What is owner compliance and why is it so important

As a professional dog trainer and dog behavior counselor, I can easily determine the best steps to take to get a desired behavior with a dog.  I quickly can visualize the best dog training program and the quickest route to longevity in a behavior.  I know how to utilize great management skills until the desired behavior is achieved and has become a reliable new habit for a dog.  I know what dog behavior is risky, unsafe or detrimental to the well-being of a dog.  I will ensure a dogs success to the best of my ability and will likely see good results quickly and continue the training and spot check throughout a dogs life to keep the behavior strong and reliable. 

In other words, I know how to successfully train dogs, change behavior problems, and have a safe dog. Why then arent all the dogs who have come through classes or private training with me as successful?

One reason is that I have many years under my belt training dogs.  Not just training owners and their dogs, but actual hands on experience working and training individual dogs.  Which means I have good timing. I can see in the future a potential behavior problem so I am pro-active in my training to prevent this problem.  I reinforce quickly and often. 

These are some of the skills that dog parents have to learn.  It takes time, patience, and consistency.  Dogs (and humans for that matter) are learning ALL the time.  There are not training times and non-training times.  Its all training time.  They are always learning.  I repeat, they are always learning.

But the biggest issue I see with the likeliness of a dogs success isnt the timing of their human, but owner compliance. I can train dogs.  But its the owner who is in the drivers seat when it comes to their dogs behavior.  There are many reasons (I can only imagine how many you can come up with) why a dog owner may not actively work with their dog.  But the bottom line is, if a behavior is going to change, the work has to get done. If an owner does not put the effort or time into training or a dog behavior modification program, there will not be change, for the better.  And in most cases, the behavior will actually get WORSE.

It can be very tough raising a puppy or adolescent dog.  It can even be tougher living with a dog with

anxiety or aggression issues.  But there is hope!  When clients are actively working with their dogs on the lessons I give them they are tickled with the results.  Positive training is effective with the right coach.......but you do have to do the work to get the results.  Believe me, if I could waive a magic wand, or show you a quicker route to long term success, I would!  I would be a very rich woman if I had those tools.  And if those tools existed, there would not be dogs in shelters.

So if you are ready to learn how to achieve success in dog training, contact me today.  I offer local services, travel to you across the US and offer phone/email dog training too.

Tonya Wilhelm-Global Dog Training http://www.globaldogtraining.com

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How Well Is Your Havanese Groomed

How Well Is Your Havanese Groomed?

The reason one should groom his/her Havanese is simple - your dogs physical state influences the way he feels and the way you look at your dog. Extreme cases, where lack of proper care, cleaning and grooming can directly affect the behavior of your Havanese, are not rare.

Proper grooming not only infuses a healthy glow to your dogs appearance, but also helps develop his self-esteem; while it makes you a very proud parent, when you show off your Havanese to others.
The first step involved in dog grooming is: Brushing!

Brushing has been universally acknowledged by expert dog groomers as the single most important step in grooming.

The benefits of brushing are many. To name a few:

• Better blood circulation
• Shinier and healthier coat
• Better bonding

Subscribe to this FREE dog grooming mini course and learn more about brushing and combing and other grooming tools and their applications.

Even if you know how crucial brushing is for your Dogs health and well-being, we all know that there is a right way and a wrong way of doing anything. And without doubt, you would like to do everything the RIGHT way when it comes to your Havanese.

Yes, theres a method to follow while brushing your Havanese.

Here are FIVE steps to successfully brushing your Havanese that will prove to be extremely useful:

• Brush against the growth of the hair first with a slicker brush and then with a medium or wide-toothed comb.
  
  
• The slicker brush removes all the loose hair and the comb takes care of the tangles.
  
  
• Brush your Havanese along the hair growth and make sure you reach the skin as you brush his way.
  
  
• Then use a flea comb over the coat to get the fleas and remove any remaining tangles. Part the coat and start from the root and then comb through.
  
  
• If your Dogs paw pads are hairy, then clip them using electric clippers. Do not clip the hair in between the pads. Clip only the excess hair.

Brush your Dogs hairs to prevent it from matting. Matting can be a very painful experience.

Regular brushing untangles the matted hairs on your Dogs coat. Since this is a risky job to do, the best way out is to prevent them from forming in the first place. And doing this is simple: just brush and comb your Havanese regularly. If and when you see any mats or tangles, use a detangle solution and a medium-toothed comb.

