Foster Files: Foster Boy Trigger Adopted.... Welcome Back Foster Boy Biscuit!

Trigger the Dapple Dachshund

The Lovely and  Totally Awesome Shane!

The Lovely Shane and I are happy to announce that Trigger has found a forever home! The forever home he found is right here in our pack! His temperament fits our pack very well and The Lovely Shane and I fell in love with him. He is however, definitely a Mommy's dog.

Aside from a few little chewing issues, his training is coming along quite well.

Trigger really likes to follow Mommy around everywhere and really misses her when she goes to work! He also really loves his chew toys and has a real passion for chasing critters in the back yard and digging around. I think we are going to make him a little area in the backyard (maybe a sandbox) where he can dig all he wants without hurting anything.

Foster Boy Biscuit

So, we now have a four dog permanent pack consisting of Cuddles the Corgi Mix (senior), Copper the Whopper Beagle (adult), Codi the Little Beagle (senior) and Trigger the Dapple Dachshund (approx. 1 year old).

Our buddy Biscuit is also back in our pack as a Foster again. Biscuit is a Basset/Lab Mix about 8 or 9 months old. We got him back last night. The person who adopted him could no longer care for him due to unforeseen medical issues.

Biscuit has grown a little over the last few weeks that he has been away. His training is also progressing nicely! The housebreaking seems to be done. He is really good about going into his crate when you tell him to.  He is getting much better on leash! Another week or so and he should be almost perfect on the leash!

If you are interested in adding a good little Basset mix to your pack, please let me know! Biscuit is available for adoption and would love to find a forever home with you!

Till Next Time

-William -

William Moore Canine Training

678-702-4791

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

Why I never recommend retractable leashes.

Actual injury caused by a recent accident caused by a retractable leash.
In this particular case, the finger was saved. However, there have been reported cases of
accidental amputations of fingers by these leashes. 

This post may be somewhat less than palatable for some of my friends in the Pet Supply business. However, I think it prudent to explain why I have such a distaste for these popular retractable leash devices. So, to my friends at Petco, PetSmart, and even some of you smaller retailers, please understand that my opinions here are based solely upon my observations and experiences as a Dog Trainer.

Furthermore, it is my hope that you will consider the points that I make the next time you have an opportunity to recommend a leash for a customer in your fine establishments! Remember, I have no malice against you personally nor professionally, I just see some very real safety hazards for your customers and their dogs from the retractable leash products that are sold in your establishments.


First lets examine how the retractable leash works:

The drawing shown here is from the US Patent office. It is for US Patent US7896281 B2. I think this a pretty good representation of basically how most of the modern retractable leashes work. Take a look at the google patent link for more details.

I have heard people say that these leashes are similar in design to fishing reels. When looking at the patent , it reminds me more of the recoil assembly on a lawn mower rope start assembly. You know when you pull the string to start the mower and let go, the recoil mechanism pulls the rope back. That recoil action is very similar to the way the patent indicates that these leashes work.

The only remarkable difference that occurs to me is that the retractable leashes implement a braking mechanism to stop the retracting action. In other words there is a lock button that you can press to stop the recoil or retract action of the leash.


Okay, it sounds like a good idea. You can have a 20 or 30 ft. long leash in a small package and retract it when you want. On your walk, the dog is 30ft away, you lock the leash and let him roam then when he comes closer you retract it ,to make the leash shorter, then you go home. What a concept, huh? Well, in my experience there are multiple potentially extremely dangerous problems here.

