Choosing a Dog Collar for Your Dog

One of the most common things that I am asked about is what is the best collar to use for your dog. There are so many choices that it can be a daunting task for anyone. I've written and article to shed some light on my opinions. You can read all the articles I've posted at:

http://www.blackbeltdogtraining.com/dogtrainingarticles.html

I address everything from the haltis to harnesses, to choke collars, prongs and remote collars. One of the most important choices that you will make with your dog will be the collar he wears. An important thing to remember is that a collar is a second skin to your dog. I do not recommend using a collar to train the dog and then immediately removing the collar when training is over. Your dog should see you as the correction, not the collar. Collars should be work regularly by the dog before correction are given and should stay on the dog after the training is over.

This article is only scratching the surface on collar choices and theory, but its a good read to get your feet wet. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Best regards,

Robert

Dealing with the 4th of July for the sake of your dog

Dealing with the 4th of July for the sake of your dog.

This is one holiday that is frightening for dogs, and also a holiday that leads to much stress and runaway dogs. Loud sounds are a trigger for dogs to run or panic. Fireworks, screeching, bangs, and other loud noises that are foreign to the dogs understanding elevate your dogs drive and can cause them to panic, run, become highly distressed, wet the floor, tear up things, pant out of control hide as well as other behaviors. Since it is such a sporadic thing there is very little we can do to prepare our dogs for the event but deal with it. Dogs can be trained to deal with it i.e. in police dog training or in training dogs to deal with high stress situations… However, our companion pets will need to deal with it, which means we should be equipped to deal with it for them.

Some things to bear in mind are:

1. If at all possible, do not leave your dog alone, especially outside during these events. If you must leave them alone, leave them inside with a TV or radio playing.
2. If you stay with your dog, don’t coddle them when they are scared. Be strong, talk with a normal voice and be indifferent to the sounds.
3. Have a TV or radio on to buffer the noise.
4. Keep the windows closed to keep the noise down.
5. Don’t take your dog for a walk during the fireworks.
6. Feed your dog long before the events start.
7. Give your dog a toy to play with, a bone or something to keep their mind off of what’s going on outside.
8. If your dog runs to you every time he hears a noise, don’t re-assure him with a soft – sweet voice. Use your normal voice and show him strength. Laugh and be playful. Be indifferent to what’s going on.
9. If you can keep the noise level in the house above the noise level outside, you dog may still hear things, but it will be muted and he may deal with it better.
10. Keep doors closed. This is one of the busiest times at shelters for runaways. Even if your dog has never shown a proclivity to run, this may be the time. Be Aware!
11. Some people like using a holistic nerve drop like Rescue Remedy. If you decide to give this, do so in small amounts and do it at least an hour before any events start.

The key thing to remember is that your dog sees things differently from you. If a dog has fear issues toward something you think is stupid, it’s you who is at fault not your dog. You cannot expect your dog to understand something he has no clue of, it’s not in his mental capacity. Pets are our responsibility. If you can’t step up to take the responsibility, consider a stuffed animal.

Dogs Peeing in the House

There are only 3 reasons why a dog would pee in the house:
1. They are very sick
2. They have not been taught / trained properly by the human
3. They are acting out of dominance

Dogs are very clean animals and will very seldom soil in their homes. This is not a post on potty training your dog, since this is something so simple to do that you should be able to research that anywhere. I may in the future write an article on it, however, I'm really trying to focus my blogs and articles on serious issues. I'd like to stress that once a dog marks in the home, he is likely to continue to mark that area until the scent is gone and / or until he is retrained.

I'll focus my attention here on #3 from the list of reasons above. Its quite common that a dog will mark a carpet, chair or something else, sometimes right in front of you. Often times this will happen when we start retraining a dog for dominance. If he's "testing" you, he may look right at you and piss on something. This requires immediate correction and serious consideration if you really have established yourself as your dogs alpha.

Remember, establishing yourself as your dogs leader does not imply being a bully. If you would like to learn how to be a good alpha role model for your dog, just peruse my other posts and articles, as they are full of this information. Leaders in the dog kingdom, don't yell or get upset. They handle the situation in a quick, strong and fair manner. If your dog is questioning your alpha, by marking, etc. it simply means you have NOT clearly established yourself as his leader.

If during dominance struggle / retraining your dog starts marking in the house, I would suggest confining him either by the use of a tether or a crate. If the dog is tethered and you see him begin to mark, you can use a sharp correction on the collar and bring him outside. The correction should be strong and sharp: no yelling, no hitting. Hitting is not part of dog training. If you are using a crate, then the dog stays in the crate until he learns that marking in the house is totally unacceptable. He will learn this through understanding that you control his freedom and his life. If a dog marks in the house, he should not be left out of the crate in the home until this problem is solved. If you make this mistake, your dog will find areas to mark that you will never find until they start to smell so bad that you can't get the smell out.

