It is important to teach your dog a new trick!

Thank you for stopping by! My last blog I had gone over how important it is to Socialize especially a service dog! And I also talked a little about how to approach a service dog or any other dog! Today I am going to talk about taking steps to training your dog to do cool things. And I will also be sharing a video of my service dog (in training) opening a refrigerator for me. 

First, I want to talk about how important it is to teach your dog new things! Just like people, dogs are always wanting to learn something new so it is up to us to teach them! As a trainer I see a huge difference daily of the difference in behavior a dog has that is able to do a lot of tricks for their human and enjoy doing them, than a dog that has nothing to do but lie around and maybe go for a walk once in a while when their human has time or is up to it! I'm going to tell you a little bit about these differences!

A dog without training

A dog without training tends to be more rambunctious and harder to control. You'll notice that they won't listen to their owner it's usually when they choose to and normally it's only for treats. They will tend to be more on the aggressive side with other dogs and possibly people. Dogs with no training will be a handful for the owner no doubt unless you just happen to get a naturally well behaved dog which is very rare!

A dog with training

A dog with training will be able to control their energy. The owner will be able to ask them to do something without bribing their dog with treats. You will notice they are more confident and friendlier with people and dogs. The owner can handle them with ease and worry free knowing that the dog will listen to them no matter what!

As a trainer, I tell people all the time how important it is to exercise your dog daily. There are a lot of benefits for you and your dog when they are exercised frequently a few of them are: 1. They will be able to pay attention to you better, you will be able to train easier after a good walk.  2. It stimulates their mind because they are constantly seeing and hearing new sights and sounds. 3. It helps build their confidence. When you have a tired dog you have a happy dog which means a happy owner and not only is your dog getting the exercise you end up happier because you are getting exercise as well! Taking your dog for daily walks also helps you build a strong relationship that will last a lifetime! 

There are a couple of ways to train your dog a new trick the first one is the luring method. This means taking a treat putting it to your dogs nose and using it to put your dog in a position you want such as sit or lay down. Once your dog is in the position you lured him/her into you can reward him/her with the treat and then do it again and again once they start doing the position easier you can start putting the name to it. If they can do it 10 out of 10 times then they know that command but it's important to practice it everyday with them otherwise they may forget after a while!

The next is capturing a method I like to use for tricks such as bow, speak, sit pretty and so on. For example: Bow, when I trained my dog Max to bow first I took something that he does naturally on a day to day bases (Stretching) every time he would stretch out I would praise him for that behavior and reward him. Then the next time and I would do it again it didn't take him but 5 min to figure out that him stretching was getting him rewarded so he started doing it without me asking him. So that was when I added the word bow to that motion. So now when I tell him to bow all he has to do it was he does everyday on his own and it's a fun command to show off to your friends and family! :) But remember he/she only gets a reward when they do it on command and not on their own!

Today I am posting a video of the beginning stages of Emery learning how to open a refrigerator door. And I have used both methods that I talked about above to teach her how to do this. So make sure you click on the link and check it out!

Well that is all for today. I hope you enjoy this blog and learned something new from it! If you have any questions about your fur babies or just need some advice your more then welcome to email me at ceceskoolk9@gmail.com and I will do my best to get back to you promptly to answer any questions you may have. Have a great day and I will see you next time.

http://youtu.be/wHqAKXZJkl0

CeCe's Kool K-9

www.ceceskoolk-9.com

ceceskoolk9@gmail.com

German Shepherd puppy

Importance of socializing your puppy.

Another helpful blog entry from our guest blogger/dog trainer CeCe:

Hello everyone thank you for stopping by! I apologize for it being so long to write a blog but as you know I have been very busy! I have actually started school full time again so please bare with me! I hope you all had an amazing and safe Holiday! As you know I have been working with Emery with her basic obedience and working on training her to be my service dog as well! I would like to start by saying she has been doing amazingly well for a now 4 month old puppy! She can sit, stay, lay down, come (on command), heel, and walk nicely on a leash! I have also been socializing her at the dog park with other dogs and people!

