Welcome to the pack, Doyle the Doxle, Also, what I have been up to lately.

Welcome Doyle!

The Lovely Shane, Doyle and Butters spend quality time
at the Dog Training Shack

The Lovely Shane and I would like to welcome Doyle the Doxle to the pack at the Dog Training Shack!

We adopted Doyle shortly before Christmas from his former foster family at Angels Among Us dog rescue. The Lovely Shane saw Doyle on an Internet advertisement and fell in love with the little guy,

Doyle is a young adult and is very mild mannered. He loves nothing more than snuggling on the couch with his new Mommy. He is a young adult.

Doyle gives Daddy a kiss.

For those of you not familiar with the term "Doxle", Doyle is a mix of Dachshund and Beagle. He has a long body with short legs similar to his pack mate and new buddy Trigger the Dachshund. His face more closely resembles that of a Beagle.

Doyle is very food motivated, like a true Beagle. He also has many of the personality traits that one associates with the Dachshund. His bark sounds more like the Dachshund than the Beagle.

Now that Doyle is beginning to settle in to life with our pack, we are beginning to teach him basic commands (He knew a few already when we got him). It appears that he has never been taught to walk properly on a leash. We will begin that training soon.

Where has the Dog Trainer been hiding lately?

I apologize that it has been so long since you have heard much from me. I have had a few health problems lately. Most recently I had a very painful time with kidney stones. Before that, I had terrible migraine headaches that occurred every day. The doctors never really determined the cause of the headaches although they seem to have stopped now.

So, I am back in action now!

Copper and I have been doing dog training sessions. I have also started doing Handyman work again.

So, if you have a dog that is having trouble being a polite and well behaved little guy or girl, please contact me, Copper and I will be happy to help you!

By the way, Copper has now been my demo dog for two years! We are happy to celebrate that anniversary with Copper!

I am sure that I will put up a blog post soon to commemorate Copper's Anniversary.

Till Next Time-

William

The snow starts at the Dog Training/Foster Shack

Dr. Phil Mc Beagle  bravely fights the
winter weather to explore the many wonders
of the back yard. He chased a pesky squirrel away!

Cody with his favorite blanket getting love from Mommy.

Well, the snow is beginning to accumulate this afternoon at the Dog Training/Foster shack. The whole pack is happy that the Lovely and Awesome Shane made it home safely from work today! The roads are really slick here in north Fayette County, Georgia.  This is quite an event for us here in North and Central Georgia! It is actually pretty dangerous. I grew up in this area. Our winter frozen precipitation is much different than it is up in the northern parts of the USA. It is more dangerous because we do not have the snow removal gear that you folks up north have. It is also typically a different sort of mix than I used to see when I traveled up north on business.

Dog Training/Foster Shack 

There is generally more ice than snow on the roads here. It is really slick. I used to drive on the roads in snow and ice when I traveled to places like Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, Colorado, Chicago, etc. However, I stay off the roads as much as possible here during snow and ice!

Trigger in the snowy backyard.

The dogs here have thus far had mixed reactions to this weather. Phil and Trigger love it! They run around and play. Phil even dug out one his outside balls from under the snow and played with it a while. The rest of the pack is not quite as thrilled with this weather. Some of them have ventured out to take care of certain unavoidable bodily functions but they are not playing like Dr. Phil and Trigger.

Those of you in North and Central Georgia, have fun with your dogs in the snow but please be careful. Remember my cautions about your dogs in this cold weather.

Stay inside, stay warm  and have fun!

Till Next Time

-William-

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

Some of my Ham Radio Antennas. Top is VHF Yagi. Underneath that is loop for Television.
The wire near the bottom is my HF longwire. No ice forming on the elements yet.... I suppose SWR
should be okay for now. Yagi is sort of leaning toward Aunt Maggie's house :)

Side Yard at Dog Training/Foster Shack

Looking toward Grandma and Grandpa's house from
Dog Training/Foster Shack

The senior pack members on the back porch observing the snow

Why you may want to reconsider a dog as a Christmas gift.