There are several concerns and safety issues here:

• These cord on these leashes is usually mostly really thin line. If there is more than one dog in a close area, this is a potential disaster because the leashes very easily become entangled. This presents a risk of tripping and falling to the people and risk of extremely severe injury to the dogs. The potential for injury is due to the line being so thin and strong. It cuts very efficiently.
• Because this line cuts so efficiently, it is also a major risk for causing severe injury to people. There is a braking mechanism on these devices and you are suppose to use it to stop the recoil. However if the dog is suddenly alarmed a moves very quickly, usually a natural reaction is to grab the line and pull. This causes a lot of burns and cuts.
• It is very easy to accidentally get the small line wrapped around your fingers or other body parts causing sever injuries. If the dog suddenly pulls while the line is around your finger you could get an injury like the one in the picture at the top of this blog. You could also get a finger cut off. It has happened before!
• Because theses leashes are so long people are often tempted to give the dog more leash than they should and can not control the dog well enough when an aggressive dog approaches. Not to mention that dogs simply should not walk in public places on that long of a leash. It is dangerous to you and your dog!
• These leashes are much more difficult to handle (in my experience). There is no loop to put your wrist through. So if you are carrying anything or if you are mildly distracted, it is extremely easy to drop one of these things.The plastic case is  heavy and big .Sometimes the leash is not locked and retracts upon being dropped. This can rattle the nerves of even a polite and well trained dog!

Why, then are these dangerous devices so popular? Well, I think it may be because they are perceived as convenient. And, I suppose there is a certain convenience if you want the dog to have a very long leash.  But, that is not really the proper way to walk a dog (in my opinion). The dog should always be close beside you. If he has to relieve himself give him a little bit of leash but I really see no benefit to the dog being 30ft away from me on a leash walk. 

There are some training situation in which I use a very long (30 or 40 feet) rope or leash to teach recall. But I never use a retractable for this purpose. And sometimes people who have tracking dogs will use a long lead to let the dog follow the trail but never a retractable.

I think the real reason the Pet Stores and Retail Outlets sell these things it that there is a great deal of profit to be made. I have absolutely nothing against profit. I like to make profit myself! But, these are truly dangerous devices. 

Just to make my point a little more strongly, I  submit the following for your consideration. Petco carries Flexi retractable leashes. Unfortunately, when I worked there, these were big selling items. Flexi is the same organization that applied for the Patent that I referenced above. Take a look at there very lengthy retractable leash warnings on their own website. Even the people who make these things acknowledge that they are dangerous.  One of the things that they mention is: "Do not use this leash with a disobedient or uncontrollable dog, since they are more likely to wrap the cord/tape/belt around people or to run off at high speeds." Let me tell you from my experience, almost any dog has the potential to "run off at high speeds" under the proper circumstances.

 For instance: Copper Whopper, my demo Beagle, is a very polite and well behaved dog. He is great on leash. I use him frequently to demonstrate proper loose leash walking technique. However, sometimes his instinct briefly takes over and he will chase after a chipmunk, bear, etc. (well maybe not a bear :) ).

My point is that there is no way to predict when this may occur. I can get him under control easily but he does have the potential to bolt off. This could be very dangerous with a retractable leash.

My advice is use a 6 foot (maximum) fabric or leather leash. This is what people in the business call a "flat leash" (just to be cool).  You can even use a chain leash. I do not really like the chain leashes because they are heavy and harder for me to manage but they are many orders of magnitude safer than a retractable leash!

If you need assistance helping your dog to walk properly on leash, please contact me at anytime! Copper and I will be happy to show you the proper technique!

Till Next Time

-William-

William Moore Canine Training

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

678-702-4791

Skype Dog Training Consultations Now Available!!!!

Where is the "treat" key?

I am pleased to announce that I am now offering Dog Training consultations via Skype!

This allows those of you who are outside my home travel area ( 20 mile radius from the intersection of Westbridge Rd and Hwy 92 N in North Fayette County) to purchase my services without the added travel expense.

The Skype video conferencing is also an additional low cost option for busy people who just need a few minutes of advise to help them achieve a polite dog.

Remember, I always say " Polite Dogs = Happy People". Let me help you become happy today!

For more information see: http://fayettedogtrainer.blogspot.com/p/dog-training-consultations-via-skype.html.

Till Next Time

-William -

My little buddy does not come when I call... what can I do?

One of the most common things that folks ask me about is getting a stubborn little guy or girl to come when called.

This is what us dog trainers, just to sound cool, sometimes call "recall".

There are positive reinforcement techniques that can be used to teach the come command. They work very well. However, I am going to share a secret with you here. The most important thing when teaching recall is that coming when called can never be optional! If the dog does not come to us, we have to go to the dog.