In order to remove the smell from an area that a dog has marked, use copious amounts of an enzyme based odor eliminator such as Natures Miracle. You will not use too much. The area needs to be soaked and the liquid needs to be absorbed into the fabric and or flooring. Do not try to spot clean urine markings. Your dog will find that spot from down the street.

Another important note to mention here is that if you come home and your dog marked the house, only a moron would tell you to rub the dogs nose in it. It would do you better to rub your own nose in it than your dogs. If he marked in the house, its too late, and its your fault for not properly training your dog. Dogs should not be left unsupervised until they are properly trained. Confining a dog in a crate for a few hours when you are out is not the worst thing to do to them. Spend the time to properly train your dog and it will pay off in spades. Do it halfheartedly and you will spend the dogs entire life trying to fix it.

Pack structure and obedience training is something that you establish once and continue to develop over the lifetime of your relationship with your dog.

Dog Parks - The Bad and The Very Bad

I've just written an article about my opinion on dog parks, and its not cheery. To put it in a nutshell, there is no upside to dog parks. They're a breeding ground for disease and an accident waiting to happen. Not too long ago I received an email from a girl who took her shepherd to a local dog park and when she recovered her dog, he was missing both of his ears. One never to be found again, the other costing thousands of dollars to repair. The financial implications of this is nothing compared to the behavioral impact this incident will have on this dog.

If you're even thinking about taking your dog to a dog park, I'd ask you to stop, read my article and then if you need more convincing, research them a bit more on the internet. If you think dog parks are a good idea, you haven't seen or heard what I have.

Dog parks are not a way to "socialize" you dog, or get them exercise. Dogs fight for structure at dog parks, there are rank struggles and dogs become dominant toward other dogs at dog parks. If you love your dog, do the research. It only takes one dog to set off a pack fight, and once initiated, you will not be able to break it up, I promise you. Please visit my site www.blackbeltdogtraining.com and click on the articles button. Read my article on dog parks and reconsider.

Desesitizing Your Dog to the Car

I received the following question:

I told you I would email you about my dog, Rufus (Ru), and my issues with him. Pit bull mix about 2 years old. Rescue, of course. I’m having two issues. One, he gets overly excited prior to getting in the car and while in the car. Pulls and pulls on the leash (even with a gentle leader on). And I cannot calm him down once we are in the car. Whining, pulling on the seat restraint, almost hurting himself. I have tried treats, positive reinforcement, a squirt bottle (ha ha), being really calm and assertive, walking him beforehand, etc. I’m at my wits end…it makes it very difficult to want to take him anywhere.

________________

Truth be told, this is not an uncommon problem. Dogs are like children, as they see the car as a way to get somewhere, and not an experience in an of itself. I have seen this problem over and over again, some people make it so exciting for the dog to get into the car that the dog almost looses his mind once in the car. I approach putting a dog into the car with no emotion. I've transported countless dogs from shelters (dogs I've never handled), taught my personal dogs about car manners, and taught clients these techniques.

1. When approaching the car, do not make a big deal. Walk up to the car and make the dog sit. Open the door and do not allow the dog to enter. Walk away from the car and go somewhere else. Just because the car is there doesn't mean we're gonna use it.

2. Have the dog jump up in the car on your command, NOT before. If he goes to jump before you tell him, hold the leash back and don't allow him to enter. The dog does not enter the car until you instruct him. Once in the car, praise the dog and then ask him to come back out. Walk away and do something else.

*** What we are doing is desensitizing the dog to the car here.. follow along***

3. Once in the car, close the door, don't restrain the dog, and get into the drivers seat. Don't speak to the dog or acknowledge him. Let him sit in the back seat. If he tries to come up front between the seats, use your elbow to keep him back. Do NOT yell at the dog or become emotional. You're up front and the dog stays in the back.

4. I personally do not use a crate in the car, but it can be a good idea for people who are not strong enough in size and leadership to convince the dog of their position.

The key thing in any dog behavior is to go slow. Don't throw your dog into your car and take a 3 hour drive. I've driven with my dog across the US 6 times. He was perfect and laid in the backseat the whole time. I've trained him to be a perfect car rider through slow and steady focus. When I first got him, he was a handful in the car. His previous owner allowed him to "ride" on the center console because it was cute. That didn't last even 5 minutes with me. He received an occasional praise for being in the back. I've followed this technique with every dog I've owned and trained. The front of the car belongs to the alpha, as does the whole car. Remaining aloof to the dog shows him his place.

I also use a blanket or seat cover on the back seats so my dog does not skid all over the back seat, which keeps him calmer and it saves the fabric on my seats.

Dogs that are sensitive to the car need to be de-sensitized to it slowly. Getting frustrated with your dog makes any situation worst. Dogs sense your energy and it will either escalate his drive or calm him down.

