Happy New Year and things to remember regarding your dogs this holiday.

The Lovely and Awesome Shane, Cuddles the Corgi mix, Copper the Whopper Beagle, Cody the little Beagle, Trigger the dapple Dachshund, Foster Girl Gracy ( the Georgia Gracy Hound), and Foster Boy Dr. Phil McBeagle wish you a Happy New Year!

The Lovely Shane and I will be observing southern tradition and having collard greens and blackeyed peas on New Years Day.

As I mentioned around July 4, fireworks continue to be illegal in this part of the country. However, this does not seem to stop people from firing them. This may bring out anxiety in your little guys and girls. Our little beagle, Cody is scared of fireworks. We have to try to make him more comfortable at times when they are being fired.

To make Cody more comfortable we will have distractions in the house. We will play some music or turn on the Television set to mask the offending war zone like sounds. It is also important that you not make a big deal about the fireworks. In other words remain calm. Resist the urge to say something like "poor Cody" and put your arms around him when the fireworks go off. This type of reaction makes the anxiety worse. Just ignore the fireworks. If Cody sees no reaction in us, he is likely not react either.

This may go with out mentioning but, I am going to mention it anyway: Please, please, please keep your dog inside during the fireworks. If a dog gets scared he may run off and get hurt or lost in the process.

If you need help teaching your dogs to be polite little boys and girls, please contact me at anytime! I always tell you., " Polite Dogs = Happy People". Let me help you get happy today!

Till next time

-William-

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

Copper the Whopper Beagle's Thanksgiving Message

Me in the kitchen. This is my favorite room!

Hello-

I am Copper the Whopper Beagle. I think the time is overdue for me to write a post for my Daddy's Blog.

Thanksgiving is approaching so I thought it appropriate to write about the things for which, I , Copper the Whopper Beagle, is thankful.

• Being rescued from the Clayton County Shelter

My foster mommy (Michelle Crampo) rescued me from the Clayton County Shelter. I was already an adult and really needed to get out of that place. The food was okay but the other dogs were really loud and I did not get as much attention as I needed.

• Being a foster member of my foster mommy's pack

My foster mommy took me home and I got to be in a pack with a lot of other cool dogs! I loved running around in the yard. Foster mommy had to chase me sometimes when I found a way out of the fence. I could not help myself, the scents were just so interesting and it was fun to follow the trail!

I got lots of treats and love from my foster mommy and daddy. We had a great time! The only part I did not enjoy was the small amount of time that I had to spend in a dog crate.

I often got to help with the new puppies who temporarily joined our foster pack. I really liked sniffing them and watching them play!

I am really thankful that my foster mommy rescued me! She did not come to the shelter intending to get me. But, I loved her at first sight and I think she loved me too! She was almost out of the parking lot with a pit bull buddy of mine when she came back in to get me. 

I stayed with foster mommy and daddy and my foster pack for quite sometime. It was great but I really needed a forever home!

• Being adopted by my Daddy and Awesome, Lovely Mommy

Foster Mommy took me to Petco in Peachtree City, Georgia one Saturday  in January 2013.  I was helping her with an adoption event for me and some of my other foster buddies. We were outside the Petco store because it was a really pretty day.

I met my adopted Daddy there. He saw me and we really hit it off well. He took me for a walk and fed me some treats. I decided that I would really like to go home with him! He called my adopted Mommy and she traveled to Petco to meet me. She also fell in love with me. She is a lovely and awesome lady. Daddy, at the time, worked at Petco. He had to go back to work. Mommy took me to my new home. Foster Mommy wanted to take a look at my new home. She stopped by a little later. While we were waiting for her, I helped myself to a loaf of bread that my new Mommy apparently left out for me. It was great after I got the plastic off! Foster Mommy looked at my new home and cried a little before she left me there with my new Mommy.

Me and some of the pack enjoying the sun in the
backyard.

I got to meet my new pack mate , Cuddles the Corgi mix. Cuddles was not exactly gracious but I am sure that she loved having a new adopted brother. I really loved having a forever home. Mommy and Daddy are very nice to me. We have a great time together!

Grandpa giving us treats

Daddy is a dog trainer and he taught me all sorts of cool things that I could do to get tasty treats! I learned sit, stay, down, leave it, how to wait at doorways and how to walk properly on the leash. We were so good together that he began using me as a demo dog.

I am really thankful that Mommy and Daddy adopted me! It has been great living here! I also have really awesome adopted grandparents. They live next door. I visit them often with Daddy and/or Mommy. They love petting me and have really tasty treats and a nice back yard in which to play!

Later on we adopted Cody the Little Beagle to be my brother. That has been really fun. Mommy and Daddy also now foster other dogs and I love to help with that! Recently we added another permanent member to the pack, my other adopted brother Trigger the Dapple Dachshund. It is really a lot of fun to be a member of this pack. I love my new Mommy and Daddy and my forever home! 

