Redeeming Dogs - Dallas/Fort Worth Dog Training

01/07/2024

Interested in doing something different with your dog? My friend Joel Silverman will be in Dallas in April doing a workshop on training dogs for TV and movies. This will probably sell out so I'm posting now, specific location hasn't been selected yet in DFW.

Download Agenda >> Play Videos From Course >> Dog Training For Film and TV Course – Videos WESTFebruary 19-23, 2024 LOCATION: Los Gatos Lodge 50 Saratoga-Los Gatos Rd Los Gatos, CA 95032 Book Room – $119.00 COST: TOTAL $1,200.00 (50% up front) EASTMarch 25-29, 2024 LOCATION: Holiday Inn Express ...

12/31/2023

Man shy dogs -

It seems every week I come across someone with a dog that doesn't like men. I'm told a lot of creative stories about why the dog might not like men, like maybe in the past a man kicked them or was bad to them. It's true if a dog is shy it's much more likely to be ok around women and warm up to them quicker than men.

If we look at dogs and humans, most of their interactions seem to be with women. If you go to a dog show that is predominantly women, women are the breeders, women make up most of the people in rescue. Women for some reason in the family are given the role of dog feeders, and the person who takes the dog to the vet or the groomers. So dogs that don't get exposed to men at all during the 4 month socialization window are far more likely to be concerned about them. Conversely I've seen (and owned) the rare dog that is far more comfortable around men, they were obviously exposed primarily to men as puppies.

One of the ways dogs assess status of other dogs is by body rigidity. High status dogs move stiffly, with head and tail up. The lower your status the more fluid and soft body positions and movements are. Puppies are wiggly and move around like they have no bones. Dogs also assess humans by their own body language cues. Men are typically stiffer movers than women, so to many dogs that carries a threat that isn't intended. Women generally have softer and more fluid body movements that dogs see as less threatening. Guys also have a lower pitch voice that can sound more "growly" to a dog.

Finally, guys are often more direct about how they want to meet a dog. They will walk straight towards dog, lean over it, often making hard eye contact (which a dog sees as threatening). Just by bending down where you are, with the dog to your back or side, and letting the dog approach you can diffuse a lot of this initial stress.

To help dogs like this involves coaching the men who meet it to employ techniques that send the right signals to the dog, and can be as simple as having the dog tethered to the guy while he ignores dog to show nothing bad happens just by being near him. It can be a thing that takes a long time to correct however...

12/09/2023

Solving problems with your dog.

Sometimes solving a problem with your dog can be tough. Like many people I say I'm standing on the shoulders of giants, in other words I've learned the vast majority of what I know from the trainers that have came before me. Often these are general principals, and it can take some creativity to make them fit the problem you are currently working on...

I've had a recurring problem with one of my three rat terriers, it turns out that this isn't that uncommon. LeeLoo loves to snipe a puzzle piece or three off the coffee table when the family is doing puzzles this time of year. Inevitably when the puzzle is done, three pieces out of the 1000 are missing. We've seen her do it a few times, but it's very rare she's super stealthy.

So... how to fix? You can try to manage the problem, putting the puzzle up where the dog can't reach it, or not letting her into the room where the puzzle is. As most people find out, management of a behavioral issue always fails sooner or later. Eternal vigilance by your whole household just isn't feasible. You might lean towards punishing the behavior, to where dog doesn't want to touch a puzzle piece. If your timing and vigilance and the proper correction is chosen this might work. I'm a professional dog trainer and it didn't work for me.

I went a different way. Right now LeeLoo is in a bigger crate than she normally has, and in there with her is an open box of puzzle pieces. Probably 500 pieces in there. She got a few out and mouthed them then dropped them. I am taking a risk that she will eat an entire box but I doubt that will happen, I think in this case scarcity added value and now that they aren't scarce she will rapidly not care. I'll monitor this experiment by keeping track of the box in her crate, then later by putting some random pieces on the coffee table , then later later on the floor, to see if they disappear.

If you're trying to fix an issue be creative, you won't fix it just trying the same approach that is failing over and over.

05/25/2023

Long time friend and fellow trainer Bill Church and I doing a podcast. :)

https://www.facebook.com/bowwowbills/videos/1389285395252937

05/13/2023

I don't put up a lot of content here, and I thought I would take a minute and explain why. I think dog trainers put up content for three reasons. They post content to educate, or market, or show how talented they are. I've been training dogs professionally for 16 years now, which is a solid start but I really personally want to hear the voices of folks who have 20-30 years in training dogs. I value that so much. So maybe in 4 more years I'll have more of a voice when it comes to education.

I've been blessed by the fact that my business is kind of self perpetuating at this point, most of my contacts are previous clients, by word of mouth, or by vets. I'd rather take the time to send content directly to the owners of the dogs I'm training so I do a lot of that. So my marketing content is kinda meager. :P

Finally, when I feel ego popping up I feel that is the total enemy of good dog training, and puts one in a state where they are no longer a perpetual student. The trainer is part of success, but the dog and the owner are equally if not more important. Even the best trainer is just a third of this triad. I try to always celebrate the work the dog does, and the work the owner does.

Have a great weekend!

05/13/2023

Got a report on a dog I trained a decade ago that really made my week. Dog was an Akbash puppy, a livestock guardian breed right off of a goat farm. Owner had been raised on goat farm but now as a young family they lived in suburbia. I had a lot of hesitancy to take this dog in for my board and train program because a lot of these working dogs just can't be successful in suburbia.

