Fashion Sense and Dog Training

There is something so basic in dog training (that is when you train many dogs for a living) that I at least often forget to communicate to my clients. I was reminded of this yesterday during very cute and active Bristol's (German Shepherd female puppy) lesson. The basic thing that I forgot to communicate is how to dress during, and especially, training a green dog or puppy. Actual typically, I dress this way even with more seasoned and trained dogs, because a lot of my training counts on me being able to get dirty and play with the dogs (be outside in areas that may be swampy or muddy) as well, even if they are well on their way and not mouthing or jumping up anymore.

There are many reasons that I will wear clothes, while training, where I don't want to worry about ruining them. Here are just some reasons to dress down your wardrobe, and not wear your favorite (dry clean only or hand wash only) clothes while training dogs. Some of these may be over the top for just a dog owner trainer, nevertheless, I think they are great tips to keep in mind for either the professional trainer or dog owner:)

Top and bottom fashion choices:

• In dog training there are a multiple of things that might get on your clothes or you. In some breeds (Boxers, Great Danes, Newfies, et) there are these things affectionately called "flingers". These are great ropes of viscous drool that can fly anywhere in a moments notice. If you have ever had the pleasure of being in a closed car with Great Danes who shake their heads all of a sudden, you know how this stuff gets everywhere. By the way flingers show up well on knit fabrics especially dark shades of black and brown are generally not a good idea. Just a word to the wise.
• Puppy nails and mouthing puppy teeth tend to pull at certain fabrics (no light delicate fabrics or fabrics that may pull). This is why my main top choices for training dogs are made out of velour, fleece, or sweatshirt materials. Choices on my bottom half tend toward dark wash jeans, which are virtually impossible to stain with muddy feet or rip (that is real jeans not summer jeans). Don't forget how sharp puppy teeth are, even if they aren't trying, a very light weight fabric on your bottom or top half is not to hard to tear.
• Light colors always seem to stain, even if it seems that they won't. Avoid these in dog training, because muddy paws always seem to find a way to imprint on the fabric. Don't wear them on your bottom or top.

Foot Fashion Tips:

• Unless you are trying to hurt yourself, flip flops are NEVER EVER appropriate. For the safety issues, nothing with any kind of a heel or with slippery bottoms are appropriate.
• Poop is something we all strive to pick up, but can be hiding out in some tall grass. Shoes with flat yet tractable bottoms are the easiest to clean. Very intricate waffle bottoms, for instance on running shows, are not so easy to clean.
• You may want a few high quality shoes just for dog training. I NEVER skimp on my shoes that I use for dog training. I also realize these shoes may go through dirt, sand, mud, muck, poo, water puddles, and snow. So my shoes that I go out in public (not to train dogs) are a totally separate category.
• My preference is NO LACES. Well fitting slip ons with great traction is what I prefer to train dogs in.

Winter Fashion Accessories:

• Be sure that any head apparel does not block your vision. So much of dog training depends on being observant of your dog and your environment for timing and proper training.
• Thick gloves will cause you to loose a lot of the feel and the dog that you are working with. Find warm gloves that are as thin as possible when you need them. Mittens are a no no, as they impede your hand movement and dexterity even more.
• Loose skarves (and anything tempting like a pony tail) can look like a fun thing to grab and pull on for a puppy, especially.
• Boots should be warm and easy to walk in. I still haven't found the perfect slip on boot to dog train in (assuming I am going to be walking a lot during the training) that hold my feet in for duration comfortably.

Aggressively Fashion Forward (owners with dogs like this should contact a professional in dog training and behavior modification immediately):

• I will always tell my clients that it is unacceptable to wear sandals, even sports sandals when training a dog. However, I do it sometimes (give me a break it gets sooo hot in the summer, and I have a lot of dogs to train) do except when training a dog who is willing to bite me. I have never been bitten on my foot, yet I always wear thick leather shoes WITH socks to protect me if they go for my ankles.
• Jeans, real heavy duty jeans, are a must. This way you are more likely to get a bruise if a redirection comes your way, rather than a flesh wound.
• Baggy swearshirts and layers underneath. This gives you a little bubble around you to react if they go for your arms or torso.
• I have never yet felt the need to wear gloves to protect my hands from a bite. Mostly, I don't want the dogs that I work with to bite down harder as a result. However, I am sure there are some dogs out there that would inspire me to have a change of mind. So far, I would rather a basket muzzle at first, if I feel the dog is too quick for me.

Mannerly Mutts Dog Training
Mannerly Mutts Blog
mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com

My New Assistant

Meet my new friend.   This wireless Toshiba Satellite is replacing my husbands castoff compaq, which had long ago seen better days.   In fact, I never liked that computer.   It came preloaded with all the viruses that my husband picked up after my far more awesome VPR died.  As nifty as my VPR died, this computer is going to save me a lot of time in downloading graphics, posting, and generally just not hanging up or slowing down for years to come.

Plus now I am mobile, so I can blog post while watching the dogs in the backyard.   Perhaps even take pictures of what I am blogging about right there and instantly download them just as the blog mood strikes.  The battery on this baby lasts a reported five hours.   That is a lot of wirefree time for blog posting.  

Now I have moved to my bedroom and typing in the dark of the morning with my trusty canine companions by my side (sound asleep and snoring of course)!   Course the movement through the house of a previous potty trip for my dogs and this trip have caused both Jake and Lucey to now be barking.   New houseguests often take a few days to get acclimated to their new sorroundings.   Other than that, both slept very well last night.   Now I just hope the husband is able to sleep through the current turmoil.   Jake should quiet down first, and then Lucey may go for the rest of the morning.   Her first night here she went almost all night.  

