by The Crunchy Canine | Jun 3, 2016 | BLOG
Make training your dog fun!
Everything your dog does depends on you. YOU let him out of his crate in the morning. YOU feed him. YOU let him outside to play. [Hopefully], YOU walk him and play with him. YOU control your dog’s daily activities, resources and environment. Essentially you are your dogs whole world. Not only does your dog deserve to have some fun with you, but dogs who get out and have fun with their owners are overall more well rounded and well behaved dogs. Dogs who are bored, don’t get enough exercise, and have owners who never get out and have fun with them often have behavioural issues. Having some fun with your dog is also great for relationship building, and a great opportunity to do some training! So get out there and find something that you and your dog both enjoy doing together. Go for a hike, hit the beach, go for a bike ride, strap on the rollerblades, or simply enjoy a nice long walk together. If you make a goal of getting out and having fun with your dog every day, you will have a much happier dog.
Your dog may not be your whole world, but you are certainly his!
by The Crunchy Canine | May 24, 2016 | BLOG
Off Leash Dog Training – Burlington, Ontario
Bear is a 9 month old German Shepherd Dog who is with us for a 2 week board and train. By the end of 2 weeks he will be off leash reliable. Today was only the second day and I was able to drop the leash while working on our off leash heel command. We are using low level remote collar training to teach Bear to be off leash. He is working on a level 3 of 100 (the average human does not even feel anything until at least a level 10 on the collar). We use the collar to communicate with the dog and give him information. We are not correcting him, we are motivating him. As you can see he is not in pain, nor is he upset. In fact he is quite happy and enjoying his new found freedom!
For more information on our Freedom from the Leash program please contact us at [email protected] to see how we can help you and your dog be fully reliable off leash too!
by The Crunchy Canine | Mar 22, 2016 | BLOG
Is your dog digging in the yard? Does it seem like you can’t even leave your dog out for 2 minutes without finding them busily putting yet another hole in your grass? Good thing is, yes we can help you with your dog digging problems. Bad news is, it’s not a simple fix like you might think.
Digging in the yard is very common problem I get asked for help with. Unfortunately, like most problems not only is there no magic wand to wave and fix it, digging is often a symptom of a problem (not the actual problem itself), it is very natural for a dog to dig (some dogs were bred to do it), and it is very self rewarding.
But don’t worry, you can in fact stop this nuisance behaviour. First though, you need to ask yourself a few things. dog digging
- How much exercise does your dog get? And no I don’t mean how much backyard time does he get (because not only does that not count as exercise, it’s likely when the digging is happening). Dogs NEED an outlet. They need a job. They have energy to burn and they need you to make sure they have a way to get rid of it. So no, putting the dog outside in the yard does not qualify as exercise. Be honest when you answer the question. Dogs need a MINIMUM of two 30 minute walks or one long walk (no less than an hour) PER DAY. Not 2-3 times a week. Not when you have time or when you feel like it. If you were couped up in a house all day (or maybe even in a crate), and the only fun you had was to run around the back yard 3 times a day for 10 minutes, don’t you think you might come up with a way to entertain yourself and burn some energy? And here is where digging comes in. If your dogs only sees the outside in the confines of your fenced in yard, and he is a high energy young dog. Guess what? He is going to dig.
- If your dog is getting adequate exercise, you might try upping their exercise by even just 25% (the more the better). Or engage in a game of tug or fetch. Your dog will love it!
- If your dog still digs with the added exercise, you will want to monitor your dog’s outside time. Just like with children, we manage their environment until they can handle making their own decisions (and making the right decision). So throw on the leash and go outside with your dog for the next 2 weeks. Don’t allow them to dig. If they try, then you go back inside. They will quickly learn their outside time is cut short if they dig.
- As mentioned above, dogs need a job and some more so than others. So give your dog something else to do. Invest in a Jolly Egg or Puzzle Ball and give your dog something appropriate to do while they are outside.
- If you have tried (and seriously given it an honest go) all of the above and your dog is still insisting on digging, your next option is to create a deterrent. Some people put their dog’s poop in their favourite holes to stop digging. It can work, but we find sprinkling cayenne pepper in the holes works even better. If your dog is random about where they dig, grab some cayenne in bulk and sprinkle it generously throughout the yard.
- If all else fails…contact us and we will do remote collar training to stop the digging. But we think you will be successful at stopping it before it comes to that!