This little guy is cute but, he will
grow and he is a responsibility

Well, as Snoopy and Woodstock point out in the picture, Christmas is coming soon. It is already December. Seems like it comes sooner every year. Perhaps that is
because your Dog Training buddy is just getting older :).

There seems to be a lot of temptation for people to give dogs as Christmas gifts this time of year. Please consider that carefully. In almost all cases, it is really not a wonderful idea.

You all know that I love dogs. It is really a great joy to have a dog in your family. They are great companions and return your love many times over unconditionally.

As I have wrote in a recent post, dogs are also a responsibility.  While legally they may be considered property, they are living creatures. A dog will depend upon his/her people exclusively for care the rest of his/her life. With a puppy, this could be a two decade commitment.

Here are a few things to consider regarding dogs as gifts:

1. The financial commitment can be substantial. In my opinion, you have an obligation, as a dog owner, to provide for all of your dogs needs. This includes financial responsibility. This can be costly. See my previous post for additional information.
2. It is possible that you will have some difficulty with housebreaking (particularly with a puppy).
3. It is probable that a puppy will chew things in your house. It is absolutely your responsibility to puppy proof your home. You should make it safe for your puppy and puppy proofing can also minimize property damage. But, please be prepared, it is extremely likely that your new dog will damage or destroy something in your home (this is true even for adult, senior, and geriatric dogs).
4. Generally speaking a puppy is not a quite animal! He will bark. He will whimper. If he is a hound, he will howl and possibly bay. The hound bay is musical to my ears. That is the truth. But you and your neighbors may not appreciate the melodic bay or howl of your new  puppy.
5. Part of the commitment is training. As you know, I am a trainer and a substantial part of my livelihood is derived from the training of pet dogs.  But, even if you do not hire me or one of my esteemed colleagues. It is essential that you make a commitment to training. Even if you hire one of us, we simply work with you to teach you the techniques that you will use to train your dog. With enough work, I can get your dog to be a very well behaved and polite little guy or girl. But if I do the training without you being present or  you working personally with the dog, it is extremely likely that the results in your home will not come anywhere close to meeting your expectations or needs. No matter what, you must commit time to training! I realize that some of my colleagues provide dog training services that allow you to just drop the dog off for training then pick him up when the training is finished. While I respect these guys as dog trainers I do not agree with this approach. In order for training to be most effective you have to put work into it!
6. I strongly suggest that you maintain a fenced in area in your yard. I mean a real fence not one of these electronic shock collar devices. I realize this is not possible for everyone. If you do not have a fenced in area be prepared to walk your dog more often than you would with a fenced in area in the yard. If you need information on fencing in your yard or maintaining your fence, please contact me. If you are in the Atlanta area, remember that I also own a handyman business and I will be happy to work with you to repair your fence or put up a new one (depending upon the size of the job I may refer you to someone else).
7. Dogs absolutely require a significant investment of your time every day for the rest of his/her life. Please do not bring a dog into your home if the home is vacant of human occupants most of the day. Dogs are very social animals. They have been extremely domesticated and absolutely require human interaction to be happy and healthy.
8. You must make a commitment to walk and exercise your dog regularly even if you have a fenced in area of your yard. See my previous post regarding the importance of exercise.
9. Do your research. Various breeds of dogs have differing characteristics, needs, and temperaments. Some may not be right for your pack. Please keep this in mind.
10. Some folks are allergic to dogs. If you or someone in your family is allergic, please do proper research and stick with a breed that is less likely to aggravate your allergies. Remember a dog is a long term commitment and an allergy could make your life very uncomfortable. Remember this is not the dog's fault. It is your exclusive responsibility to exercise the proper precautions relating to your health.
11. Even if you get a breed whose general characteristics are compatible with your home environment, it is very possible that specific dog may not be as compatible. Like people, dogs temperaments vary widely from one dog to the next. Some dogs are shy and anxious. Some dogs are more aggressive and dominating. Some love to play, Some do not like to play as much. Some dogs are very high energy guys. Some are not nearly as hyperactive as others. When you buy a dog from a breeder as a Christmas gift, it is very difficult to determine the dog's temperament. Remember this is a very long term commitment. A dog who is wrong for your home could make life difficult for you. Training will also be more difficult in this situation. Most rescue groups allow a trial period. Each adoption BullyWag does has a two week trial. If the dog does not work out in your home within the two week period, BullyWag will take the dog back and refund your adoption fee. This is yet another reason that you should consider adoption!
12. If you are renting your home, please verify that the landlord is okay with a dog on the property. In most cases a fee is required and there are size, weight and possibly breed limitations. Please remember that this is a very long term commitment that will add difficulty and quite possibly expense to your next move.
13. Consider carefully bringing a puppy into a home with a very young child. A puppy requires a substantial time commitment. Also small children can unintentionally hurt a puppy. A puppy that is hurt or scared is much more likely to bite. This is not the dog's fault he is simply protecting himself. Dogs play with each other using their mouths. They also jump on each other. This is the way God made them. It is their inclination to try to play this way with people. There are training techniques to address this behavior with people. But, the new puppy will very likely jump on the child and may nip at him. Again, this is not the dog's fault he is simply doing what is instinctual to him. You must address this with training.
14. Because temperament varies from one dog to the next, if you have other dogs in the home, it is essential that you pick a new dog whose temperament is compatible with the rest of your pack. Again, this is very difficult to determine when you buy a dog from a breeder as Christmas gift.
15. During his lifetime, your dog is likely to become ill or get injured from time to time. It is essential that you be prepared to deal with this eventuality. It can require a substantial monetary outlay. But perhaps more importantly, your little buddy will be dependent upon you for care.  You may have to give him medication, tend to his wounds, etc. I have spent a few sleepless nights over the years caring for a sick or injured dog. I have also taken an occasional day off from work to care for one of my guys. You must be prepared to do the same.
16. Current vaccinations and flea/tick control is essential. Also regular heart worm tests and prevention is essential to your dog's health.



