Sitting by the Fireplace
By: Tony Giotto

Sitting by the fireplace while patting my dog, Duke,
Christmas is almost here and it’s no fluke.
As I watch the clock and hear its chime,
I look at Duke and wonder how fast this year has gone this time.
Further back as I look at Duke at a young age,
I see him now turning around as one would flip a book page.
Playing and working, that’s it,
Duke has always been loving and fit.
As Duke gets up slowly and looks up at me,
I smile, pick up my cup and sip slowly the hot tea.
It seems like Duke smiles as he lies back down and curls into a ball,
I look at the fireplace and think back how it was waiting for Santa to come down the chimney wall.

 

A-Z Canine Training would like to extend best wishes to everyone for a Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year!

It can be a thrilling and exciting experience to own a puppy. One of the problems that can occur with a puppy is biting and chewing. At this stage, all is new to a puppy including their sensory and surroundings. If left unsupervised, they can run into a bit of mischief. However, with proper puppy training as early as at eight weeks, one can start to build a good foundation for the dog’s later years.

Biting is a normal problem that puppies tend to do since they are teething. Anything as soft as a hand going into a puppy’s mouth, is joy to a puppy but pain to the owner. Also, chewing such things as furniture, walls, carpet and any other inappropriate items could not only be damaging to the household but harmful for the puppy’s health.

It is always good idea to have the puppy supervised and socialized as being part of the family. One choice is to have an enclosed area where the puppy can be contained and controlled with direct supervision. The puppy should have safe toys in this area but again always being watched for any problems.

Another method to use to avoid the puppy chewing or biting is to replace it with a chew toy. For example, if the puppy chews on a leash while taking it out for a walk, with proper training, one could replace that habit by giving it a chew toy instead. This will take time, patience and consistency for the puppy to realize that the toy is fine to chew on rather than the leash. This can be applied to any other inappropriate chewing or biting that the puppy is doing. Also, having a chew toy ready is always a good idea especially when the puppy is about to bite your hand.

Providing a positive and motivational reinforcement approach to a daily puppy training obedience routine will help modify this behavior problem.

A typical question we get asked is: “Why is it that when I try to call Homer, he only comes back to me when he feels like it?”

The scenario could be at a dog park where Homer, distracted with other dogs, is being called repetitively by his owner: “HOMER come here, I said, HOMER, HOMER will you come here right now!” Eventually, the owner ends up chasing or playing a form of tag with Homer.

The recall command can be a tough command to learn. To get a reliable off leash direct recall, takes time and it would be easier to start with basic dog training which is on a six foot leash. Also, having a Professional Dog Trainer guiding you with the recall command would simplify the routine.

An example of helping your dog to come to you is to motivate the dog by tapping your legs. Once the dog comes to you, even though it might be an automatic reaction, never scold him. By doing this, he’ll think twice before coming back to you the next time. Instead, always give the dog lots of praise when he comes back to you. Also, always make sure to keep the dog and yourself safe by having good control over the leash.

Providing a positive and motivational reinforcement approach to a daily training obedience routine will help modify this behavior problem.

Call us today for a free phone consultation.