Bathing Dogs With
Peanut Butter????

FREE Tips And Tricks On
Loving And Living
With Dogs!

Join my free 2,500+ subscriber "Doggie Parenting 101" Tips and Tricks e-Newsletter, where you will learn HUNDREDS of doggie parenting tips, including:

• Why you should always bathe your dog with peanut butter (spread some on the shower wall to keep the licking dog still)
• Why and how to trim his nails with a Dremel instead of clippers (it's waaay better)
• How to socialize a puppy (it must be done correctly and before 4 months of age if he is to be a stable, confident and safe adult
• How to properly clean a seemingly "harmless puppy bite" (Otherwise it COULD land you in the hospital)
• Why every dog (even little Fifi) should be muzzle-trained
• That frequent farting is not normal and can actually be a medical concern
• Why "free-feeding" is a bad idea
• How to trick dogs into swallowing pills
• Info about indoor dog potties (They're not just for small dogs)
• Why most "protective" dogs are actually fearful and will never REALLY protect you (Learn the 4 F's of fearful dogs)
• How to teach dogs to "potty" on command
• How to keep dogs from getting fat after being spayed or neutered
• Where to walk dogs to reduce dog aggression
• Why dogs "hump" people and other dogs
• Why we must not blame dogs for their bad behaviors
• How long dogs grieve
• Why dogs are not really "hyper"

I teach "Doggie Parenting 101" classes. I also write columns for 3 newspapers. Everything I put into my columns and classes comes right out of my e-Newsletter. Want to subscribe? Just shoot me an email!

I promise that no matter what you already know about dogs, you will learn new tips and tricks on loving and living with dogs that will make you an even BETTER doggie parent!

"Doggie Parenting 101"

Tips and Tricks on Loving and Living
 with Dogs!

This is the most important thing people
 need to know about DOGS!

  Puppy Socialization

Socialization is VITAL to puppies because it sets the foundation for the REST OF THEIR LIVES. It's the single most important - and most neglected – need puppies have. The most important socialization period is from 3 to 16 weeks. Good breeders start the process (and always raise their puppies in the house), then send their puppies to new homes at the optimal age of 7½ weeks. You then have 8½ weeks - until he's 4 months old - to accustom him to multiple and various people, animals, situations, environments and experiences.

Working hard that two months will pay off BIG for the rest of his life.

Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about little puppies! - Gene Hill

Puppy socialization, done correctly, builds confidence. Confident puppies usually become stable adults. Puppies NOT socialized, usually become fearful. Besides often being miserable, fearful dogs are much more likely to bite. About 4.7 million people are bitten each year in the United States, with more than 800,000 of those bites requiring medical attention. Most of the victims who receive medical attention are children, half of whom are bitten in the face.

Make thoroughly socializing your puppy your top priority so you don’t suffer the problems (from him running away terrified on the 4th of July to disfiguring a child) inherent in owning a fearful dog.

The best way to get a puppy is to ask for a baby brother – and they’ll settle for a puppy every time. – Winston Pendelton

Besides you, friends and STRANGERS handling, holding and hugging him regularly and looking in his eyes, ears and mouth, examining his genitals and fiddling with his teeth, paws and nails (all of which your veterinarian and groomer will thank you for later) before he’s 4 months old, you should also have him:
Meet dozens of children, babies and toddlers and adults of all shapes, sizes and mannerisms. Greet people with floppy hats, umbrellas, canes, crutches and wheelchairs. Meet the letter carrier, meter reader and UPS driver. Greet and play with lots of dogs. (Don’t let them dominate or bully him.) Walk on various surfaces. See kids on skateboards and bikes. Meet cats, birds, mice, rabbits, cows, goats, horses and chickens. Visit duck ponds. Ride elevators. Walk on tables and stairs and through tunnels and ride through car washes.

Buy a pup and you will buy love unflinching. – Rudyard Kipling

Introduce him to the vacuuming of carpets, mowing of lawns, swatting of flies, kites, noisy pans, rolling barrels, shopping carts, crowds, traffic, construction zones and fireworks.

These must be pleasant, non-threatening experiences. Work in short sessions, at a distance where the puppy is not scared or stressed. Use food, toys and praise to reward him for being calm and confident. This is a critical time. Just as you are “imprinting” him with positive experiences to benefit him the rest of his life, so can you also, if not careful, imprint him with negative experiences that damage him forever. It’s imperative he have no frightening experiences. If he shows fear, you may have gone too close or too quickly. Back up and slow down. Socialize in a way that he never gets scared, and that every experience is a positive one he handles with confidence. Joining a puppy class may be helpful.