• Meeting all the members of my fan club at Petco in Peachtree City, GA

I worked with my Daddy for a while at the Petco store in Peachtree City. I was his demo dog. While we worked there, I met a lot of nice people. Some were customers, some worked in grooming, some worked in other areas of the store. They were all very nice to me! Some gave me little bites of their lunch (Linda). Some gave me little pieces of bacon from breakfast (Kelley). They all loved to give me treats when I did the stuff Daddy taught me! They also talked to me and gave me treats. 

For some reason, the district manager decided that Daddy did not need a demo dog so, I was fired. That was a sad day for me and for my Daddy. But, I made some really good friends. When we go to Petco now, the people who Daddy calls my fan club are always happy to see me. I love them and am very thankful for them!

• Going to work with my Daddy

My Daddy owns and operates a Lawn Maintenance and Handyman Business. He also now has a new dog training business. I love to go to work with him! I can not go when it is really hot outside. But when the weather is right, he takes me to work. I have a special tether that I use to keep me safe next to the trailer while he works. I like to sit there and supervise the work. I also meet a lot of customers that way. They love to pet me and give me tasty treats!

Me supervising Daddy's work.... he did okay on this job.

I also go with Daddy to Home Depot and to Lowes to buy material for jobs. I really like helping out! We meet a lot of people who like to pet me and feed me tasty treats! I sometimes just sit or lay down next to daddy while he picks out material. It is great to go on these adventures! I am really thankful that I can go to work with my Daddy!

I also help Daddy with his dog training business. If you need help please contact my Daddy. We will be glad to come work with you to teach your dogs to be polite like me. My Daddy always says " Polite Dogs = Happy People! "

• Being a member of a really cool pack

It is really fun to be a member of my pack at my forever home! We have four permanent members ( Cuddles, Cody, Trigger and Me) and usually one or two foster members. We have a really nice fenced in backyard. We get to chase chipmunks, squirrels, and bears in the backyard (well maybe not bears).

I also like to help the foster dogs learn new commands to get treats. I help them learn where to go potty. It is a lot of fun. I am sad when the foster dogs get forever homes. I miss them but soon enough we have a new foster to help.

I am really thankful to have this cool pack at my forever home!

Daddy took me to the vet. We got some medicine for me that I take every day with a treat. It is for a thyroid problem. Since I started taking it I am feeling better than ever! I think  I am beginning to lose some weight too! You can still call me Whooper though :) .

This is a short list of the things for which I am thankful. It has been a great year for me! In January I will have been with my new Mommy and Daddy for a year. I have really loved it!

Remember if you want a new dog to be part of your pack, please consider doing what my Mommy and Daddy did and adopt or rescue a dog. Many of my buddies still need forever homes! If you need help finding a dog for adoption, please contact my Daddy at anytime!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bye for now

Copper the Whopper Beagle

William Moore Canine Training

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

678-702-4791

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

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

How to help a dog that is afraid of nail clipping.

Our little Beagle, Cody really does not like to have his nails clipped. He is a senior guy and his nails are thick and they seem to grow fast.

The Lovely Shane and I adopted Cody in June. Since then, we have noticed that he is really anxious in certain situations. He does not like getting shots at the veterinarian. I can't say that I blame him, I am afraid of needles too! However, Cody yelps like he is in extreme pain before the needle ever touches him. (I have stopped yelping when the doctor pulls out the needle... now I close my eyes)
He only has to see the needle to become anxious. I suppose he is associating the needle with the pain of the stick ( not an irrational thing to do at all in my opinion).

Cody in his basket.

He is also afraid of the nail clippers. I speculate that perhaps at some point in his life, someone accidentally cut into the quick and hurt him. Of course now, I speculate, that he is associating the pain he once experienced with the nail clipper. We could use one of those dremel tool type devices that grinds the nail but I doubt he would be thrilled about that either.

The problem, in my opinion (based upon experience with other dogs), is that he is associating people doing things to his nails with some painful earlier experience. Much like people, some dogs are just naturally more anxious than others. Cody is generally slightly more high strung than our Whopper Beagle, Copper. Copper generally does not get nearly as anxious as Cody.

There is a reason I am writing about Cody's anxiety here. There is a technique for addressing this problem. I have had a lot of success with it in the past. Dog Trainers call this technique Counter Conditioning and Desensitization. Sometimes, just so we can sound cool, we abbreviate it CC&D.

Cody and I ready for a little nap.

It is outside the scope of this blog post to teach you all the details of this method. However, the way I usually explain it to people is as follows:

As I mentioned, the real issue here seems to be that the dog is associating pain or something negative with the nail clippers. Simply put, our objective is to get the dog to associate something positive with the dreaded nail clippers rather than something negative.

