Summer Dog Snack: Watermelon

Today's Trainer Tip:

Enjoy a summer snack with your dog with watermelon.

Healthy foods that are GOOD to give to your dog:

Apple

Banana

Berries- blueberry, blackberry, strawberry, raspberry

Broccoli  *small amounts

Carrot

Cashews  *small amounts

Coconut

Corn

Cucumber

Eggs  *cooked

Green beans

Melons- watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew

Oatmeal

Peanuts/ Peanut Butter  *without xylitol

Quinoa

Sweet Potato

Yogurt

Foods you should NOT give your dog:

Alcohol

Almonds

Avocado

Candy/ Gum

Chocolate

Coffee/ Caffeine

Cinnamon

Dairy Products

Citrus

Garlic

Grapes

Ice cream

Macadamia nuts

Mushrooms

Onions

Raisins

Salt

Sugar

Yeast Dough

Other Helpful Articles:

Trainer Tip:  Human Food for your Dog

Trainer Tip:  Picking a good dog food
Saving Money on Dog Food

Trainer Tip:  Begging

July 4th Safety tips for pets.

The Fourth of July is coming soon and with it comes some terrifying sounds for your dog.  This month's Trainer Tip is focused on keeping your dog safe during the holiday and helping ease his anxiety and/or fear of the sights and sounds.


Have ID on your pet:
This is the number one most important thing!  More pets run away on July 4th than any other day of the year.  Be sure that your pet has proper identification tags with updated contact information.  On the 4th, be sure to keep your pet on a leash and keep a close eye on him when out and about.  

Preparation:
The best thing to do for a dog that gets nervous, anxious, or fearful during fireworks is to properly prepare BEFORE the day arrives.

Desensitize your dog to firework sounds:
One of the best things you can do is to prepare your dog before the 4th by desensitizing him to the sounds and sights of fireworks.  There are several places online that have video and audio downloads.  
Dogs & Fireworks has a free download and step by step guide.

To desensitize your dog to the sounds of fireworks, download one of the many free samples online.  Start by playing it near your dog at low volume while doing normal every-day activities and/or during feeding time.  If your dog seems comfortable, slowly turn up the volume while continuing to do activities.  Be sure NOT to stare at your dog when you play the video/audio clip.
Engage your dog in activities he enjoys while playing the clip in the background.  This can include short training sessions for treat rewards, or maybe a game of fetch.  Be sure your dog appears comfortable and seems to be enjoying himself.  Use high value rewards:  whatever your dog likes best.
If your dog is still feeling comfortable, continue turning up the volume to the max.  Remember to use very high rewards for calm and good behaviors.

Try Lavender Oil:
Lavender is a naturally calming scent for both humans and dogs.  I have recommended lavender in the past for dogs with arthritis.  To use lavender for your dog, take some time to give your dog a massage and give some good petting.  Put just a little dab of lavender oil on your hands before massaging your dog and/or petting him in his favorite spots.  Use nice, calm, slow strokes.  Slowly massaging the outsides of the spine from the neck down is another proven approach.  Be sure not to use a lot of lavender.  A little dab will do just fine.  You do not need a lot to get the smell, and we do not want to have dogs licking excessive amounts of oil off themselves.  The point of this exercise is to associate the smell of lavender with a nice calm, relaxed state of mind.  You should do this for a few days (or more) prior to the fireworks on July 4th.  Your dog will build an association to the smell of lavender and being relaxed and calm.  Before the fireworks begin, put your dog in his "safe place" with the scent of lavender.

Have a "Safe Place" for your dog:

For many dogs the thing that makes them feel best and most safe is to be able to get as far away from the sights and sounds as possible.  Have a spot ready that your dog will enjoy and be comfortable in.  Make it somewhere far away from outside walls and windows.  This will make it easier for him to relax.  The best thing would be a kennel or crate.  Dogs generally enjoy den-like enclosures, and having your kennel or crate set up before the 4th will help them have a nice spot to go.  It is also helpful to place sheets or towels over wire crates to help block sound and lights.  Be sure to take the temperature into consideration.  It is summer and things get hot quickly.  Do not make your "safe place" uncomfortable for your dog by making it too hot.  You are most looking for a den-like area for your dog to feel safe.  If possible feed and/ or treat your dog in this area prior to the 4th.  Make sure the area is lined with a bed or comfy blankets for your pup as well.
Also remember to try and give your dog something he enjoys to help occupy him such as a chew bone or Kong filled with some yummy treats or peanut butter.