Like almost everything in Dog Training, recall can be taught. It takes patience, consistency and routine to get results. You have to start in a almost distraction free environment and then slowly add distractions. But, it can be done! There is hope for any dog here, regardless of age!

There is something that is really important to remember here: You may be fighting against instinct in some cases so, you may need to adjust your expectations accordingly. What I mean is this: In the case of scent hounds (Beagles, Bassets, Bloodhound, Dachshunds, etc) an interesting scent may capture these dogs' attentions to the point that no amount of recall training can get them to come when they are on a good trail. This is why it is important to not let these breeds run free they are very much ruled by their sense of smell. Sight hounds (Labradors, Pointers, etc) can be similarly disctracted by the sight of interesting critters like squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, birds, etc. It is very difficult to achieve 100% off leash recall because of these factors. So, please keep that in mind and do not set a goal that your little buddy is not capable of reaching.

Keeping instinctual challenges in mind, with practice you can achieve vast improvement in recall in most cases! Your dog should come to you when you call. This is a very important thing upon which most other behaviors that you will teach your dog rely.

All the dogs in our pack will come when called. However, there are limitations. Just yesterday, The Lovely Shane and I let the pack out in the back yard while we were in the house. A few minutes later we heard barking and howling coming from the backyard. It turns out Copper had breached the fence and was on the trail to Grandma and Grandpa's house (they live next door and love to give Copper treats). Well, Copper was literally on the trail of dog treats. This is a very high motivation for Copper Whopper.

Luckily the rest of the pack alerted the Lovely Shane and me to this situation. Both the Lovely Shane and I called Copper. We were walking toward Grandma's place and sighted Copper. We both called again. He looked at us to acknowledge that he heard us but kept following the trail. I had to physically catch him and snap the leash to his collar and pull him off the trail!

Copper is my demo dog. He knows all the commands that I teach and does them very well most of the time. But, you see, his natural instinct to follow the trail was overriding the training. This is very difficult to overcome. Copper did acknowledge us and slow down. Had he not had the training he may not have even slowed down. But , even with Copper Whopper, a trained dog that I work with every day, I can not say that he has 100% recall and he probably never will but, that is the way God wired him. His breed was bred to hunt not to come when called so he is doing precisely what his breed was bred to do!

This is why it is so important with Beagles and all scent hounds that you have a proper fence if you let them run free. You also need to supervise them in the fence. Do not leave them unattended anymore than you absolutely have to. See my previous blog entry for more details.


Teaching the come command (recall) is one of the most import things you can do in your effort to  teach your dog to be polite. Please contact me for help with this! There a techniques that I can teach you that will be very helpful. There is even a fun little game that I can teach you to play with your dog that will help tremendously in this effort!

Remember, regardless of how bad your dog's recall ability is now, there is hope! Please contact me for help!

Till next time

-William-

William Moore

William Moore Canine Training
678-702-4791
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

For your fence repair or fence installation needs, please contact William Moore Lawn and Handyman Services. 
fayettelawnmoore@gmail.com
678-702-4791

The Foster File - Foster Boy Biscuit Adopted! Welcome Foster Boy Trigger to the Pack!

Foster Boy Biscuit (He was so excited I had to hold his head still for the picture!)

The Awesome Shane!

The Lovely Shane and I are happy to report that our foster boy Biscuit now has a forever home with a nice lady in Tyrone, GA! He is really a good and smart little guy I am sure that he will be happy in his forever home! We are saddened to see him go but very happy that he now has a forever home! As you may remember, from an earlier blog post, He was going through puppy adolescence. He seemed to be recovering from this stage a little.

It is unclear how this happened, but, I somehow managed to  injure my lower back and was unable to attend the adoption event last Saturday at Petco in Peachtree City, GA. The Lovely and Awesome Shane took my place. Shane reports that Biscuit behaved like a perfect little gentleman. He was reportedly very polite and lovable (makes an old dog trainer proud :)).

Look at that cute Trigger face!!

