The heat, a new class and other stuff...

Hey now,

If you've left the house this week you might have noticed it's a bit warm outside. If you walk in the afternoon please watch your dogs paws on the hot asphalt. It's important they don't get burned. Make sure they have plenty of ice cubes in their water bowl after a walk, and shade if you spend time outdoors.

I'm putting together a Saturday training class. I just need to know who would sign up and what time works best. Please Email Me and let me know what time of day works best for you and what you'd like to work on. I'll do my best to fit everyone in. I'm thinking earlier in the day would be best so we can beat the heat!

We are hearing a lot about separation anxiety lately. There's nothing worse, I believe. It's sad, and can lead to a destructive, stressed and miserable dog and family. There are a few things we can do to start the healing...

1)Purchase, read and live by Jan Fennell's "The Dog Listener". It's a great book and simply tells the truth.

2)Training. Your dog knows how to sit? Great! Now use their brains to work and do chores for you. Dogs were and are bred to do work for humans and we simply don't offer enough mental stimulation to keep them happy. They should earn everything they enjoy excluding water. A simple sit, lay or shake will do.

3)Exercise. A 5 minute potty walk 2 times a day isn't even a good start. Play fetch, hike, jog, go to the flea market...get out and enjoy some time with your dog! Daycare is awesome and a great ADDITION to your exercise schedule. When they exercise at YLD, they're bonding and building a relationship with us. They feel safe here. It's important to give them that security at home too.

4)Leadership. Be consistent. Be positive. Make good decisions. Be firm. Love. You want the dog to want to work for you.

That's just a start. The basics. If you are having issues let me know and we'll work together to figure things out. It will take a commitment to change things, develop a new schedule etc. but it's worth it. You're dog can begin to feel like a dog should, and you can stop worrying!


That's all for now,
Mike

a tired dog is a happy dog