If you are looking for the greatest gold-mine of easy to use "change your dog's behavior" advice ever crammed into a newsletter series then read on!
Also, make sure that you check out our 100% authentic testimonials from people who have bought Secrets to Dog Training and find out the massive difference it has made to their owner-dog relationship!
"Hello Daniel, I adopted a Springer spaniel from ESRA (English Springer Spaniel Rescue) in January of this year. JD (which stands for Just Dog) had a few issues but was mostly a "good boy" I was told. We brought him home only to find out he needed a lot of attention and discipline.
JD was very nervous. He had been a stray when found, and he lived in his foster home for several months. I was told that JD did not like his new 'foster dad', especially when he wore white t-shirts or when he took off his belt. He also was aggressive toward other dogs, and sometimes other men. However, he was fine with kids, his foster mom and me. I must mention that he is an extremely handsome guy (as you can see from his picture!).
My boyfriend was nervous and wanted me to send JD back to his foster home. Of course, being a Springer lover, I fell in love with JD as soon as I saw him, so I did not want to give up so fast. Someone had told me about your book, Secrets to Dog Training so I decided to look for it online. When I realize I could download it, I opted for this. I began reading and finding good ideas on what I could do immediately to try to correct some of JD's bad behaviors.
One thing I did immediately was to stop allowing JD to sleep next to my bed at night. He thought he was to be the leader of the pack and would sometimes climb up in the bed with me. I had to show him that he was not, so I put up a nice-sized crate for him in the dining room and he started sleeping in there. He actually liked going in his crate, it gave him a sense of security that he sorely needed.
Another thing I did with JD was to begin walking him with a gentle leader several times a day. I trained him to walk by my side, to sit and to walk when I began walking. He needed a firm and consistent mom and I guess I was the one! We still take daily walks and I make him work for every treat he gets from me or the kids. He has become a wonderful pet over the past 7 months but it has not been easy.
JD is now a trusted family member, a wonderful watch dog, and a playful happy guy. He has made a complete 180, and I owe it to your expertise and to the help of a trainer I hired in March. She works on many of the same principles that you/your book does, mainly using strong and persistent techniques to break bad habits. Showing the dog that he is not the boss, is key.
Thank you for your e-newsletters, too. I really enjoy these. Sometimes the problems are similar to mine and JD's, sometimes not. Your answers are always clear and intelligent. I believe you are helping many people and their dogs to become compatible friends-the way it should be!"
-- Rita Randolfi (Vero Beach, Florida)
Hi Daniel,
Our dog is a Border Collie x Golden Retriever, and is now 7 months old. She is smart and has learned well from what we have taught her from your manual.
She does however have a problem. When she is in her crate or in the van/wagon/truck, she will bark incessantly until I have traveled for about 5 minutes. Once I stop at traffic lights etc; she will start again.
Do you have any suggestions on this "ear damaging ritual"?
Cheers
Jeremy
Hi Jeremy,
Thanks for your email regarding your Border Collie cross. Barking is a totally normal doggy behavior just as meowing is to cats and snorting is to pigs. However, nuisance and out of control barking is not appropriate and needs to be minimized. It’s not practical to hope to stop barking altogether, but it should be possible to reduce it to an acceptable level.
There are a number of causes for nuisance barking including boredom, loneliness, frustration and a lack of outlets for pent up energy. This type of behavior is particularly prevalent in dogs who are left for long periods on their own. They are not reprimanded for the bad behavior and will therefore keep doing it because it’s fun and because they aren’t aware that it’s wrong.
Sometimes barking can be accidentally reinforced when it is an attention seeking behavior, and we respond by giving the dog what it wants. The dog then learns that barking is quite effective!
I would assume that your dog's behavior is due to frustration or excitement at seeing whatever it is that you are driving past.
Fortunately there are a number of things that I can suggest to help you in this situation.
Firstly, it is important that your dog knows that she is not the Alpha Dog, but that you are the Pack Leader! To reinforce your dominance, please read and begin using the Alpha Techniques as set out in the bonus book "Secrets to Becoming the Alpha Dog". If she knows that you are in charge, she will be more responsive to your commands and corrections.
Next, please ensure that your dog is being given lots of exercise so that she has less excess energy to bark like crazy with! Undertaking daily obedience lessons will also help keep your dog physically and mentally stimulated. Even if you are just going over the commands she already knows, she will benefit from the lessons.
It is a good idea to try to supply your dog with lots of things to keep her occupied while you are in the car. Please give your dog lots of toys to play with, or a rawhide to chew on.
Another option is to put your dog in a crate inside the car, and then cover the crate door with a blanket. If she is not able to see or hear any passersby, then she is probably less likely to bark at them. This method will not be suitable on hot days if your car does not have suitable air conditioning or ventilation.
For the occasions when your dog barks, you should teach her the following command:
THE QUIET COMMAND
Soon she will begin to understand the command, and you will not have to give her treats - though give her a treat once in a while to keep her motivated.
Use this command to teach your dog to stop barking. On the occasions when she breaks the Quiet Command and start’s barking again, you should reprimand her by shaking a can of pebbles, or squirting her with water and growling a guttural growl. Hopefully the reprimand will cause her to stop barking, giving you the opportunity to issue the Quiet Command again.
I hope this helps Jeremy. Good luck and please let me know how you progress.
Regards,
Daniel Stevens and the Secrets to Dog Training Team
"Secrets to Dog Training - STOP Dog Behavior Problems!"
I've been a professional dog trainer for well over 20 years, and in that time I've helped thousands of dog owners just like you to get the friendly, well behaved, slipper fetching, best pal they always wanted.
But it didn't start out that way. I've always loved dogs, some things never change. But when I first started my professional dog training career I relied on the so-called 'best practices' when it came to dog behavior training. It was only when I heard people tell me over and over again that they just weren't seeing results that I started to question the old accepted wisdom. So I started a journey, a quest to search out the best, most effective, techniques, tips, and tricks that really work.
And that's how I came up with Secrets to Dog Training. Year after year I found new techniques that achieved the results I wanted. Eventually I had a whole book worth of great resources: Secrets to Dog training...
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