Learning the command "come"

Now that your pet know its name, the next step is to teach them to come on command.  You can teach a puppy to come using the word "come" or any other word or short phase you like (such as "get over here", "lets go", or "come here").  Dogs learn words best that are novel and distinctive. If you know a different language choose words or phases that you could use that your puppy will not hear all day long. Now you do not have to learn a 2nd language to train your dog, any words will do. This command can save your puppy's life because a dog who is under your control will not run off, or into traffic, or lunge at people. And they will not make a nuisance of themselves when you visit friends.  So pick any word you want, but use the same word or phase each time.

Caution Note: Never punish a dog for obeying you! Do not call your pet to you to reprimand them for something else. If you call them to come to you then punish them they will not come the next time, which defeats the purpose of this command.

Okay so lets start with call your pets name. Use the name in a happy, upbeat, tone of voice, complete with smiling, to elicit the orientation response we talked about in the previous post.
Then as they begin to approach you on their own say "come" adding a salutations as she walks toward you, followed by strokes and gentle handling. "G-o-o-o-d Come! G-o-o-o-d Come!" The word "come" and the intonation of your happy voice are now becoming connected to the pets happy feelings, and they will experience that happy feeling in the future opportunities to come when they hear the word.
The key to success here is to act as thought it was the dogs idea.  It is a technique that allows the dog to connect the action of walking toward you with your giving praise, and that she is responsible for "making" you give her the praise and attention when she hears "come here"
Try whispering the instruction and praise as she approaches. Both of you will be happy!

For getting the whole family involved with the "come command" try the following technique.
Have the family sit in a circle around the puppy, within leash length (a 6' leash works well here). After the first person has finished stroking the puppy, toss her leash to someone else in the circle who repeats the come command.
You may extend the distance as training  the Come proceeds.  You should also do come in different areas of the house, backyard, front yard, in "strange" territory like a park or playground, and so on, as you introduce your pet to those different locations in the next several weeks.

Now I have a hard time with this command personally, I like to use the word "here" or "come here" but I have not had a lot of success with training young pups that are easily distracted this command. So I have found for younger pups that the leash technique is best.

I hope this gives you the tools to help train and teach your pets. I will be back soon with a new command, but in the mean time keeping working with your pets with these two commands.

Good Luck                                                       

Susan
KCPS

"Let's learn tricks"

I have mostly just been sharing information of my pets, clients, hints, tips, and tricks on the blog, but for the next few weeks I am going to start some sharing training ideas. I will be sharing things that I have learned over the years and some of the information will be coming from a book.  Dr. John C. Wright's "Ain't Misbehavin" is a wonderful book with great information on having happy, well-behaved pets. 

So lets get started, when is a good time to train your dog? Should you begin when she's finished playing or eating her main meal? This is not the ideal time to start teaching your pet because neither toys, nor a playful person, or treats, will likely motivate her to behave and learn a new skill. A better time to teach a new skill is before her meals or as a part of social play (that's play with someone, as opposed to solitary play with a toy) or prior to social play. Take advantage of your pets bio-psycho-social needs in deciding when to schedule a training session, to maximize your and your pets training success. 

Using motivation is always a great way to teach your pet. Either with small tidbits of treats, or play with a special toy, or just an enthusiastic verbal praise all of which are excellent motivators. I would attempt to use the verbal praise for it is always readily available and there is no need to wean your pet from the motivation. Toys are great for play time tricks and such, but you may not always have it with you, there for you still need to wean them from it to maintain skills all the time. Using treats is always a great item, for most pets are food motivated, but you have to wean them so that they are not expecting treats every time they sit, stay, or come. But you have to use which every motivation you pets respond to the best and you can mix them up to accomplish the task at hand. 

When you begin training your pet you should start with the basics, these commands are essential to a well mannered pet, and will make you life much easier and may even save your pet's life. These basic commands include come, sit, off, and of course your pet's name. 

The first thing your pet should learn is their name.  An 8 to 10 week old puppy is probably not wedded to any name yet but if he's come with a name that you can live with, why not use it. 

