Thank Dog Training and Behavior Modification

16/06/2024

A glimpse at some of the dogs Thank Dog! had the pleasure to work with this week. And a guest appearance by trainer-in-training, Charli. ♥️🐶😇

22/05/2024

I've got a "Wellness Wednesday" post for you from Dr Smith of Natchez Trace Veterinary Services. I had the opportunity to get his opinion on some things and the first one we tackled was CICADAS. They might be hindering your training a bit but, as we learn here, they won't harm your dogs as long as they don't eat buckets of them. 😉

21/05/2024

Here is your Trainer Tip for Tuesday: Puppy Potty Training 101, a discussion with Dr Marc Smith of Natchez Trace Veterinary Services.

21/05/2024

This is lovely. Two businesses that I have used personally and refer to regularly are Natchez Trace Veterinary Services and Southern Paws Pet Sitting/Daily Dog Walking. It's so nice to have a community of pet professionals that support and root each other on. I recently sat down with Dr Smith to record some informative videos for sharing with the public. Keep an eye out as I post the highlights of our conversation. Thank you, Kathy Lee Jarrell and Dr Smith for your trust and support! ❤️

🎉 Comments like this make our day!

Thank you to Kathy Lee Jarrell and Southern Paws Pet Sitting/Daily Dog Walking for the 'shout-out'. We are pleased that Cody's owners now have options for his treatment after seeing Dr. Marc Smith.

And, we are delighted that you are enjoying our video series with dog trainer Noelle Blessey of Thank Dog Training and Behavior Modification.

22/12/2022

It's not just about dog training.
It’s about people training.
It’s about communication practice.
It’s about relationship building.
It’s about teamwork.

Bonus points if you can tell me where else the above is featured.

🐶 Dog Training is a TEAM sport. As we grow with our dogs in understanding each other better, the bond is unbreakable.
🐶 It’s WORK and it’s soooooooo WORTH it.

16/12/2022

It’s pretty simple. That doesn’t mean easy. But oh-so worth it!

Absolutely no one adds a dog or puppy to their home with the intentions of being beyond frustrated, annoyed, and even giving them away soon after.

However, without proper guidance and effort in training, this turns into many families' realities.

Whether it's a puppy or an older dog, it's important to have a game plan to teach your dog how to live in your world, because it doesn't come naturally. Your new addition cannot read your mind and know that they aren't supposed to chew up things on the floor, where and when they are supposed to go potty, how to get along and be respectful of your other pets/property, or even be calm for cuddles in your lap. Most of this has to be taught through a daily routine existing of exercise, handler engagement of training or play, and a routine with plenty of boundaries.

If you just bring in a new addition and open up your home to them, unchecked, unlimited, and with no rules, it's not long before you become frustrated. Not just by the destruction and "trouble" your dog is getting into, but most likely with how little the dog listens or does what you want them to do.

Unfortunately, too much freedom and too many options too soon lend dogs or puppies to create their own routines, habits, and entertain themselves - usually in ways that frustrate owners. Things like hyperactivity, excessive barking, destruction of property, harassment/poor social dynamics with other pets, a sense of anxiety, and general mischief for the most part.

One of the easiest things you can do with a new dog or puppy is to build a routine where they are handler engaged and have plenty of boundaries inside/outside of your home while you teach them and create the dog (and behaviors) you want.

Things like:

- buidling a consistent daily routine of exercise, play, and feeding/training that is hands on with you! Walks, playing with toys with them (not just having things on the ground to entertain themselves, but actually plah fetch, tug, chase the toy, etc), and doing simple training exercises like sit, place, go in and come out of your crate on command. Your new dog needs to bond/interact with you more than your other pets or be free to entertain themselves. If you want them to behave, you have to be involved in exercising them and setting boundaries for them.

- have a leash on them inside for a while, until they are less inclined to get into lots of trouble. Any puppy or new dog we raise are often on a leash for many months inside of the house (while supervised, of course, which your dog should be anyway...) so that we can easily catch, guide, or block them if they are doing something inappropriate - like chasing the cat, trying to grab something they shouldn't, jumping on people, going down the halls to p*e or poo. The term "sit on the dog" is the idea of teaching your pup that being on a leash and being settled near you is a good thing at times. Teach your dog to settle in a 6 foot bubble around you or let them drag the leash so you can easily have some control.

- Set boundaries by not giving your dog complete access to your house. Territory is a very primal thing for dogs, and a new dog having near complete access to a new territory teaches them that the humans in the environmental don't need to teach you the rules of this property...make your own.

-Crate train your dog. Teach them how to rest comfortably and contently inside of a kennel. Don't use the crate for punishment! Make it a positive place that is part of your household management to limit your dog’s unsupervised access to resources, protect them and your property, and create a portable, familiar, and safe space for them to rest at night, when you're not home, and at times during the day when you may need them to rest and settle (once all their other needs are met). Your dog needs to learn how to be OK with being confined, because it is going to happen in their life. You can be the one to teach them or they can stress out later when they are crated somewhere else - they will go to the vet, groomer, or a boarding situation that requires confinement eventually.