Dont wait until your Havanese is dirty or matted to introduce him to grooming. That would make him associate the experience with unpleasantness. Moreover, many dogs learn to see their routine brushing as an alternate form of petting, i.e. another source of affection and attention.

Subscribe to this FREE dog grooming mini course and start Grooming your Dog all by yourself right from the comfort of your home Today.

Copyright (c) 2009 TrainPetDog.com

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Spring Is Here! list of plants that can be harmful to your dog

Its been a week since spring has officially started and it is getting warmer!

You know what else happens in spring?

 Flowers! All kinds of different flowers are blossoming in the spring time!

Yay for beautiful scenery and an awesome back drop for photos right?!

Well I wanted to make this post about flowers and plants because although they can be extremely beautiful they can also be extremely dangerous for your dog! Check your yard for plants that could possibly harm your dog and avoid buying them for planting to make sure your yard is puppy-proofed for spring!

Here is a list of the top ten most dangerous plants for your dog! Remember to never induce vomiting and contact your vet if you believe that your dog has ate something poisonous.

Lets keep our doggys safe this spring!

click link for more information on the harm each plant may cause your dog.

1. Autumn Crocus

2. Azalea

3. Cyclamen

 4. Kalanchoe

5. Lilies

6. Oleander

6. Dieffenbachia

  

7. Daffodils

  

8. Lily of the Valley

9. Sago Palm

  

10. Tulips and Hyacinths

Here is the list on ---> petpoisonhelpline

Here is a complete list of poisonous plants for your dogs at ---> ASPCA

Image credits to google search engine.

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The feeling of winning is very short lived

For the past 2 years (since I first started road racing) I have been racing Masters B grade. One DNF, mostly I just finished with the main peloton.

One week ago saw this change. I used the little bit of experience I have gained in the past 2 years & made it to the top step of the podium of an Open B Grade 84km road race.

The feeling of winning is very short lived.

Racing with integrity against/with good people, maintaining & forging new friendships lasts a lot longer. Then, at the end of every race, regardless of the result that winning feeling lasts a lot longer.

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What is a Healthy Dog Treat

You may have found our website by searching for "healthy dog treats".  But what does that phrase even mean?  Im sure a lot of people have a lot of strong opinions on the subject of healthy dog treats.  So, I will just give you my thoughts and what I consider when feeding Dexter The Dog his dog treats.  I wont review any particular dog treats on this page, but you can visit our dog treat reviews, dog chew bone reviews, dog food and dog mix reviews here and even how to stuff a hollow dog chew.

The very first thing I do when choosing a healthy dog treat for Dexter is look at the ingredients.  Yes, the actual ingredient list, not just the photos on the front of the package which can actually be very deceiving.  Even the "flavor" can be deceiving.  You might be surprised to learn that sometimes when a dog treat says "chicken flavor" they truly mean chicken flavor, and not any real chicken!  So that leads to my first No ingredient.





My top 10 ingredients that should NOT be in dog treats:

1. Flavors of any kind, natural or artificial- No artificial or natural "flavors" of any kind.  If it says "flavor" in the ingredient list, back on the shelf it goes.  Its not real food guys.  And if its not a real food ingredient, it  has no place in my dogs treat, or dog food.
2. Added salt, regular or sea salt- Nope, no reason to add salt in my dogs treat.  Every living creature needs sodium in their diet, but too much can cause problems such as seizures, diarrhea & extra water intake.  A lot of foods have natural occurring sodium, so you do not need extra salt added to treats.
3. Sugar or any kind including high corn fructose, corn syrup or cane sugar- I shouldnt need to tell you this.  If we add sugar or high corn fructose we are truly just adding empty calories.  Not only are these ingredients bad for our dogs health, they will also hop them up & they can become hyperactive. 
4. Sorbitol-A sugar commonly found in berries, but prepared synthetically.
5. By-products or digest- Ewww  I want to make sure my dog receives healthy food not what is left on the floor of some meat manufacturing plant.  Or carcasses from veterinarian practices!  Scary, isnt it?  Again, I want to know what is in that bag of treats.
6. Coloring, artificial or natural- Why?  Why would a pet treat manufacturer put dye or coloring in my dogs treat?  To please the consumers eyes of course.  Especially when we are talking about artificial food coloring.  Artificial anything is a chemical process & has a long list of possible side effects.  And dont be fooled by "natural food coloring".  Natural can be made by things like bugs & rocks!
7. Animal fat or anything "animal" "meat"- What kind of animal or meat?  Again, what the heck is in there anyway?  When I read it, I should have a very clear picture of what it is.
8. Chemical Preservatives - Chemical preservatives of any kind should be avoided.  Healthy does not equate to chemicals.  No BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene), BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole), Ethoxyquin, TBHQ (tertiary butylhydroquinone), Propyl Gallate, Propylene glycol, Sodium Nitrite.  BHA, BHT & Ethoxyquin  are banned in human foods.
9. Corn, wheat or soy-A lot of our dog friends are allergic or have a low tolerance to these ingredients.  According to PetCareRX, that excessive soy may contain estrogen that might provide some estrogen-like activity in your dog & contribute to slightly lower thyroid hormone levels.
10. Glycerin, vegetable glycerin or glycerole-Glycerin or glycerole can actually be produced as a by-product of diesel fuel!  It will be unlikely you will know the difference from reading the ingredient list (although vegetable glycerin is plant based, not from fuel).  This is an ingredient in dog treats that helps make a treat soft & sugary.  It is not uncommon for dogs to get a big case of diarrhea from eating treats with this product.  Dexter is one of them.