This is what happened when we did not adequately
secure the trash can. And these are my normally well
behaved beagles.

17. Long hair dogs require regular grooming. Please be prepared for this essential expense.

I realize the above points may seem negative and it may appear that I am trying to convince you not to get a dog. Please realize that is the polar opposite of my intent. I want you to have a dog as a life long companion. They are a joy. I get much more out of my relationship with my dogs than I ever put into them! But, in order to be successful, you must be aware of the responsibilities.

As you know, The Lovely Shane and I are active in dog rescue. We provide a foster home for one or two dogs at all times. We have both seen first hand the consequences of people bringing dogs into their homes without proper consideration of the responsibility. Many dogs die because they are turned over to shelters as a direct result of people not being prepared to care for them. So, for the dogs, this is literally a life or death matter. I will not sugar coat it, if you take your dog to a county shelter there is a high probability that he/she will be killed. The shelters do not have the resources to care for all the dogs they get and there are not enough rescue groups. This is reality.

Our fenced area at the dog training shack

I love my canine buddies and that is why I am writing this post.

If you are considering adding a new dog to your pack, please contact me at any time. I will be happy to help you find a local rescue group and answer any questions you may have. Phone calls and emails are free! I will also be more than happy to work with you to develop a training plan to make your new little girl or guy a polite dog. Because, as I tell you frequently, "Polite Dogs = Happy People". Let me help you to get happy toady!!

Till next time

These polite labs (Buck and Bailey) belong to my brother and my niece

-William-

William Moore Canine Training

678-702-4791

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

William Moore Lawn and Handyman Services

678-702-4791

fayettelawnmoore@gmail.com

http://fayettelawnmoore.blogspot.com

The Foster Files: Foster Boy Tiny the Beagle has a new forever home! Welcome Foster Girl Gracy!

Foster Boy Tiny showing his lose leash walking skills!