A Dog Pays the Price for a Human Stupidity

This is a post to set some issues straight on proper dog handling, introduction to other dogs and training.

As many of you know, I run a rescue organization called Bound Angels, I adopted a dog out to someone who killed the dog, because of two reasons:
1. the dog killed her cat
2. she did not want to "put the dog through electrical shock training."

I advised this person on the proper way to introduce a dog to a cat, through use of a crate, and she did not listen. I advised her on how to properly handle his aggression through proven techniques, she did not listen. I was there for her, if ever she needed advice. I got an email after the dog had been killed.

It seems people always want to do things their way. People find correction based training Mean or Cruel. I find it necessary when it comes to aggression. I am a big fan of positive, motivational based training in many situations. However, dominance and aggression can NOT be handled like this. I have trained enough dominant and aggressive dogs to be quite clear on this. There are few trainers who would differ if they have any experience with the dogs I've worked with. However, most trainers would just give up rather than give the dog the correction it needs. Giving a dog a correction, be it with a pinch collar, a remote collar or a dominant dog collar is NOT cruel, it is fair. These corrections, properly executed and properly timed, give the dog the redirection and correction it needs to understand its place in the pack. Dogs communicate in very different ways than humans. We, as humans, over complicate dog behavior and make it into a psycho-babble system that doesn't work. If your dog wants to kill a cat or another dog, or bite someone, offering him a treat, will NOT make him change his mind.

Dogs should not be introduced to objects of prey until the dog has formed a relationship with its alpha. If you do, and you expect the dog to listen, you are DEAD WRONG. The introduction of an object of prey is a distraction to proof the training the dog has undergone. This is clearly shown in Schutzhund training, however in this case it is often a best practice to work on the dogs bite before obedience and corrections. However, it is imperitive that the dog understands who the alpha is. Once properly trained, a good Schutzhund dog will NOT touch a cat, bird, squirrel or anything unless it is told to do so.

The reason I am upset about this is because this act of stupidity cost 3 lives. The first cat the dog went after should have set a strong precident that the dog has a high prey drive. Instead, the dog killed the first cat, as well as the second cat and then the dog was murdered for being a dog.

I own a bird and have proven that my technique works with my current dog. He did have a drive toward the bird. My dog quickly learned that the bird belongs to me, and he is NOT allowed near the bird. In fact, he is so clear on this that the bird can walk over and sit on the dogs bed and the dog will leave the area. I highly doubt that most people will be able to train a dog to this level, however clearly establishing your role as your dogs leader is imperitive in training.

If you have a cat and want to introduce it to a new dog, hire someone to help you. Make sure they are qualified. And most importantly, make sure to do the introduction in sterile conditions. The animals need to be protected. If you can not give a dog a solid, fair correction, do not get a dog that has any drive, consider a cat.

Dangerous Dog Toy Alert

Dangerous Dog Toy from Four Paws
beware there are other companies that make a very similar toy.. read below

This email has been going around for a while and I think its important for people to know a bit about the toys that they offer their dogs. This toy in particular is very dangerous, because of a simple design flaw. There is a hole on one side and either no hole on the other side, or a hole on the other side that is obstructed by a barrier in the middle of the ball. A simple test you can do is, blow into the hole on one side, if no air comes out the other side, ITS BAD. The reason it is so bad is because it creates a vacuum. The dog licks and sucks on the hole, eventually their tongue goes into the hole and the more they sucks, the stronger the suction becomes in this hole. The vacuum causes the tongue to swell and thereby the tongue gets stuck. This dog was saved, but had to have his tongue amputated. It is a very sad story and one others should learn from.

Please, test your dogs toys before you throw them down. Dogs are placed in constant danger with toys that they swallow, choke on, get poisoned by and more. There are simple tests you can do. The test I suggest above is a good one. Here are some others.
If the toy has a hole in it, be sure that the hole goes to both sides, in other words, that it is open on both sides.
If the toy contains a small bell, remove the bell.
If the toy is chewable and comes apart easy, do not let your dog play with it, as pieces of plastic can cause blockage in dogs.
Avoid small toys, as dogs will swallow them.
Avoid tennis balls, as the glue that holds the felt on can dissolve the enamel on your dogs teeth. If you're at the lake or beach where the ball is constantly in the water, it is OK... But I do not let my dog play with tennis balls any more.
Avoid cooked bones, they splinter and can be fatal to your dog, I feed my dog raw marrow bones.
ALWAYS supervise your dog with toys, especially new ones. If your dog is an intense chewer, I suggest strong durable toys or toys that may have treats inside, such as frozen meat to occupy his time.

The best thing of all is to teach your dog that toys are a privileged and belong to you. You can leave your dogs some specific toys with treats inside when you are out, but leaving a basket of toys around is a recipe for disaster.