George Bolte Pet Care

30/06/2021

What I hope to provide to you in terms of dog training. The opportunity to learn:
* How to give your dog cues (signals) that will clearly communicate what you are asking of your dog
* How to read your dog's body language and vocalizations so you will know what they are trying to tell you
* What to do when you learn your dog needs your help
* How to reinforce behaviors you want your dog to do
* How to discourage behaviors you don't want your dog to do
* How to provide enrichment that aids in your dog's development and quality of life
* How to teach your dog the rules and routines of your household
* How to learn what motivates your unique dog and how to use that motivation to enhance learning
* How to conduct a training program that will progressively make your dog more and more fluent (solid, quick responding) in the behavior you are training
* How to teach your dog behaviors that will help her to navigate the human world
* How to enhance your relationship, making you more and more valuable in your dog's eyes increasing their motivation to respond and work with you
* How to use me as a resource for the multiplicity of questions and concerns you will have as you and your dog learn to live together

24/05/2021

I just got this as an audio book it is absolutely amazing. A very touching and moving story.

21/05/2021

A good friend of mine gave me this very cool T-shirt. The picture looks just like Nina. I absolutely love it. Check out the pink rose.

05/02/2021

Border collie puppies.One will be coming here in a few weeks!

25/01/2021

The stay at home orders were rescinded today and I have decided to resume dog training here in Riverside. Will still practice safe methods, outside with masks etc. but excited to get back helping people. Let me know if I can be of assistance with you sweet dog.

25/11/2020

Does your dog pull on the leash?
This is a very common and frustrating problem. I have a short, inexpensive book to recommend to you

My Dog Pulls. What Do I Do? by Turid Rugaas

You can get this book on kindle or as a paperback. It is an easy to use plan, following safe, positive procedures. She uses great color photographs as well.

Look at what she says in the introduction:
"I wanted to find a kind method, one that did not hurt, frighten or stress the dogs – and most of the methods I had seen until then were not gentle. I got the chance a little later while attending a one-year instructor course at Groruddalen Veterinary Clinic outside Oslo. We were asked to choose a project to work on for the year, and being a practical person I, of course, had to pick a practical project. I chose to develop a method for teaching dogs to walk nicely on leash."

"It turned out to be great fun. I advertised for “guinea pigs” and received 204 replies right away; people who had dogs with a variety of pulling problems. The youngest was a collie pup of four months of age; the oldest a Norwegian Elkhound who was 14 years old. All kinds of breeds, all ages and types of dogs were represented, along with all kinds of pulling problems."

Remember the 3 P's
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Plan, have a good one
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Practice
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Patience, with your dog and yourself.

This book represents the good plan. The other 2 are up to you.

04/10/2020

Great article my wife wrote about our Border Collie, Ringo. I think you might enjoy it.

https://www.elephantjournal.com/2020/10/my-dogs-journey-home-from-the-rainbow-bridge/?fbclid=IwAR3NB4Bk1iN9cfuJ6KtHQ2No3t6f6GAK_JMwTSc4ap0yoC2nIq42zbUaqnc

I remember the day he came to us. We drove out to Adelanto to a sheep farm to pick him up. He was different than your typical Border Collie. Rather than the common black collie with white markings, he...

12/09/2020

Pinto, in the down position legs tucked under ready to dash. He's in full Hunter mode.A little while earlier he had the opportunity to chase a ground squirrel. In his mind he almost caught it. Now he is hypervigilant.

08/09/2020

Your dog may not be a psychic but predicting the future is very important to him. Predicting what things mean is important to all animals, including us and our dogs. The more accurately we can predict things, the safer and happier we feel. It's one of the reasons why we like routines so much. They create predictable order in our lives. We can think ahead, anticipate and predict what will happen next. For example, in training, our dogs learn that if they do certain behaviors they can predict that a yummy food treat will be coming their way. When you open the closet door and pull out your jacket, your dog may be predicting that the two of you are going for a walk. And if you follow that jacket grab with getting out his leash he will get excited for sure. His prediction response just went up a notch. Our dogs are ever alert to their environment. Naturally some things mean more to them, than others. They are keen on the things that might matter to them. My border collie Ringo used to go with me when I went mountain biking. If I brought my Camelbac hydration pack and from the garage he would get very excited because that often meant that he was about to go on an adventure with me. Your dog does the same thing, anticipating and predicting what things will mean to him. Here's why this matters to you. The more that your dog can accurately predict events and his life the easier it will be to train him. Training is all about consequences. But not random unpredictable consequences. When your dog is consistently reinforced for a given behavior that behavior will be repeated. Your dog can predict that this good thing is going to come after he performs that behavior. And because he has a history of being good at predicting he has high confidence in his ability. It's a game he will love to play. Also predicting often requires persistence, meaning he may have to figure out how to win the game, in more challenging training. If he has a past history of winning he will predict "I just need to keep trying". This is how you build confidence and resilience in your dog. Set them up for success then add new challenges. Keep it fun and interesting. The more they learn that their behavior makes things happen the more they will partner and engage with you in training, play, adventures or whatever you want to do together. Because they are predicting, set their world up to be predictable.

