Bracing is the first thing I teach the skijoring or mushing dog. Mostly because I am such a klutz that they spend most of their time helping me back up!

Puppies2

Originally uploaded by Laura & the pack.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW ADDITION

Congratulations on your new addition, there is nothing like a new puppy! If this is your first pup or if it has been a while since your last puppy you will find the community offers a lot for the new puppy owner. Many services are available for example doggie day care, dog walking, yard clean up, to make the management and quality of life for a new puppy in a busy household possible.

Because of better veterinary care our pets can be expected to live longer healthier lives. Your veterinarian will be a wealth of information throughout your pup’s life. New and improved techniques for training dogs enable us to teach and train more efficiently. We can start teaching puppies as soon as they come into the new household. In the past, when dog training was primarily based on compulsive techniques, it was advised to wait six or more months before we even started formal training. It really is a lot easier to teach the puppy right the first time than to have to undo bad habits that may have developed in those first six months. So start your puppy learning the household rules right from day one. There are opportunities for sports and activities you and your pet can participate in that were unheard of a decade ago. There is something for everyone regardless of age or physical ability.

At LJT Training inc. our mission is to help people enjoy their pets. We want help provide life-enriching opportunities for pets. This booklet is intended to address some of the most frequently asked questions and concerns that we have addressed from people with new puppies in the household. While it does not compare with the individual coaching of a trainer it should help you with getting started.

If you opened your home and heart to an adolescent, older, or rescued dog you should find this information helpful also. It has been my experience that it is best to introduce household rules to any new dog coming into the house just as you would to a new puppy. That way you can start out on the right foot from day one making the transition easier for everyone. You will find that a dog that has had previous training will pick up your new rules a lot faster. If not, don’t despair it is in fact possible to teach old dogs new tricks we do it every day.

The first rule was advice dad used to give me regarding automobile care. “If it is not broken don’t fix it.” After all you are the one living with the puppy, if you’re not breaking a law, and you do not consider the behavior a problem then it is not one.
Plan ahead, how do you want your adult dog to act? If you know now that the adult dog will not be allowed in the bed or to jump on you or guests, then simply do not allow the puppy to do it. Knowing what your goal is will help keep you consistent with your puppy.
The more consistent you are the faster your training will progress. If everyone in the household agrees to the goals and rules there will be less confusion for the pup.
Focus on improvement not perfection; this will reduce a lot of frustration especially when we are talking about puppies that still need to do a lot of growing up. We do not expect our children to perform complicated calculus exercises before they understand counting or adding and subtracting. For some reason dog training is supposed to be accomplished in less than two months try a longer-term approach and focus on the puppy’s foundation first.
Try to think and communicate in positives to the pup. For example dogs have a much easier time understanding the positive concept of “do something” rather than the negative concept of “stop doing something”. So instead of telling the pup to “stop jumping”, try telling him to “sit” when company arrives.
Dogs do what works for them. If your puppy has discovered that he can manipulate you into a game of tag just by showing you a shoe or your sofa cushion in their mouth then you are in trouble. If your pup is being “bad” as a method to solicit your attention give him some appropriate ways to get you to play with him instead. Ecourage him to bring you the shoe then have him get and his toy and spend the time playing with that instead. BTW a little management will go a long way here. Leave appropriate dog toys out and put away the shoes, so that when he is making that choice he really only has the right choice initially.
Never do anything to damage your relationship with your pup. “You are always the good guy”. That does not mean nothing bad will ever happen to the pup it just means that you are always on your puppies side. Try to avoid confrontation which can make a puppy defensive. That doesn’t mean do not set rules and limits and insist on them. It means that we insist nicely without turning the lesson into a battle of wills.
Take the time to enjoy your puppy! This is really important they grow up and then they grow old way too fast. Pick up anything that would be unforgivable if broken or destroyed, then enjoy those puppy zoomies and the cuteness that is what makes a puppy a puppy.

House training

• Manage the pup to prevent accidents in the house.
• Teach the pup to ask you when he needs to go outside
• Take the pup to the same place in the yard every time (this will make pick up easier also)
• Give a cue word as the pup begins to go
• If you reinforce for going outside give the treat as soon as the pup goes. (Rewarding after he comes back inside is rewarding the wrong behavior.)
• Feed at regular intervals if you know when it goes in you can predict when it is coming out.
• Do not give too much freedom too soon. Your pup needs to be accident free for a month before you can consider him housetrained.
• If your pup does the submissive or excited peeing don’t yell that will usually make things worse.
• If your pup seems to be having too many accidents consider a trip to the veterinarian it is almost impossible to housetrain a pup that has a bladder infection or parasites without treating the problem first.