Sedation:
This is not something I would generally recommend.  Sedating a dog during fireworks may not have the effect the owner wants.  Sedation may actually make a dog more anxious or nervous.  If this is an option you are considering, please talk to your vet.

Communication & Energy:
If you will be around your dog during the fireworks, the best thing you can do for them is to remember to remain calm and feel like the fireworks are no big deal.  Dogs react to energy.  If your energy is telling your dog that you are calm and not at all worried about the sights and sounds, your dog will feel that it is okay for him to relax as well.
Remember Body Language:
Energy is important, but always remember you also communicate with your dog through body language.  There are three things on your body that are rewarding to dogs.  Touch, talk, and eye contact.  This means that any time you touch a dog, talk to a dog, or look at a dog, you are basically rewarding whatever behavior they are doing.  This is important because we do not want to unintentionally reward bad behavior.  
That means during July 4th fireworks, if your dog appears fearful, anxious, or nervous, do not do any of these 3 things.  Do NOT pet your dog and tell them its okay.  By doing this, you are basically telling your dog to continue being scared.  Obviously this is not what we want.  Instead encourage or lead your dog to their "safe place."  Remain calm.  Ignore any nervous or fearful behavior and only reward calm, relaxed behavior.

Exercise your Dog before Dusk:

A fantastic way to help your dog is to thoroughly exercise him before the fireworks begin.  Be sure to get your evening walk in before it starts to get dark.  The less energy your dog has, the less energy he has to put towards being fearful.  A tired dog will be more comfortable and will be able to more easily ignore the sounds and sights of the night.

Other Helpful Tools:
There are many other helpful tools on the market that you may want to try.  These include soothing dog sounds, and shirts/ vests that are supposed to help keep a dog more calm.
Soothing Dog Sounds:
There are many places online where you can download free or cheap music sounds that have been proven to help calm dogs.  Many people use these sounds or even leave on the radio when their dogs are left home alone.  These soothing dog sounds might be useful to help drown out the scary sounds coming from the fireworks.  Try some free samples here.
Thunder Shirt:
The primary use for this product is for dogs who get nervous during storms, but it may also be helpful for July 4th.  The Thunder Shirt applies gentle, constant pressure to the dog.  It is similar to swaddling an infant.  It is supposed to help sooth the dog and make him feel more safe.  
Calming Cap:
The Calming Cap is a tool used to help block out possible sights that may make a dog nervous or fearful.
Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP):
DAP is a synthetic chemical based on a hormone produced by lactating female dogs that helps keep her puppies calm.  It may help relax your dog during fireworks.  


More Helpful Articles:
Trainer Tips Video:  July 4th tips
Victoria Stilwell July 4th Tips
Nine Calming Aids for Fearful Dogs
Keeping Dogs Calm on the 4th of July


Below is an introduction to the infographic from Kevin O'Donnell...

Keeping your dog comfortable during fireworks this July 4th

Dogs experience fireworks much differently than humans. Their enhanced senses can be causes of stress, anxiety and panic. In fact, more dogs run away on the 4th of July than any other day of the year.

Luckily we are here to help! By taking a few precautions you can keep your dog safe and relaxed. Check out the infographic below for tips on keeping your dog comfortable during fireworks this 4th of July.

Devo & the evil hand fan

Video of the Day:

Devo attacks evil hand fan.