It is important that you remain patient during this process. It will not happen immediately. It takes slow, methodical steps. Like virtually everything else in dog training, patience and routine are really the keys to success here. It is very important that you not get frustrated.

What we do is find something that the dog loves.It should be something that motivates him. Something that is of "high value" to the dog. For some dogs this may be a food item like a frankfurter (we do not say hot dog :) ) or cheese. For some dogs this may be a favorite toy.

Me when I learn the Doctor is going to need
to use a needle.

Once we have identified the motivation, we very slowly, in a controlled environment begin to get the dog to associate the motivator with the nail clippers. In other words, we are desensitizing him (making him less sensitive) to the nail clippers by associating the nail clippers with the motivator (maybe a nice piece of stinky cheese). This helps to "counter-condition" him from associating the clippers with pain and he begins associating the clippers with fun good stuff.

I know this sounds like a lot of psychological theory. I am not a psychology professor (however I do occasionally play one on T.V. :) ) I do however know what my experience has been .It does really work. I have seen it work many times. In the beginning, I was skeptical of this technique. I am a reformed believer now!

The Lovely Shane and I are going to begin this with Cody very soon. I will keep you updated on our progress.

If you have a dog that is afraid of the nail clippers or anything similar, this is a technique that we can use to help your little guy or girl. There is hope! It just takes the proper technique, time, and patience.

Please contact me and I will be glad to help you help your dog to deal with his/her anxiety.

Till Next Time

William

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

What to do when you can not take your dogs on vacation with you.

The Lovely Shane and I at the Cruise Ship Port in Nassau

Copper really missed us!

The Lovely Shane and I just returned from a Cruise to the Bahamas. Those of you who are familiar with me know that I advocate taking your well behaved little guys with you if possible. In some cases, it is simply not possible. The cruise lines do not allow pet dogs (at least Carnival does not). Therefore, we could not take our little darlings with us.

The towel animal that the crew left in our room one
day really reminded us of Cody.... Could have been Copper but would
 have required a large beach towel :)

There were many options available to us for their care. Some of the options we considered were:

• Leaving the pack at the Dog Training Shack (our home) and asking relatives to feed and walk them in addition to checking our mail, taking out the trash, etc.
• Leaving the pack at the Dog Training Shack and hiring a pet sitter to feed and walk them.
• Leaving the pack at a relative's house to be cared for over the week.
• Leaving the pack at the home of a Pet Sitter for the week.

None of these options is particularly bad. We did not really want to impose upon our family for the length of time which we were going to be away. None of our family really had the space for our pack at their houses.Our house was too far away to be practical for them to care for our guys for a week in our home.

Notice that a kennel is not on the list. We just really did not want them to be caged in a strange place for the entire week. I will not hate you if you choose a kennel. There are some good ones out there. It was just not what we wanted to do. It was really important to us that they stay with someone that we know and that will take good care of them (some folks may call it spoiling them. We prefer to call it taking good care of them :)).

The beach at Little Stirrup Cay (Bahamas)

Another note of caution. This is not really dog related but more travel related. You may notice that I did not mention my trip at all on this blog before departure. I did not mention it on Facebook or any other public electronic venue either. This was intentional. Please be cautious about posting this sort of personal information on places that may be accessed by the general public. The Lovely Shane and I were both gone so, the house was a little vulnerable. Had I posted this information about our travel plans publicly, anyone with nefarious intentions could have broken into our house. Also anyone with something against me ( I hope there are not many of you :) ) would have know my general location and could have found me. Perhaps my past career in the Computer Security business makes slightly more paranoid that most of you. But please consider this advice the next time you are planning a trip.

We decided to use a Pet Sitter. It was a little outside our budget to have them stay at our home so, we took them to the Pet Sitter's home. This was a better option anyway. At the Pet Sitters home they got more attention than they would have if left alone at our place and they got to play with other people and dogs. This sort of situation is generally much less stressful on the dogs than a kennel would be.

The Lovely Shane and I with a new DJ friend.

We use and I  highly recommend Michelle Crampo at All Things Paws. You may remember my mentioning Michelle in another post about the Local Heroes of Dog Rescue. I adopted Copper from her. She does a lot of good work saving the lives of dogs through rescue.

Copper enjoyed being back at his old foster home for a week! The rest of our pack did incredibly well too.

When you leave your pack to go on vacation, it is not uncommon for them to behave a little differently when you return. Our little guys and girl have been much more clingy. This usually lasts for a day or two.