06/09/2020

Here is my granddaughter Olive with her bull mastiff Nya. Super great dog and super great granddaughter.

05/09/2020

This puppy is named Alaska. I started training him 3 years ago.after the training ended I continued to pet sit him when Loretta would go on holiday. Because of covet 19 I haven't seen him in quite a while. Good to be reunited. Even with my new beard he had no trouble recognizing me.

03/09/2020

George Bolte is much more than a dog trainer. He is an ally and a first-rate teacher to us and our puppy. George's great enthusiasm, deep experience, and teaching by invitation rather than command has resulted in our puppy's immediate growth. Right along with these improvements, George has assured that we are educated and eager participants. Additionally, George has augmented our experience with numerous written lessons. We are truly grateful for George's assistance and work and wholeheartedly recommend his services. Sincerely, Brit and Bill Judge

25/04/2020

https://youtu.be/t3J7xAi2Q0Y

STEP THREE TEACHING SIT

There are three steps in teaching sit. The thing that changes in each
set is your use of the word "sit". In step one you don't use the word at all.
You lure the dog into a sit until they offer the behavior on their own.
In step two you say the word while the dog is performing the sit, to pair up
the word with the behavior. In step three you say the word "sit" before the
behavior as a signal ( cue ) asking the dog to perform the behavior.

There are three steps in teaching sit. The thing that changes in each set is your use of the word "sit". In step one you don't use the word at all. You lure ...

25/04/2020

https://youtu.be/gYhiNa9LoTE

HOW TO PROVIDE ENRICHMENT FOR OLDER DOGS

My border collie Ringo is 14. His sight and hearing are compromised.
His nose works great. Here is an easy food game where he uses his nose
to find treats hidden under the tennis balls. He love the game.

My border collie Ringo is 14. His sight and hearing are compromised. His nose works great. Here is an easy food game where he uses his nose to find treats hi...

21/04/2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLWteK4pgpI

sit on cue : Introducing the word "sit" by pairing it with the action of sitting
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get the dog in front of you

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show him you have treats to gain his attention
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he will most likely sit because,

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your prior work with "offered sit" has taught him that sitting will be rewarded
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say "sit" just as the dog starts into a sit

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understand that here you are pairing a word to an action
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that's why you say sit as the dog is sitting
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say "yes" to mark the correct behavior after the butt hits the ground
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deliver a treat while dog is sitting

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If dog starts to get up, to get the treat, withdraw the treat slowly, then deliver when dog is sitting
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we are reinforcing sitting not the sequence of sitting and then standing
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release with "ok" and walk away or toss a treat to get him up and moving if your are going to repeat the exercise

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using "ok" as a release cue will come in handy in teaching stay

three words only are used here
sit
yes
ok

In step one we lured the dog into sit, marked with "yes" and rewarded. In step two we will pair the word "sit" with the behavior of sitting. We say the word ...

17/04/2020

Here's a short little video I created about teaching a dog to sit.
Obviously they already know how to sit but training is about learning language
and working together with you. Sit is a great foundation to have fun together.

Why start with the "offered" sit?
Why not just tell them to sit?
The benefit is thinking.
When the dog figures out how to get you to give him a treat for sitting,
he learns that his behavior makes good things happen. This makes future learning interesting and exciting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMEdunVGQSI&feature=youtu.be

This is the first step in teaching your dog to sit. You get the behavior, sitting, using a treat to lure into position. Then you mark the desired behavior wi...

