Secrets Book of a Professional Dog Trainer

finally, you can learn the jealously guarded...

By Adam G. Katz Owner of Dogproblems.com

An Insider’s Guide To The Most Jealously Guarded Dog Training Secrets In History! 1

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Secrets Of A Professional Dog Trainer! An Insider’s Guide To The Most Jealously Guarded Dog Training Secrets In History! By Adam G. Katz

Copyright © 2000 By Adam G. Katz All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

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The dog training techniques described in this book are proven methods of normal training developed over long periods of time, proved safe and efficient by recognized canine training experts. The Author shall not be liable for any claim, made by any person, trainer or owner, which arises out of the use or implementation of the various training methods contained in this book. Success in dog training depends on the right person, implementing the correct technique, in the correct manner, at the right time, to the right dog. The Author shall not be held liable for any misuse of techniques explained within the pages of this book.

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To my family: Mom, Dad, Andrea, Bud and Forbes. Special thanks to: Alon Geva, Barbara Keith & Jennifer Benson, and Kim Gorman.

Allen,

Further thanks to all of my clients for making this book possible.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction

see page 9

What Is Dog Training And How Do I Get Quick Results?

see page 12

The Top 4 Ways to Communicate With Your Dog!

see page 15

The Three Keys to Successful Dog Training and Behavior Modification!

see page 21

Best Kept Secrets On How To Choose The Right Dog For You!

see page 26

How the Professionals Go About Fixing Various Types of Canine Aggression and How To Diffuse a Potentially Dangerous Situation!

see page 36

How To Speed Up Training Results By Using The Ball And Food Drive!

see page 39

How To Teach Your Dog To Never Bolt Out The Front Door Again... Without Permission, Of Course!

see page 42

Handling Tips For Dealing With The Dominant Dog!

see page 45

My View On The Problem with Clicker Training!

see page 47

Five Secrets You Must Know To Housebreak Your Dog In A Hurry!

see page 49

How To Build A Strong “ Down-Stay” That Will Be Functional Anywhere You Go!

see page 53

Secrets of the Professional Dog Trainer’s Leash and Collar!

see page 59

Point to Point: The Pinch Collar vs. The Choke Collar

see page 63

Revealed: Long Line Techniques For Off-Leash Training!

see page 65

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The Truth About Using Food In Your Training!

see page 68

The Terrible Truth About Training the Pit Bull!

see page 71

Don't Call A Dog Trainer Until You Know These Seven Key Insider Points!

see page 73

How To Raise Your Puppy Like The Professionals Raise Their Puppies!

see page 79

Stop Your Dog From Jumping Up… Forever!

see page 83

To “ Stay” or “ Not to Stay” … How to Make The Commands You Give Your Dog Simple and Easy To Understand!

see page 87

Three Types of Dog Training Fools!

see page 89

The Difference Between A Dog Fight And A Dominance Scuffle!

see page 93

The Electronic Dog Fight Stopper!

see page 97

Psychological Mistreatment Through Isolation!

see page 99

How To Make Your Dog Lazy & Mellow! How Much Is That Doggie In The Window? Too Much At Any Cost!

see page 101

Frustrations of a Professional Dog Trainer!

see page 108

How To Think Like A Dog Trainer!

see page 111

Owning A Large-Breed Dog And Losing Your Home-Owner's Insurance Policy!

see page 114

The Greatest Dog Training Secret Known To Man!

see page 116

How To Unleash The Magic Of Compounding When Training Your Dog!

see page 117

see page 103

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How I Train Dogs, Part I, II, & III

see page 119

Food Aggression

see page 130

Separation Anxiety and Clomicalm-The Doggie Prozac! Does It Really Work?

see page 133

Why It's A Bad Idea To Raise Two Puppies Together!

see page 139

How To Get Your Dog To "Crawl" on Command!

see page 143

More Thoughts on How To Use The Ball To Motivate Your Dog During Training!

see page 146

How To Teach Your Dog To Speak Any Language: Some Rules For Selecting Command Words!

see page 147

Rattlesnake Proofing Your Dog!

see page 150

How Do I Correct Negative Or Unwanted Behavior?

see page 155

The Electronic Collar vs. the Association of Pet Behavior Counselors!

see page 157

More Questions On Training With The Electronic Collar!

see page 162

How Do I Get My Dog To Stop Jumping On The Fence?

see page 168

How Do I Get My Dog To Stop Digging Holes In My Yard?

see page 170

My Puppy Is Biting Me, What Should I do?

see page 173

How Do I Stop My Older Dog From Biting?

see page 174

How Do I Get My Dog To Stop Pulling On The Leash?

see page 175

What Is Your Rule For Dogs That Fight In The Same Household?

see page 176

TABLE OF CONTENTS... CONTINUED ON PAGE 309 9


Introduction Finally! ... You can learn the secrets! Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer is an attempt to bring the tricks, tips, and crafts of the dog training profession to the ordinary pet owner. For the past several years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the finest professional dog trainers this country has to offer. Many of them charge several hundred dollars (and in some cases, thousands of dollars) for access to the information I am presenting to you in this book. You may be asking yourself, “ What’s so great about this book? There are several books on dog training at the library!” True. There are several books on dog training at the local library, and even more at the local bookstore. But if you read these books (or if you subscribe to some of the most commonly read dog magazines) you’ll begin to notice something very interesting. THEIR TRAINING TIPS JUST DON’T WORK! As with any niche profession, sometimes the most experienced and masterful of their trade are not always the most publicized. While they may spend countless hours in the training field, or at competitions... when it comes to marketing themselves, they’re often left to a small but dedicated group of followers who never quite manage to spread their new techniques outside of their circle of associates. For instance, Terri Arnold, Tom Rose, and Bill Koehler are names that mean nothing to the average pet owner, whereas Matthew Margolis has his own PBS television show and Barbara Woodhouse has authored several highly publicized books. But are they better trainers? No way. Simply better marketers. 10


What I’ve found is that the master trainers in the dog training industry are seldom well publicized. Yet their techniques and tricks of the trade work faster and more effectively than anything you’ll find in the pages of Dog Fancy magazine. The aim of Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer is to bring you the latest information and techniques used by top dog trainers both here in America, and in Europe. And to present these techniques in a format which is exciting and easy to read. My clients in Southern California willingly and happily pay me $500 to $2,500 for the exact same information I am now making available to you in the pages of this amazing new book. These training techniques work! That’s why I get paid the “ big bucks” ... because they work on all dogs, and they work fast! You don’t even have to be coordinated, or necessarily “ good with dogs.” It’s all a matter of technique. By picking up this book, you’ve taken an important first step towards developing a happy and satisfying relationship with your dog. Good luck!

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What Is Dog Training And How Do I Get Quick Results? Dog training can be defined in a very simple way. In a nutshell-- it's praising or rewarding your dog when he does something you like and correcting him when he does something you don't like. I think of obedience training primarily as two things. First, it is establishing and promoting a proper relationship between you and your dog. And second, a way of communicating so that your dog understands your commands and those same commands have meaning. Many people think of obedience training as merely teaching your dog certain behaviors (i.e. sit, lay down). However, obedience training goes far beyond mere conditioned responses. Like the name implies, it is instructing your dog how to be obedient. Just like young children, dogs need to be taught how to live in our society and relate to others in an acceptable manner. There are many who believe that training a dog will somehow break the dog's "natural" spirit, and that if a dog isn't allowed to act out every impulse then he is somehow being deprived. However, dog training (intelligent dog training that is), is exactly the opposite. By employing methods which work in harmony with your dog's natural drives and instincts, you will be enhancing his personality and providing parameters and rules within which he can thrive and be happy. Anytime you are with your dog, he should be obedient to you. There is no such thing as a dog which is trained, but won't hold a down-stay/sit-stay/come-when-called in the presence of certain distractions. Such a dog is at best on his way to being trained. What this means is that you can expect your dog to respect you, respond to you and want to please you at all times, regardless of whether he is hungry, tired, or more interested in chasing the neighbors cat! Your standards should be very 12


demanding, so demanding in fact that ultimately your dog should be no type of nuisance whatsoever. When your dog ceases to be a pest, he begins to be a pet. And when he begins to be a pet, he begins to be a true friend. As with any healthy friendship, you must begin developing a proper relationship with your dog. But in order to do this, it is necessary to first understand what type of friend you're dealing with, and how this friend relates to you. Just as in marriage, it's not only what type of relationship you want to have, but also what type of relationship your significant other (be it spouse or canine) is capable of having with you. The Dog as a Social Pack Animal Your dog is a social pack animal. However, the way in which he relates to other dogs, people, and even other animals in his life is much different than how we humans relate to each other. The nature of the dog's pack instinct is such that he perceives any other animal (human, dog, cat, turtle) he comes into regular contact with as being part of his family, or pack. And how he relates to other pack members is largely governed by instinct and early socialization. In any pack of dogs, either wild or domesticated, there exists a social hierarchy. Within this social hierarchy (similar to a pecking order) there is an alpha-dog (the pack leader), a betadog, and so on and so forth, with the weakest dog being at the bottom of the pecking order. The Alpha-dog is dominant to all the other dogs in the pack. The Beta (second) dog is also dominant to all the other dogs in the pack, but subordinate/submissive to the Alpha-dog. And of course, the Omega-dog-- the dog at the bottom of the totem pole- is subordinate to every dog in the pack and dominant to no one. Keep in mind, while your dog is happiest when he has an Alpha-dog to provide him with firm, fair and consistent 13


leadership, it is also his instinctive nature to want to better his position in the pack. In the wild, if the pack leader were to die or become injured, there needed to be another dog (the Beta-dog) ready to step in and immediately assume the leadership responsibilities for the survival of the pack. This is why, especially when training begins, your dog may test you to see if you are truly worthy of being respected as his pack leader. Remember, the way in which dogs relate to each other is through dominant and submissive behavior. But what constitutes a pack leader and why is it important for dog owners to know this bit of trivia? Because the easiest way to establish, develop and promote a proper relationship between you and your dog is to work in conjunction with your dog's natural drives and instincts. Your dog instinctively not only wants a pack leader, but needs a pack leader. And what this means is that for him to be a happy dog, you must provide him with such leadership. Does this mean you have to adopt another dog which may be more of a pack leader? No! No! No!. Remember, your dog naturally relates to you as a pack member, so why not be his "Alpha," or pack leader? You... the Leader of the Pack In the pack, it is the Alpha-dog who makes all the important decisions. The Alpha-dog decides when the pack goes to hunt, where they hunt, and when they return. It is the Alpha-dog who always eats first after a kill. And it is the Alpha-dog who leads the pack in much the same way a benevolent dictator would rule over his kingdom. Firm, but fair. When you begin to develop a more proper relationship with your dog-- by becoming his pack leader-- you will generally see four things begin to change. Your dog will start respecting you like never before, he will begin responding to your commands (your commands will suddenly have meaning), he will bond to you much more closely, and he will begin actively wanting to please you. 14


The Top 4 Ways to Communicate With Your Dog In order to become your dog's pack leader, you must learn to communicate with your dog so he understands what you want from him. Dogs have drives and instincts which are specific to their species. Forget about communicating with your dog as if he were a baby or small child. When you begin to replicate the way other dogs communicate with your dog, you will immediately begin making progress. Read on...

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The Top 4 Ways Dogs Communicate 1.) Body language: Dogs can read subtleties in body language (in both animals and humans) with incredible accuracy. In fact, we humans can learn to read the body language of dogs pretty well, but still are no test for the dog's ability to pick up subtle changes in positioning and carriage. When one dog wants to dominate another, he makes his body big, tall, and "macho". The reason for this is that dominating means being on top, and the best way to be on top is to make yourself big. Dogs use dominant body language to say, "Hey! I'm higher up in the pecking order than you, so respect me and do what I say." Dominance through body language can be exhibited during both play or confrontation. In both cases, the more dominant dog will put his body on top of the subordinate dog. Submissive body language is just the opposite. The submissive dog will make his body as low to the ground as possible. His ears will fold back, tail drop low between his legs, and his body posture may assume a "crouching" like position. The ultimate form of submission is when the dog rolls on his back and instinctively folds his legs up beneath himself. 2.) Vocal tonation and voice inflection: Dogs use a wide range of vocal tonations to add depth and meaning to their communications. When dogs bark or vocalize in high pitches, they are generally sending signals which communicate pleasure, playfulness, or lack of seriousness. A possible exception being the obvious high pitched yelp of pain. Dogs use low pitch vocalizations such as growling or aggressive barking to communicate seriousness and a "I'm not joking around" type of attitude. A possible exception for low pitch vocalization seems to be a certain stage some pups will go through when they are testing and learning what affect different voice inflections will have on the world around them. 16


3.) Touch: The sense of touch is used in two ways by dogs when they communicate; positive touch (such as pawing, playful wrestling, kissing or snuggling) and negative touch (usually a sharp, quick bite on the neck, ear, leg or flank-- intended not to cause injury or damage, but rather to create a negative, unpleasant association with a specific behavior. Both of these can be very easily replicated once you understand the proper use of equipment and technique. 4.) Scent: Dogs use scent as both a form of identification and to communicate territory and possessions. Scent can be left via saliva, urine, feces, through scent pads in the feet, and by rubbing against the anal glands. How to use the 4 ways dogs communicate and how to use them to get quick results when training In order to get the best results in the least amount of time, try to combine as many of the four ways dogs communicate in such a manner that they will work in harmony with your objective. For example: Body language: Make sure your body language doesn't communicate the opposite of the behavior you are trying to encourage (or discourage). For instance, I have found that a dog goes through two phases when learning a new behavior. The first phase the dog goes through is learning and understanding the desired behavior. The second phase is a proofing stage in which the dog understands what is expected of him, but tests you to see if you will consistently enforce your requests. Let us assume we are teaching your dog to hold a down-stay-laying down in one spot and not getting up for a specific period of time... regardless of distractions. When the dog is in the first stage of learning, he will usually lay quietly for a few seconds 17


and then begin to get up and come to you. But before he actually gets up, there may be something you are unknowingly doing to confuse him. If, after you put him down, you walk backwards, leaning slightly backwards as you walk, your body language will be actually encouraging the dog to get up. If, at the very moment when your dog is about to make the decision to get up, you instead lean forward and say,"DOWN!", your body language will, in essence, be pushing the dog away. Your body language will be communicating, "stay there, don't get up!" If you've ever visited a local dog park, you will notice that when owners chase their dogs (in order to leash them and get them in the car) these dogs will inevitably run the other way. The reason for this is simply that when the owner runs toward the dog, his posture is threatening, or dominating, and thus pushes the dog further away by stimulating his flee drive. But as any neighborhood jogger will tell you, most dogs will give chase as the jogger runs by. It is the jogger's posture (leaning low) and running away which stimulates the chase drive. Because his posture is bent over, and he is running away from the dog, the jogger's body language is communicating submissiveness (showing his posterior) and his body motion (jogging) stimulates the prey/chase drive. Vocal tonation and voice inflection: It is interesting to note that the vast majority of American Kennel Club obedience competition champions are female handlers. I feel that part of the reason for this phenomena may be that women naturally (or culturally) feel less inhibited about using different tonation when praising or correcting their dog, while men tend to simply grunt, or mumble praise under their breath. When women say, "Oh what a good, wonderful little lovey-dovey-puppy-wuppy!" in high pitched, enthusiastic tones, men tend to simply grunt, "Eh, good boy." I really don't care what you say to your dog when you praise or correct him, as long as you are using high and low tones and using the same commands consistently. For example, any time 18


your dog exhibits an unwanted behavior, you should always bark at him, "No!" in a deep, low voice that might sound something like one dog would bark at another. When praising you dog, consistently sing the same words such as, "good dog!" in a high pitched happy voice. Trust me, the dogs know the difference, and when you use a broad range of vocal tonations, it makes it one-hundred times easier for him to understand when he's doing something right and when he's doing something wrong. Touch: Positive touch: Whenever you tell your dog, "Good girl!" or "Good boy!" make sure you attach a positive association with your praise by physically touching your dog. You probably already know better than I do what kind of physical positive touch has the most meaning for you dog. So whatever makes his tail wag, his ears fold back, his eyes go round and his tongue drop out of his mouth is what you should do to him when praising. One word of caution, however, is to make certain your praise does not interrupt the flow of your training. Negative touch: A physical correction can be given to your dog in order to make him associate a negative consequence with a certain behavior. Whatever method you use to correct your dog (see section on how to give an effective correction) be sure to try to replicate as closely as possible the way a more dominant dog will correct a subordinate dog, I.E. quickly, to the point and done with before the dog on the receiving end of the correction knows what happened. It can be beneficial to watch dogs at a local park interact. Scent: There are not too many ways to use scent as a way of communicating with your dog when doing obedience training, but you can definitely use it to help develop a more proper 19


relationship between you and your pet. How? Simple, just spit in you dog's food. Not a lot, just one good, "thud!" And it doesn't matter if he sees you doing it or not. Why would you want to spit in your dog's food? Think about it from your dog's point of view. In the pack, which dog eats first? Right, the Alpha dog. And when the Alpha dog is finished eating, then-- and only then-- will the Beta dog (the next dog in the social hierarchy) begin eating. What does the Beta dog smell and taste on whatever food is left by the Alpha dog? Saliva. And in the saliva is the the Alpha dog's scent. In sum, there are two reasons for spitting in your dog's food. First, because your saliva carries your scent, so in essence, you are marking the food and saying to your dog, "Here, it's my food, but I'm letting you have some of it [because I'm the Alpha dog and you're part of my pack]." Secondly, when your dog eats the food and detects that you have already eaten, he thinks, "My owner has eaten first, and I'm eating after him. And since only the Alpha dog eats first, I must not be the Alpha dog. It must be you." All this is understood, not through some kind of advanced doggie logic, but rather on an instinctive level. Of course, if spitting in your dog's food was all anyone ever had to do to establish a proper relationship with their dog, professional dog trainers like myself would be out of a career. However, spitting in your dog's food, combined with several other dominance-building techniques and obedience training will help to establish you as the pack leader much faster. Let’s recap: There are four ways in which dogs communicate. 1. 2. 3. 4.

Body language Vocal tonation and voice inflection Touch Scent

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The Three Keys to Successful Dog Training and Behavior Modification There are three concepts that any dog owner must understand in order to get quick results in a minimal amount of time. I call these the,"Three keys to successful dog training and behavior modification." These three keys can be utilized in both obedience training and behavior modification, as well as many other types of dog training (such as narcotics detection, tracking, etc...) Completely understanding these three keys will put you ahead of even many professional dog trainers. The three keys are: Timing, consistency and motivation. I have developed a simple analogy to help dog owners easily understand and conceptualize how these three keys work. Timing: Let us imagine that our dog is a tourist from a small Alaskan village, and that he does not speak our language, know our customs, or understand our culture. (In real life, he's a dog and he doesn't understand our language, customs or culture). As a tourist, the first thing he wants to do upon arriving in America is visit Disneyland. So... he rents himself a shiny red, brand new convertible Corvette and starts speeding down the highway doing 120 miles per hour. Through this analogy, we (the dog trainer/handler/owner) will be the police. It is now our objective to get our dog to stop speeding. Now, let's suppose our dog has been speeding down the highway at 120 miles per hour, and after driving for two and a half hours, he starts getting sleepy. So the next thing he does is pull over, find himself a little motel on the side of the road, check into a room, and take a little nap. Twenty minutes into the nap, we (the cops) finally catch up, bust into the motel room, and give our dog a ticket for speeding. But... because he doesn't speak our language, know our culture, or understand anything about our customs-- such as speed limits, stop signs, or traffic signals-- he can't associate the correction (the ticket) with the behavior (speeding). 21


So what does your dog think? He may think he's being corrected for checking into a motel, taking a nap, or possibly even stopping the car and pulling over to the side of the road! Why can't he associate the correction with the behavior, you may be wondering? Well... the United States government commissioned a study at Lackland Air Force base in the 1970's, on over 500 dogs, and what they found as a result of this study was that a dog's memory for association (it's ability to associate cause and effect) is on average 1.3 seconds. In my experience with dogs, I've found it to be a bit closer to three or four seconds, depending on the individual dog and the circumstances. Of course, there are "bridging" techniques which can be used to extend these two to four seconds by maybe another seven to nine seconds, but in general it is necessary to either praise or correct your dog immediately after his action in order for there to be a strong association. Let’s look at an example as to how timing comes into play. Let’s pretend that your dog walks into your kitchen and decides to start digging through your trash can. And when he’s done digging in the trash, he walks over and sits down on your couch, and begins drinking one of your beers and watching the baseball game on your television set. And then you come over and correct him for digging in the trash... In the dog’s mind, he thinks he's being corrected for sitting on the couch, drinking a beer, and watching baseball. Even if you drag him back over to the trash can and rub his nose in the trash… what he thinks is that he's being corrected for sitting on the couch and drinking beer. And that the punishment for sitting on your couch is that he gets his nose rubbed in the trash. However, that's not going to stop him from digging in the trash in the future, because in his mind, he's never actually been corrected for digging in the trash. So, association is the key word when it comes to the element of timing. If the dog doesn't associate the praise or the correction with a specific behavior, then your efforts are hopeless. A big mistake amateur handlers make is assuming that 22


their dog understands that they’ve done something wrong, even though it's beyond their two to four second memory for association. Simply because your dog may be showing submissive body language does not mean that he understands that he's done something wrong. There may be a prior association, or something else going on in the dog’s mind… such as reacting to your body language. For example, if your dog learns that he gets a correction every time there is trash laying on the floor of the living room, he's going to be very afraid anytime you walk into the room and see trash on the floor. So, the dog learns that if there is trash on the floor, then he gets a correction. However, he does not learn that it is the act of digging in the trash which will render him a correction. Consistency Consistency is pretty simple. Consistency means that your dog should get the same response to a behavior, every single time he exhibits that behavior. Mother Nature does this very effectively. Notice that every time a dog jumps into a rose bush, he gets pricked by a thorn, and thus receives a negative association with jumping in the rose bush. Another big mistake amateur handlers make with the consistency issue is allowing their dog to jump up on themselves. If the rules are that your dog should never jump up on you, then every time he jumps up he should receive a negative… or in plain English… a correction. Now, a lot of people know this instinctively, but you'll occasionally see them (especially when distracted or nervous) reach down and scratch their dog’s back right after he's jumped up!if your dog learns that he gets a correction every time there is trash laying on the floor of the living room, he's going to be very afraid anytime you walk into the room and see trash on the floor. Remember, in order for your rules to be absolutely clear in the dog’s mind, it must be like black and white as to when he gets a correction and when he gets praised. Motivation 23


Using motivation in your training means that your dog must receive a positive/praise, or a negative/correction, which has meaning! In other words, everything you do with your dog must be motivational. Imagine yourself (the dog trainer) being a cop, and your dog being a speeder, in a flashy red sports car. If the cop gives the speeder a ticket, even if he uses proper timing and consistency… but the ticket isn't motivational... then this speeder will never discontinue his behavior. It's like a cop giving you a ticket for two dollars, when your last name is Trump, and your first name is Donald. This two dollar ticket is in no way going to be motivational. What you need is a $200 ticket. Or maybe a $2000 ticket. Or maybe, in the case of The Donald, you would need to give a $20,000 ticket. But, eventually, I'm going to find a motivation level that works for my dog. Now, some dogs are like my grandmother. When my grandmother was alive and driving her automobile, if she happened to be speeding, all a cop would have to do is give her a warning, and this warning would be motivational enough to get her to stop speeding. In contrast, if you take an ex-convict and give him the same warning you gave my grandmother… it’s probably not going to be motivational. So, what I'm trying to say is that, just like people, every dog has its own motivation level. And whatever it is you are doing, be it praise or correction, it must be done with motivation. Potential clients often call me and ask me what kind of training collar I use, and what kind of training collar I recommend for their dog. Again, this should really depend on the individual breed, temperament, and personality of the individual dog. If I am working with a Chihuahua, with a really soft temperament, then I will probably use a soft buckle collar, because this is all I will need to use to be motivational for this specific dog. On the other hand, if I am working with a 130 pound Rottweiler, who is as stubborn as a mule and hard 24


headed, then you can bet I won't be using that same soft buckle collar, because it's just not going to be motivational. So, perhaps I’ll use a choke chain, or maybe a pinch collar. Or perhaps even an electric collar. But in the end, I'm going to find something which is motivational for that specific dog. And don’t forget about making your praise motivational, either. If you praise your dog for doing the right behavior, and he just sits there and looks at you without moving… like ice… then it's probably a good indication that your praise doesn't have any meaning. Or, in this specific situation, it is not motivational. What you need to do is get a little more motivational with your praise by either offering more patting, petting, or scratching behind the ears. Sometimes incorporating motion is a good idea, too, because your dog will see the motion and movement as something fun. In essence, the phrase " good dog" doesn't have any meaning by itself. So you must give it meaning and make it motivational by associating something positive with the word "good dog". In a nutshell, dog training boils down to one simple premise: What I want to do is to praise my dog when he does something favorable, or a behavior I want to encourage. In contrast, I want to correct my dog when he does something unfavorable, or a behavior I want to discourage. And finally, don't do anything in particular for neutral behavior. For example, if the dog happens to just lay down at your feet, but you did not command him to lay down at your feet, then there is really no reason to praise your dog. With timing, consistency and motivation, you can think through any problem behavior you are experiencing with your dog, and figure out which of the three keys to behavior modification is the weak link. Eliminate one at a time, and try to crawl into your dog’s mind to figure out what he may be thinking.

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Best Kept Secrets On How To Choose The Right Dog For You! Making the right choice when choosing your next dog or puppy can predict 50 percent of the success you will have with your pet over the next eight to 15 years. Considering that proper socialization, training, and practice makes up the other 50 percent, the dog which you select as your next canine companion should not be a decision that is taken lightly, but rather one that is made with much forethought and preparation. There are several factors one must consider when deciding to adopt a new dog. This is a subject I have become intimate with in the past few years, as I have been through no less than four different demo dogs for various reasons. One, a German Shepherd dog, was a gift, but did not possess the proper working temperament for the type of protection sport (Schutzhund) I wanted to practice. The second dog was a Rottweiler puppy who, at 9 months of age, developed some sort of genetic kidney failure and had to be put to sleep. The dog after him was a rare breed called a Bantam Bulldog. While "Gizmo " was a great little dog, I felt that with my life style, and the dog spending so much time in the back of my truck... it would only be a matter of time before he got “ ripped off” . So I decided to sell him back to the breeder, who is now using him as a stud dog. After "Gizmo," I purchased a dog from a highly respected working dog breeder in Wisconsin. This ended up being a wonderful dog... everything a German Shepherd dog should be. The only problem was that, at 10 months of age, he began limping on one of his back legs. Subsequent X-rays showed that the dog had severe hip dsyplasia. There are several important factors to be considered before making your decision. This article will explore these different factors and help you make a more educated decision about the type of dog which will fit best into your lifestyle. It will also strive to debunk many of the common wives tales and myths put forth about how conventional wisdom has always suggested you should select a dog. 26


CHOOSING FOR TEMPERAMENT VS. CHOOSING BY BREED The temperament of the individual dog you choose is far more important than the breed in which your specific dog may be a part of. In many cases, it is easier to find one Australian Shepherd who is much more similar in disposition to a St. Bernard, than to a second Australian Shepherd. However, choosing a breed is still very important because the breed of dog which your individual puppy is a member can give us general clues as to certain traits he may likely possess. As with any topic, we can only talk about generalizations... and there are always exceptions to every rule. GENERAL RULES ABOUT SPECIFIC BREEDS The following advice applies specifically to the potential pet owner, and should not be interpreted as a prescription for the individual who may be looking for a dog to participate in working or competition trials. So the question which always comes up is, "Which are the worst breeds, and what kind of dogs should I stay away from if my goal is to obtain a good house pet." The Pros and Cons of the Different Breeds: TERRIERS: The terrier breeds are incredibly popular. They present a hardy little package which usually provides a very easy to maintain coat and are frequently small dogs which fit well into apartment living. What many people fail to recognize in the terrier breeds is that these are tough little dogs that have been bred for tens of years to work independently and to be hard enough in character to burrow down holes and rat out rodents and other subterranean beasties. As animals bred to have a lot of fight in them, these dogs tend to be very dominant. If you are 27


a weak handler, these dogs will walk all over you. They are feisty, but if you demonstrate yourself to be on top of the ball game with these dogs, they will work very quickly and with much spirit. Definitely not an easy category of dog to train, however highly intelligent. HERDING BREEDS: The herding breeds are usually highly intelligent. When selecting a dog from this group, recognize that these are generally dogs that have been bred to run around all day and chase sheep, cattle, ducks, or other livestock. And this means they are usually high energy, ants-in-the-pants kinds of animals. They tend to be fairly easy to train, compliant, and mostly forgiving. But the key thing to remember is that these are dogs that have been bred to do a job. In other words, they’re highly intelligent dogs with a lot of energy. If you don’t stimulate a dog like this— both mentally, and physically— you’re going to end up with problems. In other words, a dog like this is going to stimulate himself… by barking, chewing, hyperactivity, jumping, self-mutilation… you get the picture. If you keep these dogs busy with an active, adventuresome life, you will have a great pet. WORKING BREEDS: The working breeds can be similar to the herding breeds, with the exception of two differences in temperament. The working breeds tend to be more dominant, but are usually less energetic. Less energy is (for most pet owners) a good thing. It means that, as an owner, you won’t generally have to spend as much time burning off your dog’s excess energy. The flip side of the coin is that, with a more dominant temperament, you’ll probably have to spend more time training, as to constantly assert and reassert your position in the “ pack” as the alpha dog. HUNTING/SPORTING BREEDS: There are two types of hunting dogs. Those bred for the show ring, and those bred for work (hunting and field work). While I generally recommend against adopting a puppy or older dog from a show breeder, the hunting breeds offer the unusual exception to the rule. The show people have (as usual) done an excessively good job of “ breeding 28


out” the working drive in most of the hunting breeds. Most notably, the Labrador Retriever, which has become an extremely popular dog as of late. HOUNDS: The Hounds are similar in many respects to the hunting breeds, except that, being less popular, you will be more likely to purchase an individual dog which is close to it’s working lines. It has been my experience that the typical ‘hound dogs’are quite stubborn and energetic when young, but as they grow older, become less demanding of the boundless need for exercise as is required in their more youthful years. With the exception of the Basset Hound, and a few others, this is not a category of dog for the sedentary or those who like to spend countless hours taking afternoon naps or Sunday snoozes. TOY BREEDS: In general, the toy breeds were DESIGNED to be good companion pets. However, I have found that the smaller breeds have a tendency to be harder to housebreak. In addition, it seems that many have a tendency to be very ‘yippie’, with barking problems being the second most common behavior problem for this group. Some tend to be dominant toward their owners, but this may be more of a reflection of the owner’s handling of these dogs. It is common for a toy breed owner to see his dog as a baby, or small child, and with this, comes the need to excessively spoil and cater to the dog’s every whim. It is much more common to see toy breed owners with dominance and aggression problems created as a result of this attitude. But since the dogs are of such a diminutive size, they are usually not in a position to cause lasting damage or hospitalization… at least not on the same scale as a larger dog such as a Pit Bull or Rottweiler. NORTHERN BREEDS: Unless you’ve located an exceptional specimen of one of these breeds, my recommendation is to stay away from the Northern Breeds. Consisting of dogs such as the Akita, Husky, Malamute, Shiba Inu, Samoyed, Jindo, American Eskimo, etc… , these breeds were generally bred for one purpose… to run! They tend to be very air-headed and stubborn, and are not easy dogs to train. Unfortunately, they are 29


some of the most beautiful of dogs. With long, thick hair and beautiful faces and tails, they are hard to resist. This is not to suggest that I have not encountered individual dogs from this category that have not been easy to train, but instead to point out the many more times I have run into these dogs which have been a real pain-in-the- neck. Some of these breeds (most notably the Akita) have strains of handler aggression (which means they tend to want to eat their owners), but at the same time rarely have the requisite drives and temperament to do police work, or for that matter, even personal protection. NON-SPORTING BREEDS: It’s hard to make generalizations about the non-sporting breeds. With this category, probably as much as any other, it is the individual dog that must be taken in to consideration. When I first began training, I had felt that the Dalmatian was a breed which was consistently a waste of good dog food. However, in recent months, I’ve worked with several who have had fairly decent working temperaments and were very willing to please. On a similar note, conventional wisdom suggests that Chow Chows are nearly impossible to train. Yet, I have found them to be very intelligent and showing of a strong bond with their owners. The Shar-pei, too, has been a surprise. The few which I have worked with have been amazingly willing to please their owners (upon being taught proper technique), and very happy to be trained. While I am certainly not offering an endorsement of either the Chow Chow or the Shar-pei, I am saying that each of these has definitely surprised me in their willingness and appropriateness as a house pet in contrast to the conventional wisdom that is so commonly expressed about these breeds. THE PURCHASE PRICE OF YOUR NEW PUPPY OR DOG As long as the purchase price of your new puppy is within $1000, you should NOT make the price of your chosen dog or puppy have any bearing on whether you will buy him. I am consistently baffled at how ignorant many potential dog owners are when they call me and tell me that they’ve got a “ good deal” on a dog. People think that because they are buying a $200 dog, 30


rather than a $500 dog, that they are getting some kind of deal. That $200 difference will more than likely mean that the dog’s lineage is somewhat dubious. Again, there are exceptions to this rule. In certain parts of the country, depending on the breed, you can buy a very fine dog for half of what you might pay if you’re buying from a high profile breeder. But my experience and observations have proven that it is better to risk paying a few hundred dollars more and buy a healthy, well-bred dog, than to save a couple of bucks, only to spend 10 times as much when you find out that, because of poor breeding, your dog needs hip repair, worming, heart medication, etc … simply because you chose to scrimp on the purchase price of your dog and buy an inferior puppy. Remember, this dog will be your companion for the next 9 to 19 years. The purchase price will be long amortized in that period of time. The second reason to ignore the purchase price of your new dog is that, by the time you get done with a full veterinary check up (including hip x-rays for medium to larger breeds when buying an adolescent or adult dog), you will have racked up several hundred dollars. Even if you go to shot clinics, for a puppy, five series of shots at approximately $15 is still going to cost you at least $75. Add in emergency trips to the vet for accidental scrapes, bumps, eye and ear infections, and other such anomalies, and you’ve got a fist load of bills. Buying a genetically superior dog(meaning the most well-bred dog you can afford) will reduce the number of trips to the veterinarian you will have to make in the long run. Why should you not spend more than $1000 on your new puppy? Because that is the top of the average going rate on a well-bred pet quality dog. Anything more than $1000 is excess, and what I consider price gouging. The exception would be if you are purchasing an older dog which already has titles, proven working drive, or you are buying the dog as a stud or bitch for a planned breeding program. Keep in mind that if you purchase your dog from a breeder who is out-of-state, you will also be required to pay for the pre31


flight veterinary examination (required by the airlines), the shipping crate, and the cost of shipping. This can add another $100 to $300 to the price of the dog. And whether you are shipping him from across the country, or simply picking your new dog up from a breeder across town, the first thing you will want to do is take him to your veterinarian for a thorough checkup. THE TRUTH ABOUT ADOPTING A PUPPY FROM THE DOG POUND I won’t lie to you and say that every puppy that gets adopted from the animal shelter or dog pound is going to grow up to be a nightmare. Just most of them. The reason I say this is because the first 16 weeks of a dog’s life are the most important in forming the dog’s personality and future temperament. Next to genetics, the first 16 weeks affect more attributes of the dog’s stability and personality than any other factor. Some dog experts will actually argue that the environment during the first 16 weeks of the dog’s life is MORE important than genetics… . and I’m not one to argue, except to note that one can never overcome genetics. And at the same time, it is rare that you can compensate for a dog who has passed through his various critical stages and not been properly socialized. You can bet pennies to dollars that puppies dropped off at the pound are not going to be properly socialized, nor will they be from good genetic stock. (Think about it… if you had a champion X breed dog, and paid $500 for a stud fee, would you dump the puppies in the pound? No. You’d sell them, or at least see that they were placed in good homes). Secondly, it is a rare adult dog who can survive an extended stay at the local dog pound without picking up some form of virus or disease. And puppies, when their immune systems are at their most vulnerable, do not have the strength to fend off all of the nasties that can be picked up. Considering that raising 32


puppies in a sterile, clean, professional kennel is hard enough to keep the puppies from getting all kinds of diseases, you can bet that stumbling onto a puppy from the pound that will grow up to be both temperamentally and physically sound is next to impossible. You can be assured that you will run into some problem. Sometimes, people get lucky, and it ends up being a minor problem that can be easily fixed. Other times, you can find yourself with a canine time bomb on your hands. HOW TO CHOOSE A PUPPY FROM A PROFESSIONAL BREEDER First, you must locate a professional breeder. Breeders can be found through breeder directories (available at your local veterinary clinic, or book store), through referrals from friends, the professional sector (such as groomers and dog trainers), or on the internet. How do you determine if they are professional or not? Use common sense. Is their facility clean? Do they seem knowledgeable? Is it a planned breeding? Is the breeder familiar with the bloodlines of his dogs? Does he know how the bloodlines he is breeding will mix, and what kind of temperaments they will produce? For example, if you breed a German Shepherd dog from lines which generally produce dogs with soft temperaments… with another line which may tend to have weak nerves… . what will the off-spring be like? You can usually guess, but it’s even better if you are in a position to talk to several breeders who know what the siblings to the stud or bitch dog you are considering. Once you’ve selected the breeder and the litter you have decided to choose from, the next step is to select the specific pup from the litter. Personally, I have questions as to how effective puppy testing actually is, in the long run. If you’ve selected good bloodlines, and a quality breeder, you’ve already taken care of 90% of the factors which will determine whether or not you will end up with a good dog. IF YOU’RE CHOOSING 33


A PUPPY TO BE A HOUSE PET: Isolate each puppy from the rest of the litter, preferably in another room or part of the yard. First, look for a puppy who is not afraid to walk around and explore it’s new environment. The next thing to do is to drop a dish or loud metal pan, 10 to 15 feet from the puppy. The ideal response is one of interest and investigation. Your potential puppy should look in the direction for the dropped object, and within a few seconds, go forward and check it out. Do not pick a puppy which runs and hides. The second test you can do is to roll the puppy on his side. The ideal response is for the puppy to quietly allow you to roll him over, at least for a minute or two, before starting to squirm. Along these lines, it is also a good idea to pick the puppy up in your arms and cradle him like a baby, with his back in your hands and his feet towards your chest. He should be calm and relaxed. I like a puppy who will gaze into my eyes quietly, for several minutes. This means that he will be an attentive and responsive, outgoing dog in later life. Be careful of the puppy who squirms a lot and is extremely vocal. You should be able to touch every part of the puppy’s body, without him kicking and screaming about it. Touch his feet, his ears, and especially his gums. Another test is to hold the puppy with one hand, under his arm pits, and raise him straight in the air. As expected, the pup should remain quiet and calm. IF YOU ARE CHOOSING A DOG FOR COMPETITION Do all of the above tests, but also look at the puppy’s ball/ prey drive. He should actively chase a ball or rag, and play with it intently. This ball/prey drive is of utmost importance for any working or competition dog. Without it, you’re not going to go very far. Many amateurs question how much drive a puppy can 34


have. Many breeders with inferior litters will try to convince you that low drive puppies are normal, and that drive comes with age. This is untrue. While drive can be built with age, if you don’t have any from the start, there’s going to be nothing to build. I’ve seen eight month old puppies with the ball drive of a cat. Puppies with high ball drive are easier to introduce to new stimuli, too. If the puppy should be temporarily traumatized by something, you can usually get him over it by turning the negative stimuli into something positive by associating it with the ball. If you don’t have a puppy with good ball drive, you can’t do this. And remember, drive can always be eliminated, but it can never be created if it isn’t already there to some extent or another. If you are choosing a dog for a dog sport which has a protection/bite work component, be sure to pick the most dominant pup in the litter. To do this, you may need to trust the breeder to some extent, or come back at weekly intervals to see which puppy is consistently the most dominant. Generally though, if a litter is from “ hard” or “ dominant” lines, most of the pups in the litter will be (relative to other litters) fairly dominant. Again, this gets back to the role of genetics and it’s affect on choosing a puppy. Above all else, remember the cardinal rule about when it comes to choosing a puppy: Use common sense!

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How the Professionals Go About Fixing Various Types of Canine Aggression and How To Diffuse a Potentially Dangerous Situation! “ What’s going on with my dog?” There are several different types of aggression. The most common types are: dominant aggression, fear/defensive aggression, learned aggression, and territorial aggression. First, I will explain each type of aggression, and then tell you the magic secret to fixing your dog’s problem. Dominance aggression: The dominant aggressive dog is generally a sane, sound dog... and will usually only bite if you, or someone else who threatens him, attempts to place him into what he perceives as a submissive position. He may also bite if you do something to him which threatens his position as the pack leader.... something we behaviorists call the “ Alpha Dog.” Fear/Defensive aggression: The fear aggressive (or defensive aggressive) dog is the type of character who bites because he is shy, insecure, or (like the name suggests) is fearful of the world and situations he cannot understand. Learned Aggression: The dog who displays symptoms of learned aggression is the smart, manipulative dog who has “ learned” that displaying certain behaviors will get him the results he is looking for.... which is usually to get everyone excited! In many cases, this dog will mimic the behavior of other dogs, simply because “ they were doing it!” For example... younger dogs will often learn to bark at the approach of strangers during a Sunday walk, if there is an older dog who displays aggression too, even if the older dog’s aggression is motivated by something else... such as fear, or territoriality. Territorial aggression: Territorial aggression is when your dog becomes extremely hostile, eats chain link fence, jumps up and 36


down, yells, screams, and otherwise creates a ruckus when someone approaches what he perceives as his territory. For starters, regardless of the TYPE of aggression your dog may be DISPLAYING, there are really only one of two possible reasons WHY he is acting this way: Reason #1: Your dog does not see you as his pack leader. If he did, you’d tell him to sit down and be quiet... and he’d respect your wishes, immediately! He would also respond to you, bond to you, and really WANT to please you in all other aspects of his life, too! Reason #2: You and your dog are speaking two different languages. What do I mean by this? Well, for example, many people try and pet their dog when their dog shows aggression. Owners often think that this “ petting” will reassure the dog and give him confidence. In reality, the dog thinks that the owner is telling him, “ Good dog! Yes, that’s very good... be more aggressive,” thus inadvertently reinforcing the unwanted behavior. THREE KEYS YOU MUST KNOW TO FIX CANINE AGGRESSION Timing: Timing is the ability for the dog to associate either a positive or negative outcome in response to his specific behavior. In this case, the dog must understand that displaying aggression will be met with a negative outcome, and he must be able to ASSOCIATE this negative with his behavior (the aggression). Consistency: Being consistent means that every time your dog exhibits a specific behavior, he must get the same response. As mentioned before, mother nature knows how this works very well. She protects her rose bushes by putting thorns in them. Have you ever wondered why dogs don’t jump into rose bushes? Because every time they do, they get pricked by the thorns! So in other words, they receive a NEGATIVE association every time they exhibit this behavior. 37


Motivation: Most people know about timing and consistency. But motivation is what separates the Big Dogs from those who sit on the porch and watch. Being motivational simply means that everything you do must have MEANING! In other words, if a cop were to give you a ticket (a correction) for speeding, but the ticket is only for $2... is it going to be motivational enough to get you to stop speeding? Of course not. But what if that ticket was for $2,000! I bet you’d stop speeding pretty darn quick! And that’s because the cop’s ticket had meaning, thus it was MOTIVATIONAL. Make sure everything you do with your dog is motivational, be it praise or corrections. In regards to aggression, your dog must associate a good, motivational correction every time he displays his aggression... and then when he decides that showing aggression IS NOT in his best interest, give him lots of motivational praise to reward him! To be honest, if you’re having aggression problems with your dog (and hey, let’s face it... you probably wouldn’t be reading this part of the book if you weren’t!)... then you need professional help. Dog training, especially learning to train a dog with an aggression problem, is a lot like learning how to drive an automobile. Education is important, however, you really can’t learn how to drive a car by reading a book. You need to get behind the wheel, with dad in the passenger seat telling you when to put the gas on, and when to brake. After a while, you get the feel for it, and pretty soon you are able to take the car out on the road by yourself. Dog training is the same way. I can tell you what to do, but unless you really see it, it’s difficult to transfer theory into application.

