Be Flexible - adjust your training to the dog

Training tip of the day: training the dog to perform any command is not just about teaching a behavior as much information as we are giving our dogs it is so important to listen to your dogs too, read their body language and their actions and adjust your training method, style and speed to your dog. If your dog seems confused or doesnt seem to be getting something then don't blame your dog figure out what you can do differently to help your dog succeed. They are all different even dogs we have in for day training. Some dogs practice their obedience best straight out of a nap in the crate, others do better after a romp in the yard, some work better starting with a short walk down the street and back and others the treadmill 1st. We have a variety of dogs here today and not one of them is the same it is up to jason and i to read the individual dogs and decide what we believe is best for that dog then go with it but we are constantly listening and tweaking what we do to adjust to the speed and what works for that individual dog. This is what keeps my job fun. Sit is sit and down is down but how we teach it and reinforce it is different for very dog.

K9 Aprehension training

Super Cute Video
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=570506523041969

Treats: Lure! Don't Bribe

This is exactly why I instruct you to start with luring with treats or use food as a reward not as a bribe because they already aren't doing it. 
For example we started teaching "Cash" a 15wk Pom how to walk on the leash and he had never even had a leash on before today so he was extra stubborn so we started walking he dug his heels in and with a little encouragement after a few steps on his own he got a treat. Then after 3 or 4 more steps next to me he got another treat. If I had come back to him and bribed him with a treat after he had dug his heels in he would think "Cool the more stubborn I am the more treats I get, I will continue this behavior" Use food as a lure from the beginning, or as a reward never as a bribe.

Thinking one step ahead of your dog

Training Tip: Key to good dog training is being able to read the dog and predict their actions if you can stay ahead of the dog you can keep them under control and catch them before they make mistakes. 
Simple version: Dog barks/growls at person on the street.
What really happens: Dog looks, ears up, stiffens body, leans toward person/dog then barks.
You need to be able to redirect the attention, correct whatever you need to do to get the attention before the dog gets the stage of barking. If you redirect the attention at the lower stages that is training. If you just correct the dog for barking and growling the dog most likely will associate the correction with that which they are focused on and not their current behavior and you will need alot more force behind your correction because your dog is now in a high adrenalized state and reacting. Than if you had reminded your dog to pay attention to you in one of the early stages before the reaction.
Every time a dog gets ahead of you and makes mistakes like barking/growling and you don't catch it or aren't able to correct or redirect your dog it reinforces the behavior. The more your dog does it the more confident he/she will become doing it. A dog that runs to the door barking at guests if allowed to continue the behavior could turn into a bite in the future as they get more confident being allowed to practice it over and over.

Stay ahead of your dog. I thought about this, this morning after i wrote a post on my personal page about my new pup and about how wicked smart she is. She left her full food bowl to go to the bag of dog food and climbed up in it to eat instead of the full bowl. Im going to have fun keeping up with her and trying to stay ahead of her.

Honey I'm Home

Training Tip: When you get home and your dog is all excited IGNORE them until they settle down. If you need to let them out to potty do so but do not lavish praise on them for you arriving home. I know we like the feeling of our dog being excited to see us when we arrive home, but when we feed into that spastic energy we make the dog more stressed every time we leave. Wait until your dog calms down then go play with your dog. PREVENT separation anxiety instead of fixing it later.

Dog a holic chic

Correct Heel Position

Training Tip of the day: If your dog is in heel position your shadow should look like this

Boarding your dog

What to look for when you look for a place to board your dog

When you look for a place to board your dogs it is not about how fancy or big their runs are it is about how calm your dog is while they are there. I have worked with dogs that had hit some major milestones in training and then get boarded at the vet for a weekend or a week and take giant steps backwards from all the stress and reactive barking happening at kennels.
We don't allow ANY barking. We aren't able to have a boarding facility at this time. On occasion we can take in a dog or two for a weekend but its not approved in the future we do hope to find a house to buy within the next year and to have a similar setup as here. Where we can offer full boarding that includes daily walks, play/socialization and training. A kennel should just be for rest and calm. Dogs need to learn how to be calm when left alone. If your dog can't be calm in a kennel how do you expect them to be calm in your house when left alone. Dogs don't have to love each other but they can coexist in close proximity. Someday... house hunting continues... 

Dogs should also get out at least 4 times a day for walks without charging extra.

If dogs are let out to play find out WHO is watching them and what qualifies them to watch and manage the dog interactions. How many dogs per person watching them? If there is only one person what happens if a dog gets hurt how do they deal with that if they are the only one on staff?

Ask to see the kennels and where the dogs are kept. Does it look and SMELL clean? Do the dogs look stressed? Are they ALL barking? If they are barking does the kennel staff do anything to tone them down or tune them out?

Is there someone on staff at night while the dogs are sleeping? 

What is their nearest vet? Which vet do they use? 

Personally we prefer a place that doesn't have an indoor and outdoor run, because if the dog is in an indoor run / kennel or crate and they are getting out enough they shouldn't need the outdoor run to potty in the way many kennels have them set up. 

How many times a day are kennels cleaned? 

How many times a day are water bowls cleaned?

The list goes on and on... But these are all things I would look at and ask. 

I am VERY picky if I leave my dog anywhere! You should be too!

And of course check YELP reviews. 

We personally prefer to have a petsitter come into our home to care for our pets. 

Locally we love Granite Bay Pet Sitting. 

Here is a short video of a fellow trainers kennel and it is quiet, calm and what your ideal kennel environment should look like: 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=773344226023454

Dog Banana art

I love food art anyone else?