Dr. Wright has two techniques helpful in teaching a pet his name. The first works by call his name abruptly and with great anticipation and expression. Do this when he's  a foot or three  from you and you are sitting on the floor with him. When he look in your direction, point your finger at your face, so he will get used to looking at you when he hears his name.  He will pay attention to your hands because, for him they are source of pleasure, and important "stimuli" that move.  He will also see your "smile face", which he will learn precedes things that feel good to him. Now, at the same time that he looks at your eyes, give him some whooping big social praise: "Go-o-od (pets name) 

The second technique is call his new name softly, in a whisper. At first, do this when he is lying calmly, then work up to more normal household ambient noise and situations, keeping your volume the same.  Repeat it in the same manner- sitting close to him on the floor- and with the same hand gesture you used with the first technique.  You may be surprised at how well he pays attention when you make it fun- there's something in it for him-but it also depends on your acting ability. He has to be convinced your are just thrilled that he looked at you when you whispered his name. 

Now if your pet already knows his name this post probably is not going to help you out much, but the next ones will.  

Another thing to think about choose your words wisely. Think about what word you are going to use for each command.  Try and make each one different or doesn't sound too similar.  One I used to always have trouble with was off or get down.  Does off mean "get off me" or "get off the couch"? Same for get down. So set down and think about what words you want to use for each command.  Get the family involved and make it a fun thing to do, and make sure everyone that is involved with the pet uses the same words, always for each command, that way there is no confusion. 

Our next post will be a very important and tough one to learn. Come!

Hope this helps some of my readers out and I look forward to hearing about any successful training.  

Susan

KCPS

HOT! HOT! HOT!

With the temperature is already soaring into the 90's I feel it is necessary to spread the word about animals in the heat.

When at home and outside make sure your pet has lots of shade and water, adding ice cubes to the water will help it stay cooler longer.  If you do not have trees to provide shade you can make shade with a tarp and some 2x4's or even some plywood. Don't leave them out for extended periods of time and keep a check on your pets when they are outside alone. It does not take long for a dog to over exert itself in hot temps. Remember dogs do not sweat, if your dog is lethargic and panting heavily bring them in and cool them off.

As for dogs in cars, my recommendation is never never leave a dog in a car in the hot temperature. Even with the windows cracked it can still reach high temps inside a vehicle. If it is 78 degrees outside the temps inside can reach between 100 degrees and 120 degrees in minutes. If it is 90 degrees outside the temps inside can reach as high as 160 degrees in less than 10 minutes. Exposure to extreme heat can lead to brain damage, heatstroke and death. If it is too hot leave them at home.

If you do come across a dog in a parked car, take down the car information and call the proper authorities, stay there until someone arrives and try to locate the owner. If the authorities are too slow and the dog looks to be in distress, with a witness take the appropriate measures to get the dog out.  Get the dog to a cool location and start cooling them off. NEVER USE ICE WATER to cool off a dog. Use cool water either by spraying them or take cool rags and put on the paws, chest, and groin areas.

Also keep in mind when walking your dog to stay off asphalt. Damage can happen in minuets to a dogs paws when on hot asphalt.

Please be aware of your pets in hot weather, they can not tell you if they are hot and uncomfortable.


I hope you share this with your friends.


Susan
KCPS

Our Pack "Duke"

I would like to share another one of our family pack. Duke is an Old English Mastiff. He is a great dog with expressions galore. He is our 2nd Mastiff, our first Tequila, passed away at 14 months from an aneurysm and we were completely devastated from her passing.

 We got Duke from a friend that had to move and could not take him with them. So we took him in and he has become a "large" part of our family. He was a bit under weight when he came to live with us. So I started him on chicken and rice and high protein dog food. It did not take long for him to get to 185 pounds. He is actually a sweet big ole baby. Loves to cuddle and be loved on.

He is truly a gentle giant. As typical of giant breeds, he does not realise how big he is. He has a huge bark that intimidates delivery drivers and anyone else that stops by. It has at times rattled the house. And to talk about rattling his snoring is a large as he is. He has long loud snores that you can hear all over the house. He makes himself at home anywhere he pleases from his own personal sofa to the his favorite spot in front of the stove. He loves to play with the water house, the more pressure the better for him. He will also chase rain drops and playing in the sprinkler. He is not much for playing fetch but will chase anything that has wheels in is line of site. He tires out pretty quickly though and enjoys just lounging the most.

He is nearly 7 years old now, and we can tell he is aging. He is slower to get around and you can tell it is hard for him to climb up on the sofa. He came with a lot of issues though. He hates lightening, thunder, gun shots, loud bangs, spray bottles, and horns. He also does like his ears, paws, mouth, or tail messed with at all. He will only eat crunchy foods, no canned food for him, and he will only eat our of shallow pans.  But we love him with all his flaws.  Thanks for allowing me to share my family with you and yours.