When I got her in for training she was a beautiful dog, and very smart. First day she decided to take a stroll over the tops of the crates so she could see out the window better. :P

She trained up well and I sent her home, I have wondered many times over the years how she is doing. A brother to the owner hired me this week to help with their cattle dogs, and I got to get an update on the Akbash. She's an old dog now, and has always been a good pet for them. Never had to do the backup plan and send her back to the goat farm. As dog trainers I don't count us successful until the dog dies of old age and they have only good memories not memories of behavioral problems. That one report has kept me floating the rest of the week. :)

03/12/2023

I've used Marc's technique to good effect, it might help your problem dog.

While you should not crate your dog for excessive periods, sometimes it is necessary for your dog’s safety. Yet some dogs experience extreme anxiety in the c...

01/10/2023

We were talking at church about doing 21 days of fasting, I think I'm going to pick FB as one of the things I'm giving up. If you need me you an always use my website contact form or my email which is there as well. :) So hopefully see you 2/1...

01/10/2023

I've got two board and train spots for March and then next available is May. If you want to combine your board and train to cover the time you're traveling for spring break need to step lively. :)

01/08/2023

"My dog forgot it's training."

01/08/2023

A simple handling trick that will help you catch your dog and might just keep your nose from getting broken!

01/05/2023

You get one real easy shot at creating confidence in a dog and it gets a lot harder after 16 weeks. If everyone did stuff like this with their puppies we have a lot more well adjusted (and easy to train) dogs!

12/20/2022

Dog owners know their dogs - that doesn't mean they really know what is going on with their dogs. Dogs can share many of our emotions - I think that's why we can bond with each other.
But... dogs aren't sitting around wistfully thinking of how good they had it before, or how bad they had it, or what the future might hold good or bad. They are living in the current circumstance, trying to look for patterns in their present world, so they can have more outcomes they like and less they dislike. The here and now is it for dogs. We can consciously create patterns that produce behaviors we prefer but few do that - that's where a dog trainer comes in... :)

12/17/2022

So many people pick the wrong dog for their lifestyle. A lot of a dog trainer's life is getting a dog that is not a great fit to be a somewhat better fit. Sometimes we can, sometimes we can't. Seeking wisdom and advice from a dog trainer on breed/dog selection might save you from decade or more of stress, or the heartbreak of rehoming. It's so difficult when there's really nothing abnormal about the dog for it's breed, and the owners are really trying, but they just aren't going to be a fit for each other.

11/26/2022

Training spaces/opportunities

I know a lot of people think they have to go train in a fenced yard, or go for a walk in the neighborhood, or go to a training class. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The rain picked up today so Millie and I just trained in the garage. We didn't even move the cars, we just did figure 8 patterns and variations of that around the cars. It was a great session where she worked on attentiveness and placement. On nasty days just working up and down a set of stairs is great, or practicing attentiveness at the front door going in and out, never even leaving the porch.
A bit of creativity will give you excellent training spots and opportunities no matter where you are. Your dog will love it!

11/26/2022

“These two boys are from the same parents, boy on the left was paediatric neutered and the other has stayed intact. As you can see, the development the right pup has compared to the left is undeniable, from his skull width, to his chest and shoulders.
This is the development pups will lose out on when desexing before full maturity.”
Credit - Bunny French.
You can view the full article here https://www.facebook.com/100000652508503/posts/4829274297104273/?d=n

11/25/2022

If I told you a pony or a goat make a poor indoor/outdoor pet in cramped urban/suburban settings you would probably wholeheartedly agree with that. Yet there are dog breeds no more suited for that life than those other critters that people try to keep like that all the time...

11/23/2022

Interesting. I've gone through phases when I fed my dogs once a day and phases when I fed twice a day.

Are you feeding your dog too often? ⏰🍗⏰🥩⏰🥕🐶

Dogs fed once a day are less likely to be diagnosed with age-related conditions than pooches fed more often, study claims.

In the largest largest study to date of feeding frequency conducted in companion dogs, University of Arizona-led experts analyzed data on 24,238 pet dogs from the US and found:

• Being fed once a day lowered the risk of nine types of canine health problems
• These included cancer, dental issues and either kidney or urinary complications
• Similarly, dogs fed only once daily scored lower on tests of cognitive problems
• But the team said it is too early to advise owners to change their pet's diets

“We view these results as an exciting first step of an ongoing exploration of the impact of diet on companion dogs living in human environments. Given the intense interest in, and popularization of, ‘longevity diets’ such as intermittent fasting and time-restricted feeding, these types of studies in dogs are both timely and important. We believe these studies will ultimately offer insights into factors that promote health and longevity for both dogs and humans.” - The Dog Aging Project

The scientists and researchers we interviewed for The Forever Dog book agreed that one meal a day for healthy dogs is ideal, in terms of maximizing autophagy and minimizing metabolic stress.

To learn how to transition your pup to a new eating schedule and create an eating window (which allows your pup to receive the benefits of intermittent fasting while offering the same amount of food) check out the section in our book “Personalized Meals as Medicine” found here: www.foreverdog.com

11/13/2022

Can't afford dog training you say? Here's a free online resource for pups 8 weeks onward. :)

 In 2014 Pat Stuart and Samuel Montignie created an online resource designed to give the average person a step by step guide to raising a happy, healthy and social pet. After 5 years of being sold for $99 that video series has been made available here for free.