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How To Speed Up Training Results By Using The Ball And Food Drive! What is a drive? Is it something you do on a Sunday afternoon with your dog in the passenger seat of your convertible Buick? Well, yes. Aahhh, but in terms of dog training, you ask? A drive can be generally thought of as an extension of a dog’s instincts. Dogs have several drives; Ball drive, food drive, sex drive, fight drive, defense drive, hunt drive, herding drive, etc... Ball drive and food drive are the two primary drives used by professional dog trainers to get fast, impressive results, make the teaching phase of a new exercise easier to understand, and to preserve attitude. Additionally, using either the food or ball drive can make your dog a “ happy worker,” rather than the type of dog who merely drudges through his obedience routines. Avoid the amateur’s pitfalls. The amateur dog trainer will make the mistake of using a ball or food treat as a bride, rather than as a motivator. You may be asking yourself, “ What’s the difference?” Quite frankly, the difference is that, using a ball or food as a bribe means that your dog is working for the bribe, but not for you. This creates the type of dog who will quickly learn that, if he doesn’t get food, he doesn’t have to work. And if you can’t coax him with a ball or tasty treat... it’s, “ Hasta la Vista, Baby!” The true professional will use the ball and food drive as a motivator. This means that the dog knows that you are the pack leader and that you will make him perform the desired behavior. But by using the ball and food drive, you are able to motivate your dog to perform such exercises with joy and attitude. Two techniques for building strong ball drive: Ball drive technique #1: Ball-on-the-wall game. Back tie your dog to a garage door, or a tall wall that has a hook or an 39


eye-bolt. Attach the dog to a short leash (two to three feet, depending on the size of your dog), and make sure he is wearing a soft leather flat collar— something which will not hurt his neck when he strains against it. The idea here is to playfully throw the ball against the wall near where the dog is tied. Your dog will begin to jump and prance for the ball. As he begins to get excited, encourage him. Occasionally (once or twice a session) let him win by getting the ball. Drive is built through frustration. When your dog appears most excited about the ball, end the session. If you work past his most excited state you will actually decrease your dog’s drive. Frustration without the chance of ultimately winning lowers drive. If you put your dog away right before his interest in the ball reaches its highest peak, the result will be that the next time you bring him out to play the ball-on-the-wall game, his interest will peak even higher! And this creates stronger ball drive. Ball drive technique #2: The Ball-on-a-String gadget. Start by taking an ordinary tennis ball. Use a knife to puncture two half-inch slits— one on each side. At a local hardware store, purchase a piece of string, approximately the same width as a shoe-lace, three feet in length. Next, use a piece of wire, such as a bent coat hanger, to guide the string through the ball, and tie a knot in the end so the string will not accidentally slide back through. After you’ve done this, you will now have a “ ball on a string,” an item which commonly sells for $9 in Southern California pet stores. Bring your dog out of the crate after an hour or two, and make the ball jump and roll. Every time the pup thinks the ball is “ dead,” you should make it jump again, just enough to keep his interest. Pretty soon, you should be able to work your dog into a frenzy over “ killing” the ball. Just like the ball-on-the-wall 40


game, quit when your dog is most excited, and the next time you bring out the ball-on-a-string, your dog will be even more excited. Soon your dog will be ball crazy, and you will be in a position to use the ball to motivate your dog to do anything! A little known fact about increasing food drive: In general, food drive is the result of your dog’s genetics. However, dogs with a strong food drive can have their desire to eat squashed by owners who engage in habit of “ free feeding.” To encourage food drive, give your dog access to his food for only 10 minute. At the end of this 10 minute period, if the food isn’t gone... too bad! The dog must wait until his next feeding time. Secondly, you can feed your dog once, instead of twice-a-day, and this should also boost food drive. A third technique, employed by the trainer who has limited time to get results, is to feed the dog only during training. This results in a dog which learns to be super-motivated for food, because training has become synonymous with feeding time. But instead of simply being able to gobble his food down, the dog learns he must work for his chow! This technique can be construed as being a bit extreme, but will build food drive even after you have returned to a normal feeding schedule.

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How To Teach Your Dog To Never Bolt Out The Front Door Again... Without Permission, Of Course! •

How to get results with this technique in less than five minutes

Owning a dog who consistently bolts out the front door means putting up with a dangerous (not to mention annoying) habit. Most dog owners don’t realize how easily this habit can be fixed. There are two primary ways to teach your dog to actually choose not to bolt out the front door. The first technique reminds me of a three-panel “ Sunday Funny Pages” comic strip I saw in the Los Angeles Times a few years ago. The first panel contained a picture of a mother telling her girlfriend over the phone that she has just hired a professional dog trainer to teach Fido to not drink out of the toilet. In the background, her three-year-old son is standing next to Fido as he drinks out of the toilet. In the second panel, the three-year-old son reaches for the toilet seat and proceeds to slam it into the back of Fido’s head, while he’s drinking the toilet water. Fido is shown seeing stars! And finally, the third panel shows the mother speaking again on the telephone with her girlfriend... now two weeks later... saying, “ Yes, the training worked miracles! Fido no longer drinks out of the toilet!” With this first technique, you can achieve super-fast results by employing the same theory. First, put the leash and collar on your dog. Next, stand in front of the closed door with the leash in your left hand and the door knob in you right hand. Your dog should be standing on your left side. As you begin to open the door, your dog will start to bolt. However, now is the time to show him that you have no 42


intention whatsoever of keeping the door open long enough for him to run through. Immediately slam the door closed. And don’t worry if you happen to clip him in the nose a little bit. The next time, you can bet he’ll be much more cautious about not immediately running out the front door. And besides... a little clip on the nose isn’t going to kill, maim, or injure your precious pooch! Gradually start moving the door open and closed, just like the blade of a fan, very quickly. Every time your dog starts to think about going through the door he will see it again slammed in his face. At the same time, tell him, “ Wait.” Ultimately, you can get to the point where you can leave the door open for longer periods of time, because every time your dog makes any kind of move towards the door frame, he learns that the door will slam shut. It’s very simple in the dog’s mind. “ If I walk through the door, it’s going to close every time and I might get bumped in the face,” your dog thinks, “ Better not risk it and wait until my master tells me its cool.” When you are ready to walk out the front door with your dog, give him a release command so that he knows when it is okay to walk through the door. This release command is extremely important. Without it, you may never get consistent results because your dog really has no way of knowing that there are certain times when the door will slam shut, and other times when it won’t. Once your dog begins to understand this simple concept, you can start with some creative proofing exercises. The first proofing exercise I suggest is to tie a long line to the door knob and practice slamming it shut from a distance. Place your dog’s food bowl on the outside of the doorway, and stand far enough away so that your dog thinks he can sneak out and 43


get the food. This teaches him that, even if you aren’t near the door, he still is not allowed to bolt outside without your permission. The second proofing exercise is to have a friend come in the door from outside, and just as the dog tries to bolt, the door is closed (by the visitor on the outside, rather than from the inside). This makes for complete reliability. Practice these techniques over a period of a few weeks, and before you know it, you’ll see that your dog will really start to look towards you for permission before walking out the front door!

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Handling Tips For Dealing With The Dominant Dog! The most important aspect to establishing yourself as the pack leader to your dominant dog is to view your relationship as one which requires you to demonstrate you are worthy of your dog’s respect. How do you do this? By convincing your dog that he’s in “ boot camp” until he demonstrates that he respects you as the “ leader of the pack” rather than himself. Tip #1: No excess luxuries for your pugnacious pooch. Until you clearly establish yourself as dominant to your dog, there should be no freedom for him to decide what he can do. If he’s not in the crate (or kennel run), he should be doing only one of four different things: Being trained, fed, exercised, or allowed to defecate. Pretty soon, working/training (i.e., doing what the pack leader says) will be something he looks forward to in his day. Secondly, he will learn that you are in complete control of his life, not the other way around. YOU are the one who decides when to go on a walk, training session, or whatever exercise YOU decide to do. Tip #2: Spit in your dog’s food. This sounds disgusting, right? Instinctively, the most dominant dog in the pack eats first... which means that his scent (saliva) is on the food. The subordinate dogs in the pack can interpret this as a form of marking, thus you are saying, “ It’s not automatically your food! It’s my food, but I’m letting you have some, because I’m more dominant than you.” Tip #3: When I say “ Jump,” you say, “ How high?” Show your dog that you never issue idle threats and always mean what you say. If you tell your dog to lay down, make sure— no matter what— that in the end, he will be laying down. Never give a command you cannot enforce. Building dominance is a process which can take several months to 45


achieve. If, when you first get your dog, you do not establish yourself as the pack leader within the first week or two of your relationship, it will be a longer process to re-establish your relationship later in your dog’s life.

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My View On the Problem With “ Clicker Training” Clicker training has become the New Age buzz word amongst the humanist-oriented dog training bunch and the book and pet product promoters eager to capitalize on this latest trend. Based on theories of operant conditioning first expounded by psychologist B.F. Skinner, and later popularized by dolphin trainer Karen Pryor in books such as Don’t Shoot The Dog, clicker training involves attaching a positive, motivator (such as food) to an event marker (such as a clicking sound made by a child’s toy known as a ‘ cricket’) in order to improve timing and allow the dog to more easily understand which behavior he did correctly. The problem I have with clicker training is not inherent to the use of a small child’s toy to assist in training a dog, (which, it could be argued, strays away from the natural way dog’s communicate with each other), but rather in the promotion and word of mouth associated with this behavioral approach which closely resembles the ramblings of a college boy newly converted to Evangelism. Furthermore, clicker training has quickly evolved into the poster child of those who view traditional dog training as something closer to torture for the dog, rather than as a method of training new behaviors. The weak point of most clicker trainers’arguments is in the assumption that using compulsion (giving a dog a correction) is the same as a punishment and/or force. In reality, a well timed correction, with proper motivation (but not too much motivation) is merely a method of telling the dog he did something wrong. Imagine trying to learn how to drive with an instructor who only told you when you were doing something right, but refused to tell you when you were doing something wrong. Sure, you might eventually learn how to drive (if you didn’t kill yourself first), but the fastest and easiest method of learning is to know when you are doing something right as well as when you are doing something wrong. I feel there is a definite place for clicker training in a trainer’s bag of tricks... 47


however, it should not be to the exclusion of every other trick in the trainer’s bag, especially when those tricks may work faster in certain circumstances.

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Five Secrets You Must Know To Housebreak Your Dog In A Hurry! More dogs are given away every year due to housebreaking problems than any other behavior problem. Housebreaking is fairly easy if you follow a few simple steps. Whenever I get a new dog, or when I advise my clients on issues pertaining to housebreaking, I generally follow four simple rules: Housebreaking Rule 1: Anytime your dog is in the house with you, he needs to be watched like a hawk. What this means is that, regardless of what I may be doing, I need to keep one eye on the dog and one eye on whatever else I may be paying attention to. If you can't keep one eye on your dog at all times, then you must confine him. Confining your dog means putting him in a crate or in a kennel run or some type of enclosure where he cannot make a mistake-- which in this case is urinating or defecating in the house-- without getting a correction. In sum, you must never let the dog have free reign of the house until the dog is 100% proofed, and until that time, you must never take your eye off your dog if he isn't confined in a crate or an enclosure. Housebreaking Rule 2: If and when your dog has an accident-- because you were keeping one eye on the dog and one eye on whatever else you were doing-- you will always be in a position to give the dog a sharp correction upon error. This means that your dog will be developing a negative association with the action of defecating or urinating in the house. One of the reasons dogs defecate and urinate in the house is that they feel comfortable doing so. It is much more pleasant to urinate or defecate on the carpet or on the couch or on the bed (where it is nice and soft) than it is to go outside (where it may be cold) and 'take care of business' on the grass or on the dirt. So, you need to make it more comfortable for your dog to eliminate outside, and much more uncomfortable to defecate or urinate inside. In fact, it should be extremely uncomfortable! Anytime the dog has an accident or decides to defecate or urinate in the house, he needs to receive a strong correction. And the correction must be 49


motivational. And it must be immediate. And it must be a correction that the dog knows he will get every time he tries to do his "business" in the house. Housebreaking Rule 3: The third key to housebreaking is to establish a place outside-- a specific spot--where the dog will go to eliminate. In conjunction with this, I also teach a command so that the dog learns to do the behavior of defecating or urinating on command. The command I use is "get busy". When you see that your dog has a need to eliminate, immediately rush him outside to your specific predetermined spot. Once you get to that spot, you need to walk the dog back and forth and constantly repeat the command. I repeat, "Get busy, get busy, get busy", as I walk back and forth. Now, once the dog begins to either urinate or defecate I continue repeating the command "get busy, get busy, get busy". This forms a close association with the behavior and the command, and so the two become linked. As soon as the dog finishes "taking care of business," I immediately lavish praise. This is very important because, what goes on in the dog's mind is that the dog learns, "Hey, I get something very positive," your praise, "When eliminate outside." Secondly, he gets something very negative when he decides to eliminate inside. So, we have something very consistent going on. Another benefit to taking your dog out to one specific spot is that dogs become creatures of habit. Thus, your dog develops the habit of going to that one spot, and as long as that specific spot is outside (or in your predetermined area) that is where he will want to go to the bathroom. Many times, dogs that have a housebreaking problem will return to the same spot to go to the bathroom. Unfortunately, this spot is usually in the living room, on the bed, or in some area where we don't want it to be. By establishing a specific spot in the yard, we condition the dog to want to go to that spot, and so he will only really feel comfortable eliminating in that specific spot. Another benefit of associating a command with the action of elimination is that you are able to take your dog over to the curb, or behind a building, or outside of a shop (if you happen to 50


be in the shop) and realize that your dog is telling you that he has to go to the bathroom... you can take him outside to a place where you feel it is okay for him to eliminate. And once you are in that spot you tell him, "Okay, now it is fine for you to go to the bathroom right here." Housebreaking Rule 4: The fourth key to successfully housebreaking your dog is to buy and use an odor neutralizer or an odor eliminator. There are products you can buy on the market for this. The one I use is called, Nature's Miracle. It is a type of enzyme which breaks down urine and fecal residue and completely eliminates the odor. It can be used on your carpet and will usually lift a stain, as well, so in a sense, serves a double purpose. But more importantly, it lifts the urine smell from your furniture. This is necessary because, if you don't lift the urine smell, your dog will smell the scent he has left previously and want to go back because that's his "familiar place." By using the odor neutralizer, you are able to lift and get rid of that elimination spot which was chosen by your dog. And of course, you are now in a position to substitute his new elimination spot outside. In the past, many dog trainers would suggest that you make your own odor neutralizer by mixing one part ammonia to four parts water. This doesn't work very well, for one simple reason: there is ammonia in your dog's urine! By using ammonia as a cleaning agent, there is the distinct possibility that your dog will be attracted to that spot, smell the ammonia, and re-mark his spot. So you won't really be achieving your goal of eliminating the odor or neutralizing the scent. If you're into homemade remedies, or you're on a tight budget, you might try: One part white vinegar to four parts water. I have been told this concoction works very effectively. Personally though, I prefer the store-bought formulas, because I have no desire to make my living room smell like a Cobb salad, just to save a few bucks! Housebreaking Rule 5: The fifth and final rule for 51


successfully housebreaking your dog is to set up a feeding and watering schedule which is very rigorous and consistent. You want to make sure that your dog gets fed and watered at the same time every day. When you do this, you'll notice that your dog will start needing to go out and eliminate at the same times every day. For some dogs, this will be immediately after they eat or drink. For other dogs, it may take a while. I had a Rottweiler puppy who would have to eliminate almost 23 minutes-- to the second-- after he had eaten. I was able to read the dog so well that I could tell exactly when he had to go out, and because I was feeding him consistently at the same times of day, I knew when to expect him to go. This way, I was always ready and prepared to be outside with the dog when nature called. If you don't feed your dog on a consistent schedule, you will be perpetually playing a guessing game. As for watering, I do not recommend free access to water until the dog is completely housebroken, and that means 100%. If you give your dog free access to water when in the house, you will never develop any consistency in terms of knowing when he has to urinate. If you follow these five steps religiously, you will be well on your way to having a completely housebroken dog. On average, I find that the speed in which it takes to housebreak a new dog or a puppy that is over 12 weeks is between 10 to 14 days. It can be faster or it can take longer depending on how religiously the owner follows these five rules, as well as other factors such as your dog's age, breed, and temperament. But with practice, consistency, proper timing and motivation, housebreaking can be accomplished fast and easily.

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How To Build A Strong “ Down-Stay” That Will Be Functional Anywhere You Go! I usually begin teaching the down/stay from the sit position. It is important to first note that I break this exercise into two elements. The first element is to teach the dog to go from either the sit position (and later the standing position), directly into the down, so that the dog's belly is touching the ground. The second element of this exercise is to teach the dog to actually stay in that position. First, I begin by teaching the dog to go down fast. I start with the dog in the sit position, and grab the leash... maybe a foot from the snap... with my right hand. I'll be standing so that the dog is in heel position (with my right hand on the leash about a foot from the snap) and so that my left hand will be touching the dog's back, slightly behind the shoulder bones. Next, I issue the command "down". Immediately after I say the command "down" (not at the same time, mind you) I will give a pop in a downward or slightly forward direction. At the same time that I pop, I will push and rock with my left hand so that the dog's legs lay flat under him and he goes fast and smoothly into the down position. As soon as the dog is completely down, I praise. When I'm ready to let the dog get up, I give the dog his release command. The release command I use is "take a break." So I tell the dog, "Take a break," and at the same time use a little touch and a little bit of motion. Please notice that I do not use the stay command. The stay is actually a DOUBLE command. There is absolutely no occasion where you will tell your dog "down" and then he will be allowed to immediately pop back up. So, if you tell your dog "down,"... of course he should "stay". There is no need to say "stay" "stay" "wait" "don't get up" "stay" "wait" "stay"... this is ridiculous. It's repetitious and it 53


over-complicates things for the dog. When I tell the dog "down," he learns that he must continue holding the down/stay until I give him the release command (which in my case, is "take a break"). I use the "take a break" for pretty much all commands. When I tell the dog to "sit," he should continue sitting until I tell him to "take a break". If I tell him to climb up and stand on a chair, or a table, or an object, or to go to his place or get in the crate... the dog knows he must continue doing that until I tell him to "take a break". There is no need to complicate and confuse your dog by using double commands. So, tell your dog one command... "down," and he will know that he must remain in the down position until you tell him to "take a break". When I teach the down to my clients, I start by teaching the dog to lie down on top of a manhole. And what I tell my client is that their dog will do one of four things: The first thing he may do is continue staying in the down position... at which point I will go back to him and praise him and tell him that he is a “ good boy” and that he did exactly as I asked. The second thing he may do is break the down/stay, but still be standing in the exact spot that I told him to go down on... which in this case would be the manhole. My reaction is to immediately step back into the dog and reissue the command "down," and then pop in a forward and downward direction and with my left hand, press the dog into the down position. Once he's back down, he gets no praise until he has stayed there for a couple of seconds... at which point I can go back, praise, and then give him the release command. The third thing he might do is stand up and walk ten feet from the manhole where he was laying down. If he does this, you need to go all the way to him and say "No!", pop the leash and walk him back in the direction of the manhole. Say "No!" and then give a pop again— the entire time you rush him back to 54


the manhole. Once you are standing on top of the manhole, repeat or reissue the command "down," followed by a pop. The fourth thing he may do when you tell him "down," is to roll over on his back. If your dog does this, he is engaging in what I call, "passive resistance." When the dog is laying on his back, he is not in the down position, so what the handler will need to do is repeat the down command and, instead of popping, simply take two or three steps backwards. Usually what happens is the dog rolls back over into the down position. On the other hand, if he should roll back over, into the down position, but then immediately stands up... it is the owner's responsibility to get back to the dog, repeat the down command, and pop downwards (as the left hand pushes the dog into the down position). If you are lucky, he won't get up, and instead will simply roll back into a proper down position. You must then go back and praise your dog. Occasionally, when the dog rolls on his back as the owner takes two or three steps away, the dog will not roll into the down position. If this happens, the handler should pull gently on the leash. At this point, the dog will usually roll back into the down position. By now you will have taught your dog to start understanding that he should: 1: Go into the down position, and 2: Stay in the down position. The most important key is that, no matter what he does... if he gets up, breaks the down/stay, or moves... you need to immediately put him, not only back into the down position, but put him back into the down position in the exact spot where you initially placed him. From here I will return to the first step which is getting the dog to go into the down position, but now with less help from your left hand. How I achieve this is to gradually approach the point where I can stand up straight without bending over the dog, give just a verbal command to go down, and then give a pop on the leash (but with no body English and no physical help other than the pop to make the dog go down). So once the dog shows you that he understands what 55


down means, then you can progress to the point where you just give him the verbal command and the leash correction. You can build up speed by doing a series of downs and then immediate releases... interspersed with some physical play or a throw of the ball. After building up a speedy response to your commands, you are ready to start with proofing. Proofing is done with the exact same methods that I just described. However, what I do differently is that I approach the exercise from the perspective that I already know the dog understands what is expected of him. So, I tell the dog to go down, and the first thing I do is build up time and distance. I get to the point where I can tell the dog "Down" and walk away, first ten feet, then fifteen, then twenty feet. I can tie the leash to a tree and keep most of the slack on the ground and actually walk 50 to 100 feet away. If the dog should get up, I'm going to say "No, no, no, no" all the way back to the dog, and once I get back to the dog, I will take him back to the spot where I originally put him into the down position and repeat the command, "Down," and then give a pop. After I have got the dog consistently holding a down/ stay, and I've built up a lot of time and distance, I'll start incorporating more distractions. At this point, I'll go back to working the dog on a six foot leash. The first distraction I use is the ball or the toy. Tell the dog "Down," make the dog go into the down position, then produce a ball and bounce it once. As your dog gets up, you immediately correct him back into the down position. If the dog stays there, you praise him. Then bounce the ball twice, three times and work up so that you can bounce the ball all around the dog's body. Bounce it next to his tail. Bounce it next to his head. Bounce it next to his shoulders. Bounce it overhand. Throw the ball, and demand that the dog stays down. Every time the dog breaks and gets up to go after the ball, he's learning something... and what he's learning is to wait until you tell him to "Take a break." As a side note: many competition people will say, "Hey, this is going to kill the dog's drive for the ball... the dog's 'ball 56


drive.'" And my response to this is that it will not... if you use this proofing technique correctly. You can actually get to a point where you can tease your dog with the ball. Thedog will become anxious for the ball, but will hold the down/stay. And when you give the release command, "take a break," immediately throw the ball, so the dog learns that his reward for staying down is that he gets to go chase the ball. The second distraction I use is food. Right before feeding time, I'll put the dog in a down/stay and I'll throw a few pieces of kibble around the dog. If the dog makes an attempt to eat the kibble, I will correct him back into the down. Within a very short period of time... two, three or four days after teaching the down/ stay... you can train your dog so that you can place a bowl of food right next to him while he's on the down. And he will not get up to eat it, because he learns that every time he gets up, he will be corrected and placed into the down position. You may be thinking, "Hey, I'm going to be correcting the dog 100,000 times." This will be true, if your correction lacks motivation. What that means is that your correction must have meaning. (In other words... pop harder!) The third step to proofing your dog is to proof him around other dogs. I recommend finding a high foot-traffic area and place the dog in a down/stay with you close, perhaps two or three feet away from your dog. Have the distractions (another dog) walk by at a distance of anywhere from 20 feet or greater. If your dog gets up, simply correct him back into the down position. Soon, the dog will learn that he must hold the down/ stay. When he can consistently hold the down stay with another dog 20 feet away from him, gradually move your distraction dog closer. Again, in a very short period of time you can get to the point where another dog can actually walk over your dog and your dog will remain in the down position. You can also practice teaching your dog to hold a down/ stay when you are out of sight. This exercise is good if you like to go to the Starbuck's Coffee House and want to leave your dog in a down/stay while you go in and get a cup of coffee and a 57


newspaper. The application for teaching your dog this exercise is exactly the same as we've done with the ball and the food and the other dog distractions. Simply place the dog in a down/stay, tie the end of the leash (either a 6-foot leash, or if you'd like, a 30 foot leash) to a post or a tree. Remember, as long as you keep slack in the line, your dog will not know he is tied up to the tree or post. Next, go and hide behind a building or another tree... someplace where the dog cannot see you. Spy on him. Just remember though, if you can see your dog... he can see you. If he should get up as soon as you disappear from his vision, you need to immediately spring out from your hiding place, say "no, no, no, no, no" as you run back to your dog, and correct him back into the down/stay... right back into the spot you initially put him. It's very simple. Using these techniques, you can teach your dog to be a street smart dog and hold a down/stay regardless of whatever else is going on.

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Secrets of the Professional Dog Trainer’s Leash and Collar! The leash and collar you use to train your dog will be two of the most important elements of your training success. The leash I recommend my clients use is generally a three/ eighths to half-inch, six-foot leather leash. I like working with leather because leather is easier on your hands, it's easier on your dog, and it enables you to give a sharper and more motivational correction. Generally, I recommend using one of the thinner width leashes, because once you begin the heeling exercises, the leash becomes much easier to manipulate between your fingers than one of the wider varieties. The training collar I generally use is called the pinch collar ( or sometimes referred to as the "prong" collar.) When most people first see the pinch collar, they think it is some kind of cruel, medieval torture device. In reality, the pinch collar is actually safer than probably any other training collar on the market. The pinch collar consists of several small prongs which are linked together. It is important to recognize that these prongs are definitely NOT spikes... and they in no way dig into your dog's skin or otherwise hurt him. Instead, the pinch collar is designed to replicate the way the mother dog corrects her puppies. Secondly, it also works to simulate the way the alpha dog corrects the subordinate dogs in the pack--which is by giving the subordinate dog a small nip on the neck, and sometimes on the ear, muzzle, or flank— but usually it is on the neck... which is why we use the pinch collar. Of course, you can use your own mouth to administer the correction, but you'll probably end up getting hair in your teeth! The pinch collar is a safer collar for many reasons. First, when you give your dog a correction with the pinch collar, you will find that it is much easier to give your dog a motivational correction without having to resort to physical strength. Remember, one motivational correction is better than 100 nagging corrections which don't do any good. In the end, your 59


dog will end up being frustrated when you find yourself giving nagging corrections when you could be communicating much more effectively and efficiently. In essence, the pinch collar is like power steering. Secondly, the pinch collar works like a camera lens in that the correction is administered all the way around the dog's neck, rather than focusing the correction all at one point--like the choke and slip collars do. What we've found from various studies, is that the choke and slip collars can actually do damage to your dog’s trachea, as well as irritate the skin and hair around the neck. All because the correction focuses on one specific part of the dog's neck. Also, the pinch collar, if used correctly, just gives the dog a minor pinching sensation. THE TWO BIGGEST MISTAKES AMATEUR TRAINERS MAKE WHEN USING THE PINCH COLLAR: There are two common mistakes the amateur dog trainer makes when someone tells him to go out and buy a pinch collar. The first mistake the amateur makes is to incorrectly size the collar. The size of the collar is not determined by the number of prongs in the collar, but rather the size of the prongs themselves. Usually, these collars come in three sizes; small, medium and large. I can put together a collar with 100 small prongs in it, and it will still be a small collar. The fitting will be extraordinary, of course, but regardless of how many prongs are in the collar, it is still a small pinch collar. If you wanted to, you could fit your pet Rottweiler with a small pinch collar, but you’d probably find that you'd be bending links every other day. So perhaps a medium, or quite possibly a large collar would be more appropriate. In terms of fitting the pinch collar, you want to be able to put between one half and one-and-a half fingers between the end of the prong and the skin of the dog's neck. If you find that you must jam your finger beneath the prong, then this is not good, and means that the dog is probably always feeling some type of correction. On the other hand, if the collar is too loose, you're not doing your dog any favor, either. What happens is that the collar ends up either rubbing and irritating the dogs neck, or the prongs themselves slam against the dog’s neck when given a correction... which isn't good either. A good fit should allow 60


the collar to ride on your dog's neck comfortably and without irritation. Be aware that, in the beginning, your dog may not initially be used to the feeling of a metal collar around his neck. But give it time, and in a couple of days he will forget when he's wearing it. WHEN TO USE THE PINCH COLLAR For the first few months of training, or until your dog is conditioned, your dog should wear the pinch collar any time you find yourself interacting with him. Just like another dog, who would always have his mouth and teeth available to administer a correction to a subordinate dog, you need to be in a position to correct your dog too. What this means is that, if your dog learns that he only has to work or behave when the collar is on, what you'll have is a dog who is a complete angel when the collar is on, but a real devil when the collar comes off. This is what professional dog trainers refer to as being " collar-smart ". How do you make sure your dog does not become collar smart? Simply make sure that you leave the pinch collar on, any time you are interacting with your dog. What this means is that, if you go out to dinner, and put the dog in the back yard, where he's not being supervised, the collar should be removed. You don't want to take the chance that the pinch collar will get stuck on something ( like a gate, or chain link fence) and end up choking your dog. So when you leave your puppy unsupervised, take the collar off. Otherwise, the collar should be on whenever you are around. Just like the alpha dog would always have his mouth to give a subordinate dog a correction, you must also be in a position where you can correct your dog EVERY TIME he exhibits undesirable behavior. After a period of time, your dog will forget he's wearing the collar, because he will have become so used to wearing it, similar to the way we humans become accustomed to wearing clothing. THE SECOND BIGGEST MISTAKE AMATEUR TRAINERS MAKE WHEN USING THE PINCH COLLAR: 61


The second biggest mistake the amateur dog trainer makes when using the pinch collar pertains to when the handler administers the correction. There is a tremendous tendency of the handler to pull on the leash when giving a correction, rather than to "pop" on the leash. What this means is that the collar is being kept tight, and not being allowed to be released... thus giving the dog continual pain. This is not the way the collar was designed to be used, nor is it natural for the dog. When you give a correction, and accidentally keep the leash tight, it is as if the alpha dog bites the subordinate dog on the neck, but instead of releasing his grip, he continues to walk around the yard with the first dogs neck in his mouth. This would never happen. It is simply not natural. Any time one dog corrects another dog, it's always done with a quick nip. So, when you correct your dog, make sure you always give him a fast, quick pop and release.

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Point to Point: The Pinch Collar vs. The Choke Collar 1.) The pinch collar was designed to replace the choke collar. About the only thing that the choke collar has "over" the pinch collar is that it has been in the public eye for the last 20 years and is now widely accepted. The pinch collar, in contrast, is relatively new to the public. When people first see it, they think it is some kind of cruel Nazi torture device. Instead of seeing prongs, they see spikes. The immediately form a rash judgement and refuse to look into the behavior benefits and reasons we use the collar. (See #4) 2.) The choke collar has been proven to do damage to a dog's trachea if used excessively by a handler with poor technique. Of course, the pinch collar can also do damage if used with poor technique, but a green handler can learn to give an effective, motivational correction in about 10 minutes with the pinch collar. The choke collar, in order to master proper technique, can take a couple of months. I find that, given the size of a dog like a Rottweiler, most clients are unable to give motivational corrections with the choke collar. If the client is unable to give a motivational correction, the choke collar will rub and irritate the skin and wear away the hair around the dog's neck. 3.) If the pinch collar is sized and fitted correctly, it delivers a more comfortable (and at the same time more motivational) correction. The reason for this is that the pressure of the "jerk" from the leash is distributed all the way around the dog's neck because the pinch collar constricts like a camera lens-- all edges moving toward the center. And because there is a ring at the bottom, an inexperienced handler is unable to accidentally choke the dog. In contrast, the choke collar works like a noose, and all pressure from the correction is delivered at one spot on the dog's neck. Even for a large breed dog, this can be perceived as an unnecessary application of pressure. 4.) The fourth advantage of the pinch collar is that it replicates the way the Alpha dog corrects the subordinate dogs 63


in the pack... by administering a bite to the neck. So instead of us humans getting hair in our teeth, we use the prongs on the pinch collar to give a proverbial "bite to the neck." However, the average dog's bite is estimated to be about 800 pounds per square inch. The Rottweiler and Pit Bull's bite is estimated at around 1200 pounds per square inch. So even if we've got the muscles of Arnold Schwartzenegger, we couldn't give our dog the type of correction they are capable of giving each other. In sum, I have found that my average client can use the pinch collar to give one good motivation correction and get results with their dog. On the other hand, the clients who elect to use the choke collar often find themselves giving the dog 9 or 10 corrections before they are able to get motivational with the dog. And all the while the dog is building up a mental callous to the correction, which in the end means that the client has to give the dog a harder and more painful correction than if he were using the pinch collar.

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Revealed: Long Line Techniques For Off-Leash Training The long line, better known to horse people as the "lunge line," is the intermediary step between the six foot training leash and the tab (sometimes referred to as the "handle," a one foot leash worn by the dog at all times which allows you to always be in a position to administer a correction). The best long lines are made of 1/2 inch nylon webbing, the type you can purchase at a outdoor/camping supply store or from a horse and tack shop. They can be anywhere from 15 feet to 50 feet or more in length. I prefer a 25 foot or 30 foot long line, because it's long enough to work real distances (and catch the dog should he try to run away) but not too long that it has a tendency to get knotted up like fish line on a Bass Lake vacation. Up until now, if you've been doing your on-leash obedience routines correctly (by keeping a loose leash) the transition to the long line should be fairly smooth. See, the dog doesn't know the difference between a 6 foot line, a 15 foot line, or a 40 foot line. Why? Because, as a result of several studies-- even ones you can do yourself-- behaviorists have ascertained that the canine has very limited abilities to use reason or logic. In other words, as long as you don't inadvertently teach him, he won't automatically know the length of your leash. The first step to long line training is to begin taking your dog to various different locations and let him run around with the long line in trail. I have found that with many dogs who have been kept on a tight leash all of their lives, that they grow to see freedom as a scarce commodity. So, the minute that the dog thinks he's off leash, he bolts and runs away because he feels that such freedom is scarce, so he must take advantage of it when he can. Once you begin letting your dog roam freely, with the long line on, there are two thing that start to happen. First, your dog will begin to forget that he is trailing the long line, so he starts to 65


think he is free, and freedom STOPS becoming such a scarce commodity. Secondly, if he does decide to "take off" on you, you will always be in a position to regain control. (It's pretty hard for even a really fast dog to get away from you when he's trailing 50 feet of line!) So, what does the dog learn? He learns that, under no circumstance, can he bolt and get away from you. Just like the Alpha dog, you are the strongest, and the fastest. You can always out run and chase down any other member of your pack. And the long-line gives you this ability. In essence, this is the same thing we do with the electric collar. We teach the dog that he can't outrun us, and that we can correct him, even if he's fifty feet away from us. The benefit of the electric collar over the long line is that the timing for your correction can be faster, and usually more motivational. But unless you're physically handicapped, this should not be enough of a feature as to disable you from still achieving great results with the long line. The benefit, of course, to the long line is that, a good long line will cost you $15, or maybe $20 dollars. A good electric collar, on the other hand, may cost you upwards of $200, $400, or even --for the fancy, Cadillac of remote training collars-$1500!!! A WORD OF CAUTION ABOUT HOW NOT TO USE THE LONG LINE As I mentioned above, the biggest mistake you can make with the long line is accidentally teaching your dog the length of your line. If your dog discovers that your long line is only 10 feet long, and he's now wandered 50 feet away from you, and you are not fast enough to run up and step on the end of that long line if he decides to bolt, then what has he just learning? He has learned that there is a certain proximity, or distance from you in which you will not be able to catch him. And whenever he thinks he can make a run for it, he's going to make a go of it. If this happens, pretty much the only thing you can do is to go out and buy a much longer line and re-teach him that he can't get away from you... ever! But if this has happened already, it will take much longer to reach your final goal, because the dog, for a 66


long time, will continually test in different circumstances whether or not he can still get away. When you reach the point where you are confident that your dog knows he cannot run away from you without getting corrected for it, you are ready to progress to the point where you can take off the long line, and substitute the tab (the one foot leash ). At this point, the dog is virtually off-leash. However, there are some specific techniques for using the tab, which you should consult your local trainer about.

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The Truth About Using Food In Your Training There is a right way and a wrong way to use food when training your dog. Proponents of food use in training will argue that by using food in your training regimen, you are working in harmony with your dog’s drive (specifically the food drive) and that it is one of the easiest ways to develop a dog who shows a natural and happy attitude toward training. Detractors of the "food and training" approach argue, on the other hand, that dogs in the wild don't give each other food bribes to get them to do things. Both arguments raise valid points. It is my opinion that there are certain times and places where food can be incorporated into ones training regimen where the food will be used as a motivator, rather than as a bribe. What this means is that the dog you are training is working for you-instead of working for the food. The food is brought into the picture after the owner has already established a proper relationship with his dog, and has already instilled a sense of respect and willingness in his dog’s performance of commands. So, in other words, the food is used to spice up the dogs attitude. In the dogs mind, he is thinking, " Hey, I know my alpha-pack leader is going to make me do this, but now I'm going to get paid for a job I was already going to do for free. " Sometimes food can be used to communicate to an otherwise defensive or resistant dog that you want him to do something. For example, many times I will be in a position where I am working with a fairly fearful or somewhat unsocialized larger breed who won't let me place him in the down (a submission) position. No matter how hard I press or rock him left and right, he has entered a zone in which he has clicked off all other options, because he thinks that by putting him in a submission position, it is a precursor to hurting, correcting, or causing him pain. By bringing in food at this stage, you can fairly easily and pretty quickly get the dog into the down position. What happens is that the dog becomes so focused on the “ positive” which the food represents, that he forgets all that other business about being dominant, and realizes that your desire, after all, is that 68


you really don't want to hurt him. After only a couple of repetitions, the dog begins to understand what you want from him, and begins doing the exercise without serious resistance. It is usually at this point that I will eliminate the food. When you know that your dog understands what you want from him, and has shown you that he has the ability to associate the negative motivation with the desired behavior, there is no longer any need for the food... as at this point, the food will begin to be seen as a bribe. WARNING! THERE ARE PITFALLS IN RELYING ON FOOD! In all honesty, I don't use food very much... simply because it is rarely needed to communicate what you want to your dog. A possible exception to this rule is in competition obedience training, when the food can be used to help the dog focus and target. But in general, if you are quick, direct, and to the point, you will be able to show your dog exactly what you want him to do, and will be praising him for doing the right thing before he even thinks about what approach you’re using to put him in that position. So, in sum, my primary use of food, outside of competition training, is usually limited to getting a dog who is defensive to understand what I want him to do, so that he may later understand my commands. My secondary use of food is as a motivator to get the dog to work fast, and with a more positive attitude. As I’ve already talked about using food to improve your dog’s working attitude, let me mention briefly how food can be used to speed up performance of exercises.

HOW TO GET THE MOST ‘BANG’ FOR YOUR ‘BUCK’ WHEN USING FOOD IN YOUR TRAINING! First, recognize that serious trainers want to get the most 69


‘bang’ for their ‘buck’ if they’re going to be working with their dog’s food drive. There’s no reason to waste valuable training time with a dog that is only half-heartedly interested in the food you’re using to motivate him. If I’m going to dabble with getting my hands sticky and stinky from liver treats or other assorted canine appetizers, you bet I’m going to start with a dog who’s really motivated by the food. If your dog isn’t all that interested in the food you’re using, you have one of three options: 1.) Find a new treat that your dog is really motivated by. Make sure that this treat is one he can swallow quickly, because you don’t want the treat interrupting the flow of your training session. 2.) Get a new dog. For most people, this isn’t really an option. If for some reason it is, be sure to read the chapter on HOW TO CHOOSE A DOG OR PUPPY! 3.) Your third option is to stop feeding your dog just long enough to get him really interested in your treat. It shouldn’t take more than a few days (at the most) before your dog learns that training time equals meal time. Once you’ve got your dog motivated for the food, my general rule of thumb is to give the command, then the negative motivation, then the verbal praise, and then the reward (the food in this case). If you haven’t figured it out yet, there are really two tricks to getting your dog to work fast with the food motivator. First, make sure that the food IS motivational. This alone usually gets the dog working really fast. Whenever a dog really wants something... and I mean WANTS IT BAD... he’s going to be motivated to get it, as fast as he can. Secondly, now that you’ve got the dog WANTING to get the treat really bad, you can incorporate a superior sense of timing in showing the dog that he will get the treat immediately after he does the desired behavior. For example, in teaching the ‘down’, once the dog starts going into the down position really fast, you can begin dropping the treat as soon as the dog starts going down. This way, right at the moment the dog hits the deck, he will be getting his reward... the food. 70


The Terrible Truth About Training the Pit Bull! In light of the numerous Pit Bull attacks reported in the media lately, I thought it would be appropriate to examine some of the temperament quirks associated with the Pit Bull and how they can affect training. The infamous Pit Bull (a slang reference to certain dogs which may resemble the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, or the American Pit Bull Terrier) actually make pretty darn good pets... even if you have kids (remember Petey, from the Little Rascals/Our Gang series)? Yup. He was a Pit Bull too. Once you get past the media stereo-type of the “ Pit Bull,” something becomes glaringly apparent; the dogs themselves aren’t bad dogs. But unfortunately, low-lifes are often attracted to these dogs and can be held accountable for poor socialization. But the same could be said about a Poodle that isn’t socialized properly either. So when you really get down to it, the Pit Bull is a pretty darn good dog. Some of the traits that these dogs commonly share are; a strong prey drive, hard-headedness, toughness, eagerness to work, speed, above average intelligence, and many of the qualities of a big dog in a little (or at least medium sized) package. Personally, I like “ Pit Bulls” because they are generally a 50-60 pound dog which will deter crime just by their looks. In most cases, for a dog to work well as a crime prevention asset, it must be a large (80 pounds or more) dog. But thugs and criminals know the Pit Bull’s reputation... and they give these dogs much respect! As for training, these are dogs who, in general, will require the use of the pinch collar. They are just too pain insensitive for anything less. And because they have such short coats, choke collars tend to rub and irritate the skin. 71


Care should be taken to continually socialize these dogs. Strong corrections should be administered at any sign of dog aggression. Some strains tend to possess more dog aggressive traits than others, but I’ve personally owned Pit Bulls who got along fine with other dogs, big or small. Because of their strong prey drive, a ball can be incorporated to increase motivation and speed in performing exercises. These dogs are extremely agile, and it is my feeling (as well as the late William Koehler’s) that they have the courage and tenacity to be used for almost any dog sport. This breed has received a lot of undeserved bad press from the media. In many cases, dog bites reported as coming from Pit Bulls have actually been from other breeds mistaken as Pit Bulls. I’ve personally witnessed Rottweilers and even Doberman Pinschers referred to in the press as “ Pit Bulls” . Furthermore, there have been several cases where Labrador Retrievers were labeled as “ Pit Bulls” by narrow minded animal control officers or lazy reporters. In sum, the Pit Bull makes a great dog if you’re a fairly dominant person who can handle a fairly dominant dog.