- Give as many treats as you want, but make them earn it. Don't just give treats and not use that opportunity to create/shape good behavior. Be willing to train and teach behaviors you want - also be willing to correct/set boundaries to prevent and address bad behavior. However, you can not just say "no" and correct things if you also aren't playing a role in teaching behaviors and setting expectations, too. Like, you can't expect your dog to stop barking on the walk if your dog is still allowed to pull you.

- Their food can be a good treat! Use part of your daily meal for training- or if you need to use dog treats, that's ok...just watch that weight!

Remember that habits form quickly, so the more often they practice a behavior, the more likely they will repeat it - the good and the bad. If you're not actively taking a daily role in training/shaping and influencing those good manners and habits in your dog...then don't be surprised when most of their habits are bad ones 😬

No one gets a dog with the goal of having tons of behavioral problems! So let's do our best to have a smooth transition by making sure we are not just spoiling, but actually training our dogs, giving them boundaries, building handler engagement, and setting them up for success to behave in our human world :)

04/08/2022

Food for thought.

We know that there is a correlation between stress and unmet needs. When our dogs are stressed, their needs are more acute and when those needs go unmet, they experience more stress.

But there is another layer in this equation: How our human responses and behaviors come into play.

When our dogs' needs aren't met, they experience stress and find outlets for meeting them. This, in turn, stresses us as their guardians because the outlets that are available to them usually aren't aligned with our wants. Ironically, this can result in less of our dogs' needs being met because we disconnect and fail to recognize the root cause. And the cycle continues.

To prevent this, try to be as proactive as possible in meeting your dog's physical, emotional, social and cognitive needs.

14/07/2022

Great trainer. Great advice.

Got a new puppy?
Think about what you want long term and start training for it now.

If you don't want your adult dog on the sofa...don't bring him up there now "cause he's just a puppy".

If you want your adult dog to be "good in the house when left alone"...then start now by implementing good supervision and use crate training to assist you.

You want your dog to be good with your kids? Then supervise the puppies interaction, keep a drag line on him and interrupt the jumping and play-biting. AND teach the kids how to behave properly around the puppy.

If you start out doing it right from the start, you won't have to fix it later.

17/01/2022

Spread the love!

for my Southern California/West Coast folks: you've got an amazing rescue right in your own backyards, my friends at Trained Dogs for Adoption | A Non-Profit Rescue Organization. TDFA is a last-resort rescue for hard to place German Shepherds and other high-drive dogs who end up in the public shelter system. TDFA commits to the work and the time these dogs need to be ready for the right homes. They could really use any monetary support you are able to give.

Donation link from their website:

Transfer money online in seconds with PayPal money transfer. All you need is an email address.

17/01/2022

Today's the day! My Middle Tennessee followers, if you're looking for a local group to support for the , may I suggest Lucky Farms Animal Rescue? They really work their tails off for such a large number of mostly giant breed dogs. Those big ones require a lot of $ to care for!

As many of you may have seen, the Betty White Challenge is trending on social media. In honor of what would have been her 100th birthday, many have suggested donating to you favorite shelter or rescue in honor of Betty White and her work with animals. Please consider donating in honor of Betty White and her amazing love for animals.

https://www.paypal.me/LFAR

Venmo
-farms-animal-rescue

https://venmo.com/code?user_id=2575035738882048918

20/12/2021

These are BRILLIANT!

25/11/2021

More than anything, we are thankful for our clients. We hope you’ve all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. 🦃🥧❤️

25/11/2021

We’re thankful for colleagues like Canine Cohen Dog Training and Behavior Modification. 🦃🥧🐶

I wish everyone a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends, family, and canine companions.

It’s also a great time to practice your dogs training and generalizing their behaviors, around so many of the distractions during the holiday.

You can practice your dogs “leave It” around so many tasty things that they might want but aren’t for them or safe for them that drop on the floor and on counter tops and tables.

Work on your dog staying in a “Down” or “Place” around all the distractions of all the hustle and bustle of the holiday festivities,and practice while everyone is eating the Thanksgiving meal.

And especially for our fearful dogs this a great opportunity to work on desensitizing and helping them be more comfortable around new people as well.

It’s all about !!

25/11/2021

We are thankful for our friends at Lucky Farms Animal Rescue and all of their hard work and huge hearts.

Happy Thanksgiving from the LFAR family!!

25/11/2021

We are thankful for our friends at Mutts + Meows Natural Pet Market. ❤️🐶🦃

May you enjoy your 🦃 as much as Juniper enjoys hers. 🍗🥧🍠 Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

10/09/2021

We say it all the time. Set your dog, and yourself, up for success.

This is such a powerful reminder to set your dog up for success and to know his limitations. 🙌