"Collar Wise" Dogs

#AlphaDogTraining #dogtrainersutah “Collar Wise” Dogs By Alpha Dog Training https://www.alpha-dog-training-slc.com/ (801) 910-1700 We use the term “collar wise” dog to describe a dog who only listens and performs when they are wearing equipment like a collar. When collars are taken off, the collar wise dog will ignore commands, perform at less than their normal level, and will not take direction from the owner. Here’s a big factor to consider: It’s the relationship with your dog. This is one of the most critical, and one of the most misunderstood aspects of why dogs become collar wise. Sometimes people will use an e-collar as a shortcut when there is a deficit in their relationship with their dog. This is especially true with recalls. If we have a young dog, and teach them recalls in a motivational way, with lots of rewards and strong positive emotions for the recall, it is very easy for us to then layer over the remote collar for proofing against things like wildlife. When we then go to remove the collar later on in our dog’s life, they love recalls, they love interacting with us and I have not allowed bad habits to develop around distractions such as dogs or other animals. Now let’s look at a different scenario. We have a dog who we really want to have off leash on the hiking trail, and he’s hard to motivate and doesn’t really like coming back to us. We could spend a month on foundation work, so we’re just going to rush into the collar work. For this type of dog, the collar has become the reason that the dog comes back, rather than a backup form of correction for rare mistakes.

This dog has a very strong likelihood of ignoring me completely when the collar is gone. It is the difference between a dog coming to you because he likes you and enjoys his job, and a dog who is only coming to avoid a correction. Be sure to use praise and happiness to get the dog to come back to you as dog are really only trained with happiness. Of course, happiness can be a treat. So, rotate a treat with verbal praise. It works every time.

Don't Let your Dogs "Work it Out!"

#AlphaDogTraining #dogtrainingsaltlakecity Don’t Let Your Aggressive Dogs “Work it Out!” By Alpha Dog Training of Utah https://www.alpha-dog-training-slc.com (801) 910-1700

How often have you heard someone advise you to “Just let them work it out themselves” when dogs get into fights? Alpha Dog Training is here to strongly advise you NOT to take that advise from anyone, even well-meaning relatives, friends, or neighbors. People mean well when giving advice, they really do. But, when dogs bully or instigate fights, these behaviors wind up being self-reinforced over and over again. Whoever the bully might be, that dog learns they can succeed at being a bully. Meanwhile, the dog that is bullied is under almost constant stress and anxiety. Then one day, a crisis occurs. Always remember that dogs are animals and think like animals. They have no morals. They never feel guilty about doing any behavior, despite what their body language may indicate to you (like cowering when being hollered at.) Never, never let dogs work it out themselves. Make sure to take charge of these situations in order to prevent them from happening in the first place. We tell all our clients who are dealing with any problematic dog behaviors to PREVENT, PREVENT, PREVENT them. Intervene and interrupt bully behavior or obnoxious behavior immediately. Find help either by making an appointment with a veterinarian or make an appointment with a Certified Behaviorist like Alpha Dog Training of Utah. We have more than 20 years of experience working with dog-to-dog aggression. Alpha Dog Training of Utah specializes is fixing dog aggression issues and we’re here to help. Please feel free to contact us at any time for professional assistance. http://www.alpha-dog-training-slc.com. (801) 910-1700.

Your Puppy's First Grooming Appointment

 

#AlphaDogTraining #dogtrainingsaltlakecity

Published by Alpha Dog Training

https://www.alpha-dog-training-slc.com/

(801) 910-1700

 

Your Pup’s First Grooming Appointment

If you plan to have your puppy professionally groomed when she grows up, you should also show her what to expect at her first grooming appointment. Unless you have a wash-and-wear dog who can get by with just an occasional bath—and you are willing to be the one to give it—you will likely want to use the services of a professional groomer. This is especially true if your puppy has long hair that needs to be styled and clipped. However, your puppy will have to wait until she’s at least 16 weeks old to visit a groomer since most salons require dogs to have all their vaccinations before their first session. In the meantime, you can start preparing your puppy for her first grooming appointment. Doing so will help her feel more comfortable while she’s being groomed, and will make the groomer’s job easier.