First, socializing Emery is one of the most important things I can do for her! The reason why it so important to socialize during the growth and a maturing puppy is because it builds confidence to any situation that may happen preventing the puppy to become fearful of people, dogs, sounds, etc. When you have puppy that is fearful it can lead to fear aggression which is one of the most leading causes of dog bites.

Since I have been socializing Emery her confidence with people and other dogs have been fantastic. Since we have been socializing I have been bringing her with me into public places for practice. When I have her in public with me I have her stay at my heel and when I stop she has to do an automatic sit. She gets the opportunity to encounter people in motorized wheel chairs, shopping carts, and anything that is unusual to her day to day sights and gets her used to seeing these items so that she is not startled by them. When they pass by us I make sure I reward her for stopping and sitting to wait for them to pass by! I have found though that while it's great for her to be socialized with a service dog in training there is a time and a place! I have a lot of people in the stores that will stop and ask if they can pet her which is very difficult because I have to say no. But it's important for me to explain to them why they can't otherwise they just think your mean! So I am going to explain why (some) service dogs cannot be pet. When you see a service dog with a harness that says do not pet it's by no means because they are aggressive or that the handler just doesn't want their dog pet. It is because when you have a service dog they are working at the time they have a purpose and when people come up to pet or talk to the animal and can be very distracting and can possibly keep the dog from doing what they are meant to do. So If you happen to see a service dog make sure you ask first if you can pet because sometimes you may be able to pet them! Also, if you have children it is beneficial to explain to them that that is a service dog and they working so they shouldn't go up and pet them. I had a young daughter and her dad come up to me and ask if they could pet her and sadly I had to decline because Emery was already distracted. But the dad explained to her daughter why she was in the store and that she was working and the little girl seemed very interested so they asked me questions about her and I was happy to answer them! It was really a breath of fresh air because I have adults that just walk up and pet without asking first! But as Emery and I practice she gets better and better each and every day. She loves to be with me and never leaves my side except when we are at home but I am never out of her sight!

Today I am going share a video of when she was much younger when I working with her basic obedience. I am going to try to post more video's of her working as I can. But the main message of the day is Socialize your dog or puppy and if you every come upon a service dog make sure you ask about them first before you try and pet them and also educate your children about approaching strange dogs! Well that's it for today. Next blog I will be posting a video of Emery working in the store. So be sure to join in next time.

http://youtu.be/wTjJsZPalG0

CeCe's Kool K-9

www.ceceskoolk-9.com

ceceskoolk9@gmail.com

Rosehall Shepherds has been given permission by CeCe's Kool K-9 to post to their websites.

 

It's Friday . . . Eliot here & its time for our second post from our guest blogger Cecilia, dog trainer and owner of . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CeCe's Kool K-9. . .

 

Last week we went over choosing the right breed for your family and slightly touched on when it is ok to start training your puppy. Today I am going to go more into when to start training your puppy and what to train them when you first bring them home.

 

Last week I had mentioned that the time to start training your new puppy is right when you walk into the door of your home! It is important to start setting boundaries for your new puppy as soon as you bring him/her home. If you do not set the boundaries and let your puppy get away with things they normally wouldn't get away with when they are bigger it will be more difficult for you to break them of it! For example,  if you bring your new puppy home and it has been a day since they have been in their new house and they begin chewing on your nice shoes that are sitting at the front door it may seem cute at first but not correcting that behavior right when it happens will let them know that it's ok to chew on shoes. Instead, correct it with a vocal correction such as (ah ah) and then hand them an acceptable toy to chew on. It will save your shoes later on when they really start teething and tearing things up. And that goes for anything you do not want your puppy chewing on. Rule of thumb is practice makes perfect so if you allow them to practice bad behaviors chances are they will get really good at it thus making it hard for you to break. So set your boundaries early with your pups!

