Carolyn Scott Freestyle Dance

Here is what freestyle dance with your dog can look like:)

Cesar Milan and South Park

Funny parody of Cesar Milan by South Park:

Thursday Thirteen (13) Commands for Dog Training

1. Attention.   Command for this can be dog's name or owner's choice.   Point of command is to work dog's focused attention on you for a period of time until the dog is released.



2. Loose leash walk.   Example of word's used for this is "Let's Go".   Used when you want to allow your dog freedom but also want your canine companion to walk with you within a certain distance.



3. Heeling.   Generally the command "heel" is used for this.   This is your dog walking with you in a very specific position on your left side.   This is combined with an "auto sit" each time the handler stops, and the ability to walk in heel position when the handler begins moving again.



4. Recall.   Generally the command used for this is [Dog's Name] + "Come".   You want the dog's immediate attention on you and instant coming towards you in a seated position that can be front or finish.   (also can be seperate commands)



5. Front.   Recall where dog stops in a sit directly in front of their owner.



6. Finish.   Recall where dog either circles behind to the left of owner or does a little u turn on the left of owner, and then finishes into a sit.



7. Sit.   A position where the butt is on the ground and the front paws stay on the ground, while the torso is elevated.   This is normally taught so the position is held until a realease word is given.



8. Down.  A position where the full length of the dog is touching the ground.   This is normally taught so the position is held until a release word is given.



9. Place.  The ability to send your dog to a spot that has some sort of borders, where your dog will stay until released.



10. Stand.  Command where dog will go until the position of stand from any other position, and will stay there until released.   This command is usually combined with the dog's ability to be examined.



11. Stay.   Stay can be used when a dog goes into an "auto sit" while heeling, but you don't want him to continue heeling, instead you want him to stay.   Stay also is required to be used in AKC competitions after you down, sit, or stand your dog.   



12. Get it.   This is basically a fetch command, where you release a dog to retrieve an object.   A common command for this is "get it".



13. Release Word.  This word ends many of the above commands for a dog.   Common commands for this are "free" or "break".

Lick Granuloma

Lick Granulomas are skin lesions that are created by a dog licking an area of the skin. Many different reasons are suggested by vets for this happening. Some say boredom, nervousness, deep down infection (a term of anitbotics will prove whether this is true or not), foreign body, life changes (death of companion pet or human, moving) or allergies can start this. Breeds in which this often occurs include Dobermans, German Shepards, Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Irish Setter, and Weimaraner.

Many dogs (one of mine included) are quite stubborn about giving up this habit. It's quite a challenge to keep them from ripping up a bandage, covering, or not relicking once the wound is healed and barriers are no longer needed. Specially mixed topicals, laser treatment, surgery, and bandaging are some options that may be given by your veterinarian. In any case, many owners struggle with this problem for years.

If you notice your dog starting to worry an area, best thing you can do is immediately address the problem. Preventing the lesion from starting will keep this from becoming a festering wound.

Dogs in Blog or News

title="News" height="102" alt="News" src="http://mannerlymutts.typepad.com/mannerly_mutts/images/news.jpg" width="100" border="0" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 5px 5px 0px" /> These are interesting blogs and stories routed out on the web, and are not necessarily the views of Mannerly Mutts Dog Training or it' p>
Dog Sniffs Out Drug Run

http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca&nbsp; (blog provides YouTube parode of Ceasar Milan in South Park. Looks like it does work with kids <G>)

Dog Borstal England Series? Oh, how I wish we got this program here. Sounds good!!

No Such Thing As A Perfect Dog

Ceasar Milan Book Review (you will need to scroll down a bit)

Dog'>http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-ymdawson1407jan14,0,5098041.column?track=rss">Dog Training Franchise Closes Down, Leaves Mess

General Description of The General Levels of Dog Training

Orange Is The Color for Hunting Season

The following links are for my Maine location, but you should be aware of your hunting laws. Humans and dogs not wearing the right colors increase their risk of being shot during hunting season. The following is the link to Maine's Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife:

2007 Hunting Season (by list of seasons by animal, and by hunting equipment)

ME Land Owner Permission Form Required

ME Hunting and Trapping Laws

If you live in areas where hunting is legal, you should be updated on the dates. Although, I wear the color orange as often as I remember too. There has been poaching on and around our land. Keep you and your canine companions safe. In addition to having them wear orange, do not let them loose and wandering the neighborhood. Have your dog trained so you can recall him at the first site of trouble whether it's a hunter, another animal, a car, or whatever.