So what does that leave us?  Well, a lot of things really.  When Dexter gets something to eat, whether organic or wild caught in countries or bodies of water that are known to be clean & environmentally friendly.  No China of course.  So that leads to sourcing of the ingredients.  Read the article on Organic Dog Food to understand a bit more about organic & labeling.

its his dog food or dog treats I want it to be real food.  Things that I can find in real life, not something that is synthetically made, or a by-product of something else.  I personally prefer ingredients that are

After I look at the ingredient list of Dexters potential healthy dog treats, the next thing I want to know is where were the INGREDIENTS SOURCED.  "Made in the USA" only means that the treat was put together in The States, not that the ingredients came from the US.  So, sometimes you have to do a little digging to find this out.  Most dog treat manufacturers that use only US or another safe country (there are other countries with better food regulations than us in the US) for their ingredients will proudly state that either on the bag or on their website.  If not, some digging & contacting may be in order.

Once all this checks out, the next thing I have to decide is what is the purpose of the new healthy dog treat.  Meaning, if Im going to do a lot of dog training using the treat, I want it to be pretty much a single source food item (100% cod, beef, etc).  This allows a few things to occur.  One, the treat will likely have a high-value & keep Dexters attention on me around various distractions.  Two, there wont be "extra stuff" in the treat, so I can actually count the treat (remember, its really meat) as part of his daily calories.

If on the other hand Im just going to have these  healthy treats in our treat cupboard for random snacks I do not mind if the treat has other ingredients besides or instead of meat.  As long as they dont need to keep a high-value & they are not getting dished out like I do when Im training a new behavior.  Even though these treats are "healthy" I still consider them like candy bars.  A little goes a long way.

So there you have it.  This is my starting point when determining if a dog treat is truly healthy for Dexter.  I do buy healthy & organic dog treats for Dexter, but I also make homemade dog treats too!   You can download 5 free dog treat recipes here to give it a whirl.  I hope you enjoyed this post & thank you for taking your dogs health seriously.

Tonya Wilhelm-Global Dog Training http://www.globaldogtraining.com

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Is Your Rottweiler Potty Trained Enough

Is Your Rottweiler Potty Trained Enough?

House Training a puppy or adult Rottweiler is such an essential issue for its owner that even a single exclusive tip turns out to be extremely helpful.

The first step in making your Rottweiler fit for polite company would be to potty train him. Some see this training as a hassle and some as a challenge.

For me, it is part of bringing up a pet.

Click here to subscribe to a FREE course on housetraining puppies and dogs.

There are a few things you need to know before you actually start potty training a puppy or adult Rottweiler. I enumerate these below:

• You need to understand your dogs body language. Watch for signs that will indicate to you when your pet wants to eliminate.

• If you own puppies, remember that they need to go potty at fairly frequent intervals - as soon as they wake up, after short naps, after play-time, after meals, before and after being crated and finally, before retiring for the night.

• Take your Rottweiler for walks at the time that he usually does his potty. Take him out to the yard and then to the same place there every time he needs to answer natures call.

• Praise your Rottweiler after he eliminates at the right place. Some Rottweiler owners even give treats to their dogs. But remember to do this every time he does it right. He will relate the rewards to his having "done it right" and zero in on the spot where you want him to defecate regularly.

• With time, you can try signal training. This is so that you know when your doggie wants to go. You can hang a bell at his level near the door and teach him to push it with his nose or pat it with his paw on his way out.

