The Well-Mannered Dog, Inc.

13/12/2023

01/03/2023

"𝘋𝘰𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘦'𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘦'𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯" Susan Garrett

The next time your dog does something you find challenging or embarrassing or which makes you feel frustrated or even angry, take a breath and remember this statement.

They aren't being 'bad' or stubborn or manipulative. They're not blowing you off or being a jerk. It's not a deliberate act designed to wind you up on their part.

Their behaviour is what it always is. A reflection of their learning and their environment. If they are doing something we don't want it's either because we haven't taught them what we do want well enough or because they just can't (not won't) do it under the current conditions. And both of those things are on us, not the dog.

They're doing the best they can with the cards we've dealt them. If we want them to do better then it's only fair that we need to do better, too.

14/04/2020

05/03/2020

Ticks. Glory had one on her yesterday. No sleep for the weary. Get those Seresto collars back on.

If you’re like me and making the most of the weather for yard work, be sure to do your tick checks. Pulled this one off my wife, Danielle, who was playing wi...

04/03/2020

...dog mom ...

28/02/2020

In this super-quick two step process I show you the only way to safely use a retractable leash. In all seriousness, retractable leashes are the reason for so...

24/01/2020

Thought I'd share something that has helped us with pilling Glory, who is way too savvy to let us use cheese or anything else. She's got our number, and she needs meds for the rest of her life.

Perhaps you already know this one, but I just learned it from a trainers' group.

Fluff. The white marshmallow stuff. I use the tiniest amount, stick the pill in it, up in the roof of her mouth 1-2-3 and gone. She can't get the fluff off the pill, so it all goes down the chute.

Hope this helps someone who has a dog who is difficult to pill.

21/01/2020

AND HERE'S WHY: I don’t recommend dog parks. Not ever. The list of things that can go wrong is so long that it completely outweighs the possible attributes; not...

03/01/2020

The UConn Forest provides an ecological classroom to study the spread of the invasive Barberry plant.

15/12/2019

In 2020 the dogs are taking their talents to the Javits Center in New York City when The American Kennel Club (AKC®) hosts its annual AKC Meet The Breeds® on January 25-26th, 2020. Once again, The International Cat Association® (TICA®) joins this family-friendly, educational extravaganza that gi...

18/11/2019

Saturday night I got home late and my dog didn't recognize me. Being a nanny I thought I woke him up and he was having a night terror. Sunday, he was still acting weird. I realized that I had been running my new diffuser and decided to turn it off. Sunday afternoon, he was feeling better. Today at w...

12/11/2019

If you have an untrained puppy or dog at home, you need to become one. The more variables you can control in a situation, the more succ...

29/10/2019

Be careful, I’d stay away from daycare and dog parks until we have some idea as to how widespread this might be.

A canine disease has been identified in Connecticut for the first time.

27/10/2019

😂😂

10/10/2019

Dog loves you still
Tee shirts and Prints available here
https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/6361656-dog-loves-you-still

04/10/2019

When the puppy is born, he is sightless and deaf. His motor skills are undeveloped, so he can only really scootch around the whelping pen a little bit, and he can’t even p*e or p**p without help.

But his education starts right away, mostly through his olfactory system and his sense of touch. He instinctively seeks the warmth of his mother and littermates, and learns to cry when he has been displaced from “the pile.” His nose tells him where the food is, but Mom helps by nudging him onto the ni**le because he can’t see to find it.

As he grows and “comes to his senses,” he is learning massive amounts of information from his environment: warmth is safety, so stay close; there may not be enough ni**les for all, so fight for your spot; human hands, faces, and voices are nothing to fear. If he gets too far and cries, Mom will come get him. If his brothers and sisters bite too hard in play, he can yelp and bite back and make them retreat.

Associations form early for puppies, and things that he does that result in pleasure for him are things he will continue to do. He gets very accomplished at finding his food and sleeping spots. The puppy who bullies his littermates gets good at it. The puppy who submits to them gets good at it. The puppy who learns early on that leaping over his siblings to greet the humans gets him picked up gets good at doing that.

Once he makes the association, he begins to practice the behaviors even more. And the more he practices, the stronger those behaviors become.

Now he is living in a home with humans, and what will he learn there? Typically, pups learn that grabbing stuff and running from humans can be fun, that being noisy in the crate or confinement gets him removed from it, that anything that hits the floor belongs to him, that human hands and pant legs and shoelaces are great to gnaw on, that shoes and other human belongings that he happens across are fun to chew, that running up and down the fence barking at the dog on the other side is very enjoyable, that pulling the human on the leash is how he goes on a walk.

The more he is allowed to follow through with these behaviors, the stronger they become.

Why? Practice!

Behaviors that end in good things for puppies are behaviors that puppies will continue to choose—right into adulthood. The puppy and dog have no moral sensibility and do not care how much that pair of shoes cost or how much you loved that sofa. If they are allowed to practice behaviors, they get quite accomplished at performing them. Dogs do what works, period.

