Basic Dog Obedience

Basic Dog Obedience

by Tynia Johnson

Basic dog obedience includes a dog learning to sit, lie down, come, stay and walk calmly on leash. Basic good behavior includes doing and not doing a few  other things. For example, not excessively barking, not jumping on guests, not biting or chewing. Potty training is part of both basic good behavior and basic obedience, because either way, if your dog soils the house he will quickly acquire the label “bad dog”.

All dogs should learn basic obedience or manners just as children should. Small dogs that are not taught manners are a nuisance and on occasion dangerous. Medium and large dog that are not taught manners are a nuisance, but more often they are dangerous and a financial liability.  Impolite children can end up in jail or worse; the same fate befalls many unruly dogs-the pound or worse. With the dogs the solution is easy, training or behavior modification at any age.

Basic obedience and good behavior can be taught individually or in a group, at home or in other environments. There are always varying degrees of success that depend on the owner, the trainer, and the dog. For example, if the best trainer and the smartest dog were joined by an owner that never practiced or heeded any of the trainers advice, then the training would not produce many long term good results.  If you make the financial commitment to dog training, you should find the time to do your homework (just like when you were in school). The homework helps the dog training process to progress.

Over the years, I have found the best method of training to be the in-home scenario with as many household members as possible present. While in the home, we can discuss the specific problems and come up with effective solutions. I can see exactly what the family is experiencing, therefore the solutions suggested are tailored to the specific needs of the family. Small class settings can also benefit the family (pet) because social interaction and bigger distractions add to the training experience.

Under normal circumstances, one to 4 home visits or 6 to 8 classes is all that takes to create a pet that you can live with.

The Sassy Trainer

Bad Chewing

Good Chewing

If ya cannot stand the Sass, then get out of my blog.

Bad to the Bone

Bad to the Bone

by Tynia Johnson

Did your mom or dad ever say, “Do not look a gift horse in the mouth” or “A penny saved is a penny earned”?  If you did not hear these, then some other pearls of wisdom were surly heard. I would like to offer you another  - “You get what you pay for”. Feeling like I am "pulling your leg"? Wait, there is more...

Feeding and treating your dog is a form of payment. I know, I know. You never thought of it that way or you do not believe me. That is fine, I will explain. 

We all understand a reward - a fair return for good or bad behavior  or a thing given in recognition of one's service, effort, or achievement. So you might buy this for the treat but not the food?

Okay let us get down to it. How do you get your food - hunt, gather, garden, grocery store, food bank (just kidding), manna from heaven? If you do any of these things, including the food bank and the manna, you are expending energy or making an effort to acquire something to eat. Your efforts are rewarded and you either use the reward to buy food or the reward is the food. Generally, you have to expend a certain amount of energy to acquire a certain amount of reward. We generally call it work and dogs call it - meandering to the dish or giving the look (begging).

Dogs can behave anyway they want and are fed to the point of obesity. So if you continue to reward your dog they will continue to soil the house, ignore you, and bite the very hand that feeds them. If you could go to work, stay for 5 minutes per week and pick up a full salary for the month, what would be your motivation to work a full month? You may be paying your dog to be a rotten apple, and you know what effect a rotten apple has on things it comes in contact with.

For goodness sake, do not just stop feeding your dog!

Overfeeding is not the root of the problem; it is the fertilizer. If you want to stop spreading the poop and get to the root, call me. 

The Sassy Trainer

If ya cannot stand the Sass, then get out of my blog.