Indiana Working Dogs

11/21/2024

When you train your niece’s dog and you see her excitement it melts your heart.

11/09/2024

This is one of my many reasons I love what I do. My niece was afraid of dogs and I told my sister-in-law I would bring my poodle Fly to help her. Fly was a champ. Then my niece wanted a dog. I called Targa Poodles and they had a young male that the owner decided they didn’t want. I trained Tony and today I gave them a take home lesson. Look how that little girl already loves that dog! Good boy Tony. The memories she will forever cherish ❤️

10/26/2024

Beau the training dog on his first big outing in Fountain Square. Having dinner at Upland and Beau is at the top of his game.

10/25/2024

These are the messages you love to get from clients. Bodie was a young Great Dane that was afraid of the world and would drag his owner. Bodie trained up very well and is now making his owner proud!
“Hi! How are you? Wanted to share a story with you about Bodie! Took him along with me to the car dealership where I have my jeep serviced and everyone complimented on his behavior!”

10/24/2024

Let me tell you about Curly. He was having severe aggression issues. It was down to if I could help them with him or it was over for Curly. The family did everything I asked and put the work in. Curly was boarded and now he goes to stores and vets office with no issues. They will always have to work with Curly but his obedience and calmness has improved immensely! Good boy Curly!

10/20/2024

Lots of truth about this!

10/03/2024

09/28/2024

It is an owner’s responsibility to ensure their dog is prepared for situations in the world.

Having been a veterinarian for almost 3 decades, I have seen the tide of how animals are treated change drastically. When I graduated dogs were dogs, now dogs are considered to be higher ranking than people. In our crazy world, people love their dogs more than they love their own families and they treat their dogs better than they treat other humans and I am sorry to say that we are destroying our dogs mental health because of it.

It is increasingly common to go into an exam room and have a dog that is growling at me and trying to bite and the owner is petting it telling it that it is a good dog. It is NOT being a good dog and it should not be rewarded for growling and trying to bite. It is important that we train our dogs properly and we use right language with them. Never is it ok for a dog to growl and try and bite in an exam room where nothing horrible is happening to them and feeding into that behavior does not make it better for your dog, it trains them that their fear is a good thing and it is not.

Mental disorders are exponentially increasing in our dogs and it is us owners fault. Please stop treating your dog like it is some fragile child and start treating it like it is a dog. TRAIN them and teach them commands and correct them when they are wrong and stop thinking you are going to hurt their feelings if you do. Dogs are dogs, not small humans. They need training and proper instructions or it leads to horrible anxiety issues in them and I can assure that that behavior is going to hurt your feelings way more than being an adult and training your dog to be a good dog instead of a spoiled child.

The following are a few copied excerpts from an article that I read this morning from a dog trainer. I feel like there are a good reminder for all of us on exactly what are dogs are and what they need.

"Your dog is a dog, not a human child. Constant unearned affection is a killer and creates an unhealthy addiction for both dog and owner. Your dog will love you unconditionally but will never respect you unless you give it reason to.

The most basic of basics, your dog must learn how to be still in any situation. If your dog can’t be still around any distraction, you will never have control.
Recall
Sit
Down
Walk nicely on leash
Out, meaning release anything in your mouth

You MUST have a language dedicated to your dog that your dog can learn by you being consistent and applying meaning to the words you use. Your dog MUST know what yes means, but also MUST know what NO means. If nothing comes after those words, yes equals reward for good, no equals correction for bad, your dog will never give meaning to either. Your dog’s name is not a command, or correction. NO should not be your dog’s middle name.

The training starts the second you bring the dog home."

09/27/2024

Thought of the day!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/rU5GR9vf1BPTb7Ro/?

09/13/2024

Happy Friday Indiana Working Dogs family!

08/26/2024

If you don’t see your pup add them to the post

08/11/2024

This little basenji I am training is becoming Comet’s buddy!

08/07/2024

As many of you know I had to have my girl Kilbe euthanized. I took her to Paws@Rest and they were awesome! Here is their contact information.

At Paws @ Rest Pet Scattering Garden, we understand that losing a pet may be like losing a family member. The death of a pet can be an intense loss and one most of our staff have experienced.

08/05/2024

This is the day no dog owner enjoys. Today I had to have my sweet Kilbe put down. Often people think I am being an ass because I get upset when they get breeds they think are beautiful or cool. Then they realize the dog is more than they bargained for. I picked up Kilbe about two weeks before she was two. By then three owners. She would bust out to tree animals almost killed another dog for trying to steal something from her. Next owner let her accidentally be bred (ya right) but again too much dog. Third owner she would run off because she wanted to hunt. Again accidentally bred 😡! When Kristin Strietelmeier Petty and I picked her up in Colorado and I worked her on leash put her in the car and she was my dog. I taught her what I wanted to hunt and how to hunt with me as a hunting partner. She has treed squirrels, raccoon, bobcat, flushed and treed pheasant, as well killed a small hog on a hunt in MO. Her love and devotion to me and me to her was a very strong bond. When you look at the girl in this picture this is 10,000 years of breeding to do work side by side with man in the struggle of survival in Siberia. I have her grandson and I will always have West Siberian Laikas with her bloodline in it. My dear friend you will be missed we hunted together where we were in touch with each other’s simple moments without a word. God speed my good girl your ashes and I will rest together one day. The way she is looking at me in this first picture taken last season is the way she looked at me with her last breath. 😢 if you own any of her bloodline please post a picture of them with the game you were pursuing with them.