Archive for the ‘Articles by Norma’ Category
The Canine Center is a Dog Training school and Dog Boarding kennel located in south Orlando. We are near OIA and LK Nona.
Use your dog’s harness for everyday walks and exercise while your dog is learning how to walk nicely on his leash and collar. Transfer his leash to his neck collar when you wish to work on his walking/focus exercises. Always remember he is not allowed to apply any pressure on this neck collar. When your dog feels the slightest pressure on his collar, he is to stop and look to you for redirection. Think of the collar pressure as someone tapping you on the shoulder. You have been “conditioned” to turn and look when someone taps you lightly. Your response, turn to look, is not based on how hard someone has tapped you or hit you, it is based on your past experience with this action. The same is true with the pressure applied to your dog’s collar.
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Best,
Norma
Posted in Articles by Norma, Dog Boarding Orlando | 
Tags: dog boarding, Dog Boarding Orlando, Dog Training | 
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Take a deep breath and step back and take a look at the house as a whole. Do you live alone? That makes it easier to “own” your actions with your dog, but can cause a lack of social interaction for your pet. That means you have to get the “kid” out and about. There are several doggie day cares and parks where pets are now accepted. You still need to interview the people and other pets that your “baby” will be exposed to. We will talk more about that later. If you have a house full of people and other pets the factors are now getting messy. I can’t tell you the number of times I have sat down with a family concerning the ill mannered ten month old Labrador only to find out that the Mom and Dad can’t stand each other, so they sabotage every possible portion of happiness any household member possesses or the human kids are so unbelievably out of control friends and family would rather gouge out their eyes than have your family visit their house. Of course these situations are extreme, but even the smallest tension and confusion can make your training process more difficult. Be truthful, even if it really hurts. Get help for you and your family members at the same time that you are working with Fido. If your situation is really bad, then placing Fido in a secure, happy home maybe the best thing for him. Too many times dogs play the part of a security blanket. Life is kinda bad; hot tea, a blanket and Fido make every thing better. You hug him and cry. This may seem OK, but what about Fido. Is he unable to escape the tension? Keeping your dog through tuff times is certainly fine, but make sure you try to stay mentally fit. Take your friend to the park, toss the ball, go for walks, swims etc. Make sure you are providing a good environment most of the time and when you do need a good cry, it won’t effect him too much. There is a new mental health TV commercial that asks the question, “who does depression hurt?” There are several scenes that show unhappy dogs. WOW is that so true! I mentioned before that your pet is a perpetual toddler. Children are greatly affected by their surroundings, imagine what your dog is going through with his amazing senses. Your dog should not have to live in a house hold were there is constant screaming, swearing, feuding and in general, emotional upheaval. I have counseled many people who have misused their pet because it is the only thing in their life that they can control. They are in an unhappy relationship so they insist that the dog be perfect or overindulge their pets and their children because they are so desperately trying to be like and loved. Be careful and if you are not willing to get help for yourself, be kind and don’t drag your “baby” through the emotional mud.
One other area is an overwhelming number of people who live in a fog. They notice nothing around them. They like it and don’t care if the dog does. They do what they want and how they want it even if the dog is extremely miserable. One of the worst situations I have experienced was attending a Toy Dog Show. One of the venders was selling doggie clothing, complete with little lace up doggie shoes. These poor over loved, over indulged “babies” were forced to wear these ridiculous shoes. All I could see was foot bound oriental women who’s feet were made to look like lotus flowers, no longer able to walk at all! Those poor little dogs were frozen in place wishing they were any place but there. Their faces and body posture were so pitiful how could anyone not notice, but one after another their co-dependant “fruit loop parents” paid three hundred and up for the doggie duds! While on this particular soapbox I should mention how grabby, touchy, kissy and primatish we humans are. We think because we like it, every other species should too. Dogs like dog things and as a “parent” we need to genuinely notice what our “kids” like and find rewarding. How true with our human kids as well. I see many parents force their likes and personal goals on their kids, only to end up with teenagers who mentally and physically run away from all those dance lessons, piano lessons, goals for good grades and college etc. etc. etc.! Finding out what motivates your kids (human and canine) is the most important task that you have to complete. When you find an appropriate motivator, you are making a deposit into your piggy bank. You can’t take out what you don’t deposit. It ’s hard to take a way a privilege that means nothing to your kid! It is also impossible to reward him for a great job if he could careless about the reward you have chosen. What you end up with is nothing to take away and nothing to give and a kid that could care less about life in general. In the case of your dog or your human kid , they will simply ignore you and do want pleases them best. You bank account is empty and maybe overdrawn with service fees!