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Don't Call A Dog Trainer Until You Know These Seven Key Insider Points! Hiring the right dog trainer is of utmost importance. If you don't hire the right dog trainer, not only will you be out good money, and not only will your dog not be trained, but there is also a high probability that your dog will end up in worse psychological condition than before you started training. Here’s what to look for in a dog trainer: Insider Point #1: Hire a dog trainer who has real, hard-core experience in the dog world. By this, I'm not talking about the number of years he has been training, but rather the quality of those years. Does he engage in continuing education? Has he worked or trained under some of the most prominent dog trainers in America, or in Europe? I know many people who have been driving an automobile for more than 30 years, but still cannot parallel park. So, when you hire a dog trainer, you want to be absolutely sure that you are hiring a person with quality experience. Insider Point #2: Group classes vs. private instruction Unless you happen to be training for a specific type of competition, group classes are generally a waste of time. Many people enroll in group classes because they think it makes for good socialization and interaction with other dogs. However, as long as your dog was with its litter from six weeks of age to eight weeks of age, then he has already learned proper dominant and subordinate behavior with other dogs. Remember, you are not dealing with a child… where supervision and socialization are required for several years. Now don't get me wrong, I think it is important to work your dog around other dogs as a distraction. But this should be done after the dog has gone through the training phase of learning 73


what each command means. And once you recognize this fact, you don't need to spend $80 to $100 on enrollment in a pet store sponsored group class. You can obtain the same benefits by taking your dog down to the beach, or to Starbucks Coffee and get the same type of stimulus and distractions for free. In contrast, the amount of progress you can make by working with a qualified dog trainer can be phenomenal. For example, in less then ten minutes, you can take a dog that has been pulling on its leash for the last three years and get him to pay attention to you and keep the leash loose. If you watch students in a group class, you will see people who have been training for more than a total of 10 hours (weekly sessions) and their dogs are still pulling on the leash! I urge you to consider a “ learning to drive “ analogy. You can learn something about driving from a group class, but you are kidding yourself if you think you will learn to actually drive without taking private instruction. Dog training is the same. It’s a hands-on discipline that must be learned in a one-on-one environment. (Of course, you should include your family, too!) Insider Point #3: How much you should expect to pay for dog training! Because there is no licensing or regulations in the State of California to open a dog training company, there are a lot of unqualified practitioners claiming to be professional dog trainers. The bottom-line is that you want to hire someone who can really deliver the results. Hiring a dog trainer is a lot like hiring a good heart surgeon. Given the choice between hiring a heart surgeon who charges $30,000 for an operation and one who charges $395... you have to wonder. There are some times in life when you don't want to make your selection based on price, and hiring a dog trainer is one of those times. Why not? Because, simply put, not all dog trainers are alike. 74


And not all dog trainers can deliver the type of results you are looking for. And furthermore, you don’t want to let an amateur (or worse, an idiot!) jeopardize your dog’s psychological well being, simply because you wanted to save a few bucks. Let me be honest with you. Those dog trainers who can actually deliver outstanding results are few and far in-between. And the ones who can deliver the goods are definitely going to be charging the absolute premium for what their services are worth. Currently, at the time of this printing, a comprehensive obedience dog training program can run anywhere from $400 to $800. Anything less than approximately $400 and you are probably dealing with someone who, deep down inside, knows that they can't deliver good results. Top-notch dog trainers are going to charge top-notch rates. There is no way of getting around this fact. So, chalk up any training expenses as part of the cost of owning a dog, to be calculated with other expenses such as dog food, veterinary bills, and grooming. Insider Point #4: There are no guarantees in life. My personal feeling about offering a guarantee in selling dog training services is that one should not be offered. And if someone is offering a guarantee, then it’s a marketing gimmick, and they probably aren’t being straight and honest with you. Why? Because there are three factors when it comes to offering a guarantee for dog training services. First, I can always guarantee that my techniques will work on the client’s dog. And second, I can guarantee that I can get the client’s dog to work, that is, do the exercises. But the third factor is that there is no way in the world that I can guarantee that my client will go home and use and practice the techniques I teach them. Nor can I guarantee that the client will instill a sense of respect in the dog.

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For example, all of the greatest techniques in the world will not make a bit of difference if the client has the internal attitude that his dog is untrainable. So, in effect, the client has already convinced himself that none of what I teach him will actually work. And the dog can sense that the owner doesn’t feel it will work, and therefore doesn’t respond. In actuality, in these types of cases, it’s not that the owner is actually using the technique in the manner in which it was taught. So, if the owner is correcting his dog for undesirable behavior, then he’s usually administering a correction which lacks motivation. And because it lacks motivation, then the dog doesn’t respond appropriately. Now, in the beginning, all novice trainers and dog handlers run into this problem. But in such cases, there’s a point where the trainer has to draw the line and recognize that the owner is intentionally (either consciously or unconsciously) not giving good corrections. And it is for just this kind of reason that I feel it is impossible for a dog trainer to guarantee results. Insider Point #5: Charging for results, rather than charging for the number of sessions. On the other hand, while I offer no legal guarantees for the dog’s performance, the way I do structure my services is that I charge for the results, rather than for a specific number of sessions. In other words, after I’ve done a consultation with the owner and the dog, I can usually tell about how many sessions it should take to train the desired behaviors. But, in the event that it takes longer, I continue working with the owner for as many sessions as necessary. When you hire a dog trainer, you want to make sure that you too are paying for the results, and not for the number of sessions. Let me give you an example: If a trainer is going to charge you $500 for six sessions… what will happen if the dog is not completely trained at the end of six sessions? It could happen… even if you’re using the best trainer in the world. The reason is 76


that there is no way we can tell how quickly you, the owner, will pick up on the techniques (since dog training is really 90% training the owner). So make sure that there is an open-ended agreement that you are paying for the dog to learn specific behaviors, rather than paying for a number of sessions with the trainer. Insider Point #6: Training the owner vs. training the dog Don’t kid yourself. As I mentioned earlier, dog training is approximately 90% training the owner. There is no way you are going to send your dog away for in-kennel training, and have him come back and work brilliantly for you. Not unless you’re planning on sending your dog away for more than a whole year. There are two reasons why you need to be the one who learns how to train your dog. First, it’s your dog. In essence, learning to train your dog will heighten the bond between you and your pet. And in more practical terms, owning a trained dog is like owning a finely tuned sports car. You may have the fastest Ferrari in the world, but if you don’t know how to drive it, it’s going to sit in your driveway and you won’t be able to do anything with it. Now, Mario Andretti may come over to your house and be able to make your Ferrari do amazing things. But, for you… it may as well be a broken down Volkswagen, because if you don’t know how to drive… it really doesn’t matter what kind of car you own. Unless you have a chauffeur… or in this case, a live-in dog trainer. The second reason you need to be the one who learns how to train your dog is that, sending your dog away to be trained at a kennel or training facility ensures that your dog will sit in a kennel run 23 hours a day, and get trained for maybe half an hour. Additionally, he’s not being trained in a variety of training environments, so he learns to work only at the training facility, and only for the professional trainer, who, like Mario Andretti, already knows how to work his craft. Once you retake possession of the dog, you’re now in a position where you: 1.) 77


Haven’t developed enough handling skill to make the dog work like you saw the professional trainer make him work, and 2.) Are now in a different environment, where the dog has yet to learn that he has to work for you. The only way you will get lasting results with your dog is if you are the one who learns how to train and work your dog, in a variety of different settings. Insider Point #7: What if I only want to fix one behavior? It’s very rare that you can just hire a quality professional dog trainer to come out and fix one behavior. The reason is that the problem will get fixed… however, the fix will only be temporary. Or the dog will substitute one problem behavior for another. If the owner is not taught how to establish themselves as the pack leader (which takes practice), soon the dog will learn that, since the correction is coming from what it sees as a subordinate member, then it is a correction which has no meaning. Another problem with the “ one-shot training session” is that the fixes prescribed rarely fix the cause of the problem, and only deal with one specific symptom. Without dealing with the root of the problem, other symptoms will soon follow.

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How To Raise Your Puppy Like The Professionals Raise Their Puppies! Have you ever wondered if professional dog trainers go through the same hassles associated with raising a puppy that the rest of us endure? The answer is both yes and no. In the sense that there are certain unavoidable situations which will occur, regardless of how many years experience you’ve had at handling or training dogs, yes, the professional trainer does have to deal with puppy shenanigans. But on the other hand, more than fifty percent of the puppy “ antics” most non-professional dog owners experience are caused by a lack of understanding of some basic tricks that can spare you many sleepless nights, chewed up sofas, and urine-stained carpets. Trick#1: Never leave your puppy unsupervised. In other words, buy a crate. If you don’t like the idea of confining your puppy in a crate… get over it, quick! The crate is an exceptional device for training your puppy— from both the canine perspective as well as the human perspective. From the canine perspective, the crate fulfills the dog’s den instincts. It is therefore able to give your pup a sense of security and well being because (opposite of humans) dogs gain confidence from a small, tightly enclosed area. A crate also gives the dog the ability to know that his backside is protected (even when he’s asleep) and also the doggie odor, which begins to linger on the crate, provides a familiar and personal atmosphere. To the dog, the crate is his private condominium. It is a place where he can go where nobody will bother him… a safe place. For maximum effect, choose a crate small enough so that your dog has just enough room to stand up and turn around in, but not so much as to deprive him of a sense of security. For the dog, being in the crate is similar to being tucked safely in bed underneath a warm blanket on a cold winter night. (How’s that for imagery!) From the human perspective, the crate serves the purpose of 79


being a place where the owner can put his puppy so as to ensure he won’t get into trouble and develop bad habits. As in many other fields, the phrase, “ An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” rings true. For example, when your puppy enters his teething phase of development, the puppy will try chewing on all kinds of things. If he’s not being watched, he will learn that chewing on the couch stimulates his gums… that chewing on mom’s shoes tastes good… and that chewing the baseboard off the kitchen perimeter is a fascinating pastime. However, if the puppy tries to put his mouth on the remote control and he is given a motivational correction, then such behavior is never allowed to develop into a bad habit. There are numerous other ways in which using the crate can be used, such as: housebreaking, hyper-activity, destructiveness, separation anxiety, and automobile travel. The bottom line is that, when the professional trainer can’t watch his puppy like a hawk when he is running free in the house, thus keeping one eye on the puppy and one eye on whatever else he may be doing, then he simply confines his puppy to the crate. Note: During warm weather, or for longer periods of time, a confined outdoor area such as a kennel run can also be used. Trick #2 Utilize critical stages. Puppies go through twoweek critical stages from the time they are born through four months of age. These critical stages can best be defined as phases in a puppy’s life when a small amount of exposure to a stimulus (a specific type of experience) will have a lasting affect on the grown dog’s personality. The two most important critical stages that the professional dog trainer will use to mold his dog are the six-to-eight week stage and the eight-to-ten week stage. The six-to-eight week critical stage is the phase in which a small amount of exposure to other dogs will have a lasting effect on how he relates to other canines throughout his life. For individuals looking to raise a dog as a personal pet (rather than 80


as a working or competition dog) it is best to let the puppy experience this critical stage with his littermates. Why? Because in the litter, from week six to week eight, the puppy will learn to communicate through dominant and subordinate behavior with the other puppies. He will learn how to be dominant to certain dogs, and submissive to others. The puppy that never learns this type of communication and relational skills may mature to be good with people, but will very often not know how to relate properly with other dogs, and can either react or instigate (often unknowingly) aggressive confrontations. However, there is one exception which is often employed by the competition (either obedience or Schutzhund) trainer, which is to adopt a dog at six weeksof age. The reasoning behind this is so that the dog will never learn to avert his master’s gaze by going submissive. In competition, the handler wants his dog to always look straight up… thus giving the impression of a confident, happy working dog. Such trainers speculate that creating such a performance is easier if the dog never learns as a puppy to show submissive behavior. The eight-to-ten week critical stage is equally important. In this phase, the puppy’s exposure to people will have a lasting effect on how he relates to humans. Puppies who aren’t socialized to people during this critical stage often grow up to have a difficult time bonding with humans. Similarly, if a puppy isn’t handled by a variety of different people, he may mature into a dog that is aloof, and in some cases aggressive around unfamiliar types of people. Many individuals claim that their dog is racist. In fact, if a white guy buys his puppy, and from eight to ten weeks of age the puppy is never petted or handled by a black person, he will likely be insecure or fearful around black people in later life. And it’s not just skin color. Sex, height, race, weight, and many other factors can play a part. The best advice: take your puppy down to a local fair and let him socialize with as many different types of people as you can expose him to. Trick #3: Establish yourself as the “ pack leader”. Your 81


puppy is a social pack animal. What this means is that he relates to you as part of his pack. (Or more specifically, he as part of your pack). And he sees the pack as having a linear social hierarchy, similar to a pecking order. As I mentioned earlier in this book, at the top of this pecking order is what professional dog trainers refer to as the “ Alpha dog,” or the Big Cheese. When the Alpha dog says, “ Jump!” the subordinate dogs say, “ How high?” Throughout every stage in your puppy’s development, you can develop your relationship so that he will grow into an adult dog who will respect you, respond to you, bond to you, and want to please you by simply acting like a leader. In plain English… be 100% consistent. If you tell your puppy he should do something for you, you should always make him do it. Pretty soon he’ll come to understand that you’re serious about being the pack leader and your relationship with your dog will bloom into one which is happy and healthy. Trick #4: Pay special attention to “ touch” conditioning. Especially during the eight-to-ten week critical stage when your puppy’s experiences with people will have a lasting effect. Make a nightly ritual of touching your puppy all over his body. Touch his ears. Touch his feet. Touch his gums. Even touch his genitals. Adult dogs that haven’t been conditioned to allow humans to touch them in various places may later develop fear or aggressive behaviors. At the least, such dogs make it very difficult for groomers, veterinarians and other professionals to do their jobs. By using these various tricks employed by professional dog trainers when they obtain a new puppy, you will be drastically reducing the amount of headaches, training time, and hassle that inexperienced dog owners associate with puppyhood. If these rules are followed, by the fifth or sixth month, you will begin to notice that your puppy is becoming an extremely well mannered and easy to be around young adult who “ naturally” knows how to behave in the house and in public.

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Stop Your Dog From Jumping Up… Forever! Jumping up is a behavior problem that is a professional dog trainer’s dream. Why? Because it is a problem that will plague and annoy dog owners for years, yet can be easily fixed by the professional trainer in a matter of minutes. However, the key to teaching your dog not to jump up lies in proper application of any number of anti-jumping techniques. This article will explain both the conventional methods for fixing this behavior, and the tricks professional trainers use to make them work. As puppies, dog owners often think that jumping up is “ cute” . However, when the puppy gets older, it stops being so “ cute” . Bigger dogs can actually knock an individual over, and smaller dogs can be, at the least, obnoxious. In order to make the following techniques work, they must be employed consistently. Your dog doesn’t know the difference between jumping up on an old pair of denim gardening jeans and jumping up on a freshly cleaned tuxedo. As far as your dog is concerned, “ Either I’m allowed to jump up, or I’m not.” Technique: The “ knee to the chest” trick. Conventional application of this technique: As the dog jumps up, quickly bring your knee into the dog’s chest. In theory, the dog will receive a negative for jumping up and won’t want to jump anymore. Why the conventional application of this technique DOESN’T WORK! Everyone’s tried this technique. It is in all the dog training books and all the dog magazines. But nobody gets results with this technique due to improper application. Professional trainer’s application of this technique: As you bring your knee up, it must hit the dog’s chest squarely in the center, making a hollow “ thud” sound. Instead of pivoting to the side, lean into the dog. 83


Correct application of this technique will mean that you will be giving the dog the same type of knee to the chest you would use on a soccer ball. The reason this technique doesn’t work for most people is that the correction (the knee to the chest) isn’t motivational. It should be a quick “ bump” . Now, make no mistake, you don’t want to do damage or injury to the dog. But you must do this technique with a lot of motivation. Unless you’re built like Arnold Schwartzenegger, and you own a toy poodle, it’s probably going to be pretty difficult for you to overcorrect your dog in the first place. Next, lean backwards and tap your chest while you tempt the dog to jump up again. This is the most important part. You want your dog to decide for himself that it’s better to sit and receive praise than to jump up and get a correction. If the correction is motivational, you’ll only have to repeat this exercise three or four times. For best results, have two or three different friends also perform this technique on your dog. Do this at the park, in the house, in the backyard, and on the street. Anywhere you can create a situation where you think the dog might jump up, use it as a training opportunity. An interesting by-product of this technique: With the correct application of this technique, you will notice that your dog will probably start sitting and looking straight up at you. He sees this as an alternative method of getting your attention. When your dog does this, praise him profusely. Pretty soon, anytime he wants attention, he’ll make the choice to sit like a gentleman until given praise. Alternative technique: The “ Snap the leash downwards” trick. Conventional application of this technique: As the dog jumps up, quickly say, “ No!” and snap the leash downwards. Why the conventional application of this technique DOESN’T WORK! Very simply, the correction isn’t motivational. If a police officer gave you a ticket for speeding 145 miles per hour, but the ticket was only for $2, you’d be given a correction… but 84


the correction would have no meaning. In short, if you don’t get results with this technique, it’s probably because your corrections aren’t motivational. Professional trainer’s application of this technique: Do whatever you have to do to make the correction motivational. If you administer a leash correction, and immediately tempt the dog to jump up… and he does, then you can be sure your correction wasn’t motivational. The proper use and fitting of a pinch collar is recommended if you can’t get a good correction with whatever collar you’ve been using. Alternative technique: The “ Grab the dog’s toes and pinch as he jumps up” trick. This “ trick” is popular with many people, but the reality is that it just doesn’t work. Why the conventional application of this technique DOESN’T WORK! It’s virtually impossible to give a motivational correction with this technique Professional trainer’s application of this technique: In general, professional trainers don’t use this one.

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Special Bonus Section: Some Of The Following Articles Were Taken From Our Weekly Dog Training Tips Newsletter and From Questions Submitted By Dog Owners From Around The World! A Few Of These Articles Can Be Found On Our Web Site... But Many Can Now Only Be Found Here In This Book! *****

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To “ Stay” or “ Not to Stay”… How to Make The Commands You Give Your Dog Simple and Easy To Understand! To “ Stay” or “ Not to Stay.” When I train a dog, I never use the word, “ Stay.” It’s what we professionals call a “ double command.” The reason you don’t need to use the word “ Stay” is that you should be using a release command. A release command, such as “ Free” or “ Take A Break” is an easy way to tell the dog that he should continue doing an exercise UNTIL you return and tell him that the exercise is finished. If you tell your dog to lay down (“ Down!” ) … you don’t need to keep saying, “ Stay,” “ Wait” “ Don’t Get Up!” “ Wait” “ Stay!” “ Stay” “ Stay!” The way I structure my training, I want to be able to give the dog a command ONCE! I don’t need a dog (or a dog training methodology) that requires me to constantly repeat commands, and constantly remind the dog that he should continue doing the exercise. When I’m out working with Forbes (my Pit bull mix)… I tell him “ Down!” and he knows to remain there until I come back and tell him “ Free” . He knows that if I say something else… like, “ Do you like Fish Tacos?” … and he gets up… that he’s going to get corrected back into the down position. And thus he learns to automatically wait for his release command. So, in essence, the release command is like a password. The password to finishing an exercise, that is! If he doesn’t hear the password, then that must mean the exercise isn’t finished. And the amazing thing is that, if you teach your dog correctly, he can pick up the meaning of the word, “ Free” or “ Take A Break” in about 10 minutes, AND ACTUALLY DIFFERENTIATE 87


it from other words, like “ Do you like Fish Tacos?” Now you can probably see why I feel that the stay command is worthless. It’s simply not needed if you’re using a release command. See, you want to make sure that when you’re training your dog, you’re using as few words as possible, and keeping it real simple. If you have FIVE different words for the same thing, then each command (word) has only 20% of the effectiveness that using only one command would have. For example, when I tell Forbes, “ Down” … what that means to him is that he should lay down, AND STAY DOWN… until I come back and tell him “ Free!” . Then it’s Miller Time. So “ Down” means the same as “ Stay Down” . I just simplify it by using only the one word. And not repeating the command by saying “ Stay,” “ Wait,” and “ Please Don’t Get Up!”

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Three Types of Dog Training Fools! The frustrating thing about being in the dog training business is coming to the realization that 90% of your time is spent training people, rather than dogs. To really deliver the results, a professional dog trainer must train the owner how to train their dog. Rather than just going in and training the dog. Because dog training is: 1. A process of establishing and promoting a proper relationship between the owner and the dog… and . . . 2) Developing a way of communicating so that commands are both understood and have meaning… What this means is that simply training the dog doesn’t cut it. Sure, technically you’re fulfilling your part of the agreement. The owner comes to you and pays you to train the dog. But again, because it all gets back to developing a proper relationship between the owner and the dog, if I do the training, then the dog ends up developing a proper relationship with me! But when he goes home with the owner, he still has the same dysfunctional relationship he’s always had. So, one of the things that’s really made me successful in this business has been my ability to teach the owner how to handle, train and work with his own pet. That way, even if the owner travels with his dog, or buys a new home… the dog is still going to respect, respond, bond and want to please his owner. (Again, it doesn’t do the owner any good if his dog does back flips for the trainer, but not for him!). One of the down-sides of being ethical and honest about 89


your approach to dog training (or people training, to be more specific)… is that your business model is left open to one very annoying “ fly in your ointment.” And that annoying “ fly” is the fact that, even though my dog training techniques are easy to master, and work extremely fast… there’s always going to be a certain small percentage of dog owners who are… well, quite frankly… idiots! These are the people who, no matter how many times you tell them, refuse to follow your instruction. And it’s not that they don’t WANT to follow directions, but rather in most cases that they fall into one of three categories: A. Lazy B. Lazy thinkers. C. Stupid is as Stupid does. I’m going to briefly talk about all three of these dog handlers. These categories, of course, are extremes. All of us, to some extent or another, can fall into one of these categories. But it is the extreme example that makes the lives of professional dog trainers… complicated… to say the least. They are: •

The “ Lazy” dog owner: This is the type of person who knows WHAT they should be doing, but is just too lazy to do it. For example, they KNOW that they need to keep the training collar and tab on the dog any time they’re interacting with the dog, but are occasionally too lazy to put it on. And since their dog isn’t 100% yet, the dog ends up getting inconsistent messages from the owner. For example, one time the dog jumps up on the couch and gets a correction. But the next time (since his owner was too lazy to put the training collar on) he gets no correction! And guess what? The dog never learns, and the owner never gets results! And guess who’s fault it is??? THE OWNERS!

•

The “ Lazy Thinker” dog owner: This is the type of person 90


who you can explain a concept to, but is too lazy a thinker to extrapolate and take it to the next logical extension. For example, you teach a client how to use the technique for correcting the dog for stealing food off the kitchen table. And that Lazy Thinker goes home and successfully implements this technique. But then responds with, “ But he’s still stealing food off the coffee table.” And you reply, “ Well, did you correct him for stealing food off the coffee table?” They answer,” Uh, no!” And you reply, “ Why not???” Their answer, “ Uh… I don’t know.” DUH!!!!! •

The “ Stupid is as Stupid does” dog owner: This is the owner who doesn’t have a clue. Unfortunately, you can’t always tell who these owners are when you sign them up for training. If you could, you probably wouldn’t sign them up in the first place. This is the type of owner who you can repeatedly tell them to do something, and they’ll look you in the eye and say, “ Okay, I understand,” and then proceed to do the exact opposite! Now, everyone does this from time to time. But it is the “ Stupid is as Stupid does” dog owner who does it 100 times… in a period of 15 MINUTES! (Yes, this type of dog owner actually exists, and we see them much more frequently than you’d like to believe!) “ Keep your leash loose,” you say. “ Okay,” they reply. “ The leash is tight again,” you remind, no less than 4 seconds later. 91


“ Okay,” they remember. “ Keep your leash LOOSE I said!” you say again, this time only 2 seconds later. “ Okay,” they assure you. “ The leash is tight again,” you say even though slightly less than 3 seconds has gone by. Multiply this dialogue by 100, in a period of 15 minutes, and you’ll start to get the idea. So, do you want to know the Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer? The main secret is that you must be able to use BOTH correct technique, and possess the right handling skill (common sense and a little bit of practice to develop the right coordination)… and you too can own a dog that responds as if he’s owned by a professional dog trainer.

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Dog Fights: How the Presence of Dominance Aggression and Defensive Aggression Can Make For A BAD SITUATION! (And The Difference Between A Dog Fight And A Dominance Scuffle!) Last week I recorded a one-hour audio tape interview with Pit Bull Expert, Breeder and Dog Trainer Leri Hansen. The name of this audio tape program was to be titled, “ Pit Bull Ownership Success Secrets!” This was to be the first in a series of audio tape programs I was going to be doing on several of the most popular breeds. (We didn't release the program on Pit Bull's because of a malfunction with our lousy Radio Shack recording device. We later got the problem fixed and have produced programs on both the Akita and the Rottweiler). But the reason I’m mentioning this now is that one of the topics we covered, albeit in the context of the history of the Pit Bull, is the subject of dog aggression. While we didn't have time to delve into the topic of dog aggression to the extent that many listeners would probably like (there's MUCH more to Pit Bulls than simply dog aggression!)... I did want to devote some time to explaining the subject because... regardless of your breed of choice... sooner or later, you'll be confronted by a potential dog fight. Even if it isn't your dog, it's good to know what's going on when you see two dogs interact. But first, let me point out the fact that not all dog fights are actually dog fights. Let me say that again, because it sounded VAGUELY IMPORTANT! Not All Dog Fights Are Dog Fights! Many of you already know my stand on dog parks. I don't like them. There are many reasons for this: First, very few of the 93


dogs are under voice control. Secondly, there's no check for shots, or dogs with health problems or diseases. And third, the owners who frequent these parks rarely have an adequate understanding of canine social rituals, and don't know the difference between: A Dog Fight vs. A Dominance Scuffle! And so there ends up being as many humans yelling and screaming at each other as there are dogs in conflict... because most owners don't know the difference between a dog fight and a dominance scuffle! So, the question begs to be asked, "What is a dominance scuffle and how is it different from a dog fight?" Well... a dominance scuffle is quite simply: two dogs working out who's the more dominant dog and who's the subordinate dog. And while this may LOOK like a dog fight to the untrained eye... it's much different. Suffice to say that the major noticeable difference is that the dominance scuffle lacks the intensity that a real dog fight would have. And although there may be some light scratches, in general the dogs aren't really biting to injure, but rather biting to give the other a correction. This is similar to the type of thing you do when you give your dog a "pop" and "release" with your leash and dog training collar. A dominance scuffle may be accompanied by lots of barking, growling, snapping, yelping and rolling around... but it basically gets worked out in a matter of minutes with one dog submitting and going limp, and then the more dominant dog walking away. Or the more submissive dog may retreat to a corner of the territory and assume a submissive body posture. 94


Now, to understand a true dog fight, we will look at how the dominance scuffle goes awry. Usually, one of three things happen in a true dog fight: A.) Two super-dominant dogs engage, and both will fight to the death. The reality of finding two such super-dominant dogs is pretty slim. Yes, it can happen. But it's not the most frequent cause of dog fights. B.) One dominant dog will engage a less dominant dog, but the less dominant dog will click into what we professional dog trainers call "Defense"... in which case, the dog now perceives itself as fighting for it's life. We usually see this type of behavior in a dog which has missed it's six to eight week-old critical stage, where it learns from the other puppies in the litter how to interact with other dogs, I.E. dominance and submission. Defense without ultimate submission can also be learned if a dog within it's first year of life is dominated by another dog, and upon submission, the more dominant dog doesn't let up. And when the puppy learns that the submission doesn't work... and he tries something else... Defense... and this defensive behavior is rewarded by the dominating dog (who may not be a truly dominant dog)... then the puppy learns that this is a behavior which works! Thus, it's reinforced. C.) Two Defensive Dogs engage each other. In this case, usually one of the dogs has learned that if he sees another dog, he takes the Mel-the-Cook-on-Alice attitude. As Mel, the Cook on the hit T.V. show "Alice," used to say: "The Best Defense is a Good Offense!" So, the defensive dog starts the wheel spinning by 95


attacking... but this attack is really based in fear and insecurity. However, the dog who is being attacked now has no choice but to click into Defense, and counter-attack. And back and forth, until one of the dogs is dead, or outside interference breaks the dogs appart. Now, the thing about Defense (with a capital 'D') is that the dog is not simply putting up a counter fight-- which is what the dog in the dominance scuffle is doing-- but rather perceives himself in a life-and-death situation. So, in other words, he's not just jockeying for position. He's fighting for his life! In a future article, I will discuss how to teach a defensive dog to tolerate... and in many cases, playfully interact... with other dogs it would formerly feel threatened by. I used this technique on my dog, Forbes, a Pit Bull I adopted from the Hawthorne Animal Shelter. When I first got Forbes, he tried to kill my parent's Rottweiler. (A miscommunication between owners unknowingly created a situation where both dogs where loose in the same area for a few moments!) Now, after successfully using this technique, these two dogs are best of friends and can play for hours without any problems. But it all comes down to using the right techniques.

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THE ELECTRONIC DOG FIGHT STOPPER! These electronic devices were first developed for the women's personal defense market. But the one's I've got in stock were selected specifically for their use in stopping and preventing dog fights. I first heard about these from Pit Bull Schutzhund Competitor Dan Guerra. Dan always had a problem with stray dogs running up to his dog (which he always kept on leash) during his nightly walk. After obtaining an electronic device (similar to the one shown in the picture at http://www.dogproblems.com/stungun.htm) Dan found that all he had to do was press the button, and the electrical current which shot between the two probes was enough to scare off any dog that approached him! In other words... he didn't even need to get close to the dog! It's my guess that these things emit a super high frequency sound wave which crackles and pops and scares the bejeevers out of practically any dog! It wasn't until about a year later when I saw one of these things in action. A client I'd just signed wanted me to see how seriously her two dogs would play with each other one minute, and then get into a very deadly fight the next. And the only thing that stopped them was the Electronic Dog Fight Stopper! And boy did it! Both dogs stopped dead in their tracks, and immediately disengaged and ran in opposite directions! Now, anytime I introduce two new dogs, or if I'm in an area where dogs are running free and I don't want them interacting with my dog Forbes... my handy Electronic Dog Fight Stopper is never far away! 97


The Electronic Dog Fight Stopper is a product YOU MUST HAVE if you're a: - Jogger - Dog Park Enthusiast - Professional Dog Handler - Owner of an Aggressive Dog - Dog Trainer - Mail Delivery Person The Electronic Dog Fight Stopper uses one pc 9 volt Battery. The product has not been tested for actually “ shocking” a dog. It is sold as a “ sound deterrent” device only.

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Psychological Mistreatment Through Isolation A local veterinarian referred a client to me earlier this morning. She called to tell me that her dog was urinating in the house. First, it was obvious that this woman may have been a little unbalanced... or maybe she'd just forgotten to take her medication... because the nature of her dog problem took a good 20 minutes to explain, when it should have only taken 2 minutes. And after 20 minutes, I still couldn't understand her well enough to tell if she had: 1.) A housebreaking issue or . . . 2.) A problem with the dog exhibiting submissive urination. In any event, upon further questioning, I advised that she NEEDED to keep the dog in it's crate ANY time she could not supervise the dog. Her response to me was that, "I don't want to put him in the crate when I'm home." "Why not?" I asked. "Because he's in the crate all day!" she replied. "What do you mean all day?" I questioned. "All day. ELEVEN HOURS!" she stated. Well, as it turns out, this woman had been leaving her dog in the crate every day... for 11 hours... while she was at work without having anyone come to break up the dog's day. 99


She claimed that the breeder she'd gotten the dog from had told her that "this was the way these dogs had been raised, so it was 'okay.'" WAKE UP DOG OWNERS! You cannot keep your dog in the crate during the day, dayin/day-out for 11 hours. And then come home and play with the dog for 20 minutes. And then go to bed. This is not a life for any dog, and eventually the dog will begin to exhibit strange behaviors. It is simply not a humane way to own a dog. MY ADVICE TO THIS WOMAN: Get rid of the dog. Find it a good home. If you continue this lifestyle for your dog, there is no doubt the dog will go stir crazy.

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How To Make Your Dog Lazy & Mellow! There's a new book on the market called, "Training Your Dog: The Lazy Way!" I haven't had a chance to purchase and review this book yet, but while waiting for a friend at a local bookstore I started thumbing through it's pages and found two items that caught my attention. The first item in the book that caught my attention was the notion that people who consistently exercise their dog are building up their dog's tolerance to exercise. In other words, the author was trying to say that: The more you jog your dog, the more you'll NEED to jog your dog. This line of reasoning simply doesn't make sense. Nor does it translate into what ACTUALLY HAPPENS when you do it. As many of you know, I'm really into the "Just-Gimme-WhatWorks" approach to dog ownership and training. And what's wrong with the author's assertion is that, in order to make your dog "immune to being tired out" you've gotta really commit to a conditioning program that will extend the dog's endurance. And this type of conditioning doesn't just happen by accident. In other words: To Take The Edge Off Your Dog's Boudless Energy, Commit Him To A Sensible and Consistent Daily Exercise Program! I always love when people start an exercise program at the gym and claim, "I don't want to get huge like Arnold... I just want to get in shape." Well, getting “ huge like Arnold" doesn't just happen by accident. It takes a large amount of good old fashioned WORKING YOUR BUTT OFF. And the same goes for your dog. 101


Three Tips For Making Your Dog Mellow 1.) Like I mentioned above, commit to a daily exercise regimen. It doesn't need to be excessive. Even 20 minutes of throwing the ball can work wonders. The trick is to try to do it at the same time every day. This way, the dog starts to get tired at the same time every day... like when you're ready to sit down and watch Seinfeld. 2.) Put the dog through 15 to 20 minutes of training exercises. More than anything else, exercising the dog's mind is what really exhausts him. I had a Pit Bull when I lived in Berkeley. On Mondays, I take her out to run around and chase the ball in the park for a whole hour. When I'd bring her back into the house, 20 minutes later she'd be bouncing off the walls again. But on Tuesday, I'd take her out to the park, and put her through 20 minutes of intense training exercises. And do you know what? When I'd bring her back into the house, she'd collapse under the coffee table for three whole hours. Mental exhaustion works! 3.) This third tip was mentioned in "Training Your Dog: The Lazy Way" which I really liked. It's nothing new (we've been mentioning this technique to clients for years) ... but it's a good one: When you want the dog to settle down in the house, either: A.) Put him on a 2 foot cable tie down. This will limit the dog's range of motion, and eventually he's going to lay down and fall asleep. B.) Put him on a down-stay. C.) Put him in the crate. All of these options pretty much do the same thing... they confine the dog to a limited area and make him stay there.

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How Much Is That Doggie In The Window? Too Much At Any Cost! A client called me earlier this week and wanted some advice about purchasing a puppy she'd seen at a local pet store. I advised her not to buy a dog from a pet store. Why? For the following reasons: 1. When buying any puppy... even one from the best genetic stock... you're taking a genetic crap shoot that the pup will turn out to be the type of dog you want. But when you adopt a puppy from inferior breedings, you're really playing with the house odds against you! 2. Regardless of what the pet store owner tells you, and regardless of the fact that the dog they're selling has AKC (American Kennel Club) papers... dogs sold from pet stores ARE from puppy mills and NOT from quality breeders. And I'll prove it, from an economic stand point alone: The Economics of Breeding Puppies! Let's say you want to breed quality puppies. We'll pick a fairly standard and common breed... the German Shepherd dog. Well, of course... you want to start out with a brood bitch (your foundation breeding female) that is a super quality dog. Now, even if you purchase a puppy from a top breeder, you're looking at spending between $1,000 to $1,500. Factor in the first two years of raising, feeding, grooming, vet bills, and training... and bills accumulated for that brood bitch (remember... we're feeding her premium food, and keeping her in good shape)... will come to aproximately an additional $3,000. ($1,500 a year, multiplied by two... a fairly conservative estimate). So, now you're into just the brood bitch for approximately $4,000. And she's not even pregnant yet! 103


The next step would be to locate a suitable stud dog. Remember, we're talking about a quality breeding! Of course, you can breed her with the German Shepherd dog who happens to live across the street, but this would make for irresponsible breeding. (The chances of finding a dog that lives across the street who's bloodlines compliment your bitch's bloodlines are HIGHLY unlikely! If you breed your bitch to this dog, you're increasing the chances of genetic mismatching and the likelihood of producing puppies with hip dsyplasia, bad eyes, elbows, skin problems, etc...) In order to really produce a quality breeding, you must find a stud dog who's bloodlines compliment your bitch's bloodlines. And to do this, you'll need to: 1.) Cough up a stud fee -- usually around $1,000. 2.) Possibly fly the dog in from the state he lives in -- cost: $250, plus boarding fees if necessary. Now, if all goes well, your bitch gets impregnated. If she doesn't, go back to square One. Okay! Now You've Got Puppies On The Way! So now your bitch is pregnant. Factor in at least three veterinary visits, at an average of $30 per visit. That's $90. And a number of weeks later, she finally gives birth. According to Joe Lucero, owner of an American Bandogge Breeding Program, the cost of each puppy, after shots, worming, veterinary check ups, and time put into all of the other extraneous stuff, ends up at an approximate cost of $180 a pup. (And that's over and above all of the other stuff we've mentioned!) So, an average litter of 10 puppies comes to $1,800 for just expenses in this category. If I add up ALL of the expenses, I arrive at a total of $7,140. For a total cost per puppy of: $714. 104


And when you've spent this much time and energy into breeding and raising puppies, you're going to make damn sure that you place those puppies in good homes. But let's say you're just in it for the money. (Of course, you'd cut many more corners if you're in it for the money, but we'll get to that in a moment!) You don't care who finally buys the puppies. Instead, you drive down to your local pet store and sell the pups for an average mark-up of 50%... which means you pocket a profit of $357 per dog. In other words, the pet store owner has just bought your puppies for an average price of $1,071 a dog. In order to make a profit, the pet store owner must mark up the puppies by AT LEAST 100% to make money, and many cases even more when he considers that some of the pups won't be adopted out and will be sold at a loss. So now the price of the pup, if you were to buy a well-bred dog in a pet store, would be at an average price of $2,142 The Big Monkey Wrench In This Whole Calculation Is That Pet Stores Usually Sell Products At A Mark-Up Of Roughly 4 to 5 Times! Not to mention the fact that there is a tremendous "Pain In The Butt" factor when it comes to keeping live animals (especially dogs) on the premises of a pet store! So there's more expense which we won't tally here in the hidden cost of paying employees extra money to clean and care for the pups while they're on the premises. So, to really make the venture worthwhile, or comparable to the shelf space of carrying other products... the pet store owner must also mark the puppies up by 4 to 5 times his cost. This would mean that each German Shepherd Puppy should be sold for an astounding $4,284 !!! Remember, pet store owners are in business to make MONEY! Here's the Kicker: I've Never Seen A Puppy Sell For This Much In 105


(continued) A Pet Store! Why...? Because There'd Be No Buyers! But I have seen many puppies sold in pet stores for between $600 and $800. And many times less! And if you do the math backwards... you can see how somewhere along the line, someone in the process is doing a lot of scrimping! But let's say you've bred your bitch before, so we can subtract the cost of the brood bitch... ($7140 minus $4000 = $3,140... or the cost to breed each puppy comes to $314) After a 50% mark-up to the pet store, the price of the puppy for the pet store owner reaches $471. And with only a modest 100% mark up, you come to a price tag in the window of $942. A somewhat high, but still reasonable price, right? Wrong! To compete with the shelf space of other products, you've really gotta mark the pups up by 4 times... which leaves us at a price of $1,884! BUT... if you're the breeder... and you've done a quality breeding with exceptional bloodlines and lineage... you can sell the puppies yourself for $800 to $1,000 a dog. Sometimes more! So, why would you sell your puppies to the pet store for $471, when you can sell them yourself for $800 ??? That's Right! The only way this whole "Let's Sell Puppies In The Pet Store" Economics works is if you've got puppies from poor breedings. Why? Because when you can buy the puppies cheap enough, you can still sell them at prices which are close to market value and make a profit! And how do you get really cheap puppies if you're a pet store owner? You buy them from Puppy Mills! Puppy Mills indiscriminately overbreed dogs in an effort to 106


produce as many puppies as possible, in as short a time as possible, with one incentive: Profit! Imagine, dogs barely out of puppyhood themselves, being bred together! The results are horrific! Not to mention the fact that your puppy will be spending his most formulative weeks (what we professionals call the "critical stages") behind a window in a high stress environment... a pet store!... rather than being properly socialized in a low stress environment, in a loving home. So what's the bottom line? Avoid pet stores that sell puppies if you're in the market for a new dog.

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Frustrations of a Professional Dog Trainer! As a professional dog trainer, most of what I do is really training the dog owner, in contrast to simply training the dog. And what really gets my goat (okay, okay... this is a dog training newsletter!)... is that time and again, dog owners refuse to fess up to the fact that 98% of their dog's bad behavior is a DIRECT result of what THEY do!!! Let me give you an example, and hopefully you'll start viewing your relationship with your dog in a different context. Bad clients (vs. good clients!) call me all the time and voice complaints such as "My dog is still jumping on people," or "My dog is still chewing on the furniture," or "My dog still steals food from the table!" Shifting the burden of responsibility to the Dog Owner! And to be honest... I don't really care what bad behavior the dog is doing. Why? Because the dog, when it comes to behavior problems, is only responding to the conditions and stimulus he receives from the outside world. Ever wonder why dogs don't jump head first into LARGE rose bushes??? It's because LARGE rose bushes have LARGE thorns, which cause a LARGE amount of pain to your dog when he jumps into one. So, maybe once or twice, he'll gallop into the rose bush... but after a few times... NEVER AGAIN! And it becomes an issue for the dog no longer. If you've ever set a really HOT cup of coffee down on the floor, you know what I'm talking about. 108


Perhaps the first time your dog sees the cup, he'll go up to it to investigate. "Yeowwww!!! That's HOT!" he says to himself! And maybe he'll check it out a second, and perhaps a third time... just to make sure. But once he's sure that the cup of coffee is BURNING HOT... FORGET IT! He'll move on to something else to play with. So, when a dog owner calls me and says, "My dog is still chewing the end table..." I immediately ask, "Well, what are YOU doing, when he's chewing the end table???" "Is he getting a good correction (a negative association) when he chews on the end table?" Usually not. "Is he CONSISTENLY getting a good correction when he chews on the end table?" Usually not. And for clients who've already gone through my program, and have learned how to give the dog a motivational correction... there is ABSOLUTELY no excuse for the dog to continue doing such behavior. As for the above example, if the dog IS NOT getting a good correction, then he'll simply keep chewing the end table. But if the dog IS getting a good correction, but still chews the end table when the owner isn't around... then this dog needs to be crated to make sure that EVERY time he chews on the end table, he gets a good correction. And when he does have access to the coffee table and the owner IS NOT around... the truth of the matter is that the owner shouldactually be spying on the dog, and ready to run in and administer a correction as soon as the dog tries to commit the crime. Once the dog has proven himself to be 100% reliable, then you can start giving him more freedom and leaving him unsuper109


vised. But until that point... ... Imagine if the dog in the above example were to try investigating the cup of coffee and found that instead of being BLISTERING HOT... the coffee was only luke warm! Well... pretty soon you'd have a habitual caffeine addicted pooch! Or, if it was randomly hot and luke warm, the dog would never quite leave the coffee alone... always checking to see if he could get a swig of your Java without scorching his tongue. So remember that the next time you say, "My dog is (fill in the blank)..." the REAL QUESTION you should be asking yourself is "What association (positive or negative) am I attaching to the behavior my dog is doing, and am I applying proper timing, consistency and motivation to make sure that the association will affect my dog???"

