not surprisingly, 99% of the potty training calls I receive are from small dog parents. of those calls, 99% of those dogs were "trained" to go on wee wee pads inside the home (big dogs are usually not trained to do this, since their "business" is much messier). many of these dog parents have gotten sick of the pads and now want their dog going outside, or their dog is going in other places, such as throw rugs and bath mats, and they've finally had enough. making the transition from wee wee pads to outside is a very difficult challenge. so I recommend not even going there.
see your dog for who he is, not who you want him to be!
i'm not saying that there's not room to grow and change and become a "better dog," after all I make a living helping dogs improve themselves. however, we can run into trouble when we expect our dogs to be who they are not. I was recently talking to a client who had just a few short months ago lost her lovable, cuddly golden retriever, a dog who adored being hugged and loved to lay around just "being."
now she had a brand new terrier puppy and was dismayed by the dog's lack of interest in cuddling.
"repeated delivery of electric shocks is likely to lead to serious fear and anxiety. it is unarguable that the shocks must be momentarily painful; otherwise they would have no effect on behavior. electric shocks may not only upset the dog but undermine the relationship between the dog and its owner."
have you ever been watching tv, or working on your computer and all of a sudden, out of seemingly nowhere, your pup walks up to you, stares at you and starts BARKING. *you run your doggy checklist through your mind ~ pottied - check, fed dinner - check, belly rub - check ~ you've done everything, but your pooch still BARKS at you. so you pet him, and low and behold, he's QUIET. then you stop petting him, and he BARKS again. so, you pet him again. whoohoo, he's successfully trained you to pet him on CUE. wow, is he smart. this is what I call the bossy bark! so, how do we handle this?
the fourth of july is almost here, a holiday filled with fun, friends and exciting (but scary) fireworks celebrations.
when night falls and the lights in the sky start to fly, be sure to take these precautions to help your pup make it through the night, safe and sound.
leave your pups at home - the crowds and noises of the fireworks shows can be overwhelming and scary for your rascals. the loud explosions can send them into a panic. even though you may like the thought of having your pups with you to enjoy the show, play it safe and leave them at home.
