Unleashed

The most basic equipment for dogs is less than basic for their people. When you live in a big city, you see lots of dogs being walked every day in every fashion, and I think most of the dogs take little notice of the lead attached to them. Because their "handlers" are not handling at all.

The leash can be a powerful communication device. When used with a trained dog, the slightest nudge can be communicated down the line. If your dog weighs less than, say, 40 pounds, the loop should go around your wrist. You can't possibly pay attention all the time, and one good squirrel can mean your dog goes running off down the street. And we will never be as fast as our dogs. Dog gone. A larger dog can take you down if you're not ready and have the leash looped around your wrist, so you may just have to be on a better lookout for squirrels.

Choose a side: your dog should walk on the right or on the left of you. Tradition says on the left of the human--so you can carry your sword or rifle in the right hand--but either will do unless you're competing in an AKC ring. Letting your dog cross back and forth in front of you is bound to lead to your landing on your head, so why not have Fluffy stick to one side?

Your loose hand can be on the lead (instead of texting!) to let your dog know you're there and as an extra safety. Sometimes you need two hands to wrangle a strong pup. And you can hold up a little of the slack so the leash doesn't wrap Millie's paws. Any extra slack should not, in an circumstance, be wrapped all around your hand like a mitten. If you have that much slack, go for a 4-foot lead instead of a 6-foot.

As I remind my husband sometimes, dogs weren't born with leashes attached, so don't expect them to remember it's there. If you attach that leash to some harness on Fluffy's back, the likelihood, too, is that she  walk without noticing you at all. Your dog should learn to walk properly so there's no strain on her throat anyway, so there's no need for a harness over her back. Sometimes an Easy Walk or Freedom harness can help you manage Millie while she's in training, but before long, she should no longer need it. I've seen dogs who have lost hair where their harness has rubbed them every day for years....

If I see another dog on a retractable leash come whipping around a corner with his person six feet behind, I may just surrender and move to the country. A retractable leash can literally cut your hand wide open when it slides suddenly across your palm. It can catch your finger and take it off! It gives your dog the ability to get to other dogs before you even see them. Scary. Your dog should not be running six feet ahead of you. Your dog should be beside you. You're a team, right?

If you aren't easy with your leash handling, you may just need a little guidance. Give me a call or take a class. But by all means, the leash is NECESSARY. You're not macho if your dog is off-leash; you're just telling fate to come and get him. Dogs are lost and killed ALL the time because they weren't on leash. It's far less work to know where my three dogs are because they are on leash. I'm Lazy. I can't be bothered to keep track of them any other way. And isn't it funny that the dog poop left around my neighborhood all belongs to the off-leash dogs? But that's another blog entry.

Procrastination

If you a procrastinator, please raise your hand! Every one of us procrastinates about something--or several things. I am the first to raise my hand to say I procrastinate with my own dogs sometimes.

But humans live for years with behaviors from their dogs that are often very easy to change. The longer they wait to call in a trainer, often the harder it is to extinguish the behavior. In the meantime, both the people and the dog are unhappy. "I wish my dog would tell me when she needs to go out." We can train that so quickly! "I have to lift my dog to get him into the car every time." Fixed in one lesson. "I can't get my dog to come when I call him." Probably the most important cue for a dog to have! That needs to be addressed immediately.

People finally book an appointment with a trainer. She comes to the house and learns a lot about their life and their dog--and the clients learn a lot about their life and their dog. The people have new tools to try--but the dog has probably not made a permanent change in one lesson. Follow-up appointments are necessary! And right away. Not a month later when things fall apart again. And you may have your car's oil changed, but you can't ride around for months before getting the brakes done, too.

Trainers complain again and again that dog guardians don't show enough compliance. That means working with the dog between appointments as prescribed and booking the next appointment no later than a week from the last.

Everyone is busy, of course. But don't put your dog at the bottom of the list. C'mon, Dori, let's go proof those stays more!

Snack Often

Positive reinforcement means rewards for desired behaviors. Those rewards can be praise and toys and play--and food treats, the most common. Whatever makes your pooch happy reinforces the desired behavior.

"Do I treat my dog forever?" clients ask. Most trainers will say to wean treats as behavior is learned--otherwise you're bribing your dog to sit when she knows 100 percent what the word means. Reward--not bribe.

But: once in a while surprising your dog with a treat keeps her on her tiny toes. You are a Vegas slot machine: you could deliver at any moment. Surprise! Walking quietly by the landscaper with the leaf blower deserves a sudden treat. Good doggie!

I always always carry treats on me. You just never know when they'll come in handy. My three dogs and I were having a nice walk this week, and Tanner suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. What was this 12-foot green man flailing around? Our local auto body had recently added an inflatable balloon man to their storefront. I'm not sure any of the dogs have ever seen one of these up close before, but only Tanner said, "What the heck?" So we stopped and I treated and said, "Look at that, Tan! Isn't that cool? Crazy, right? The tallest, greenest man ever. Here's another treat! You see a big guy and get tasty snacks. Not bad, right?" And on we went. Nipped that scary moment in the bud. (Even the other dogs got a lil treat at that sight.)

And a year ago my mother-in-law's dog was attacked on the street by a neighbor's dog. Just maybe if she had one more second's notice, she could have thrown a handful of treats at the Rottie, which just might have been more exciting than Skipper. Sometimes that trick can work and sometimes not. But I always always carry treats now just in case. (Skipper had a few stitches but otherwise turned out just fine.)

Never Too Many Toys!