A dog may be man’s best friend, but a child’s best friend is a puppy. - Unknown

Also, just a word of caution from a training standpoint: You want your puppy to be friendly, calm and secure in the presence of strangers, but if you “over-socialize,” that is… let so many people pet and feed him that he starts to look to others for rewards, you may be disappointed to find that when in public, he makes a pest of himself to others and you no longer have his attention (which you need to control and train him). Always strive for BALANCE. You want him comfortable with people touching and interacting with him, but you don’t want him to crave it to the point that it becomes his primary objective (over YOU). Keep his attention on you with praise and yummy treats.

That said, there is another serious caution: Diseases are real threats to puppies. Until his vaccinations are over (usually at about age 4-4½ months), do not allow him within sneezing distance of dogs with whose health you are unfamiliar, or on the ground in areas where infected dogs may have defecated. Don’t walk him in parks, or even your front yard if it’s accessible to strays. Carry him or keep him in a pen or on a mat. Ask people to use hand disinfectant before petting and don’t let him sniff their shoes, as these are methods of transmission. (Everyone should take off their shoes before entering your home and wash their hands before meeting your puppy.)

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. - Ben Williams

More dogs die as a result of problems associated with lack of socialization than from disease. Do not let these threats keep you from socializing your puppy. Do it, but do it safely. Proper socialization will help him become a happy, confident, life-long member of your family.

It's Ok To Change
Your Dog’s Name

Do you like your dog’s name? Think you picked a good one, or do you regret it every time you call him for dinner? If the latter, please know that it is quite all right to change his name. And if he is a rescue, and this was the name an abuser screamed at him on a regular basis, please DO change it. Dogs don’t care what we call them, as long as we don’t call them late for dinner. I know… that’s an old one. Couldn’t resist. Seriously… if they associate a name with food, petting, and play… it doesn’t hurt them one bit to have their name changed. They’ll get used to it in short order and everyone will be satisfied. 

How To Switch Your Dog's
Food to Avoid Diarrhea

When switching a dog’s kibble from one brand to another, or from one meat source to another, always do it slowly over the course of a week or more. Start by giving the dog 75 percent or more of his old food, and 25 percent or less of his new food. Then work up to 50/50, then 25/75. Changing a dog’s kibble too quickly can cause diarrhea. It’s impossible to do it too slowly, so plan ahead and take your time.

Natural Way To
Treat Diarrhea

Punishment (striking, yelling, banishing) does not work with dogs, especially after the fact. For dogs, when it’s over, it’s over. They live in the here and now. I tell my students that to dogs, 5 seconds later, it’s a new day. Now, that’s an exaggeration, but you get the point. When you return home to see that your dog has gotten into the trash or pooped on the carpet and you are angry, the dog doesn’t know that it has anything to do with the trash or the poop. He just knows that you are scary and unpredictable. Don’t get angry at dogs, and never hold a grudge. They don’t get angry with us (and we all know they have good reason to do so at least once in awhile), and they don’t even know what a grudge is. Even if you punish a dog while he is in the process of doing something you don’t like…. The dog still does not “get” what you are trying to teach him. It’s a simple fact that dogs cannot learn constructively while they are frightened. (Who can?) Gentle scolding is fine. In fact, it is very instructive to a dog. But never punish them. It damages their temperament and it damages your relationship with them. You just end up with a fearful dog who doesn’t trust you, and often learns to also not trust anyone else. And... because dogs CAN find reward in even negative attention, the punishment may stop the behavior only temporarily. ("We always punish him for that, but he keeps doing it.")

Here are some of the reasons
people punish their dogs:       

• It's how they were taught.
• They never learned anything different.
• They think that's what they are "SUPPOSED" to do.
• They think they are irresponsible doggie parents if they DON'T punish.
• It SEEMS to work, at least temporarily.
• They don't see the damage they are doing to the dog. They don't notice he is cowering or avoiding them. They don't recognize that his cheerfulness has diminished and he is now tense. Many even blame (and further punish) the dog for peeing out of fear/submission, or growling or nipping or running away in self-protection.

