DogBoy's Dog Blog

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

One sunny day in May, DogBoy and I ventured off the Ranch with our well-seasoned dog trainer of over 10 years, Rebecca Andrews.  We were on a mission to educate the children of Dessau Elementary School for their local Career Day.  Both of our own kids went to this school, so this career day was a special treat for us.  We brought along Rebecca's faithful sidekick, Murphy.

Of course, everyone wants to pet Murphy.  He's the local favorite greeter at DogBoy's.  He's easy going, always ready for a belly rub, and wonderful with kids.  But besides teaching kids what it's like to run a dog ranch or be a dog trainer, we felt pretty strongly that there are other important things that kids need to know about dogs.  We're all kids on the inside (right?), so I thought I'd share these things with you too:

How to greet a dog you don't know:

1. ALWAYS Ask permission! Not all dogs like kids (or people, for that matter), so it's always a good idea to ask first.

2. Approach with your body sideways (perpendicular) to the dog.  This lets him/her know that you pose no threat, and squat down to his or her level, looking away.  Watch the dog's body language to see if the pup is eager to meet you or not.  Lick your lips or yawn, even scratch your belly.  These area all calming signals that put dogs at ease.  If you see the dog back up or give you the "whale eye", back away and give the dog space.

3. Let the dog smell you first.  I prefer an open hand, but some people advocate protecting your fingers...

4. Pet the dog on the chin or chest - not on top of the head or on his back.  Never hug a dog you don't know!  Even most of our own dogs don't love the hugging and kissing that we do.

We also discussed what to do if you see a dog running towards you with no owner present:

1. BE A TREE! Stand still with your arms down and look straight ahead.  Don't look at, talk to or touch the dog, as this will engage him.  Whatever you do, DO NOT RUN.  The dog will chase you and the dog will catch you!

2. If you get knocked down, tuck in your knees, and protect your head with your arms.  Close your hands into fists and cover your neck and ears.  If the dog does mean you harm, these are areas you want to protect.  It is unlikely that this would happen, but it's good to know what to do if it does!

Finally, we discussed all the different types of jobs dogs have, and what every pet dogs needs at home:

Food, Water, Shelter, Love and Exercise!
(Shots and Spay/Neuter too!)

We had a blast, of course we were a huge hit with the kids, and DogBoy's is headed back to another school to do the same thing tomorrow.  Who doesn't want to grow up and play with dogs?  We have the best job in the whole wide world!

So if you know a kid, or a parent with kids, pass these tips along.  Next week is Dog Bite Prevention Week, so let's all do our part to keep everyone safe!

If you want more tips on keeping your kids safe, talk to one of our 5 Certified Professional Dog Trainers.  We're here to help you with all your dog's training needs.  And if you have tips to share, please leave your comments below.  We'd love to hear them!

Until then, keep those tails wagging!

DogGirl

Recently, I was at a local dog festival and ran across a trainer who truly shocked me.  You can imagine that being in the dog world for 20+ years, I've seen and heard quite a bit.  I usually say that it's hard to shock me, but this day, I was dead wrong.