Pet Toys: Choosing the Right Toy

How can you resist an adorable, soft, plushy stuffed pet toy for your puppy? "He'll love it!" you think to yourself, but some toys can be fatal to your dog. Choosing the right toy for your canine friend takes a lot of trial and error, and more importantly, supervision.  Remember, a busy dog is a good dog.  I am sure you will agree that it is better to have numerous dog toys as opposed to buying new furniture!

Before I discuss a bit about dog toys, humor me for a moment. Why would you give any dog your sock, or a toy that looks like a shoe, slipper or newspaper to play with? Dog owners actually DO this! All you are teaching your dog to do is chew your socks, shoes, slippers, and newspapers!  Your dog cannot differentiate your good slipper, from his fake slipper toy. Do yourself a favor and make sure that his pet toys do not resemble your real possessions!

Soft plushy toys are great for some dogs. Many dogs just like to carry their toys around, sleep and cuddle with them. Think of dog toys in "toughness" levels, from weak stuffed toys, to the ones that claim to be indestructible. It is easy to assume that certain breeds destroy their toys more than others do. That is true to a certain extent, but you should never underestimate the power of a mad Chihuahua! Little dogs can rip toys apart just as easily as big dogs. Some just like to spread the stuffing all over your floor. While that may be somewhat cute, the reality is that the stuffing can lead to choking and in some cases death. If you want to try giving your dog a soft toy, make sure that the only time he has the toy is when you are home and can supervise. Leave him alone with his toy, and then check on him. Do not leave him crated with a soft toy. See how it goes, maybe you got lucky!

Pet Advice: Basic Dog Training Tips

Training your dog is a terrific way to bond with your loyal companion!

Dogs love to please their owners and owners love to take care of their dogs. The learning process keeps them occupied and mentally stimulated.  There are many different dog training approaches: obedience training, clicker training, positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement (like dog zapper collars), etc., but the basics always apply.  Dogs need constant repetition and consistency.  Traditionally, dogs have short-term memories and usually even shorter attention spans - but they are very motivated to cash in on those tasty rewards!

Before jumping into dog training, you should be familiar with a few important guidelines. Do not "over train" your dog.  Dogs are good for about 15 minute concentrated training sessions. If you have a puppy, two or three sessions a day would be ideal.  Long training sessions will frustrate your dog and he will surely lose focus.

First, choose your verbal commands and stick to them.  Always use the same command to avoid any confusion.  For example, your "sit" command should be consistent and you should not occasionally change the command to "stay" as this will cause your dog confusion.

Food motivated dogs are the easiest to train.  Buy small "training treats" or your dog will gain weight. A tiny piece is a fine reward, and your pup will want to do more, to get more! Cut back their regular food on a heavy treat day.  Use a training treat as a reward immediately after your dog completes a task successfully...  Even a split second hesitation may be too late for your dog to associate his job well done with the treat. EVERY time that you reward your dog with a treat, make sure to give praise at the same time as you give him the food.  If you are potty training, keep treats at your door and grab some on the way out!

If your dog does not do the behavior that you ask, after you state your command, repeat the command twice, and then walk away and take a break. Believe me, if you are holding treats, your dog will follow you.  After taking a break, go back to the earlier command without trying to overkill the command.  If you need to, move on to another command and then come back to it.  As your dog catches on, slowly wean back the treats. Remember, your ultimate goal is for your dog to obey you and be happy with praise (slowly replacing treats as their reward).

Even though "sit" is the first command that owners usually teach their dogs, "stay" and "come" are the most important.  These commands are vital to your dog's safety.  Unfortunately, these are usually the hardest ones to teach.  A great way to teach the "stay" command is to tell your dog to "sit" in the middle of the room, and start slowly backing away while facing your dog.

Repeat the "stay" command by starting with a small distance and reward as you go.  When you reward your dog, make sure that you walk to where he is still sitting. Do not tell him to "come", when you are teaching "stay," he will get confused.  You want your dog to know that you are praising him for "staying" and not "coming" after the fact.

I highly recommend that you take your dog to obedience school, especially if you have a young dog.  Research a good school and try to avoid the huge "chains."  You will learn how to train your dog and your dog will be in "class" with other dogs in a controlled environment.  This will help socialize your dog and help him learn how to deal with distraction.  You do not have to spend a fortune on dog training and your dog will love the "school time" call!   My Australian Shepherd knew to the minute each week when we had to leave and I swear he looked forward to it!

There are so many different schools of thought about dog training, but no matter which route you choose, be patient, loving and have fun with it!

Dog Training Advice: Leash Training

You can't expect to throw on a collar and leash and have your puppy heel instantly at your command. Dog leash training is a step by step progression, with the end result being your dog walking happily by your side. The heel command should be considered a more advanced command and should be left for another day.

The first step in leash training is to simply get your pup used to his new collar. Just like a new piece of jewelry might feel awkward against your skin at first, the same goes for your dog. He may take to it just fine the first time or he may need some further guidance. Allow him to scratch at it and mess around with it. Let him take a look at it before and after it has been on. While it is his job to be curious about this new object around his neck, it is your job to distract him from the object after the first session or two with it. Try to put the collar on when he is eating or playing so he will forget that it is there. Do not remove the collar when he is fussing with it. Although you know that you took it off, he might think that he fought it off himself and it will only encourage him to wrestle with the collar anytime it comes near. You will also want to remove the collar whenever he is unsupervised (while he is still young) and whenever he is in his crate (no matter what his age is). Collars can easily get caught and choke or traumatize your pet. Some breeds do better with specific collar choices so ask your vet what collars are best for your dog.

After your dog is good and used to his collar, start adding the leash into the equation. Some puppies take to the leash well while others are beside themselves with the leash, as if they don't know whether they've sprouted a new tail or found a funny toy! If your dog seems too flustered, start small with a string or old shoelace and add on from there. If he chews through his first leash, fantastic! Save it and use it for these training sessions. You can add a full length one when you are good and ready to hop on the other side. As with the collar, try to distract the puppy from the leash. Put it on when he is eating or playing but always make sure you are present so he does not get tangled. Remove the leash when you feel that the puppy has forgotten that it is there and put it away until the next training session.