• Until your Rottweiler has been fully potty trained keep him under strict vigilance. Do not let him roam around the house freely.

• Use a crate. A crate-trained Rottweiler is usually very happy to get his own den. The advantage of crating is that dogs do not soil the place where they sleep. So, he will naturally not eliminate inside the crate.

• If you have a small dog and if you live in a high-rise building or in a place that does not have a proper backyard, you can try litter pan training. What you do is create a space for your pet to eliminate in your house itself.

• Use positive reinforcements while housebreaking puppies or adult dogs. Do not scold or hit him as you will gain nothing by doing that. He will only associate punishment with your return from outside. If you catch him in the act, a stern NO or FREEZE will do. It will startle the Rottweiler enough for him to stop pooping.

• Be prepared to return to a soiled home if you are keeping your Rottweiler home alone for more than 4 hours as separation anxiety is quite common among home - alone dogs.

• Accidents will happen. It is unusual for a trained adult Rottweiler to work against its house training. But medical problems or health disorders may lead to sudden accidents.

• Many dogs mark their territory. These can be a leg of a table or a particular wall. Intact male and female dogs mark their territories by urinating. Use deodorizers to spray on the places where your Rottweiler has marked.

• If you are patient and are ready to accept that house training a dog takes time, even months sometimes, you will end up having a good housetrained Rottweiler.

Click here to subscribe to a FREE course on house training puppies and dogs.

Now we will move on to how to potty train puppies and adult dogs.

Potty Training A Puppy:

Irrespective of breeds, housetraining a puppy is considered to be one of the biggest challenges by dog owners. If you think housetraining your puppy simply involves a steady supply of old newspapers, then think again.

A puppy does not develop full control over his bladder until it is over 4 or 5 months old. Since they are growing and developing rapidly at this time, puppies eat more, burn more calories and need to eliminate more frequently than an adult Rottweiler.

After each nap, meal, drink or play, take your puppy to his designated area (indoors or outdoors, wherever you have decided) and stay there until it eliminates. Then bring him to his crate.

Repeat this situation every day until he has developed a habit out of it.

Click here to subscribe to a FREE course on housebreaking a puppy.

Potty Training An Adult Rottweiler:

The best way to housetrain an adult Rottweiler is to begin all over again.

Observe him very closely. Maybe even maintain a diary of where he goes and when. Whether he is pooping when you are home or only when you are outside; whether you can time yourself to be home when he feels the need to go outside.

You can try dog crates, but be careful to introduce him gradually to them.

Click here to subscribe to a FREE course on potty training a dog.

Remember, commitment, consistency and intelligent use of positive reinforcement will make you the owner of a perfectly housetrained Rottweiler. Dont expect miracles. You will only be disappointed.

Get this FREE course on potty training a dog.

Get this unique Housetraining guide and start Housebreaking Your Rottweiler Today.

Copyright (c) 2009 TrainPetDog.com

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XPD If this is hell then I am in heaven

X

What is expedition racing?

XPD racing very quickly becomes less about racing & more about surviving & experiences. Here is my account of XPD adventures. "It is as much an adventure as a race"

About 9 months ago, I showed a sniff of interest in doing what is easily the longest & toughest expedition length race in Australia. The next thing I know I am gearing up & training for the race with team Ay Up Grylls.

After a 2 day drive from Brisbane to Cairns in 2 cars full of crap (ok not so much crap, more like food, gortex, pretty red adventure racing shoes...) the feeling of "what have I just gotten myself into started pop up.

So much important, race specific details occured in the first few days. But for the reader it would be very boring.

One of our goals was to complete the 700-800kms course. This did not happen. It was becoming increasingly apparent as the days passed that we would not complete the course. (About 20 out of the 48 teams that started finished the course)



One of MY most important goals was to have an adventure of a life time with my partner Kirstie. This did happen cementing a solid reference point in our relationship.

Day one: Start, Dunk Island. A quick scoot around the trails, pick up a couple of check points then the 4 of us got into one of these...



...ocean paddled to a check point jumped out, snorkelled to a couple of markers. We had to do this twice. Back to the main jetty & then again the 4 of us got back into the boat for a channel crossing, at night.



Overloaded, full of water the entire way, swell washing over the sides of the boat. I am glad I spend a few $ on a good dry bag for my pack. Once at the transition area guess what? "We get to go for a ride!" Do you remember how sore your butt was when you first started riding a bike? Well if you have forgotten, pop an xpd pack on, get on your bike & ride.