The Lovely Shane and I are very pleased to inform you all that Tiny the Beagle has a brand new forever home! After visiting the veterinarian today for Neutering , shots and a cool microchip he went home with his new foster Mommy. He will be part of a two dog pack with a cute little female beagle. His name is going to now be "Copper Head" or "Copper H." for short. Copper the Whopper Beagle and I really like that new name! We already miss Tiny around the Dog Training Shack here but, we are thrilled that he now has a great forever home!

Foster Girl Gracy eating a pecan on the back porch
steps at the Dog Training Shack

The Lovely Shane, myself and the rest of the pack here welcome a new foster pack member. Her name is Gracy. She is a beautiful mixed breed girl. We think she is some sort of hound mix. She is about 8 months old. One of her hind legs never developed properly so she is unable to jump well. However, that does not really slow her down. She is a slightly active and well tempered girl. She does need housebreaking. We are working on that now. She is also learning how to properly walk on a leash and some basic obedience. Copper Whopper and the rest of the pack are enjoying helping her learn.

Gracy will be available for adoption soon!

Foster Boy Biscuit

Biscuit the Basset Mix is now with another foster who has more puppies. This will allow him to play more and work off some of his energy. Our pack was a little low energy for him. He is still available for adoption and would make a great dog for someone with other young dogs or active children.

If you are considering adding a new adopted member to your pack, please contact me at anytime!

Till Next Time

William Moore

William Moore Canine Training
fayettedogtrainer@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

Puppy Adolescence

The Smart and Beautiful Foster Puppy Girl Lovey

Puppies like people go through an adolescence phase in their natural development. From a training perspective this presents potential problems. If you have a puppy in your pack, you need to at least be aware of this phenomena.

Generally dogs are considered adults at around 12 months of age.  The adolescence phase can begin at any point between about 6 months and about 18 months. The repetitively good news is that it does not last as long as it does in people. Usually in dogs it last from a few weeks to a couple of months or so.

The adolescence is brought about by physiological, mainly hormonal changes in the dog as part of his/her growth to adulthood. The thing that seems a bit counter intuitive, to me at least, is that altering the dog (spay/neuter) does not seem to have a great effect on the behavior during adolescence.

Well, here is the bad news: During adolescence it is not uncommon for you sweet little well behaved and polite dog to seemingly forget everything that you worked so hard teach him/her.

Housebreaking accidents are common. General misbehavior is common. An article on Petfinder.com really describes it well; "At times he may look at you as though you had just addressed him in Mandarin, trying to convince you that you never taught him the sit command"

This is really serious stuff. Many dogs end up in shelters because their people do not understand what is going on here. This condition is temporary and there are things that you can do about it. It is far from a hopeless situation. It can however, be extremely frustrating.

Foster Boy Biscuit taking a nap

This kinda hits close to home for the Lovely Shane and myself. Our current foster boy, Biscuit is going through this now. We welcomed him to our home a couple of weeks ago and he was making great progress. Housebreaking was going great! He was learning basic commands and doing them very well. He was becoming a very polite little guy.

Foster Boy Biscuit... ain't that a pretty face!

Biscuit is about 9 or 10 months old. It is apparent, to me at least , that he is now beginning that wonderful adolescence phase. He has suddenly forgotten that he should only relief himself outside. He is becoming generally more stubborn. He is sort of testing the limits that we put upon him. All of this is natural and extremely frustrating!

 What you have to do is remain calm, be patient, and take several steps back in your training (this will be temporary). Treat him/her like they are learning this stuff for the first time.

As I have written before, dogs sense our emotions. They know when you are frustrated. Be careful to remain calm when working with them. I realize this is difficult when a housebroken pup pees on your furniture. Or it is difficult to remain calm when that well behaved little guy forgets how to sit properly or jumps all over you. But try to remember that this too will pass and you will have your old dog back soon. Perhaps it will not seem as bad if you remember some of the odd stuff you may have done as an adolescent.

If you are getting really frustrated and need help with your adolescent pup, I will be more than happy to talk to you about it and possibly show you some techniques to deal with it better. Please contact me at anytime!

Till next time

-William-

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