I still strongly encourage you to take the little guys and girls with you when you go if it is possible. However, I do realize that sometimes we do not have that option. When you need to leave them behind, I strongly suggest that you leave them with someone you can trust. If you are outside the Atlanta area, check with other people in the community and get recommendations from people that you trust. If you are leaving the dogs at the sitter's home, ask for a tour of the place and perhaps bring your dogs over first to let them sniff around the place before your trip.

If you are in the South Metro Atlanta Area, I certainly recommend Michelle. If you live elsewhere in North Georgia, please contact me and I will be glad to talk with you about other sitters in the area.

Till next time

-William-

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

Consequences of not exercising your Beagles regularly

Okay, my last post was about the importance of exercising your dog regularly. Well today Copper and Cody provided The Lovely Shane and me a reminder of why this is so important.

Last night The Lovely Shane and I attended a concert at Harp's Crossing Baptist Church. By the way, The Akins Family was performing. If you have not had the opportunity to see them I would highly recommend that you go the next time they are in town. It is really good Gospel music, a refreshing change from some of the modern contemporary stuff (at least in my opinion).

Well, getting back to the story, when we got home from the concert, Copper, Cody and I went for a long night time walk. We had great fun and were all tired when we got back to the shack.

Copper and Cody slept very well all night, as usual. They were both more tired this morning than is usual for them. Neither of them are morning Beagles but this morning they appeared especially lazy. I fed them breakfast and after The Lovely Shane left for work, I went out to do an estimate for a Lawn Maintenance job and to take care of some business in Fayetteville. I did not take the Beagles for a walk first because they seemed so tired. That proved to be a critical error.

By the way, speaking of Lawn Maintenance, I also run a Lawn Maintenance and Handyman Business. If you are ever in need of Lawn work or household repairs, please contact me (fayettelawnmoore@gmail.com). I service Fayette County and most of the adjoining counties in this south Atlanta Suburb.

Okay, so I was only gone for two hours. When I returned I found the destruction that you see in the pictures. Actually this is just some of the destruction. The bi-fold door in the kitchen pantry was knocked off the track. The kitchen trash was scattered all over the kitchen, living room and even part of the Dog Trainer Shack Office.

The Lovely Shane had been doing school work at her notebook computer in the office. She left a coffee cup there. Copper found the coffee cup. Copper loves coffee. He broke the cup. We later learned that he spilled coffee on the keyboard of the computer.

As you can see in the picture, the Beagles looked as surprised as me to find this mess :) .

So... lets list the mistakes that the Lovely Shane and I made here:

• I should have walked the Beagles before I left the house.
• We should have secured the pantry door better or removed the trash. (This is Beagle proofing 101 :) )
• We should not leave drinks (especially Copper's favorites) within Beagle reach.
• I should have probably taken Copper and Cody with me. I could have done that and normally would have taken at least one of them. But today, they really looked tired.
• Tired looks can be deceptive :)

Copper and Cody would likely not have caused all this destruction that took me hours to clean up if they had been properly exercised this morning. I am not suggesting that exercise is a miracle cure for behavioral issues however, in this case, I think our little angels were bored. They were not hungry because I just fed them before I left the house.

Remember Copper Whooper and Cody the Little Beagle are both seniors. In fact Cody could probably be considered geriatric. Cody has an bad hind leg from an old injury that never healed properly. If they can cause this sort of destruction in only a couple of hours, you can imagine the damage that can be accomplished by a younger, healthy Beagle.

You may be thinking to yourself, why did this Dog Trainer not follow his own advice and crate these dogs when he was away. Well, that is a very good question. The answer is that not all dogs are suited for crates. Copper has severe separation anxiety. He bent the bars on a crate shortly after I adopted him. He will injure himself if I crate him. Normally, he does fine with free run of the house. Cody is normally also very good outside the crate. I do not crate him mostly because of his leg injury and because normally it is not necessary. 

Our foster dog Lovey is crated when are away as was our previous foster girl, Penny the tiny Beagle. I do believe in crating however, like so many things in Dog Training, it is not suited for every dog. Not all training is cookie-cutter because all dogs are not the same.

So, again, remember exercise your little guy and girls and take them with you!

Till next time

-William-

William Moore 

William Moore Canine Training

678-702-4791

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

William Moore Lawn and Handyman Services

678-702-4791

fayettelawnmoore@gmail.com 

Why do hounds have floppy ears?

 All the pictures that you see on this post are of hounds with floppy ears. If you are like me, you have often wondered why hounds have floppy ears.

Truthfully, on the surface, it seems like a detriment to the little guys. The floppy ears tend to trap bacteria and nasty stuff (that is not a medical term, I am not a veterinarian, nor do I play one on T.V. :) ) and this leads to infection. The floppy ears also tend to get caught on things. Our little Beagle, Cody, had to make an emergency trip to the veterinarian on Friday afternoon last week because he got a splinter caught in his ear. The splinter actually pierced through the ear and was very painful to him. We are still not sure how it happened. But the fact that Cody’s ears are floppy did not help here.