As with xpd racing, this blog entry can easily just go on & on & on... "are we there yet? are we there yet???

Here is a brief of the next 7 days... Hiked, rode, navigated, sweated, tired, 2 min sleeps, paddled, hauled boats over rapids, walked, ate chocolate, drank river water, slept under the stars, rested, laughed, highs, lows & lots, lots more.

I will let this slide show tell you some more stories.

As much as I loved every aspect of XPD & adventure racing, my passion still remains on two wheels in the dirt.

Until next time: Reward is something you get with effort.

dog

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What is Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement. I say this word in excess when I tell people how I train dogs and that is because it is very important! So what exactly is it pertaining to dog training?

Well first off, there are two types of reinforcements. Positive and negative.

Negative reinforcement means that the dog will work to avoid something he finds unpleasant

 a few examples of negative reinforcement are

Water squirt to face, raising your voice, citronella spray, shaker can, being ignored, removing a food treat, pinch collar corrections, shock collars, choke chain, losing his play mate, removing toy

(Im going to group dominance rolls, stare downs and all other pack leader forms in here. I dont use them and personally dont think any other trainer should either but it happens.)

On the other end of the line with positive reinforcement the dog works to get something he likes. When you give your dog positive reinforcement after he does a desirable behavior he is more likely to repeat that behavior again.

a few things that could be used as positive reinforcement are
walks, attention, petting, treats, car rides, going outside, playing with their favorite toy, playing with other dogs

All trainers use different pieces of both positive and negative reinforcements in their training styles.
 

Negative reinforcements are imperative for dog training. For instance, if your dog isnt understanding a cue you can simply turn your back and ignore him which is kind of like a refresh so the dog can understand he is not doing correctly what you had asked of him. Ignoring him confuses him and makes the dog have time to take a small break from training. My style of training excludes most of the negative reinforcements that fall under positive punishment.

Now what is positive punishment?
Well, there are also two types of punishment and they BOTH involve negative reinforcements.

Positive punishment involves giving a negative consequence for an undesirable behavior the moment the dog does said undesirable behavior.

Negative punishment is the when you take away something the dog likes the moment he does an undesirable behavior.

To break that down for you, let me take all the examples from the negative reinforcement list and group them into positive punishment and negative punishment categories.

 

Positive Punishment

Water squirt to face, pinch collar correction, shock collar correction, choke chain correction, shaker can, raised voice, pack leader dominance rolls and stare downs etc.

 

Negative punishment

removal of food treat, losing play mate, taking away a toy, ignoring the dog

Earlier I said I exclude *most* of the negative reinforcements that are grouped into positive punishment. By this I am saying there are some times when you have exhausted every other option, you may find that positive punishments are all you have left to try. I dont believe, however, that they are the first things trainers should try when working with dogs.

Let me get into choke and prong collars real quick.
I cringe whenever I walk by people who have no clue what theyre doing when it comes to using prong or choke collars. If you want to use these there is absolutely a right and wrong way of using them, so find someone who can show you the correct way so you are not harming your dog by the use of them. Also they are meant solely for training. Do not let your dog loose with them around the house or yard because they could potentially get caught on something and choke your dog to death. I do know the proper use but how about I give you an alternative instead! If your dog is having problems with training or learning how to walk on a loose leash look into head collars instead! They are a great tool with almost instant results!

Please click here to go to my blog page about head collars  if you would like to learn more.

Pro Tip: If you have a strong "no" cue with your dog you may be able to avoid using positive punishments altogether!

In summary, my training style is based off of Positive reinforcements and Negative Punishments. This training style has proven to be very successful because dogs learn by association! When your doggy is living life earning things he likes by doing good things it keeps you, the owner, happy and also keeps your dog happy! This type of training also builds a very confident dog because they will not live in fear of getting corrective punishments if they do not listen to you. 

 

My biased opinion says if you are looking for a trainer in your area try finding a trainer who bases their techniques off  positive reinforcements so your dog too can live a happy and confident lifestyle!

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How Well Is Your Rottweiler Groomed

How Well Is Your Rottweiler Groomed?

The reason one should groom his/her Rottweiler is simple - your dogs physical state influences the way he feels and the way you look at your dog. Extreme cases, where lack of proper care, cleaning and grooming can directly affect the behavior of your Rottweiler, are not rare.