If you need help with training your dog not to dig, give us a call for a FREE evaluation! 905-869-1170 or [email protected]
Happy Training!
Katherine
dog digging
by The Crunchy Canine | Mar 13, 2016 | BLOG
Imagine yourself taking a walk, minding your own business, enjoying your day. Then you encounter a guy running straight towards you, shouting and getting right in your personal space, possibly even touching you. How would this make you feel? You probably wouldn’t like it, you might even react in a way you normally wouldn’t just to get the guy to back off. off leash training
Now replace yourself with your dog, and the guy with an off leash dog. See where I am going with this?
It would be nice to be able to walk my dogs (on leash) through my neighbourhood without having to worry about being charged by off leash dogs. About once a week while walking my dogs a random dog who is either off leash on the front lawn or a dog who has been intentionally let off leash with little to no recall rushes me and my dogs. DON’T BE THAT PERSON! off
I get it, accidents happen, and dogs accidentally get out the front door or sneak through a crack in the fence you didn’t even know was there. My issue falls with the people who intentionally allow their untrained, rude dogs to run up to people and their dogs who are following the law by having their dog on leash while on public property without any regard. Even worse when the person doesn’t even try to get their dog back and doesn’t even apologize!
There are two common scenarios in which we often get charged by off leash dogs. The first is the people who let their dog out on their front lawn, terrorizing anyone trying to walk by on the sidewalk. Even if your dog is still on your property (whether it be your driveway or grass), but runs right to the edge barking, still unacceptable. Often this scenario can result in dogs running across the street to charge another dog, which is also asking for the loose dog to get hit by a car. The second scenario is the person who just wants to let their dog have some fun at the park but has not trained a reliable recall. Which is all fun and games until that dog sees another dog at the park and takes off like a rocket with the owner casually calling his name and yelling “Don’t worry he’s friendly”! In either case, neither I or my dogs appreciate these encounters. Not only is it rude, and obnoxious, it’s also very stressful for the dog being rushed as well as their owners, and potentially VERY dangerous. Even the friendliest dogs can feel threatened and react towards dogs charging at them, especially when they are on leash and the other dog is not. So when you make the decision to have your dog off leash, consider your surroundings and having the common courtesy to not allow your dog to rush other dogs. If your dog cannot handle being on the front lawn without barking at passersby, or can’t be at the park off leash without running off then please don’t let them out off leash. Don’t be that person!
If you need help with training your dog to be off leash give us a call! 905-869-1170 or [email protected]
Happy Training!
Katherine off leash training
off leash training
by The Crunchy Canine | Feb 11, 2016 | BLOG
With the extreme cold weather, it’s not ideal to be out for long walks. If you have a high energy dog though that can be a problem with keeping your sanity. I like to change it up with the games we play, so we aren’t always playing fetch. The flirt pole is a fantastic way to train while playing and burning energy. All you need is a lunge whip for horses (can pick one up at your local tack shop or Tractor Supply Co-op), and a toy to tie to the end. You can incorporate impulse control training and even work through some commands while playing with the flirt pole. It’s an overall great tool to have in your toolbox!
Happy Training!
Katherine Vooys- McDonald
Canines In Balance
Hamilton, Ontario
Dog training Hamilton, On
by The Crunchy Canine | Jan 28, 2016 | BLOG
Dog training hamilton BC, ontario
Who wouldn’t want to have a happy dog? I mean we love our pets as if they were our own kin, but do we really know how to make them happy? Most people think love and affection is all you need. WRONG, so wrong! While our dogs do crave our affection it certainly should not be the first thing you give them. Check out below the 10 ingredients to having a happy dog (and in turn happy you!). I suggest taking a look at your current arrangements and honestly asses where each of these points fall. If you make some adjustments and rearrange your priorities I promise you will see significant changes in your dog and your relationship! dog training hamilton, ontario
1. A good quality diet
2. Playtime
3. Exercise
4. Quiet time and down time
5. Socialization
6. Give your dog a job
7. Rest and sleep
8. Training
9. Maintaining good health
10. Love and affection (note this is last for a reason…don’t let it work it’s way up to #1 otherwise you can expect the behavioural issues to begin!)
Make small changes today and each day, and you will see your dog transform. What we view as “happy” is likely not what a dog sees as being happy. Do this for your dog!
Happy Training!
Katherine Vooys- McDonald
Hamilton, Ontario
dog training hamilton bc, ontario
dog den