 

Next, there are a few methods of potty training your puppy. My favorite method and the most affective method is crate training. Not only are you potty training your also allowing them to get used to being in their crate when you are not home so that later on they won't have a hard time going into their crate when they are told to do so! The crate will become their safe zone and feel comforted inside of the crate. When potty training your puppy it is important to really use that crate and set a schedule that will work for you and your family. For example, you have an 8 week old puppy and their bladder isn't fully developed yet which means more potty breaks. An 8 week old puppy should be taken out to potty every hour & a half to 2 hours no longer than that otherwise you will end up cleaning a lot of messes. So, make sure you can work your schedule to fit that. In the AM as soon as you wake up make sure your puppy immediately goes out to go potty. I would recommend picking them up and taking them outside to the area you want them to go to so that there are no accidents inside the house before they can make it outside! Once they have gone outside they can have 15 min to eat and drink water and once that 15 min is up the food gets picked up and they go right back outside to use the bathroom again. Let them stay outside for at least 20 min because that is about how long it takes for them to go after they have had their meal. If you have to go to work put them in their crate. If you can't take a lunch break to let your puppy out be sure you have a plan so that they can get let out after 2 hours. Once you get home they should immediately go outside again. If they have not gone potty after being taken outside then they have to go back to their crate until the next time they get let out. Then you can allow them to play outside or inside the house,  but make sure you are always watching them when they are not in their crate so that there no mistakes being made when your not watching. If you can not watch them because you have things to do it's ok to put them in their crate during that time.  In the PM when they get fed again their food gets put down for at least 15 min just like the AM. It's important to know that at bedtime before going to bed they should not have food or water at least 2 hours before bed. That will reduce the amount of times they will have to go potty at night giving you more time to sleep and then water can resume in the AM. Keeping track of the puppies food and water intake will make it easier for you to control their potty habits making it easier for them to learn to go outside when it's time to go potty. Once they get older the amount of times they need to be let outside will become greater. For example: 8 weeks they need to be let out every 2 hours, when they are at 10 weeks 2 & a half to 3 hours, 15 weeks 3 to 4 hours and so on. Eventually they will be able to hold their potty for 8 hours. Crate training your puppy also teaches them independence so that they do not develop separation anxiety so it is ok for them to be in their crate even when you are home. A lot of people ask me how will they bond with their puppy if they are in their crate. The answer: keep their crate in the room that you're in most of the time i.e. your living room. Dogs are pack animals and need to be with their pack so keeping your puppies crate where you are at most of the time so they can see and hear you will still allow them to bond with you. You can even keep them in your bedroom inside their crate and still bond with them while you sleep. Your puppy will fall asleep listening to you breathing and they will bond with you that way as well! Just make sure your puppy is getting plenty of exercise and play time with you as well. Going on walks is a great way to bond with your puppy while also teaching them to walk nicely on a leash!

 

During your playtime with your new puppy you can use that time to teach them new commands such as sit, down, stay. Puppies can learn those commands as early as 5 weeks. So don't be afraid to begin teaching them when you bring them home!

 

Well that's it for this week! Next week I will talk about the importance of diet and what foods to look out for when feeding your puppy or your adult dog. I hope you have enjoyed this weeks information and be sure to tune in next week. 

 

CeCe's Kool K-9

www.ceceskoolk-9.com

ceceskoolk9@gmail.com

 

 

Rosehall Shepherds has been given permission by CeCe's Kool K-9 to post to their websites.

Rosehall welcomes new guest blogger

Hello! . . . Eliot here . . .  let me introduce you to a new guest blogger here.  Cecelia is a professional dog trainer and will be writing about training issues for your puppy/dog.  She welcomes your questions directly to her business e-mail (listed below.) Cecelia is busy with her work so may not get back to you immediately and reserves the option not to answer directly but address your question/issue in an upcoming blog . . .

