THE Dog-Owner Connection

06/02/2020

05/19/2019

From your Dog's Perspective, Grooming is not just Brushing and Bathing

When your think of taking your dog to the groomer or the veterinarian for the first time (or any time), it
is a good idea to try to see things from your dog’s perspective. He will be
restrained, pinched, pulled, and poked with needles. None of these things are natural to a dog in the wild. So, to save your dog from unnecessary trauma, you need to prepare him
before his visits being groomed or being with the veterinarian.

You first need to teach him to be restrained in different positions, in different rooms in the house, by
different people (gradually increasing the time he’s restrained). And, you must consistently provide him with positive reinforcement. Using a conditioned reinforcer will make the training go quicker.

The next step would be holding body parts, gradually increasing the amount of time in hold. Lastly start with small pinching and poking gradually increasing the intensity and time of the pinch and poke etc... If all of this is done gradually and with positive reinforcement, you’re on your way to creating
successful experiences for your dog that he/she will need for a lifetime.

06/24/2017

After an 3 years of unexpected family and personal health problems, I am finally coming up for air. In this downtime I have seen former clients who could work around my schedule and limitations and continued to grow and learn more about dog behavior and teaching people. Thanks for the inquiries and request for a post. How bout this for a thought: When puppies or dogs come to you they already know how to sit, stay, come, lay down. So what does this mean for pet parents?

05/02/2015

Still having family health issues so I can't commit to writing but please enjoy the video clip of my dog "Kiddy" trying out for American idol just posted tonight.

09/25/2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK-T_t166TY =37

KLM’s dedicated Lost & Found team at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is on a mission to reunite lost items as soon as possible with their legitimate owner. From a...

08/06/2014

07/20/2014

The following are some of the ways dogs learn differently than we do. Did you know these and are you curious about all or any of them? How does this effect how you see why your dog may not be doing what you want him to do?

- Dogs don't speak English but there's a formula for
teaching dogs English.
- Before a dog comes to your home, no matter how young
they are, they already know how to sit, stay, come lie
down.
- The last behavior you dog does is the one he's reinforced
for.
- The dogs sensory system is different than ours.
- Dogs can't reason WHY anything happens. They only
knows what happens when....

07/18/2014

We have received a few questions on the blog regarding dog behavior and aggression, copied below is Linda T.'s situation about her shelter rottie:

I have a rottie we adopted from a shelter. We integrated him with our other animals with no problem in the beginning. We had had him about a month when he began to attack our other animals. First our female black lab and then a black male cat. Also attacked our male pitbull. From.that point on he has shown aggression to all the animals in the house. We are at our wits end as to what to do. At this point we are keeping him separated from the others
Any suggestions will be appreciated.

07/16/2014

Dog aggression comes from basically three genetic drives:  pack drive, prey drive or defense drive.  There are many types of aggression all of which are derived from these three drives.  It’s impor...

07/09/2014

There are many kinds of aggression and if you're experiencing any we'd like to hear from you. Head over to the blog and join the conversation or comment here and we will address your concerns. Thank you!

Previously on the blog, we discussed how dog-dog aggression tends to increase during the spring and summer months. We appreciate  your responses and especially the response from Renee who reached o...

07/07/2014

Your lawn and garden look great, but is it harming your pet?

According to Dr. Debra of PetPlace.com: "A quick stroll down the lawn and garden section of your local nursery presents a world of beautiful flowers and greenery to enhance your outdoor world. But ...

07/02/2014

Not everyone enjoys those fireworks on the 4th of July... Read up on some training tips and tricks to help calm your dog during the loud booms of this holiday weekend

  As we think about your dog and these possibly frightening sounds, I must first say this: If you’re trying to help your dog before The Fourth of July this year, there is not enough time for the ne...

06/30/2014

We're only human and we mess up too so please note the change in our blog address, click the link below and it will take you to the same site, all previous links on the page will lead you nowhere so CLICK BELOW for THE Dog-Owner Connection Blog
http://thedogownerconnectionblog.wordpress.com/

Cleveland's First Dog Behavior Specialist

06/23/2014

Do you think your dog has a fear of thunderstorm, fireworks and other loud sounds of summer? Please write us your experiences and stay tuned for some tips and tricks to help relieve your frightened...

06/19/2014

On the blog we received a message pleading for help from a family with 3 Chihuahua mixes who are experiencing some serious aggression issues between the two puppies (now 2 years old). For more on this family's story and to read Karen's response visit our blog http://thedogownerconnectionblog.wordpress.com/karens-client-responses/

From the home of Renee and Lloyd Ramsey: I have three Chihuahua mixes, the mom and her two puppies both the only puppies of the liter and born just 30 minutes apart. The first born, Bella used to d...

06/19/2014

Did you see this article on your newsfeed lately? This is a perfect example of being cautious when you read something online since it was reported tonight on the news as false. You should always keep your dog in the shade, however a spot that may have shade at one point in the day, might not at another time. One tip we like to give when your dog is outside is to fill an angel food pan halfway with water (and freeze the night before) then fill the remainder up with water so the water stays cool all day. Note: We do not recommend leaving your dog outside for an extended period of time, especially in the hot weather. Remember always check your facts with a doctor or expert before practicing something you read online.

