Popularity: 48% [?]
Come join our friends from West Suburban Humane Society for Barkapalooza on September 27th. There will be food, games, entertainment, and even a $1000 raffle. It will be a great time, and keep in mind that this is their annual fundraiser which helps them rescue, feed, train, care for, and adopt out countless dogs and cats each year. You can find more information at www.wshs-dg.org www.barkapalooza.org or call 630-960-9600 ext 25.
Hope to see you there!
Popularity: 53% [?]
Do you know the only two creatures on the entire planet that have been proven to understand the gesture of pointing? The answer is humans and dogs. Growing up around dogs and working as a professional trainer and behaviorist, I have long known that most dogs understand the gesture, but I recently read an article in TIME magazine that really surprised me. It showed research that had proven that even chimpanzees with their incredibly advanced brain and almost human like behaviors didn’t understand when humans pointed at something. This is pretty surprising considering one chimp has mastered 240 words with sign language. What explains this phenomenon? The answer is not that dogs are smarter, it lies in how they apply their brain. Dogs are naturally social creatures that crave interaction with other dogs and especially with humans. As they evolved, the most social dog was the most likely to reproduce since he would get favorable treatment from humans. This has given us a species that from birth can understand human gestures that even other primates don’t comprehend. I hope that this shows you the importance of using body language when training your dog. Weak body language shows the dog that he can push you around and strong body language shows the opposite. I also frequently see situations where a humans body language confuses a dog and makes the situation worse. One example is when someone tells a dog to come as they walk towards the dog. This is a clear indicator to the dog to stay where he is (when the alpha approaches they typically stay in position or lower themselves to the ground). So the next time you are having issues with your dog ask yourself, is my body saying the same thing that my mouth is?
Matt Covey
Suburban K-9
Bark Avenue Daycamp
Bartlett, Il
Popularity: 73% [?]
Leash aggression is very prevalent in dogs today, and is one reason that many owners are afraid to socialize their dogs. It is however quite common to have a leash aggressive dog that is very friendly off leash. This article is meant to explain how I work with leash aggression in the Chicago Suburbs and how I train clients to do it on their own.
The vast majority of dogs that growl, bark, and lunge on leash are not aggressive dogs. Their leash issues are usually caused by walking in an excited dominant state. When the dogs excited dominant brain feels frustration from being restrained by the leash and collar, aggression can start to occur. This is why I have coined the term Leash Frustration as opposed to leash aggression. Many owners who have dogs with this issue make the problem worse when they pass another dog by tightening up on the leash and further frustrating the dog.
To overcome this issue I start by teaching the dog to walk in a calm submissive state without other dogs around. This entails training the dog to walk at my side (never ahead) with their attention on the road ahead. It is very important that the dogs brain is not in prey mode (constantly looking side to side for something to focus on). As you teach the dog to walk at your side make sure that you use sharp tugs instead of pulls. Each correction should last no longer than the time it takes to snap your fingers. With the dog on your left side practice making left about turns until the dog slows down for you to turn each time.
Once the dog walks at your side in a calm submissive state without dogs around it is time to start practicing passing dogs. The key to success here is to never ever fail. If your dog barks or lunges it is not a failure, it is only a failure if you leave the situation without calming your dog down. This is one reason that many owners never conquer this issue. They pass a dog and their dog lunges so they keep walking. This process will be repeated day after day until the pattern is changed. The biggest change that you need to make for now on is to never leave a situation until your dog is completely calm and submissive. I achieve this by having a helper with a dog so that we can work for as long as we need to.
Start your training by walking your dog for as long as you need to until they are in an appropriate state of mind. When ready, walk past the other dog while keeping your dog moving and looking forward. Never stop walking or yell at your dog, it only makes the issue worse. As you pass the dog keep walking until your dog is calm and focused forward. If he keeps looking back at the other dog give short tugs forward until you break his attention. When your dog is calm, turn and walk back past the other dog and keep walking until yours is calm. Your dog should never be ahead of you, so give as many tugs as necessary to keep him in position. It is much easier to keep a dog at your side than to try to get him back after he gets too far forward. Every time your dog turns to look at the other dog you should be correcting. Successfully performing this technique is more of a dance than it is training. The purpose of each tug is to break your dogs focus and redirect it the way that you want. As you do this you will be tugging back as you walk towards the dog, tugging away from the other dog as you pass, and tugging forward after you have passed. Each tug has a purpose, and you keep working until you don’t need the corrections anymore.
I have never had a dog that I couldn’t achieve this with in a relatively short period of time. The hardest part as a trainer is teaching a human to be consistent with these methods. If you allow yourself plenty of time and don’t get frustrated you will always have success. If this article piques your interest and you would like help, I can usually train a human to perform this on their own after one training session.
