This past weekend we adopted 5 year old Griffin and are signing up for classes! While we provide many lessons online, it’s still a good idea to meet in person with trainer and expose your dog to learning in a distracting situation such as obedience classes.

Timing is everything! I want to start this week, but all of the classes start in August or September! While I am capable of training at home, I like a class setting and I benefit from third person feedback. Diane, my trainer of choice, starts her next class in September, so how do I find a good trainer?

1. Word of mouth is the best way to find a reliable trainer to match what you want. I have already asked Diane who she trusts and am looking into those classes until Diane starts back up.
2. Find the training style you trust, and visit the certifying agency. For instance, I want to use clicker training with Griffin and want to do it correctly. So I went to Karen Pryor’s Clicker Training web site and did a search in my state.
3. Search the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. Professional level members have some sort of certification and have taken a test. Beware though, just because they have certification doesn’t mean you will agree with their practices.

For all trainers, ask for references and NEVER do anything with or to your dog that doesn’t feel right. It is much better to feel like a fool in class than to do something that may damage your dog physically or mentally. If it doesn’t feel right, walk away and find another trainer!

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How many dinners does your dog get? When 2 or more people are responsible for feeding the dog, it’s hard to know if those puppy eyes are true hunger, or tricking you into a second or third dinner! An easy way to make sure your dog gets the correct number of suppers and breakfasts is with plastic food storage containers. Here’s how…

This works well when your dog is fed twice a day. In the evening, feed your dog dinner and place breakfast in a clear plastic container. Keep it up where Fido can’t reach it. Now the whole family knows, “Fido had dinner tonight” when they see the filled container.

In the morning, feed Fido the food in the container and leave the empty container in the same spot. Now the next person who wakes knows, “Fido had breakfast” because of the empty container.

You can use the same container for up to a week with dry kibble. With wet, or when it needs cleaning, simply place a clean empty in the morning, or place dinner in a clean container.

Now Fido can’t lie when you get home and the kids have already fed him/her dinner!

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If you feed your pet multiple flavors of pet food, it’s easy to forget which flavors or brands you’ve already tried. To easily track your pet’s likes and dislikes, use a photo journal. Here’s how it works…

Get a 4×6 photo book with clear photo protection pages – not the ones with white dividers. Every third page or so, place the following notes:

• eats all food
• eats most food
• eats about half
• eats less than half

When you feed your pet a new flavor, just remove the label from the can and place it in the appropriate spot. Each page can hold 2-3 labels, and you can easily move labels when your pet changes his or her mind. When you go to the store, stock up on the likes, get a few that fall in the middle, and once every couple of months try one of the dislikes in case he/she begins eating it again.

Reminders:

Choose high-quality foods, and make major changes slowly – especially between brands or main ingredients.

This works well for sick or finicky pets. Always check with your veterinarian about your feeding practices.

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Well, it’s Black Friday and the holiday shopping season has officially started!  By now you are probably exhausted from scoping out the early bird deals and as you sit enjoying a leftover turkey sandwich (with fido pleading for just a small morsel), you realize that your shopping frenzy did not include gifts for your favorite canine friend!  No to worry, Online Dog Coach has you covered with a great article on selecting toys and treats.  And, if you are still in the baking mood, you can even try baking up a batch of vegetarian dog treats with Chef Judy.  May this be the start to a cheerful holiday season!

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Don’t Fence Us In!

I love taking my dog to off leash dog parks in the Denver metro area, including Chatfield and Cherry Creek State Parks. It provides my dog with freedom and socialization with other dogs. Recently, there has been discussion about reducing the size and placing fences around these two off leash dog parks.

Kalee enjoying the Elk Mountain dog park in Evergreen, Co.

These areas are designed for multi-use, and are funded by everyone in the state, with additional funding by park users. Dog owners, hikers, bikers, horseback riders, boaters, among others must learn to share this space. What does this mean for dog owners???

To keep these valuable spaces open to dogs, we must take action:

1. Train your dog to come when called, a.k.a. a really reliable recall even around people, other dogs, and wildlife. Dogs running up to horses, hikers, and bikes may cause inconvenience, fear, or injury. Just because your dog is friendly doesn’t mean other on-leash dogs are – and they need time out too. I also know people who have been thrown off of horses due to dogs barking or running towards their horse. And some hikers may be afraid of dogs even though yours is friendly and wonderful!
2. Pick up after your dog. It is very unpleasant to step around other dog’s poop. The excrement can also spread disease to other dogs – your dog may be carrying something even if he doesn’t have symptoms yet.
3. Know who has the right of way on trails. Hikers and their dogs yield to horses. Bikes yield to hikers and horses. Place your dog in a sit-stay off of the trail when horses are passing. If on bike, stop and dismount. Everyone should smile and say “hi.”

Finally, be friendly to everyone! Practice random acts of kindness, be a role model of the dog community so that all people – including those who don’t like dogs – enjoy our presence, invites our dogs to stay, and don’t fence us in!

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