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Think Like A Dog Trainer: A Comparison Of The Success Mindset vs. The Non-Success Mindset When Fixing Chewing Problems! Let's assume that both the Successful dog trainer and the NonSuccessful dog trainer start out owning two exactly identical three-year-old dogs. And let's pretend that these dogs are a perfect genetic match, and will do the exact same behavior for each owner (initially). This way, we can see how it is actually the Success Mindset that ends up with a well trained dog that will no longer have a chewing problem. And how the Non-Success Mindset will never have a reliable dog. Let's refer to the dog trainer with the Success Mindset as "SMDT" (Success Mindset Dog Trainer.) And the Non-Success Mindset Dog Trainer as "NSMDT." (Non-Success Mindset Dog Trainer) SMDT will own Fido#1. NSMDT will own Fido#2. Again, both dogs are a complete genetic match (for all intents and purposes, it's the same dog.) First behavior: The genetically matching dogs, Fido#1 and Fido#2, begin to chew on the owner's new leather couch! Both owners come home two hours later. NSMDT says, "Oh my, you're a bad doggy," and spanks the dog. However, the dog was sleeping at the time and mistakenly thinks that the spanking was for sleeping next to the heater. (Not to mention the fact that spanking isn't the right way to correct a dog, anyway.) SMDT, seeing the same thing, recognizes that the dog has just 111


demonstrated that he cannot be left alone, but that it is too late to correct him. SMDT then goes out and buys a crate, so that the dog will not be able to chew the leather couch without receiving a correction. Behavior #2: Fido#2 chews on the leather couch, for the second time. Fido#1 is in the crate, and therefore cannot chew the couch. When NSMDT comes home, three hours after the fact, Fido#2 shows submissive body language. NSMDT mistakenly thinks that Fido#2 "knows he did something wrong." But in reality, Fido#2 has associated the spanking he got THE LAST TIME NSMDT came home, and is worried he might get spanked again, for reasons he can't understand. When SMDT returns home, he lets Fido#1 out of the crate and goes outside to play ball. Behavior #3: Both Fido#1 and Fido#2 go to the couch and begin to chew. SMDT, recognizing that this WAS going to happen again, and that the dog learns through trial and error... smartly had a training collar and tab (a 1 foot leash) on the dog beforehand. When Fido#1 started chewing on the couch, SMDT said, "No!" and went over to the dog and administered a correction. NSMDT, on the other hand, did not have the foresight to put a training collar on the dog. Nor did he have the discipline to keep his eye on the dog in order to catch him in the act. And when Fido#2 chews on the couch, it is again 15 minutes later that NSMDT finds the evidence, and at that point, Fido#2 is again sleeping next to the heater. With another spanking, NSMDT (using the wrong technique for correcting the dog, and not understanding the basic concepts of timing, consistency-- outlined in my Secrets of a Professional 112


Dog Trainer Book-- and motivation) incorrectly assumes that: 1.) Dog training doesn't work. 2.) His dog is dumb. 3.) The dog KNOWS he shouldn't be chewing. Now, SMDT may not be done with his job, either. However, with the Success Mindset, SMDT recognizes that his dog's behavior is a direct reflection on HIS OWN UNDERSTANDING AND USE OF THE RIGHT TECHNIQUES. So, Fido#1 may try to chew on the couch again, but he'll be sure to get a consistently motivational correction that is applied RIGHT when he chews. And after he's corrected a few times, and then set-up, tested, and re-tested to make sure he's trust worthy... only then will he be allowed to have free roam of the room where the leather couch is... without being supervised!

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Owning A Large-Breed Dog And Losing Your Home-Owner's Insurance Policy! All I can clearly remember is that I kept screaming, "It's Dog Racism! It's Dog Racism!" The talk radio interviewer who was hosting a morning-drive radio show from Sacramento, questioned, "Then why are the big insurance companies dropping home owner's insurance for people who keep large breed dogs???" "Dog Racism!" was my reply, again. "It doesn't matter that Springer Spaniels bite more kids every year than any other large "protection" breed in existence. If you're going to discriminate against certain types of dogs... AT LEAST discriminate against dogs that are poorly bred, poorly socialized and poorly trained!!!" It doesn't matter that the recorded number of accidental bites by large-breed dogs that are properly trained and titled in Schutzhund (a civilian police dog sport where dogs are trained to bite... as well as follow a track and handle advanced obedience exercises) is so infinitesimally small, that it's hard to document. So obviously, it's not an issue of dogs that are PROPERLY trained to bite, going off like a stick of dynamite! The real issue is: 1.) A lack of dog owner responsibility. (Dogs with poor breeding, poor temperament and no training being allowed to wander out through a gate irresponsibly left open!) 2.) Poor breeding (usually the case with the Springer Spaniel in that there are simply too many poorly bred Springer Spaniels being kept as pets). 3.) Improper socialization 4.) Low quality diet. 114


5.) The ever-present media stereo-type. The truth of the matter is that-- as I've said here before many times-- when a Rottweiler or a Pit Bull bites somebody... it's BIG NEWS! But when a Springer Spaniel bites someone... NOBODY CARES!!!

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The Greatest Dog Training Secret Known To Man! I bet you'd like to know what it is, eh? I'll give you a hint: Famous physicist Albert Einstein knew it... although he may not have realized he was talking about dog training at the time. Omaha Investment legend Warren Buffett (the second richest man in America, behind Bill Gates) knows it, too. Even though Buffett doesn't even own a dog. What am I talking about? I'm talking about the POWER OF COMPOUNDING!!! "But what the heck does 'compounding' have to do with dog training???" you ask. The answer can be obtained by taking a look at what COMPOUNDING is: Compounding is the practice of investing a small amount of something (time, energy, money, effort) into something on a regular basis. And over time, this investment grows, and multiplies! In investment circles, it's called the "Magic of Compounding!"

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How to Unleash the Magic of Compounding When Training Your Dog! If you were investing in a retirement fund, you'd put a little bit of money aside, every two weeks (or every month)... and over a period of years, that investment would grow, right? And not only would it grow by the amount you're continually adding every two weeks, but it'll grow because of the interest the investment accrues, too! Dog training is the same way. What you'll notice if you set up a consistent dog training regimen is that the more you train, the greater your efforts will affect your dog's behavior! The only difference is that, ideally, you'll want to train with your dog more than once every two weeks. See, by training with your dog on a regular basis, your efforts BUILD upon what you've worked on during your prior training session. But if you only train with your dog occasionally, you'll never be able to reap the benefits of compounding. Here's what I mean: Let's say that on Monday, I take my Pit Bull-mix Forbes, out for training. Our goal for the day will be to make him drop into the "down" position MUCH FASTER than he's currently doing. By the end of our training session, I will evaluate my dog and probably come to the conclusion that he's doing MUCH BETTER. When I bring him out for training on Wednesday, a funny thing happens. As I begin to review Monday's exercises... guess what? It looks as if my dog (having had some time to get away from the exercise and think about it) is now working EVEN FASTER, AND WITH A MUCH BETTER ATTITUDE than he 117


was on Monday! Plus, I now have the benefit of being able to add to what we've done, and combine (compound) this exercise by teaching him to go into a "down-stay" when he's at a distance of 50 feet. (This exercise is called the 'Drop on Recall' by the way.) However, if I'd only practiced with my dog once every TWO WEEKS... or irregularly... I'd end up repeating the same lesson with my dog, and ultimately never make any real progress! The Minimum Amount Of Repetition You Must Do, In Order To Reap The Benefits Of Compounding Is To Train With Your Dog At Least Once A Week! Once a week is the minimum. Once a day is even better. And if you can do one 15 to 20 minute session every hour, you'll be on your way to winning the Gaines (the Superbowl of Dog Training Competition) in no time at all!!!

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How I Train Dogs: A Letter I Wrote Back in 1997 Reveals My Training Techniques To A Dog Trainer On The East Coast. Part I of I I was rumaging through the outer regions of my hard drive last week when I came upon a letter I'd written to a dog trainer on the East Coast. He'd asked me how I run my private lessons for my clients at South Bay K-9 Academy. (I'm no longer accepting new clients). So, I dictated a 20 minute spiel to my secretary, and then had her type up a transcript of my ramblings and send it off in the mail... but not before saving it to my hard drive. And now, two years later, I thought sharing this letter with you might help unlock some of the mysteries of dog training. However, keep in mind that there is actually A LOT in this letter that I LEFT OUT ... as I was corresponding with another professional dog trainer, and I only wanted to get across the basic points I incorporate in how I teach my lessons. Also, please note how much I stress placing the burden of the work on the owner, rather than taking the dog myself and training their pet. As I've said before... the trick is to teach the OWNER how to train their dog. In other words: Give a Man A Fish And You Feed Him For One Day. But Teach Him How To Fish, and You Feed Him For Life! Without further ado, here is the first of a three part letter. I'll publish the other two parts in upcoming issues of this e-zine. Beginning of Letter: (Keep in Mind This Was Dictated, So It's A Bit Choppy.) 119


Dear Mr. [Name Omitted]: I am going to speak very briefly because you inquired about how I actually do the training. My basic emphasis in putting together the kit [a marketing kit for dog trainers] was to teach people who are already professional dog trainers how to market their services and make money with their skill at training dogs. But even professionals who have already been training dogs for a number of years have inquiried as to how I do my training and what techniques I use. So I am going to touch very quickly on the three different levels of obedience training and how I teach the techniques. But for now I am just going to run through each of the exercises in each of the levels and speak to you about how I do this training. The other thing that you may want to look into are a number of books that are readily available at your local library or book store. I recommend a book called "Good Owners Great Dogs" by Brian Kilcommons. [You can order this book through our web site]. Another good dog training book is called "Dog Training by Bash", the author's name is Bashkim Dibra. You might look into the Monks of New Skete book. And there's a problem behavior book that is also written by Bashkim Dibra... as well as a book called "Dog Problems" by Carol Lea Benjamin [also available through our web site] and a number of others... but most of these aren't geared specifically toward the professional dog trainer. If you have had experience training competition dogs (sport dogs) scaling down to work with pet owners is going to be very easy because it is just nowhere near as demanding. All they want is reliability. They don't care if the dog does it with style or pizazz or how fast they do it per say, as long as it's reliable and its functional. And if you look at my Temperament Evaluation and Consultation Card (It should be the yellow card that came with your kit) I am going to run through each of these very quickly. The Down Stay... remember... when I reach these behaviors, I 120


teach the owners how to teach the dog or how to work with the dog, but usually I'll get the dog doing the behavior during the session, but then it's up to the owner to take the dog around town and do the proofing exercises to make sure the dog will do the Down Stay or the Heel or Recall under various circumstances. There is no way you can do that in the number of sessions that you can spend with the owner to keep it profitable, nor should you. The real benefit to the client is to get the client to do the bulk of the training and that way they are going to develop a more proper relationship between themselves and their pet and they are going to have the experience and the practice and be able to come back to you with questions they wouldn't otherwise. The Down Stay...I teach the dog the down first by teaching the dog to sit. Basically I tell the dog to sit, I pop straight up with the right hand and then guide the dog down with the left into the sit position and then you give the dog the release command. For the Down... I tell the dog Down, I pop in a downward and forward direction with my right hand on the leash and with my left hand, I put right behind the dog's shoulder... it's kind of a pressure spot, where if you push down and rock, the dog's legs will collapse under him and he'll go down. And after guiding the dog through the behavior, you reach a point where the dog starts to understand and associate the command with what you want him to do and then you can stop with the physical part of actually touching the dog and just start popping the dog in the downward direction. Walk with a Loose Leash: This is actually the first exercise I do. Basically, I teach the owners to walk with the dog on a loose leash by holding the very end of the leash and walking up and down a straight line using "right abouts" or walking straight backwards, so if the dog goes forward the owner goes backwards... and the dog hits the end of the leash with a sharp "snap" or "pop" and then the owner calls the dog's name after the pop and encourages the dog to come in to them. 121


So, if the dog stays near the handler, then the dog gets nothing but praise. If he decides to run off to hit the end of the leash to bark at another dog or chase after a cat... he learns that he's going one direction, and the owner is going the opposite direction... and the dog is the one on the leash so he gets the correction and then the chance to make the right decision again. Heel is a process of modifying the Walk on a Loose Leash by teaching the owner to do a series of maneuvers to encourage the dog to walk in heel position on the left side and emphasize praising when the dog is in heel position doing a right about turn if the dog forges too far ahead; a left about turn if the dog is not paying attention and forging just a little bit. And pulling gently forward... if the dog is lagging... until the dog makes the effort to come up into heel position at which time we then substitute praise. Get In the Car, Get Out of the Car: I teach by teaching the dog to climb up onto a raised platform such as a park bench or a box. I tell the dog "Climb" and then drag him up as fast as I can... pulling him up there. As soon as all 4 feet are off the ground (on the box) I give immediate praise and then I teach the release command as well by using a little bit of touch and motion. I tell the dog, "Take a break" and take a step to the left and pull the dog off the box top. So the dog learns that safety and loving is only attained when he is on the box top after I have given him the command and if he jumps off too soon, it's like jumping up onto a hot stove... I pull him back up immediately. Once the dog understands climb, he can associate that to the car (or anything else). Climb in the truck. Climb in the car. Climb on the scale. Climb on the grooming table. The applications are endless. Wait at the Door. Basically I have the owner teach the dog to wait at the door the same way they do by teaching the dog not to run in the street... which we'll get to in just a minute. But a very fast way to show them how to teach the dog to wait at the door is to have them imagine that they are holding the dog on the leash 122


with their left hand-- standing inside the house-- and open the door with the right hand... As soon as the dog decides to bolt out the door, immediately slam the door closed. It may clip the dog in the head a couple times but he'll get the picture real quick. And then open slowly and close, open a little bit more and then close again, and then open wide and close until the dog realizes that he has to wait because the door will come slamming closed very fast if he decides to bolt through.. And we have the leash on the dog just in case our timing isn't good enough and the dog does get through... we can direct him back in. Teaching the dog to not run in the street or basic property perimeter training can be applied to teaching the dog to stay off the carpet in the house or only go on the tile and linoleum, or even stay out of certain bedrooms. This is a very good selling point. What I do is I teach them how to do it on the curb, so they're teaching the dog not to run in the street. What I do is, I step in the street... then tempt the dog to go into the street. But I want to be fair, so I don't use the dog's name. I just say, "do you want to come in the street?" If the dog comes in the street, I immediately correct him back up onto the sidewalk. The correction must stop as soon as all 4 legs are up on the sidewalk. Then I tempt the dog again. If the dog steps in the street, I repeat step 1. If he decides not to go in the street, I'll go back and praise. Then what I'll do is I'll pull a little bit... just gently pull, so that the dog has to actively resist. If he makes the right decision, he get's praised. If he makes the wrong decision, he gets the correction. The second step is to now work the dog in various different streets. What happens is that, when the dog learns... it's very situational. So I need to practice on 3 or 4 different streets and then have the owner go home and practice on 5 or 6 or 7 different streets. 123


When we are ready to tell the dog to cross the street, I start incorporating the release command. What I use is "Take a Break." I tell the dog. "Take a break" in the same way we did when we taught the dog that it was okay to jump off the box or the park bench (the way we did it with the climb.) So this is the street training. The third step in the street training is of course the proofing which goes as well as with the Down Stay and the Sit Stay. Proofing the dog...once the dog understands the exercise... you can take a ball, throw the ball in the street, if the dog chases the ball you correct him back up. You continue doing this until the dog learns that, just because the ball goes in the street DOES NOT MEAN that he is allowed to run into the street AFTER the ball! The second proofing exercise I do is with a little bit food. I take some kibble or some meat, and toss it into the street. If the dog goes after the meat into the street, I again correct him back up onto the sidewalk. Then, the third step is take another dog, play with the dog in the street. If the first dog, the one that you are training, decides to go in the street, then once again he should learn that he gets a correction AND THEN the chance to make the right decision. When he makes the right decision... we reinforce with praise. Elimination of common behavior problems are solved by discussing the issue with the client and demonstrating through a variety of examples how to administer a correction, or how to erase a negative association... depending on what we're doing.

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How I Train Dogs: A Letter I Wrote Back in 1997 Reveals My Training Techniques To A Dog Trainer On The East Coast. Part II of III Onto the Level II. I teach the recall predominately with the long line. I get a 20 foot or a 30 foot long line... you can get one from a horse and tack store... and "set the dog up" so that the dog gets distracted and runs off from you... and as he gets to the end, call his name and give him a pop on the line. Move your body backwards so that your body language is encouraging the dog to come in to you. And praise him as he comes towards you. If he decides to run off in the opposite direction, do the same thing. Then what you need to do is gradually repeat this exercise around different distractions, especially other dogs, and birds, and cats... in many different settings. You'll need to go home and practice this in a parking lot, at a gas station, in a park setting, in a rural setting, in the woods, at the beach... basically, anywhere you would want the dog to work off-leash... you need to practice with the long line. What I tell my client is to make sure that when they come back to the next session, they are 100% certain that they can let the long line hang on the ground and that the dog will come back to them every time. This is actually a lot easier than it sounds... it just requires a bit of practice. When they come back for the next session, at that point I switch the long line for the tab... or at least have them start using the long line as if it were a tab. The tab is the short leash... the 1 foot leash... which I substitute for the long line. If you have done your long line work correctly, the transition to the tab is going to be easy. But at that point anyway, I’ll substitute the tab and teach them how to properly use it. 125


The Down Stay and the Sit Stay off-leash, we do the same as the Level I. The dog already understands the command, but now what we're focusing on is just advanced proofing. I start out with the long line. I tie the end of the long tine to a tree. I’ll walk off 50 or 60 yards and I play the game of walking back to the dog with praise if he does the exercise correctly. And going back and correcting him if he breaks the position. When you're working at a distance like this with the dog, you can bridge the dog’s memory for association... their ability to associate the correction with the behavior... but you need to say "No, no, no, no, no," as you run all the way back to the dog and then put him back into the place and the position where he was. After you’ve done this, and the dog has tried to bolt in the opposite direction, and he hits the end of the leash... and you’ve run back, saying, "No, no, no, no, no,"... corrected him and taking him back... then you can start doing this with the long line NOT tied to the tree. Actually... at this point you should be beyond the long line, to the tab, since you taught the dog the recall and he is not running away anymore. The second thing I do is to put the dog in a place where he can’t see the handler. I'll put the dog in a down-stay position, in the middle of a park, and go and hide behind a building or a wall... and teach the dog that he needs to stay there. Again, if he gets up and breaks the position, I’ll run out of my hiding place, put him back into the down-stay, and then go into hiding again. If he then does it right, I’ll go back and praise him. Heel Off Leash is done through a process of holding the tab and then dropping it... holding the tab and dropping it... until the dog gets conditioned to recognize that he can’t run away from the owner (again, first done with the long line) and I am going to make him stay in heel position, emphasizing more praise. If you've done your foundation work with the Loose Leash, all your On Leash obedience should transition to Off Leash very smoothly. As for distance work and advanced distraction proofing... 126


you'll just need to get creative. The more distractions and the variety of the creativity you can bring into your training will make the dog more reliable. I look for the holes in the training that the owner has done during the week in-between session, and exploit them. So, likely the owner hasn't had another person tempt the dog by laying on the ground... or doing something crazy. What you want is for the owner to be really creative in their proofing process, so that there's really nothing you can do to tempt the dog into breaking the command.

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How I Train Dogs: A Letter I Wrote Back in 1997 Reveals My Training Techniques To A Dog Trainer On The East Coast. Part III of III Hand Signals. Hand Signals I teach by linking the hand signals with the verbal commands I have already taught. So what you do is, give the new command and THEN the old command, and then go and enforce the behavior. For instance, if I wanted to teach the dog to sit with the hand signal, I'd start by reaching out to my right (the new command) then say sit... and then with my other hand pop up on the leash. I usually do these for sit, down, and come. Heel usually isn’t necessary. Advanced Handling Techniques. This is where I lump anything that the individual client may need more work on. Like how to use your body language to get the best results with your dog, or anything else that might fall into the “ miscellaneous” category. For example, using your left leg, which will guide the dog more, when you start heeling. And leaning slightly forward as you start, with more of a briskness in your step, than you'd normally take. Drop or Down on Recall. I usually teach this with two handlers. I’ll hold the dog on the long line and then have the owner put the dog on a sit next to me. Next, I’ll make the owner walk 50 feet off and then call the dog and right before the dog hits the end of the 30 foot line, the owner yells out the down command... so the dog immediately gets a pop... and sometimes the owner may have to walk toward the dog to actually make him go down. You can repeat this in different areas and in different places, and then you can go back and incorporate the hand signal with the down as well. Send the client home to practice this on their own time by teaching them to tie the end of a long line to a post, or a tree. Have the dog in a sit stay, or a down stay next to the post or tree and then have the owner walk off. So if you are using a 30 foot line, have the owner walk off to about 50 feet away from the dog. Call the dog, and right before the dog hits 128


end of the line, give the command... the dog gets the correction and goes down. But you want to make sure you have them vary the length of the long line. So sometimes tie it off at 15 feet, and sometimes tie it off at 20 feet... so that the dog never associates one specific length. Development of Perfect Attention: If you have done competition heeling, then you know what I am talking about here. You're teaching the hot dog trick (dropping small pieces of hot dog from your face level... and then gradually from your mouth, to focus attention on your face. Eventually, you link a command like 'watch me' or 'look', and then can start proofing the dog with distractions, once he understands, and still looks away. And then you start to incorporate motion) Or you can teach them how to use the Halti or the Promise Leader. Again, if you’ve had experience with competition training, this should be a piece of cake. Recall with Wrap Around Finish. I teach the dog to sit front, and then I teach the wrap around finish by stepping back with my right leg, bringing the dog around. As the dog passes behind me, from the right side of my body to the left side of the body, I’ll pass my leash off to my left hand, pivot my shoulders so that they are now facing the dog on the left side behind me, step forward... and as I step forward, repeat the command, “ heel” and make the dog come in to the sit position in the heel. With enough repetitions the dog is going to pick this up and start becoming conditioned to wrap around you when you say, “ heel” . [For the inexperienced, this is something you really need to SEE a few times.]

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Food Aggression: Why Dogs Do It, And How To Fix It. Earlier this week, a visitor to our discussion board asked about an 11 month old Cairn Terrier that had just recently started displaying food aggression. She stated, "Only when given her food in a bowl , does she growl and get aggressive. What is the best method to stop this behavior?" It is important to understand that food aggression is a dominance behavior. In the dog's mind, he is correcting the owner for going near HIS food. This is not, and should not be confused with a fear induced aggression. The dog is not afraid of the owner. Rather, he is correcting the owner for coming too close. If you watch any pack of dogs, either domesticated or wild, you'll notice that the Alpha dog always eats first. Then the Beta. And then the next, and the next... until what ever is left over is eaten by the Omega dog (the dog at the bottom). However, if ANY of the subordinate dogs try to take or get too close to the food that the Alpha dog is eating... the Alpha will first usually let out a low growl. If the subordinate dog doesn't defer, then the Alpha will respond with an outburst of aggression (generally, biting... usually to the muzzle, the neck, the ear, or the flank). In doing so, he asserts (or reasserts) his position in the pack, and his RIGHT to eat first. Now, if only one bowl of food is put down, and the Beta dog happens to be closer (or perhaps the Beta dog is getting stronger with age, an injury to the Alpha, etc...) then he will exhibit the aggressive warning growl as the Alpha approaches. And at this point, the Alpha dog instinctively knows that he 130


has two options: 1.) Submit, and walk away... thus forfeiting his position in the pack as the Alpha dog. or 2.) Correct the dog who tried to correct him... thus putting him in his place (in other words... remind him who's boss). In general, the roles and positions in the pack are so well established that it rarely comes to all out aggression. However, if the dog owner is ever going to establish a proper relationship with the dog, then it's going to be worked out over an issue such as this. And it's the job of the good dog trainer/dog owner to foresee (or set up) such conflicts in advance so that he is prepared and has the tools (leash, collar, back tie if necessary, double handler, etc...) to come out on top and win the confrontation, ala the Alpha dog or pack leader. So, what the dog owner needs to do is: Leave a properly sized and fitted pinch collar and 6 foot leash on the dog while she eats. If she starts to growl, then correct her like it's nobody's business. Remember, this is what the Alpha dog would do. However, knowing how hard or how soft to correct, and doing it in a way that doesn't put you at risk can be tricky. For the 11 month old Cairn Terrier, she may still be young enough that the owner can successfully apply this technique without the supervision of a professional trainer. But, it really depends on the individual dog and the owner's handling skill. When it comes to aggression, if you have any doubt about your skill at handling the dog, especially in what might be a dangerous situation, don't hesitate to contact a professional dog 131


trainer.

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Separation Anxiety and Clomicalm-The Doggie Prozac! Does It Really Work? Separation anxiety is a behavior that many dogs begin to exhibit when away from their pack, or family. As the name implies, they are literally "anxious" about being "separated" from their pack. However, this "anxiety" can be as mild as: excessive drooling, barking and hyperventilation... to more extreme behaviors such as: self-mutilation, chewing anything and everything in sight, jumping through glass windows, and literally chewing through drywall... and even doors! Separation anxiety also happens to be one of the most difficult behavior problems to fix... especially if you work a normal job and cannot spend days struggling with incremental improvement in your dog's situation. And of course, as a professional dog trainer, I'm always interested in anything that can make behavior modification work faster and easier. So when I heard about the new canine drug Clomicalm being a sort of "doggie Prozac"... I got excited. A Newsletter/Web page created by San Carlos Veterinary Hospital, states that: "In April, 1998 the pharmaceutical company Novartis won approval from the European Commission to market a drug named Clomicalm to treat separation anxiety in dogs. The US FDA gave similar approval for Clomicalm in December, 1998. The same drug, known by the brand name Anafranil (generic name clomipramine hydrochloride), has been used for years to treat depression in humans. Novartis conducted studies in late 1997 and early 1998 involving various combinations and of clomipramine and behavior modification. Dr. Patrick Melese conducted one of the studies at the Tierrasanta Veterinary Hospital here in San Diego. One of our canine customers, an 11 year-old English Springer Spaniel named Molloy, took part in 133


that study. The San Carlos Veterinary Hospital's full article is at: http://www.sancarlosvet.com/AskTheDoc/Clomicalm.html So, I decided to investigate a bit more. Without going into detail about my full investigation and findings about the drug itself, let me first point out that the behavioral approach to fixing separation anxiety outlined on the Novartis Web Site (the maker of Clomicalm) was excellent. In fact, I don't think I could have said it more concisely myself. So, here it is: The Advice on the Novartis Site Suggests You Should: Before Leaving : Pay no attention to your dog for 10-30 minutes before going out. Note: When you leave, make it low key, without elaborate goodbyes. Just walk out the door. Leave a special toy or a treat to distract the dog when you go out and remove the item upon your return. Note: Make this something special, like a food-filled treat, so that your leaving is associated with something positive. The treat should also occupy your dog during those critical first moments after your departure. When Returning: Ignore dog until he is quiet and relaxed, then interact on owner's initiative. Note: You may not realize it, but even eye contact can be rewarding to a dog seeking attention. Interact with your dog only when he is quiet, thus rewarding his calm behavior. Do not reprimand the dog for destructive behavior or for 134


urinating or defecating in the house. Note: No matter what you find when you get home, remember that your dog could not control himself when you were away. Punishment will not help, and will only increase his anxiety. At Home: Interact with your dog only at your initiative and when the dog is relaxed. Note: Again, show your dog that you like to play with him when he's calm and relaxed. To encourage independence, avoid constant physical contact with your dog. Encourage him to lie down near you, but not in contact with you. Teach your dog to stay calm as you move away; gradually increase distance and time away. Note: Teach your dog to be alone, little by little. Have him sit or lie down and stay in place as you back away, praising his calm behavior. Gradually increase your distance and time away, to help him become more independent, and cope with being alone. Put your coat on or play with your keys at times other than departure. Note: Certain cues tell your dog that you're getting ready to leave. When he sees these, he begins to panic. This technique will help him become indifferent to those cues. The link to this page is at: http://www.clomicalm.com/frameindex.html A Few More Separation Anxiety Tips That May Make Your Life Easier 1.) Don't leave your dog free run of the house or yard. Instead, leave him in a crate or kennel run. If your dog tries to chew or destroy either the crate or kennel 135


run, you're going to have to upgrade to more professional equipment. Regarding dogs that exhibit extreme separation anxiety and try to chew through plastic crates, or break wire frame crates... you'll need to buy a full metal crate. Once the dog learns he can break out of a crate, he'll keep trying until he is successful. But with a full metal crate, it is impossible. And you'll find that he will eventually give up and metaphorically "cry himself to sleep." Because the dog learns that he cannot break or escape from this type of crate (in other words, the behavior is not rewarded)... then he will eventually drop this behavior. And later you can switch back to a normal crate. I did a quick search on Excite, and came up with the following web address. It's a company that sells the type of metal crates I'm talking about: http://www.pet-expo.com/cratebox.htm Note: If you don't need to, just use the standard Vari-kennel type crate to confine your dog. The all-metal crates can be pretty expensive! 2.) Use a two foot, plastic coated cable tie-down. You'll probably need to make one of these at your local hardware store, because they're hard to find. Trim the plastic about two inches or so from each end. Make a small loop on one end by running it through a small bracket, and then crimp it so that it stays. On the other end, do the same, but attach a small harness snap. You should use the cable-tie down by attaching it to an eyebolt you fasten to a wall in your house. Or alternatively, just loop the cable tie-down around the foot of a heavy dresser or bed. The cable tie-down is for indoor use, only. 136


If the dog doesn't have a problem with chewing, you can use the cable tie-down instead of a crate. Attach the training collar to the tie-down, and if the dog starts to get hyper-active, he'll actually self-correct. And because the tie down is only 2 feet, you don't need to worry about him getting himself wrapped up in anything (assuming you use common sense regarding where you attach the tie-down.) I'd also recommend that you keep the dog on the tie-down, or in the crate, while you're home (per the reasoning outlined above.) But what about the drugs, Adam? We want to know about the magic drugs!!! Well, unfortunately (or fortunately) I came upon an abstract in the Journal of American Veterinary Medicine which reported the results of a study done to assess the effectiveness of Clomipramine on separation anxiety and canine compulsive disorder. To summarize: The study was done on 51 dogs suffering from separation anxiety, and it stretched over a period of 4 weeks. As far as I can tell, the study seems pretty scientific. (I.E., they took into account control groups, placebos, etc...) The long term results of the study showed that, "Of the 51 dogs, 6 were lost to follow-up. Follow up of the remaining 45 dogs showed that ALL DOGS CONTINUED THEIR BEHAVIORS, NONE WERE CURED after 4 weeks of treatment with clomipramine. Clomipramine had been stopped in 32 of these dogs because the owners considered it either INEFFECTIVE or not sufficiently effective (24/32), adverse effects (3/32), or the owner concerns over cost or the continued use of psychotropic drugs (5/32). Clomipramine therapy was continued after the study in the 137


remaining 13 dogs and was considered effective in 6/13, somewhat effective in 3/13, and ineffective in 4/13." So... draw your own conclusions. I think that if I adopted a dog tomorrow that turned out to have symptoms of separation anxiety, I'd probably try the drugs in conjunction with the behavior modification techniques described earlier in this article. But for me, the verdict is not in. Personally, I feel that separation anxiety is a result of relational issues between the owner and the dog. And at best, the drug (if it works) will only help to take the edge off and speed the recovery process. Fixing separation anxiety can be a long and arduous process. I wish you the best of luck.

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Why It's A Bad Idea To Raise Two Puppies Together It was my client's third session, and we were just beginning to teach her eight month-old German Shepherd Dog to go into the 'down' position on command. Since this was the first exercise that we were directly asking the dog to DO something... the dog behaved a bit submissive and somewhat stressed. Now, this isn't altogether uncommon for a young dog that has been pampered all of it's life and never actually MADE to DO anything because... Learning something new can be stressful! Especially when there are consequences attached to the decisions you make! Of course, it'd be nice to think that learning something new should be just a bundle of positive experiences... and we always try to set the dog up for success... however, in order to make the learning process as quick and easily understood as possible (not to mention fair)... the dog must know when she's doing something wrong as well as doing something right. But when the client called me five days after the session and told me that the dog was still laying down slowly and allegedly shaking from stress, I knew that something wasn't right, because this is not how a normal dog should act. So I started searching for clues. For starters, this type of behavior isn't uncommon for dogs that have weak nerves, or are from a poor breeding. And it's not uncommon for dogs that have been abused. But even in a worse case scenario, once the dog gets past the first introductory lesson to the 'down' command, and understands that you're not trying to over-dominate him but 139


rather just put him in the 'down' position, then they usually relax and start performing the exercise. Although my client's dog may have slightly weak nerves, I had to look elsewhere for a reason. So... I started thinking about what might be going on: 1.) The dog could be displaying this type of behavior because the owner is over-correcting the dog. But a cursory judgment of the owner, and knowing that this is a rather spoiled dog, I quickly discarded over-correction as being the reason for this behavior. 2.) Inconsistent corrections, and inappropriate timing. This could be a definite possiblity. If the owner is correcting the dog while the dog is going into the 'down' position... then the dog is going to end up getting confused and exhibiting signs of stress. The dog says, "Hey! I thought you wanted me to go into the 'down' position... but then you corrected me as I started to go??? Make up your mind!!! How do I win and get the praise??? Nothing you do makes sense, and I'm SO STRESSED!" Both of these issues could be contributing to the dog's overly submissive and stressed behavior... but I didn't think this was it. I can read a dog, and an owner in such a way that I can tell if a certain stimulus is causing a behavior... and I didn't feel that this reading of the situation was all-together accurate. I can't explain it... I just felt that there was something more... something deeper... something more powerful... that would make such behavior linger with the dog for such a long period of time. And while I was thinking, the owner started telling me how she had problems leaving her older dog alone in the house, while 140


she took the puppy out for training. And there was the answer... staring me right in the face. The dog-- still a puppy at eight months of age-- had formed a primary relationship with THE OTHER DOG... not with the owner! Why is this an important fact? Because the puppy sees her relationship with the other dog as being her PRIMARY RELATIONSHIP. And not her relationship with the owner! And what happens when you separate a subordinate dog (especially a puppy) from it's pack leader and primary relationship??? The puppy will get stressed, especially when asked to make a decision and finds that her pack leader... THE ONE who makes all of the decisions... the one who gives her security and confidence when she is stressed... IS NOT AROUND! This is a dysfunctional relationship between the owner and her dog! See, the dog should look to the owner for security, confidence and well-being. But in a dysfunctional dog/owner relationship, all the dog can think about is getting back to her pack leader-her primary relationship-- where she is safe. In a healthy dog/owner relationship, when the owner trys to teach the dog a new command-- even though the dog may get a bit stressed about whether he is doing the exercise correctly-- he will try to do anything he can to initiate the owner's praise. And when the dog gets it "right," he's thinking, "Yes! I've just pleased my pack leader... and now he loves me even more! I'm SOOO GREAT!" But when the pack leader is the OTHER DOG in the house... all the dog can think about is getting home to be with his pack leader. He doesn't care about pleasing the owner so much as he does getting out of any potentially stressful situation and 141


returning to his security blanket... his alpha dog. So, what should the owner do? If she's wise, she will: 1.) Start confining the dog to a crate. 2.) Start playing games and having fun with the dog. 3.) Continue training exercises with the dog. 4.) Discontinue free play time with the other dog. (Many owners will state that the reason they bought a second dog was to keep the first dog company. My answer: "Hey! I don't make the rules... I just read the dogs. If you want the dog to bond to you in a proper way, respect you, respond to you, and want to please you... you're going to have to deal with the dog psychology.") 5.) Re-establish the dog's primary relationship with the owner. The dog should spend more time each day with the owner than any other animal.

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Here's How To Teach Your Dog A Trick That Will Impress The Neighbors And Entertain The Family: How To Get Your Dog To "Crawl" on Command! Once you've established a proper relationship with your dog, it's okay to incorporate food into your training to perk up the dog's attitude, or to help communicate more advanced behaviors. Or simply as an additional tool to motivate your pet. To teach you dog how to crawl, first make sure that he's REALLY HUNGRY, or food motivated. Start by putting the dog in the down position. Next, hold a piece of food approximately two inches beyond his front paw, close to the ground. If the dog incorrectly tries to STANDS UP and puts his head towards the food, then pull the food back and correct the dog back into the down-position. If he instead stays in the down position, but lowers his head and puts his nose to the food, then reward him by letting him eat the snack. Do this a couple of times, and you'll see the dog start to lean forward and extend his nose, while staying in the down-position. At this point, it's very simple to get the dog to start crawling. First, say the command "Crawl." Then, immediately hold the food in your hand, but this time, approximately ONE foot in front of his paws. He'll crawl forward to get the food, and you'll reward by letting him eat it, and then giving physical praise. Again, if the dog gets up, you'll correct him back into the down position. For dogs that are a little more dense, you may have to guide them forward with the leash. 143


Once the dog will crawl forward ONE foot, then the next step is to make the dog crawl forward TWO, THREE, and then FOUR feet forward. The trick is that, if the dog gets up half way through the crawl, you tell him "Down." If he's gotten up and walked more than a few steps, then you'll want to bring him back to the starting point. Then, say "Crawl," and hold the food two inches in front of the dog's nose, and drag it on the ground, letting him follow throughout the distance you're trying to work up to. But make sure not to try to cover too much ground, too soon. For the first session, work on getting the dog to crawl a few steps. Then the next session, a few more. After you practice this exercise over a period of a few weeks, and in different places, the dog should be performing reliably enough-- and have enough understanding of the exercise-- that you can simply take him anywhere. You'll be able to point to the ground and tell him to, "Crawl," and he'll do it! Make sure that as you go through the teaching process, you consistently give the command "Crawl" first, so that the dog learns to cue off the verbal command, rather than the production of food. This trick looks really cool with small dogs, but is EXCEPTIONALLY impressive with bigger dogs.

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A Letter From One Of Our Readers: "Adam, I read your article about losing one's insurance policy and have to agree with you about discrimination. I lost my home owners [insurance] and my dog because of this. My German Shepherd mix was accused of biting a 5 year old boy. Because he was 'accused,' we lost our insurance and had 10 days to get new coverage. No one would cover us as long as we had the dog. The local SPCA would not take the dog because it had a "bite record." Sadly, the dog had to be put down. After a year-long battle, we finally settled out of court for $50,000. (The people had been suing us for $500,000!) The sad part is that my dog was not even out on the day the child was bit, and we had a witness that was bitten the same day that said it was not our dog. I don't have to tell you that I am sure-- to a five year old-- every German Shepherd looks alike (the child only was bitten 3 miles from our house). I wish insurance would look at the whole case. They ended up settling because it was cheaper than going to court. But if I had been allowed to keep my dog until the case was over, and had been allowed to have justice by going to court to prove my dog's innocence, I would still have him today! The insurance companies are only out to get our money. They don't care about what is right!!!! Thanks for the great web sight. [name omitted] " Something to think about.

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More Thoughts on How To Use The Ball To Motivate Your Dog During Training One of my customers sent me an e-mail this morning questioning: "I ordered your book and tape. I finished reading the book and I have begun to work with my dog. One question that came up was: How do you use your dog's ball drive in the training process? I just don't think I have a clear grasp on how it can speed training along. The tape was great. I've listened to it a couple of times!" Here's How To Do It The ball drive doesn't come into play so much when teaching the dog to understand the exercise. That's where repetition is really the key factor. Instead, the ball drive should be used to "perk up" the dog's attitude and make him do the exercise faster. So, for example, tease the dog with the ball. Get him excited. Then tell him "Down" and pop on the leash. As soon as his elbows and belly hit the ground, immediatly issue the "take a break" or "free" (release command) and throw the ball. After a couple of times, your dog will realize that the faster he "hits the deck" in response to your command, the SOONER you'll throw the ball and he'll get to run and chase it! It also makes working with your dog a lot more fun and will actually blur the lines between work and play. The dog learns that he still must do the exercise, but that it's the most fun job in the world! And that's what training is all about!

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How To Teach Your Dog To Speak Any Language: Some Rules For Selecting Command Words! One of my readers sent me this e-mail a few weeks ago. He states: "I enjoy your newsletter and wish to thank you for the time that it (obviously) takes to put together this publication. I applied your training method regarding the "crawl" as described in your last newsletter, and my border collie cross had it down pat within 10 mins. The particular command that you use to guide the dog, is not important to the dog, in my opinion. (as long as you are consistent). After all, dogs don't speak English or Spanish or French, or any other human language. They respond to the SOUND of the word or command. For instance, instead of "shake a paw", my dog responds to "gimme 5" ... rather than command her to "sit up and beg", I tell her to "gimme 10". The result is exactly the same, and the dog responds to the command that it knows. My point is, that to humans, telling a dog to "gemmie 10", (rather than "sit and beg") is far less demeaning to the dog. Even though the dog couldn't care less if you said either phrase, or said "xyzabcquerdt", as long as it is the same command. It is only to the human ear that the command is offensive. Instead of "crawl", my command to my dog is "do the swim". Same training methods, same rewards, it does not matter to the dog. However, when I tell her to "do the swim" as opposed to "crawl", her human admirers are much more pleased and receptive to her many charms. Just a note on human nature!" 147


Why this works: When dogs learn, they learn through association. And what this means is that anything you associate with a behavior, will become the trigger for that behavior. In fact, it doesn't even need to be a word. It can be a sound, or an effect (like a whistle, or click of the tongue). It can be a hand signal. Or it can even be a sequence of events. For example, have you ever noticed that your dog starts to get excited when you put on your shoes and grab your car keys? Even before you head to the door, you've inadvertently done a sequence of events which has acted as an informal command to tell your dog to "Get ready! We're leaving." Many movie dogs are trained with hand signals or other commands which can be blended with the background sound of the environment. A Trick We Use For Personal Protection Dogs Instead of using a command such as, "Attack!" or "Sick 'em"... I use the command, "Easy." The dog learns that when I say, "Easy!" that he should start to fire up and show aggression. But to a potential attacker, the only thing he sees is a vicious dog and an owner who can hardly keep the dog back. In fact, the dog looks so violent that the owner is actually telling him to "Take it Easy." ;-) Criminals don't like unpredictable factors. Especially violent, aggressive dogs that the owner APPEARS to be only barely able to restrain. Plus, if a legal situation should ever arise out of the conflict (yes, criminals do sue!)... any witness will attest to the fact that you were NOT "sicking the dog" on the perpetrator, but rather were trying to restrain the dog. Pretty sneaky, eh? 148


--Of course, now the cat is out of the bag, now! But in any event, you can see the plethora of ways you can play on the dog's ability to associate a word or sequence of events with a specifc behavior. Only your creativity is the limit!

