Blog • Page 2 of 4 • Canine Life Skills

What’s in your dogs food bowl?

You should always check with your veterinarian about your dog’s diet but I’d like to give you a little information so you can make an informative decision.

There’s a lot of talk about raw diets out there and you may hear talk from both sides of the fence. Some people swear by all natural raw diets as a cure all for allergies and other health problems. They may be right. Nothing beats fresh food. But it’s not for everyone. If you don’t have the time or the room to house weeks worth of frozen pre-prepared meals for your dog then there are healthy alternatives.

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How we train “Come” with the Remote Training Collar

Training a dog to come when called reliably takes work and lots of practice. We use Dogtra brand remote training collars for their variable levels and reliability.

The remote training collar is an electronic training device that your dog wears around their neck. You control the collar with a handheld remote that gives single or constant stimulation. Some remote training collars also have vibration, beep, or both. While these can be handy in some situations, for our training purposes, we stick with the electric stimulation since we have complete control over the level the dog will feel. This allows for a light touch.

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Creating a calmer dog

Why should you teach your dog to be calm.

It helps alleviate stress coming from not being able to self settle themselves or always being “on”.

It reduces the chances of your dog lunging and barking at other dogs and people due to stress and fear and helps your dog handle new situations.

And best of all, it creates a more balanced dog.

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The Sit on the Dog Exercise

The Sit on the Dog exercise was created by Margo Woods years ago to help dogs calm themselves. It is one of the best exercises to teach your dog and can be done anytime and almost anywhere.

So here it is…

Sit on the Dog

If you only do ONE exercise with your dog, it’s this one.

Not sit. Not stay. Not even come.

This exercise will do more to create a bond and build a relationship of trust with your dog than any other.

In order to help your dog learn that you will not be available to entertain him at all times, and to teach him that he is expected to calm down and be well-behaved during those moments, we will introduce the long down, or “sit on the dog” exercise.

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Dog Training – The Place Command – Part 1

The Place command gives you a way to “park” your dog where you need them. Unlike the Down command where your dog must stay in one position, the Place lets your dog stand, sit, down or stretch as long as they remain within the perimeter of the defined Place.

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Teach Your Puppy to Potty on Command

Why teach your puppy to potty on command? Because sometimes you need your dog to do their business right away and not be distracted by by smells or more interesting things.

To do this we give them a command to communicate that it’s time to pee or poop. First, your dog needs to learn Word + Action.

Choose your potty commands. You will want two separate potty commands. One for pee and one for poop. I use words like “go pee” or “potty” and “do your business” or “go poo”. You can be creative if you wish but simple is better.

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