Two dozen  toys. That's the minimum. That doesn't seem like too much, does it? Yep, you'll pick out a few your dog wouldn't. But put them in the toy box and see. Six months from now he might change his mind and find that new treasure awaiting. Or you'll get a second dog who will love that toy your first dog ignored. All else fails: you donate the bad choice to a rescue group.

(Our toy box is for three dogs, after all--but they have small toys, since they're small dogs.)

Variety! Lots of different kinds! Rotate the choices: turn the box inside out once in a while and hide some away so they look new again. I've met dogs who have only three or four toys--really!--and they get into trouble a LOT. Go figure. Would your human toddler get persnickety if she had only four toys? Boring! One of my favorite things to watch is a dog looking through the box, pawing through toys to find the one she wants. Adorable!

These puzzle games aren't inexpensive--though watch www.jefferspet.com for great deals--so I lend them out all the time. Dogs love them--until they're too easy to solve. Hide them away and then bring them out again after a couple months. Ooh, new toy! You're the best dog parent ever!

Have fun!

Then have more fun!

Hallelujah, Doggie!

How much do you praise your dog? How are your walks going? How much do you connect on those walks? Praise your pup! "Hallelujah, Dori! You're the best walker ever!"

Because walks need to happen regularly, both sides can tune out if the human is boring. Often on walks we connect with our dogs only to say no or to give a cue! "Leave it" when Tommy wants to eat something cool on the sidewalk. "Watch" me when a bike goes flying by. "Sit" because you're at a curb. How annoying are humans?

But what about the praise? What about a little petting on the walk? If a group of dogs walked without the obstruction of their human, they'd connect with one another periodically, touching, checking in. Are you on auto-pilot?

Why walk with us if we're not any fun? If he's daydreaming about something else, Tanner, our "street dog," can forget the nice walking technique he's learned, but you know what brings back his attention? "Hi, Tanner! What a good dog!" He goes right into step beside us again. Even advance praise for what you know the dog should do will have him working as part of the team.

We're all so bossy. We're too stingy with praise and attention. Put away your cell phone and leave your coffee at home. Be the fun part of the walk--you've got a lot of competition for your dog's attention. You'll be surprised how only a little extra attention is needed to change your dog's attitude--and your own.

Puppy-palooza

I have had mostly puppy clients lately--with a dash of reactive dogs thrown in to keep me on my toes. I'm not sure why, but I certainly can't complain. I have a puppy addiction that cannot be cured, so I'm thrilled. I'm also lucky because these puppies all seem to have people who really want to give them a proper start.

But I'm reminded often that Puppies Are NOT for Everyone. It's good to remind others again now that the holiday season is upon us (already). Lots of people get puppies while they're taking time off over the holidays. Yes, often it can be a very good time to adopt a dog--rather than the adopt-the-dog-then-leave-it-home-alone-after-two-days-and-you-go-back-to-work plan. But should your next dog be a puppy? I'd say more often than not, NO.

Having a puppy is an endurance test. How patient are you? How OCD are you? For MONTHS your home will not look the way it did. Everything that was on the floor will now live on counters and tables. Unless you're very very very diligent, something will be ruined. Count on it. How much time do you have? Why get a puppy if you're not going to be home? Or if you don't really want to play several hours a day. Or if you just want peace and quiet in your life.

Are you going to raise this puppy to be the best canine citizen possible? That means socializing socializing socializing--which means a LOT of time spent during the important first four months of the pup's life. Did I say puppies demand TIME?

Oh, and "puppy" often means until TWO years of age, depending on breed. Don't expect a lot of self-control from a pup until two years are over. Just when you think puppyhood is over, your dog will prove otherwise.

The majority of dogs turned in to rescues and shelters? Adolescents. At eight to sixteen months old, dogs have been given up on. Poor dogs. They're just being young and energetic, but humans fail the endurance test.

Have I talked you out of the idea yet?

Many people want to "start from scratch" and not deal with adult issues--but are they better qualified to raise a puppy than the people who tried and failed their dogs and brought them to rescues? Nah, not often.

There are so many dogs already in shelters--you probably should take a look at the adults before bringing home the young puppy.

Anyhow, I can go on and on about this topic, but suffice it to say, puppies are even more work than you think they'll be. Many people will NOT go through it a second time!

But if you need help, I'm so completely happy to help. Puppy kisses still are the best in the world. Good luck!

More Please

I’m the luckiest because training means knowing so very many dogs.

Only so many dogs will live with me during my lifetime. It’s a hard realization. Realistically, I can’t really be guardian to more than three dogs at a time (and Los Angeles County agrees), so if I do some rough math: 3 dogs x 15 years each = maybe 6 more dogs at our house over the years? That is very depressing. I know I have an addiction—my husband is the first to name it.

But as a trainer, I meet and work with hundreds of dogs. I’ve volunteered time with rescues and gotten to know some pretty great dogs. I’ve been involved with lots of dogs in classes, both those where I’m offering advice or even just taking with my own dogs. And of course I’ve gotten to know clients’ dogs very, very well.

I get more doggie kisses than any human has a right to. The tails that wag at me could power the electricity of a small town. I see the good and the bad behavior, and these pups know from the moment I meet them that I love them either way. Because dogs are pretty stinkin’ awesome.

And more often than not, so are their people. After all, if they’re asking a trainer’s advice, they’d like the best for their dogs, too.

And Tanner, Tommy, and Dori love smelling me up when I come home: they know more dogs, too! Indirectly.