extra sale with you. If your breeder encourages taking home two puppies at once without discussing the difficulties that comes along with having sibling dogs, steer clear and seek out a different breeder.

On the plus side, a brother sister duo may keep each other company and be able to play with one another. This, however, can happen by raising one puppy to adulthood and adopting another after you have the first dog trained. This solution is far less difficult than raising sibling puppies at once.

Remember that dogs don’t have the same emotional bond with their families that humans do and that a dog can be perfectly happy raised far from any of his littermates. The concept “I don’t want to separate them!” is derived from inaccurate assumptions about a dog’s family attachments and can lead to a very difficult situation.

If you must raise two puppies from the same litter at once, be sure to be in contact with a good dog behaviorist and your breeder as your situation will require a lot of work and you’ll need professional and experienced advice!

Often times we get calls from prospective clients that are at the end of their ropes with their dog’s behavior.  We hear tales of the dog destroying furniture, jumping on people, digging in the yard, pulling on leashes, and so much more.  Their stories are usually followed up with the statement, “Either we train this dog, or we get rid of him!”  It is very apparent that they are not enjoying their relationship with their pets.

We all need to realize that dog training is not a last resort.  We need to view dog training as:

• An opportunity to establish a line of communication
• An approach that will teach them how to behave
• An effort to prevent problems before they arise
• A way to manage our pets
• An mentally stimulating outlet for their energy
• A means to an end of enjoying time spent with your pet

One thing that I wish more dog owners realized, is that your dog was not born knowing how to behave!  Without being taught, they have no understanding of the rules in which you want them to follow, they have no idea how to walk on a loose leash, and they don’t know the appropriate ways in which to greet a person.  When the dog’s behavior gets to be too much for us, we often resort to giving the dog to a shelter; this is not fair!  When considering how much time and money a dog involves, please factor in training; your pet will thank you.

These are just a few reasons to train your dog, I can think of at least 15 other reasons to train your dog. If you want to prevent misbehavior, start off on the right foot with your dog, or simply enjoy the experience of owning a dog, make sure to contact the best Dog Trainers in Austin.

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I realize that many peoples’ perceptions of dog training are different then mine.  But regardless of the training approach and expectations, training your dog does not end at the conclusion of your 4, 6, or 8 week training program.  Whether you realize it or not, your dog is always learning something; it is up to us to make sure they are learning the correct behaviors.

Let’s first decide what is training and when are you training.  Yes, training is the formal process of dedicating a certain amount of time to practice and teach your dogs new things, but more importantly it is communication.  Because we don’t want our dogs to ace their training lesson and then turn into complete lunatics when the formal session ends, we must realize that training also happens when you are eating dinner, answering the doorbell, walking them, and watching television.

As anyone who has taken part in any training program knows, you are taught to interact with your dog in certain ways.  Adding or eliminating body language cues, working your dog through confusion, following through and holding your dog accountable are all parts of what you were taught.  Remember, the goal of training your dog is not to have them behave when you are in class with your trainer; the goal of a training program is to have your dog behave in the reality that is your life.  Therefore, it is up to you to apply what you and your dog have learned into your daily lives and interactions, it is up to you to continue to practice and implement these things even after your dog has received their diploma.

So to answer the question posed in the title of this entry, you are never completely finished training your dog; there will always be communication based on the rules they were taught.  Of course as your dog’s behavior improves and he becomes a well balanced pet, you will not be spending as much time giving instruction.  However, in order to keep your dog’s desired behavior current, we do have to always continue to practice, implement and interact with our dogs as taught in class.  That means downing them when welcoming someone into your home, keeping them in a heel or at least a slacked leash when walking, and not allowing them to beg at the table - life is all still just one big training exercise.

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In America, 37% of dog owners own more then one dog.  Owning multiple dogs can be a lot of fun for you and your dogs, but owning multiple dogs can bring on new a new set of challenges as well.  It is important that you consider the pro and cons of owning multiple dogs before you take the plunge.

Evaluate your current dog’s behavior and your relationship. If you are experiencing behavior issues that stem from a lack of leadership, a second dog will not fix this.  Also, if you have no control over your current dog, it will only be worse with another dog that is also jumping on people, barking incessantly, and stealing things off of your counters.  Make sure your current dog behaves and is manageable on their own first.

