Below are some tips covering a few common challenges we face as pet owners.

These valuable tips to guide you to work one-on-one with your dog and practice professionally proven methods. Go ahead and try them! These free tips are offered as a starting place for you may need adjusting to suit your dog's personality and history. That is what we are here for! Please call us if you need assistance.
How can I prevent my dog from jumping up ?
Jumping up is one behavior that we inadvertently reward whenever it happens. Touching our dogs, looking at our dogs and talking to our dogs are all rewards for a dog.

Method One:

  1. When your dog jumps up on you, you can cross your arms and turn away. Don’t say anything but you can have a disgusted look on your face when you turn away. Dogs are masters at body language. The facial expression will translate to the dog.

  2. Make sure you say nothing to your dog and do not look at your dog. If the dog keeps jumping keep turning away and disengaging. Once the dog sits say "yes" and reward the dog with a soft training treat. So you need to have treat ready to go for training.

  3. It is very important to know that everyone in the house needs to work on the jumping up. It is NEVER okay for the dog to jump on any member of the family.
Now I have to say this will not work with every dog as some dogs are relentless with the jumping up because they have been rewarded for so long for jumping up.

Method Two:

  1. This is another way to handle jumping up: Get your training treats and attach a leash to your dogs flat buckle collar. Not a pinch collar or a choke chain or a harness a flat buckle collar only.

  2. Step on the leash with one foot. Give the dog enough leash so that his head and neck is not being pushed down towards the ground, but enough leash so that he can sit and there is still a little bit of slack in the leash. If your dog tries to jump up they will automatically go into a sit.

  3. The moment the dog sits you say yes and give your dog a tasty treat. Every time your dogs tries to jump up they will defer into a sit and you say yes good sit and reward the dog for sitting.

The more you practice this the faster you dog will learn to sit instead of jumping up. Make sure you have a leash and treats available before the exciting things happen. This way you will be able to train your dogs jumping up in real life situations. Most importantly be consistent!!!
What can I do to teach my dog NOT to chew on inappropriate things?
  1. Have lots of chew toys ready to go. Make sure there are plenty of appropriate things your puppy can pick up and explore. When your puppy picks up a toy, take advantage of that moment and reinforce good behavior with exciting attention.

  2. Introduce your puppy to a long fuzzy or rope toy. The toy can be dragged behind you as you move. Moving objects are exciting for all dogs. This will encourage your puppy to put there teeth on the toy instead of your legs and pants.

  3. Redirect your puppy on to an appropriate object. In order to save your hands, hold a chew toy in one had for the dog to put his mouth on and with the other hand you can gently stroke you dog.

  4. Have food stuffing toys ready and waiting. Its nice to have toys you can stuff with food and treats in your freezer ready to go. This will help satisfy your dogs need to chew. Puppies need mental stimulus and one of the way they get that stimulus is with their mouths.

My puppy gets so distracted at times. How do I teach him to look directly at ME ?
Many factors come into play when a dog gets distracted. Keeping his attention on you is an important way to get him to listen to you. Here is a method to teach your puppy to look at you directly in your eyes:

  1. Start with a soft training treat. Put the treat on the dogs nose without giving it to the dog then move the treat up from the dogs nose to the left or the right of your eyes.

  2. You want to say look the moment the dog looks at you in the eyes you say yes and give the puppy the treat. You may have to say look more than one and that okay. Just make sure you smile when you say it and your tone is happy.

  3. Get out another treat and repeat step 2.

  4. Gradually increase the time the dog looks at you before you say yes (mark) and reward.

  5. Don’t be cheap with your treats the stinkier the better.

What is the "touch" command and how can I teach it to my dog ?
“Touch” should be fun for your dog, like a game. You can teach your dog to touch any object. Use the touch command to distract your dog from something he might bark at on a walk or while you are a home.

  1. Get your soft training treats ready for rewards. Roll some of the treats around in both hands this will make you hands smell good for your dog.

  2. Put all your treats in your right had, nothing in you left hand but good smells.

  3. Your dog should be in front of you sitting or standing it really does not matter.

  4. Present your left hand to your dog about one inch from their nose. When you present your had say the word touch in a happy tone and smile.

  5. Your dog will put his nose to your hand to smell that great smell. The moment the dogs nose touches your hand say yes or good and give your dog a treat from your right hand. Be patient your dog has to learn the game. If you dog does not touch your hand, represent you hand with some excitement.

  6. Once you dog has had some success touching your hand present your right and repeat step 4 reward your dog every time they touch your hand.

  7. Once your dog has been successful touching your hand, move your hand a little higher or lower and say “touch.”