Friends For life Dog Training

08/05/2024

A reminder to keep it simple when adopting a new dog. lat week Pam and I adopted a new Germans Shepherd from a high kill shelter in Modesto California Via CORR Central Oregon Rescue Rehab. We did not know much about Tawney other then she did not have long to live if she did not have a place to call home. I picked her up from a transport in Bend and met Pam at a park where we live to introduce her to Dakota( another adopted girl from last year) I believe it is always better if possible to introduce new dogs to existing resident dogs in a neutral place where there is noting familiar to resource guard. The intro went perfect and in no time they were chasing each other around the park like long lost friends.

Now it was time to get Tawney to her new home with 3 other dogs that she had not met. Cole our biggest boy has been working with at least 200 plus dogs in his career as a helper and neutral dog so he was no concern at all. Don't always assume that your easiest dog will be the easiest dog to welcome another new dog as you can be surprised real quick. Cole was pretty much indifferent to her for about three days and now enjoys her company on walks and during our workouts.

When I first met Tawney I bought her a plain hamburger which she inhaled pretty quick. She was and is very underweight for her breed and age, more than likely caused by the stress of being in multiple homes and the very stressful life of a shelter dog. I assumed that she would be a good eater by how fast she scarfed the hamburger. Not what happened. We have always made sure our dogs eat very well with a diet of part raw, supplements for their heart, teeth, and for over health. All of our past dogs have been very good eaters unless they have been sick. Tawneys first meal with the other dogs was uneventful and she ate very well. The next day she refused her food. We tried a combination of Raw, kibble, canned wet food and she completely snubbed all of it. For three days this girl would not eat unless the food was put on the floor or fed out of my hand. With five dogs this can be very frustrating. This morning we knew she was very hungry so instead of making her what the rest of our dogs eat I just tried nothing but kibble with part in the bowl and part on the floor. She ate all of it even though it took her awhile.

I believe her diet was very plain or when ever someone thought to feed her. We have been so used to adding all of this amazing stuff to our other dogs diet and learned that sometimes in the beginning you have to keep it simple and give it time for the new pup to not only adjust to so many different new things that they never have had before like acreage to run and explore, good food, attention that more than likely never had so in the beginning it can seem very over whelming. Some dogs can adjust right away while others need more time to decompress to their new world of other dogs, not sleeping in a crate or kennel most of the day, regular exercise and enrichment, predictable meal times and so many other luxuries that for a lot of dogs have never existed.

Pam and I and the other pups feel so blessed that this girl found us and to CORR to making her trip to us possible. Tawneys story is not unique in any way and is becoming more and more the norm as so many great dogs are just dumped, left to fend for themselves, euthanized becasue of over crowding and terrible breeding practices. As I look at this girl, she is living her best life she has landed very soft with us and her new dog family. She is relaxing more and ore each day, she is learning our routine, she is eating better. She is learning about each of our dogs and their novel behaviors. She is learning to communicate with her deaf best friend, she is learning to navigate around a blind dog, she is very tolerant of our professional resource guarder( Joey) she is warming up to Cole and is bonding with both Pam and I in different ways.

Take it slow and let them process their new life of predictability and safety.

07/23/2024

It's hard to believe that This boy is the last of 7 puppies that were called Pele's Puppies. I only had the honor of meeting 4 of them. Cole is 13 now and still is very healthy. he walks every day and eats like a horse. This amazing boy has been a blessing to so many dogs that he has helped in those 13 years. A huge thanks to Kim Kahl for being persistent about Pam and I adopting him all those years ago. We hope we have many more years with this old soul. Cole is a Wolf dog as far as breed mixed with a very large Lab. His temperament is by far the most stable of any dog I have ever known. Kids love him, other dogs learn from him. Chickens are another story though. Thank you to the late Pele for giving all of us these amazing dogs to love and cherish.

07/08/2024

Sometimes it is just meant to be. This past weekend we had a garage / moving sale/ On Saturday a woman bought our small utility trailer which was great in and of itself. Later another couple stopped by and told us about a Young Germans Shepherd that they took from a neighbor across the street from them. The dogs owner has dementia and could no longer take care of himself or his dog. His name is Andy and was in desperate need of a permanent home and this couple was jjst hanging onto him until and angel adopted him. I went over and met Andy and what a great boy he is. Andy is a big boy, very friendly, a bit chunky for his age and breed but with a better diet, regular exercise Andy will thrive. He had not been off the porch other then to go to the bathroom and was not very playful. As soon as I sat down on a chair on their property Andy came right to me and brought me his toy. He loved Belly rubs and for a minute I thought I need this dog.