Are you ready to train another dog? Remember all of that work and time you put into training your first dog, are you ready for round two?  Also consider that once you train your second dog, the training then shifts to training your two dogs together.  Additional training drills have to be done to iron out the wrinkles of walking them both at the same time, distinguishing who you are calling to you, and who should remain in a down, and many others.

Are you ready for your expenses to double? Remember, the cost of boarding, grooming, vet bills, food bills, money spent on beds, toys, leashes and collars will most likely double.  Dogs should each have their own bowls, beds, and leashes; somethings should not be shared.

It’s not going to be exactly the same. Remember how much of a lifestyle change you went through when you got your first dog?  Well, going from one dog to two dogs is going to be a lot easier.  You still have to arrange and adjust your schedule to feed and walk them, you still have to make boarding arrangements when you go out of town, and you still have to vacuum up all of that dog hair.  But, be prepared for possible new and different responsibilities and obligations that your new dog will bring into your life; such as medications, food allergies and other health issues that your first dog did not come with.

There are no guarantees that your dogs will automatically get along.  Although your dog plays well with others at the park, bringing a new dog into your home will be different.  Are you prepared to work through issues such as proper introductions, power struggles, and resource guarding?

These are just a few things to think about when considering a second dog.  Talk to your friends, family members, and co-workers that own multiple dogs and get their advice, opinions and suggestions for owning more then one dog; and make sure you are ready.  Please check back to our dog training blog for a future article that will provide information and tips on selecting a second dog.

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The place command is one of the most useful skills that you can teach your dog.  When we teach your dog to place, we are simply teach them to target a specific location and respect the boundary of that location. In the simplest definition, place simply means to put all four paws on an object (that is different from the ground) and remain on that object.

The object that you are using as a place can be a professional dog training placeboard, a dog bed, a bench, or anything else that a dog can comfortably get all four of their paws onto.  As your dog gets the concept of the place command, you can use your imagination and advance their skill level by placing them on other objects like tree stumps, a brick, and even your own body.

Placing is great for building the foundation for distance and distractions, because all your dog has to do is respect the boundary that we have taught them regardless of what is going on around them.  Many of the skills that Unleashed Unlimited teaches, revolve around the place command; the uses are endless.

*  Overall control and management of your dog

*  Can aid in training fearful dogs

*  Providing a familiar object in new environments

*  Making the dog aware of it’s entire body

*  Clearer definition of the heel position

*  Prevention of sloppy sits and downs

*  Teaching directionals

Stay tuned to our dog training blog for more tips and pointers on teaching your dog to place.  In a future entry we will cover selecting the right objects for placing, introducing your dog to the place, and simple body language tips to help your dog succeed.

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We are often asked, “How much should I feed my dog?” and “What is a good food to feed my dog?”  While there is no one food that every dog will do best with, and the amount of food varies by activity level, brand, age and weight of each dog, there are rules, guidelines, and responsibility should be practiced when it comes to feeding our dogs.

* Do not free feed your dog! Free feeding (food is always in their bowl and available to them) is possibly one of the most common and harmful mistakes a pet owner can make.  Besides it being a very important leadership mistake, free feeding can quickly add a lot of unhealthy weight to a dog and lead to greater problems down the road.  You should control the food in your home; you decide and regulate the amount of food your dog eats, and when they eat it.

*  Be in control of the food. Food is a resource that belongs to you, therefore you should be able to pet your dog during feedings, put your hands in the food, take up the bowl at will, and return it to them without any growling, biting, or serious guarding issues (if you are experiencing this, we urge you to contact a professional to help you deal with the issue). If you live in a household with multiple dogs and are not controlling the food, it is likely one of the dogs in the house have taken that responsibility upon themselves and often times leads to behavior issues amongst themselves.

* Feed your dog a high quality food. Many inexpensive dog foods contain a large percentage of fillers, such as corn.  Only a very small amount of the corn and other fillers are actually digested by your dog, the rest is just passed out in the form of solid waste.  Smaller amounts of high quality food can be fed to your dog because more of the nutrients and other ingredients are digested, resulting in less waste.

*  Do not over feed your dog. On the back of most dog food bags, a suggested amount of food is usually recommended based on the age and weight of your dog.  However, please remember the source of this information - THE DOG FOOD MANUFACTURER!  Often times dog food companies will suggest feeding your dog larger amounts of food in attempts to sell more of their product, and in many cases a lot of the food is un-digestible fillers.

