Treats

Treats

Tips

Some useful treats from our trainers!
  • Restricting a dog to a life of luxury in a centrally heated home where he is fed like a king and allowed to sleep where he wants might sound like a recipe for canine contentment, but it carries the seeds of anxiety for two main reasons. 1st he is confined and this is "unnatural" for dogs. And 2nd he has to live with us and , although we are in many ways marvelous dog substitutes, we still unwittingly create conflict in his mind.

  • When dogs don’t “naturally migrate” they will develop what I call “Issues”. They will dig holes, tear up fences, gardens, bark, become obsessed, and chase squirrels and birds. They can become obsessed with children playing or other neighborhood dogs, or any activity going on that they cannot get involved with. They can become destructive and chew anything just to occupy their mind with some type of activity. Then when that gets old they will escape the house or yard by jumping the fence or tunneling under it. It doesn’t matter what the behavior. The behavior is a symptom of a much larger problem.

  • Make training fun and project positive energy. Give lots of praise when your dog completes an exercise correctly.

  • It's extremely rare to see fat canines of any species in the wild and this is because most animals have a refined ability to adjust their consumption of food to meet their energy requirements. In hot weather they eat less. In cold weather, when they have higher energy requirements, they eat more. Obesity in dogs is a man-made problem!

  • Your dog has needs. Walking with your dog is a primal activity. It is hardwired into her brain to migrate with her pack.Dogs need to follow a strong pack leader who leads them to food, water and back to the den. This is called “structured migration.” This is what dogs do naturally. Birds fly, fish swim and dogs migrate. It’s the natural order of things in a dog’s world. Humans mess up this natural order when we bring dogs into our homes. Animals need to connect with the world and be out in it. It’s not natural for dogs to spend all their time indoors, behind walls or tied up. Never think you can substitute having a big back yard for going on a primal walk with your dog. In nature dogs spend up to 10 hours a day migrating.

  • Correct unwanted behavior quickly. It’s easier to correct bad behavior when it’s at level 1 than it is when the dog is 5 or 6. Whenever you correct bad behavior replace it with positive behavior, then reward.

  • Lack of “structured migration” is the cause of most dog issues I’ve been called in to address. It’s unnatural to confine a dog to a house or back yard day after day. Dogs need to explore their environment, pee and poop on vegetation and lay down scent information about themselves. They need to smell scent of other animals.

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