Now for the rest of the story. The woman who bought our trailer came back with her husband and they also bought our trailer. We talked about our military service and love of Germans Shepherds. They have a 1 year old that lost his companion and was a bit depressed. We told them about Andy and gave them the information about the people that currently had him. about an hour later I got a text with photos that Andy had been adopted by the couple that bought our Trailer and bedroom set and in that time he had already gotten a bath and had made immediate friends with their GSD and we having a blast. Andy had already made himself comfortable on their couch and was fitting right in.

We are so thankful that these angels came to our garage sale and found another friend. Thank you Windy and Jerry for making a dogs life much better.

07/07/2024

I have loved this breed since I was a very young kid with my first Shepherd being a beautiful white GSD named Missy who was such a great girl from what I remember. Unfortunately the breed has been ruined over the years with too much over breeding for looks and not for temperament and health. We lost our last two beautiful girls to heart issues. Meika died from what the cardiologist figured was a grain free diet of Taste of the wild dog food, Arya was only 9 and her death was really unexpected. I believe that not only this breed but many breeds have been over bred, over vaccinated not bred for temperament but more for looks and money. With thousands of great dogs including this breed ending up in shelters, rescues, being euthanized for over crowding as well as being placed in the completely wrong homes with the wrong people.

It is time to stop supporting breeders that are only interested in making a buck and not actually caring for this or any breed that lines their pockets. How can anyone with a clear conscience buy a puppy with so many great dogs that also were once puppies just like the one you might be thinking of getting becasue you must have a puppy and you want the puppy experience for yourself or your child. As you are thinking gettgin that puppy stop by any local shelter, rescue and look at all of the great dogs that were once puppies themselves and are only in their current situation becasue someone just like you had to have a puppy and then realized not that the once cute little poppy is now a grown dog that is now doing grown dog stuff but at a much higher level of behavior that might include aggression, separation anxiety destructive behavior, and whatever health issues will come up. This madness has to stop but will not until all of us adopt instead of thinking we need a puppy which if you have been around enough of them and have seen so many tragedies of good intentions gone wrong would go to the local shelter or rescue and give one of those once had to have puppies a second or third chance.

I hope to get some flak from this post from the so called responsible breeders which any shelter dog or dog in rescue will beg to differ. I can guarantee you that there are thousands of dogs being thrown away, euthanized,m left for dead that came from these so called responsible breeders. if you were so responsible you would stop what you are doing and go adopt one of those dogs.

07/04/2024

We are having a huge garage/moving sale this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We have a lot of great stuff to choose from including vintage photography gear, tools, camping and cooking gear, purses, dolls, a professional photography lighting kit, a utility trailer, a 40 foot extension ladder and ladder safety gear, camp cots and chairs and much much more,. Come by and see if there is something you cannot live without. We will start tomorrow morning at 8 am to try and beat the heat. The address is 6776 SW buckskin lane in Crooked River Ranch. The gate will be open. If you have dogs please do not bring them to the sale as we have dogs and it is too hot to leave them in your vehicle.

07/02/2024

We are having a huge garage/moving sale starting this Friday. We have lots of great things including photography gear, skis, tools, bike racks, musical instruments, a small utility trailer, jeep parts, a lot of camping gear, cooking gear, a great dining room table, a bed. and much more. I also have a lot of brass ammo that I am giving away because I do not have time to reload. Sale starts at 9 am until 12:00 and from 1-3. We have dogs that need to potty so need to take a break through out the day.
The address is 6776 SW Buckskin lane. Our gate will be locked until the sale starts at 9 am.

07/01/2024

She came to us in 2016. She was not very well socialized at 18 months. She spent most of her days in a kennel with her mom dog. She was very reactive to other dogs and new people. I knew that deep down inside she was going to fit right in with our misfits. We have always introduced new dogs one at a time on our property and never adhered to a formula as each intro is different. I knew that the first dog she would meet was Cole. at the time Cole was around 5 and had already been helping us work with other dog for years. Cole is also big enough to take care of himself although he has never been in a fight he has been barked at a few times. Arya Barked and Barked, Cole just walked away. We introduced the rest of the group, Flash, Pawsey, Snickers and Joey in a few minutes we were all walking around our property. Arya was a constant herder and I thought how can she have so much energy. For over two hours she ran circles around our property. I thought WOW what an amazing athlete. She was very underweight and had no real muscle tone from being cooped up for most of her life.

I bought her a weighted vest and started feeding her a very high protein diet and within a couple of months this beautiful girl was even more stunning. For as long as we all were blessed to know this girl she was a constant runner, she loved to run as hard and as fast as she could. She was a presence on all of our walks with the rest of the group and really looked forward to our walks everyday. No matter what kind of a day we were having Arya was always up for an adventure. When we had to leave we knew our home was safe. When we slept we knew we all were safe with her on guard on her Futon. She always started in our bedroom then once we were asleep she made her way to her couch and made sure all was well.