Resting Trigger

The Lovely Shane also brought home our next foster boy. His name is Trigger. Trigger is an approximately two year old dachshund mix.  He is very smart and is pretty well behaved. He is a stray that someone abandoned. We can not figure out why anyone would abandon such a sweet little guy! Trigger is housebroken pretty well. We also understand that he in crate trained. We have not confined him to a crate yet because we have not needed to yet. He gets along great with the rest of the pack here!

Trigger pulls on the leash a little and we are working on Loose Leash Walking training. He already knew sit. He is a quick learner! He learned the down command mostly from observing Copper the Whopper Beagle!

Trigger, like Biscuit, really loves people! He has been our little shadow since he got here Saturday afternoon!

Trigger is available for adoption. However, the Lovely Shane is becoming pretty attached to him so he may have already found his forever home :) . I will keep you posted!

If you have recently added an adopted or rescue dog to your pack and desire help in training him/her to become a well behaved dog, please contact me!

Also, if you are looking for a new pack member, please, please, please consider adoption! There are many of these guys who desperately need a forever home! If you need help locating a dog, contact me for the names of some great local rescue groups!

Till Next Time-

William

William Moore

William Moore Canine Training
678-702-4791
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

You can teach an old dog new tricks!

The Lovely Shane with our Senior Beagle, Cody

Many of you know that I really love adult and senior dogs! I only adopt the older guys. This is because the older guys have a difficult time finding forever homes.  I suppose also that like me, they are a little less active than they used to be :) .

Some adult or senior dogs really never learned good manners. As you may be aware, I always say, "Polite Dogs.... Happy People". It is possible to teach these older guys to be very polite little guys and girls.

Our little Beagle, Cody is a senior guy. When we adopted him and added him to our home, he had some, what I would call "bad manners". He was not good on the leash ( he pulled pretty hard). He also really had no door way manners. He knew how to sit but had not quite mastered stay. He also did not get the concept of "leave it". I wanted to have him leave things alone that I may drop on the floor.

With persistent work, all these things improved greatly within the first couple of weeks.

Cody does have some limitations, however. When he was a younger dog, he apparently broke one of his hind legs. The leg never healed properly. He can no longer really jump and he can not really do the down position.  So, I never taught him down, roll over, crawl or anything that would require too much stress on the hind legs.

I mention Cody's limitations because it is important to know your dog's limitations. You should not really expect to train a dog to do something for which he is not physically capable.

That being said, barring physical problems, you can really teach an older dog anything that you can teach a younger dog. Sometimes it takes a little more patience because the older guys may have developed some bad habits that you have to break. However, it is very possible to train an older dog.

Another thing that the Lovely Shane and I like about older dogs is that they are long past the puppy stage. We like this because we don't have to worry about teething( and the chewing that goes along with teething). Also, as a general rule, older dogs are not nearly as hyper as the young pups. Since we already have older dogs in our pack, the really hyper little guys do not fit in as well as adult guys.

We do sometimes foster puppies. In fact, our current foster boy, Biscuit is an older puppy (he is around 9-10 months). Biscuit is actually learning from our adult guys. It is really cool to watch. But, I have to make sure that I give Biscuit plenty of  physical exercise because our older guys do not play nearly as much as Biscuit.

If you are thinking of adopting a dog, an adult or senior dog may be an excellent choice for you. This is particularly true if you do not have children or if your children are teenagers. We really do love our adult and senior dogs!

Copper, our Whopper Beagle is not a senior guy. He is about 7 years old or so (we are really not sure exactly... even the veterinarians guesses vary between 5 and 8). I actually chose him to be my demo dog. I knew when I first saw him at an adoption event, that he would make a great demo dog! I had to work with him quite a bit but, within a month of adopting him, he was helping me with dog training!

The point I am attempting to make here is that if you have an older dog and he/she is not polite and well behaved, do not give up! You can teach your dog to be polite and well behaved!

If you are thinking of adopting an adult or senior dog and are concerned about training, don't worry!

Please contact me at anytime and I will be happy to help you train your dog to be a well behaved, polite dog!

Till next time

-William-

William Moore Canine Training
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com
678-702-4791