DogBoy's Dog Blog

When I was twelve years old, my parents decided it was time for me to have a dog of my own. I couldn’t be more excited! We went through the newspaper and found the perfect dog:a Wirehaired Fox Terrier. We were so excited to have this brand new family member, and yet we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into!

There are so many options for leashes out there these days. As you can imagine, we see the whole gamut, from nylong to leather to flexi-lead, or retractable leashes. Retractable leashes have become a very popular item, often out of convenience, for dog owners. At DogBoy's Dog Ranch, we are not fans of the retractable leash, and we're here to educate you as to why not. Here are just some of the common concerns when using a retractable leash and why we discourage their use:

With Austin’s beautiful year-round weather and dog-friendly atmosphere, most dog owners want a well-mannered dog, especially one they can take in public.  A nicely trained dog using dog-friendly, reward-based methods is not an unobtainable goal. 

Food puzzle toys are a way of life here in the DogBoy’s Training Department.  Why do we advocate their use?  They are great for reducing anxiety and stress.  Puzzle toys give our dogs mental stimulation and allow them to problem solve.  Including food puzzle toys as part of your feeding routine also builds confidence for dogs that are shy. Using a puzzle toy instead of just a bowl slows down dogs that tend to inhale their supper.

Elsie was a poster child for Dog Training. I adopted my 8 year old dog, Elsie, about 7 months ago. I took her on because her previous owner couldn’t accommodate her needs any longer. I will admit, she is a difficult one. She’s been known to be a great escape artist, a digger, reactive to any noise she thinks is a door knock/bell and barks at anyone outside the house, even if they’re down the street. She’s afraid of people, alert barking at anyone that dares come too close and she doesn’t like most dogs. She’s been in a couple of serious fights and has bitten a neighbor’s dog. The costly amount of damage that she did over the years is astonishing; truly, the list of tests goes on and on. I guess I’m just crazy enough to have accepted this challenge.

There are lots of dog trainers in Austin. Almost everyone you know has met or learned from at least one dog trainer in town.  But as many of you know, not all dog trainers are created equal.  For years, (and we mean YEARS), fresh graduates of a local dog training "academy" have come to DogBoy's looking for work as a dog trainer.  We have never hired them for two reasons:

There were lots of little dog boys and dog girls at Graham Elementary this past Friday! Jon Campbell, Alice Akridge, client Mark Kay Bode, and I presented for Career Day the 3^rd year in a row. Graham Elementary is a National Blue Ribbon School  which means they have shown significant improvements in students’ academic achievements. It also means students are performing at high academic levels.

In honor of January being Train Your Dog Month, we bring you our favorite training tool, the Premier Easy Walk Harness.  This is our favorite walking harness for dogs who really pull on leash. Here's what our newest dog trainer, Kelly Webber, CPDT-KA (pictured here with her dog Brownie) says about it:

Last night over half of the staff at DogBoy's got a chance to hear the great Patricia McConnell speak at the AT&T Executive Conference Center in Austin. 

According to Patricia, humans and dogs share similar brains, including the parts that control emotions like disgust, fear, anger, seeking and happiness.  But what is still unclear, is whether dogs share our secondary emotions like jealousy, sympathy and guilt? 

We often hear clients say, "I know my dog knows when he's guilty.  You can totally tell by his face that he KNOWS he's done something wrong!" But before you shake your head in agreement, check out this video from DogSpies.com