 

Hi my name is Cecelia Kuhn and I am the owner of CeCe's Kool K-9 Dog Obedience Training.  I have been training for 5 years now professionally and I absolutely love it!  I also train service dogs for people with disabilities who already have dogs with the ability to be a service or therapy dog.  I am currently waiting to pick up my new German Shepherd puppy who is  a Sophie/Huey pup from Rosehall German Shepherds.  I will begin to train my puppy to be my own personal service dog.  I will be doing my best to write weekly blogs about training dogs and my experience with my new puppy while we begin the obedience and service dog training and much more.  But before I do that I would like start from the very basics! I would like to be able to help answer any questions you may have about training because it is very important to understand the importance of training your new puppy!

 

The first thing you should know when you are planning on bringing a puppy home is to figure out if that breed is right for you!  For example if you like the Boxer breed but like to be a couch potato then the breed would not be right for you because it is a very active breed that needs a lot of exercise!  So before you decide on bringing home a puppy make sure you do your research on that breed because every breed has different qualities and characteristics and decide which breed will fit best in your family.

 

Second, once you have picked out the puppy you want to add to your family and you are ready to bring him/her home make sure you are prepared.  Just like when you bring home a baby you want to make sure you have your house puppy proof. Just because they have paws doesn't mean they can't get into trouble!  So be sure small objects are put out of reach.  Also be sure you already have what you need for your puppy.  (i.e. crate, puppy food, bowls, appropriate chew toys, harness, leash, etc.)  When picking out a crate make sure you have the right size for your puppy. If you are planning on crate training your puppy make sure that the crate is just big enough for your puppy to be able to stand and turn around.  But it should not be too big where your puppy can just go lie down in the corner if he/she has an accident.  A question I get ask a lot as a trainer is "when should I start training my puppy?"  Well the answer to that question is as soon as you bring your new puppy home!  You can never start too early! 

 

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog and that you continue to tune in each week to learn something new. Next I will be getting into the importance of training and the basics of training a puppy once they are in your home!

 

 

 

Cecelia Kuhn

CeCe's Kool K-9

ceceskoolk9@gmail.com

 

 

Given permission to post on Rosehallkennel websites. 

Training snacks

I prefer to train without food incentives or 'treats.' I give LOTS of verbal praise and stroking and hugging as rewards to try to build in my dog a desire to please me.  There are, however many, many trainers who use and recommend a food treat as a reward in early puppy training and the method has proved effective for countless puppies. 

If you choose to use a snack or a treat for training, here is an inexpensive and easy way to make your own dog treats.  Slice a hot dog (all beef or chicken hot dogs work best) into 1/4 inch rounds. Place on a doubled paper towel on a plate in the microwave with a paper towel covering them. Microwave on high for 20 seconds turn over and microwave another 20 seconds. Repeat as needed until the rounds are dried and leather-like, not crispy. Different kinds of hot dogs and differing microwaves will require differing times.  Experiment with shorter times first as you can always repeat until you achieve the desired leathery consistency.  Store your home made treats in zip-loc type bags in the fridge until needed.  These make a great, inexpensive dog treat for any occasion. I haven't found a puppy or dog yet that wasn't enthusiastic about these treats.  Do not over feed! You can break the treats in half or cut them in quarters and still make your pup happy.

Until next time . . .   Eliot     www.rosehallkennel.com

Every dog owner is a dog trainer.

Sit! . . . Stay!   . . . Come!   These are a few of the basic commands which just about every dog owner desires their dog to respond to promptly.  There are several theories and doctrines about when, how and where to train your dog.

Most communities have 'puppy classes' available for pups as soon as they have had all of their 'puppy shots.'  Classes continue for older pups and adult dogs too.  Some classes 'sequence' so that when you finish the basics you advance to the next level.

There are services available where you can send your puppy or dog off to school and it comes back 'trained.'  The trainer then has to train you so that you know what to expect and how to command your dog.

