by The Crunchy Canine | Nov 8, 2015 | BLOG
Crate training is an invaluable tool that all dog owner’s should use. Not only does it keep your dog safe while you are not home, it provides them with much needed down time, structure, and the ability to be calm in a small space (can come in handy if your dog ever needs veterinary care and needs to stay overnight, or be kenneled while you go on vacation). puppy crate training
How to start:
Make sure you have the right sized crate. The dog should have enough room to get up and turn around, that is it. uppy crate training
Choose your bedding wisely. If your dog is destructive, do not leave any bedding in the crate.
Start with short intervals in the crate while you are home. Put your dog’s leash on, guide them to the crate and say “in your crate”. Use the leash to help guide him in. Once in give him a reward, and shut the door. Wait 1 minute, open the door but do not let him charge out. If he tries to run out close the door quickly. Repeat until you can open the door without him trying charge out. Once you can open the door and he remains in the crate, wait for him to look at you and you can say “OK” to release him.
Start feeding your dog in his crate to make more positive associations to the crate. Same rule above applies though when letting him out.
Start to increase the amount of time in his crate while you are home.
If your dog whines or barks while in the crate you need to correct it. Try to correct it in the very early stages before he works himself up. You can correct it verbally with a sharp “eh eh”, visit the dollar store and get a spray bottle and correct with a squirt of water, pick up a Pet Corrector from the pet store (can of air that makes a loud “shhht” noise to interrupt unwanted behaviour), or tap the top of the crate with your hand.
Follow these protocols for a week and start to leave him in the crate while you leave the house. When you put him in do not say anything other than “in your crate”. Do not feel bad, or sorry that you are leaving him. He can sense your emotions and this makes things worse for dogs who have some separation anxiety. puppy crate training
When you return do not speak to the dog, follow the protocol for letting him out of his crate. Do not give him any attention for 10 minutes after you get home (no touch, not talk, no eye contact). Only once he is completely calm can you give him attention. puppy crate training
By following these steps you should successfully be able to crate train your dog!
If you need help with crate training your puppy contact us today! 905-869-1170 or info@caninesinbalance.ca
Happy Training!
Katherine
by The Crunchy Canine | Nov 2, 2015 | BLOG
I so often hear people refer to their dogs as their “fur babies” or “four legged kids”…these sayings usually make us dog trainers cringe. When I hear these terms of endearment for dogs (because, hey that’s what they are right? Dogs!), what I am really hearing is someone who has humanized their dog. Someone who could never possibly say no to this cute, furry, creature. Someone who could never hold a dog acountable for their own actions. Now, this may not be true for all people who use the term “fur baby”, and I hate to paint everyone with the same brush. However, 9 times out of 10 that is what you get.
So where am I going with this? And why on earth would I not be OK with the term “fur baby” but want people to treat their dogs more like their kids? Well let’s look at the average day of a 10 year old kid (which would translate to a dog who is about one year to one and half years old). Said kid gets up at 7am to get ready for school, he has breakfast, brushes his teeth, gets dressed, makes his bed, packs his bag, and this is all before 8am. Then he heads off to catch the bus, has a full day of learning and socializing with his peers before catching the bus to come home. Then he gets home, unpacks his lunch bag, completes his homework, has dinner, helps with the dishes, cleans his room, and then possibly some free time before getting ready for bed. Now this is just a 10 year old kid…as he gets older his schedule gets busier, his responsibilities increase, he is held accountable for his actions. See where I am going with this yet?
Now lets look at the average day of a one year old dog…Get up, human lets him outside, human feeds him, human lets him drag them around the block, sniffing every slice of grass he can, human goes to work and either leaves the dog free to get into whatever trouble they can find or hopefully crates him. Rinse and repeat for the evening (and this dog is lucky if he gets two walks a day even if they aren’t structured like we would hope). Somewhere inbetween all of this, the human is likely giving way too much love and affection rather than leadership and structure.
So what would happen if we started to ask our dogs for a little more? I often tell clients to think of it this way…Life is not always a party, so lets stop letting our dogs think it is. It is OK to ask your dog to be held accountable for their actions. It is OK to ask your dog to be calm while you are eating dinner. It is OK to not allow your dog to jump all over people when they come to your house. We don’t let our kids run around doing whatever they please, so why would we let our dogs? At this point the wheels might be turning, and you are thinking “OK she’s on to something here…but HOW do I do this?”. It really can be quite simple. Here are a few things you can change today that will make a huge difference in yours and your dogs life:
1) Follow the Nothing In Life Is Free theory – meaning everything your dog wants he must do something for (ie. Before a meal he must sit and wait politely, when he wants to be pet he must sit quietly beside you not pushing his head under your hand, he must be invited up on to the furniture if he has earned the right to being on it and he is not allowed to be a jerk if asked to get off etc.)
2) Two structured walks EVERY day. This means walking nicely beside you, not dragging you around the block.
3) Teaching him to stay still and relax. I use “place” for this, where I teach a dog to go lay down on their bed when I need them out of the way. Perfect for cooking, eating, having guests over, or just when you need them out of the way. The “place” command will literally transform your dogs life!