Mouthing & Chewing
It is normal behavior for puppies to put each other in their mouths all the time. The pouncing and biting is how puppies play with each other. Sadly those little puppy needle teeth do not endear themselves to humans. Cute wears off fast when your feet and legs and hands are full of little puppy teeth holes.

• Teach an incompatible behavior (for example kiss kiss to lick instead.
• Be consistent any time you feel teeth stop the game and give the little one a time out.
• Have puppies and children play interactive games instead of letting puppies get away with bullying your children. Control the pup with a leash if necessary.
• Encourage play with toys not hands.
• Hold a chewy in your hand while the puppy chews – This lets him do his normal bonding thing but allows you to control what he is chewing on.

I have a dog named “chewy” and not after the cute “Starwars” character either. So we understand that some dogs have a little identity problem thinking that they are actually beavers not dogs. The good news is that the mouthing behavior usually stops naturally once the adult teeth come in. The bad news is that once the adult teeth come in is when the destructive chewing starts.
If you have small children and a house full of kid toys give the puppy his own toys that are nothing like children toys. (Made out of different material.)

• Give your pup appropriate chew items but not all at once rotate them so your pup has some new things.
• Don’t retire your crate too soon.
• There is no rule that says puppies need to be fed out of a bowl. Portion your pups’ meals into stuffable kongs and let him work the food out while getting plenty of chewing exercise.

Jumping
Jumping up to greet you either with joy at seeing you or as a greeting to get close to your face is a natural behavior for dogs. For the little guys it is almost the only way they can compete for attention.

• Do not ever pet or greet your little puppy until all four feet are on the floor.
• Do not let your pup jump up knock children down then play roughhouse games. End of game both child & dog get a time out from play.
• If your pup is greeting company at the door by jumping all over them either put them on a leash or put them away before you open the door. (Interestingly I have never heard of anyone insisting the door be opened immediately if you say “wait a minute I need to put the dog on a leash first.”)

How to greet is one of those behaviors that it is much easier to teach right from the beginning than to change later in life.
Socializing

• Socializing is all about building your puppies confidence. This is the opportunity for your puppy to learn what works and how to deal with new or stressful situations. Good social skills are a necessity for all dogs. That includes people, dogs and other kinds of animals.
• You want to enjoy the process be comfortable with the people you are letting your puppy meet.
• Let your pup approach the person. The enthusiastic people will sometimes overwhelm a sensitive puppy.
• Don’t let your pup mug the people. Teach him to sit for greeting and keep his teeth to himself. Sometimes enthusiastic puppies can overwhelm people.
• If your pup wants to move on and explore other things let him.
• Puppy parties are great but don’t forget to provide the opportunity for down time and rest for the guest of honor.
• A few good experiences are better than a whole bunch of poor ones.
• If your puppy appears to be unusually afraid or reacts defensively or aggressively toward new things, people animals etc you may want to consult with a trainer or behaviorist in this case sooner is usually better than later.

Handling & Grooming
The time to get your pup used to handling and grooming is while he is still tiny. Even while your little one has nothing but puppy fluff that does not need brushing or clipping. This way you are under no time pressure to get the job done. Instead just go through the motions of grooming and restraining your pup.

• Often groomers offer an inexpensive puppy visit it is mostly just to introduce the pup to the idea of grooming and the environment.
• Your veterinarian and groomer will appreciate it if your pup is comfortable with the whole physical exam thing. If you can put your pup up on a table, get him comfortable with you looking into the mouth, ears, feet, hold the tail up, and move it to either side.
• I schedule the first visit to the veterinarian is just a physical w/o giving the puppy shots or invasive and possibly scary treatments let your pup make friends with your veterinarian.

Copyright Laura Totis Feel free to copy and disseminate this material as long as you include credit the author and the website address. www.ljttraining.com

Teach your dog some simple skills to find a particluar odor and then start having fun.

Are your kids budding outdoor enthusiasts?  If so snifferdog sport might be something the whole family enjoys together.  We are combining geocaching (an online treasure hunt type game)  With K9 scent detection skills to encourage people to play with each other and with their dogs.

Come on out and have some fun.

For more information on snifferdog sport visit

www.snifferdogsport.com

for more information on geocaching visit

www.geocaching.com

Nothing beats a nice day hiking in the woods with a couple of dogs.