So if you don’t want the dog to chew your stuff, run up and down the fence annoying you and your neighbor and learning some serious barrier frustration, pull you on the leash, grab your pants legs, p*e on the floor, bark and whine while crated, or grab everything and run off with it, don’t allow him to practice those behaviors.

And get off your behind and teach him what you want him to do instead…and DO practice those behaviors, in short spurts, a little bit every day, until they are solid.

You simply cannot end up with an well-trained dog without practice. Training is a process, and it is best to embrace that process rather than trying to evade or avoid it. Leaving the dog to his own devices will ensure that he learns what *he likes to do*, even if you hate it! But teaching the right behaviors and practicing a lot will ensure that you and he are on the same page, and will give him the structure and consistency his brain craves. You will both be happier and enjoy a much deeper relationship.

Now, get out there and practice!

29/09/2019

27/09/2019

source: Lunarbaboon

20/09/2019

🤣🤣🤣

17/09/2019

Yes!!

28/06/2019

Service dog's summit of Mount Rainier believed to be first on record

Service dog's summit of Mount Rainier believed to be first on record

MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK, Wash. -- For what is believed to be the first time ever recorded, a medical service dog has reached the summit of Mt. Rainier. Loki made the trek with climbing partners McKenzie Johnson, Elizabeth and Mel. Loki belongs to Elizabeth, who lives in Colorado and together hav...

01/02/2019

Hill’s Prescription Diet and Science Diet Dog Food Recall

Hill’s Prescription Diet and Science Diet Dog Food Recall

January 31, 2019 — Hill’s Pet Nutrition is voluntarily recalling select canned dog food products due to potentially elevated levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D, when consumed at very high levels, can lead to serious health issues in dogs including kidney dysfunction. What’s Recalled? The following...

09/12/2018

Dear Past And Future Puppy Owners

I loved them first. I thought of you years before you even realized. I planned for and cared about your baby long before you started thinking of adding to your family. I worried about your future with that puppy before you knew there would be one.

There were hours upon hours spent researching lines for the parents of your puppies. Going over breeder after breeder, choosing not only my pet but looking for a dog that will make you your pet. Worrying if you'd be happy, if I had chosen correctly and your puppy would grow up healthy and happy. Going over puppy after puppy with fellow breeders, running over my program with as many knowledgeable breeders as I can, determined to not miss anything. Tracing lines back as far as I could, learning the ins and outs not only for my knowledge but so that I was informed, prepared to go over every detail with you, to answer the questions that sometimes you don't even ask.

Then there's years of watching your puppies parents grow. Loving them and enjoying them as part of my family. Taking them every where I can, training them, socializing them, watching how they fill out. Asking myself I had made the right choice in both of them. Scrutinizing their conformation, how they move, and their temperament. There was the stress of health testing. Praying not only that my babies were healthy but that they had the genes to make your baby healthy.

Finally came the time to put your puppies parents together. For the next 63 days I worried, I obsessed, I grew excited. I watched your puppies mom like a hawk. Making sure my baby was ok, monitoring her diet better than I do my own. Concerned that she was getting enough of the right nutrients and that your growing baby was getting the best start possible. I spent hours on the couch, floor, and dog bed with her watching her tummy grow and anxiously waiting. As your baby and mine grew I laid my hands on her tummy and felt the first movements of your puppy. As the time grew close I spent most nights in the nursery with her. Making sure she didn't go into labor without me knowing, in case something went wrong and one of our babies needed help. When labor started my whole life stopped. I spent every second with her. Your baby was born into my hands and I held my breath as I cleaned them up, watching for movement and breathing, cleaning them up, checking them over, and wondering if you'd love them as much as I already did. I helped your babies brother when mom got tired and he was stuck. I cried when your babies sister didn't make it.

For the first 8 weeks most of my life was filled with your baby. Watching them grow and making sure I was doing everything possible to make sure they started their lives the right way. Making sure each one was getting enough to eat, enough socialization time, that they were de-wormed and given their shots. I was the first person they saw when they opened their eyes. I spent my weeks playing with them and keeping them safe.

I searched for you and interviewed you. As you spoke I tried to read your character. Would you love them as much as I do? Would you bring them in as part of your family? Would you care for this tiny life that I brought into this world that I am responsible for? Some of you were turned away but some of you were welcomed into our family. The day you took your baby home was harder than I'd ever let on. I was excited for you but I was also terrified. Had I chosen correctly? Were you who you seemed to be?

My love and worry didn't end there. I thought about your baby regularly, saddened when I didn't get updates, ecstatic when I did. I hoped you were caring for your baby the way I care for mine. I answered your questions happily and answered them again just as happily to your babies siblings new parents. When your puppies sister ate a couch I stayed up that night she was at the vets, waiting to hear that she was ok. When their brothers parents decided he no longer fit in their life I welcomed him home, sorry that I had chosen wrong for him and promised him it wouldn't happen again.

I loved your baby first and I will never stop.

-Author Unknown-