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How Do You Get Your Dog Used To Wearing a Collar and Leash?

by with No Comment Dog HealthDog owner lifeDog TrainingPet CarePet Products

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE.

Please be patient with your pup

When you first get a new puppy, you can not expect the dog to be used to walking on a leash or even having a collar on. It should be done in a step by step process. If you force the dog to try and walk then they will fear the collar and that can cause problems for the future.

First thing you need to do is put the collar on the dog. Even if they are scratching at their neck, it is totally normal because they are not used to having something around their neck. Once they are used to the collar then you can get them used to the leash.

Do not put the leash on the dog and always expect the dog to be excited to walk with you. Most puppies will just lay down and refuse to walk. The best thing to do is to put the leash on the dog inside the house and let the dog walk around with it while you are home, so they get used to having the leash dragging behind them. After about 2 days, then you can try taking the dog for a walk.

Once you try taking the dog for a walk, grab a squeeky toy to get the dog excited. Start walking with the dog on the leash while squeeking the toy and telling the dog to come. As soon as the dog starts walking with you, give the dog plenty of praise, “good girl or boy come on.” Do it for a short amount of time the first time and progressively get longer each additional time. Once your dog starts walking you will be able to enjoy a long walk with your dog.  Just Be Patient!!!!

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What Are Some Dog Mystic Exercises?

by with No Comment Dog HealthDog owner lifeDog TrainingPet CarePet Products

The Universe has surrounded us with the perfect teachers…Animals are in the present all the time and their secret power is to pull us in with them!

PLEASE take about five minutes or longer to just sit on the floor and love you dogs.  Put your phone on silent and sit on the floor or on the bed and enjoy petting your dog. While you are petting your dog, take some nice long deep breaths. Petting your dog lowers your blood pressure as well as lowering your dog’s blood pressure.

If your dog is not fearful of hugs, you can give them a hug. Also, massaging them will relax them even more. Allow your dog to pull you into the present moment.

Another exercise that you can do while you’re walking with your dog put your phone on silent so you were focusing all of your attention on nature and your dog.

Start to take some deep breaths and you can either shrug your shoulders or make circles with your shoulders because it relieves the tension and your body.

Enjoy the walk and being with your dog instead of being on the phone and not being aware of everything that is going on around you.

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Which Leashes Are Safe and Unsafe?

by with No Comment Dog HealthDog owner lifeDog TrainingPet CarePet Products

There are so many leashes to choose from, do you know which leashes to get?

My preference is a 6 ft. leash either nylon or leather.   The 4 ft. leash doesn’t give them enough slack in the leash when they are on a free walk.

Before you buy a nylon leash, hold it in your hand to make sure it is not rough on the edges because it can hurt your hands.  The rope leashes are good but make sure they are thick because the thin rope leash hurts your hands and you can get a rope burn.

PLEASE DO NOT BUY A RETRACTABLE LEASH!  They are unsafe and you can get a severe rope burn especially with the ones that have the extra thin rope.  It can get wrapped around your legs and fingers and cut you badly.

If you have a puppy, you should keep the dog on a watch inside the house, which means when you can watch the puppy, you have the dog on the leash with you so they can’t sneak off to have an accident or chew on something. When you can’t watch you confine. One thing you can do is get a 4 ft. chain link leash, so the dog can chew on the metal instead of chewing through the nylon leashes.

A 10 – 12 nylon leash is good for working on the come command from a distance.

The Dog Mystic

Do You Believe Your Dog Should Be Secure In A Car?

by with No Comment Dog HealthDog owner lifeDog TrainingPet CarePet Products

If people are driving in a car without a seatbelt then we can get fined.

It is for our own safety and it is extremely important to keep your dog safe by either getting a doggy seat belt, a doggie seat, or wrapping the handle of a 6 foot leash around the hand rail in the backseat of the car or truck and tie a knot so the dog has enough room to sit or lie down.

If your dog is secure in the back seat then if you get rear-ended from behind then the dog is not coming flying to the front and banging into something. Also, it is so dangerous to have your dog jumping from the back to the front of the car while you are driving. Think about it, there are so many crazy drivers out there and you should be paying attention to the road instead of controlling your dog.

If your dog is in your lap and chooses to jump down in front of you, especially the small pups then your focus is on the pup instead of the road!

The dog could get paralyzed on impact or die. We do not want that to happen.

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The Full Moon Affects Dogs Just As Much As People

by with No Comment Dog HealthDog owner lifeDog TrainingPet CarePet Products

There are some full moons when the dogs have no effect whatsoever and then there are some full moons when are extremely hyper, totally defiant, and testing your every move. PATIENCE! My clients have called me and said, “This dog is driving me crazy, he or she has not acted like this is a long time!”

I used to be a teacher and the full moon that had plenty of energy, the kids looked like little ants moving around the classroom. They had an internal motor that could not be stopped. Dogs are the same way!