4) Waiting before going through thresholds. Not allowing him to bolt out the door by asking him to sit and wait even if the door is opened.
Those are just 4 things you can do to get started. So let’s all try to treat our dogs more like our human kids and less like our “fur babies”!
by The Crunchy Canine | Oct 30, 2015 | BLOG
So your dog is not listening to you…and I bet you are getting more frustrated by the day! Here are the top 3 reasons your dog does not listen to you:
1. He does not understand what you are asking of him. Imagine travelling to Germany and not speaking a single word of German. You get off the plane and someone starts speaking to you in German. You don’t understand what they are saying. They repeat themselves a few times, obviously getting more frustrated that you are not replying. Now apply that to your dog. Telling your dog to “sit” when he doesn’t know what “sit” means, you might as well be speaking German to him!
2. He understands what you are asking of him but doesn’t think you actually mean it. If you have kids you have probably found them watching TV yet they have a messy room. You ask them to go clean their room. They ignore you and continue watching TV. You ask again. Still they ignore you and continue watching TV. Do you follow through and make them clean their room? If you ask your dog to sit, follow through and make them sit. If you don’t have the means to make them follow through (ie. maybe your dog walks away when you ask him to sit), then put the leash on and have him follow through. Often dogs don’t listen because they don’t take you seriously. If last time you asked him to sit and he didn’t but you never followed through, then your dog doesn’t think you mean it. So if you say sit, mean it!
3. You’re asking more than he can handle at his current level of training. You may have heard me talk about the 3 D’s of training. They are Duration, Distance, and Distraction. In order for your dog to be able to sit and hold the sit with distractions (ie another dog in sight), you need to practice! Once he can handle the commands with little to no distractions then you can slowly add them. You can also layer distance and duration into the equation, but all with PRACTICE!
So now that you know the top 3 reasons your dog does not listen, work on fixing these issues and I bet your dog will start listening to you a lot better!
Happy Training!
Katherine
Canines In Balance
Hamilton, Ontario
by The Crunchy Canine | Oct 28, 2015 | BLOG
The most common issue we deal with is pulling on the leash. We usually get the call after people have tried different training collars or contraptions without proper instruction, and at that point they are beyond frustrated. Before you can get your dog walking nicely, it’s important to understand why they pull. Here are the top three reasons your dog pulls.
1) It’s rewarding. Your dog truly believes that pulling gets him what he wants. Whether he is pulling you to sniff a tree, pulling you to go greet someone, or simply pulling you to go forward…he is being rewarded for pulling since it gets him to where he wants to go (you might as well give him a cookie for pulling). In order to stop the pulling you need to change your dogs thinking. He does not get to move forward if he is pulling. The key to this working is you need to be 110% consistent about applying this rule, and you cannot move forward even an inch when he pulls.
2) You. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but a lot of the reason your dog pulls falls on you. Do you get your dog wound up before a walk by asking “Want to go for a walk?” in an overly excited tone and laugh when your dog is running around like a crazy man before you even have the leash out? Then when you go to leave for your walk you get mad that your dog won’t walk calmly? You might as well give a kid espresso then tell them to go to bed. Do you allow your dog to barge out the door? The ability to calmly wait and exit the house is one of the first steps to a good walk. Are you anxious, annoyed, hold tension, or simply just dread the walk because your dog normally pulls you around the block? Your state of mind is an incredibly important component to a loose leash walk. Do you hold the leash tight at all times, even when your dog is in position? Most people don’t know how to let go of the tension on the leash, causing the dog to never know what loose leash feels like. For change to happen in your dog, you need to change first.
3) Wrong tool. You are using the wrong tool, or are using it incorrectly. Most training tools are available for purchase at your local pet store. The problem is the staff at the store are not likely educated on how to fit them, and use them properly. By hiring a dog trainer who knows how to use the tool effectively, you won’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on the next latest magical collar to stop your dog from pulling.
So if your dog pulls, take these three things into consideration the next time you go for a walk (which should be today since dogs need daily walks!). Once you can address these issues, your dog should be walking beside you in no time!
Happy Training!
Katherine
Canines In Balance
Hamilton, Ontario
by The Crunchy Canine | Sep 20, 2015 | TESTIMONIALS
“Four months ago, I was about to abandon my dog that I rescued in July 2013. He was a hellhound in many ways. He would eat up my shoes, run away at every chance, pee all over me, and not affectionate at all. I have had dogs all my life; and took this dog to three rounds of dog training in Toronto. At the end of day, I was at wit’s ends! Katherine at Canines In Balance was my last resort before I completely abandon this dog. Turns out, she saved my dog and my outlook towards him. As she puts it, I had the wrong tools. She patiently empowered me with proper tools and skills to ensure my dog and I bonded as a unit. It started immediately from 1st week and continuously improved as the weeks followed. Katherine’s style is gentle and non-invasive. It is truly a “balanced” approach.
Overall, kudos to Katherine for her continued support and attention. Because of Katherine, my dog trusts me as a responsible decent human being and not those that had abused him previously; and most of all, I love my dog!”
– Victor with Hunter
GTA, Ontario dog training gta
If you are looking for Dog Training in the GTA, contact us for a FREE evaluation – 905-869-1170 dog training gta