Does your doggie get anxious or nervous or suffer from separation anxiety? One tool you might want to try is a DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) Diffuser. In many cases, it can help calm anxious dogs. It emits a synthetic version of canine "appeasing" pheromones which lactating bitches secrete 3 to 5 days after their puppies are born. These pheromones calm puppies, giving them reassurance and a feeling of safety. DAP Diffusers are fairly new. Stress and anxiety in any form can be as debilitating to dogs as it is to us. The DAP Diffuser can help curb dogs’ destructiveness, barking and soiling when left alone or when anxious. It works like a plug-in air freshener, is odorless and does not sedate the dog. It won’t be a cure-all, and it won’t work for every dog, but it may help as part of a behavior modification program. Work with a qualified trainer for help. There are also DAP collars and sprays for areas (like inside the car or crate) where there is no electrical outlet available. Use them to help curb carsickness or crate anxiety. DAP products are available on the Internet and in pet stores.

Give Your Digger
His Own Yard!

Consider fencing off a part of your yard and “donating” it to the digging addicts in your family. Set it up to meet THEIR expectations and dreams. A shade tree, water, maybe a kids’ wading pool… Let him dig to his heart’s content. Maybe even truck in some sand? Fence it so when he’s in digging mode, he can’t venture into “your” part of the yard (which, through training, you will show him is off-limits for digging), and also to contain him when he’s dirty and muddy until you are ready to clean him up. Think of all the doggie friends who would give their canine teeth to come visit and help him dig up his yard. Your place will be the best K9 hangout on the block.

Annoying Beggars

It is not WHAT you feed them… it is WHEN you feed them. Feeding dogs snacks, treats and “human food” does not turn them into beggars. Feeding them your food WHILE YOU ARE EATING is what spoils them, making them drooling munchkins with their paws always stretched out for tidbits. I sometimes sit on the couch eating my meal in front of the boob tube with Jetta lying beside me. She does not watch me eat because she knows she never gets any. I have never once fed her from my plate. She’s also been taught “Leave It.” I can leave my plate there on the coffee table and go to the kitchen for a drink or to my office to answer the phone or whatever, and she will not disturb or even look at my food. If I want to share my dinner (the healthy items only, of course) with her, I always wait until I am done and some time has passed so she makes no connection between my eating and her getting a yummy “human” treat. This way, she will never become an annoying beggar.

"Find-It!" Game

Children get bitten, scratched and knocked down playing with dogs, especially puppies. This “Find It Game” allows kids to play with dogs while teaching them some obedience.

Start in the house. Put Fido on a sit-stay. If necessary, have someone hold his leash, or tie him up. (Always supervise tied dogs to prevent tangling and choking.)

Place a favorite treat or toy 10-15 feet away, in plain sight. Go back, release him and command him to “Find it!” What joy! He’ll be ecstatic. You be, too.

Dogs require repetition when learning new tasks. Don’t rush. Get a good foundation of him waiting on a sit-stay, then charging off for the reward to “Find It.” Dogs also don’t “generalize” well, which means they get confused when cues, situations, or environments change, so keeping him in the same spot each time and placing the reward in the same spot each time will help him develop his drive to find the reward when released.

This is simple and easy, but still… practice at least 20 times. You want him to be deliberate and enthusiastic about taking the reward.

Now move it farther away, but still in sight. Go back, release him and command him to “Find it!” Praise him! He’s such a genius!

Practice, practice, practice…. At least 20 times. You are setting a foundation so you can later make this task harder and still keep his drive and excitement high.

If you have been tying or holding him, now ask him to sit-stay on his own. Since you are making it harder for him, place the reward closer. Start by making him stay only a few seconds and work up to longer and longer stays. If he breaks, scoop up the reward (this is vital!) and try again. As he becomes more reliable, place the reward farther and farther away, but still within his view.

When he is a pro, place the reward in the same room, but out of view, like on the other side of the couch, or just around a partition. Advance to hiding it in other rooms. See why you need him to be reliable before moving on? You will be disap-pearing. He needs the confidence of knowing that if he stays, he will be released to find it, and he needs the drive to go find the item out of his view. Always train dogs in baby-steps. You cannot hurt his training by going too slowly, but you CAN hurt it by going too fast. Go slowly and get a good foundation.

Now hide the reward so he has to really work for it. Hide it in a small trash can, under a throw rug or stuffed between two pillows. Cheer him as he searches: “Find it! Hurry up! Find!” Later, move the game outdoors. (Be sure your treats are strong smelling.) Get him to sit-stay around the corner of the house, or behind a tree. No peeking! Now that’s challenging and even more fun!