Over the years she went on many adventure with the last one at the beach which was her very first time. She loved the ocean. We found out about a month ago after we had returned from Idaho she just was not herself. We took her to the vet and he said her heart sounded like an out of balance washing machine and really did not have the rhythm of a healthy heart. We were devastated. She was on two different heat meds and was doing really well. The following Monday she spent all day at the clinic gettgin multiple heart test done. When we picked her up her vet said that her heart did sound better but not how it should sound for a girl her age. We waited for three days until we got some bad news from the cardiologist that was not good at all. Her abnormal rhythm was not resolving and it did not look good at all. She was still doing pretty good on the meds and was eating and playing and still wanted to go on walks every day. She had some really good days and some bad ones. I could tell just by her face and eyes that she was not herself.

We had just got our nightmare of a truck back from the shop with a fresh set of heads, a new oil cooler and $7400 later. That week I had only driven it about 30 miles when it started running pretty bad. Long story short the mechanic came by the morning Arya passed away to pick the truck up and once again hopefully fix it once and for all. I helped him load it onto a flatbed while Pam and the pups were all in the house. After he left Pam let akll of the dog out and Arya made a beeline for me to make sure I was ok( at least that was my thought as she was a worry wart) she got to me then turned towards an island on our property. Dakota got to me as well to see how things were going. I looked for Arya and saw her stumbling. I went to get Pam and was only gone for a few seconds. When Pam and I got outsider Arya was at the bottom of our stairs she was standing then she tipped over. We both caught her and laid her down gently and comforted her while she passed away. We hugged her until her last breath then broke down when Dakota went to Arya to try and get her up. Cole was in his house and would not come out as I think he knew what was going on.

It was so sad to watch her die but after Annie's Healing hearts picked her up I actually felt relieved that she went out on her own terms and not in a clinic getting a needle to euthanize her. In her final moments of life she was strong, she was fast, she was alive and happy with all of the most important humans and dogs in her life with her on a beautiful sunny day on her property that she loved so much and had so many great years of life surrounded by love and happiness. Arya was not just a dog, she was our family, our friend, our protector and our teacher and friend to all of her dog mates. We all miss you beautiful girl. Till we meet again in a much better place.

06/27/2024

Rip our beautiful friend. I remember the day I adopted you and headed home from Vancouver Washington. She had a spontaneous heat in my car, we stopped at Starbucks in Portland and she lunged through the window at the barista. Over the years she helped with a lot of dogs and was a friend to all of her brothers and sisters at home. We will miss your gentle spirit,m playful nature, your presence at night while we slept ever on guard. A best friend to your sister Dakota who found a friend in you immediately. You were so good to her and so patient. Dakota brought out the puppy in you Arya and we loved seeing you and her play tug. You won us over immediately with your beauty, your gentle spirit and tolerance of us mere human beings who were lucky enough to have known you. We will all miss you sweet angel Arya. Mom, Dad, Joey, Cole, Dakota and Flash. Until we see you again.

06/19/2024

Hi, is there anyone local that could loan Pam and I some tables for our garage/Moving sale. We would only need them for a weekend.

Thanks

06/10/2024

If you have an over aroused energetic dog this webinar is for you.

Walking Together: Loose-Leash Walking for High-Energy Dogs. Join Simone Müller as she details how to teach high energy and prey drive dogs how to walk on a loose leash!

05/08/2024

Loose leash walking is one behavior most people would love to be able to do with their dogs. There are a million different opinions on how to achieve this from using shock collars, prong collars, choke chains, Harnesses, gentle leaders and Halti's. There is no one magic technique that works with every dog despite what some people say or teach. Each trainer has their own favorite way of achieving that goal. Each and every time your dog is on a leash they are learning what works and what does not. each and every time your dog is on a leash they are being exposed to different triggers that can cause pulling. One of the worst times to work on leash skills is when your dog has been cooped up in the house all night then as soon as they wake up they are more than likely too excited to be able to walk with you. You might try and wait for the walk or working on leash skills after they have been up for awhile and have less energy so things can be made easier for your dog.

It is also not a good idea to expect your dog to work in an exciting environment that they are not prepared for. Always ask yourself before you put you leash on your dog if they are ready for practicing in certain environments. If they are not then you will not make any progress. Seek a positive approach to helping your dog be better on a leash. A walk with your dog is supposed to be enjoyable and not a chore.