Start at Home

To help your puppy, you’ll need to start grooming her first at home where she feels safe. Buy a soft-bristled brush for dogs and a guillotine-style nail trimmer for pets.

Handle her paws, lifting each one and gently massaging it with your hand. Reward her for cooperating with praise or a treat.

Don’t ask your puppy to tolerate having all the nails on all four paws snipped in one sitting. Just do a few nails to start, and then return to do a few others the next day.

Next, get your puppy used to being brushed. Even shorthaired dogs can benefit from regular brushing, and longhaired dogs absolutely require it.

Electric clippers can be one of the scariest things about getting groomed for a puppy, so it’s a good idea to get her used to the sound and sensation of clippers before her first grooming appointment.

Bath Time

Every visit to the groomer comes with a bath, so it’s a good idea to get your puppy used to being washed before someone she doesn’t known does it—and in a strange place, too. 

You may want to give treats throughout this process to help your puppy associate being bathed with something positive.

Even if your puppy is a longhaired breed, she probably still has a short puppy coat that can be dried with a towel or two. But when she grows up and goes to the groomer, her coat will likely need to be dried with a blower. You may want to start getting her used to the blow dryer now so she isn’t freaked out by the sound and feeling of it the first time she goes to the groomer.

Begin by turning on your hair dryer while your puppy is in the room so she can get used to the noise. You can do this by having your puppy nearby while you dry your own hair. Eventually, start bringing the dryer closer to her while it’s on, offering her treats. You can even try letting it blow on her while on the low setting for just a few seconds, and then praising her and giving her treats as a reward. Once she seems okay with having the dryer blowing on her, you can use it to finish drying her off after a bath.

 

How to Minimize Dog Aggression

#AlphaDogTraining #dogtrainingsaltlakecity How to Minimize Dog Aggression Issues Published by Alpha Dog Training https://www.alpha-dog-training-slc.com/ (801) 910-1700 These are ways to help you minimize dominance issue that may arise over your pups life. We at Alpha Dog Training find that the leading cause of aggression cases arise from owners not dealing with dominance in their dog. Unchecked dominance issues lead to dog aggression as they age. Your pup needs to understand its place or issues will arise as they grow older. 1. Furniture/Bed- Who does not love to cuddle with their pup in bed or on the couch? But try not to allow your dog up on the bed. The reason for this has a lot to do with being eye-level and sharing your “nest” where only the Alphas of a pack should get the best spot. Again, this is something that needs to be considered if you have an overly dominate pup or dominance issues arise. 2. Spayed/Neuter- This one is simple biology and applies to both sexes. Will it always fix the issue? No, but it tends to help in a lot of cases. 3. Socialization- This is best done at an early age where you can still control the pup easily. But a lot of us adapt and don’t always get to do this when they are young. 4. Free Feeding- This almost always leads to food and toy guarding later in life. Your dog needs to understand you are providing the food, by always leaving it out or even not picking it up and letting them “graze” they believe it is just there and not that you are providing it. Food should be put down, giving them 5-10 minutes to eat, if they do not it should be picked up and given back 12 hours later. 5. Sitting on You- Depending on the size of your dog this one may be a no brainer but just as you see the dominate dogs trying to sit on or pin down the other dogs during play they perceive you allowing them to sit on you as submission. 6. Obedience Training- Basic Obedience Training gives your pup not only the understanding that YOU are in control but the relief of not being in charge. If they believe you will take care of the issue and provide for them there is no reason to be aggressive toward other dogs/people or challenge your dominance. Our dogs may not love every dog or person he or she ever meets but we should never settle for behavior we know is not appropriate. Most of us strive our entire life to be “better” and we should do the same for your pup. Alpha Dog Training provides excellent obedience training for dogs and their owners across Utah. Please let us know if we can help. Alpha-dog-traininng-slc.com, (801) 910-1700.

