Many dog and puppy owners are advised not to play tug or it will make their dog aggressive. Many people play tug with their dogs successfully without their dog turning into Cujo. (me included). How do we do it? We play with rules. This game as most all things in your dog's life needs to be under your control. Dogs love to tug on things. If you watch wolves and their pups play, they also play tug. But any game played with no rules ends up with someone getting hurt. What kind of rules? 1. No teeth on skin or game's over (play with long enough toy to prevent this. More on this later.) 2. Use drop it and leave it. (You need to win most of the time and this allows you to win and them to be successful) 3. Play for short periods of time and then settle your dog down. 4. Have a clear beginning and end of game. 5. At the end of the game, put the toy away till next time. The toy will last longer and it puts the game under your control.

 

Tug toys need to be long enough to prevent misfires with dog teeth. Pentapulls (see picture on left), long rope toys, "Road kill" (long toys  with no stuffing) all can be great tug toys. You can find these at most pet stores. But if you are on the East side of town, check out the Anderson Twp Family Pet Center. They have the biggest selection of pentapulls, "road kill" toys and tugs you have ever seen in your life. I'm not kidding. Happy tugging!  

 

 

 

 

Deezel and Bailey both graduated from puppy class. They did very well and impressed everyone. Bo the herder (actually he's quite the handsome dog) graduated from the 20 week adult program and earned his Canine Good Citizen Award. Fantastic work mom and Bo! Cody the pup was my first AKC STAR puppy. He passed all 20 items. Bear and RJ weren't far behind only missing one. Next time guys! And the two Yorkie brothers passed the STAR puppy also-Max and Toby. Good work guys!

When you come home after being gone for a while-do you get hugged and mugged and nearly knocked down? We look at this and say "Wow, my dog really missed me!". The dog looks at it as "Wow, this must be the way we are supposed to greet because look how much attention this gets me!" When the pack is separated from the pack leader, they need to know upon their return if they are still the pack leader. By not showering them with affection in their excited state, by not rewarding jumping up on you with petting and excitement, you can teach your dog that you are still the pack leader.

 

The Five Minute Rule: When you return home from anyplace, ignore your dog for five minutes. No touch, no talk, no eye contact. He will eventually go lay down. When this happens get down to his level and call him quietly over to you. The pack comes to the pack leader, not the pack leader to the pack. Then you can give him lots of affection, praise, kisses and the whole 9 yards. Then you are going to go back out the door and try the routine again. I promise you the more you practice this, the shorter the time for your dog to settle down. He will learn the quickest way to get your attention and affection is to be calm and wait for you to call him over.

 

Do you ever watch Cesar Milan enter his Dog Psychology Center with all the dogs? Do they all jump and mug him? No, they respect him as pack leader and give him his space. You can do this too. Be the pack leader.  

This Spring I will be offering testing for the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy. This will primarily be for graduates of my puppy classes that are not yet a year old and have taken at least 6 classes with me. You can check out the requirements online at www.akc.org. Or call or email me and I will get you a handout so you can start practicing. You can have a STAR puppy.

 

I will also offer a new class this spring at local parks called Park and Learn. It will be for graduates of my Adult/Adolescent classes that want to continue training in reality settings. We will be outside in different parks so weather will be a factor. You can attend as you want so it is a pay as you go ($10.00 a class). My voice mail will be set up so each week you can call to see where we will be and if rain has cancelled the class. It should be very fun.

 

And lastly, I will be awarding a "Star of the Class" each and every class. It will recognize one owner and dog for something extra ordinary that class. I will award it at the end of each class and it could be anything from a quick, great down to assisting with a fearful dog in class. You never know. So be on your toes or paws and watch for it.   

 

I do and you do but did you know that dogs need between 14 and 16 hours of sleep a day? Dogs that do not get enough sleep can get cranky or hyper. Don't feel bad putting your dog or puppy down for a nap. Some households are busy from sun up to sun down and beyond. If your dog does not take a few naps on his own during the day, and I'm talking a couple hours not just a five minute power nap like I do, put him in a quiet room and let him sleep. He and you will be better for it. I'm sleepy just talking about naps, maybe I'll take one now too. Pleasant Dreams..........................zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.