From an auditory perspective, you would not think that the floppy skin and cartilage hanging down would impair the hearing. So, I don't suppose the floppy ears have much to do with enhanced hearing.

They are really cute. I suppose that may be enough reason for most of us but, I don't think that is exactly it either.

It turns out that there is another possibility. Look at our friend the Bloodhound in the picture (he is the guy with the loose skin above to the left (with the tree behind him). 

The Bloodhound has really loose skin around the jowls and the head. His ears are really long and floppy.

The Bloodhound is also known for his acute sense of smell and his tracking ability.

It turns out that the floppy ears and loose skin around the mouth and near the nose contributes to his great sense of smell (not to mention his overall cuteness). 

The large "lips" and long ears help to stir up and perhaps even catch these little scent molecules. (For those of you who attended public schools within the last decade, you can not see molecules, they are microscopic. It is beyond the scope of this post to explain in greater details, just trust me here). This does aid in the Bloodhound's acute sense of smell.

I think that is probably the real reason that we have bred the hounds to have those floppy ears. 

From a historical perspective , until relatively recently, within the last century or so, we bred dogs more for functionality than for appearance.

The hounds were bred to hunt and track. When you think about this, it is very desirable to have the long floppy ears. Since it aids in the scent detection ability, it is quite an advantageous and desirable trait.

So, now you know :). I really do think this is why we have so many hound breeds with floppy ears. Even the sight hounds tend to have floppy ears even though they are generally smaller than those of the scent hounds. 

The sense of smell is very important to any hound, I suppose.

But remember, as I have written before, cleaning the ears of these floppy eared guys is really important. Check them regularly and clean them regularly!

As always, if you have any dog or dog training questions, please contact me at anytime!

Till Next Time

-William-

William Moore 

William Moore Canine Training

678-702-4791

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

Progress report on our foster dog, Penny the tiny Beagle.

 I am not sure if you can tell in these pictures but, little Penny is making great progress! She is filling out. I really do think she is putting on weight though I have not weighed her. Believe it or not there is no scale in the Dog Trainer Shack, not even a bathroom scale. I suppose, at some point we should get one but it is not exactly a high priority in our lives right now.

She is eating like a little horse! As is typical with Beagles, she loves food. She is led by her little nose!

 As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been using Nutri-Cal in an attempt to put some weight on this little girl and I think it is working.

She is the first dog that I have ever seen that does not like Nutri-Cal right out of the tube. I take two small treats and make her a Nutri-Cal sandwich with them. She loves that! I have been doing this two or three times a day.

As you can see in the picture, she loves her new foster brothers, Copper and Cody, here they are relaxing in the back yard at the Dog Training Shack.

The Lovely Shane recently took her on a little trip to her parents house. She did this to see how well little Penny would get along with her parents toy poodle (Benny). We were also curious how well Penny would do around our grandson.

The Lovely Shane reports that Penny did great with the grandyoungun (for those of you who do not live in the south, that means grandchild). However, Penny was very vocal around Benny. She did not really like him getting in her face and barking. I suppose I would have been vocal too in her position.  However, this indicates that Penny may not be great around toy breeds. I think they probably make her anxious and nervous. This is something that may get better with time and more (slow and controlled) socialization with toy dogs.

Penny seems to be very willing to learn. Here is a video that I made of me and the Beagles. We were working on waiting at the door. Penny saw Copper and Cody working on that behavior and she joined in the fun. She did very well for a first attempt. Then we came in the house and the Beagle boys and I were working on "leave it" and Penny joined in with us again. For the first attempt, she did great!

Penny does still need some work on behavioral stuff though. It is all fairly minor things such as, she likes to jump on you for attention, we are working on this.  She also likes to nudge you with her nose when she wants to be petted. I discourage this behavior because, I should be the one who pets her, not the other way around. But, as I wrote, all this is minor. She is overall, a very sweet and fairly polite and well behaved little girl!

Penny is scheduled to be at Petco in Peachtree City  this Saturday. She will be there from around 11 till around 4. If you are interested, please stop by the Bully Wag table and see her. 

She will also probably make an appearance at a fund raiser for Bully Wag in Newnan on Friday. I will post updates here as we get closer to Friday.

If you would like more information on Penny or on adding an adopted dog to your pack, please contact me at anytime!

Also, if you have recently added a new member to your pack, I will be happy to help you with your in an effort to make your new little guy or girl a polite and well behaved dog.

Please also contact me with any questions/concerns. As always, my goal is to help you train a polite and well behaved dog!