When you take your pup to school, you are the one handling your dog.  The class instructor is actually teaching YOU how to handle your dog . . .  more correctly, the instructor is training you how to train your dog.  You are learning the principles during the one hour class but the training of the dog takes place twice a day, day after day, as you practice the commands assigned each week.  The teacher is the coach, you are the dog trainer.  I really think that is the best and most effective way to train your dog and bring discipline into it's life.  The dog responds best within your relationship with it.  When you send a dog off to school, your dog develops a relationship with the trainer which may be quite different from it's relationship with you.  Then you have to learn how to work within that new relationship to get the dog to obey your commands.

The purpose of this post isn't to discuss the strengths of various training methods but to encourage you to understand that it's YOUR dog and YOU have a relationship with it so YOU must be the dog trainer, whether you use some sort of a formal puppy class to assist you or not. Having a dog as part of your family is a wonderful experience with many benefits.  It is not, however, without a significant cost of your time and attention. Training is a very important responsibility that the dog owner has towards their dog so that it will become a respected and civil member of the community.

Until next time . . .   Eliot      www.rosehallkennel.com

'Drop!' . . . a command that can save your dog's life.

Sit! . . .  Down! . . .  Stay!  Maybe the most common training commands that we teach our dogs.  We may add 'Shake!'  or  'Roll Over.' .  . and if we're very patient and dedicated we work on teaching our dogs to 'Stay.'  All good and all important.  Anyone having a dog has the responsibility of disciplining the dog (and themselves) so that their dog is safely under their voice command.  The bigger and more active the dog, the more essential it is that the dog be well trained and good mannered. It's a lot of work but very well worth all the efforts required. It is part of our being a good and responsible citizen in our community.

Some time ago I had been studying about dog obedience training and obedience trials and I kept running across references to 'DOR.'  I was curious and found out that in obedience trial lingo that refers to 'Drop on return.'  When the handler calls a dog to return to them from some distance, as the dog is coming back the 'Drop!' command is given and the dog is to go directly to a 'down stay.'  I thought that was pretty cool but it was only after I considered the practicle application of this command did I come to realize how very useful and potentially life saving this command could be.

While we like to think that we could have our dogs so well trained that they would never wander off from us and get into potentially dangerous situations we should recognize that mostly we have not arrived at that place yet.  It is also likely that no matter how well we are disciplined  and our dogs trained there is the potential that our dog could be distracted by something very appealing at the very moment that we ourselves have allowed our concentration to wander elsewhere.  We look up, find that our four legged friend has crossed the street (following a rabbit, investigating the pretty blue ball in the yard, or enticed by a child's call or whatever . . . )  As we call our dog to return to us and it promptly obeys (being so well trained), to our horror we see a car racing down the road and our pup is on a collision course with a couple thousand pounds of speeding metal.

It is here were the value of the 'Drop!' command becomes obvious.  You sharply yell 'Drop!', your dog goes to an immediate 'down stay' and the car whizzes by and your dog is safe.   Hours and hours of work and (sometimes) frustration has come to fruit.

I started working with Mia on the 'Drop!' command at about 12 weeks of age.  During our twice a day 15 minute training times I would insert the command at random times in our routine.  I would always yell loudly and she would always be startled. (You are not likely to use the command in a situation that isn't some sort of a potential crises.)  I would then quickly reach down to her and push her down to the ground and hold her there while I pet her and praised her and comforted her in her confusion.  It is now a game to her and she drops right to the ground. She will stay put and I can walk away from her and she will not move until I release her from the 'Stay!'

Ironically Mia is one of the dogs that has shown the least interest (so far) in wandering too far away.  I would like to think it is be because I have been more intense and methdical with her training but more likely it is her tempreament and the stage he is going through.  I am not deluded that she isn't capable of getting into some sort of trouble so I continue to keep the 'Drop!' command in our workouts.  I have come to think that this is so important for a dog to be able to do that I felt compelled to encourage all of you to begin to add this to your training work if you haven't already mastered this move with your companion.

May we never have to use this in a real life situation!

Until next time . . .   Eliot

www.rosehallkennel.com