The in-home training program is new and exciting. It offers something for everyone if you are looking for a little direction and coaching, or you are looking for help getting the dog trained while your working and taking care of your other commitments.

We are partnering with Great Canines of Mount Airy to start “The Positive Dog Trainers” a training club in Frederick MD.  For everyone that is looking for quality group class training, to people looking for opportunities to spend quality recreational time with their dogs and puppies.

I am looking forward to working with Montgomery County Parks and Recreation to bring snifferdog sport to the community.  Snifferdog sport is a recreational activity that you can do with the family and the dog.

Give me a call or send an email anytime I’m always happy to chat about your dog!

Laura

lauratotis@gmail.com

(410)236-2788

FMI or to register visit www.humanedomaine.net

If you would like to offer snifferdog sport introduction classes at your facility or location please contact laura at lauratotis@gmail.com

FMI on snifferdog sport please visit www.snifferdogsport.com

Snifferdog sport FAC

What is it? Scent work turned into a game for people and their dogs. If you enjoy walks in the park and your dog enjoys sniffing than snifferdog sport is the game for you. Snifferdog is all about games you can play to train your dog for scent work. The same exercises we use to train search and rescue and detection dogs. Snifferdog events combines the scent work exercises with a golf type game where you walk your dog to areas that he can search for hidden articles.

Does my dog need to be a working dog to do snifferdog sport?

Nope! Snifferdog sport is for the weekend warrior. It is for anyone and any dog that just likes to have fun together.

My dog is an obedience dog school drop out can he play?

Sure. You need to be able to control your dog but snifferdog sport is played on leash so your dog does not need a lot of obedience skills. An advantage of snifferdog sport is that since you and your dog are doing something together the relationship you develop will make any obedience work you do better also. But snifferdog sport is not about looking good or points on or off your performance. It is about taking a walk with your dog and letting him use his nose to find articles that have been hidden for him to find.

If we use detection exercises to train my dog can he used as a detection dog after training?

Not without a lot more work. Snifferdog sport is about having fun with your dog not about working. Snifferdog sport might give you an idea if scent work is a discipline you and your dog want to pursue, but search and rescue dogs and detection dogs have very specific training requirements for the dog and handler teams.

How do I get started?

Join Snifferdog club for the news letter, access to upcoming events, attend a seminar to teach the foundation skills or if your dog already knows how to mark scent and locate and indicate it then sign up for a snifferdog event.

What if I do not see any snifferdog events in my area?

Contact us about hosting a seminar or event in your area.

I am a dog trainer how can I incorporate snifferdog into my training curriculum?

We host training the trainer seminars annually. We also have a short seminar that can be offered in conjunction with snifferdog sport introductory seminars. We also have class syllabus and training materials available to instructors and clubs that want to incorporate snifferdog sport into their training programs.

How can I become a snifferdog sport evaluator?

Email us for information on becoming a snifferdog sport evaluator. Evaluators must be current members of the snifferdog club. And have experience with some kind of scent work or snifferdog sport with their dogs.

We do not dictate equipment but we often make suggestions for equipment that will help you reach your training goal quickly and efficiently.

We let the individual dog determine the reward system food, toy, praise, attention, etc.

we have two group class programs

at Lucky Stars Country Kennel we offer a 4 week program that is a fast paced class introducing dogs to good manners. Thursday evenings from 6-7 pm

In Frederick we are offering a 6 week program introducing dogs to good manners and basic obedience skills. Wednesday evenings from 6:30 - 7:30 pm

We are taking applicants for our winter tricks class That will be starting early February.

For more information, to discuss your pup, or to reserve a place for your pup please call (410) 236-2788

Our Basic good manners and obedience programs put an emphasis on developing good communication skills and a good relationship with our dogs. The emphasis is on gaining enough control so that you and your dog can do fun things together. Techniques are non confrontational reward based training.

We do not dictate equipment but we often make suggestions for equipment that will help you reach your training goal quickly and efficiently.

We let the individual dog determine the reward system food, toy, praise, attention, etc.

we have two group class programs

at Lucky Stars Country Kennel we offer a 4 week program that is a fast paced class introducing dogs to good manners. Thursday evenings from 6-7 pm

In Frederick we are offering a 6 week program introducing dogs to good manners and basic obedience skills. Wednesday evenings from 6:30 - 7:30 pm

We are taking applicants for our winter tricks class That will be starting early February.

For more information, to discuss your pup, or to reserve a place for your pup please call (410) 236-2788