Proper grooming not only infuses a healthy glow to your dogs appearance, but also helps develop his self-esteem; while it makes you a very proud parent, when you show off your Rottweiler to others.
The first step involved in dog grooming is: Brushing!

Brushing has been universally acknowledged by expert dog groomers as the single most important step in grooming.
The benefits of brushing are many. To name a few:

• Better blood circulation
• Shinier and healthier coat
• Better bonding

Subscribe to this FREE dog grooming mini course and learn more about brushing and combing and other grooming tools and their applications.

Even if you know how crucial brushing is for your Dogs health and well-being, we all know that there is a right way and a wrong way of doing anything. And without doubt, you would like to do everything the RIGHT way when it comes to your Rottweiler.

Yes, theres a method to follow while brushing your Rottweiler.

Here are FIVE steps to successfully brushing your Rottweiler that will prove to be extremely useful:

• Brush against the growth of the hair first with a slicker brush and then with a medium or wide-toothed comb.
  
  
• The slicker brush removes all the loose hair and the comb takes care of the tangles.
  
  
• Brush your Rottweiler along the hair growth and make sure you reach the skin as you brush his way.
  
  
• Then use a flea comb over the coat to get the fleas and remove any remaining tangles. Part the coat and start from the root and then comb through.
  
  
• If your Dogs paw pads are hairy, then clip them using electric clippers. Do not clip the hair in between the pads. Clip only the excess hair.

Brush your Dogs hairs to prevent it from matting. Matting can be a very painful experience.

Regular brushing untangles the matted hairs on your Dogs coat. Since this is a risky job to do, the best way out is to prevent them from forming in the first place. And doing this is simple: just brush and comb your Rottweiler regularly. If and when you see any mats or tangles, use a detangle solution and a medium-toothed comb.

Dont wait until your Rottweiler is dirty or matted to introduce him to grooming. That would make him associate the experience with unpleasantness. Moreover, many dogs learn to see their routine brushing as an alternate form of petting, i.e. another source of affection and attention.

Subscribe to this FREE dog grooming mini course and start Grooming your Dog all by yourself right from the comfort of your home Today.

Copyright (c) 2009 TrainPetDog.com

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Full Steam Ahead XPD is back on track

After many back & forth emails with, at the time a potential 4th team member, we managed to convince Kreig we were decent group of 3 & talked him into joining our team.

Kreigs current career allowed him enough excuses to become unhealthy & overweight. A few changes, a 1/2 marathon, then a full marathon, now ultra marathons... I have seen these crazy, obsessed ultra marathon runners on the long, undulating fire trails in the Brisbane forest park. They are about 55kg with a back pack on & never stop! He will do just fine on our team.

Welcome to Team 145 L-Attitude Kreig.


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Is Your Dog Always Running Away

If youre experiencing issues with your dog always running away, there are numerous things to look at first. In this article I hope to first direct you towards things you can change and be sure you are doing, then hopefully direct you towards a way to keep your dog from needing to escape in the first place. Dogs escape for a few reasons, lets look at those first.

Dogs, like us, get bored. The difference is we can call up a friend and go out in the town or go shopping, fishing, or what ever it is we all like to do. Dogs are usually found stuck at home. Put your self in their shoes. If you were stuck at home ALL the time, wouldnt you look for ways to escape too? Now even if you were stuck at home all the time, you would still be able to watch TV, read a book, play on the computer, clean the house, and lots of other things. We can even eat when we want to eat. Dogs on the other hand are usually left with nothing to occupy them at all. Take away all the things you can do and think about how awfully bored you would be!

Dogs also have a lot of energy. They need ways to burn this energy. If youre not giving this to them, then yes, they are going to look for a way to do this themselves. Running away is usually what they come up with, only its a lot of fun because they arent having to pull their owner along behind them on a leash trying to go and do what they want. They can simply just go!

Not only do dogs have a lot of energy, they also have a mind. Their mind also needs a way to be stimulated. Think about a slow day at work and your just sitting there watching the clock. Arent you bored out of your mind? Dogs get this way too! Do something with them, anything! Play a game, training, tricks, interactive toys, anything to get them thinking! Save them from being bored out of their mind! If you dont, once again they will look for a way to save themselves, usually ending up in trouble or running away.

Dogs need to get out of the house! Dont let them be locked up at the house ALL the time. Even if they are outside. Take them with you on errands, take them for a walk where they can go up to people and see others. Let them sniff the trees and go on an adventure! Schedule play dates with other dogs, if they like other dogs, or with kids if they like kids and you know some. Take them to the park if they are allowed. Sign up for some classes you can take them too. Getting them out will help prevent them from the need of running away.