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Rattlesnake Proofing Your Dog A news article appeared in the Daily News, yesterday (4/21/99). I thought it was an interesting story and points out the importance of snake-proofing your dog, as you never know when you might get caught in this type of situation. Here are a few of the points from the article: NEWS: Woman escapes snakes in park By Troy Anderson, Daily News Staff Writer "GLENDALE -- Lisa Herron was considering renaming her dog Lucky after they jogged into a ravine of rattlesnakes Tuesday at Brand Park and fortunately escaped. One of three rattlesnakes they startled by jumping into a washed out ravine along a trail in the park rose up and bit her dog Bubba's collar, wrapping itself around the 120-pound Rottweiler's left leg, Herron said. "I kicked the snake off him and drug him up the hill," she said. "There was a snake above us and two below us and we couldn't go anywhere." Using her cellular telephone, she called her best friend at the Arden Animal Hospital, who summoned authorities during a three-way conference call. Glendale park maintenance workers and fire personnel rescued Herron from the den of snakes. Herron and her dog were not injured. " The article goes on to say that later, "At the Arden Animal Hospital, the veterinarian could not find a snake bite on the dog, although his fur was covered with venom, Herron said. " COVERED WITH VENOM! That's a pretty lucky dog! Now, if you and your dog happen to get ambushed by a pit of rattlesnakes, there's probably not much you can do. But in most cases, a dog that gets bit by a snake simply happens to come 150


across one and thinks it's a play toy. And this is where good training can save your dog's life. In most cases, your dog will be scampering through the bushes or wandering around the yard and YIKES! There's a snake! Even worse if it's a Rattler. And if your dog isn't trained to RUN IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION when he sees a snake, then there's a good chance he's going to get bitten. How to Snake-proof your dog The hands-down best way to snake-proof your dog is to pick up your Yellow Pages telephone directory. Look for a local company that provides hunting dog training services because hunting dog trainers are very often in the type of terrain where they're running into rattlesnakes, copper heads and water moccasins. So this type of training is a standard part of any good hunting dog training program. Usually, hunting dog training companies will sponsor snakeproofing sessions that you can attend with your dog. In half a day (and usually at a cost of around $70) your dog will be trained to avoid snakes. But if you can't find a company that does snake-proofing sessions, here's what you can do on your own: What type of snake to train with? You don't need to use a venomous snake to effectively snakeproof your dog. However, you should plan on obtaining several different species of snakes. When dogs learn, it's situational... meaning that the dog thinks the lesson may be specific to only one particular thing. And 151


when snake proofing your dog, you don't want to take the chance that your dog will only avoid ONE type of snake. Use an electronic collar, set on the highest level I recommend either the Innotek or Tri-Tronics Electronic collar. These are safe and well engineered collars that have been used for decades by literally thousands of dog trainers, and are endorsed by hundreds of veterinarians. Put the e-collar on your dog at least FOUR hours before you go out to do the training exercise. You don't want him to become collar smart and associate the e-collar with the exercise. The reason we're using the electronic collar for this exercise is that: 1.) You need the dog to associate the NEGATIVE with the snake... not with you. That way, even if the dog stumbles onto a snake when you're not with him, he'll still avoid the snake. 2.) We're aiming to create absolute avoidance to the snake. The best way to create avoidance is to create a strong negative association. And the best way to do this safely (and with EXACT timing) is with the electronic collar. Teaching avoidance to the SIGHT of the snake Place the snake in an area you've boxed in with sticks or 2 X 4's and wait for the snake to slow down and stop moving. Now, introduce the dog into the area where the snake is (upwind from the snake) and let him wear a 30 foot long line, so that you can guide the dog back to you if necessary. Next, wait for the dog to go up and investigate the snake... and as he gets close and puts his head down to investigate, 152


stimulate the dog with your electronic collar on the high setting. The dog will jump back away from the snake and most likely won't want anything else to do with it. Repeat this exercise in four or five different settings with as many different types of non-dangerous snakes as you can obtain. Teaching avoidance to the SCENT of the snake The next step is to repeat this exercise by starting with the dog DOWN-WIND of the snake. Except that this time, the snake should be hidden under some brush so that the dog cannot easily see it. Wait for the dog to sniff the area, and when the dog has ventured too close for comfort to the snake, and you see that he's picked up the scent, THAT'S when you should stimulate him with the e-collar. If instead, you see that the dog picks up the scent of the snake, and immediately TURNS AWAY... then praise your dog, as he's made a decision and it was the right decision. Again, repeat this exercise in four or five different places. You should try to be as creative as possible in hiding the snakes. Teaching avoidance to the SOUND of a rattlesnake To teach your dog avoidance to the sound of a rattlesnake, you're going to need to obtain a tape recording of an actual rattler. There are two ways to do this: 1.) Goto Bayou Bob's page at http://www.wf.net/~snake/rattlesn.htm Click on the picture of the rattlesnake and you'll be able to download the sound of a real rattler in .wav format. Get a 1/8" jack and cable from Radio Shack and connect one end to your 153


tape recorder and the other end to the sound card in the back of your computer. Set your media player on repeat, and record 20 minutes worth of the rattlesnake sound. 2.) Pick up a copy of Field & Stream or the Retriever Journal at the magazine rack of your local Barnes & Noble Bookseller. Order a pre-recorded tape of a rattlesnake from one of the hunting dog supply companies that advertise in the back of these magazines. Next, hide your tape recorder with the snake, the same way you did when teaching your dog avoidance to the scent of the snake. If the dog moves to investigate the sound, you'll need to correct him with the e-collar. If he moves to avoid it, then praise. As you can see... it's not really that difficult to teach your dog to avoid snakes. It just requires A LOT of time and preparation. This is why I recommend you contact a hunting dog training company and pay the $70 to let them hassle with all of the props to train your dog to avoid snakes. If done correctly, your dog may never go near a snake again. In most cases, it is recommended that you repeat the training process at least once a year.

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How Do I Correct Negative Or Unwanted Behavior? The fastest and most humane way to get your dog to stop any unwanted behavior is to attach a motivational NEGATIVE association to that behavior. Your dog is no dummy, and he will not continue to do a behavior which does not feel good. In fact, if the negative association is motivational, he'll drop that behavior quicker than you can imagine.The safest way to give your dog a motivational correction is to replicate the way the mother dog will correct the puppies, or the way the Alpha dog will correct the subordinate dogs, and this is by giving a NIP on the neck. Now, you can go ahead and get hair in your teeth... or you can use a pinch collar, which replicates the Alpha dog's bite. For most dogs-- with a few exceptions for the toy breeds-- this will be the best collar to use.The pinch collar is actually the safest collar for training if you use it properly because it does not put stress on the dog's trachea like the choke chain or slip collar does. Also, it will not irritate the hair or the skin on the dog's neck, like many of the other types of training collars do. Plus, it has a safety ring at the bottom so that you cannot accidentally choke the dog out, like you can with the other collars. And the most important reason is that it's like driving with power steering. It's always much better to give ONE motivational correction, than 1000 nagging corrections. Here are some tips for how to give a motivational correction: 1.) Add or subtract links from the pinch collar so that there's only enough room to slide approximately one finger space between the prong and the skin of the dog's neck. This will also mean that, when you put the collar on the dog, you'll need to break apart one of the links in the middle and put it on like you would a necklace. If you're sliding the pinch collar over the dog's head, then the fitting is too loose. 2.) If you were a canine rather than a human, you would always 155


have your mouth to give the dog a bite on the neck. So to replicate this form of being able to consistently give a correction, always let the dog wear the pinch collar any time you're with him. Only take it off if you leave him unsupervised or confined... or at night while you're asleep since you won't be giving any corrections. Remember, you don't want the dog to become "collar smart." 3.) Leave a tab attached to the pinch collar while you're around the house. It is impossible to just pull on the chain part of the pinch collar to give a correction. You must get slack. And to do this, you must have a leash or tab (short leash) on the dog when he does something wrong. 4.) Keeping slack in the line means that the harness snap of the tab or leash is hanging straight down. When you give a correction, you should "Pop" on the leash, so that the leash goes from SLACK-TO-TIGHT-TO-SLACK again... all in about 1/8 of a second. The leash should never remain tight. No dog ever bites another dog on the neck to give a correction and keeps his mouth clinched tight. It's always a nip... and this is what your correction should replicate. 5.) After you correct the dog, immediately tempt him to do the unwanted behavior again. Offer him the choice: If he does the behavior again, then most likely your first correction wasn't motivational. Try correcting harder. If he refuses to do the behavior, then praise him since he's just made the RIGHT decision. 6.) Never praise your dog immediately after you correct him. If you do this, you're confusing him. Many people think, "But he stopped the behavior?" No. YOU made him stop the behavior. HE did not choose to do it on his own. After you correct him... then give him the choice to do it again. If he THEN chooses not to do the behavior, THAT IS when you praise him.Remember, there are three keys to fixing pretty much any problem behavior: timing, consistency, and motivation. 156


The Electronic Collar vs. the Association of Pet Behavior Counselors An article published in a recent issue of Canine Times (you can subscribe to this free e-zine by going to: http://www. cfnaonline.com/caninetimes/) states that, "The Association of Pet Behavior Counselors condemns the widespread use of devices which deliver electric shocks to dogs for the purpose of training or curing behavior problems," The article later states that, "Only in a handful of cases, where all else has been tried and failed, and when the condition is potentially life-threatening, can the use of such devices ever be justified, according to the association, and, only then, in the hands of an experienced behavioral specialist who is capable of accurate timing." HHHMMMMM... if the electronic collar is truly cruel and inhumane... WHY would they advocate ONLY using it in cases where everything else has already been tried? This is ridiculous. If something is truly CRUEL and INHUMANE... you should not do it... period! But the truth of the matter is that the electronic collar IS NOT CRUEL AND INHUMANE. Sure, there are people who will use even a buckle collar in a manner which is harmful to a dog. But let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater! Let me go on record as saying that the Association of Pet Behavior Counselors HAS ULTERIOR MOTIVES! They epitomize the Mothers Of Prevention who will not rest until they save every dog owner from himself! They simply will not believe that YOU are a smart, intelligent thinking individual and would rather treat you like an incompetent child! The fact is, I have never seen a problem arise from an owner 157


PROPERLY using an electronic collar. It is only when the ecollar (or any other training device) is misused that you're going to run into problems. But if we're going to start lambasting training devices, let's not forget to chastise the mother dog for using her terribly sharp teeth to nip and bite the 5 week old puppies for biting her nipples too hard! Trust me, with the insanity and lack of understanding the Association of Pet Behavior Counselors has demonstrated in adopting this stance, it won't be long before we see them outlawing pinch collar, choke chains, leather leashes, and fur savers, too! Many of you have written to me this week and have asked that I clarify my stance on using the electronic collar. You'll note that I don't refer to this marvelous training device as a "shock collar," which is more of a loaded, propagandistic term designed to belittle the electronic collar and the people who use them. For those of you who don't know what an electronic collar is, let me explain: The electronic collar is a small box fitted to a collar which the dog wears. The box has two contact points which should gently touch the dog's neck when fitted snugly. The handler carries a small transmitter the size of a garage door opener, and this transmitter sends a signal to the collar which then delivers a small amount of electrical stimulation to the dog's neck. "Electrical stimulation???" you ask. Yes... electrical stimulation. A small tingle. This stimulation can be as light as a tickle, or as strong as a minor jolt, depending upon your dog's sensitivity. "But why use the electronic collar?" you ask. Well, if you've read my book, you're probably familiar with the concepts of timing, consistency and motivation. 158


With the electronic collar, you can: 1.) Achieve perfect timing. Especially if the dog is doing something at a distance, such as digging a hole in the yard. If you had to manually run to the dog to correct him, there's a good chance you'd sacrifice the 7 to 9 seconds required to get your dog to associate the correction with the behavior. With the electronic collar, the correction happens immediately. 2.) You can be 100% consistent. It doesn't matter if your dog is running through heavy brush or speeding past you at 20 miles per hour, the electronic collar will allow you to consistently correct your dog. And in many cases, he'll only associate the correction with the unwanted behavior, rather than associating the correction with you! 3.) Unlike the electronic collars of the 1950's and 1960's, today's electronic collars let you match the motivation level of the correction to your dog's temperament. So the possibility of over correcting your dog is pretty unlikely. What many people don't understand about the electronic collar is that giving a correction to your dog must be motivational. This is similar to the police officer who gives you a $2 ticket for speeding. It's a correction.... but it's not motivational. So, it really doesn't matter whether you use a buckle collar, a choke chain, a pinch collar, or an electronic collar... as long as your corrections are motivational. So, not only does the e-collar allow me to give motivational corrections that can be precisely matched to my dog's temperament, but it also allows me to have perfect timing and consistency, too. Here are my rules for who should use an electronic collar: Beginners: If you're a beginner, it's probably best to stick with using an electronic collar for behavior modification only. Put simply, if you're trying to break a behavior such as digging in the 159


trash, digging holes in the yard, excessive barking, or jumping on furniture... simply set the collar to the high setting (you're goal is to create avoidance to the object)... and press and release the stimulation button RIGHT WHEN THE DOG JUMPS on the furniture. Or just as he starts to dig. Or when he sticks his head in the trash can. That's all there is to it. It's just that easy. Pretty much any idiot can immediately and successfully break any number of behaviors by merely using a little common sense and only using the e-collar for avoidance training, as I've just described. Intermediate trainers: For dogs that already have a working understanding of on and off leash commands, the intermediate trainer can start synchronizing his manual leash corrections with the e-collar. This can help polish your exercises, build faster response, and make proofing exercises take 10% of the time they normally would. Advanced professional trainers: Advanced professional trainers who have a good feel for reading a dog and understand advanced handling techniques and concepts can use the electronic collar to help solve aggression problems. For some reason, the texture of the correction can affect the dog in a way that the regular training collar will not. And remember, with the e-collar, there's no jerking or pulling... which can really come in handy when you're dealing with a 140 lbs. Rottweiler who's trying to bite the fingers off your left hand. And by texture, I'm not talking about motivation. Sometimes just because the texture of the correction feels different to the dog, you can cut through the nonsense and make communication much faster and easier. A well timed and placed electronic correction can, in many cases, have a calming effect on the dog and make him focus on the handler-- in the case of dog aggression. The remote electronic collars I recommend and use are made by Innotek and Tri-Tronics. The e-collar I'm using right now on Forbes, my Rhodesian/Bull Mastiff mix, is an Innotek Retriever 160


Trainer that I purchased. You can order one through our web site products page at: http://www.dogproblems.com/products.htm

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More Questions On Training With The Electronic Collar Questions: 1a. WHY should one use an electronic collar rather than clicker, treat or other methods not involving any pain? The first time I heard about dog training with an electronic collar, I imagined the Electro-Shock Treatment scene from the old Frankenstein movies. But once you open your mind and move past the negative hype and cookie-trainer propaganda, you realize something rather startling... dog training with an electronic collar (if done correctly) has absolutely nothing to do with pain. 1b. BUT don't electronic collars "shock" the dog? And doesn't this cause pain? This is a common misperception. A quality electronic collar has a variety of stimulation settings that can be set to match your dog's temperament. Instead of causing a "shock," the collar instead delivers a small amount of low level stimulation. Proper use of the electronic collar should not cause pain or submission. 2. WHEN should the electronic collar be used, rather than clicker, treat or other methods? You don't need to use an electronic collar to train your dog. People have been training dogs for hundreds of years without the electronic collar. However, people have also been writing books without word processors for hundreds of years, too. I think the analogy is fitting. Personally, I use a modified working dog approach because my clients demand maximum results in a minimal amount of time. Now, many will argue that to do this you need to cut corners or apply undue pressure on the dog. However, if you look at the facts, you'll find otherwise. Remember, 99% of my clientele at South Bay K-9 Academy are 162


civillian pet owners. At an average price of $600 to $900 for a dog training program, these people would NOT BE HAPPY if their dog's personality was broken and their best friend came home sad and neurotic. So, any training approach or tool that does not produce a happy, trained dog would quickly put us out of business. I find that if you properly use an electronic collar and understand the fundamentals of timing, consistency and motivation, you can fix certain behavior problems faster than with any other dog training tool. And fast, reliable off-leash obedience can literally be obtained in hours, rather than days or months. The electronic collar is an amazing tool if used properly! 3. HOW should such collars be used for best results and to assure least amount of pain? I think it depends on the handler's skill. If you're a beginner, simply use the collar to fix problem behaviors that you would never want the dog to do. For example, if your dog is digging in the trash, you should first set the electronic collar to an intensity level which fits your dog's temperament. Next, leave something tasty in the trash can. When the dog goes to dig in the trash, you should stimulate the dog with the electronic collar transmitter. If the stimulation is motivational, your dog will never dig in the trash again. Now, you may be wondering what I mean by "motivational." Motivation is best understood through the analogy of a police officer giving a speeder a ticket. If the dog trainer is the police officer, and I'm the speeder... the concept of motivation suggests that the ticket must be expensive enough to convince me that I don't want to get any more tickets. If I'm driving home from work on a Thursday night, and nothing good is on T.V. and nobody is waiting for me at home... then a police officer can give me a $2 ticket, and it will be 163


motivational enough to convince me to stop speeding. However, if I'm driving home on Super Bowl Sunday, and I'm late... and I've got $50 bucks riding on the game... then the police officer's $2 ticket will no longer be motivational. So what does the police officer need to do? He needs to give me a $200 ticket. Now, how many $200 tickets do you think I need to get before I decide to never speed again? That's right... just one! If, on the other hand, my last name is Trump and my first name is The Donald... then a $200 ticket isn't going to be motivational. So, the police officer will need to match the motivation of the ticket to my sensitivity level. But since I'm just an average working Joe, if the police officer insists on giving me a $50,000 ticket and then pulls me out of my car and slaps me on the head with his night stick... I also won't ever speed again. But I probably won't ever drive again, either. And you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm going to hate police officers, too. So, the electronic collar allows us tremendous flexibility in matching the correction to the dog's temperament. And we can do it in a way which doesn't involve jerking or pulling or being physical with the dog. But it is the handlers responsibility to know his dog, and not issue $50,000 tickets, when a $2 will work just as well. 4. WHO should use such collars? Any pet owner? Only trainers? Only skilled trainers? WHO should never use such collars? Any intelligent dog owner can use an electronic collar for avoidance training (such as digging in the trash, climbing on the bed, digging holes in the garden, etc...) Advanced handlers and professional dog trainers can easily use the electronic collar to polish obedience routines, build faster response to commands, and increase reliability. And experienced professional dog trainers can use the 164


electronic collar to correct certain types of handler and dog aggression. Sometimes just the texture of the electronic correction can be motivational for a dog, where physical corrections won't have any effect. 5. Are there any breeds they should never be used on? Everyone thinks that their breed is special... that their breed has certain "quirks" that make training more difficult. Greyhound owners think that their breed is harder to train because Greyhounds run faster. Chow Chow owners think that their breed is harder to train because Chows have a stronger defensive drive. Whippet owners think that their dogs are harder to train because they have skinny necks. And Komondor owners think that their dogs are harder to train because they were bred to be independent workers. But the truth of the matter is that the breed of dog is highly irrelevent. The real question that dog owners need to ask is, "What type of temperament does my dog have, and how should I match the motivation level to fit my dog's temperament?" If I happen to be working with an Australian Cattle Dog that has a very soft temperament, maybe I'll set the electronic collar intensity setting to level 1, low. The beauty of the electronic collar is that you can match the intensity level to your dog's temperament. This means that, even if you get excited and overreact, your corrections will still match your dog's temperament. So the possiblity of over-correcting your dog is actually less likely with an electronic collar than with any other type of collar. On the other hand, if I am working with a second Australian Cattle Dog that has a very hard, dominant temperament, perhaps I'll set the collar stimulation level to 4 or 5. So you can see, it's not the breed of dog that matters as much as it is the temperament of the dog. 6. Are there brands of such collars to be wary of? 165


The electronic collars I use and recommend are made by Innotek and Tri-Tronics. There are other collars on the market, but I've found these to be most reliable and offer the best customer service. Don't buy an electronic collar from your local pet store. These are usually cheap collars that are made overseas. They have poor engineering and low reliability. Even with the Innotek and Tri-Tronics collars, we'll often receive collars that don't work properly. In most cases, the collars simply won't produce any stimulation, or such an abnormally low level of stimulation that they're obviously not working properly. But this will happen with any type of hardware. I've found that Innotek and Tri-Tronics are highly responsive to their customer base and offer speedy repairs and refunds. 7. WHAT is the major objection to such collars? What is your reaction to that objection(s)? I don't feel that there are any rational objections to the intelligent use of the electronic collar. Most of the criticism of these training devices is built around the argument that, "People will misuse them." But this is an age-old argument. Dog owners must not decide to ban an otherwise safe and effective training tool simply because there are a few individuals who don't bother to stop and read the instructions. 8. WHAT experiences, credentials, training or other do you have in the use of such collars? Do you consider yourself an authority on this subject? As the owner of South Bay K-9 Academy and the web site, http://www.dogproblems.com , I've personally trained hundreds of dogs with the electronic collar. But you don't have to take my word on the effectiveness of electronic collar training. If you simply look at some of the top winning dogs in most of the American working dog sports, you'll find dogs that have been trained with the electronic collar. 166


Take Triple Crown Dog Training Academy, in Hutto, Texas, for example. Currently the largest dog training facility in America (if not the world) Triple Crown is the home of Scutzhund trainer Rob Dunn. Mr. Dunn recently placed in the top 10 of the World Schutzhund Championships with a dog he trained with an electronic collar. Or Keith Benson, who has a fine working AKC Obedience Golden Retriever that has been admired by the likes of Terri Arnold and Tom Rose. My philosophy is that: If it works for the top trainers around the world... and then you are able to use it and get positive results yourself... then it's definitely a tool you should incorporate into your bag of tricks. 9. WHAT obstacles/challenges face one in using such collars? And, separately, what obstacles/challenges have you faced in using such collars? Although the electronic collar is a powerful tool, it should be used as a supplement to your entire training program, not as a substitute. The most appropriate use of the electronic collar is after you've laid a strong foundation of obedience exercises on your dog. I think the biggest mistake that otherwise intelligent people make with the electronic collar is: teaching the dog to be collar smart. Many times, an owner will get lazy and put the electronic collar on the dog immediately before the training session. And then they remove the e-collar after the session. If you do this consistently enough, your dog will learn quickly that if he isn't wearing the electronic collar, you can't enforce your commands. Or that he only gets the stimulation when he's wearing the collar. To overcome or prevent this from happening, it's important to put the electronic collar (and any other training collar) on the dog several hours before you take him out for training. 167


How Do I Get My Dog To Stop Jumping On The Fence? Basically, the dog needs to associate a negative experience with jumping up on the fence. But, this negative experience must have three things going for it. First, the negative must happen right as he is jumping up on the fence. Second, it must be motivational. Kinda like when a cop gives you a ticket for speeding, but the ticket is only for $2, you'll probably wait until you get 100 tickets before you even consider changing your behavior. But, if it's a good $250 ticket, it won't take too many (maybe one or two) to make you stop speeding. In other words, you must find your dog's sensitivity level. For behavior modification, I'd tend to error on the side of slightly over correcting, rather than under correcting. You don't care if the dog never jumps up on the fence again, and you don't care if he has a poor attitude when it comes to it. (Unlike obedience exercises.) Bottom line is that the correction must be motivational. And third, he must get the correction every time he does the behavior. Again, if it's a motivational correction, he'll only try it once, twice, or at the most, three or four times before deciding it's not in his best interest. What should you do? You can try several things. Have a kid hide on the other side of the fence with a high powered garden hose. Tempt him to jump up on the fence. When he does, blast him! You can also set him up with a training collar and tab (short leash) and go out and give him a correction when he does it, but make sure you keep the dog confined when you can't be there to correct the behavior. 168


At night, confine him to either a crate or a dog run... so he can't do the behavior and not get corrected for it. (Or if you go out to dinner, and leave him unsupervised.) Until he drops the behavior, he can't be allowed to do it and not get corrected. So, everytime he has a chance to do it, you must be in a position to correct him. There are at least three more ways to do this. 1.) Take a sunday afternoon. Put the training collar, and the 1 foot leash on the dog, and leave him in the backyard.... but keep your eye on him through the kitchen window. Have the kid in the next yard create a ruckus, and when the dog jumps up on the fence, you immediately yell "No, no, no!" as you run out the door, and up to the dog, and correct. (No, no, no forces him to remember what he's being corrected for.) Even if he's no longer got his feet on the wall, he should be able to associate the correction with the behavior (within 7 to 12 seconds after the fact.) 2.) You can get a boundary and perimeter electric containment system. The collar will be triggered when he jumps up on the fence. Or you can do the same thing with an electric collar. Set the collar to your dogs sensitivity level (check the manual).... and watch him through the window. When the dog jumps on the wall, you push the button. Shouldn't take more than catching him twice before he never jumps on the wall again. 3.) The poor man's solution is to glue mouse traps (not rat traps!) to the top of the fence, so when the dog jumps up.... "snap!" he receives a negative. This also works well for house plants, too!

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How Do I Get My Dog To Stop Digging Holes In My Yard? In brief, you must confine him when you cannot supervise him... until he demonstrates that he has dropped the behavior. Here's the down home fastest way to fix the digging problem.1.) Exercise the heck out of the dog. The dog won't exercise himself sufficiently... even with a big yard.2.) Start feeding the dog some pineapple with his meal. This makes his feces smell really bad to him (as if it doesn't smell bad enough??) Bury the feces in the holes he's already dug in. You might also try adding a pinch of "Accent" -- a beef flavor enhancer. This worked very quickly on a friend's Aussie pup. Burying the feces in the holes will create avoidance to those specific holes, but will not teach the dog that digging, in and of itself, is bad.In the case of potted plants, you might want to put down some hardware mesh, or chicken wire, either in the soil, or around the pot.3.) For a dobie I had that dug holes, I put up a 6 foot by 8 foot kennel run, with a cement slab floor so the dog couldn't dig. This is where the dog would stay, until I got him to drop the behavior. (I.E. the only time the dog could dig was when I could correct him.) You don't necessarily need a pro kennel set up. You can get one at home depot, or simply confine the dog to a part of the yard where he can't dig. The dog spends 70 to 80 percent of his time sleeping or resting, anyways.4.) Buy an Innotek or Tri Tronics remote collar. When he is in the yard, zap him on the high level, right when he starts digging. Get him two or three times, consistently, and you'll have your problems fixed. You can get an entry level collar for around $120, through mail order.

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How Do I Make My New Dog Get Along With The Other Dogs In My House? In general... you can't really control how dogs interact with each other when you're not around. Probably, if your new dog isn't being outright aggressive with the other dogs in your house, once she starts spending more time with these dogs, she'll start to accept them and either: 1.) Start interacting and playing with them, or... 2.) Just simply ignore them. If she does show outright aggressive behavior, you can correct her for that behavior. 1.) Keep a leash (even if it's just a one foot, piece of rope on a harness snap.... what we trainers call a "tab") and a training collar on the dog. 2.) Just as she starts to bark, say "No" and give a pop (not a pull, but rather a pop and release) on the rope attached to the collar. If it doesn't even break the dog's focus, it means that your correction isn't motivational. You want the dog to stop barking and look at you. If she fold her ears back slightly, this is submission, and it means she is submitting to you, the Alpha. Obviously, if she rolls over on her back, or shows extreme submissiveness, then you're being too motivational. But on the other hand, you don't want to under correct, either. That's like a cop giving a $2 ticket for speeding, when your last name is Trump, and your first name is Donald. It's not going to MOTIVATE you to stop speeding. The type of training collar you choose can help with the motivation of the correction as well, but in general, a sharp "pop" and release (like you're snapping a belt, or hitting a ping pong) should work well enough. "Pop!" on the leash. 171


And then, as long as you are around, (and as long as she respects you as her "Alpha"... she'll be cool and: 1.) Start eventually interacting with the other dogs 2.) Simply ignore them. When you're not around, all bets are off. I have a Pit Bull/Rhodesian mix right now that I got from the pound about 3 months ago. He was so dog aggressive when I got him, that when I'd put him in the back of the truck, and he'd see a dog walk by outside.... he'd go so ballistic that the whole back of the truck would shake. I started correcting this behavior. Soon, he learned that he could be around other dogs, and everything would be cool. Soon after that, he learned he could start playing with other dogs. And right now he's out in my enclosed commercial area, rolling around with my parent's Rottweiler. Oh yeah... just thought I'd mention that he's about two years old. Long story short, it usually takes about three weeks to aclimate. But again, I don't know your dog, and I'm just giving you rough, general advice. Every dog is different.

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My Puppy Is Biting Me, What Should I do? The answer to this question really depends on how old your puppy is. Many dog training books advocate the infamous "Alpha roll," where you roll the puppy over and pin him on his back. Don't pin him... even though the mother dog may do this... WHEN she does it and HOW she does it are things that the amateur dog handler.... even sometimes the experienced handler... will never be able to replicate properly. If the dog is really young, like 7 or 8 weeks old, you basically want to redirect the biting behavior towards a toy or chew bone. If the pup is simply in an ultra rambunctious state, put him in the crate. This is not punishment, however, it's just confining him to an area where he can't develop these bad behaviors. Similar to putting a baby in a crib, or a play pen. Sometimes, you can quickly bend the lips around the teeth of the pup and say "No."... so that the dog learns if he bites you, the response is something that doesn't feel good. Just beware that you don't let this turn into a game. If the dog is a bit older, like 12 or 13 weeks, you can put a small, light pinch collar and tab (a 3/4' leash) on the dog, and give a light (caution:light) pop on the leash. Again, the dog will not continue to do a behavior which does not feel good. This technique always works... just use common sense, read your dog, and be careful not to over-correct. But at the same time, make sure that the correction IS motivational. I.E., if the dog keeps doing the behavior, that's usually a good sign that your correction isn't motivational. You'll be fine. Most likely, depending on the dog's age, he'll grow out of it even if you don't do anything. But again, this depends on the temperament and breed. 173


How Do I Stop My Older Dog From Biting? You need to learn how to give a motivational correction.You should first properly size and fit a pinch collar and tab (a 3/4' leash) on the dog, and anytime he bites, give him a "pop" and "release" on the leash (tab). I can guarantee you that your dog will not continue to do a behavior which does not feel good. This technique always works... just use common sense, read your dog, and be careful not to over-correct. But at the same time, make sure that the correction IS motivational. I.E., if the dog keeps doing the behavior, that's usually a good sign that your correction isn't motivational.After you correct him, then offer your hand again, to see if he's learned. If not, repeat the procedure with a more motivational correction. Make sure that you're “ popping" on the leash, rather than "pulling." The diffence is that when you "pull" you're not using slack in the leash.If, when you offer your hand, he refuses to bite it, then praise him, as he's made the right decision.

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How Do I Get My Dog To Stop Pulling On The Leash? You'll need to first properly fit a pinch collar and get a leather 6 foot leash. If you feel your dog is a very "soft temperamented" dog, then you can use a regular training collar, or sometimes even a flat leather buckle collar. But in most cases when people have trouble with their dog pulling on the leash, the proper use of a pinch collar is the easiest and most humane way of going about fixing the problem. Hold the 6 foot leash at about 1/3 of the way down, and with two hands, pretend to glue it to your waist area, as if you were connecting your hands and the leash to your belt buckle. As soon as the dog starts to run forward, you need to do a sharp rightabout turn, and RUN the opposite direction. The dog will automatically receive a sharp snap when it hits the end of the leash. You need to do this back and forth, and within about 2 minutes, the dog will realize that if he stays close to you, he avoids getting left out to hit the end of the leash. If he chooses to ignore you, then you teach him that you're not just going to stand there like a dumb pole, or a tree, but rather you're going to "get out of Dodge" by running the other way. When the dog starts staying with you, you can praise him. Soon, the dog will learn that it's really his choice. If he wants to, he can go all day and get nothing but praise. He also learns that you are a more immediate concern than any of the other distractions. Again, if you have a large breed dog (or one who behaves like a large breed dog!) I would definitely recommend getting a pinch collar. The pinch collar will make your corrections motivational (i.e., have meaning.) If, when the dog hits the end of the leash (as he does now) it doesn't feel uncomfortable.... there's absolutely no reason for the dog to stop doing it. The pinch collar is like driving a car with power steering.

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What Is Your Rule For Dogs That Fight In The Same Household? Okay.... here's the deal on dogs that fight. I'm going to be somewhat general here, so if there's still something that doesn't make sense, feel free to post a question to our discussion board, on the internet: - In most cases, if you have a male and a female in the house, they'll work it out. - In most cases, if you have a much older dog (but not geriatric) and a much younger dog (one year or less) they'll work it out. - In most cases, if you have two dogs that have been living with each other successfully for a number of months, they'll work it out. There may be some minor cuts and scratches, but after two or three little scuffles, they'll work it out. If you break them up and don't let them work it out, then-- in general-- the next time they get together and go fight, it's going to be worse than it normally would have been. This is general advice, and YOU are ultimately the one who must make a judgement call. Personally, my general rule is that if there's no blood or gripping, I'll let them work it out (this, of course is if the dogs are housemates. NOW, if you've got two dogs of similar age and sex, and they HAVE NOT been living together. And you introduce them, and they go at it, no holds barred to kill each other: -- You can train them independently so that they'll respect YOU! This means that, as long as you're around, and the two dogs are around you, everything will be cool. They'll be normal. But the minute you leave them alone (if you go out to dinner) all bets are off. In this type of sitution, I'd confine the dogs when I'm not there. 176


Again, this would be the type of situation where I'm already so dominant to these dogs, that I can break them up with a simple voice command of "No." and they won't think of doing this again. If you can't command this type of control (gets back to how skilled a dog handler you are) then it'd probably be easier to place one of the dogs in another home. -- On a somewhat related note, I never allow my personal dogs to interact with random dogs that I don't know. That means, if I go for a walk with the dog by the beach, and someone lets there dog start to come up to mine, I'll get WAY in front of my dog, and restrain the other dog, or chase him off with body language, if he's off leash. You cannot account for the wide variety of temperaments out there, and everytime a stranger lets his dog come up to yours, you're taking a roll of the dice. I know, I know... they always say, "My dog's friendly...." -- but they don't know. Even if they did know, they certainly don't know what my dog's temperament is like, and therefore they are either ignorant, or stupid. Better safe than sorry.

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How Do I Teach My Dog To Let Me Know When He Needs To Go Outside? First, read through the article on Housebreaking in a Hurry, so that you've got all the other elements working in your favor. Second, make sure you ritually take him out of the house through the same door. Third, if you've followed step one and two, he'll be anxious about eliminating in the house, and try to "drive" a behavior, which means he'll start going over to the door where you usually take him out. But this can take a couple of weeks. You can tie a bell on a string to the door, and after a few more weeks, you'll see the dog start to hit the bell with his muzzle, or at least bump it, to make noise.But this doesn't negate the fact that you must always keep one eye on him, until he's 100%. Another thing you can do is to teach him to bark on command. Then, sit him next to the door, tell him to "bark" and then open the door. Repeat this several times, and you should be able to link the two behaviors. Pretty soon, you'll see the dog start to bark in order to get you to come and open the door.

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A Few More Points On How To Teach Your Dog To Lay Down! I teach the dog the down first by teaching the dog to sit. Basically... I tell the dog to sit, I pop straight up with the right hand and then guide the dog down with the left into the sit position and then you give the dog the release command. For the Down... I tell the dog Down, I pop in a downward and forward direction with my right hand on the leash and with my left hand, I push right behind the dog's shoulder... it's kind of a pressure spot, where if you push down and rock, the dog's legs will collapse under him and he'll go down. And after guiding the dog through the behavior, you reach a point where the dog starts to understand and associate the command with what you want him to do and then you can stop with the physical part of actually touching the dog and just start popping the dog in the downward direction.

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“ My Dog KNOWS She Did Something Wrong When I Come Home!” Let me try to explain it this way, through a test you can do yourself, with your own dog: Leave the dog confined in a crate, in the house... and go in the yard, and collect some of your dog's feces. Now, spread out some plastic trash bags around the living room, and place the feces on the plastic trash bags (not in the bags... on the bags, out). Next, put the dog in the room, and immediately leave. And when you come back in the house, I can guarantee you that the dog will show you the same submissive "I'm sorry, I've done something bad" body language she normally does, EVEN THOUGH YOU LEFT THE FECES THERE, NOT HER! So, yes... the dog has formed an association. Could it also be that you're leaving her too long? (I can't remember your original post.) Giving her too much freedom (dog should be in the crate)... or that you've caught her in the act before and corrected her, but the correction wasn't quite motivational enough to get her to stop. You can get her to use the dog door by playing ball or fetch through the dog door. But she's still not going to have any reason to use it if she knows she can defecate in your house and not immediately associate a negative with that behavior.

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Does Correcting My Dog Make Him More Aggressive? Here's the deal: If your dog is biting you, and it's motivated by dominance aggression, and you correct him, and he becomes more aggressive, then the short answer is that you're playing the "broom stick game." In other words, you correct him, then he corrects you harder. Then you correct him harder. Then he corrects you harder. However, there's a lot more to it than meets the eye. From a theoretical context, if the dog truly is coming at you with dominance aggression... then you need to immediately jump to the "top of the broom stick" and let him know that you win. The sound bite answer regarding how to do this is to give him such a correction, that he never thinks of challenging you again. But the "real world" answer is that HOW to do this isn't exactly so easy. Especially if you're dealing with a big dog, that is pain insensitive. In many cases, I've found that you can set up the conflict (dominance scuffle between you and the dog) so that you KNOW you will win. I'm working with a 125 lbs. Black Lb/Shepherd mix that was a real hard head. Even with the large pinch collar on, and using proper technique, I could not give him a motivational correction, and he would simply turn around, smile at me, and then try to take off a few fingers!So, I started working with him with a muzzle, and the electric collar. Sometimes, you don't even need to correct them with such a high setting on the collar. I think that it's just that it's a different texture, that it gets the message through to the dog. Now, what I did with this dog was to synchronzie the ecorrection with my manual leash correction. And after only 2 sessions... he got the picture that it was NOT IN HIS BEST 181


INTEREST to try to correct me. And so, I'd established myself as the Alpha. Even if I have to correct him with the leash and collar, IT'S NOW MORE THAN MOTIVATIONAL ENOUGH, because he remembers that I can give him a real motivatinal correction, if I need to. So, I've established that he needs to respect me. If the dog starts out with dominance aggression (which is why he's trying to bite you when you take away food)... and you overcorrect him... he may become defensive, rather than submissive. At this point, if you continue to correct him, he WILL become more aggressive. Instead, you should (WARNING: SOUND BITE ANSWER COMING) cease the correction, and just maintain distance with the leash... and then transfer his attention to something else, to break the tension. Like taking him over to the crate to relax. Or put him in a down-stay position. Honestly though, to see the switch from dominance to defensive aggression is something you're not going to be able to accomplish by reading a book, or watching a video. It comes from years of working with aggression... so again... it's probably best to work with a professional if you find yourself in this type of situation.

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My Dog Is Running Away From Me! What Should I Do? The short answer is that every time you take her out in what would be an "off-leash setting," she needs to wear a 30 foot long line and training collar. EVERY TIME! After a few months, she'll get conditioned to the long line and forget it's on. And all the while, you'll also be conditioning her to come THE FIRST TIME you call her. When you see that she's coming 100% of the time, around a variety of different settings and distractions, then you can substitue the long line for the 1 foot tab.

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The Pro's Never Yell or Scream Commands At Their Dog I never yell at my dog. Never. Well, okay. There's one exception. And that exception is if: I'm already working with the dog at such a far distance that he can't audibly hear me. And usually this is the case only if I'm teaching the dog to respond to hand signals. Why don't I ever raise my voice if I'm working with my dog, otherwise? Because the only thing that raising your voice achieves is to communicate to your dog that you really DO NOT have control. And since I train with a modified working dog approach, I want my dog to know that I'm ALWAYS in control. Because I'm the "Alpha dog." Now, if I issue a command, and the dog I'm training does not respond to that command... then I will stop to figure out why he didn't respond. If it's because he didn't understand the command, then I need to go back to basics and do more repetitions. If the dog is simply not responding because he's being stubborn or head-strong, then I'll make my correction more motivational. But one thing that many observers will realize about the way I work with animals is that my commands are practically whispered. Never yelled or screamed. In fact, your commands should only be loud enough for your dog to hear. No louder. So... do you want to know how to spot an amateur dog trainer? He's the one yelling at his dog. ***** A word or two on consistency and teaching your dog to "come." 184


If I'm teaching a dog to come on command, it's my job to convince the dog that he MUST come EVERY time I call him. But if he thinks that I'm only going to make him come every other time... or only under certain conditions... then I'll never get the dog to be 100% reliable. So, where am I going with this line of reasoning? Well, just remember that you should NEVER give a command that you cannot enforce, until your dog is 100%. And you'll know when he is 100% when his responses to commands are immediate! Even when you're asking him to respond around the most tempting of distractions!

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More Advice On How To Teach Your Dog To Stop Digging In The Garden My dog Forbes started digging holes in my rose garden this week. First, I need to figure out when he is digging. Since I know the dog and his lifestyle, I can rule out several factors such as boredom, or puppyhood, or gophers, etc... I noticed that every time he would start digging holes, he was in the yard playing with a friend's dog, unsupervised. So, I first need to make sure that it was ACTUALLY MY DOG that was the perpetrator. A quick look at his feet would suggest that it was. Next, I needed to figure out if he would dig ANY TIME he was left alone in the yard, or if it was only if another dog was present. To figure this out, I simply left the dog in the yard alone with access to the rose garden, several times... and came back to find that he had not dug. So... it stands to reason that the only time my dog is digging in the yard is when there is another dog in the yard. (Who knows why? There could be a million unexplained reasons that only the dog knows. All I need in order to fix the behavior is knowledge of the dog and the circumstances). Now, I know that to fix any behavior problem, I need to make the dog experience a NEGATIVE ASSOCIATION with the actual ACT of doing that behavior. In this case, digging. And he needs to experience that same negative association EVERY TIME HE DIGS! In this case, I must be 100% diligent to never leave Forbes 186


unsupervised in the yard when there is another dog in the yard. Of course, if he was digging by himself, then I'd need to confine him to a kennel run, where he cannot dig when I'm not supervising him. Or if there is another dog visiting, then I will need to bring Forbes inside, put him in the kennel run, or use the presense of the other dog as a "set up." The next step is to make sure that he associates that negative (correction) just as he starts to dig. There are two ways I can do this: The Lazy Man's Way, and the Old Fashioned Way. Both methods are based in the same principle. The Old Fashioned Way to make sure that the dog gets a motivational negative association when he digs is to: Step 1.) Leave a pinch collar and tab on the dog when he's outside in the yard with another dog. Step 2.) Bury hardware mesh, or chicken wire, in the spot where he's been digging. The chicken wire should be buried two to three inches below the surface. Dogs don't like scraping their paws against this stuff. So, right off the bat you've got an immediate negative association. Step 3.) Spy on him and just wait until he start to dig. Step 4.) As soon as he begins to dig, yell "No No No!" as you run outside and give the dog a correction. As long as you continue to say "No no no" as you run to the dog, the dog WILL still associate the correction with the behavior. Step 5.) Be 100% consistent until you are 100% sure that the dog isn't digging any more. The Lazy Man's Way to fix this problem behavior is to use a 187


remote electronic collar. Everything else remains the same. When using the e-collar for this behavior, I'd turn the setting up to the high level. Your goal is to create absolute avoidance to digging. And you want him to think that the dirt just jumped up and bit him! Usually if you correct the dog with the electronic collar for this type of behavior, you've only got to do it twice before the dog decides that it's in his best interest to leave your garden alone.