Send a message to learn more

05/07/2024

If there is one thing you could ask your dog what would that be?

05/06/2024

There is no magic or secret formula in dog training. The reason some people make it look so easy is they have mastered the basics.

04/27/2024

Board and trains for behavior challenges: In my experience with client dogs over the years the board and train philosophy does more harm than good. Lets say the dog in question has a fear of handling and vet visits. How can a board and train help these dogs? Unless the board and train is willing to work closely with a vet or vet behaviorist the issues will not be solved and can be made much worse for the dog. Typical board and trains in our area rely heavily on punishment based methods like shock and verbal punishment. How can this be helpful for an y dog with a fear of having a vet exam him/ or her? The triggers are much different in a board and train environment than in the home environment.

The dog is away from it's people and support system, the board and train promises a quick fix for the issues which is always a red flag. Most board and trains are not willing to invest the time and energy to solve what can be a very complex problem for the dog. If your dog has a fear of being at the vet office please find a vet you can work with personally that will address the specific fears your dog has. Search our a vet that operates a fear free clinic and take it slow with your dog by practicing the necessary handling techniques that will happen at a veterinary clinic.

How would you feel if you were afraid of going to the doctor and the person who you were sent to to overcome that fear used punishment, intimidation and pain to make you overcome your fears? I guarantee you would not feel better about going to the doctor.

04/26/2024

Hello everyone. What is one thing that you can do to change your behavior to help your dog? Tip of the day. Stop saying no. No is not a verb and the word does not teach your dog what to do instead. Try saying yes to the behaviors you are trying to teach your dog. Stay tuned for more tips.

04/04/2024

Sometimes when working with aggressive or reactive dogs the thought can be " will this ever go away?" the answer can be complicated with so many variables to consider. The dogs age, how long this has been going on, the breed, genetics, the use of punishment based training methods and the fallout they present. One often overlooked part of the equation is the dogs medical history, lack of enrichment, lack of social connections, diet, environment and how committed the client is to working with a qualified trainer to help their dog.

There is no magic bullet, no secret training method, no one size fits all dog or human training method. Each dog is a very unique individual with different histories, needs and many other very distinct qualities that make up that dog. When you seek help make sure you look for a very qualified person to help you. Also, it is very important to have great veterinary assistance and if needed the help of a veterinary behaviorist that will work with you and your dogs to achieve the best possible solutions to help your dog.

Here are some red flags to look for. A promise of a quick fix to solve your dogs aggression. A trainer that immediately recommends a shock collar or other forms of punishment to stop the behavior. A big one that is often overlooked is the dogs willingness to be with the trainer that has been hired. We tend to not pay attention to how it is going for the dog and only listen to the trainer. The process should be safe for the dog and client. There should be veto power over any session by the client and the dog and anyone involved in the session. If a client says "NO" I do not feel good abut this the session stops and a conversation happens on why the client feels this way. As trainers we have a lot of power and influence over what happens to the dog and client and sometimes the dog and client lose their voice.

I hope this helps you in your search for help with your dog and their needs.

03/27/2024

This is a great blog post for anyone working with reactive dogs and why sometimes you are not making progress.

Rewarding desired behaviors is a fundamental principle in dog training. While this concept is widely applicable in many training scenarios, it's essential to acknowledge that behavior modification can be far from straightforward—especially when strong emotions come into play. This 'golden rule' ca...