Till next time

-William-

William Moore

William Moore Canine Training

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

678-702-4791

Meet the breed : Corgi

Our pretty little girl, Cuddles, is a Corgi mix. We are not sure exactly what other breeds make up her heritage but, we know she is part Corgi.

The cute little guy in the pic here is a Cardigan Welsh Corgi. You can not really tell in Cuddles' picture but their tails are similar .

The handsome guy in the picture here is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. He bears the most resemblance to our little girl, Cuddles. However, a major difference between the Pembroke and the Cardigan is that the Pembroke does not have a tail.

The adult male height is 10" to 12" with the female being slightly smaller. The adult male weight is approximately 25 pounds with the female being slightly lighter.

Some Corgis, as with our little girl Cuddles, are born with longer hair than the guys in our pictures here. People who are familiar with the breed call these "long hair" or "fluffy" Corgis.

The Corgi is very likely descended from several breeds including: Keeshound, Pomeranian, Schipperkes, and Swedish Vallhund.

As you may have guessed, the Corgi breed originated across the pond in the area that we now call the United Kingdom.

The Cardigan is the older of the two Corgi varieties. The Cardigan, is believed by some to have originated with the Celts as early as 1200 BC. The Pembroke is believed to have originated with a group of Flemish folks who were employed as weavers to the Celts. This probably occurred in the 1100s BC. For those of you who attended public school within the past 10 years,  1100 BC is later than 1200 BC (it is beyond the scope of this post to explain this but, just trust me :) )

Corgis are part of the classification of working dogs that we call herding dogs. They were likely first brought to the USA in the early twentieth century (AD). They were used for driving cattle. They were also used for hunting small game and for guarding livestock.

The Corgi is especially well suited for livestock herding due to its relatively low stature. It can nip at the heels of the livestock and easily roll out of the way to avoid being stepped upon.

These guys are very loyal dogs. They can be pretty intelligent as well. They are very protective of their people. Believe it or not they make pretty good watch dogs as well. Our little Cuddles lets us know whenever any intruder is anywhere near the property here at the Dog Trainer Shack. She is also very protective of The Lovely Shane!

The Corgi is very prone to unwanted guarding behavior as well. Cuddles, for instance, tends to guard her food bowl ( a habit we are working to break in her). They tend to naturally, perhaps even instinctually , be wary of strangers. For this reason. it is important that they be properly socialized at a very early age!

The Corgi, as is the case with most dogs from the herding groups, tends to try to herd people. They will nip at your heels, etc. in an effort to move you along. For this reason, it is very important that obedience training begin early. The Corgi needs to see the human as being in charge. This needs to be taught, through proper positive reinforcement training methods, at as early an age as possible.

It is important that the Corgi get plenty of exercise. Because it is naturally a herding dog, this is very important. The Corgi will not be happy of he is not exercised properly.  I strongly encourage Corgi owners to walk their dogs at least once a day using proper loose leash walking technique. It is important that the Corgi knows that the person is in control of the walk and not vice versa.

My experience with this breed is that they can be easy to train if the training begins early. It is always important, with any dog, that training be consistent and routine. This is even more important with the Corgi than some other breeds. They really need the structure. These guys are generally eager to learn. They can also be very strong willed (however, this varies from dog to dog).

Corgis are generally good with other dogs. However, they do not like other dogs invading what they perceive as their space. I have also found that, particularly in Cuddle's case, and generally with most other Corgis, they get along best with dogs their size or smaller.

Cuddles gets along well with Cody the Little Beagle and Penny the Tiny Beagle but, she does not get along as well with Copper the Whopper Beagle. The Lovely Shane and I really believe that this is because of Copper's size. Penny and Cody are both a little smaller than Cuddles. Copper is a little larger than Cuddles. Cuddles will bark at Copper when he gets to close to her food dish or just generally too close to her. Often Copper barks back and I have to intervene to get them to be quiet. We are working on this and it is getting better but, it never happens with Cody or Penny.

So, in summary, the Corgi is a very loyal dog. They are generally good with their own people but tend to be wary of new people. They are generally good with other dogs of their size or smaller. They are very protective of their people. They require a lot of exercise but because of their small size they can be a viable consideration for apartment dwellers.

If you are looking for a new member of your pack the Corgi may be a good choice if you can devote the time needed for training and exercise. They can be very sweet and loyal little guys and girls!

As always, if you are looking for a new member for your pack, please, please consider adoption! There are may sweet little guys and girls (some of them Corgis or Corgi mixes) who desperately need good forever homes!

Please understand, I am not necessarily against breeders. There are some great ones out there. I will not be mad at you if you patronize a good breeder. I simply ask that you consider adoption first. By the way, I always offer discounted training services for adopted dogs and their new people!

If you are considering adoption and need the names of local rescue groups please contact me and I will be happy to get you together with someone who will be happy to help you find the perfect dog for your pack!