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Tips For Taking A Road Trip With Your Dog! Vehicles: With the possible exception of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and a side car, I've seen practically every type of vehicle used for taking the family pooch on a road trip. Below I review three of the best: 1.) Tom Rose of High Ridge, Missouri, had a Ford van he converted into a dog-friendly transport vehicle. By enclosing the back area, installing custom upholstery and a special air conditioning vent, he created an area in the back of the van where his dogs could ride in their crates and still stay cool. The best thing about this set up was that on hot summer days, he could leave the diesel engine running (and the air conditioning too) and leave the dogs in the van for an hour or two, without the threat of overheating. 2.) If you're travelling in an area with less extreme weather (like Los Angeles)... a pick up truck with a shell on the back is extremely convenient. I've installed sliding windows on mine, and put in hardware mesh so that the dogs cannot jump out, and nobody can get in. A light colored, fiberglass shell with crossventilating windows will keep the temperature in the back of the truck about equal to the outside ambient temperature in the shade. If you don't like to keep your dog in a crate, you can purchase a rubber bed liner that will make it comfortable for your dog to lay on. These usually run about $50, and can be purchased at the same places that install camper shells. 3.) A convertible Jeep. For obvious reasons, the Jeep Wrangler (designed originally for military use) is easy to clean after long trips, and the convertible nature of this vehicle allows you to leave your dog in the back while refueling or running into a gas station rest room, without worrying about your dog over189


heating. Products you can use to help keep dog mess in your vehicle to a minimum I came across this web site by a company called, Black Armor. Their web site is: http://www.black-armor.com/ You'll find a number of products designed to protect the interior of your Car, Truck, or Sport Utility Vehicle from spills, stains, as well as premature wear. Many of these products: - install and remove easily - are unaffected by gasoline or oil - clean and wipe easily - are made of a tough, durable material that is non-skid to minimize the possibility of your dog getting tossed around. - are guaranteed for a lifetime - are made in the U.S.A. You'll also find that most are custom fit to the exact dimensions of your vehicle. A gear bag to keep water, training equipment, and other dog related stuff is essential. A Dog's Life Web Site ( at http://www.dogs-life.com/travel. htm ) sells a nice product called the "Rollover Travel Pack & Bed For Dogs". The pack is described as: - Perfect for on-the-go dogs and their owners, the ROLLOVER® Travel Pack & Bed for dogs has a snap-on shoulder strap and built-in handle for easy carrying. The reinforced nylon pack-cloth construction will hold up over the long haul. - Unbuckle the compact unit, and it unrolls to rugged storage 190


pockets for everything your traveling dog will need-- including dog food, water bottle, dog bowl and other necessities. Dogs can easily get dehydrated when traveling. Now the dogs water and bowl can always be in easy reach. And the insulating cushions inside the product keep your dogs cold water bottle cold longer, even on hot, sunny days. - Fully opened, the ROLLOVER Travel Pack & Bed for dogs becomes a cushioned, fleece-topped travel dog bed with a waterresistant base for indoor & outdoor use. The thick polyester cushions also provide superior insulating qualities to keep dogs comfy, no matter what your destination. - Now you've got a convenient way to help your dog feel "at home" with familiar things they can call their own. - And at the end of the journey, the ROLLOVER Travel Pack & Bed for dogs is completely machine washable and dryable for easy care. Unlike other dog beds, the entire bed gets cleaned, not just the cover. - Available in Small, Medium, Large and X-Large-- comfortably sized to fit most dog breeds." (Check out their web site... they include a picture!) Don't forget to include a first aid kit for your dog, too! Here's a cool product for anyone who does a lot of outdoor camping/travelling with their dog: A first aid kit designed for both you AND your dog! Called, "America's first pet owner and pet first aid kit!" This don't-leave-home-without-it product costs $32.95 and includes: 1 Blue clean-up mitt 1 First aid scissors, blunt tips 191


1 First aid forceps 1 Sterile eye wash (.5 oz) 2 Triple antibiotic ointment (1/32 oz) 2 After bite wipes (insect) 1 Adhesive tape (1 x 1 yd) 6 Gauze pads (2 x 2) 1 Self adherent bandage (3 x 5) 5 Cotton balls 4 Cotton swabs (3") 1 Instant cold pack 1 Styptic pencil 1 Pair Latex gloves 1 Animal First Aid Guide 1 Human First Aid Guide Seems like a good investment, to me! The web site URL is: http://commerce.friendlyproducts.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/ onlinestore/pussnpooch.htm?L+friendly+voot6234+930023203 Additional Resources: Travel Dog.com, at: http://www.traveldog.com/TD1999/resource/resour~1.htm has a bunch of good resources you should read before embarking on your trip, including articles on choosing a kennel, travelling by car, and staying at a hotel with your pet. The site also has a number of resources for finding dog friendly beaches, camp grounds, events, kennels, parks, pet sitters, and pet transportation. If you're looking to purchase a wire cage for travelling with your pet, Foster's and Smith have a variety for sale, and their return policy (if you don't like it) is excellent! http://www.drsfostersmith.com/fsstore/dir2.icl? SECID=6&SUBSECID=16&ORDERIDENTIFIER=ID93002033014 01A7C02 192


If you're looking to purchase a plastic crate, you can also find them at: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/fsstore/dir2.icl? SECID=6&SUBSECID=17&ORDERIDENTIFIER=ID93002033014 01A7C02 Bringing a crate with you is practically a necessity if you're going to be on a long road trip. Have fun!

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Tips For Taking Your Dog With You To Work Apparently, last Friday was "Take Your Dog To Work Day!" It's easy to miss this kind of holiday when you're a professional dog trainer, simply because EVERY day is "Take Your Dog To Work Day!" But for those of you who work in an office and would like to take your dog to work on occasion, I've put together a list of things you should do before bringing Fido into your board meetings: 1.) Teach your dog an elimination command. I use the command "Get Busy." This tells the dog when and where it's okay for him to urinate or defecate. It's especially handy if you notice that the dog is indicating that he may need to eliminate, and you want to run him outside and designate a specific area. 2.) Teach your dog a strong down-stay command. Perhaps your dog already knows how to stay down. Just remember that when a dog learns, it's often situational. So, if he's never been worked around the type of office distractions you'll be subjecting him to, then it's a good idea to practice with him first. How? You have basically two options: a.) On your day off, bring him into the office at the end of the day. This way, you won't need to worry about answering the phone or being distracted if he gets up. b.) Go into the office on a Sunday and running him through some exercises. You want your dog to learn that just because he's in an office setting does not mean that he can get away with bad behavior. He must learn that your rules are the same, regardless of where you go. 3.) Limit your dog's range of motion by using a 2 foot tie-down 194


that you attach to the leg of your desk. Now, if your dog already has a strong down-stay command, the tie-down is a bit redundant. However, it will give piece of mind to some of the other employees working in the office, and will allow you to walk out of the room and away from your desk without worrying. 4.) STOP THE SHEDDING! Treat Your Dog From The Inside Out with Mrs. Allen's ShedStop: -Stops unwanted shedding -Promotes healthy skin & beautiful coats -Mixes in easily with your pet's food -For puppies or dogs -Veterinarian recommended -100% Guaranteed when used as directed http://www.lucy-the-dog.com/Merchant/supple.htm

There's nothing like getting clumps of hair on your business suit. While some shedding is unavoidable, you should try to limit shedding to a minimum. 5.) Chew toys While it may seem obvious, stay away from chew toys that: a.) Squeak. Squeaky toys are the fastest way to get your dog banned from the office, when Fido's squeaking interrupts your office mate's raise negotiations. b.) Smell. If you give your dog one of those basted beef bones, your office will smell like beef jerky for years to come. The aroma such products give off tends to linger... and linger... and .... However, since your dog may be spending a few hours at a time lounging next to your desk, he'll probably want something to do. And since chewing is VERY SERIOUS WORK.... you need 195


to give him something to chew on. I recommend: a.) The Rubber "Kong" Toys b.) Rope Toys c.) Rawhide Chews. (There are some points of contention about rawhide causing problems. One local veterinarian has told me that he's never seen a case of rawhide getting lodged in the digestive tract in 30 years of practicing medicine. On the other hand, a vet technician across town told me that they get two or three cases a year. ) 6.) Two collars a.) A flat buckle collar you should attach to your tie-down. b.) A training collar, which has a tab (1 foot leash) on it, so that if your dog breaks a down-stay, you have something to correct him with. The dog should wear both collars. 7.) A 6 foot leash, so you can take your dog outside for walks, during your breaks. 8.) Poop bags. 9.) A water bowl. 10.) Food treats that your dog is familiar with, and that won't upset his stomach. If fellow employees are apprehensive about your dog, let them feed Fido treats. This is a good way to make friends.

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How To Teach Your Dog To Eliminate On Command! Teaching your dog to defecate or urinate on command is actually just a process of creating an association. The command I use is, "Get Busy." But you can use any word or phrase that you please. You're probably wondering why anyone would want to teach their dog an elimination command. And probably the best answer to this question is that it enables you to establish both a time and a place for your dog to eliminate. For example, if you decide to go to bed early, and you don't want your dog to be uncomfortable for the next 7 or 8 hours, you can very easily take him outside and tell him to "do it now," because, "You won't have a chance to do it later since I'm going to bed." Having an elimination command also allows you to tell your dog WHERE he should urinate or defecate. For example, if you're taking your pup for a stoll and he indicates that he needs to eliminate... you don't want him to merely stop and do his business in the middle of the sidewalk. What an elimination command allows you to do is to walk the dog over to some bushes, or behind a building and tell him, "Here! Here is where you can 'get busy.'" How to teach the "Get Busy" command Just like with any other command, your goal is to associate the phrase, "Get busy," with the action of either defecating or urinating. Here's what you need to do in 5 easy steps: 1.) Take note of the usual times your dog needs to defecate or 197


urinate. 2.) Take him to the usual spot where he likes to eliminate and walk him back and forth, repeating the phrase, "Get busy, get busy, get busy." 3.) When he begins to eliminate, continue saying, "Get busy." After five or six different occasions, your command will start to link with the behavior. 4.) A half second after he finishes, praise him. 5.) Repeat this process every time your dog needs to eliminate, and you'll soon find that he will begin to understand and at least make an attempt to evacuate the contents of his bladder on command.

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The Invisible Command: How You May Be Sabotaging Your Dog Training Efforts! I was sitting in the waiting room of my local HMO with a sinus infection and happened to pick up the recent issue of Outdoor Life magazine. Actually, it was the only thing to read, but that didn't bother me as most hunting publications usually include at least one article on dog training. I was lucky, as this month's dog training article was interesting enough for me to tie into this week's e-zine issue. On page 36, sandwiched between the 'Professional Bass Tournament' article and the "His camo-painted truck and 'Kiss my Bass' bumper sticker are the only endorsements you'll ever need" advertisement, I found a story by veteran dog man, Larry Mueller. Mueller recants meeting 82 year-old James Evans, of Naruna, Va. who owned an 11 year-old Lab-weimaraner cross that could allegedly multiply numbers!!! Mueller states that, "Evans decided to teach [his] dog to count to 10... 'What's the first number?' One bark. 'What comes after one?' Two barks. And so on. [His] dog counted backward, too, in addition to correctly answering what comes before or after any number not exceeding 10." As a professional dog trainer, I hear amazing stories like this all the time. The only problems is that upon further investigation... they NEVER turn out to be true. Mueller writes, "Evans began to suspect that [the] dog was reading his mind." However, anyone who has studied the dog's mind (and canine behavior in general) knows that: 199


1.) Dogs can't read our mind. They read our body language. 2.) Dogs can't do math. Especially multiplication. Mueller must have come to the same conclusion as I did, because he decided to review several video tapes of Evans and his dog performing their multiplication trick. But it wasn't until he actually met with Evans that he was able to ascertain how the dog was figuring out the math problems. "All I knew for sure was that James Evans was no trickster trying to deceive the public for gain," and that the old man had wanted to know how the dog did it, as much as anyone. Mueller continues, "I studied the video tape and recognized that the word, ' What's ' could be the cue to start barking. I thought the signal to stop might be Evans withdrawing his hand from his pocket with a kibble reward. But it didn't correlate, so I asked Evans if I could rig something to tell us the approximate location of the cue, if there was one." To make a long story longer, Mueller found that when the dog could not see Evans, he stopped getting the answers right! After further study, Mueller noted, "I noticed an almost imperceptible twitch-- a reflex action like a blink occurring without conscious thought... I asked Evans to stand motionless. He found it difficult, and [his] dog's barks in answer to his questions [became] random." When Evans wasn't allowed to subconsciously cue the dog, the dog was no longer able to come up with the correct answers. In sum, the dog was relying on his owner for the answers. Which, in and of itself is a pretty impressive feat, even if it isn't comparable to knowing your multiplication tables! Here's two examples that probably apply to your daily training: 1.) Many owners tend to start bending over before telling their dog the, "Down" command. Because of this, the dog starts to cue 200


off the owner's body language (just as Evan's dog did) and lays down anytime the owner bends over... but not if the owner stands up straight and issues the command! Solution: Always give the command FIRST, before bending over and making the dog do it. This way, the dog will link the behavior with the command, rather than with your body language. 2.) Amateur handlers tend to tell their dog "Heel," and then walk with their shoulders angled back towards their dog, so that they can look at their dog while they're walking. The problem with this is that the dog reads your body language and attempts to align himself with your shoulders, thus lagging behind the owner, rather than walking in the heel position (aligned with your left heal.) Solution: Keep both shoulders straight forward as you walk. If you need to look at your dog (you should)... cock your head, without angling your shoulders. This will keep your dog lined up right alongside you.

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How To "Build The Bond" With Your Dog! Building the bond with your dog is really quite easy. If you recognize that you have a relationship with your dog, then building the bond comes down to nothing more than increasing the strength of that relationship. And as with any relationship, building a bond requires: 1.) Spending quality time together. 2.) Getting out in the world and experiencing life together. 3.) Establishing and promoting a level of mutual respect. 4.) Developing a way of communicating so that both individuals understand the other's needs. (Hmmm... maybe I should be writing self-help books for humans???) Let's take a look at each of these key points to see how they can have a positive affect on your daily dog training: 1.) Spending quality time together. Spending quality time together does not mean sharing a beer with Fido while the two of you lay in front of the television. Well, okay... maybe it does. But more importantly, it means committing to a series of rituals and behaviors that you and your dog can look forward to. For example, I often throw Forbes (the Pit Bull) in the back of the truck when I wake up in the morning and we go for a drive down to the local McDonald's Drive-thru. For most of the drive, Forbes is either still wiping the sleep out of his eyes, or he's doing the guard dog routine if someone walks up to the back of the truck. But the highlight of this morning ritual begins when we get 202


home. It's Forbes' job to hop out of the back of the truck and take the empty McDonald's brown paper bag in his mouth, walk down the drive way, around the gate, into the back yard, and then over to the trash can... where he drops the bag. Sure, it's a stupid pet trick. But see how disappointed the dog is when *I* insist on carrying the bag to the trash can! From the dog's point of view, it's the 30 or 40 little things throughout the day (that he can help me with) that make his life worth living. And for the dog, this is spending quality. It all boils down to being an active participant in each other's lives. 2.) Getting out in the world and experiencing life together: It had been years since Bud and Janice's kids had grown and left the house for college and later, corporate jobs. Bud had wanted a dog for several months and Janice finally gave in. They decided to adopt a beautiful 5 year-old Golden Retriever and proceeded to train "Mac," using many of the techniques I describe in my book, "Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!" (To learn more about this book, go to http://www.dogproblems. com/secretsbook.htm ). Janice got scared when Bud came back from his first walk around the neighborhood with "Mac" and ran into the house yelling, "Janice! Janice! You won't believe what happened!!!" "Oh my gawd," though Janice, thinking that perhaps "Mac" had bitten a child, or run away. "What happened?" Janice questioned her husband. "You won't believe it, Janice," said Bud, "I took 'Mac' for a walk... AND PEOPLE ACTUALLY CAME UP AND TALKED TO ME!!!" Imagine that! Here's a guy who had lived in the same neighborhood for eight years and didn't know any of his 203


neighbors until he got a dog and started taking it for walks. Dogs are a wonderful excuse to get you out of the house and interacting with the world around you. It's also one of the many reasons that handicapped people like owning service dogs... because it makes it easier for other people to come up and start a conversation. And do you think that "Mac" minded all of the attention? Absolutely not. As a matter of fact, I think that my dog Forbes is happiest when we're out in the world, meeting new people and experiencing new things together. Two best friends, out on the town. You should see the look on Forbes' face when two or three beautiful women walk up and start rubbing his belly. Even better... you should see the look on my face! 3.) Establishing and promoting a level of mutual respect. Just like with any relationship, there must be mutual trust and respect. Trust comes with time, and proving to your dog that you will keep him safe and happy. Respect, just like with human relationships, comes from establishing boundaries and treating any breach of those boundaries with firmness and fairness. Without enforceable boundaries, there is no respect. And when there is no respect, your relationship with your dog will be out of balance. And trust me, when your relationship with your dog is out of balance... nobody's having fun. 4.) Developing a way of communicating so that both individuals understand the other's needs. Developing a way of communicating gets back to laying a proper 204


foundation with your dog training. And this relates specifically to making your praise and your corrections motivational. Once your dog understands clearly when he's doing something RIGHT... and when he's doing something WRONG... a magical thing starts to happen. You find that you are actually COMMUNICATING!!! And being able to communicate with your dog is what allows you to go anywhere and do anything with your dog and know that he'll listen to you. There are four primary ways that dogs communicate with us, and with each other: 1.) Body language. 2.) Vocal tonation and voice inflection. 3.) Touch. 4.) Scent. All of my dog training techniques try to incorporate as many of these elements as possible. In sum, you can think of dog training as a word that can be easily substituted for the word, "communication."

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Food Treats For Training One of the things I stumbled on this week was Kraft Natural Cheese "Cubes"... the 'mild cheddar' variety. You can buy these at any grocery store. They come in packages of 50 cubes, and usually cost approximately $2.49. I'm finding that even finicky dogs love these things! You may be thinking, "Big deal! Some thing new to feed your dog!" -- Which is just the attitude I would expect from a Rottweiler owner, or anyone else who owns a dog with a strong food drive! But when you have a dog that is generally NOT food motivated... and then you find something like this that DOES motivate your dog... you've just picked up a new tool that can make a world of difference in your dog's training. But before you start incorporating food into your training, you might want to review "The Truth About Using Food In Your Training." In brief, you'll want to incorporate food in your training as a motivator, rather than a bribe. In other words, to: 1.) Get your dog to understand a new exercise faster, during the 'learning phase' of training. 2.) To reduce stress, like when introducing new obstacles during agility training. 3.) To perk up working attitude in a dog that looks droopy when he does exercises. (I'd incorporate the ball drive, too... if the dog's ball drive is stronger than his food drive).

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A Good Tip For Dogs With Itchy Skin Now that summer is in full swing, many dogs are experiencing dry skin and excessive itchiness. I know that my dog, "Forbes," certainly has been! Of course, the first thing you'll want to rule out is fleas. But barring fleas, I've found that the best way to alleviate itching is to: Splash approximately 2 Tablespoons of either vegetable oil or canola oil in your dog's food. The additional fat will give your dog's coat a soft, shiny look and will help alleviate dry skin and itching. You can also try an over-the-counter product you can get at most pet stores called, "Lipiderm," which works pretty much the same, but costs a bit more.

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Talking "Alpha Dogs" When You Should Be Talking "Dominant Dogs!" I've been watching our dog training discussion board (at http:// www.dogproblems.com/dogtalk ) for the past few weeks and have recently noticed that several people have confused what is an Alpha dog with what is a Dominant dog. Understanding the difference between an Alpha dog and a Dominant dog will help you to better understand how your dog relates to you, and how he relates to other dogs. And the best way to illustrate this difference is with an example: Mary called me on the telephone and told me she'd just read the "Monks of New Skete" Dog Training book. With her new-found knowledge, she was sure that her dog was an Alpha dog. But she was also sure that SHE was the dominant one in their relationship. Mary thought she knew. But Mary was actually still confused a bit. Many people don't realize that the concept of an Alpha dog can only exist as a relative term. Relative, that is, to the other dogs (or people) in the pack. So, Mary's dog could only be the Alpha dog if it was the most dominant dog in the pack. But if Mary's dog saw her as being the pack leader, then Mary's dog (by definition) could not be an Alpha dog. "But maybe Mary meant that her dog was the Alpha dog, relative to the other puppies in it's pack?" you ask. Wrong again, I say. When Mary's breeder announced that she had "puppies on the ground," there were eight pups in the litter. For argument's sake, we'll call them puppy #1, puppy #2, puppy #3, etc... with puppy 208


#8 being the most dominant, and puppy #1 being the most submissive. At this point, we call puppy #8 the "Alpha dog." During the first week that the puppies are for sale, Mary's breeder sells puppy #7 and puppy #8 to a nice couple from Rhode Island. Guess what? Now puppy #6 is the Alpha dog! See, the concept of an Alpha dog is only relevent to other dogs in the pack. And two weeks later, when Mary came to view the litter (which now only had four dogs)... guess what? When Mary asked, "Which one's the Alpha dog?" ... her breeder correctly and honestly told her that puppy #4 is the Alpha dog. Just because you have adopted the Alpha dog, does not mean you have adopted a dominant dog! Even if Mary had adopted puppy #8... the original Alpha dog from that litter... she doesn't necessarily have a dominant dog. Yes, it is true that puppy #8 is MORE dominant than the other puppies in the litter. But this in no way should imply that because puppy #8 is a dominant dog... in absolute terms. For example, if you throw me in a boxing ring with a half dozen 85 pound Catholic Nuns from Poland... it's likely that I will be the most dominant guy in the ring. Or in this pack, I'd be the "Alpha dog." But does that make me a dominant guy, by definition? No. It only makes me dominant RELEVENT to the other people standing in the ring. (In this case, the Nuns.) As soon as you substitute Mike Tyson and Hulk Hogan and 209


Arnold Schwartzenegger with those Polish Nuns... all of the sudden you realize that I am: 1.) No longer the Alpha dog in this pack. 2.) Not, by any means, a dominant guy. So, in sum, the term "Alpha Dog" is only a term that can be used relevent to other dogs in a specific pack. It is a RELATIVE term. As soon as Mary brings her dog home and establishes herself as dominant, her puppy is no longer an Alpha dog in her household. Now, the concept of a "Dominant" dog is more of an ABSOLUTE term, which can be applied regardless of where the dog ranks in the pack. For instance, if we took puppies that were bred from top Schutzhund competitor Gary Hanrahan's German Shepherd dog, Pirol... all of these puppies are going to be very dominant dogs. Even though only one will be the Alpha dog.

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A Recipe For Motivation... Not A Recipe For A Bribe!!! One of our subscribers, Kris Porto, sent me this recipe. You might want to try it... just remember that any use of food during training should be used as a motivator, not as a bribe. It should be used to improve working attitude, or to get your dog to understand a new exercise that may have had a stressful association. Kris writes: "I'm mom to two Boston Terriers and one Doberman. The Doberman and one of the Bostons are rescues (and I've worked with Doberman Rescue for five years). My other Boston was a present from my boyfriend, and we brought her home at 9 weeks old. We began puppy kindergarten at 10 weeks. "Hot Rod Haley" got the first leg of her CD at six months. She is very finicky and too darn smart for her own good. As you can imagine, obedience training with an oft-reluctant Boston is an experience all its own. I wanted to share with you Haley's favorite recipe for motivation food! I have yet to meet a dog who wouldn't belly-crawl all the way to the moon for these. For some reason, they fall all over themselves trying to win one of these treats. In fact, when they see me get the blender out, I have three pairs of eyes and one huge puddle of drool in the kitchen for the next 30 minutes! Even my Persian cat will sit and beg for these! Haley's Favorite Liver Treats! 1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix 1 egg 1 pound beef liver Garlic Brewer's yeast (optional) Parmesan Cheese Jelly roll pan In blender or food processor, liquefy liver. You may need to add a bit of water to it, especially if it is not fresh. Pour muffin mix into mixing bowl, add liver, egg, 1 tablespoon of Garlic and 1 211


tablespoon of brewer's yeast (if desired). Mix well. Spray a jelly roll pan with Pam and spread batter into pan evenly. It should be the consistency of pancake mix. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bake according to directions on box. Allow to cool (this part is torture) and cut into bite-sized squares. I portion it into snack size ziplock bags and freeze them, so they're ready for class or training sessions. I don't use them every time, so the specialness won't wear off. You must keep these treats refrigerated or they'll mold!"

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How To Rescue Your Lawn From Your Dog! Readers frequently ask what they can do to save their lawns from the burn spots created when their dog urinates. Last week, I stumbled across two products from a company called Millennium Lawns. Dogonit, which was developed to be used on lawns that have already been burned. And G-Whiz, a neutralizer and preventative for lawns that haven't yet been burned, or have been recently repaired. I don't personally have a problem with burn spots (I don't have a lawn)... so I don't have any first hand experience with this product. But since it's such a pressing issue for so many dog owners (and home owners) I thought I'd gather this information for you: Millennium Lawns is a company that was incorporated in 1995 to capitalize on the growing awareness of the dangers that lawn chemicals and synthetic high-salt fertilizers pose to the environment and to the health of children, pets and wildlife. Through extensive research, Millennium Lawns developed its liquid lawn fertilizer using cutting edge enzyme technology that effectively competes with synthetic fertilizers and chemicals. This technology makes organic-based low salt nutrients available in a pre-digested form and readily assimilated by grass plants. The results are overwhelming and in effect greatly reduce the need to apply synthetic nutrients and chemicals for grass growth and maintenance. The problems caused by the over application of chemical-based products are in effect also eliminated. Since many homeowners also have pets and are concerned with the overuse of chemicals, Millennium Lawns became aware of another major problem, that of dog urine burns in lawns, and offensive waste/urine odors. Q. What causes the urine to burn the lawn? 213


A. Application of urine, which contains ammonia (a salt) and is generally very acidic, to a localized area will burn or dehydrate the leaves, causing the plant to discolor and eventually die. Continual build-up of salts in the soil becomes toxic to the plant. Q. What is in Dogonit? A. Dogonit contains organic complexes and enzymes. Q. How did you get into the business of curing dog urine burns? A. We market organic based products and our customers had an incidence of dog urine burns in their lawns. We are problem solvers and saw an opportunity to solve this problem with an organic based additive. Q. How does Dogonit work? A. Dogonit contains an ingredient that will loosen the soil and allow the soil salts to be disbursed into a greater volume of soil, allowing the roots to spread and fill into the damaged area. Q. What do the enzymes do? A. The enzymes digest urea and release the nutrient to the soil. Urea and uric acid, which are found in the dog urine, are converted to usable nutrients by the enzymes. Q. Will Dogonit actually prevent burns from occurring? A. If the dog urine spot is treated soon enough after urination, yes. Dogonit will prevent the burn. "Soon enough" can be immediately after urination or as the urine spot starts to yellow. Q. Does the dog need to stay off the treated areas? A. No, Dogonit is totally safe and does not contain any toxic ingredients. Repeated urination on the same spot will require more applications to cure the lawn. For total control, the company recommends using G-Whiz Neutralizer which will neutralize urea nitrogen inside the dog and prevent future burns. 214


Q. How long does it take to heal a lawn? A. The lawn heals itself through new growth; the time required will vary according to the growth rate of the grass, weather conditions, and cultivation practices (watering & mowing). Minimum of 2 to 4 weeks. Q. Does Dogonit contain any fertilizer ingredients? A. No. Dogonit is designed to work with the available soil nutrients. Q. Will Dogonit regenerate the dead grass areas? A. Dogonit is most effective on newer spots. On areas that are burned to the crown of the plant, we recommend reseeding. Q. How do you mix the concentrate? A. The easiest way is to pour the quart of concentrate into a clean empty gallon jug and fill with water. Use this solution to fill your trigger spray bottle as needed. If you mix the 24oz. trigger spray bottle, pour 6oz. of concentrate into the bottle and fill with water. It is not necessary to be 100% accurate, since you are using additional water later on to water the Dogonit in. All the instructions will be found on the label. Always read the label. Q. Does Dogonit have to be watered after application? A. Yes, in order to disperse the urine into the soil, water must be applied on a regular basis. Q. Do you have to reapply Dogonit? A. The reapplication of Dogonit at its recommended schedule helps the spots and keeps them from reoccurring. Q. Is Dogonit biodegradable? 215


A. Yes, there is no negative residue effect in the soil. Q. What kind of dogs cause urine spots? A. In most cases, urine spots are caused by female dogs or puppies, male dogs rarely urinate in the same location. Q. How do you use the diluted Dogonit? A. Spray enough Dogonit to completely wet the spot or area and flush with water. Repeat the procedure in 5-7 days. Q. What happens if the dog urinates in the same spot again? A. Dogonit is a soil treatment that will have a residual effect in the soil for about 2-3 weeks. Continual urination on the same area will cause burning, but not as severe. Best approach is to use G-Whiz Neutralizer in the pet's food or water. Q. Does Dogonit work on all damaged areas of the lawn? A. If the damage is due to salt such as road salt, Dogonit may help heal the area. If the damage is due to insects or disease, Dogonit will not cure the problem. Q. What is the difference between a small spot and large spot? A. Small spot is generally less than 4 inches in diameter. A large spot is over 4-8 inches in diameter. Q. Why should you use Dogonit? A. If continued urination by your dog is not remedied, the grass will eventually die and require seeding. Dogonit works to prevent damage and assists in recovery. You should be able to get these products at your local pet store or garden center. If not, you can call the company at 1-877-3646648 for availability. 216


The Fourth Element Of Dog Training... Maintenance! Imagine being able to take your dog anywhere, and know that he'll listen to you! Every day, I take my Rhodesian Ridgeback mix, Forbes, around town and people are utterly amazed at how well he listens to me! If we go to a juice club for a smoothie... I place Forbes in the 'down-stay' position while I go in for a drink. When I return, he lays next to one of the patio chairs outside the juice club, and watches the girls walk by, while I sip on a 'Strawberry Blast.' Occasionally, we'll walk down to the post office to drop a letter in one of the mail box drops. Of course, Forbes walks alongside in the heel position, wearing nothing more than his training collar and his tab (a one foot leash). But my experience with my dog is not unique. Many of the dog owners who will read this book and apply my techniques will enjoy the same benefits as I do. If you've read this book, you're familiar with the three phases your dog will go through, during the learning process: 1.) The learning phase: This is when your dog actually learns the behavior, and what it is you want from him. 2.) The reinforcement phase: This is when your dog learns that you expect him to do the desired behavior in a variety of different places. 3.) The proofing phase: This is when your dog learns that you expect him to respond to commands around any and all distractions. Well... there's actually one more phase in the learning process that I haven't really touched on, yet. And that is: The Maintenance Phase ! 217


Once you've got your dog trained (which is kind of a deceptive term, as there will always be more proofing, polishing, and additional behaviors you can teach your dog)... your job isn't finished. See, even though you've gone through the first three phases of training with your dog... you'll find that something happens if you don't MAINTAIN THE TRAINING... Your dog stops responding! It's a lot like riding a bicycle. It's true... once you learn how to ride a bike, you never forget. And once you've trained your dog to do a certain behavior, he'll pretty much never forget it, either. However, if you've ever tried to ride a bike after NOT riding a bike for more than 10 years... do you know what happens? You're a little bit wobbly. Your response times are out of whack. And you may even fall off the bike!!! But... if you practice for a good 20 minutes, you'll also find that your former skill level returns pretty darn quickly. It's the same with your dog. I often get clients who've gone through an dog importer, and purchased a German Shepherd Dog, with a Schutzhund III title (similar to a Ph.D. for dogs) And it's obvious that the dog is trained. But, two things become apparent: 1.) The owners don't know anything about handling or training. 2.) The dog hasn't been made to work (do the exercises) in a long time. So, they pull their dog out of the truck, and he's a complete monster. He pulls on the leash. He jumps. He barks. 218


He's a total, untrained beast. Until I take the leash. Then, almost like magic... it all comes back to the dog. How do you know if your dog needs maintenance training? Well, fortunately your dog doesn't just go from one day to the next, trained to untrained. Usually, you will start to see your dog's training come undone in small steps. For example... if I place Forbes in a 'down-stay' command, and as people walk by and pet him, he may start to creep forward. Guess what? It's likely that he'll do this a few more times if it goes unchecked, and then he'll actually start getting up when people pet him. And if that goes unchecked, he'll start getting up just when people walk by him. Pretty soon, he'll lay down when I tell him, but start getting up arbitrarily, when he wants to. If I continue to ignore this pattern, after awhile he won't even go into the down-position when I tell him to. If you give him an inch, he'll take a mile So, the trick is to react to any small breach in the dog's response to commands, immediately. And to practice with him under the most distracting circumstances, because anything else will seem like a piece of cake. In general, there's no hard and fast rule regarding how often you need to get out and do maintenance training once you've reached a point where your dog is responding to commands 100% of the 219


time. Just remember that there will always be cues. For example, if Forbes is out in the field chasing butterflies, and I call him to come back to me... but he shows a lag in responding by 2 or 3 seconds... or I have to repeat my command... then it's time to do some maintenance training. Why? Because I can guarantee you that the next time I call him, the lag in his response time will grow to 5 or 6 seconds. And if I still refuse to do anything, then the next time I call him, I'll be lucky if he comes at all. Fortunately, the longer you've had your dog, and the more time you've spent training your dog.. .the less maintenance you'll need to do. If you've started training your dog as a puppy, then by the time your dog is 3 or 4 years old, you may only need to do maintenance training once every 3 or 4 months. But it really depends on your dog's temperament, your training skill, and the type of behaviors you're asking your dog to do.

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How To Get Your Dog To Stop Showing Territorial Aggression Towards The Post Man! When the Post Man brings mail and your dog goes ballistic upon his arrival, your dog is reacting to thousands of years of domestication which have produced what we behaviorists call, "territorial drive." A drive is similar to an instict. Or more specifically, an extention of an instinct. This territorial drive can be motivated by two other drives... the defensive drive and the prey drive. Here's what happens: Your dog perceives an intruder in his territory. His territorial drive kicks in. He then barks his foul head off and the Post Man goes away. In the dog's mind, he has shown aggression and this aggression was rewarded by making the Post Man... in the dog's mind... RUN away. Your dog thinks: "I BARK... YOU RUN. I BARK MORE, YOU STILL RUN. I BARK EVEN MORE... AND YOU KEEP RUNNING AWAY. AND I'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU TO COME BACK, TOMORROW... HE HE HE." So, everyday the Post Man comes, the behavior is rewarded. And everyday that the behavior is rewarded... it becomes more pronounced. Here's how to fix it: There are two ways to fix this problem, depending on your dog's temperament, your personal style, and how fast you want to get results. 221


Solution #1 For Getting Your Dog To Stop Showing Aggression Towards The Post Man 1.) Confine your dog to a kennel run or a crate where he cannot exhibit the unwanted behavior until after you've used the technique successfully and consistently enough to get the results you're looking for. The trick is to build a new association with the Post Man... and to do this, you MUST be with the dog in order to create the desired association. 2.) Don't feed your dog breakfast on any day that you're using this technique. 3.) Sit outside with your dog on leash, and a handful of cookies. 4.) Wait until you see the Post Man approaching at a distance, leave your dog on your property, and give the Post Man a couple of cookies. 5.) Instruct the Post Man to wait at the corner. Then, return and get your dog and walk him to meet the Post Man (still at the corner). 6.) Let the Post Man feed the dog some cookies. 7.) Return home and bring your dog inside and let him eat breakfast. The Post Man should not deliver the mail to your house as usual... since you got it while he fed your dog cookies. 8.) Repeat this exercise for five days in a row... each time letting the Post Man approach the house closer and closer... until he can walk right up to the front gate and the dog now associates the Post Man with cookies and then meal time. This approach works quite well, but can take a lot of time. It is a better approach for dogs with a very strong food drive, or for handlers who have not yet learned how to administer a correction. 222


Solution #2 For Getting Your Dog To Stop Showing Aggression Towards The Post Man 1.) Confine your dog to a kennel run or a crate where he cannot exhibit the unwanted behavior until after you've used the technique successfully and consistently enough to get the results you're looking for. The trick is to build a new association with the Post Man... and to do this, you MUST be with the dog in order to create the desired association. 2.) You should already have a good foundation of obedience training on your dog and know how to give a motivational correction... in most cases by using a training collar. 3.) Let your dog wander around the front yard (if it's gated) or around the house, or wherever he usually creates the ruckus... but make sure that he's wearing his training collar, and either a tab (1 foot leash) or dragging a 6 foot leash, if you have trouble catching him. You need some way to correct him when he barks. 4.) As he starts to bark, tell him, "No!" and go to him and administer a firm correction. It's usually easier if you tell your Post Man beforehand that you're working on a training exercise. In most cases, he'll be happy that you're working to reduce something that causes stress in his life! If your dog continues to bark immediately after you've corrected him, then this is a good indication that your corrections are not motivational. (In other words, they don't have any meaning.) As the distraction (the Post Man) gets more motivational (distracting)... your corrections must become more motivational. It's like the difference between receiving a ticket from a police officer when you're speeding home after work... versus speeding home from the grocery store when the Super Bowl has just started on T.V. In other words, one ticket is going to have to be much more motivational than the other, in order for me to pay attention to it. (Can you guess which one?) 5.) Once you're communicating with your dog, then it's just a 223


matter of demonstrating to him that your correction for this behavior WAS NOT merely a fluke... that yes... he will get corrected for this behavior EVERY time he exhibits this behavior. If you're doing it correctly, the behavior will most likely be extinguished in three or four days. Of course, there's nothing wrong with combining both approaches to fixing this problem to get even faster results. It really just depends on you, your dog, the intensity of the behavior, and what the situation you're working in is like. A Common Question I Receive With This Training Approach: "Won't This Teach My Dog To Stop Barking If An Intruder Approaches My House At Night?" It's a good question. But the answer is, "No!" See, your dog learns in a very situational manner. In other words, as long as your Post Man isn't dropping off mail late at night, when it's dark and nobody else is around... your dog will only associate the exercise with the Post Man approaching the house during day light hours. He'll still bark if someone approaches the house at night, because you've never corrected (or disassociated) the territorial behavior with strangers approaching the house at night.

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A COMPETITION TRAINER'S TRICK Competition trainers rely on food and tennis balls to motivate their dog into giving a performance with much gusto and attitude. While I don't generally advocate using food for pet/companion dog training (it takes WAY TOO LONG and is not necessary unless you're trying to pull additional points in a dog competition)... it's often rewarding to be exposed to the tips and tricks used by professionals.competition dog trainers. In order to constantly have food ready to reward extraordinary speed, attitude, or precision, the competition trainer will wear what's called a "bait apron." This is simply a large pocket that is worn around the waist. Competition trainers will stuff this pocket full of hot dogs, Bil-Jac, Roll Over, Liver, or any other doggie treat that motivates their pet. One of the problems with using a "bait apron" is that they get incredibly stinky, sticky and dirty. Here's my tip of the week: Home Depot sells aprons identical to the "bait aprons" used by most competition trainers. They're in the 'Paint' section. And the good news is that: They only cost $1 !!! So, when your 'bait apron' gets worn out... or it's just too incredibly dirty to wash with your other laundry... now you can buy a new one... without breaking the bank!

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On Using A Training Collar For Aggressive Dogs One of my web site visitors writes: Dear Adam: I have trained my non-aggressive Rottweiler on a pinch collar, and I have also been trained on how to properly use one. I like pinch collars a lot and feel they are a good training system if used correctly. Now, I'm not saying I am a professional, however I was told by a trainer in my area that you should never use a pinch collar on an aggressive dog for fear of re-directed aggression, and that a pinch collar could aggravate the dog more... in turn, leading to more aggression. He suggested that a head halter is the best tool for an aggressive dog. Could you please help me on this one? I am helping a friend train a Pit Bull Terrier and she wants to use a pinch collar. I did take a 6 week class in dog training and used a pinch collar, but was told not to use one on an aggressive dog. I value your advise. Please email me directly if you can. Thank you, Kayo's Mama Dear Kayo's Mama: Thank you for your e-mail. It's a good question. First, let me throw out my standard disclaimer and suggest that in any situation where you're dealing with a potentially dangerous dog that can inflict injury and damage, you should first consult with a professional dog trainer in your area that has experience fixing aggression problems in dogs. With that said, let me go on to address the issue. Whenever a so-called professional dog trainer say things like, 226


"Never use... blah, blah,blah" ... my hackles always go up. Why? Because it's usually because they are parroting some piece of advice that they've heard somewhere else, but don't really understand WHY the advice they're giving out either works or does not work. The problem with the advice you've received in this specific instance is that it focuses on the TOOL, and not the BEHAVIOR. And once you understand the behavior... and what motivates that behavior... only then are you in a position to solve the problem. Now, it really depends on what TYPE of aggression your dog is displaying as to what TYPE of TOOL (I.E., training collar, etc...) that you'll need to use. In general, the pinch collar will give you the ability to make your corrections much more motivational (more meaningful). So the question now becomes: Given the type of aggression that the dog is exhibiting... should I be giving a correction or not? And are the corrections that I'm currently giving my dog meaningful? Now, there are some types of aggression that will require that you give your dog a correction in order to extinguish the behavior. And there are other types of aggression where giving the dog a correction will make him more aggressive. I don't have the time or space to go into the various types of aggression and how to fix them, here. But I have recently finished a new audio tape lecture called, "Fixing Aggression Problems In Dogs!" which came with this book as a free bonus. BUT THE ISSUE IS: IF I NEED TO GIVE MY DOG A CORRECTION... WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO MAKE THAT CORRECTION MEANINGFUL? And the answer to that question depends on a number of different factors: 227


1.) Your current relationship with the dog that you're training. 2.) The temperament of the dog. Does he have a hard temperament or a soft temperament? 3.) The circumstances that the dog is being corrected under. In general, the more motivational the distractions are, the more motivational your correction will need to be. 4.) Your handling skill. 5.) The dog's current training level. Now, there are some dogs that all you'll need to do is to give a stern look and whisper the word, "No!"... and that will be more than a motivational correction. With such dogs, there's probably no need for anything more than a buckle collar. But other dogs will insist that you show them that the word "No!" has some meaning behind it! And the way to do this is to use a training collar which is appropriate for your dog, given the 5 factors listed above. In most cases, a properly sized and used pinch collar is the most effective way to do this. As for the advice about using a head halter: In general, this will get you nowhere in terms of eliminating the behavior. Why? Because the head halter is simply a mechanism designed to RESTRAIN the dog. And with all forms of physical restraint... once you lift the restraint, the dog will continue to do the behavior. My approach to dog training is to actually TEACH the dog to make a decision. If he makes the right decision, then he gets something positive. If he makes the wrong decision, then he gets something negative, and then the OPPORTUNITY to make the RIGHT decision so that he can get the praise and reward. But with the head halter, the dog is not being allowed to make 228


any decisions. He's simply being restrained. However, there is one caveat to this bit of advice. The skilled professional trainer will sometimes choose to use what's called a "Halti"... which is like a head halter, in CONJUNCTION with other forms of behavior modification. But the way it is properly used is NOT AS A RESTRAINT, but rather as an "on-the-fly" muzzle to prevent the dog from biting the handler. Since this usually means working multiple leashes (one on the halti, one on the training collar... and in some cases, one on a back-tie) this technique is usually reserved for the experienced dog handler/ trainer.