The leash is your tool. You have control! When your pup is being defiant and putting everything in their mouth they should be placed on the leash, so they can not sneak off and get in trouble.

Training will definitely help. Even if you work with them for just 5 minutes it will help. The mental stimulation gets them more tired then just playing with their toys.

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Is Your Doggie Not Feeling Well, Don’t Rush To The Vet

by with No Comment Dog HealthDog owner lifeDog TrainingPet CarePet Products

I am not a veterinarian and will never be.

If your dog is not feeling well and has diarrhea please do the rush to the vet the first day, unless they are extremely weak and sick.

Especially a puppy because they put everything in their mouth.

Boil some chicken and you can mix it with plain rice, canned pumpkin, 100% pure, no pumkin pie mix, or boiled sweet potatoes mashed up.

If they are really gassy then I have given my dogs tums to lessen the bloating.

If you give them this diet and it does not help or they become very weak after 3 days then yes take them to the vet. We all get upset stomachs from time to time and our body goes through a cleanse. I know I don’t run to the Dr. unless it is really needed.

I am here for any questions so book a call or message me.

switching dogs food

How To Transition From One Dog Food To Another

by with No Comment Dog HealthDog owner lifeDog TrainingPet CarePet Products

Corn goes right through our bodies and does the same for dogs. Biproducts are every single part of a chicken including intestines, claws, and beaks. Pedigree is a very unhealthy food. It is like feeding your dog McDonald everyday. You can take a look at https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/ to get a 1 – 5 star rating on the food.

Once you get the new food, for the first day just add a small amount in your fingertips, then a little bit more for the 2nd day. On the third day add 1/4 cup for each feeding if the dog is big enough for that much. Just keep adding a little bit more each day until you are adding more of the new food.

If your dog is not reacting well to the new food then you will notice their stool is loose, mushy, or runny. They may also have a lot of gas. When you are switching food, it is trial and error.

If your dog has allergies, there are plenty of times that chicken causes more allergies then beef, lamb, or fish. Within my 20 years of dog training, I have learned that light colored and white dogs have more food and environmental allergies then darker colored dogs. I find that foods that have fish and limited ingredients works best for dogs with allergies but I am not a veterinarian.

All dogs are different, so it may not affect their belly but why take the chance. Unfortunately, the Coronavirus has caused people to have to switch to a less expensive food and that is ok. My only suggestion is to switch to a food that does not have corn and biproduct meal.

Please do not quickly switch from one brand of food to another because it may cause severe diarrhea!

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A Collar OR A Harness? That Is The Question.

by with No Comment Dog HealthDog owner lifeDog TrainingPet Products

Every dog trainer has their own preference in what they use for training.

I like to use collars instead of the harness because you have more control and when they feel the pull against their chest then it gives them more dominance and they think they’re all big and bad.

Yes of course there’s the no pull harness and other tools but I honestly have not used them. Think of sled dogs, as soon as they feel the pull against their chest then they feel the dominance and they want to start pulling so no matter what the size of the breed is that is what they feel.

The dogs do not care if you pull their body to try and correct them but it is more uncomfortable for them to feel the pull around their neck. As long as you get a nilon or leather collar, it does not harm the trachea. If the dog is a medium to large dog, please get a thick collar because it is uncomfortable for the dog when the collar is to thin. It can loosen up easier and fall to the bottom of the throat, which will make them cough and then scare you because you think they are choking.

When the leash is on the collar and you give the dog a leash correction, you do not have to pull back with all your strength. Just a little pop back on the leash toward the tail is good enough.

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The Leash Is Your Tool As Well As Being Firm But Loving!

by with No Comment Dog HealthDog owner lifeDog TrainingPet CarePet Products

When the dog does not have the leash on then they are in control. They have to much freedom and think that they can chew on whatever or go to the bathroom throughout the whole house. 

If the dog cannot be trusted in the house without having an accident or chewing on something you need to keep them on a watch or confine.

When the dog is on a watch, you keep the dog on the leash inside the house, so the dog cannot sneak off to have an accident or destroy something.  You can put a belt on and put the loop of a 6 ft. nylon leash or a 4 ft. chain link leash, if they are biters, through the belt, so your hands are free.

You can also wrap the leash around the leg of the couch and put clasp through the loop then attach it to the collar.

When you cannot watch the dog then put the dog in their confinement even if it is just for a short time for you to go to the bathroom because that is when they take advantage and get in trouble.

This may sound strange but if you have a large puppy that is extremely strong, clumsy, and doesn’t know their own strength then please keep the leash on them inside the house even if they’re housebroken.

If you open up the crate door and they literally knock you down because they’re so excited to get out and then they grab everything that they’re not supposed to, then they are just pushing their limits and getting away with way too much.

You can get really hurt if they are hyper and in their puppy Zoomies and banging to you knock you down and hurt your body.

Best thing to do is put the leash on before they get out of the crate.