Please also contact me with your training needs or with any dog related questions or concerns!

Till Next Time

-William-

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

Meet the Breed - Beagle

 Okay, those of you who know me well know that I could not put off writing a "Meet the Breed" about my favorite breed, The Beagle.

I have raised, trained, owned, and been around these little guys for most of my life. Let me begin by stating that even though I really love them, they are not a breed of everyone. Let me tell you a little about these adorable little guys:

This breed has been around for a very long time. There is some controversy over the precise origin of the breed.

As with the almost all hound breeds in this country, their origin can be traced to England. I will not go into all the details of the history of this breed here. There is some very interesting information on the Internet. A good place to start, if you are really interested, is wikipedia.

The Beagle is a part of the group that we call scent hounds. They use their sense of smell to track game. In this part of the world (Georgia and the Southeastern USA) they have long been used to hunt rabbits and small game.

The AKC has recognized the Beagle since 1885 ( a couple of decades after the war of northern aggression :) ). The official standard for the breed has two sizes. An adult height of 13 inches and an adult height of 15 inches.

The AKC lists a variety of coloring and markings.In my experience, it seems that, by far the most common is the tri-color black tan and white. That seems to be the marking and coloring of both of the guys in my current pack. Copper also has some ticking. He is also bigger than 15 inches so it is possible that he is a mix of something other than Beagle (but don't tell him that).

The physiology of the Beagle is interesting. They are capable of sounding in at least three different ways. They can bark like any other dog. They can howl like other dogs. They can also bay. To do this they sort of stretch out the throat by holding the head up. A really cool gift that God gave the Beagle is that each Beagle has a slightly different baying voice. This makes it easy to identify which dog is on the trail when they are in the field. Rabbit hunters really like this about Beagles.

This is also one thing that makes the breed not a good fit for everyone. Most Beagles are quite vocal. And they do not really have a low or inside volume. It is a really pretty sound to those of us who have an affinity for the breed but people who have close neighbors, like those of you who live in apartments, may not find the sound quite so pretty.

These little guys are generally very affectionate. They are good with people and usually good with children. They are loyal.

Most of the Beagles that I have encountered are pretty good with other dogs as well. This can, however vary from dog to dog. Boomer, a Beagle that I had years ago was abused as a puppy. I adopted him when he was 9 months old and kept him until he died around 16 years old. He was never great around other dogs or around children. But, I suspect this was due, in large part, to his abusive puppyhood.

Many people refer to the Beagle as "determined" in most cases, I think "determined" is hardly a strong enough term. Most of these little guys are downright stubborn. They are sweet but can be very stubborn.

I realize that as a professional dog trainer, this may sound like self-promotion but, what I am about to tell you is the Gospel truth about these little guys. They require a great deal of mental and physical stimulation. And because they can be so "determined" or stubborn they require consistent training.

These guys are generally really happy when they are training. They can learn new behaviors and they actually learn pretty quickly with the proper motivation (treats).

The Beagle like most scent hounds is ruled by his nose. These guys love food! They are constantly searching for food or for something interesting to track and chase. This is really the Beagle's life. It is instinctual and at times really cool to watch.

Because they constantly search for food, you must beagle proof your home. If you don't you will regret it. See my previous blog post about Beagle-proofing.

As adults, when the Beagle is not searching for food or game he is resting or sleeping. These little darlings do not exercise on their own. The combination of this determined drive to find food and equally determined drive to not exercise is why you see so many overweight and frankly obese Beagles.

You must provide exercise for your Beagle! It is not enough to just let him out in the fenced back yard. He will sniff around out there for a while... maybe chase a rabbit or chipmunk.. then he will lie down and sleep. I have seen this many times :). You really have to take them out on the leash or do some sort of interactive exercise in the fenced yard. This is another reason that the Beagle is not for everyone.

Also, because the Beagle is so driven by his nose, once he gets on the trail of something, he sort of has tunnel vision. He is also very good at escaping a fence or containment device. I strongly recommend that you not, under any circumstances leave your beagle unattended in a fenced back yard. He will find his way out. Boomer once scaled a six foot chain link fence. He just climbed right over.

The Beagle can be one of the most affectionate breeds you will ever encounter. As I have written before, my guys know when I am sick and will not leave my side until I feel better. It is really a cool thing to see. These guys also have quite the personality. Some are outgoing and very friendly like Copper. Some are a little more reserved but affectionate like our little Cody.

If you can live with the cons that I have mentioned here, the Beagle will be one of the best little buddies you could ever hope for.