Now, if you have done all the above and your dog is still running away, then perhaps he has a special place or thing he likes to do when he is out. Perhaps you should try to play detective and see if you can follow him. Maybe he goes to a certain persons house every day that has kids, lets him in, gives him left overs and loves on him all day before sending him back home. Maybe hes met a certain dog that he just loves to play with. If you are able to follow him and see where he is going, and you find that this is the case, you can try to set up a time with that person, or the owner of the dog, to have your dog come over and play.

Your dog could also just know of some great places to get food. Lots of restaurants tend to put food out in the dumpsters and such, perhaps hes found a great one with a lot of food to eat. See if you can find out where your dog is going, what hes doing there, and if there is anything you can do in your time with him to provide the same thing. He obviously loves this activity so much he escapes the yard to do it! Youll find a lot of dogs who escape tend to have a routine they do. Find out what that routine is.


Once you have looked into fulfilling all of your dogs needs, now you can look into ways to go about training your dog to stay in the yard. There are many things out there that can help. I am a huge fan of Don Sullivans Secrets to Training the Perfect Dog [DVD]. His system is awesome and I recommend it to everyone all the time. If your all about clicker training and positive reinforcement, this video is NOT for you. If treats and clicker isnt working in all aspects for you, if your dog is still pulling on leash, having ANY aggressive behavior, has separation anxiety, stealing food from table or kids hands, check out this video.

Don also has an amazing guide on boundary training to teach your dog how to stay in the yard! He even shows you how to take this training with you where ever you go, teach your dog to stay off the road, teach your dog to stay in your camp ground, and so much more! Don is an amazing trainer and its very obvious in his full packed DVD set. He teaches you how to get your dog off leash and reliable, and to come no matter what! His methods work fast too.

I know I kind of went off on this, but I absolutely love his system. I have it myself, I watch the videos all the time and learn more and more from them. I have used his methods in my training and have an excellent results. Check it out, it will be well worth the money!

If your looking for something else, check out the PetSafe Wireless Pet Containment System, PIF-300. I know a few people who have this and they have all had great luck with it. Its really easy to use, just plug it in. You should follow the training guide and such as well to be sure your dog knows where the boundary is. The training will also help you to eventually be able to take the collar off the dog and have them stay home. You can even take it camping with you and your dog will stay in the camping grounds. It lets you adjust how big of a circle they have to stay in, so it can be a very useful tool to use.

Hopefully I gave you some good tips and such and I highly recommend looking into both of those! I think with either youll be happy and your dog will be staying home in a short amount of time. No more worrying about them getting hit by a car.

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Viewers questions I want to buy a yorkshire terrier and i live in a small apartment Is it a good idea

YES

yorkshire terriers can live in small houses or apartments and they need 30 minutes exercise per day. They need every day grooming to keep their soft hair.

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Is Plastic Safe

By now you may have heard some of the buzz that plastics are harmful to our health and of course our pets health too.  Companies have been promoting BPA (Bisphenol A) Free plastics, or certain #x that are safe to use.  You may even have known that when a plastic gets heated it releases even more harmful chemicals.  Unfortunately, it does not seem like any plastics are safe to use!

In a recent study "scientists discovered that many unstressed and stressed, PC-replacement-products made from acrylic, polystyrene, polyethersulfone, and Tritan™ resins leached chemicals with EA (estrogenic activity), including products made for use by babies.  However, this study also showed that some PC-replacement products did not leach chemicals having significant levels of EA" (CertiChem, Inc).  Unfortunately at this time for a consumer it is difficult if not next to impossible to determine which ones.

According to veterinarian Dr. Judy Morgan, another pitfall plastics can cause is contact allergies.  Dr. Morgan goes on to say, "there is also the concern from toxic leaching of chemicals when plastic is microwaved or subjected to heat (like the water bottles left in cars). Also, melamine can be an issue if any of that is used in the plastic."

There are safer alternatives such as glass, ceramic or stainless steel.  Dexter The Dog uses a variety of these safer options.  For our everyday dog water bowl, he has a ceramic dog bowl.  Of course he doesnt have just one dog water dish, he has 2 in the house.  Inside his dog crate, he has a stainless steel water bowl that attaches to the dog crate.  This goes for the same in his car travel crate.  When we go on our dog walks & dog adventures, he uses a stainless steel dog travel water bowl.