*  Food can be used as a motivator. If you are implementing food into your training sessions, feel free to use some of their kibble.  Kibble is much more nutritious and contains far less calories then the decadent treats that owners often feed their dogs.  When using kibble in training, subtract that amount from their daily intake.  In other words, if your dog eats 1 cup of food at night, use 1/4 cup for training and feed the remaining 3/4 cup as their meal.

*  Be consistent in your feedings. As much as possible, try to feed your dog at the same time of the day, in the same location.  Consistent feedings will aid younger dogs with potty training, and get them into a routine. However, as your schedule varies, your dogs will adjust.  Also, don’t switch brands or flavors all the time.  When introducing a new flavor or brand, the new food should be mixed with the old food in the proper ratios over the course of a few days or weeks.

*  Do not confuse food with love. Take them for a walk, play fetch, or groom them; these are better ways to show your dog you love them then stuffing them full of food and treats.  Giving your dog more and more food and treats will not get them to love you any more.

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This article comes to us from Brice Cavanugh, of Team Dog!, a dog training company with locations in Chicago and St. Louis.  Team Dog! prides themselves in providing an educational, entertaining, friendly, functional and innovative experience of uncompromising quality that meets the dog training needs of the entire family, building balanced relationships through clear communication.  Brice has written an excellent article on Halloween tips that will help keep our pets and ourselves safe this Halloween.  Enjoy!

Halloween can be an especially trying time for our furry friends, so Team Dog! has put together a list of 13 tips to help you and yours avoid the common problems associated with the most dangerous holiday for dogs!

1.  Make sure that your dog’s ID tag is up to date and secure on their collar…just in case!

2. Keep candy away from your dog! Many candies can be toxic to dogs as well as being a choking hazard!  Wrappers of eaten candies can be of concern as well!

3.  Supervise! Children and dogs should always be supervised together, and this is especially true during this high energy holiday!

4.  Protect dogs from Jack-O-Lanterns, candles and the like.  Besides the obvious problems of getting into a flame, wagging tails can knock over items that can cause big trouble!

5.  Costumes. Many can be chewing/choking hazards, and some dogs just don’t like the constricting nature that most costumes create.  It may be fun for us, but consider your dog!  Make sure that your dog has good peripheral vision to enable them to fully use their senses…

6.  The eyes have it! Costumes worn by humans can take away a dog’s ability to see strangers as they are accustomed to meeting them (in addition to scent).  Hidden eyes can create insecurity in your dog, which can elicit defensive postures and actions.  Let your dog smell your costumes prior to your putting them on, and ease them into this new phenomena!

7.  Don’t take your dog out Trick or Treating with you! Many dogs are balanced and comfortable with this, but many are not.  It is human nature on this holiday to play pranks and scare fellow holiday goers, but your dog may not understand, and therefore protect his family!  Be aware of this!  It is only one day, he will probably be just as content to sleep through it, which leads us to…

8.  Provide a safe and quiet place for your dog. Many dogs look at their crates as a sanctuary (good training!), or a quiet room will serve the same purpose.  Allowing your dog to avoid the craziness of doorbells, strange costumes and the volume of visitors is an excellent way to help your dog through the evening.

9.  Practice your recall! Dog s should come when called, and practicing this skill can be life-saving!  Door bolting is a huge concern when the door is answered and opened dozens of times within an evening.

10.  Holiday decorations, like Silly String™ are fun to play with, for both you and your pet…but they should only be playing with toys designed for them and under your supervision.

11.  Exercise your dog prior to the festivities kicking off!  Having them mentally and physically spent helps them to relax better!

12.  Help your dog through trying times. Reassurance can be helpful, but make sure that you are not encouraging undesired behavior.  Optimally, refer to #8, but if you want your dog out and about, be aware of their state of mind and reward/discourage accordingly!

13.  Have fun! Our pets can be a wonderful part of our celebration, but if they are overwhelmed, the opposite can be true!  There is no need to create a problem that could take weeks to fix just to have a good time for a couple of hours, but if your dog can handle it, then have a blast!

For more great information, dog training tips, and videos, or if you are looking for Dog Training in Chicago, be sure to visit the website of Team Dog!

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  Back on September 23rd, we published a post called Your Dog Swallowed What?! which discussed the dangers foreign objects can cause if swallowed by dogs.  The post contained a few pictures of x-rays showing different objects ingested by dogs (please click here to see those pictures), and it was up to you to guess those objects.  Here are the results…

1. Bottle cap  2. Power chord to a Mac Book  3. Golf ball  4. Toy figurine  5. Rock

Although no one guessed all five objects correct, the person who came the closest, missing only the rock, and the winner of the Unleashed Unlimited T-shirt was Jillian K of K-9 Athletes.

