The Smart Dog U Blog: January 2013

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January 2013

January 29, 2013

Joint Effort: Dog + Human Weight Loss -- Check In #1

I recently wrote about Tango's and my journey to shed a few pounds. We both need to lose it for health reasons.

And speaking just for myself, there's some vanity in my quest to lose a bit of me. I am 10 pounds over my "never go over" weight. Seems this aging thing isn't all it's cracked up to be. I remember eating two full Reese's cups every day when I was younger. And never gaining even an ounce. Those days are far behind me, unfortunately. And from what I hear, it's easier to take it off now than wait for another decade to pass...

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Posted at 11:02 AM in General, Health & Medical, Tango | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Tags: clicker, dog exercise, dog training, dog treadmill, fat dog, Frederick, healthy dog, heavy dog, positive, pulls on leash, puppy, Smart Dog, walking on leash

January 25, 2013

Joint Effort: Weight Loss for You and Your Dog

Weight loss for you and your dog. Or, more accurately, weight loss for ME and MY dog. You can jump on this train, too, but one of my resolutions was to speak only for myself, hence the clarification.

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Posted at 01:42 PM in Health & Medical | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBack (0)

January 22, 2013

Dog Training: A Veterinary Conference, Really?

I'm at the North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC) in Orlando, Florida. You might wonder what an animal trainer can get from a veterinary conference, and the answer is LOTS. In addition to a behavior track (all behavior, all the time), the trade show is a gold mine for a trainer like me, always on the prowl for the newest stuff.

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Posted at 08:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

January 15, 2013

Dog Training: How to Teach Your Dog Self Control

One of the things on Monti's list of things to learn is self control. Self control doesn't come naturally to dogs (or to people, for that matter). It's something that we need to teach our dogs. One of the easiest and fastest ways to help your dog learn self control is to start when your dog is young. The younger the better!

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Posted at 03:42 PM in Clicker Training, Problem Behaviors, Puppy | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

January 10, 2013

When the Dog Trainer Goes to Dog Training Class

I raise and train puppies for a service dog organization. I'm also a dog trainer. Yesterday, I got the pleasure of being a student in a dog training class and it was delightful! I don't live close enough to the service dog organization to go to class every week (it's a 3-hour one way drive), but my resolution for 2013 is to go to class with Monti once a month. It's important for the service dog organization to eyeball Monti and I to be sure we're on track with the other pups in the program and to ensure Monti's developing temperament is still up to the (very high) service dog standards. It's important for me because (1) it's FUN, (2) I get to be just a student, and (3) it's fun! I think I mentioned that it's fun, didn't I?

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Posted at 03:34 PM in Clicker Training, Puppy, Service Dog | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Tags: clicker, dog, dog class, dog training, Frederick, obedience, positive, puppy, puppy class, puppy training, service dog, Smart Dog, socialization, training

January 08, 2013

Dog Training: WHY Train Your Dog?

I am a dog trainer. I help people raise their puppy into a well-mannered adult dog. I also help people teach their not-so-well-mannered adult dog some manners. To me, training a dog isn't an option, it's a necessity. Because January is Train Your Dog Month, I wanted to take a step back from all the how-to posts and talk a little bit about why you might want to think about teaching your dog to do stuff.

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Posted at 09:25 AM in Clicker Training, General | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tags: clicker, dog, dog class, dog obedience, dog obedience, dog training, Frederick, positive, puppy, puppy training, Smart Dog

January 04, 2013

Dog Training: Keep Your Dog Busy with a Stuffed Kong (Low fat version)

Part of dog training involves teaching your dog to be calm, quiet, and relaxed. Because January is Train Your Dog Month, I wanted to share my ideas for how you can use food-stuffed toys to teach your dog to relax and enjoy being alone.

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Posted at 12:40 PM in Games, General | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)

January 02, 2013

Great Lengths

Pay no attention to the ominous angle of that ladder. In the snow. Against a prickly evergreen. Where Tango's ball is lodged. At the very tip top, of course, the tippiest of tops.

I know you're wondering, so here it is...

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Posted at 01:28 PM in General | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tags: clicker, dog, dog class, dog obedience, dog training, fetch, Frederick, Laurie Luck, positive dog, puppy, puppy class, puppy training, retrieve, Smart Dog

Fetching! Teach Your Dog To Bring Back Anything

Fetching! Teach Your Dog to Bring You Anything
January 2013

What Is It? Fetching, retrieving – whatever you want to call it, having your dog bring something to you is not only helpful, but it’s also a cool way to exercise your dog and impress your friends! So what exactly does it mean when your dog fetches something? It’s pretty straightforward: you throw something and your dog brings it back for you. When trained to it’s highest level, you can name the object you want him to retrieve and just tell your dog to go find it and bring it to you.