WHAT A GOOD DOG

What a good dog

The word WHAT clearly pronounced, instantly gains a dog’s attention in a distinct fashion. WHAT A GOOD DOG!; WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?  WHAT IS THAT NOISE?

From Nice to not so very nice, THIS IS A WORD YOU MUST USE WITH DOG TRAINING

When praising your dog with a pat, pat on the sternum and say WHAT a good dog. Stress the WH sound of the word. whoowah

When praising your dog with only a word of praise and no patting, say, “WHAT a good dog”

The manner in which you praise your dog is most important.

ALPHABET OF PRAISE

ALPHABET of PRAISE for dog training

All right

Best dog

Congratulations

Done

Easy peezee

Fantastic

Great

Hallelujah

Incredible

Jazzy

Knock out

Lovely

Marvelous

Notable

Outstanding

Perfect

Quasar

Radical

Terrific

Unbelievable

Victory

Wow

Yipee

Zounds

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anna Lee

Boarding and Training Kennels

WHY LEATHER LEASH?

WHY MUST I USE LEATHER LEASH? WHY MUST I USE A CHAIN SLIP COLLAR?

LEATHER BECAUSE THE DENSITY OF THE MATERIAL LENDS ITSELF TO EFFECTIVELY CONVEYING YOUR DIRECTIONS TO THE DOG BY WAY OF THE COLLAR.

CHAIN BECAUSE THE SOUND OF IT CUES ATTENTION TO THE COMMAND, THE CLOSING ACTION MOVES THE DOG INTO POSITION, AND ONCE THE DOG IS IN PLACE, THE OPENING ACTION KEEPS THE DOG IN POSITION.

For the leash and collar to work safely, comfortably and effectively, the handler must know how to use it correctly

When the team is in motion, THE CORRECTION FROM THE LEASH MUST POP IN THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL.

When the correction is for attention at a distance, THE CORRECTION FROM THE LEASH IS A SHAKE, NOT A POP AND TRAVELS VERTICALLY OR HORIZONTALLY.

 Employ WHAT and the ALPHABET OF PRAISE

Every correction requires a follow up action on the part of the handler accompanied with praise.

A leash to a dog is like reins to a horse. Leashes and reins are leather and not fancy. Fancy gear is for graduates.

note for handling BIG DOG

QANNIQ golden doodle

If you have a great big dog, all the methods of training are the same as for little dogs. However, wear leather gloves on your hands for the extra measure of control, especially if you have small or sore hands (like arthritis) Gives you more strength. Sometimes I see crazy people walking their dogs with chain leashes. Can you imagine who is walking who? Use leather leash and chain collar. Also if you think a dog may bite you, wear a winter jacket and gloves for protection.

CONNOR black labrador retriever

SHADY AND TANNER german shepherds

CONTROLLED WALK NOTES

                                    

 LET'S REVIEW AND REFRESH

Leash should never be tight, should always hang loosely. If pulling tight, flick leash to shake or snap chain in order to gain dog’s attention. Direct dog to move closer to you so that leash is no longer tight, and change something (direction, pace, or stop altogether). You must use your voice to get your dog’s attention and keep that attention during the change maneuver. When, for example, dog is pulling ahead,  speed up, then give a heads up snap to the lead as you suddenly slow down and at the same time cheerfully say, “GO EASY”, then right away say, ”What a good dog!” in a pleased and happy voice.

The correction should have brought dog into heel position or at least close to you and not tugging. Leash should be slack. If not, perhaps you did not do the correction properly. Practise makes perfect. You should have one hand on the leash most of the time, not two. Keep your elbows snug against your sides.  Feel where the dog is rather than look. Keep your head up and look where you are going; the dog will follow. In a controlled walk, the corrections are a snap or pop or shake the chain, change direction of travel unexpectedly and follow through with something else now and clapping. When dog is pulling ahead you can also change direction, like, go the other way suddenly. Change of direction does not give the dog a chance if he is not paying attention. He has to catch up because you are now suddenly nine feet away from him. (With the about turn while heeling (in competition), the handler actually steps around the turn to allow the dog to keep pace.) snap the leash as you change direction and laugh. “Ha Ha! Pay attention Silly!” “What a good dog!” Happy voice. 

The idea is to have the dog walk with you without tugging on the leash, at a comfortable pace. Remember, when the collar snaps, your voice should be praising the dog. “Hey! What just happened?” Act as though you had nothing to do with the correction. The leash did it; not you. Keep your voice tone ”up”.

THE IDEA IS TO HAVE THE DOG BESIDE YOU IN A CONTROLLED WALK

You must anticipate your dog’s next move and decide your next move. Use the correct signal on the lead. Use the correct tone of voice for commands. If your dog is lagging constantly, entice him to keep up using a happy voice instead of more correction. Three tries and things should work; if not try something else. Be especially aware of timing with requests, commands and corrections. Think about when it should happen.  Mix up the practise routine to avoid boring your dog.  As the walk becomes more controlled, heeling begins to happen. Happy voice, happy dog.

"WALKIES!"  and good luck!                   

 

               

WALKING IN A DECENT AND ORDERLY FASHION

PERSPECTIVES

Keep an close eye on the objective

freedom for the trained dog

someone to play with

A remarkable working dog

TO TRAIN A RESCUED DOG

ESSENTIALS FOR NEW DOG, RESCUED DOG, or ANY DOG
You must use the proper equipment or you will likely confuse the dog and yourself.
Slip collar, leather leash, gloves, crate good to go

Maddie landed under my Christmas tree.

Luckily, I already have the equipment required for a sane experience of bringing a dog into my life. I am the Dog Nana,  Maddie the Chihuahua needs:

Dog crate for the car

Dog crate for the bedroom

Dog crate for the kitchen or day area

Exercise pen for the kitchen or day area

Exercise pen for the outdoor business area

Leashes and collars

Dishes

Bedding for three crates

Day couch

Food and Water

Toy

Grooming stuff

also

File folders for documents like veterinary information, license receipts and copies

Journal and calendar to keep track of training and observations of self



enclosure and crate are new dogs living quarters indoors



exercise pen enclosure to keep everyone out of trouble

fresh water bowl at all times

exercise pen enclosure indoors extremely important

wash up new dog, check for issues

freshened up

crate essential

TA DA! happy dog

travel crate for car, safety first

Someplace safe outside enclosed to do business

suitable whisker wide dishes





Maddie three months after

All Dogs: Purebred, Mixed breed, rescued, adopted,  Sporting group, Hound group, Working group, Terrier group, Toy group, Nonsporting group, Herding group, Dogs of no particular group,  NOT FOR DEBATE WHATSOEVER … ALL DOGS need the SAMETRAINING

Be cautious about bringing new dogs into the home. Perform a rigorous check for lice. A greyhound comb helps separate longer hair to get a close look at the skin. Fleas and lice are tricky to see so I also gave Maddie a flea shampooing to be on the safe side. It beats having to clean and wash the entire abode later on because I missed a sneaky flea.