K-9 Athletes is a great blog that discusses dock diving events, competition successes and stories, helpful dog ownership tips, great dog equipment and other aspects of active K-9’s.  Check out Jillian’s site, it is a great resource for all things related to dock diving and K-9 Athletes.

Thank you to everyone who posted their guesses, please check back for more contests in the future.

At one time or another, most of us think that our dog must be the smartest dog in the world.  At the same time I know some of us have thought that our dog can’t be all that bright!  But have you ever wondered what types of dogs are actually smarter than others?  A few years ago scientists developed and implemented an IQ test for dogs, and here are the Top 10 Smartest Dog Breeds!

10.  Australian Cattle Dog

9.  Rottweiler

8.  Papillon

7.  Labrador Retriever

6.  Shetland Sheepdog

5.  Doberman Pinscher

4.  Golden Retriever

3.  German Shepherd

2. Poodle

1.  Border Collie

So what does this mean?  Does it mean that just because you own a dog on this list, they are born knowing how to behave or they don’t need training?  Of course not, owning an intelligent dog can have its drawbacks; the smart ones are usually the dogs that give us the most problems as they are constantly finding new ways to get into trouble.  Does this mean that all dogs not on this list are dumb or cannot be trained?  Once again, the answer is no.

All dogs, just like people, learn differently than others.  Due to the numerous dog breeds, personality differences within the same breed, unknown social histories, aggression, fear, or other phobias, there is no one way to train a dog.  Training always has to be approached from a variety of different angles; it is up to the trainer to use an approach that works best for each particular dog.  The end result may be the same, but the path taken to get there may be completely different from one dog to another.

If you are looking for dog training in Austin, give Unleashed Unlimited a call and set up a FREE Demo and Evaluation.  Dog training is about communication, not only with us and our dog, but between people as well.  We will gladly discuss your issues and concerns relating to your dog, your problem areas, training goals, and everything else that is important to you and your family.

Every person has their own definition or image of an aggressive dog, a lot of people may think that all Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, and Dobermans are aggressive.  I have seen many fantastically mannered Pit Bulls who are great around other dogs, children and people; of course the dogs were not born that way, no dog is, regardless of breed.  I firmly believe that breed characteristics are somewhat important in selecting a dog, but training, education, and socialization are more important factors.  This article is not about breed specific issues or legislation, it isn’t even so much about dog training in the traditional sense, it is about educating people on how to prevent dog bites.

Each year in America, dogs bite over 4 million people, and almost 25% of those bites require medical attention; half of these are children.  About 386,000 cases require treatment in an emergency department, and about 12 people die each year.  These are some alarming stats, and as long as dogs have teeth, they will bite.  At the same time there are some things we can do to prevent dog bites to our children and ourselves.

• Never approach a dog you don’t know. Yes, this still remains true in a dog park.  Remember, these are tips on how to AVOID being bit by a dog; always ask the dog’s owner if you can pet their dog.
• Do not scream and run away from a dog. Fast movement and high pitch sounds can evoke prey drive in some dogs.  Prey drive is a natural instinct in dogs that involves chase and the capture of prey.  All dogs have prey drive to some degree, do yourself and your children a favor and never scream and run away from a dog.
• Don’t pet a dog without letting him see you first. When dogs are sleeping or looking in another direction, a pet on the head or side from us can startle them.  Even if YOUR dog is “friendly”, you can still surprise the dog and you may get nipped; he didn’t do it to be mean, he was just surprised.
• Treat all dogs with respect. If you are petting another person’s dog, don’t pull their tail, put your fingers in their ears, touch their feet, or try to take a ball or toy out of their mouth.  Owners should make sure that their dogs are comfortable with this type of touch, but don’t just assume that they are.
• Recognize when a dog does not want to be bothered. Does the dog in the picture above look like he wants to interact with you?  Don’t chase a dog all over the house or yard in order to pet him.
• Never leave a child alone with a dog. Children and dogs are great matches, but they have to be supervised.  I have seen many children easily annoy very friendly and outgoing dogs, please monitor your kids and dogs.

These are just a few important tips on how to prevent a dog bite.  Yes, I am in total favor of promoting responsible pet ownership, but at the end of the day it is up to you to ensure the safety of yourself and your family.

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