03/12/2024

Dog reactivity is not an abnormal behavior, nor is it a behavior that can be cured once it has been practiced and it works for the dog. Be very careful if someone says they can cure your dogs aggression by being the pack leader, enrolling in a group class, using a shock collar, using treats to stop the behavior or using pain to stop the behavior. The best thing you can do for a reactive dog is define the why( triggers that set the dog off) if we do not know the why then we can never figure out the how( can we help the dog) Aggressive dogs are not bad dogs, aggressive dogs are not stupid dogs, aggressive dogs are not a problem dog. Aggressive dogs need help to understand why they feel a certain way towards another dog or person.
There are so many different methods to help dog that are aggressive, each method has it's merits. Keep in mind that we cannot get stuck in one method as each dog is a study of one like each person is a unique individual unto themselves. IF we only rely on one method to help these dogs then we are not looking at the whole picture. I believe that is where trainers get stuck on a certain method and one that works for them because of that one dog we miss the overall picture. We need to look at the breed, we have to look at genetics, we have to look at any underlying medical issues, we have to look at age and we have to look at the dogs history. If we lump all dogs into one group we will miss so much.
I have had German Shepherds most of my life and each one has been different from the others. They all have had the protection gene which is common to the breed. We have had working line shepherds and we have had non working line shepherds and these dogs can be very different as far as temperament. My point is that when working with a trainer to help you and your dog make sure they ask the right questions, make sure they listen to your concerns and your goals. While our goals might be similar to our clients goals they will never be exactly alike. For some clients all they want their dogs to do is not bark at other dogs and people while on a walk. For other clients they might want a bit more like being able to take their dog to a dog park, go to an outside cafe, take their dog on a vacation. Then there is realistic goals that trainers have to look at. Is the dog ever going to be able to go to a dog park( probably not depending on the level of aggression) will that dog ever be able to live with a cat? That also depends on the dogs environment and history with cats. If the dog has attacked many cats then the realistic goal might not include living with a cat.
If someone promises you that they can fulfill all of your goals with the most challenging aggression cases then you will be setting you and your dog up for failure. Be realistic in your goals for your dog as you would for yourself and try and realize your dog is the dog in front of you and not a robot that can be magically cured in one or a hundred sessions. Pay attention to your dog while you are on this training journey. Ask questions of the trainer and the vet you are working with and make sure above all that you do not put your dog with someone who is going to make things worse.
Do your homework, ask others who have had your experiences and how they are doing, ask for references not only from the trainer but the vet you are working with if medications or other physical issues are being addressed. Learn about dog body language, learn about diet and exercise and enrichment. Enrichment is often overlooked and believe me an enriched dog is a much happier and healthier dog. You simply cannot wait for aggression to work itself out or just deal with it as it rarely ever resolves on it's own without a lot of work and professional help from compassionate people who knwo what you are going through. I hope this gives you more information and hope.

03/10/2024

Meet my newest clients. I am not going to mention their names but will tell their story. Both of these dogs were sent to a boot came in this area as puppies. As puppies they were shocked as well as had prong collars on them. One has a fear of dogs and the other fear of men. The one that is afraid of men was told that this dog needed to be re-homed or euthanized as he would bite eventually which can be said of any dog under the right circumstances. I met both of these dogs separately and with just a few minutes of just tossing treats to the man hater he was eating treats out of my hand and for the rest of the consultation was laying at my feet either resting or sleeping.

My clients were not given any other information than euthanize or re home. They spent a lot of money to have someone tell them this dog was a lost cause. This dog is not a lost cause and deserves the best chance to have a full and enriched life. When trainers say there is no help or solution for these dogs that in my opinion code for they do not know what to do or how to help these dogs so instead of saying this is above their heads it is easier for them to just shoot the dog. Re homing is usually not an option for these dogs as the magical farm that all reactive dogs go to does not exist in the real world as these so called farms will have other dogs, live stock, other family members that will visit the farm. Do not accept that these dogs are lost causes without actually evaluating them, asses their actual behavior, give a realistic opinion and not the only opinion as this can give these dogs a literal death sentence. Our profession is full of uneducated ignorant people that do not even understand the basic concepts of operant and classical conditioning the cornerstones of behavior change. They believe that only the use of pain will help these dogs. Does punishment work? yes it does as it is a functional part of operant conditioning, does positive reinforcement work? Yes it does as it is also a functional part or operant conditioning is is harder to use positive reinforcement? No it is not and is in most cases less stressful to the learner both human and dog. There are many choices out there when it comes to training methods. Make sure you do some fishing so you know how to best help your dog.

03/07/2024

IF you are struggling with your dogs reactivity towards other dogs and or strangers please keep in mind the type of help you and your dog need is and should not be based on adding more fear or anxiety. You may be told that your dog needs to know who is the boss or who the pack leader is. You might get a recommendation of using punishment like a shock collar, [prong collar or some other form of punishment to address your dogs aggression. I can tell you that using these methods never really ever address the underlying fear or anxiety and can in most cases make things much worse.

You might be promised that using a shock collar is the only way to train your dog. That is simply no true and will cause more harm than good. There are consequences to all behavior and consequences to using these tools. By shocking your dog you might think that your dog is cured but in reality the behavior you are trying to address is only going to be suppressed and will depending on the environment come out in another way. You simply cannot shock a dog into the perfect dog.

I would recommend that for the sake of your dog that you learn a more positive approach to helping your dog through methods that do not involve pain or coersion, methods that are based on science and not anecdotal evidence that punishment is the only way to go. It is important that your dog feels safe while on this journey to help your dog. Put yourself in your dogs paws and ask yourself the question would I be better off if I was rewarded for good behavior or put in pain for unwanted behavior. Your dog is the best judge if the training is effective or making things worse. Seek out a caring educated professional that also works with the veterinary professional that can also be a huge help in addressing your dogs behavior. Your dog will thank you and your stress will be much lower in the long run.