An additional danger during hunting season is the carcasses and parts that can be left by a hunter. These can be poisonous to your dog. Be aware of your surroundings, and what your dog is getting into to.

Jackie Loves The Water

Day At The Beach

A Day at The Beach

Thirteen Things Potential Dog Owners Should Think About

1. Housebreaking your dog. Whether you get a puppy or adult dog, most likely they will need to be trained to go outside appropriately at your house. Time and patience is needed for this.



2. Daily exercise. Whether you have a toy dog or large dog, dogs need exercise and play time. They also enjoy interacting with their human companions, and do not do well left to their own devices.



3. Containment. Dogs don't instinctively know how to keep themselves safe or that it might not be appropriate to bite other people or dogs. Leashes and fences keep dogs safe during the interim period, and any time you are near something that could endanger your dog or your dog could endanger.



4. Time for feeding and letting quite often for puppies and could be from two to five times a day for adults. You can set dogs up for success with feeding times et, but nature sometimes does not work to your schedule's advantage.



5. Money. Do you have money for food, veterinary care, training help, purchasing a dog, vet insurance, grooming services, and possibly dog walking services during working hours. Veterinary care can go beyond the annual vaccinations which are a few hundred dollars a year, neutering et, and include emergency services or antibiotics when sick. Also don't forget supplements that might be needed to be perscribed, or medical conditions that are not emergencies but might require daily medication.



6. Enjoyment. Will you really enjoy a dog? Many times it means walking them in the cold, rain, playing with them, et. They can not exist happily in a vaccum not being paid attention to or interacting with you.



7. Cleanliness. Dogs are going to make your house more dirty. You can clean more of course, or get used to a bit lessor defination of clean. Dirt is tracked in, they can step in their poo, when they are ill with diareah or vomitting, they don't have immediate access to bathroom facilities. Some breeds drool excessively, and all breeds drool somewhat. Most dogs get eye boogies which can be flung around your house. If you allow dogs on the bed, your bed linens will get more use and therefore dirt. Dogs can pick up pests like fleas or ticks which need to be dealt with. There is also the accident (infrequent though it may be from a housetrained dog) that will happen in your house.



8. Dogs do not do well as full time outside or penned dogs, with some exceptions of working dogs. These dogs have REAL jobs and responsibilities during the day which provide plenty of physical and mental exercise.



9. Life span. Dogs do not remain puppies for most of their lives. Most dogs live an average of 11 years, and some small breeds do much better. Dogs should only be adopted for a long term commitment. You should be prepared that a dog is going to be with you, and look forward to it, for a long time and not just the puppy time. If this does not appeal to you, do not do the injustice to a puppy to adopt it, and then bring him/her to a shelter.



10. Training. Besides house training, all dogs need basic training and socialization and training in different environments. At the beginning this can take at least an hour a day for eight weeks, and then you still need to maintain the training.



11. Grooming. All dogs need the maintenance of their coat, ears, teeth and nails to be done on at least a weekly basis. This is for the health and well being as I have posted in an article yesterday.



12. Safety for the dog, and also maintenance of your house. Dogs do not know what is appropriate or not appropriate to chew. During the training periods, they require supervision or crating when out loose arond the house. You can not expect that they won't damage or chew on things if you are not actively communicating and training them what is and is not appropriate. Dogs can chew on things that are dangerous as well, such as electrical cords or Christmas ornaments.



13. Patience and discipline. Dogs need both patience and discipline in their lives. If you are not able to provide either, please do not get a dog.

Dog Weight Loss Drug

Oh, come on!!!   If you read my blog at all, you might get that I wouldn't be thrilled with this.   Every coo coo for crazy puffs owner, who thinks it's cool that their dogs have physical or behavioral problems, are going to be all over this.   Just like the cool bags and baby carriages (or stollers) that they wheel their overweight and overfed dogs around in to be like Paris Hilton.

Perhaps there may be some dogs who truly have a problem this drug could solve.   Generally though exercise and diet maintenance are enough to make this a non-problem without the poisining of helpless animals.   Give it to Pfizer to figure out a way to still profit on a drug pulled off the shelves for humans!!