Remember, if you are seriously considering an addition to your pack. Please, please, please consider adoption. Also consider adopting an adult dog (these guys are generally wonderful and do not get homes as quickly as puppies). If you need the names of some good rescue organizations contact me or see my previous posts on the heroes of dog rescue.http://fayettedogtrainer.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-local-heroes-of-dog-rescue.html and http://fayettedogtrainer.blogspot.com/2013/06/another-local-dog-rescue-hero.html

Let me be clear. I have nothing against breeders. There are some great breeders out there. I will not be mad at you if you use one. I just ask you to consider adoption. There are so many really good guys that need a home and many of these sweet little guys are euthanized every day because no one will give them a home. And I provide discounted Dog Training Services to all adopted/rescued dogs, perhaps that will be an incentive to you as well :) .

If you have questions about the suitability of a Beagle or any other breed to your pack, please contact me anytime.

Till Next Time


-William-

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

Happy Independence Day! What do I do when my buddy is scared of fireworks?

The Lovely Shane, Cuddles the Corgi mix, Copper the Whopper Beagle, Cody the Little Beagle and wish you a happy and safe July 4th! The picture is from a laser light and fireworks show at the State Park in Stone Mountain, Georgia. If you have never seen one of these you should. This time of the year, I think they do them weekly.

Firecrackers and certain types of fireworks that makes noise is not legal for home use in Georgia. So, I am certain that none of my Atlanta area readers ever encounter loud fireworks in your neighborhoods :) . Many years ago, I lived in a sub-division in eastern Cobb County, Georgia. All fireworks were illegal at that time. It sounded like a war zone around my house on New Year's eve and July 4th. I am certain this was from some local licensed fireworks show and not my neighbors with  contraband firecrackers and M-80s :).

At the time I lived in Cobb County, I had a very nervous Beagle named Boomer. Like most of my Beagle buddies over the years, Boomer was a rescue. He was abused as a young puppy and had many anxiety issues. He was very scared of the noise that accompanied these local fireworks shows.

There are desensitization techniques that can be utilized for dogs that are scared of fireworks or thunder. They basically involve exposing the dog to loud noises that mimic the fireworks like recordings of fireworks, etc. You do this in a very controlled way and begin to associate good things with the offensive noise. Desensitization takes a while and if you are consistent with it, it can be very effective. However, the occurrence of fireworks is so infrequent that avoidance may be a better technique.

This may sound like common sense and the obvious answer, but I always kept Boomer inside during these fireworks displays. I also tried to mask the sound by having music playing or the TV tuned to one of his favorite channels.

It is always important to remember that, to a very large extent, your little buddy takes cues from you. So, with that in mind, try not to react to the fireworks. Do not make a big deal about them or call him poor dog and pet him every time you hear a boom. Also, if he wants to hide under a table or something, or if he wants to sit next to you on the couch, do not discourage this behavior. If your buddy sees that you are not reacting, it will probably help in calming him as well.

It has been my experience over the years that my little buddies who were afraid of thunderstorms were also afraid of fireworks and gunfire. So, some of the same techniques may be effective. I make this point because with many dogs that have moderate anxiety, the Thundershirt product is very effective. It does not work with every dog but I had many customers when I worked at Petco who said the product made a huge difference in anxiety level. There are also pheromone based sprays that seem to be effective with some dogs that have moderate anxiety. As in the case of the Thundershirt, this does not seem to work with every dog.

In extreme cases of anxiety, in other words if the dog is so anxious that he is hurting himself or being very destructive, your veterinarian can advise you about potentially using anti-anxiety medication for situations that you know are anxiety provoking.

If you do not have a regular veterinarian or if you suspect your vet is an evil alien :) , I will be happy to assist you in finding one.... I hope my readers appreciate my attempt at humor and don't just find it strange :).


I think our newest pack member, little Cody, may have some issues with fireworks this year. I have noticed that he is anxious during thunder storms. He is not relaxed like in this picture. On the contrary, he follows me everywhere and loves to lean on me an sit as close to me as possible. I will let you know how he does with the fireworks (if we have any in my law-abiding neighborhood).

Seriously, If you need help with an anxious dog or if you have any dog training needs, dog related questions, etc. , please contact me at any time!

I hope that you all have a great July 4th! The Lovely Shane is helping to care for her grandfather while her parents take a little out of town trip. I plan to take care of our pack and

 do some bathroom remodeling here at the Dog Trainer Shack. There is one other special activity in which I am going to participate: There is a radio contest this weekend called 13 Colonies. Amateur Radio Operators running special stations in all 13 original colonies are making contacts. If you contact all 13
of them you get a really cool certificate! I already have a start. Last night I contacted the New Hampshire station from the shack here. I was only operating at an output power of 5 watts. For those of you who are unfamiliar with radio, I probably would have used more power to yell out the window :) .

Well... Have a great 4th! Be careful.

Till Next Time

-William-

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