Remember enjoy your pups/dogs antics, laugh at the simple way they enjoy life and try to do the same.
Give the Canine Center a call for all your Dog Training and Dog Boarding needs.
Best Norma
Posted in Articles by Norma, Dog Training Orlando |
Tags: behavior, boarding, breed, dog, Dog Boarding Orlando, obedience, puppy, the canine center, training |
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It’s that time of year. The Christmas pups are 16 to 24 weeks old. “Now what do we do with him?” the person on the other end of the phone begs for mercy. The calls are coming in and people are in a panic. With so many “ways” to train, which direction do you turn? TV shows have to sensationalize dog training to keep their ratings and anyone in the brother can call themselves a trainer. Look for someone that shares the same ideals and philosophies you do. Your new dog and family “coach” should have an education in the theory and process of learning and comprehension not just a “certificate” in dog training. They should have years of experience training and handling dogs and not just a person who needs extra money after their day job making pizzas. This is serious business. After all, this is the dog you will be keeping for the next fourteen years. Let’s not mess his head up before he is even a year old.
I for one, am tired of hearing about the “pack”, being the “leader” getting “control”, showing him who’s “boss” etc., etc. Yikes! What a bunch of control freaks! Dogs are perpetual toddlers. Show them, teach them, set them up for success, have limitations, boundaries and reasonable expectations and stick to it! Don’t change the rules. Have all the members of the household participate in their education, follow a plan and live happily ever after. Sound too simple to be true? Dog Training is crazy simple…it’s teaching people how to behave that’s difficult.
Get help with house training your pup. The process is not difficult but too lengthy to approach here. Patricia McConnell has a great little book, Way to Go, that really explains all the details. Go to http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/ for more info. All of Trisha’s books are great! Once you are on the right track with that, be reasonable with the length of time you expect your dog to stay by himself. Dog’s by the way are not “pack” animals and there is plenty of scientific evidence to prove this. But, they do live in extended family groups. So that one is easy, they live in families just like us, so they understand our basic social structure. Providing your family is an emotionally healthy unit all should go well. Let’s talk about being the “leader”. How about being a good “parent”? A good parent is not a bully, does not go around controlling and intimidating and certainly tries to provide a healthy environment. So, set the pups up to be right, do not place them in an area where they will constantly be able to get in to trouble and be yelled at for every step they take. Provide a “baby” safe area, such as the kitchen for the pup to play with his toys. Everything on the floor is his. Pick up your things. Now is not the time to teach him “No” because you are too lazy to pick up your shoes and socks. Interact with him, play with him, pet him and when you are finished, put him back in his crate or out of doors if he is not completely house trained. If your house has an open floor plan and is too hard to section off for the pup, then the pup should wear a harness and a “drag line”. The line can be an inexpensive piece of clothes line or the like. Cut the line about twelve feet in length and tie it to the harness. The pup can now go about the house with you. The line prevents him from getting into trouble. You still should be playing and interacting with him, distracting him away from trouble. Prevention is not the cure, but it will teach him the right way to live in your house while you are teaching him puppy obedience exercises. Make sure he gets enough “doggie play time” and not just walking….slowly next to your side, under control. BORING! UGH! Dog’s travel at a much faster pace than we humans do. They naturally want to hustle and move out at a nice trot. We need to save that thought for another article. Play time should be out of doors. Don’t rough house in doors if you expect your pup to have “house manners”. All the chase games, ball tossing and in general “fly around and be crazy” should be out of doors games. If your pup starts to “boogy butt” in the house, tell him, “Not inside” and take him out and play with him until he is tired. Go back in side and expect him to settle.
Hope that helps. Until next time, hug the pup and remember how much you wanted that little guy!