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Your Chance To Be A Fly On The Wall And Read A Real-Life, No-Holds-Barred Letter From One Professional Dog Trainer To Another! Here is a letter I received from another professional dog trainer reads: Hi Adam, I'm Jim Haines. My partner Brenda and I graduated from Tom's [Tom Rose's School For Professional Dog Trainers, in St. Louis, Missouri] 20 week program, four years ago. We have trained just over 1000 dogs/owners (the vast majority being in-kennel training & privates one-on-one). I love your internet chat room and plan to throw my hat in the ring. We deal with the same pinch collar issues from the well meaning psuedo-experts all the time. It's tragic that people judge a book by its cover. Anyway, this is the hyper-sensitive PC era that we live in. People just do not understand that nothing worthwhile comes easy. I get similar feedback from good parents. One lady told me that her child threw a huge fit in a Wal Mart. He dropped to the floor and started screaming. This lady simply walked away to another isle, the child quickly got up, shut up and returned to good behavior. I guess someone had the audacity to pass a remark to the effect that what she did was unbelievable and no way to raise a child. My client calmly responded to this woman that she loves her son more than she could ever know and that walking away from a fit will prevent him from pulling the same stunt ever again. [Note: This works for kids, not necessarily for dogs... but your point is well taken.] This is a new client of mine. I will bet that she is a great mom and will be a great trainer with her new dog. 230


We need to continue to educate the well meaning pseudo-experts that the benevolent use of correction in dog training is an essential part of having a well mannered, happy and confident dog that is a pleasure to be around. I have a big mouth. We get our facts straight before we praise or knock a particular method. So I can say we have tried the purely positive approach, head collar systems (you know what I am talking about), operant conditioning, training in drive, etc... Some things have some merit in some situations (our approach to working dogs is very different from the spoiled pet, but these are not our pets... these are dogs who live in a strict working environment). The pet owner with the vast majority of pet dogs should train a la the pinch collar & praise for awhile. Dogs trained this way learn that obedience while not optional... is still fun. They learn respect (not fear). They learn that the human has control over all situations so they worry about nothing... and so they become confident. THEY DO NOT HAVE BROKEN SPIRITS AND ARE NOT ROBOTS!!! I concur with your statement somewhere in your web site about customizing the training to the dog. "Canned" dog training fails the majority of dogs. The positive-only approach to training has not yet reached its apex. The majority of our society will continue to avoid the sometimes tough (but necessary), and look for the easy way. The bad news is, thousands of good dogs will continue to be euthanized each week in this country... the majority of which I believe end up in the pound due to poor behavior that was created by-- or could have been prevented by-- proper action on the owner's behalf. The good news is, some of these people will be open-minded 231


enough to try an approach like yours or mine. Despite the bashing we get, behind our backs... and will get the results they seek (a happy, well mannered dog). These are the ones that will sing your praises louder than all others. I know this because 30% of our business comes from other dog trainers.Veterinarians and other animal medical professionals not only refer to us, but do training with us as well. We do charge substantially more than the competition, and we are out in the boonies, but they still come. They come from town. They come from other cities (several havecome from different states)... all from referrals. I know what I'm talking about when I use the term well meaning pseudo-expert... I used to be one. I thought that pinch collars were cruel. Crates were cruel. Those who dared use "shock collars" should be arrested... as well as those who cropped ears and docked tails for the sake of appearance. I thought no one knew more about dogs than me and those who thought like me. Now dogs are my full time life. Just about 24 hours a day a dog is with me. I love dogs. We all love the animals... that is why we are in this. I know that what I tell a client to do is in the dog's best interest, first and foremost! The well meaning pseudoexperts often think that if you train with a pinch collar, you can't possibly love the animals! I have to go now, I just wanted to introduce myself before I jumped on your chat site (I have never participated in any of these groups). Best Regards, Jim Haines

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Using The Right Technique! Imagine being able to take your dog with you, anywhere you go... and know that he'll listen and obey! Imagine being able to take him to a picnic and tell him to lay down... even if there are 30 children running around, dropping pieces of hot dogs and burgers. Yet your dog is so well trained that he just lays there with a lazy smile on his face! Or perhaps you decide to take your dog with you to pick up some bagels for a Sunday brunch. Instead of leaving Fido in the car, you take him with you. As you walk into the store, you motion for your dog to lay down outside, next to the entrance... and he actually stays there until you return!!! (I did this with a German Shepherd I owned named, "Buck." While I was inside, another dog trainer in my area happened to also be in the bagel shop. Not realizing I was a professional dog trainer, he showed his cards and walked up to me, inquiring how I was able to get my dog to stay down for so long! He was literally amazed, and thought that it couldn't be the training, but rather just that the dog had a 'lazy temperament' to be able to stay there without his master repeating, "stay, stay, stay" at his side! -- And he was supposed to be a professional trainer!) Maybe you'd like to be able to walk with your dog to the local dry cleaner's... and not have to juggle your dog's leash and your freshly cleaned shirts! Yesterday, I took Forbes (my Bullmastiff/Pit Bull mix) past the grocery store to the Dry Cleaners in the local mini-mall. Kids on bikes rode by and commented on what a "cool" dog he was, because he stayed right by my side! And the funny thing is... people think it's the dog! They think that Forbes must be a "really smart dog," or "really laid back" -233


which he is... but that's not the point. The point is that when you're using the right techniques... and you've committed yourself to using these techniques and practicing with your dog on a regular basis, you can get seemingly miraculous results. Nobody seems to care that when I first rescued Forbes from the Animal Shelter, he was both extremely dog aggressive and also frighteningly hostile towards anything that moved past him quickly. (Such as kids on bikes, skateboards, and even joggers!) But now he lazily holds a down-stay while kids on scooters shoot past him. He heels nicely in position as bikers whiz by. And people still think that it must be the dog. I really should have taken video tape of him to show a 'before and after' so that you could see what a difference using the right techniques can make. You can do this with your dog. Just remember to practice dilligently and USE the techniques you're learning from this book!

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Figuring Out What You Want To Achieve With Your Dog Training Skill Imagine being able to take your dog to a park or playground... off-leash... and know without the shadow of a doubt that he won't run away. And that he will listen to every command! Now imagine that you take a tennis ball out of your pocket, and wave it in front of your dog's field of vision. Your dog goes nuts at the thought of being able to chase his ball... which is his reason for existence!!! But instead of just throwing the ball, you speak the command, "Down!" and your dog immediately drops into the down position. Now, imagine that you cock your arm back, like a baseball pitcher, and throw that tennis ball as hard as you can! As you see the ball fly through the air, you stop... and look down at your feet to see that your dog is STILL IN THE DOWN POSITION... eagerly waiting for you to give him his "release" command to go chase the ball. With three words, "TAKE A BREAK," your dog springs to his feet, and like a bullet... chases down the tennis ball and happily returns and drops it at your feet. After a few more throws, many of the people in the park are marveling at the wonderful response and attention your dog is giving you, in light of the tennis ball which obviously captures his dreams! But you decide that simply having him lay down while you throw the ball is mere child's play. So as an encore performance... You throw the ball and immediately let your dog chase it. But half way to the ball, you yell out the "down" command... and instead of continuing to chase the ball, your dog immediately 235


drops down... 100 feet away from you! With another, "TAKE A BREAK" command, your dog is once again up and chasing the ball. He then brings it back and happily lays it at your feet for another throw. How did I teach my dog to work with such speed and control? Simple. It was just a matter of: 1.) Figuring out what I wanted to teach the dog. 2.) Deciding how to break up the exercise. (All complicated exercises, just like music, must be taught by first breaking them into smaller pieces.) 3.) Teaching the specific parts of the exercise. 4.) Reinforcing and proofing the exercise. So, for this example, first I decided that I wanted my dog to hold (or go into) a down position, regardless of where the ball was or what he was doing. I began by teaching the dog a down-stay. Then I progressed to teaching the dog "off-leash" response. Next, I combined the two and taught the dog to respond both at a distance, and also in light of my distraction, the tennis ball. And finally, I practiced the exercise again and again. But the key to doing this successfully is to have the right knowledge and to develop a high level of skill. Which comes from practice.

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Fixing A Slow Recall And Lagging Heeling A man named Jim wrote to me with the following questions about his dog. I thought you'd find this interesting. He asks: JIM: My problem is that my dog lags and responds sluggishly to obedience work when not on leash. He is a 4 1/2 year old 155 lb. Newfoundland. He does not have a dominant or Alpha-dog type personality; rather, he has a sensitive personality and is basically very laid back except when he wants to go for a walk or a ride. I have been training him for obedience trials for about 5 months. He performs well when on a loose leash, but when he is off leash he lags and responds sluggishly. ADAM: This would suggest that there is something you're doing when the dog is on leash that you're not doing when he is off leash. Did you make the transition from 6 foot leash to the one foot tab? Also, in making the transition to off leash, make sure that you only correct him for the big mistakes, like when he's far out of position. Otherwise, as soon as you take the leash off in the real world, he'll know he isn't being corrected for "every little imperfection." JIM: He also falls behind on the heel. What should I do? ADAM: With the six foot leash, walk in a big rectangle. As he lags, do a sharp 90 degree turn to your right. Immediately speed up and run to the end. If you're using a pinch collar, when he hits the end it will be uncomfortable, and after a few times he'll stay up with you to avoid the correction. Supplement this with a lot of fairly loud verbal praise as well as hearty touch (pat, pet) when he is in position so that he draws a very black and white distinction between being in position and not being in position. JIM: He also performs on the "come" command directly, but very 237


slowly. The exception to this problem is when I am holding his food dish (with breakfast or supper in it) in front of me at feeding time. He does not respond to holding treats, a ball or favorite toy. ADAM: It sounds like you're using the ball or food as a bribe, rather than a reward. Re-read the section in my book about the correct way to use the ball and food drive. If he DOES respond to the food bowl, it means that you CAN use that as a motivator. What I would do is to stop feeding him meals out of the bowl and let the majority of his food come from doing obedience exercises.

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Temperament Problems and Poor Nerves In An Akita Pup Dear Adam: I recently purchased an Akita pup from a reputable breeder. This is my second Akita. My first Akita was a wonderful dog, thoroughly dedicated to my family died a few months ago. The problem I had with the old Akita was his tendency to be "on guard" all the time. While I felt I had him under control, I felt much like I was walking down the street with a loaded gun! Anyway, I chose a new pup that was definitely NOT the most aggressive Akita in the litter. In fact, he was often pushed around a little bit by his brothers. When I brought the new Akita pup home and took him outside I was surprised to find that he actually seemed FEARFUL of other dogs in the neighborhood. I know he is only 12 weeks old but I have never seen an Akita so timid around other dogs. The dog does not seem fearful around people. My question is: How can I train this dog to not to be afraid of other dogs? Thank you for your response, Robert Dear Robert: This is what I would consider a temperament or socialization flaw in a dog this young. I would not socialize him with other dogs at all. When he's between 4 to 5 months, you can teach him a strong down stay, and then go out to a local obedience class, or out to an area where people walk there dog's on leash, and have him get used to just laying there and watching dogs walk by. Once he's older, and has had a lot of experience being calm 239


around other dogs, you can proceed to the next step: If you have a friend with a dog, you can practice getting together and doing down-stays around each other. After several times, the dogs will start getting comfortable in each other's presence, and you can start letting them play... as long as you have voice control over both dogs, and there's enough respect that you can break up any aggression just with your voice. However, the dog will at best learn to be civil with some dogs. But not with all dogs. Again, this is a genetic/socialization issue in my opinion. Of course, he may grow out of it and be fine. But he may not. With such issues, you can control the aggression/fear, but you usually cannot eliminate it completely. Best regards, Adam.

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On Not Being Intimidated By Your Own Dog! Dear Adam: I have a six month old Irish Setter named Indy. She is very smart and seems to be a quick learner except in one area. I have read through your book and your dog problems advice column but have not found a suitable solution to my problem and was wondering if you could offer some useful advice. Whenever Indy is out of her crate, she will snatch any item that is not hers, most often from the countertops but lately includes book bags, clothes etc. When we try to remove them she gets very aggressive about keeping the item (snarls, growls, has even lunged at my son and daughter) and lately the situation seems to have escalated. While in her crate, if there are items around her crate and someone picks them up to place elsewhere she will get very agitated also. Otherwise she is a very active but pleasant companion. We have tried telling her no, no, no but it is a stand off because we are not willing to put life and limb to the test to enforce our command. The only way we can get her to leave the item is to offer her a treat as a distraction. This is a very scary situation. I have asked the advice of a dog obedience trainer and they suggested I not get involved in this type of struggle. At this point it is very difficult to put feelings aside and return the dog to the breeder, but if necessary that would be an option. Can you give us any helpful advice. I have tried many of your ideas but I guess we know who the " top dog" is in this situation. Is there any hope? - Michael. Dear Michael: Here's the deal: He's a six month old puppy, right? 241


If you're going to nip this in the bud, YOU MUST NOT BE AFRAID OF YOUR DOG. At 6 months, she's not going to kill you. But if she can sense that you're afraid of her, it won't matter WHAT technique you use. She knows she "owns" you. The other thing is that I would recommend RE-READING the book. I state very clearly, in several parts of the book, that negative (unwanted) behavior must be corrected. Yet, you insist on distracting the dog with a cookie??? Doesn't make sense. You spent good money on the book. Follow the advice in it properly and you will get amazing results. Now, for the flip side of the coin: The easy thing to do would be to take the dog back to the breeder. If you cannot muster the courage to deal with the dog because you're afraid of her (hey, at least you're being honest)... then take her back, as she's too much dog for you. And if you do this, get a dog with a very soft temperament, and then follow the advice in the book and get back to me. A dog with a softer temperament is much easier to train. However, even a soft dog can become aggressive if you're consistently anthropomorphizing the dog, and not raising her as by understanding her drive and what motivates her.

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Professional Dog Trainer Knows How To Train Dog, But Has Problems With Owner! Dear Adam: Do you happen to have a schedule that you like to use with your customers for crate training? I have a client that has a 7month Springer Spaniel that is suffering from separation anxiety. Of course, they are not always using the crate... which is part of the problem. But is there anything that you know specifically about Springers that would make this harder than normal? My client could not stand to leave his pup in the crate while he was home and now the pup is not doing well when they leave. I have lots of your information , love it and would love your advice on this. Thanks, Jodi. ----------------------Dear Jodi: Thanks for the e-mail. In a situation like this, you don't need dog facts. What you need is to sit down with the owner and say, "Look... this IS THE WAY IT IS! Either you follow my instructions EXACTLY... or you're not going to get the results. And you're not going to get a refund, either." I used to run into this type of thing a lot when I first got started in training. The client would be (for their own screwed up reasons) uncomfortable following through with the techniques. I'd cave in, and try to adapt or develop training techniques to fit their laziness or lack of reason. But you almost always end up with half-assed results. My solution: You tell them straight, what they need to do. If they aren't willing to do it... too bad for them. We can't help them, because it's not a dog issue, it's a human issue. See... people really need to WANT to change, in order to get results. 243


And if THEY don't want to change... they're never going to get good results... because they'll keep doing what they've been doing in the past... which is usually what causes the problem in the first place. As far as how long... it really depends on the dog. Separation anxiety is one of the toughest. With some dogs, it can take months.

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HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DOG TO FIND MUSHROOMS??? THE HUNT FOR TRUFFLES??? Hi Adam! Your book is fantastic! And when I follow your advice, it works to a tee. I have a dog that is about 16 months old. She loves to fetch and find the ball. Even when I throw it in the brush, she just does a search pattern and finds it. I would like to train her to find a certain "mushroom." Yes, I said mushroom... which seem to grow in our area. Can you give me some help on training her to sniff out this mushroom? Thank you, Bob ----------------------Dear Bob: Thanks for the kind words. You've got exactly the type of dog you need to train this type of exercise. And that is, a dog who is BALL CRAZY! In order to do scent work, you need a dog who can search all day for his ball and never get tired. Now, once you've built up your dog's drive, here's what you'll need to do: 1.) Get a hard, indestructible, UNSCENTED nylon ball, about the size of a tennis ball, to use only for training. 2.) Ask a friend to join you, and take your dog to a local park that has soft sand. Put the dog on a leash and a flat collar, and let your friend restrain him. 245


Next, you should run ten feet ahead, wave and tease him with the ball. Then, drop it in the sand and kick enough dirt over it so that he can no longer see the ball. When you're ready, tell your friend to let the dog go, preferably, when he's at his peak for being "amped up" for the ball 3.) Praise him when he scratches the dirt to dig the ball up. 4.) Repeat this exercise over the next two weeks with three minor variations: a.) Start burying the ball deeper. b.) Start burying the ball in different parts of the park, but still where your dog sees you bury the ball. c.) Start burying the ball... once he's done a. and b., in places where he DOES NOT see you bury the ball. 5.) Here's the trick: You need to make sure that the dog understands that he needs to: a.) Find the ball. and b.) Scratch to get the ball. 6.) If he has trouble understanding that he should scratch (this will be how he communicates to you that he's found the mushrooms)... then take a step back and do the following: Have your partner stand 10 feet away from you and your dog, who should be on-leash. Your partner should then bend over and put the ball under your shoe... and stand on it firmly. Now, let your dog run up to him. Your dog will try in vain to get the ball. You should stand behind the dog, and praise him excitedly as he makes an effort to get the ball from beneath your 246


partner's shoe. The MOMENT he tries to use his paw to scratch, your friend should lift his foot off the ball and let the dog have it. With a few repetitions, your dog will learn that the sooner he starts to scratch, the sooner he gets the ball. With practice, you can start letting him scratch longer and more intensely before rewarding him with the ball. This will create a more obvious signal that he's found the ball. 7.) Once you've progressed this far, it's time to start SCENTING the ball with the mushroom. Take some of those mushrooms and rub it all over the ball. Next, take some more mushrooms and drop them in a zip lock baggie with the ball, and let them sit in your refrigerator for a few days. 8.) Repeat steps 1-6 with the scented ball. 9.) Get rid of the scented ball. 10.) Buy another UNSCENTED ball. 11.) When the dog can't see you, hide a fresh mushroom at the park/sand lot where you first started practicing. 12.) Keep the unscented ball in your back pocket, or where the dog cannot see it. 13.) Bring the dog out of your vehicle and take him close to where you've hid the mushroom. This should be an easy find. You can tell him, "Find the ball, find the ball!" 14.) When he hits on the mushroom, praise him intensely, and from behind his head (remember, he'll be looking at the ground)... toss the ball into his field of vision. The idea is to make him think that when he scratches where he finds the scent... his ball will magically appear and then it's... PLAY TIME! 15.) Repeat this exercise in different places, gradually making 247


the 'finds' more and more difficult. By the way... don't be surprised if you notice how much fun this is for your dog!!!

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Here's the Scoop On How To Teach Your Dog Hand Signals! It's funny how so many people think that because a dog knows hand signals, that it's a "really advanced" thing for the dog to know. But in reality, it's much more impressive for a dog to respond to vocal commands than it is for a dog to respond to hand signals. Here's why: When a dog has to respond to voice commands, he must do so... regardless of whether he's looking at you. And because the dominant thing in a dog's mind is WHATEVER he happens to be looking at, the ability to get your dog to listen to your commands WITHOUT looking at you becomes much more of a task to teach. Here's my approach to training: Get the dog to respond under all circumstances to your voice commands, first. To do this, you must first have a relationship with your dog that is based on respect, response, bonding and understanding. Once you have this, your dog will work for you... regardless of what he may be looking at. Now, when do I use hand signals? Well, if you think about it... the only reason you would use hand signals is if you're working with your dog at such long distances that he can't audibly hear you. Or, in some cases, for tactical training for police dogs. But remember this: If you're that far along in the game that the dog is already working at distances for you reliably, then you've probably already got his attention. So incorporating the hand signals at this point is pretty easy. Some people ask, "Why not teach both at the same time?" Well, you CAN do this... but you'll run into one problem. In most cases, the dog will not respond to ONE or the OTHER command and will only respond when BOTH COMMANDS are given. For example, many amateur dog trainers teach their dog to lay 249


down by saying the vocal command, "Down!" at the same time they bend over to place the dog into the down position. But once the dog starts to form the association, guess what happens? Usually, I ask the trainer to issue JUST THE VOCAL command WITHOUT BENDING OVER... and the dog DOES NOT UNDERSTAND... because he doesn't see his owner bend over... which is what he's come to associate with the command. However, when I ask the trainer to not utter ANYTHING verbally, but instead to stand in front of the dog and bend over... the dog goes into the down position. So, in essence, the amateur trainer has inadvertently taught the dog a "hand signal," albeit with their whole body. What's the best way to train hand signals, the right way? First, make sure your dog responds ONLY to verbal commands, without any body cue. A good way to test this is to make the dog sit, facing away from you. Then, standing behind the dog, whisper commands. If the dog responds, and also does this in the face of distractions, then it's a good bet that you're doing your job well. Next, WITH the dog facing you, your task will be to link the NEW command to the old command, and then enforce the command. So, to teach "Sit" with the hand signal, you'll: 1.) Lift your forearm from the natural position, up to a 90* angle. 2.) Say the command, "Sit". 3.) Enforce the command with a light pop on the leash in an upwards direction. (Slack, tight, slack). Now, give your dog your release command, and repeat several more times, over the course of the next few days, and you'll see the commands link. 250


Then you can stop issuing the verbal command and simply give the hand signal. The cool thing about the way dog's learn through association is that you don't need to limit yourself to JUST hand signals. I once worked with Stephanie Taunton, author of the book, "The Trick Is In The Training" who had a dog that would come on command... to the sound of her (Stephanie) patting her hands against her knees. This kind of stuff works great for training movie dogs, which Stephanie does a lot of.

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Are Two Puppies Better Than One? This issue came up on our discussion board, which you can access (FREE!) at: http://www.dogproblems.com/dogtalk The major issue to recognize is that: Most people get two puppies because they're worried about one dog being lonely. So they buy two puppies so that they'll keep each other company. And while this logic sounds good from a human perspective, it is often fraught with problems. What happens is that the two pups end up spending the vast majority of their time bonding to each other... rather than to humans. And this ends up making dogs that are more difficult to train and dogs that tend to have separation anxiety when separated from each other. If you're going to get two dogs, the best way is to get separate kennel runs and to make sure that for the first year of the dog's life, the primary interaction that each dog has is with you, rather than with the other dog. After the first year, the major imprinting will be done. As for the best time to adopt: 8 weeks. The critical stage (when a small amount of exposure will have a lasting affect on the dog's life) for bonding with humans is from 8 to 10 weeks. But adopting the dog at 7 1/2 weeks won't be a big problem. During the 8 to 10 week period, the dog should have no contact with other dogs and only be handled by humans.

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The Truth About Crate Training! HILLARY was courageous enough to step forward and ask: I would like [to know] the truth about crate training. I have heard many people strongly advocate crates, but I am having trouble finding this method of housebreaking and training "nice". ME: "Nice" is simply a value judgement you're placing on a training tool because you're looking at your dog as if he were a human. And that's were you'll run into trouble. See, dogs are motivated by drives and instincts which are completely different than ours. One of these instincts is called a "den" instinct. What we've found, by watching dogs in the wild, is that they will naturally build or find a small, enclosed area that allows them to feel safe (there back can be protected when they sleep), shelter (from the weather) and to protect the young. Many dog owners will often notice that there dogs will naturally curl up beneath a desk, under a table, under a bed, or in a closet... because if fulfills this sense of security and well being. HILLARY: How can leaving a dog in a crate, even if it is big enough for him, be humane? How can this not enforce negative behavior in the dog if it is locked up for hours? ME: The crate should be only big enough for the dog to stand up and turn around in... but not so big that he can defecate and urinate on one side and sleep on the other. How is it humane? It's completely humane. Imagine leaving a baby-- or even a toddler -- in your house, unsupervised, before he has the maturity and understanding of the "house rules". He's going to get into trouble... right? He may even hurt himself, or worse. Maybe he'll burn the house down. Or maybe he'll eat something that will get lodged in his digestive tract. So... we confine him in a crib... or a play pen. Can he get out of the crib by himself? No way. That would be dangerous. 253


Do you understand the analogy? You're right... we wouldn't leave the baby in the crib for 16 hours straight. But a few hours, here and there is okay... and at night. HILLARY: Why are crates good? What are the effects of putting a dog in one as opposed to not putting a dog in one? ME: Leaving a dog out of a crate, unsupervised, before he has proven that he knows and abides by the house rules is courting disaster. He'll start chewing, digging, ripping and destroying things sooner or later, and because you're not there (or awake) to correct him, he then starts to think these behaviors are "okay" and then they become behavior patterns which are much harder to break. HILLARY: How long is too long to crate a dog? ME: It depends on the age of the dog. For adult dogs, all through the night. During the day, not more than 4 hours at a stretch without taking the dog out for some exercise. Puppies may need to be taken out more frequently. Realize this: Adult dogs spend roughly 80% of any 24 hour cycle either sleeping or resting. And with puppies, you're probably looking at more like 90%. All you're doing with the crate is saying, "Sleep here!" Not, "Here, then here, then over there." HILLARY: And if the dog is to be crated for hours, how much time should be allotted for exercise? ME: Again, it depends on the age, breed, and drive (energy level) of the dog. You'll know with your dog if he's still bouncing off the walls. The crate will be one of your most important training tools.

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The Problem With Using ONLY Positive Training Techniques! BETHANY asks: "I would like any advice you could give me regarding the use of positive training techniques. By this I mean training w/out choke chains, pinch collars or shock collars and without physical corrections of any kind. I am not against these methods per se but I am not comfortable using them and do not think they would work well on my very sensitive rescue dog. Thanks for any advice! - Beth " Dear Bethany: The concept of Motivation is such that, once you understand it, it will work on any dog. Motivation, as it applies to training, just means that-- whatever you do-- positive or negative-- has to HAVE meaning. Now... to your question... When people talk about "Positive training techniques," they're usually talking about... as your question states... not using any corrections. And the problem with that is:... Imagine somebody trying to teach you to drive from Los Angeles to St. Louis ... but they ONLY tell you when you're going in the right direction, and they NEVER tell you when you're going in the wrong direction. Either you're going to get completely lost, or it's going to take you a VERY, VERY LONG TIME to get to St. Louis. Of course... you might have a lot of fun taking a long, long time... but if you're trying to get home on time for Christmas dinner... forgettaboutit!~ Plus, when you train exclusively with positive training techniques... you will never end up with a dog that is 100% reliable in a "street smart/around town" environment. If you're 255


REALLY, REALLY good... the best you can hope for is 90%. So why train with a handicap? Why take 2 years to train a dog something that you can do in 3 weeks? If the end result is a happy, working, reliable dog... ??? Just doesn't make sense to me. So what do I suggest? I recommend using BOTH positive and negative motivation. The wise trainer will always adapt to the dog and respond with more or less positive or negative motivation in response to what the dog is giving him.

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How To Teach Your Dog Boundary Training In The House! NATALIE asks, "I have a silk rug from Turkey that I wish to train my dogs (black lab and welsh corgi) to not lay on. They are both smart dogs but I am not communicating what I want them to do effectively. I appreciate any guidance. Thank you, - Natalie" Dear Natalie, It's a good question. And the technique for training this behavior is really cool. It's the same approach we use to teach dogs to stay out of the street, or off the furniture. First, the dogs should be wearing pinch collars and tabs (1 foot leashes) any time you're with them. And when you're not with them, the dogs should be confined to an area where they cannot walk on the rug without getting corrected. To start with, confine one dog, and with the other, put a 6' leash on him. Now, throw something (like a toy) on the rug, that will tempt him to walk on it. As soon as he puts his first paw on the rug, say, "No!" and pop the leash (loose-tight-loose) in the direction that is away from the carpet. Here's the concept: You want the dog to think of the whole exercise as a safe zone/hot zone area. The safe zone is anywhere in the room EXCEPT the rug. The hot zone is the rug. The dog should come to understand that walking on the rug is similar to walking on a hot stove. It feels UNCOMFORTABLE, and he wants to get back into the safe zone as soon as possible. 257


Now, if the dog puts more than one foot on the rug, and actually walks to the center of the rug... it's okay to drag (quickly) him back to the safe zone. This is one of the few instances where you're actually pulling on the leash, instead of giving a quick "pop" on the leash. What you're doing is creating a constant negative motivation until the last of his four feet are off the hot zone. (When you rest your hand on a hot stove, it doesn't just burn for a second... it keeps feeling uncomfortable until you take your hand off.) Next, tempt the dog again. If your first correction was motivational, you'll see him refuse to walk on the carpet. WHEN YOU SEE THAT THE DOG HAS MADE A DECISION, AND IT'S THE RIGHT decision... PRAISE HIM! WHEN THE DOG HAS MADE A WRONG DECISION, CORRECT HIM, AND THEN GIVE HIM THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THE DECISION AGAIN. IF HE THEN MAKES THE RIGHT DECISION, YOU'RE GOING TO PRAISE HIM. Next, you can put the tab on him and start doing the exercise with a variety of different distractions. If you're half way across the room and he walks on the rug, you should say, "No!" as soon as his foot touches the carpet, and then "NO, no, no!" as you walk to him and immediately correct him back into the safe zone. Your success with this exercise will depend on how motivational your corrections are, how precise your timing is (never correct the dog if he's now in the safe zone) and your attention to making sure that you're consistent in your enforcement until the dogs drop the behavior. Once you've done the one dog, put him away and repeat the exercise with the other dog.

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How to Prevent a "Fly By" on the Recall Exercise! Beth J. asks, "I am in the process of training my 13 month old Pit/ Lab to "recall" and "random recall". My problem (or his problem, I should say) is that instead of running TO me - he runs right PAST me! Any suggestions? Thanks! " Dear Beth J.: It's a very common behavior for dogs that are first learning the exercise. What you need to do is: Leave the long line on the dog. As the dog shoots by you, call it's name once more and immediately step forward on the line. This will make the dog correct himself. Then turn to face the dog and take a few steps backwards, to stimulate the dog's "chase" drive... to come into you. When he gets to you, praise him. If the correction is motivational enough, the fly-bys should stop after two or three times. Your next step would be to use a ball or toy or food to get the dog to target into a correct position, right in front of you... if you want to get REAL precise.

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More Advice On How To Give A Motivational Correction! Dear Adam: I've tightened the pinch collar to make it fit snugly, but it really doesn't seem to affect the dog. You said that the ring that the leash or tab is attached to should be down, but it keeps swinging around to the back of the dog's neck. Its almost as if he doesn't even mind the collar pinching him and he's getting huge and strong fast! Any suggestions? Thanks, Rose. Dear Rose: No, I never said that the ring has to be down. The safety ring should be on the inside, and the ring that is shaped like an apple is the one you hook on the leash. It doesn't matter if the prongs are underneath the neck or on the back of the neck. Imagine the mother dog... she might bite the side, or the top, or from underneath... it doesn't matter. Also, when you give a correction, make sure that you use two hands, together... like you're holding a baseball bat. Reach forward to create slack, and then pull it tight, and then make slack again. The first few times that you do it hard enough, the dog may let out a slight yelp. You know that you were motivational then. You shouldn't be swinging your arms wildly when you give a correction. Keep your hands together, and lock your elbows, as if you were taking a golf swing. Then, when you create the slack to give the correction, it's almost like you pivot your hips (again, like taking a golf swing.) Remember, if your corrections aren't motivational, it means that you're not popping hard enough, or you're "pulling" on the leash, tight to tighter, rather than loose to tight to loose. If you're still having trouble giving a motivational correction, 260


maybe you should consider buying an electronic collar and using it until the dog understands that your commands have meaning. Initially, I would synchronize the leash correction with the ecollar correction.

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More Detail On The "Jumping Up" Problem! [ROSE REPLIES:] Thanks. That was so much more visually descriptive. Save that email and incorporate it into your e-zine. Lately, the dog has been getting so excited when we begin our walk that he keeps juming up on me as we walk. Do I pop the leash down toward the ground and make him drop to stop this, i.e., the correction is just the opposite? [ADAM RESPONDS:] It doesn't matter really, for the jumping up. As long as it's a negative, and it happens RIGHT when the dog does it, and it's motivational... the dog will drop the behavior. I went out on a date with a woman last week who was a client of another dog trainer I know. But this other dog trainer uses inferior techniques for companion dog training, as far as I'm concerned. She'd been working on fixing the jumping up behavior for more than a month, by giving the dog food when she didn't jump. Well, needless to say, the dog was still jumping up on me. I hate that. So, I ran to my truck and grabbed a pinch collar from my box of dog training tricks. In less than 2 minutes, I'd fitted the collar on the dog and had to only correct her twice. For the rest of the evening, she wouldn't jump up on either of us. ;-) It's all about making sure your corrections have meaning. [ROSE:] Ok, I'll try it. The embarrassing part are the zillion dog owners in the neighborhood who will probably think I'm abusive. We just bought a house on the bluff overlooking the blah, blah, blah... and there are approximately 33 acres of undeveloped land where everyone plays with their dogs and watches everyone else... oh well, hopefully they'll only see it happen a couple of times :) [ADAM:] Disregard what they think. If you know you're doing 262


the right thing (which, if you follow the instructions in my book, I can guarantee you are) then you have nothing to worry about. Plus, it's none of their business. Thirty years ago, everyone thought it was "horrid" to sit at the same lunch counter with African-Americans. They "thought" it was wrong. My point is: Don't live your life worrying about what other people think is right or wrong. Instead, DO what IS right, and eventually, they'll come around when they see that your dog is so well-behaved. Especially when their dog is still jumping up on people.

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Training The Release Command and Why You Must Use It For Perimeter Training! Dog owner Jenny P. wrote to me this week and asks: "A little background before the question. We live on one acre bordered by a field, woods and the street (a caul-de-sac) which has no sidewalks. I purchased an electronic collar and intend to train my Lab mix to stay within a defined border, several feet from the natural border I have described. ( I plan to set up flags as if there was an invisible fence - only I will be the one administering the correction) My question!!! How do I communicate to my dog that it is OK to cross the border when I want to take her into the street for the mail or a walk--or to cross the border to enter the adjoining field to romp? I planned to remove her with a leash to signal the permission--but is the OK command sufficient? How do I go about the entire training situation? Thank you, Jenny." Dear Jenny: Here are a few pointers you need to keep in mind: 1.) Make sure that whatever boundaries you teach are easily identifiable to the dog. Natural boundaries are best. 2.) Initially, when you stimulate the dog, be sure to have a long line on the dog, so that you can guide her back into the "safe" zone, if she misunderstands how to shut off the stimulation. 3.) When you take her off your property, always take her through the same exit way. 4.) Before you start with the e-collar stimulation, start just on one spot, with a manual leash correction. At the same time, teach her the release command, as outlined in my book. Your release 264


command, however, should not be the word, "Okay." This is a common mistake, even by many 'pseudo' professional dog trainers. Why? Because using the word, 'Okay,' is SO common in are normal vernacular, that it's too easy for the dog to cue off your voice when your husband says, "Oh, by the way Jenny... remember to pick up Adam's dog training book on the way home," and you reply, "OKAY!" ... at which point your dog bolts into the street!!! My advice is to choose a word or phrase that is not commonly used in everyday conversation. For dogs that are trained in English, I use the phrase, "Take a Break." For dogs that are trained in German, we use the word, "Free!" But any word or phrase will do, as long as it's not easily confused. By the way... removing the leash is NOT a smart way to indicate to the dog that she can run through the boundary. The reasons for this should be obvious, when you think about it. Always use your release command (Take a Break) and be careful that you don't unhook the leash and say the release command at the same time, otherwise the two actions (the word, and the action of unhooking the leash) will become synonymous. And there will be times in the future when simply removing the leash DOES NOT mean that the dog is free to go play.

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Living With A Dog That Kills Cats! "Dear Adam: I have a German Shepherd female, age 2yr, 7 mo who attacked my Sheltie and nearly killed her. This concerned a bone. Then one month later, she repeated the attack. We also have a yellow Lab who interacts with the Shepherd with no problems. They play together every day. After the attack on the Sheltie, the Shepherd killed a stray cat and has grabbed and bitten another cat. We live on a 16 acre farm and have 10 cats, all well cared for, current on shots and all fixed. They keep the rodent population down and are also pets, but stay outside with access to the barn. We have 3 acres around the house fenced for the dogs. The cats also interact in this area. Is it possible to train the Shepherd to leave the cats alone so that she can access the fenced area? I do not want any more animals hurt or killed. The Sheltie is the house dog and will never be in the same area again with the Shepherd, but I cannot control the cats. I do not want the cats killed, one by one. If specific training will work, please advise. I am seriously considering finding the Shepherd another home, but she is a well bred dog (Ch sire and dam) and OFA certified. The Shepherd is fine with people. No signs of aggression at all. She has basic obedience training - Beginning and intermediate. All of the problems have surfaced since she turned two year old. Sincerely, Joyce S." Dear Joyce: 266


Well... you've got a tough situation. Here are your options, ranked in various levels of how much effort you'll need to put in and what is reasonable to expect: 1.) The dog will likely never be able to be unsupervised in the same area as the cats. 2.) You can get the dog to ignore the cats while you're in his presence... but when you're not, all bets are off. He may ignore them, but he may not. 3.) Since it's a life and death matter (for the cats, anyway)... your goal should be to create ABSOLUTE AVOIDANCE to the cats. I'd start by first teaching the dog basic behaviors, as outlined in this book. Next, using the 'down-stay' exercise, I'd incorporate the electronic collar, and place the dog on a 'down'... also using the 6 foot leash. Don't use the electronic collar to make the dog go into the down position. Just use the leash. Now, let the cat walk by... perhaps 10 feet from the dog. As the dog lunges for the cat, say, "No!" and stimulate the dog with the electronic collar on the high setting. Then, reissue the 'down' command. 4.) Repeat this exercise several times, over a period of several days. 5.) When you feel you're making progress, and you see that the dog is turning his head AWAY from the cat when it walks by, then you are likely ready to progress to the next step. 6.) Let the dog wander in the area while wearing the long line and the e-collar. The dog will almost always fixate on the cat before taking action. At this point... when he locks on... you need to say, "No!" and stimulate him with the collar on a medium setting. Be aware to have the long line in your hand, so that he doesn't have enough slack to lunge forward and grab the cat. If your timing is off, you will screw everything up. If you're 267


complacent, and the dog gets his mouth around the cat AND THEN you stimulate him, the result will be that he thinks that the CAT is causing him the negative sensation, rather than you... and you will end up making the aggression worse. 7.) If you do it right, he will cease the aggression in your presence because: - He respects you. and - You demonstrate that your corrections are super motivational, and you're not messing around. 8.) The truth of the matter: It's going to be easier to find the dog a new home where the new owner will not have so many "cat" issues. But don't get me wrong... it's just a matter of being honest with yourself about how much time you want to invest in dealing with the problem. 9.) With the proper time and work, the behavior will become manageable... but likely never to the point where you can become complacent.

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Dog Owner Needs Motivation To Train Her Dog The Right Way! "Dear Adam: I've been going back and forth, trying to decide what method to go with to train my 5 month old Boxer. I have been taking her to a positive Motivation class. I agree with a lot that she says but I also question a lot of her methods. She says it will take 2 years to train her and you need to constantly be feeding it dog snacks. My dog is becoming obsessed with getting goodies. Plus, I work full time and have a 10 year old and 2 year old. I don't have the time it takes to train this method. Here's my problem. I'm just scared of this prong collar. I don't want it to hurt my puppy. I know all the intellectual answers, that if I use it correctly it will be OK, but then my maternal instincts kick in and this collar scares me. Can you give me some encouragement. I have not yet opened the material. [An earlier edition of this book.] Thanks for any help you can give me. - Kathy." Dear Kathy: Just imagine how much fun you'll have when-- in a few weeks-you can take your dog with you anywhere you go... and know that she'll listen to you! And imagine how envious your friends in the 'cookie-training' class will be when you tell them about how free your dog is, and how all of your family and 'non-dog' friends love her so much, because she's, "So well behaved." And just think about how much MORE your dog will LOVE YOU because you will now be providing the type of leadership and decision making qualities that will allow her to RELAX and 269


know that you are taking care of her! Imagine a point in the future... say, six months from now... looking back on today... the day you decided to properly use the pinch collar and the rest of my techniques... and saw it as the beginning of such a wonderful relationship you will now have with your dog! And realizing that it all came from the techniques you learned from my dog training package!

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How A Dog Owner with Arthritis Will Get 100% Reliability From Her Golden Retriever Puppy! Ann-- a visitor to our web site-- writes me to ask, "I have been reading this column and researching other parts of the web, but I have not been able to answer a few questions: I have a Golden Retriever puppy that is almost 4 months old. He is already over 30 pounds and is most likely going to weigh near 100#. (I wanted one that was large.) We live on a 5-acre country lot. The dog gets lots of exercise and I want him to be able to go for country walks with me and go down to the lake with me for swimming (the dog will swim, not me). I am not having any real problems with him, but I am anticipating some snags because of his size. I am a small woman with severe arthritis and I am not physically capable of doing a proper leash correction. My husband is, but will this be sufficient to carry over to the times when I am walking him alone? I have my doubts. I am home alone with him for most of the day. The dog is to be my companion and intruder alarm. The two most important things I want him to do outside are to: Come when he is off leash when I call him... and to not pull on the lead. He must come when I call him, no alternatives there. It could be life or death for him. So far, he does come when we call him, but his "teen" months are soon ahead of us. He is already too strong for me to be able to correct when he pulls on the lead. At the moment, he does not pull very often, but when he sees people, especially children, he pulls very hard in order to get to them. His temperament is fairly submissive, but he is just really strong. I would like suggestions as to what the proper age to begin using a pinch collar would be. I think a regular choke collar would not work for me because of my lack of physical strength. Regarding the electronic remote collar (e-collar)... my dog seems to have a very high pain threshold. I have accidentally stepped on him many times and he has run head-long into walls, etc. He 271


doesn't seem to even notice. Will the little tiny stimulation from an e-collar even be noticeable to him? When I did the research and found out how little the "shock" actually is, I began wondering if it will work on him. Would the e-collar also be helpful in teaching him not to jump on people? I cannot move fast enough, because of the arthritis, to do a decent knee to the chest. I have stood on his back paws when he is up on me, but he doesn't even notice - he just continues to try to lick my face. My husband does pull him down when he jumps, and he is learning "off" fairly well. When he does jump on me, he hardly puts his weight on me at all, so even at this young age he is gentle. He is not so gentle with other people. I do tell him to sit whenever he comes close to me, and he does about 50% of the time. Visitors, owever, are reluctant to tell him to sit to be petted because he is "just a cute puppy". Of course, at almost 4 months, his stay is just a few seconds - on good days. I am also open to opinions as to which type of collar would probably work the best for us. Or, should we use both? What are opinions on the different brands of e-collars? The Tritronics one that has the two buttons that enables you to use 3 levels of stimulation is what I've been considering. However, it is around $350, so I want to get the correct one for us the first time. Oh yes... a side note... I was wondering if getting him a gentle leader would work for the next month or so just to get him into the habit of not pulling. Then, begin the pinch or e-collar when he is older.) " ADAM'S RESPONSE: "First, nix the Gentle Leader idea. It's a restraint, and not a form of training. (A Gentle Leader, for those of you who don't already know, is a head harness contraption that you hook to a leash, which directs the dog's head in the direction that you pull). I don't know why people advocate this training device. Yes, it's true... you can use the device to assist in teaching competition heeling. However, to truly get the dog to not pull on the leash when he's not wearing the head halter (Gentle Leader) will take 272


MONTHS!!! Even if you're already an experienced trainer, you're still looking at WEEKS to train this behavior. BUT... if you're using the right technique, teaching your dog to walk on a loose leash SHOULD TAKE LESS THAN 10 minutes!!! [In fact, I explain exactly how to do this on one of the audio tape lectures that comes as a FREE bonus when you purchase this book!] As far as the pinch collar is concerned, yes ... it's a good idea. Your husband's leash corrections will only make the dog work for him... but not for you! The pinch collar will allow you to give a motivational correction with much less physical effort. In general, if you're using the right technique, you shouldn't be using much physical strength anyway. By using a pinch collar, the process of administering a correction becomes more like driving a car with power steering. The main issue you need to be concerned with is, "What do I have to use to make sure that my commands are motivational?" And if you feel you can achieve this goal with a pinch collar... great! I think it's a good choice. But in addition, due to your physical condition, you're probably looking at using an e-collar, too. Especially if you want to get the dog 100% off-leash trained in a hurry. I would recommend the Innotek remoter training collar for this type of work. Which model? Any of the models that allows you 7 levels of stimulation. And that's the really cool thing about these collars... you GET TO USE a level of stimulation that will match your dog's temperament. Even the toughest dogs have a setting that is appropriate. I would just start teaching basic response to commands at this age with the pinch collar and long line (for off-leash work) and the tab-- a one foot leash for inside the house-- for correcting the jumping up. Then, when he's between 7 to 9 months, you can start with the e-collar work. [For more information about the remote electronic training collars that Adam recommends, go to the web site address at: 273


http://www.dogproblems.com/products.htm ]

ANN REPLIES: Adam, thank you so much for such a quick and informative response. I have never used a pinch collar - just a choke chain. (I didn't have arthritis back then.) What is a tab? You had suggested using it for jumping up. One more question about the pinch collar: There have been a few times when I was walking my puppy and a few large, aggressive dogs came out and threatened my baby. Of course, I did what I could and protected him... but he pulled hard on the lead. If we are walking and another situation comes up such as that, is it possible for him to pull so hard that he hurts himself? I know that a choke chain can cause trachea damage - can a pinch collar actually cut in? I'll be studying the correct techniques for the pinch collar for a week or two before I actually use one. ADAM RESPONDS: A tab is a one foot leash that the dog wears around the house, while you're with him. As for the pinch collar... no. The dog's neck is so incredibly strong that it'd be hard to puncture his neck... even if you were to sharpen the tips and really TRY TO do damage. I suppose that if you walked the dog every day with the pinch collar and let him pull, then eventually it would start to dig into the dog's neck. But you won't have a problem if you're anything this side of an idiot and have at least a dash of common sense. ;-) As for the choke chain... I know there's a lot of fluff that is flying around the internet about the choke chain damaging the dog's trachea. But the truth of the matter is that I've never seen ONE single case of a dog having any type of negative reaction to training with a choke chain. 274


Now, I generally use the pinch collar myself... because it's much easier. But there is nothing wrong with the choke chain. I've personally witnessed LITERALLY THOUSANDS of dogs that have been trained with the choke chain, without one case of a negative result. Are there morons who use the choke chain incorrectly? Yes. I have seen problems from owners letting the dog pull and strain at the end of the leash. However, this is not a problem that is inherent to the training tool but rather the poor technique of the handler. THIS IS NOT HOW THE COLLAR WAS DESIGNED TO BE USED. If you'd like to order a pinch collar, take a look at: http://www.dogproblems.com/pinchcollar.htm

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Y2K Compliant Dog Ownership! Dateline: 12/28/99 Be Aware: The big ONE is just about upon us. That means GUN SHOTS and FIREWORKS and LOUD PARTY POPPERS and all kinds of other things that can cause your dog to go absolutely bonkers. Here's my advice: Keep your dog confined inside the house. And preferably inside his crate, if he's crate trained. This will give him a sense of confidence and well-being. In the same room as his crate, leave your stereo on-- fairly loud! Put some soft music on the CD player... like Yanni, or John Tesh, or.. G-d-Forbid... ABBA! The music should drown out any sounds outside the house that may cause your dog to panic. And your neighbors shouldn't mind the music, since it's New Year's Eve... unless they hate John Tesh as much as I do!