Matt Covey
Suburban K-9
Bark Avenue Daycamp
Bartlett, Il
Popularity: 77% [?]
Food aggression is a common issue in dogs for two main reasons. The first is that canines naturally guard their food in the wild, and the second is that a significant number of dogs see themselves as dominant over their humans. This short article is not meant to teach you how to resolve your dogs food aggression issues but rather to illustrate how it is taken care of by a skilled trainer or behaviorist. I hope that by reading this you can see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that your dog can be helped.
Whenever I am called in on a food aggression case, the first thing that I do is establish some control over the dog. When a dog sees himself as dominant, it makes sense in his brain to guard his resource and to tell you to back off. Food aggression is often called resource guarding, which actually includes any resource from rawhides to kibble to even his human as they pet him. My first step is taking the dog for a walk in the proper manner. If the dog doesn’t respect you as you walk, there is no way that he will respect you as you start the resource guarding training. I focus on teaching the dog to walk behind me in a calm submissive fashion.
Once I have achieved some control over the animal during the walk I am now ready to start working with the resource. I will start preparing the dogs food and expect him to maintain an appropriate distance as I work. If the dog is showing too much excitement I will claim my space and my food by backing him up until he remains at least a few feet away. When I put the food down I will immediately stop the dog using my leash if he tries to eat it. This is to establish that the food belongs to me and not to him. When ready I will tell the dog OK and allow him to start eating. After about five seconds I will say the dogs name and gently pull him away from the food. The purpose is to start teaching him that I control the meal, not him. I repeat this step until there is no growling, snarling, or tension from this action.
The next phase is backing the dog off of his food. This is where food aggression can take an instant turn for the worse because we are now truly addressing the issue. With the leash on the dog I will slowly place my shoe onto the bowl and slowly back the dog away from the bowl. The leash is a crucial element here because it gives you the highest chance of not being bitten. I repeat this step over and over until the dog shows no frustration or aggression. Once I see that I can say the dogs name to tell him I am approaching and back him off the bowl easily, it is now time to start taking the bowl by hand. In the dogs brain it doesn’t matter if you take the bowl using your shoe or your hand, so once you can do one you can do the other.
Overcoming food aggression in a dog is not a safe or an easy task. This article is not meant to encourage you to try this at home, and I take no responsibility for any injuries that occur while trying this. I have written this to show you how a responsible and skilled professional can achieve remarkable results in as little as a few weeks. To truly explain how I work with resource guarding in every possible scenario would take an entire book, so if you have any questions feel free to contact myself or any competent behaviorist.
Matt Covey
Suburban K-9
Bark Avenue Daycamp
Bartlett, Il 60103
630 289 8470
Popularity: 55% [?]
This is Foster who needed a little help with socialization. This is one of his first times being social with new dogs, which was exciting for everyone at Bark Avenue because we love to see dogs come out of their shells and be happy!
Popularity: 40% [?]
Rileys owners and her vet wanted her to lose some weight, so I trained her to run on the treadmill. She is now lean, healthy, and happy!
Popularity: 37% [?]
Popularity: 36% [?]
As the proud owner of a new puppy you are probably dealing with two very common “issues” that are typical of young dogs. The first issue that I hear questions on the most would be potty training, and the second would be nipping or “biting”. Housebreaking a puppy takes work, but with a little knowledge and some specific rules it can be much easier than anticipated.
When bringing a new puppy into the home it is important to know two facts. An eight week old dog cannot hold his bladder for a long period of time and he doesn’t know that he is expected to. When the puppy lived with mom, he was allowed to walk two feet from his bed and pee and then walk back and lay down. Now he is in a new environment where people get mad when he follows the rules that mom set up for him. We need to teach the dog a new set of rules, don’t go to the bathroom in the house and go to the bathroom outside in a timely manner. Keep in mind that to a dog the house is just a place, carpet and rugs are meaningless to him, you bedroom is not special, anywhere is free game to do his business. I take a young dog out about every thirty minutes to go outside when I first bring them home. Teach a word for going such as “go outside.” When he does go, immediately praise him, give him a treat, and repeat his command for going. Once that is in place I start expecting the dog to go every time I take him out. If the dog refuses to go after a reasonable amount of time because he wants to walk around and sniff I will take him inside and put him in a cage for fifteen minutes. This prevents the dog from coming inside and peeing on the floor immediately. After fifteen minutes I will take him outside and tell him “go outside” as we wander around until he goes and I will then praise him for going.