It is summer and it is hot, so one afternoon I decided to break the hand fan to assist in my cooling needs.  I opened it and started fanning myself and Devo began barking and giving me a strange look.  I guess the fan must be evil.  What you see in the video is me having a little fun with Devo.  He made me laugh pretty hard.  But it is very important that if your dog does react like this to a strange object, you teach your dog not to fear the object.  After this video (I wish we would have kept recording), I had Devo come and practice a "Touch" with the fan closed and open.  I placed the fan on the couch so he could come over and touch it and sniff it and know that there is actually nothing to fear from this strange object he had not encountered before.  

If your dog is fearful of things, practicing "Touch" training can be very helpful for them to overcome their fears.

More on teaching the "Touch" command coming soon.

Related Blog Articles:

Dog Training:  Impulse Control

Dog Socialization Video

Basic Manners Review

Trainer Tips:  Barking Dogs

Proper Leadership

Saving money on food

In this video you will get a quick look into a helpful hint:  saving money on dog food.

People throw away 100s of dollars in food every year.  Sometimes we forget about something in the back of the fridge, or we just can't eat that same left over any longer.  One easy way to help stretch your food budget is too give your dog some of these left-overs.  Be sure to check that any food you'd like to give your dog is actually ok for them to have before you give it to them.  Also keep in mind to avoid any foods your dog may have an allergy to.

We give our dogs tons of left overs:  from rice and sweet potatoes, to all kinds of fruits and veggies.  This will help stretch your food dollar by not wasting as much food.  Every time you add a little human food to your dog's regular meal, you give them a little less of their kibble.  Everybody wins, plus your dog will love you for the extra yummies.

Related Blog articles:
Trainer Tip:  Human food for your dog.
Picking a good dog food.
Trainer Tip:  Begging.

Below are some examples of some of the things our dogs have gotten recently.

Bananas (& blueberries) are a favorite.

Be sure to mash and mix into kibble.

Cucumbers (excellent any time)

& broccoli (use sparingly)

Green beans, sweet potato fries, & chicken.

Green beans & rice.

Rice & Chicken.

Mmm...green bean :)

Devo is always very happy after green beans.

SGDs Car

Our Kia Soul is now officially the Such Good Dogs car.

Ripley: Reactive dog training

A dog that barks, lunges, or has a negative reaction to other dogs, people, or objects is what we would call a reactive dog.  

The distance from a dog to the other dog, human, or object that they react to is what we call the threshold.  For this training, we are working on decreasing the distance of that threshold.  Basically, any time your dog reacts in a negative way or way you do not like, you are going to mark that behavior with a No Reward Marker...saying "Uh-oh" or "eh-eh," and move the dog away from what they are reacting to.  Once the dog calms down a bit, move back towards whatever has made them react.  Again, once the dog barks or lunges, mark the unwanted behavior and move the dog away.  Continue this exercise until you are able to get close to the other dog, person, or object without the dog reacting in a negative way.  Take your time doing this exercise and remember to stay calm and have lots of patience with your dog.  This training will take time, but does work.

Ripley is very reactive to things, meaning she has a reaction that we would consider negative or unwanted.  Reactive dogs do things like growl, lunge and bark.  Dogs can be reactive to people, other dogs, or even objects.  Ripley is reactive to most things, but especially to dogs. 

As you will see in the video, to help train a reactive dog to change their behavior and react in a positive calm way, there are a few things you must do.  First, mark any unwanted or negative behavior with an "Uh-uh" or "uh-oh."  Then immediately move away from the thing that has made the dog react.  Move far enough away until the dog calms down, then move back towards the thing that made them react.  If they react again, mark it with your "uh-oh" and move away.  Do this until you can get closer to the thing without the dog reacting.  Praise the dog whenever they don't react or react in a positive way.
If your dog can get to the point where they do not react near the dog, try walking side by side (but still keep plenty of distance between you.

The use of a head collar is recommended for this type of training.  This type of dog tool will assist in reactive dog training and offer better control to the handler.

Related blog articles:
Reactive Dogs Training Tips
Reactive Dog Training
Head Collars

Balloon hold ball hostage

We had a fun afternoon at our friend's gender reveal party.

Caravaggio's ball was held hostage by an evil balloon.

Our family.

Friends Lucy & Nalu with Devo & Caravaggio.