Now very soon I am going to most likely need a more flesh and blood type of assistant.   I figure my little Toshiba Satellite is going to save me hours and hours of rebooting, uploading, and freeze time alone.   I am talking about per day!!   The last thing a dog trainer needs is non productive freeze and reboot time!!   So then all I will need is the videoing of lessons, cleaning of bowls, vaccuming and mopping of rooms, daycare supervision when I have lessons, walks, pickup and drop off, and feeding.  These last couple of years I could have really used some relief during the day.   Now that I am eating better and taking care of myself more, my energy has been up so that I can keep up with the work load.   However, my days or hours off are few and far between sometimes.   I need a little boosting period or nap to reenergize sometimes.

Now instead of reaching down to turn off my computer so it can turn on again and check some drives, I can get my paperwork and correspondence done much faster and get on with training!!

Maine and New Hampshire Dog Trainer

Mannerly Mutts Blog

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Wierd Things Dogs and Cats May Like

I was just reading another blog about a cat that likes bread.

http://www.underdogged.net/?p=246

That started me thinking about the things that my dogs and cats have liked.

My cat, Clyde (deceases a long time now), liked shiny gold things. He stole a ring once and hid it in the couch. He also liked to steal nail files.

My dog, Jazz (also deceased this winter), just loved bananas and marshmallows. Her brother, Neptune (deceased about four or five years now) also loved the marshmallows (we used to hide his heart medications in them).

My dog, Jack, LOVES bread. When we first got him, he would jump on anything or into anything to get at bread. He's more calmed down about it after training, but he still gets the "twirly eyes" for his bread. If you had a steak and bread side by side, I swear Jack would go for the bread.

My dog, Leon, likes coffee. I found this out in a very disgusting way one morning. I had gone to the shower, and my coffee cup did not have a lid on it that morning. I came out and went to take a sip, and something was not right. The coffee was all thick and gooey......like dog drool!!! How quickly did I spit that back into the cup LOL!! I haven't left my coffee alone with Leon since!

Dog on Sidecar of Motorcycle

My husband took this picture on the road one day:

Jackie Jackie Jackie....

My dog, Jack, is gross.   He's smart, sweet, loyal, loving, but most of all he's gross.   He finds dead things and presents them to us.   We always need to make sure he doesn't gulp down said dead thing.   This sometimes requires me to reach in mouth after dead thing.   

Well this time it was a glove.   Well not glove, but gloves.   My husband left these leather gloves out, and Jack managed to swallow them down, like a python, whole.   I just managed to see the fingers go down last out of the corner of my eye.

Now as one might imagine, we have become old hat at this.   He's probably done something like this six or seven times in the 1 year and nine months that we have had him.   So getting the brown bottle of hydrogen peroxide is pretty automatic now.   Next the tablespoons spaced every 10 minutes.   From 8 am to 12 pm, nothing comes out.   I now have to pick up my client's dogs.   

So I would normally bring Jack with me, as he can't be trusted not to swallow it back down, but these are two GREAT DANES!!!   So space is sort of tight in the dog mobile.   That means no room for Jack.   So I am thinking, okay what are the odds he's going to puke it out in the 15 minutes I am gone.   Okay, I am betting they are pretty high, but there is little I can do.

So I go grab Roxy and Harley.   We head back.   Sure enough, funky smell in the front hall, but no sign of anything.   Yeah right.   For the rest of the day (and this is a first after they hydrogen is administered) Jackie pukes no more.   Very worried owners go to bed for the night.   By the way, Jackie is comfortable and sleeps like a log.

By 12 pm the next day, A glove comes out with vomit.   I pounce on Jackie and the glove.   I verify that it is just one glove.   Later on that evening, I spot the other glove, but too late and Jackie is swallowing it back down.   I pounce on him, open up his mouth, and stick my hand in.   Nothing,  too late, but ewww what a smell.   I go downstairs to wash my hands, and come accross a pile of poop in the mudroom.   And in a poop is a glove finger.   THEN I realize where the glove came from, and what that particular smell was!!!

Okay, think about it.   Just let's say,pieces of a certain glove are going for theirsecond roller coaster ride in Jack's digestive track.

Satellite Shot of Our Place

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Thoughtful Thursday

(Above:  Jackie performs a roll over for the camera)

Many of my clients come here for the dog pictures, or videos (I know <G>).   I am sure some wonder about this other content that I write about, regarding the actual dog industry.   Some trainers don't write about this on their blogs, as the end result does not bring in more revenue AND they discount the value of educating their clients.

I want my clients to have at least heard about Breed Specific Legislation, so when they are out on the road they MAY not be surprised and have their dog taken from them.   No, I can't force my clients to know about these issues, but I CAN be sure that information is out there for them.   Does this bring me the $$$$$$s, not in any kind of direct way for sure.   On the other hand, a trainer that is knowledge about many aspects of the dog and dog world is very valuable.  Client's like when you are concerned for them and their well being (whether they are or not at the time).

So while issues like Organizations to Beware of, Breed Specific Legislation, nutrition, spay/neuter legislation, tethering legislation, HEART legislation, may all be a huge snooze to most, if the information isn't out there then NO ONE knows what is going on.

You should be able to have your dog professional be aware of the issues, and willing to educate about the issues.   I am not saying anyone needs to agree with me, but try to know what why and when of what is out there.   Especially be aware of laws that could be infringing on your areas!!!   Please comment or e-mail me (mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com) with any areas of interest and concern.   

Need training for your pooch?   Mannerly Mutts Dog Training provides efficient and effective training to enhance the relationship of an owner and their dog.   You can call at (207) 361-4395 or e-mail Robin at mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com.