Here are some more links on the subject (all with my negative spin of course):

http://seesdifferent.wordpress.com/2007/01/09/south-bitch-diet-pfizers-new-drug-for-overweight-dogs/

http://fatmammycat.blogspot.com/2007/01/fat-cat-fat-dogs-fat-fatty-fat-fat.html

http://www.yourpetsbestfriend.com/your_pets_best_friend/2007/01/weight_loss_dru.html

http://livinlavidalocarb.blogspot.com/2007/01/doggoneit-anti-obesity-drug-for-canines.html

Brief Summary of What Dog Training is All About

·         Demonstrate to the dog what you want him to do.   You can do this by positioning or luring your dog into position.   Dogs need to be shown what to do, because they don’t naturally know the things we take for granted that older dogs have already been taught.

·         Teach your dog what you want him/her to do.   Let them know this is not a one-time deal.   There can be rewards for completing a task, and later on (after they understand) consequences for not completing a task.   Now is the time to be consistent.   Don’t tell your dog to “sit” unless you are ready to help him/her into a sit if they don’t do it.   This is still the teaching phase, and they need to know that this word isn’t one of the stream of sounds they hear from you each day.   Don’t converse with your dog during training time.   They need to know that these words have a meaning, and that is what we are teaching them.   Other sounds in the day may not have a meaning, but our commands do.

·         Learning.   For dogs learning happens in that instant they analyze their choices.   Those choices normally are non-compliance, flee, aggression, or comply.   You want to give them a few seconds to contemplate their choice once you get beyond the teaching phase.   Only compliance will allow them to be treated, and you want to do it as soon as the behavior is marked.  As the exercises go on the three Ds will be marked as well (distance, duration, and distraction).   To end the session on a good note, you want to have the dog succeed at least three times in a row.   You will need to be patient.   In dog training anger or impatience will not get you and your companion where you need to go.   If you find yourself getting frustrated, take a deep breath and imagine where it is the training will take you if done correctly.   Then begin the exercises again.   Allow your dog to be successful, and then end it if it’s just a tough time to do it.  Do not try to add things too early.   The dog should fully understand the beginning of every exercise before being pushed on to the three Ds.

·         To maintain your immediate training, you need always to be consistent.   So every time you say sit, you mean sit and you’re ready to back it up.   Starting to become sloppy (or allowing others to verbalize commands to your dog without the training protocol) about this will undo any training that you have done, and while you may not need to start from the beginning, it will be pretty close.   Long-term maintenance will be needed when everyone has become complaisant with your dog’s abilities and expects he/she will perform the task even when the non-completion of the performance is not being reinforced.   Normally this just means practice sessions need to be started again with the leash attached for a period of time until your dog is on the right track again.

Commands

·         How should you give a command?   

o        First, a command should not be a question.   The word should not move up to a question mark.   A command should be given calmly, and with very little inflection (somewhat flat) in your voice.   Like you would normally say, “stop”.   

o        Generally speaking, a command should only be given once.   In the teaching phase though, it is given more than once as a reminder.   Once “learning” begins consistently, the command is only given once and then the correction thereafter.

o        During the teaching phase, the command is given only when the desired action has occurred to give THAT ACTION a name.   This is only done for a short time.   Once the luring is able to consistently get the action, then the command is given before hand to start the learned action in response to the verbal and signal command.

o        Finally, during training, the puppy should hear little else except commands, praise, and the “eh eh” sound if he/she starts mouthing at you or going to the bathroom in the house.   During training, conversations with your puppy should be kept to none if possible so that these words (commands) start to have meaning for your dog.

·         How should you give a reward?

o        In the demonstrating teaching phase, the treat or other reward is given at the end of the exercise even if you had to lure or position him/her there.   After the teaching phase is over and learning is occurring, the reward is only given on the successful completion of the exercise.

o        When learning is occurring, it is very important to present the treat as soon as they accomplished their exercise, otherwise they may try out something else!   This is why so many dogs think sit is their but down, but then up immediately, they are trying to figure out what exactly you want out of them.

You should present the reward in a closed fist, and not give up the reward until your puppy is not biting at your hand.   Then give the reward immediately after the puppy stops mouthing you.

What is dog training all about?