I just feel its always better to be safer than sorry.  Maybe one day the scientists will be able to develop a safer plastic.  But until then, I will use glass, ceramic or stainless steel for Dexters dog food dishes, water bowls & treat jars.   

  

Tonya Wilhelm-Global Dog Training http://www.globaldogtraining.com

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Is Your Havanese Potty Trained Enough

Is Your Havanese Potty Trained Enough?

House Training a puppy or adult Havanese is such an essential issue for its owner that even a single exclusive tip turns out to be extremely helpful.

The first step in making your Havanese fit for polite company would be to potty train him. Some see this training as a hassle and some as a challenge.

For me, it is part of bringing up a pet.

Click here to subscribe to a FREE course on housetraining puppies and dogs.

There are a few things you need to know before you actually start potty training a puppy or adult Havanese. I enumerate these below:

• You need to understand your dogs body language. Watch for signs that will indicate to you when your pet wants to eliminate.

• If you own puppies, remember that they need to go potty at fairly frequent intervals - as soon as they wake up, after short naps, after play-time, after meals, before and after being crated and finally, before retiring for the night.

• Take your Havanese for walks at the time that he usually does his potty. Take him out to the yard and then to the same place there every time he needs to answer natures call.

• Praise your Havanese after he eliminates at the right place. Some Havanese owners even give treats to their dogs. But remember to do this every time he does it right. He will relate the rewards to his having "done it right" and zero in on the spot where you want him to defecate regularly.

• With time, you can try signal training. This is so that you know when your doggie wants to go. You can hang a bell at his level near the door and teach him to push it with his nose or pat it with his paw on his way out.

• Until your Havanese has been fully potty trained keep him under strict vigilance. Do not let him roam around the house freely.

• Use a crate. A crate-trained Havanese is usually very happy to get his own den. The advantage of crating is that dogs do not soil the place where they sleep. So, he will naturally not eliminate inside the crate.

• If you have a small dog and if you live in a high-rise building or in a place that does not have a proper backyard, you can try litter pan training. What you do is create a space for your pet to eliminate in your house itself.

• Use positive reinforcements while housebreaking puppies or adult dogs. Do not scold or hit him as you will gain nothing by doing that. He will only associate punishment with your return from outside. If you catch him in the act, a stern NO or FREEZE will do. It will startle the Havanese enough for him to stop pooping.

• Be prepared to return to a soiled home if you are keeping your Havanese home alone for more than 4 hours as separation anxiety is quite common among home - alone dogs.

• Accidents will happen. It is unusual for a trained adult Havanese to work against its house training. But medical problems or health disorders may lead to sudden accidents.

• Many dogs mark their territory. These can be a leg of a table or a particular wall. Intact male and female dogs mark their territories by urinating. Use deodorizers to spray on the places where your Havanese has marked.

• If you are patient and are ready to accept that house training a dog takes time, even months sometimes, you will end up having a good housetrained Havanese.

Click here to subscribe to a FREE course on house training puppies and dogs.

Now we will move on to how to potty train puppies and adult dogs.

Potty Training A Puppy:

Irrespective of breeds, housetraining a puppy is considered to be one of the biggest challenges by dog owners. If you think housetraining your puppy simply involves a steady supply of old newspapers, then think again.

A puppy does not develop full control over his bladder until it is over 4 or 5 months old. Since they are growing and developing rapidly at this time, puppies eat more, burn more calories and need to eliminate more frequently than an adult Havanese.

After each nap, meal, drink or play, take your puppy to his designated area (indoors or outdoors, wherever you have decided) and stay there until it eliminates. Then bring him to his crate.

Repeat this situation every day until he has developed a habit out of it.

Click here to subscribe to a FREE course on housebreaking a puppy.

Potty Training An Adult Havanese:

The best way to housetrain an adult Havanese is to begin all over again.

Observe him very closely. Maybe even maintain a diary of where he goes and when. Whether he is pooping when you are home or only when you are outside; whether you can time yourself to be home when he feels the need to go outside.

You can try dog crates, but be careful to introduce him gradually to them.

Click here to subscribe to a FREE course on potty training a dog.

Remember, commitment, consistency and intelligent use of positive reinforcement will make you the owner of a perfectly housetrained Havanese. Dont expect miracles. You will only be disappointed.

Get this FREE course on potty training a dog.

Get this unique Housetraining guide and start Housebreaking Your Havanese Today.

Copyright (c) 2009 TrainPetDog.com

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