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Cooking Your Own Dog Food??? Ellen writes: "I am considering making my own dog food and not using commercial dog food. Any information you could give me would be helpful. I'm looking for recipes as well as the pro's and con's of doing this. Thanks for any advice you can give me. " Adam responds: I hate to tell you this, but... EVERY single one of my clients who has tried to create their own dog food has ended up-- after several weeks-- with a dog that looked malnourished and had health problems. Once they went back to the commercial stuff, the dog would start gaining weight again, return to good health, and re-gain a nice coat. The big pet food companies have put hundreds of years and billions of dollars (okay, maybe not quite that much) into researching what makes for the best quality dog foods. If you stick with one of the top three or four dry dog foods, your dog will be healthier.

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What To Do If Your Dog Won't Use His Dog House! Justin writes: "My dog won't stay in his dog house for more than 5 seconds. What can I do? I have his favorite blanket in there. Any suggestions? Thanks" Adam replies: For some reason, I find that most dogs do not like traditional dog houses. They do, however, prefer the Tupperware-type "Igloos." In any case, here's what you can start doing: Feed the dog his dinner in the dog house. What you're doing when you feed him his dinner in the dog house is that you're associating something positive (eating) with being in the dog house. Simple! You can also try playing fetch games with the dog, by throwing the toy to be retrieved into the dog house.

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Dog Keeps Pacing, And You Think He's Under-Exercised? An anonymous writer comments, in response to prior tips: "If physical exhaustion is the only answer, then why don't I just keep him 'doped up' and save ME the trouble. I'm sorry I'm having trouble buying into this lack of exercise/boredom theory. About Max [the dog] .....He's a mixed breed, part hound, part long-haired terrier, has the frame of a 15-inch beagle, as a matter of fact, he looks like a long-haired beagle (if there was a such breed). We saved him from a horrible death when we adopted him (at about 7 months old) from the local humane society. He's about 3 years old now (and yes he has done this "pacing" since we got him). He's not obese (which could result from lack of exercise). He's a smart dog (he can sit, beg, speak, shake, down, stay). And in my opinion gets plenty of "family time" and selfinduced exercise. His bark sounds like a 'warning bark' and he races and strolls back and forth [at the gate]. Things I won't do because it is not fair to him..... Put him in a dog run Put him in a crate until someone gets home Leave him locked up in the house all day Chain him up in a fenced back yard He's got a 12000 sq. ft yard. I just can't figure out why he only uses 50 sq. ft of it. Thanks, -Anonymous." Adam replies: A couple of points you're confused about: 279


1.) Whether or not this is relevant to your dog's behavior... your dog needs exercise. You cannot "dope the dog up," as a solution to the dog's exercise requirements. So, you're probably asking yourself, "Doesn't the darn dog get enough exercise running back and forth at the fence???" The answer is, 'No!' Why? Because what the dog needs is consistent aerobic exercise. The spurt/sprint and then relax-running that he's doing now simply doesn't meet the dog's exercise needs. I don't know why, I'm just telling you the way that it is. You need to run him, or bicycle him. Or at the very least, play fetch with the ball for 1/2 hour to 1 hour a day. This will definitely take the edge off him. 2.) Your dog is displaying territorial aggression. This is usually exaggerated by a lack of exercise, but will not disappear (usually) simply because you ARE exercising him. So, how do you fix the territorial aggression? Here are a couple of points: First, you NEED to confine him to an area where he cannot exhibit the behavior when you're not present to correct him for it. You should use a dog run for this. Remember two things: - If YOU are meeting the dog's exercise requirements, then confining him to a small area is NOT a bad thing. In the wild, the Alpha dog would confine the subordinate dog to a certain area where THEY MUST STAY. - Believe it or not, dogs spend approximately 80% of any 24-hour cycle either sleeping or resting. Who cares if he's sleeping or resting with 20 acres of space around him, or with 12 feet of space around him? If he's sleeping, he's sleeping. 280


- It's not fair to the dog to get corrected for doing the behavior ONE time (when you're around) but not THE NEXT TIME (when you're not around). For the dog to understand, he must get a correction EVERY TIME he does the behavior, until he demonstrates that he has dropped the behavior. This is the only fair way, for the dog. And to do this, you'll need to confine him to an area (dog run, hint, hint) when you're not present to set him up. - Depending on your dog's temperament, there are different ways to correct your dog. The best way (and fastest and safest) is with a remote collar that you can set the sensitivity to your dog's temperament. These are safe and humane if you follow the directions. This way, the dog will think that he gets a correction for the behavior, even if you're hiding upstairs in the kitchen window. Since the dog is still getting a motivational, consistent correction... your set-ups become much more realistic... which makes the dog drop the behavior THAT MUCH faster.

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More Thoughts on Dominance Scuffles! An individual sent me an e-mail last week that was titled, "Dominance Scuffles." And although I've already covered this subject fairly extensively, I thought it was a good idea to explain it to this fellow through another metaphor. [In response to a prior e-mail:] "Thank's Adam. I think I found the answer. 'We determine who will be the alpha dog.' Correct? " My reply: "No, no no! You cannot do this! It's impossible!!! The dogs' temperaments are inherent. Only you can determine if you're dominant to the other dogs, by being MORE DOMINANT. But you cannot work it out for them. You can control the dogs' behaviors and not allow any scuffles if: 1. You are the alpha dog in the pack. and 2. You have voice control. But as soon as you leave the dogs together-- unsupervised-- and go out for dinner... all bets are off. The dominant one will still be the dominant one. Think of taking a group of four kids. 282


Kid#1 will grow up to be a Navy Seal, and then an Admiral. Kid#2 will grow up to be a fierce criminal defense attorney. Kid#3 will grow up to be a middle management executive for a large firm. Kid#4: will grow up to be a peace activist and a socialist. Now, when you leave the house every day for work, you may say, "Kid#4... you're in charge." And as long as you're around, Kid#4 may get the priviledges of being the "so-called" top dog. But as soon as you leave... It's going to be a given that kid#3 and kid#4 are going to be the bottom dogs, and kid #1 and kid#2 will scrap-it-out to see who is REALLY the "top dog." Their genetics (and to some extent, upbringing-- depending upon their age) determines this. But it is the toughest kid who will become the group leader. Even though kid #2 may be fairly tough in his own right, he will test kid#1... but will ultimately lose... as kid#1 is too tough. Now, if kid#1 gets sick and has to stay in bed, then kid#2 becomes the new kid#1. In other words, the "Alpha dog." Until you get home. Then you're the alpha dog, and he becomes the beta dog.

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They Laughed When I Issued My $10,000 Dog Trainer Challenge-But Still Nobody's Stepped Up To Claim The Money! Reprinted from a press release that you can read more about at: http://www.dogproblems.com/challenge.htm

January 14th, 2000 Torrance, CA. Angered by the false claims and propaganda of various "doggiebiscuit-bribery" internet dog training gurus (and tired of listening to ridiculous dog training advice that never works on the most difficult dogs) Dog Problems.com owner Adam G. Katz decided to put his money where his mouth is. As the author of the wildly popular dog training book, "Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!", he has issued the following $10,000 challenge to anyone who claims that they can "out-train" him using an approach to dog training that is fundamentally different from his. "If you're looking to train a happy, reliable companion dog in a minimal amount of time... you're not going to do it by bribing him with cookies," said Katz, who has owned South Bay K-9 Academy, the Torrance, California dog training business for six years. Katz's dog training approach is based on correcting Fido when he makes incorrect decisions, and praising him when he makes the right decision. But Katz's detractors claim that they can train dogs without corrections, by simply using food as a bribe. Katz is a non-believer. "They're right... about one thing," said Katz, "It is possible to train a dog without corrections, and by using food as a bribe. However, it takes several months to achieve the same results that I can get with a dog in only a few minutes. And even after months of cookie-bribery... if the dog finds something more interesting than your cookie treat... it's hasta la vista, baby!" 284


Many of Katz's detractors have tried to claim that cookies, hot dogs, children's toy noise makers, massaging touch, and getting down on hands and knees and growling like a dog are the most effective ways to teach Fido to listen. Still, Katz is unconvinced. "At best, it's Tom Foolery and a waste of time," said Katz. "At it's worst, it's outright fraud." To prove his point, Katz created the, "$10,000 Dog Trainer Challenge!" with the following rules: Rules: #1: You Must Use A Dog Training Approach That Is Fundamentally Different From his: Interpretation: Any approach to dog training that claims that dog training collars, leashes and corrections are some how "wrong" or "cruel" will do fine. If you consider yourself an "Anti-Correction Collar": Cookie Trainer, Food Trainer, Clicker Trainer, Psychic dog trainer, New Age Dog trainer (Energy) or Massage (Use-Only-Your-Hands and No Dog Training Equipment) Dog Trainer... then you're exactly the type of person he's looking for! #2: Time Limit: Four hours. #3: Number of dogs to be trained: Each participant will train THREE DOGS. #4: Both participants will be training dogs of similar sizes & temperaments. The first dog will be a small dog. The second will be a mediumsized dog (50 to 75 lbs.). And the third will be a large dog (75 to 100 lbs.). All dogs will display no prior training and will be borrowed from a local animal shelter, humane society, rescue organization or neutral private party. Either a medium or large size dog for each participant (challenger and Mr. Katz) will already show extreme dog 285


aggression and will demonstrate little or no "ball or food" drive/ motivation, but will otherwise be of sound mind and temperament. Either the small, medium or large size dog for each dog trainer will already show average to above-average "ball or food" drive/ motivation. All dogs must be estimated to be between 9 months and 4 years of age and in both sound physical and mental health. #5: All SIX dogs will be selected by Adam G. Katz. However, the challenger will have first choice as to which SET OF THREE dogs that he desires to work with. A "SET" of dogs is defined by one of each of the dogs described above. #6: This challenge will take place in a public park environment located in the South Bay of Los Angeles, California. Location to be determined by Adam G. Katz upon acceptance of challenge, but will likely be in either the Beach Cities, Torrance or Lomita. Why in the Los Angeles area? Because the challenger always comes to the one issuing the challenge! #7: To win, each of the three dogs must display an understanding of the following behaviors and the ability to do each behavior around 4 types of distractions (see below for explanation of distractions) during the final evaluation period, at the end of the expired 4 hour time limit. The dog trainer that exhibits those three dogs which most successfully complete the exercises will be declared the winner. In the event of no clear winner, the winner will be decided by a soon-to-be-announced sponsor. This sponsor will be a neutral party to both the challenger and Mr. Katz. 286


Exercises that each dog should be trained to do, within 4 hour period: a.) Do not jump up on human when greeting. (The same human will be used for the training process as for the final evaluation, in the interest of time). b.) Walk on a loose leash without pulling. This must be done without continual interaction from the human at the other end of the leash. Handler must demonstrate visible slack (U-shape) in leash. c.) Stop at curb regardless of distraction and without prompt from human. This will be demonstrated at the same curb used during the training period, in the interest of time. d.) Hold down-stay position for a reasonable amount of time and around all four distractions, until handler issues release command. Handler may stay present at dog's side, but may not interact with dog. #8: Distractions for each dog and participant during final evaluation period: a.) One tennis ball, continually bouncing. b.) One handful of raw hot dogs scattered on ground, within access to dog. c.) One already trained dog, holding a long down-stay. d.) One human. Each of the distractions used during the final evaluation will be the same distractions that were used for each dog during the four hour training period. (Again, this is in the interest of time.) #9: Acceptance of Challenge: In order to accept this challenge (and prevent cancellations and last minute drop outs) the following must be done: a.) Challenger must submit in writing a signed and dated declaration to proceed with challenge, which includes a declaration 287


of agreement to the terms specifically stated on this web page. This written acceptance of the challenge must be submitted via the U.S. Postal Service, Return Receipt Requested. This must be mailed to: South Bay K-9 Academy, 3128 Pacific Coast Highway, PMB#33, Torrance, CA 90505 U.S.A. b.) Challenger must also submit a $10,000 "Good Faith" check or money order, payable to an escrow account which will be managed by a sponsor that has yet to be announced. Challenger will be notified of sponsor and escrow account within three weeks of receipt of the declaration to proceed with challenge (9a.). This "Good Faith" money must also be sent via the U.S. Postal Service, Return Receipt Requested. c.) The above mentioned $10,000 check or money order must be received and cleared within five weeks of receipt of the declaration to proceed with challenge. If check does not clear, the challenger will lose by default. Upon receipt and clearance of challenger's money, Mr. Katz will match $10,000 to the previously mentioned escrow account. #10: South Bay K-9 Academy will retain all video and reproduction rights of this event, as well as any sponsorship monies received in exchange for the promotion and organization of this challenge and event. #11: Challenger agrees that South Bay K-9 Academy and Adam G. Katz will not be liable for any damage or loss resulting from this challenge or any occurrences resulting from this event or from this challenge. Challenger also agrees to sign an industry standard safety waiver/release. #12: In the event that the Challenger does not follow through with this challenge, abide by stated rules, or does not show up for the event, he acknowledges that he will lose the "Good Faith" money. In this case, the money will be relinquished from the escrow account to South Bay K-9 Academy, as reparations for the time, energy and money spent in organizing this challenge and event.#13 This challenge expires on January 14, 2001. 288


"My Dog Forgets About Me When He Sees Another Dog!" Dear Adam, Since reading your book (I'm actually still reading it) my year old German Shepherd and I are making great strides towards being well-trained (both of us). He has been my constant companion since he was 8-weeks old and is a funny, loving, sweet, devoted boy who is actually fun to train. I have combined come/sit/stay/down/heed into a play session using his favorite tennis ball (i.e., having him sit/say, I throw the ball, I walk away, have him go down from afar, fetch it up, come, give, etc.). He responds beautifully and we get glowing comments from strangers who stop to watch us work. Since switching to the pinch collar, he walks very nicely on a loose lead, no longer bouncing/bounding at cats, squirrels, leaves, other dogs behind their fences, etc., which was a puppy thing, I'm sure. Now, here comes, the BUT.... I have not been successful in getting him to walk PAST another (strange) dog(s), whether that dog is loose (with no owner in sight) or walking nicely with their person, on their lead. Mine bounds and bounces and generally causes a ruckus (as you say). He doesn't snap, bite or growl and NEVER reacts negatively towards me when corrected. I always give him a correction and usually, but not always get a yelp, and I do regain control; however, he doesn't seem to apply the lesson to the next time. I can have him sit while the other guy passes or turn and go the other way and he goes right with me. But pass nicely...he breaks. In virtually all other aspects, he respects and responds to my wishes, is truly bonded to me and wants to please me. I'm not sure if my corrections are not motivational enough (they work in every other instance) or if I need to correct BEFORE he 289


breaks (I'm waiting till be commits the crime before I correct) or if this is a trait (Shepherds are famous for being wary of strangers and, of course, protective) that I need to approach differently. He does play well with dogs he know, however, he doesn't hang with dogs all that often. He is friendly enough with people, but aloof, again as Shepherds tend to be. He is excellent in the house, well behaved, attentive and responds to all comments (off lead). Any suggestions? Any comments? Any hope? Thank you, Nancy ADAM RESPONDS: Here's the deal: As the motivation for the distraction INCREASES, the motivation for your correction MUST INCREASE, too. But here's what I want you to do: Find a distraction dog. Perhaps a friend's pooch. Tie him up to a tree. Now, take your dog out of your car, and walk him past the dog on the tree. WATCH YOUR DOG the whole time. Do not watch the other dog. Walk straight towards the other dog. THE SECOND you see your dog look (fixate) on the other dog, IMMEDIATELY AND WITHOUT WARNING, SPIN 180 degrees, and RUN in the opposite direction. Do this two or three times, and you'll be able to work your way to the point where you're almost in front of the other dog, BUT YOUR DOG WILL NOT TAKE HIS EYES OFF YOU. He will start to think it's a trick, and he doesn't want to be left out at the end of the leash. 290


When you get to the point where the tree dog is on your left, you can run at a 90 degree direction to your right, since your dog will be looking to your left now, instead of ahead of you. Praise the dog when you see that he's aware of the distraction, but chooses to look at you. If you need to do this 100 times, then it means that your corrections aren't meaningful, and you might think about getting an electronic remote collar to help you a bit. However, it's all technique, and I've taught little people to successfully do this. But some people naturally have more of an aptitude for this stuff. If you don't, that's okay. Go with the e-collar and make your life easy. But try this first with the pinch collar. It should work well for you. And feel free to report back.

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Puppy Progress!!! DAVE AND LINDA WRITE: Hello! I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirit. I enjoyed your book and believe I have the basic idea. However, our 7 month old Rottweiler puppy is displaying behavior that has me a little confused. The commands that we are having trouble with are down and come. She will only go down when I go to grab the lead, then she hits the deck in a flash. ADAM: At this age, you should be reaching for the leash and making her go down, every time. If, by the time you grab the leash, she's already down, then just praise her. But it's (apparently from the behavior you're describing) too soon to be expecting 100% performance in all circumstances. I would make her do it, EVERY TIME, for at least another several months, since she's still young. You still need to condition the immediate response. DAVE AND LINDA: This has been a consistent problem for a few weeks now. Next, she responds to the come command consistently when we are training; so to say, but she is inconsistent at best when she gets in that I want to play and run around like an animal mood. ADAM: You're missing a KEY element. At this stage in the training, and at this age, YOU SHOULD NEVER give a command that you cannot enforce. Leave the leash (instead of the tab) on the dog if she's trying to get away from you. After you step on it a couple of times and give her a good correction... and she learns that SHE CANNOT run away from you anymore... AND THAT YOU WIN (get her) EVERY TIME... she will drop this behavior. DAVE AND LINDA: When I try to use the training collar to coax her to me, she goes submissive. Then I back off a few 292


steps... she may get up, but then goes submissive again when we resume. ADAM: Just make her come to you, all the way, and then praise her. Do lots of repetition, and be neutral with your voice. Make sure that YOU ARE NOT leaning forward, into the dog, when you call her. Through the repetition, and praise after she completes the exercise, he fear/submission will disappear and she'll realize that the submission is not necessary. Some dogs will use submission as a form of passive resistance. They learn that when they go submissive, the owners stop asking them to do something. Teach her that there is no reason to be submissive by making her do it, and then praising when she's completed the task. Success is the best reinforcer. DAVE AND LINDA: She displays a semi-aggressive kind of play, or maybe it's not play, behavior. She looks like she means business, but when we go to correct her she's as sweet as could be. This sort of bite- ya, lick- ya behavior will go on for hours. Is it wrong to let her grab your arm or hand in a mock battle play? ADAM: Yes. Don't ever let her bite you... even in play. Correct her, then walk away. DAVE AND LINDA: How can we play and show affection without pain? ADAM: Pain? There should be no pain. For her OR FOR YOU! Play fetch. Play hide and seek. Play with obedience (if she goes down fast, then give her the release command and let her run after the ball). Massage her. But do not allow any nonsense. Teach her to do tricks. All of this is fun for the dog. DAVE AND LINDA: Can you share any information on raising my friend and protector? Does this breed need more space or respect? Am I over dominating her now? Will she grow out of this? Don't get me wrong she appears to be happy and she seems to love my wife and myself. I don't want to over-correct, 293


and of course, I don't want her to grow out of control. ADAM: I think you're doing fine. Just be consistent, and review my THREE KEYS to successful behavior modification. Never forget to use common sense, and THINK about your goal, and how everything you do, your dog will learn from. Also, as far as being a family protector... she'll naturally become territorial within the next few months... as a watch dog. But if you want her to become a personal protection dog (to bite if necessary) you'll need to pursue formal training. You cannot do it yourself.

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Recommendations For Buying A Remote Electronic Training Collar At the link below, you'll find the remote electronic training collars that I recommend. It is important that a remote electronic training collar (an "e-collar" for short) have at least the following features: - Seven levels of stimulation. You must have the flexibility to adapt the motivation of the stimulation to MATCH your dog's temperament. Three levels of stimulation is usually not enough. - A range that is practical for off-leash training. If the e-collar you're using only claims to have a range of 50 yards, the reality is that-- in the park-- the range won't actually reach this far. - The transmitter should be small enough to carry in your pocket. - The manufacturer should prove itself to be in business for the long run. This is evident by excellent product support and a willingness to stand behind it's product. - The remote electronic training collar should have intelligent engineering. Some e-collars demonstrate a noticeable lag time from when you press the button to when the dog feels the stimulation... and so your timing (and the dog's association) will suffer. And this means that your training results will suffer, too. The e-collars that I recommend below do not have this "stimulation lag." Read more at: http://www.dogproblems.com/e-collars.htm

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Her Dog Sleeps On Her Bed And Growls At Her: "Is This A Problem?" Hi Adam! I have a two-year old Siberian Husky. I have had him since he was a puppy, and will be the first to admit I have been a LAZY dog owner. I would like to remedy that and was wondering if it will be too much of a problem if I start using a whistle with training him. I am an elephant keeper at the Kansas City Zoo and am getting more and more training experience and would like to start implementing that in my relationship with my dog. He knows a few basic commands, like sit and shake. I think that's about it. My big question is this: He sleeps on my bed with me. Whenever I move my legs around or roll over or anything, he growls at me. He has never made an actual attempt to bite or anything, and most of the time just jumps off the bed. When this happens, I try to sit up and back him down, and like I said, he usually just jumps off the bed. What I'm wondering is, is this actually aggression? He doesn't show any other dominance problems that I'm aware of. If you could give me a possible explanation for this behavior, I could hopefully remedy it with the advice in my "Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!" I don't know if this helps any, but this has been going on since we moved away from my mother's house and to the Kansas City area (I'm originally from NY), and I thought maybe it had something to do with that, being in a different environment and everything. As I'm re-reading this, I have probably given you way too much info. Thanks for your time and help, Adam. I appreciate it. Regards, Becky. Dear Becky: 296


I hate to be the one to tell you this, but... you definitely have a problem waiting to happen. I would strongly recommend NOT letting your dog sleep on the bed. This is probably the #1 way to undermine your efforts to establish yourself as the pack leader. Why? Because instinctively, the most dominant dog will always sleep in the best spot... which is also usually the highest spot. (Remember, being the dominant one is also being the one on top). So, when you're sleeping, you're spending 7 to 9 hours in a horizontal position at the same level as your dog... who, in most cases, is not sleeping beneath you, but rather on top of you. Furthermore, in the natural social hierarchy of the pack, a subordinate dog will never challenge a more dominant dog. And if he does, then the more dominant dog will always correct him and put him in his place. However, when you're in bed, in the middle of the night... it's impossible for you to safely correct the dog for this type of aggression. So from now on, let Bubba sleep on the floor. Best regards, Adam.

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New Dog In The House Is Aggressive! Mr. Katz: I have a 8 month old Great Dane female, Dulcinea. I have used several of your techniques on training her and have been successful. My husband and I work during the day and she is alone in the back yard. I do take her for a walk several times a week and we play ball. Occasionally we go to my in-laws to visit. They have two untrained dogs. A Toy Poodle male, 11 years old named Teddy. Also a Lab/Pit Bull mix female, 9 years old named Sammy. Dulcinea is just thrilled to go there to see the other dogs. So we decided to look for a companion. We found a 9 month Great Dane/Lab mix male named Greedo. We got him Saturday and then stayed at my in-laws. Saturday went great, my dogs played all day and night. When I fed them Saturday, Greedo acted as if he hadn't eaten. I also gave them all a snack and things went well. Sunday morning all four dogs were fed and Sammy went over by Greedo to wait for food to drop. Greedo is really messy. Greedo did attack Sammy and we had to separate them. Luckily Sammy ony had one puncture. Later that day, I was in the kitchen and Greedo was at my feet. Then Sammy came in and Greedo attacked her again. We separated them again and Sammy didn't get hurt except his feelings. My in-laws feed their dogs once a day and I feed mine twice a day since they are puppies and they are large breed. So when I was ready to feed them Sunday night, I put Greedo outside while I prepared the food. Greedo got his bowl outside and Dulcinea ate inside. After they were finished, I picked up the bowls and let Dulcinea go outside. Dulcinea and Greedo both ate the pieces that fell out of the bowl without problems. Now I'm at home with both of my dogs and I am extremely nervous. I gave them both a bone when we got home Sunday night and Dulcinea went by Greedo and he growled. I took the bones because I didn't want any problems. When I feed them I do spit in their food. My husband thinks it is sick but I think it makes sense. [ The Alpha dog always eats first, thus leaving his scent 298


(saliva) on the food. Subordinate dogs only eat after the alpha dog has eaten. ] Monday morning, today, I fed them at the same time in two bowls. While I was at work I did leave them outside together. When I got home I didn't open the garage so I could sneak in and check on them. They were playing. I feed them when I got home and Greedo is chewing his food more. Dulcinea is spayed and Greedo is not neutered yet. I have an appointment on February 16th to get him neutered. That was the soonest that I could get him in. Do you think I'm going to have a problem with Dulcinea and Greedo? I do use the pinch collar for Dulcinea and I got one for Greedo. Do you think that I should invest in the Electronic Dog Fight Stopper for when I go to the inlaws? Or would it be too much for Sammy? Sammy has been on Prozac and has thyroid problems. Would the pinch collar with a tab for Greedo be enough? Should I wait until Greedo is neutered and is older to introduce them again? I hope I haven't confused you. Everyday I do relax a little more. I'm just nervous and worried. Dulcinea is our first dog. The dogs are taking a nap right now. I will have to take them for a walk tonight. Part of me does think that this was a match made in heaven. She is so much more happier. Thanks, Christy. Dear Christy: Thanks for the question. Well... you've got a lot of 'dog ownership' issues we need to straighten out: #1: When introducing a new dog into your family, never leave the dogs unsupervised for the first several weeks... at least until you know that they're both comfortable with each other, and have worked out all dominance issues. 299


#2: Make sure that you have voice control over both dogs. Any aggression needs to be corrected. Now, when you're not around, they're going to eventually, "work it out." But sometimes, with certain dogs, you can communicate that this is an undesirable behavior... AND IT WORKS! #3: In the beginning, be prepared if they DON'T work it out. Older dogs with serious dog aggression problems can be trained to ignore other dogs, in the presence of their master. But bringing a new dog like this into a home that already has a dog can be a living nightmare. This doesn't sound like what you've got. Your case sounds more like two dogs establishing WHO is the more dominant dog. However, you can never be too safe, and if you are still unsure, then I'd advise seeking the help of a professional who can come to your house and watch the dogs to let you know if it's just a dominance scuffle or not. #4: Always feed the dogs separately. #5: Yes, I agree... owning the Electronic Dog Fight Stopper certainly can't hurt. While it doesn't work on all dogs, I've personally seen some VERY SERIOUS dog fights end IMMEDIATELY with both dogs running in opposite directions. Take a look at: http://www.dogproblems.com/products.htm to learn more. #6: Neutering is a good idea, in general. Expect it to take two to three months before all of the testosterone is out of the dog's system. This CAN affect the dog's dominance level. But I wouldn't look at it as a quick fix. It does have several other benefits, such as making the dog much less stressed, less frustrated, and less prone to certain types of cancer. #7: I personally would not take a dog like this over to your parent's house. With four or five dogs running loose, it will be impossible to break up a fight if something should get out of 300


control. Once you've developed a proper relationship with the new dog and know that you can control him, then you may try gradually introducing the dogs again. But proceed with caution.

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What Industry Insiders Know About Electronic Bark Collars! Here's the deal: You've got a dog that just keeps barking when you leave him in his kennel run or in the back yard. You've already exercised him and you know that he's not barking at anything in specific. Let's face it: Sometimes dogs just bark because it's fun. And then it becomes a habit. And then your neighbors start complaining. Even if you correct the dog when you're home, your dog is smart enough to learn that he doesn't get corrected for barking when you leave for work. And that's where the bark collar comes in. Innotek's No-Bark Collars deliver a safe, instant message that barking is off-limits. Controlling your dog's barking has never been safer or easier. The No-Bark Collar is also safe to use around other animals because the stimulus can be activated only by the bark of the dog wearing the collar. These things really work! I've used them for the last 10 years, and I honestly don't know what kennel owners did without them. (Hint: Lots of sound insulation!) Please read at the link below for a description of the different bark collars that we offer. http://www.dogproblems.com/barkcollar.htm

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Make Him Get In The Crate... Dear Adam: I bought and read your book; Thank you, thank you, from the bottom of both mine and my dog's heart! Here's my problem: Yoshi is my 8-month-old, Rhodesian Ridgeback/Anatolian Shepherd mix. Yes, I found him at the dog park when he was 3 months old; he had been abandoned. Yoshi is now a healthy, happy 7-8 month old 75 lb. pup. He's very "high energy", to say the least. However, he is responding really well to the training techniques from your book (although he's stubborn sometimes; I have read that Anatolian Shepherd is not a dog for a first-time handler-me- but now he's with me and I'm definitely not getting rid of him). I am a full-time student at Cal State, and was living in [omitted]. Every time I'd leave Yoshi at home to go to class, he'd chew destructively, even though he has my cat to keep him company. I moved back to Santa Barbara in December, and into my mother's house, because she has two dogs, and I thought once Yoshi had more company, he'd stop chewing. I was wrong. The other family members can leave and there's no problem. However, if I leave him here, even in the company of family, he chews. Last week he ate my cell phone, which was deep inside an overnight bag which was zipped closed. My mom was in the next room. I want you to understand that I personally have never seen this dog eat Anything; its only when I'm not around. I can't get him into a crate. I bought a nice big one for him, and he just won't go in it. So I've been locking him in my bedroom with the cat when I leave for school. This week he's eaten an entire file cabinet and its contents, among many other things. I've tried ignoring him for five minutes before leaving; I've given him herbal calming drops, etc. Nothing seems to work. He used to be fine in the car, so I'd just take him everywhere with me. 303


Last week he ate my Sheepskin seat cover, and destroyed the Emergency break in the car (again, among other things) within a 45-minute period. I apologize for the length of this e-mail, but I don't know what to do. If I leave Yoshi outside, he spends his time frantically destroying expensive plants that don't belong to me (they're my mother's) and I simply cannot afford to replace them. Please help me. I love Yoshi, and I cant bear the thought of this being an "unfixable " problem. He's made so much progress in other areas; he was sick when I found him and I feel like I saved his life. Some have told me (not professional trainers) that he has irreversible brain damage from his mysterious illness, and will always chew and destroy and be stubborn. I think he's got a serious case of separation anxiety. I have thus far been unable to help him with the methods suggested to me thus far. Help!!! Sincerely, Cori. Dear Cori: Thank you for the question. What I am about to say may be interpreted by other people as brash and offensive, but I have the feeling that YOU will accept it openly and without becoming defensive because you are the type of person who recognizes when advice is given in your best interest. Okay, ready? You must drop this helpless attitude you've adopted. You are the master. He is the dog. If you tell him to go in the crate, then come hell or high water, 304


when you walk away from that dog... HE'D BETTER BE IN THAT CRATE!!! If you're not willing to think like THE ALPHA DOG, then find a new home for the dog with someone who will. I don't mean to come across as brash, but for Chrissakes... he's YOUR OWN DOG. If you can't even make him go into the crate, then there is something FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG with your relationship with your dog. And it doesn't have to do so much with the dog. The problem is within you. You must be able to protect your dog from himself. If you leave him out again, it's possible he may kill himself. The dog is not brain damaged. Or if he is, then it has nothing to do with this behavior. He is experiencing separation anxiety. read the section in my book on separation anxiety. If you've already read it, I'd urge you to READ IT AGAIN AND PAY ATTENTION. Do exactly what the article says, and you'll be able to lick this thing. Good luck, Adam.

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"Should I Socialize My Puppy To Other Dogs?" Dear Adam: I am becoming more and more frustrated at trying to socialize my young GSD (7 months) to other dogs (and bitches) and he is a good natured little fella but almost every dog he meets wants to fight him. To his credit he has responded in a totally bewildered non aggressive manner but I am getting worried that when his testicles drop he's going to click all of a sudden and get his nasty head on. These other dogs seem fine until they meet him. All he wants to do is play. Is it because he is big that they regard him as such a threat? Or do I live in a country which is full of psychopathic dogs as well as people? Thanks, Andy. Dear Andy: I believe that it is a mistake to "socialize" dogs with other dogs outside of the pack, after 8 weeks of age and before 1 1/2 years of age. Why? Because this is how dog aggression is started. Of course, there may also be a genetic component, but when a young dog is dominated-- and then submits-- and the other dog (because he's mal-tempered) does not back off... your dog has just learned that submission does not work. So he becomes afraid. And this fear, combined with testosterone, turns into aggression. And within the first year of the dog's life, this type of experience can create a lasting effect on the dog's interactions with other dogs in the future. Trust me, if your dog was with the litter from 6 to 8 weeks of age, 306


he went through the primary socialization imprint stage, and will know how to interact with other dogs later in life. No. The issue is NOT: Should I socialize my dog? The issue IS: Should I socialize my dog with OTHER dogs. Here are three proofs: 1.) Several dogs I've raised, but we'll take the last two... a GSD, and a Rottweiler (separately)... were both socialized with the litter during the 6 to 8 week imprint stage. After this imprint stage, the Rottweiler was only allowed to socialize with pack dogs. (Safe dogs owned by my family and circle of friends that I've know to be temperamentally safe and not overly dominant.) The German Shepherd dog was not allowed to interact with any other dogs. Period. The result: These dogs BOTH matured into well-adjusted adult dogs with absolutely no form of dog aggression. In addition, I've counseled hundreds of clients to do the same thing, and have experienced the same results. 2.) Professional Schutzhund trainer Tom Rose has a habit of adopting dogs (intentionally) before the 6 to 8 week imprint stage to other dogs. He DOES NOT want the dog to learn dominant and subordinate behavior. The result: These dogs grow up basically NOT having an interest in other dogs. BUT they are NOT dog aggressive. They behave much in the same way that humans who don't care about dogs do. After a year of age, they ARE able to successfully co-exist with other dogs in a familial setting. 3.) Every single case of dog aggression that I see from clients are a result of dogs that have been "socialized" with other dogs. And very often, the owners CAN remember THAT ONE experience at the dog park when, blah, blah, blah. And surprise! A few months later, the dog starts showing dog aggression upon maturity. Of course, there may at times be an element of genetic 307


predisposition to this, too. Best regards, Adam.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS... (continued from page 9) How Do I Teach My Dog To Let Me Know When He Needs To Go Outside?

see page 178

A Few More Points On How To Teach Your Dog To Lay Down!

see page 179

“ My Dog KNOWS She Did Something Wrong When I Come Home!”

see page 180

Does Correcting My Dog Make Him More Aggressive?

see page 181

My Dog Is Running Away From Me! What Should I Do?

see page 183

The Pro's Never Yell or Scream Commands At Their Dog!

see page 184

More Advice On How To Teach Your Dog To Stop Digging In The Garden!

see page 186

Tips For Taking A Road Trip With Your Dog!

see page 189

Tips For Taking Your Dog With You To Work!

see page 194

How To Teach Your Dog To Eliminate On Command!

see page 197

The Invisible Command: How You May Be Sabotaging Your Dog Training Efforts!

see page 199

How To "Build The Bond" With Your Dog!

see page 202

Food Treats For Training!

see page 206

A Good Tip For Dogs With Itchy Skin!

see page 207

Talking "Alpha Dogs" When You Should Be Talking "Dominant Dogs!"

see page 208

A Recipe For Motivation... Not A Recipe For A Bribe!!!

see page 211

How To Rescue Your Lawn From Your Dog!

see page 213

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The Fourth Element Of Dog Training... Maintenance! see page 217 How To Get Your Dog To Stop Showing Territorial Aggression Towards The Post Man!

see page 221

A COMPETITION TRAINER'S TRICK

see page 225

On Using A Training Collar For Aggressive Dogs!

see page 226

A Real-Life, No-Holds-Barred Letter From One Professional Dog Trainer To Another!

see page 230

Using The Right Technique!

see page 233

Figuring Out What You Want To Achieve With Your Dog Training Skill!

see page 235

Fixing A Slow Recall And Lagging Heeling!

see page 237

Temperament Problems and Poor Nerves!

see page 239

On Not Being Intimidated By Your Own Dog!

see page 241

Professional Dog Trainer Knows How To Train Dog, But Has Problems With Owner!

see page 243

How To Train Your Dog To Find Mushrooms??? The Hunt For Truffles???

see page 245

How To Teach Your Dog Hand Signals!

see page 249

Are Two Puppies Better Than One?

see page 252

The Truth About Crate Training!

see page 253

The Problem With Using ONLY Positive Training Techniques!

see page 255

How To Teach Your Dog Boundary Training In The House!

see page 257

How to Prevent a "Fly By" on the Recall Exercise!

see page 259

More Advice On How To Give A Motivational Correction!

see page 260

More Detail On The "Jumping Up" Problem!

see page 262

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Training The Release Command and Why You Must Use It For Perimeter Training!

see page 264

Living With A Dog That Kills Cats!

see page 266

Dog Owner Needs Motivation To Train Her Dog The Right Way!

see page 269

How A Dog Owner with Arthritis Will Get 100% Reliability From Her Golden Retriever Puppy!

see page 271

Y2K Compliant Dog Ownership!

see page 276

Cooking Your Own Dog Food???

see page 277

What To Do If Your Dog Won't Use His Dog House! see page 278 Dog Keeps Pacing, And You Think He's Under-Exercised?

see page 279

More Thoughts on Dominance Scuffles!

see page 282

They Laughed When I Issued My $10,000 Dog Trainer Challenge--

see page 284

"My Dog Forgets About Me When He Sees Another Dog!"

see page 289

Puppy Progress!!!

see page 292

Recommendations For Buying A Remote Electronic Training Collar!

see page 295

Her Dog Sleeps On Her Bed And Growls At Her: "Is This A Problem?"

see page 296

New Dog In The House Is Aggressive!

see page 298

What Industry Insiders Know About Electronic Bark Collars!

see page 302

Make Him Get In The Crate...

see page 303

"Should I Socialize My Puppy To Other Dogs?"

see page 306

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About Adam Katz Dogproblems.com is owned and operated by Adam Katz. Adam is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree while also studying canine behavior under prominent Israeli dog trainer Alon Geva. Adam is currently raising a Pit Bull- Rhodesian Ridgeback mix named "Forbes." He is also the author of the book, "Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer: An Insider's Guide To The Most Jealously Guarded Dog Training Secrets In History!" as well as several dog training videos, audio tape lectures, dog training internet resource disks and several dog training information products. He has worked as a technical consultant and dog handler for the Canine Communications video production How to Keep Your Dog Out of the Dog House. Adam has also lived in St. Louis, Missouri, where he worked with Tom Rose, an international Schutzhund (a police dog sport) competitor and author of the books, "Training the Competitive Working Dog" and "Dogs That Love and Protect." In addition, he has trained dogs for the Dog House, Inc., a kennel and training facility also in Missouri. Adam has done training for obedience, competition, behavior modification, drug detection, tracking, schutzhund, police work, agility, film, and personal protection. He was the owner of South Bay K-9 Academy in southern California for more than six years. Be sure to subscribe to Adam's FREE Weekly dog training tips ezine We now have over 7,000 subscribers! Go to: http://www.dogproblems.com 312


Here's How You Can Get All Of My New Dog Training Videos At The Special Discounted Price Of Only $97!!! This special offer was intended for past clients ONLY. But it's too good to keep under wraps! If you are the type of person who is a “ visual learner” then this is exactly what you've been looking for! Read on… Now you can buy all of my videos together for the low investment of only $97... And still get my Iron-Clad "Performance" Guarantee!

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Video Tape #1: How To Teach Any Dog To Walk On A Loose Leash! The footage on this video tape will absolutely blow your mind! You will see me working with all kinds of dogs that have never been trained before. And in only minutes, you will see them go from virtual sled dogs-- pulling and lunging at the end of the leash-- to well behaved, happy dogs who walk along as if they've had years of training! These techniques are so amazing that in less than one-hour after you watch this video your dog will 313


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your side? Your family will be amazed at how happy and obedient your dog can be. Normally Sells By Itself For $49.97! •

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Secrets Book of a Professional Dog Trainer

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