Susan
KCPS

                                                                                     

"Cooper the Kitty"

I have taken care of many kitties over the years and Cooper is one of my favorites. He belongs to a couple that I have had the pleasure of working for since I started this business. They had two elderly cats, Spunky and Tasha,  that I cared for until their passing. It was very hard for them as they had the two since they were nearly kittens. They traveled with them all over the country and the cats were their "kids". It was such a great pleasure working for them and I have grown to care deeply for them as clients and friends. They are some of the most wonderful people I have came to meet.

Tasha and Spunky were great cats, Spunky was not always friendly but he came around and Tasha was an awesome cuddlier. And no one can tell me that cats do not have feelings for I am sure that Spunky grieved himself to death after Tasha passed. I was so sad when they passed for I cared for them as if they was my own.

 Their parents was not going to get another pet anytime soon, but Cooper had other ideas.  He had climbed a tree that was in the park next to where my clients live, and everyone was trying to get him done, but his now mommy was the one to climb up there and get him. He instantly won her heart.

Cooper is a Maine Coon mix, but he really has a lot of Maine Coon in him. He has got all the attitude of a MC and is filling out so pretty. He loves to watch his birds and play with all his awesome toys. He talks to me all the time I am there with him. It took him a bit to warm up to me, but we are the best of buddies now. He loves his pumpkin treats. And loves his parents. They named him after their favorite ride the Mini Cooper.


I hope you have enjoyed this
View of a Dog Walker.


Susan
KCPS

"Sadie the Diva"

This is Sadie, she is a Dachshund as you can tell. She is a mini and very much a diva. She is an only pup and loves it that way. She has been with her mommy since she was a princess in training. She is a beautiful color of blue/gray and shimmers in the sun. She loves her pretty collars and coats. I was called when Sadie started shredding her toys and anything else she could get a hold of when mom was at work. Her mom has a job that requires her to work long hours sometime and that did not sit well with this little girl. So I started walking and playing with Sadie when her mom had to work late. Then I started caring for her when mom went out of town. Her mom tells everyone and even introduces me as Sadie's Nanny.
I love get Sadie kisses, she does not lick you but gets as close as she can with her little nose. She gets so excited and wiggles all over. Sadie loves to cuddle and get belly rubs. She also likes to hid in blankets. One trip I nearly panicked when I went in and Sadie was not in her usual place on the couch. I searched the house and was about to call her mom when I seen the blanket move on the couch. It was wrapped up like a burrito and Sadie's little nose was barely sticking out. I started talking to her and she wiggled her way right out of the burrito. It was so cute.
She likes to let her mom know when she is not happy, she will drag out moms shoes to play with. She has lots of toys that she likes to play with. She even takes them to her water bowl in case they want to get a drink.
Sadie loves to take walks and the longer the better. She has her spots that she must sniff. That is the ground hunter in her. We will walk around her neighborhood and say hi to everyone that we meet. She is known to everyone and everyone wants to get some Sadie Love. She has boyfriends across from her and loves to play with them, they are Dachshunds too. Long haired beauties they are.
I love to spend time with Sadie, and I could stay with her all day if my scheduled would allow for it.

I hope you have enjoyed this View of a Dog Walker!


Susan
KCPS

"Sophie the Bully"

This is Sophie, an English Bulldog Pup. She is my weekly dog walking client. Sophie lives with a wonderful family that have 4 children that love to play with her and keep her active. She is full of personality and has the classic bulldog look. She is in the puppy destruction phase and loves to torment her human mom.She loves to chew and will steal your shoes right off your feet if you are not careful. She has the stubborn streak that most bullies are known for and will let me know when she has walked far enough and ready to go inside.

 She loves her belly rubs and you can rub her till she falls right to sleep, snoring in your lap. She has also started to want to cuddle a little more than when she was younger. Sophie really loves to play and chase and climb all over you if you will lay down with her in the floor.

I have been caring and walking Sophie since she was just a few weeks old. I miss her when I do not get to go see her. She makes you happy just to see her. I can go in and say "where is my Sophie" and she gets so excited. Then I hug and pet and scratch her ears before we go for our walk. She always goes to "her" spot and responds to commands very well. Her parents have been training her and working with her so well. She loves to travel with her family, and is well behaved on road trips.

I hope you enjoy this View of a Dog Walker


Susan
KCPS