In-Home Puppy and Dog Training

In-Home Dog Training Published by Alpha Dog Training https://www.alpha-dog-training-slc.com/ 801-910-1700 In-Home training, (training your dog in your home) provides the best possible way to build a dog’s listening skills, which we call “Learning.” Once your dog develops a sense of respect and trust toward you and your family, your dog will be ready to meet and greet the social world with confidence. When we start foundational learning we call this the “Learning Phase” which is learning a new task without distraction and repeating these tasks enough times or repetitions to allow your dog to fully understand your messages. This also means quicker learning experience and a great way to help prepare for more challenges ahead. Once you and your dog have worked through the learning phase, we will then progress to other types of distraction phase learning. Alpha Dog Training would be happy to help you train your puppy or adult dog with love and respect. Feel free to contact us at any time, alpha-dog-training-slc.com, (801) 910-1700.

 

Trivia Time!  How Well Do You Know Your Dog?

 

By Alpha Dog Training of Utah

1. Average dog temperature?
2. Are dogs color blind?
3. According to the AKC, what is the most popular breed?
4. What breed is known as the “nanny dogs”?
5. Where are dogs' sweat glands?
6. What percentage of households own dogs?
7. What is the dangerous ingredient in chocolate for dogs?
8. What is the first thing you should do if you suspect your dog has heat stroke?
9. How many teeth do dogs have?
10. What is the age recorded of the oldest living dog?
    

Answers:

1. A dog’s normal body temperature is 100.5 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. It is a myth that dogs are color blind. They can actually see in color, just not as vividly as humans. It is akin to our vision at dusk.
3. The ten most popular dogs (AKC, 2007) are in order: Labrador Retriever, Yorkshire Tierrier, German Shepherd,Golden Retriever, Beagle, Boxer, Dachshund, Poodle, Shih Tzu and Bulldong.
4. Pit bulls were bred to watch over kids - "nanny dogs"!
5. The only sweat glands a dog has are between the paw pads.
6. More than 1 in 3 American families own a dog.
7. Chocolate contains a substance known as theobromine (similar to caffeine) which can kill dogs, or at the very least, make them violently ill.
8. First thing you do if you suspect your dog of heat stroke is call your vet, then wet the underbelly and feet.
9. An adult dog has 42 teeth.
10. The current world record for oldest dog is an Australian Cattle Dog named Bluey, who lived 29 years and 5 months.
11.  Call Alpha Dog Training for more information!  801-910-1700.

 

Crate Training Tips

By Alpha Dog Training of Utah

 

 

 

 

 We probably receive more questions about house training problems than anything else. I wish we had a quick fix, but there just isn't one. 

 

Each puppy learns at its own pace. Some only have one accident in the house, and others may have problems for months or longer unfortunately. The most effective way to transition to house training for puppies is to start on crate training immediately.

 

There are several things that are important in helping puppies succeed. Young puppies are like babies - they often need to use the bathroom every time they wake up, eat, drink or even run across the room. We have noticed that smaller dogs can sometimes have more difficulty than large breed dogs. The key is a combination of patience, consistency and persistence.

 

If a puppy is healthy, and it is living in a climate-controlled environment, it generally shouldn't need food and water continuously throughout the day and evening. (Check with a veterinarian for health issues.) Generally, we feed puppies 2 or 3 times a day and give them water multiple times throughout the day until about 6pm. (If it is hot, and the puppy is spending a lot of time outside, this will need to be adjusted to account for dehydration risks.) Limiting food and water can help them learn to hold it better - instead of needing to go constantly. (The limiting of water is very similar to potty training a toddler - if a toddler is allowed to run around with a sippy cup all day, potty training is going to be very difficult.) Check with your veterinarian if you suspect a health issue. 

 

When choosing a crate, the one used for crate training will probably not be the same one to use forever. This crate doesn't need to give the puppy too much room. Dogs don't normally like to use the bathroom where they sleep, so we want to work with that instinct. If the crate is too big, the puppy will use the bathroom on one side then try to go to the other side to sleep. Many people feel guilty about putting their puppies in crates. 

 

This doesn't have to be forever. With work, many dogs can learn to stay out in the house, but a crate can be comforting for dogs. Many of them learn to see it as a "safe place". The dog can go in the crate to relax. Giving treats and feeding the puppy in its crate will help it learn to acclimate to the crate. We generally recommend that the crate is placed in a separate room away from lots of activity.

Puppies should be allowed to have the opportunity to use the bathroom very frequently. Help prevent accidents, by taking them out very often - even once an hour. This is not always an easy process, but it is what needs to be done. The idea is to catch them before they really need to go.