10/04/2020

With all the nonstop rain my dogs could not get out and take a real walk. So last night I decided to try something new. I rearranged the furniture a little bit so that I could have a good area to walk my dogs inside the house, with some continuous loops. I put harnesses on all 3 dogs and then hooked up the 1st dog, Pinto. He is really good at loose leash walking, so I wanted him to be the "line leader". To my delight and surprise, my half blind, nearly deaf, crippled in the hind legs, beautiful border collie, Ringo, followed us perfectly. It was so cute and touching it almost made me cry. He was genuinely loving it. All dogs loved the little exercise. One thing that made it successful was that they were actually anticipating going outside which got them very excited. Sort of like getting your heart rate up before the big game. Anticipation is everything! Fun was had by all and they were soon curled up and sleeping. Sometimes you have to get creative.

08/04/2020

I listened to a conference call with the humane society in San Diego today about covid 19 and pets

here are the main takeaways I got

our pets are not a danger to us

relate to your pets just like you relate to people

keep them away from other pets, those outside of your family

If you have covid 19 stay away from your pets just like you would other people

if you are otherwise sick don't be super close to them, kissing and close cuddle

pets don't give it to people

covid 19 will not live on fur

would be a good idea to wipe their feet if they have been out for a walk, no need to bathe them

21/03/2020

With the current situation, ( covid-19 ) I am looking to offer free, over the phone consultations and even training. If you have an interest please contact me at my email [email protected] and tell me what you need help with.

21/03/2020

Simple enrichment idea, hide some treats for your pet to find....don't let them see you do it. Surprises are great!

01/03/2020

23/02/2020

Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Doing Poorly!?
You may have heard this or something like it before.
I think it contains some real wisdom.
We often put off or fail to do all together because we are not ready to do it perfectly, or at least at a high level.
So we don't start that fitness program because we need to loose a few pounds first.
We don't start cleaning out the garage because we first need to get that old refrigerator out first.
You get the idea.
Relative to training your dog, something is far better than nothing.
A few minutes of training can be very valuable and if repeated it can make a big difference.
So what if you don't have all of your ducks in a row....just get going.
Sometimes just getting started is all it takes.
Doing is the best way to learn.
If in doubt ask your dog!

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/second-wind/201206/anything-worth-doing-is-worth-doing-badly

16/02/2020

Canine Enrichment for the Real World
Published 2019

Out of my 100 plus dog books this one is going to rank at the top of the list. It's not a step-by-step training book Per-Se. It is very comprehensive at explaining what dogs need in total and how we can better accomplish that. And there is a good focus on the human element, us. Sometimes it's overwhelming. And the more you know the more overwhelming it can seem. The authors understand us as well as our dogs and have some instructive and comforting advice for us. With the goal of encouraging you to get and study this book, here are some of the questions this book answers.
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What are the elements of physical and mental health we should think about?
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How do natural instinctual needs play into this?
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What emotional needs to dogs have?
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What are the physical needs we should consider?
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How does allowing the dog to make choices play into this?
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What are some of the common exercise mistakes we make?
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What are the safety and security needs that are often overlooked?
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How can we help them meet their sensory needs?
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How can we give them good social interactions with other dogs and people?
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How and why should we provide mental stimulation?
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What training methods are enriching?
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What is calming enrichment and how do we provide that?
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Can independence be taught, how and why?
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How can we help them to be comfortable when left alone? What is meant by providing the right environment?
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How can we work smarter not harder for busy people?
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How do we help dogs with special needs?

You can find this in paperback or Kindle on Amazon
Let me know if you get it and what you think of the book.
I love it!

16/02/2020

Really good article about the problems associated with using punishments in dog training.

What are aversives and punishments used in dog training? Reasons you should avoid them and why they aren't the best choice. You can train your dog just as effectively, and have more fun doing so, by using positive reinforcement training methods.

02/02/2020

Help in picking the best dog food for your dog.

The food you give your dog plays a critical role in his well-being, both on a daily basis and long-term. He needs a diet with the right nutrients to keep him active, happy, and healthy. And make no mistake: Not all dog foods are created equal. Since 1998, The Whole Dog Journal has been proving that....

02/02/2020

Good info about dog food....my trusted source, The Whole Dog Journal

Products appear alphabetically by best-known name. In some cases this is the name of the company that makes the food; in others, it’s the name of the food line. We have split some lines made by the same manufacturer into separate rows to better distinguish prices, # of varieties, etc. Read about o...