The dog should now know that we like when he goes outside, so we need to teach him that we don’t like when he goes inside. The key to this is NEVER letting him out of your sight until you trust him. Use gates, playpens, etc. or just follow him when he wanders off. If he goes and you don’t catch him, it is too late to correct and your potty training will be set back. Every “accident” should be a learning experience for you and the dog. If I see him going I will say NO in a firm voice, rush him outside, and praise him if he finishes out in the yard. Keep in mind that every dog is different, you can change the loudness and harshness of your voice based on the dogs temperament. The goal is to get across the point that you aren’t happy, not to terrify the pup. This is a system that works very well, but a lack of consistency will undermine your efforts. The first month will not be fun, following you dog constantly and always watching, but it is very attainable to have a fully potty trained dog by four or five months of age.
Nipping is the second issue that I hear questions about frequently. Young dogs nip each other constantly throughout the day as the play, and they learn certain rules. They learn not to nip too hard, or the other dogs get mad and not to nip “mom” when she isn’t in the mood. We now want to teach the pup not to ever nip humans. A nip is one of two things, a dominant type of play or a correction, neither of which should be used on humans whether child or adult. When the dog is eight weeks old I gently correct the nips by pushing the dog away and saying “no” in a firm voice. Don’t yell the word, but it is equally important not to use baby talk as you tell him no. If the puppy is in a rambunctious mood I will find a toy and start playing with him. It is important that the dog doesn’t learn to nip so that we play with him, so I always correct and then take my time finding a toy to play with. If the dog gets worse the more you correct there are many different ways to address the issue. If a dog is extremely persistent, a leash and collar can be left on him so that he can be given a leash correction each time he crosses the line and the hand corrections don’t work. If neither of these two approaches works, chances are you have a dominant puppy and may need some professional advice on how to proceed. As you progress in training your dog and teaching him manners it is very to keep in mind that dogs are pack animals and do not learn like humans. You cannot rationalize or negotiate with a dog and still maintain you position as the leader. When finding a trainer be leery of anyone who goes to either extreme in methods of training. Some trainers want to give dogs treats for everything and never correct and others are extremely harsh and can break the spirit of the dog. Look for someone who understands dog behavior and maintains his leadership without resorting to food bribes or anger and aggression. If you have any questions or need assistance with your dog I would love to provide you with the knowledge to build the relationship that you want with your dog.
Providing Excellence Through Training
Matt Covey
Suburban K-9 and Bark Avenue Daycamp
(630) 289-8470
www.barkavenuedaycamp.com
Popularity: 32% [?]
Suburban K-9
Command Reminder sheet
Heel
Heel is the dogs command for walk at your heel side, which is on your left. The dog should be at your heel or even a little behind you as you walk to reinforce that YOU are the leader. We strive to keep the dogs attention on us or the road ahead. As you walk focus on keeping a loose leash and correcting the dog whichever way you need to. If he pulls ahead snap back on the leash and say heel. If he goes to the left snap the leash to the right. Remember that consistency is important. You cannot let him pull you to say hi to a dog one day and then correct him for it the next day. When you are walking the dog he should not be pulling anywhere and any greetings to dogs or people should be initiated by you. Whenever a dog is walking, an appropriate training collar should be used until the dog responds just as well without it.
Sit
Your dog has been taught to sit in the heel position at your side. He should be looking forward or at you and not angled in order to see something else. When you are coming to a stop tell your dog to sit. If he sits give some calm praise. If he doesn’t sit, snap straight up on the leash as you tell him to sit. The thought with every obedience command is that a dog is only told once without a correction. If the dog sits but is ahead of you or angled a different direction the goal is to have him move to your side, not vice versa. Guide the dog with the leash to the appropriate position.
Sit Stay
When the dog is in the sit position, tell him to stay. Only say the command once, and expect him to listen. If the dog gets up, tell him “no”, take him back to where he was, and give two leash corrections. The first correction is straight up as you say “sit” and the second is to the side as you say “stay”.
Down
With the dog in a sit position tell him to down, if he listens give some calm praise. If he doesn’t, give a tug straight down as you repeat the command. If more than one correction is needed, repeat as necessary. The dog should lay straight at your side, if he doesn’t the correction is the same as when he doesn’t sit at your side.
Down Stay
The correction for a down stay is the same as for a sit stay with one extra command. You will give three snaps of the leash. Up as you say “sit”, down as you say “down”, and to the side as you say “stay”.
With all the commands remember that you snap on the leash, never pull. A quick correction gets the point across, a pull invites more resistance. Also keep in mind that these corrections are for a trained dog, this is not how we teach; it is how we reinforce.
Popularity: 33% [?]