Norma Najorka
Posted in Articles by Norma, Dog Training Orlando |
Tags: Dog Boarding Orlando, Dog Training Orlando |
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The first step is to immediately STOP using the come command. Let’s face it, he’s not going to do it anyway. Every time you say “come” and he ignores you, you are reinforcing the fact that he does not have to do it. I like to place a pup/dog on a body harness (yep, the ones used for walking) and attach a “drag line” to the harness. The drag line is an inexpensive piece of clothes line or an old leash with the handle removed. If left intact the handle of the leash can get caught as your dog drags it about the house or yard. The line should be about six to eight feet in length. The line enables you to stop chasing your dog, yelling and being frustrated. When your dog does not respond to your verbal cue to “come”, quietly approach your dog, step on the line and regain control of your dog’s movement. Do not be angry, just bring your dog to the area you wish him to be and praise him when you get there. You should be positive and confident in your actions. Your attitude should project, “We are going over here and I’m not arguing with you.”
The second step is to teach your dog to respond (show favorable reaction) to his name. People are surprised when I ask them to quietly call their dog’s name and he does not respond at all. It’s sort of silly to believe Fido will come when he is out in the yard when he won’t even look at you! Begin in a quiet area with little or no distractions. Have several very tasty treats for Fido. The treats should be cut in to pieces the size of Cheerios, be chewy and smelly. Dogs eat mostly by smell and not taste. Try not to use treats which will crumble. Fido should be on his drag line to prevent him from leaving. Pick up the drag line and hold it near the end. Call Fido’s name and if he makes eye contact, immediately say, “GOOD!” and give him one treat. If he does not look, use your line to bring him toward you as you back up. When you move him farther away from the distraction and closer to you, he will be able to focus on you. As you bring him closer, continue to quietly call his name. If he responds, offering eye contact, immediately say, “GOOD” and feed him one treat. If he does not look, position the treat close to his nose. Do not feed it to him. Let him smell the treat to get his attention and then move the treat up toward your face. As he looks toward the treat and makes eye contact with you, quietly call his name. Say, “GOOD” and feed him the treat. Repeat this two more times and wait until later and repeat the exercise. Repeat this several times during the day in very short sessions for one week. You may gradually add MINOR distractions as Fido’s focus becomes better.
You’re probably thinking, “he’s only responding because of the food.” True, but at least he is responding! We are establishing new behaviors and are setting your dog up to be right and not fail. This is only the beginning of his training and certainly not the end result. Another great exercise is to hand feed your dog his dinner. Attach your “drag line” to your dog’s harness. Measure out your dog’s dinner in a small bowl. Show your dog what you have and move away from your dog toward another room in the house. As he is moving TOWARD you, call his name and say, “Come!” Always use a happy, playful tone when calling your dog to you. NEVER use a harsh tone when asking him to come to you. Even if your dog is staying with you and following you, call his name and “Come” before you feed him. Again, you are conditioning your dog to have a positive response to his name and the verbal cue, “Come.” Continue this exercise, moving about the house, every now and then stopping to feed your dog a handful of his food. If your dog does not follow you and his food or refuses to eat in this manner, put the food bowl away and do not ENTICE your dog to eat. Wait at least a half hour and try it again. It certainly will not hurt your dog to miss a meal. After all, you are offering and HE is the one who is refusing or walking away. Remember, he who controls the food source is certainly the adult or the controling member of the group. Practice the above two exercises until it is impossible to move away from your dog. Add distractions and change locations (example: indoors to outdoors) slowly and don’t hesitate to remove distractions if it appears too difficult. You will have to use your line to move your dog away from the distraction. If your dog becomes over stimulated, restrict his forward motion using the line. Begin walking directly away from the distraction, using assertive (not aggressive) body motions. You will be calmly pulling your dog away from the distraction as you observe your dog’s behavior. As soon as your dog mentally “lets go” from the distraction you MUST praise, “Good Come” and reward (feed) him. Use the environment and it’s distractions to teach your dog to come in a variety of situations. Once your dog is being successful while he is on his short line you should increase the length of your line to fifteen or twenty feet. Letting Fido drag the line at the park of other places ensures you can always step on the line to begin the “come” exercise and ALWAYS be successful. Do not be in a hurry to eliminate the line. It takes canine maturity and many months of practice in a variety of situations before your dog will be truly reliable at “coming when called.”
For additional training information visit: www.thecaninecenter.com and our blog at www.dogboardingorlando.com