I had received this some time ago but was just talking to someone about how not to allow ice cold water or ice cubes in the water in extreme heat/humidity like we've been having or an over hot dog ...

06/18/2014

After visiting "Sayaprayerformypet" I became inspired to share a prayer I was saying to myself.

Please pray for the precious, helpless, innocent animals who did nothing wrong and find themselves afraid and alone. Please say a prayer for all the rescue groups and all the people who work tirelessly to help and love these helpless animals. And, please pray to protect the generous hearts of these rescue workers that are broken over and over whey can't save a dog that the have been loving and caring for. Pray for their hearts to be stronger each time they loose the fight knowing that the last days of these sweet animals were filled with love and kindness because of them.

06/16/2014

Thank you to everyone for joining in our conversation about dog-dog aggression. We had some good questions asked. Please head over to the blog today and read up on our official response to "Why is There More Dog-Dog Aggression in the Spring and Summer?"

Post your response, ask your question or send to your dog-loving friends.

   As we move from the cold of winter to the warmth of the spring and summer more dogs are outside.  This brings more opportunity for more dog-dog aggression. Here’s a perspective from the dog...

06/13/2014

I'm 3weeks new to Facebook and I've received so many urgent and non urgent requests for help with dogs. I feel so badly that I'm not local or able to help. What can those of us do when we receive these heart wrenching requests?

06/13/2014

The Response to one blogger's question regarding barking:
dogownerconnection says : June 10, 2014
I’m not sure that she’s yet comfortable being left out side alone. I wouldn’t introduce her to other dogs quite yet. I don’t know how much leadership you have with her because that is related to how secure she feel in the house and outside when you’re with her. So the first thing is to establish enough leadership so in your presence she looks to you for direction and walk nicely on a leash with you.. (You can suggest how to establish leadership as a topic for us to comment on in our blog if you’d like to learn more about it.)

After that I’d would walk her around the neighborhood allowing her to sniff where other dogs live and/or have eliminated. (Make sure she eliminates before the walk and don’t let her urinates or kick up her feet on the walk.).

I would also tether her in the front yard near the house and sit right next to her. When she first ALERTS on another dog or critter and BEFORE she barks, stand up, put your hand on her upper back and give her a great treat. (It would be best if you set up a conditioned reinforcer but again another topic you might suggest.). Continue treating and petting as long as shes quiet until after the dog goes by. After she becomes more comfortable outside with you, wait until the dog get closer before starting to treating process. Same process with a truck. Do not ever leave her alone outside during this process. Exercise her indoors. (Another topic). Let us low how you’re doing and in what time frame so I can help you with the next steps. Hope this helps. Karen

06/12/2014

We received a question regarding barking on our blog. Stay tuned to read the answer.
Naomi says : June 10, 2014
We live on a street where most people have at least one dog. When our beagle mixed breed dog is in our yard, within the invisible fence, she barks at 95% of the dogs walking by with their owners (and even when she is inside). She does not bark at a few dogs that she knows well and plays with. Should we be introducing our dog to the others so she barks less?

Other things to know about our dog: we got her a year ago from a rescue group, and she’s about 3 years old now. She has a sweet personality, and generally exhibits submissive behavior with most visitors by rolling over when they want to pet her. She does not bark at people walking by the house, but does bark at other dogs, small animals, and loud trucks passing by.

06/10/2014

Are you suddenly experiencing an increase in aggression between your dog and other dogs? Be sure to visit our blog and join the conversation, we will be posting the answers next week so you still have time to join in. Please pass this along to your dog loving friends, it's an issue that any of us could be going through. http://thedogownerconnectionblog.wordpress.com/2014/05/31/coming-soon/

06/07/2014

Response from Karen Arnoff to the question from our blog:
Karen Arnoff says : June 3, 2014 at 5:35 pm
Because dogs can’t reason, and they only know what happens when… when a dog barks and you leave his territory, he thinks you left because he barked at you an will continue to bark until he’s satisfied that you’re not coming back.

Join the conversation.

06/07/2014

From our blog:
Patrick says : June 3, 2014 at 3:25 am
I haven’t noticed dog to dog aggression, but walking through the neighborhood there is one dog (behind a fence) that barks not stop when we are near by. Even after we’ve passed the dog, have our back to the dog and are clearly no longer a threat it still barks. Do you know what might cause that persistence?

06/03/2014

During the spring/summer seasons dog to dog aggression (and aggression in general), tend to increase. The question for this week is why?

Head over to our blog below and join the discussion about the reasons and triggers that contribute to more dog-dog aggression at this time of year. Don’t forget to invite your dog loving friends so we can help bring the entire dog loving community together to share and learn.

As the weather gets warmer, dogs spend more time outdoors. During the spring and summer months, dog to dog aggression (and aggression in general), tend to increase. The question for this week is wh...

04/30/2014

Go to our website: thedogownerconnection.com . The same website but with a 'the' at the beginning. Our old website name takes you to a sort of look-alike name, Dog Owners Connection, but that is NOT US. They are located in New York. And we may not necessarily agree with the content of their website.

Be sure to look us up on our new domain name, thedogownerconnection.com.

04/30/2014

NOTICE: Through a secretarial error, we lost our original domain name. Out website is now: thedogownerconnection.com