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 info@caninesinbalance.ca
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 info@caninesinbalance.ca
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
by The Crunchy Canine | Jan 19, 2016 | BLOG
When training your puppy or dog, the tool you use should be efficient and effective. The way you use the tool should be clear, consistent, and humane. While I am not going to discuss any one specific tool, know that we use a variety of training collars when training a dog. The only tools we do not use are harnesses (of any type), or regular flat buckle collars. Of course we do have our preferences, but that is not the point of this post.
When training your dog you should be using your leash and training collar to provide the dog with information. How clear the information is will depending on the tool, and your skills and timing. There are some people with many years of experience around dogs who can use a piece of fishing line to train a dog. However, they are few and far between. Now take for example if you were to try to build a wooden box. You have a table saw and a drill, or you have a dull hand saw, some nails and a rock. Now you can probably still get the job done with the dull hand saw, nails and rock. You can cut the wood with the hand saw, but it will be slow and a little messy. You can use the rock to pound the nails into the wood. Now, the job can get done, but it wasn’t efficient or effective and the end results aren’t as great as they could be. Next, let’s look at the table saw and drill. You can cut perfectly straight lines and you can put it together quickly with the drill. Both get the job done (kind of), but one is far better than the other.
Dog training tools can be viewed the same way. The wrong tool is the dull saw and the rock. The right tool, table saw and drill. Now, for those concerned with some of the tools that might look torture devices (prime example is the prong collar), note that a table saw and drill can be used incorrectly or even with intent to cause pain. BUT when used properly they can help you build beautiful works of art! Just like the saw and drill, dog training collars can be used incorrectly, or even with the intent to cause pain. However, that comes down to the person holding the leash not the tool itself.
So, if the tool you are using is giving you the results that a dull saw and rock would give you, you might want to reconsider and try something else!
Happy Training!
Katherine Vooys-McDonald
Canines In Balance
Hamilton, Ontario
Dog training Collars
by The Crunchy Canine | Jan 18, 2016 | BLOG
House Training Your Puppy in just 4 easy steps!
When it comes to house training your puppy, the most important thing you need to remember is to be patient and consistent. House training can be very simple if you follow these steps. If you skip any steps, know that you are going to slow down the process and you may see a delay in training. Also remember that puppies are puppies, and they will make mistakes as will you. If your training is going well and your puppy makes a mistake, take note of whether you skipped a step that day. 95% of the time mistakes are human error, and preventable.
Here are the steps for house training your puppy:
1. Be reasonable in your expectations – Puppies are growing, and so are their bladders. Be reasonable in your puppy’s ability to hold their bladder. Up until the age of 6 months, puppies should not be left to hold their bladder for more than a few hours. You will be able to increase the time as they get older and their bladder develops. If you are gone all day, you can expect there to be accidents when you get home.
2. Limit access – Puppies usually have accidents by running to another room and eliminating, and you will find it later. Since reprimanding a puppy after the fact is useless and unfair you will need to stop the puppy from doing this. For the next 2 weeks, you will have the puppy tethered to you by leash and collar. Get a belt or carabiner to attach the leash to your waist or hold onto the leash handle. In order to be fair in correcting the puppy, you need to catch her in the act. If she is attached to you, then you can quickly clap your hands, say a firm “NO!” and then get the puppy outside. Praise, praise, praise when your puppy eliminates outside! Also limit their access to food and water if you know they are going to be left alone. Do not leave food or water in their crate and try to limit their access to it for about an hour before you leave. Being left alone with a full belly and bladder is asking for accidents when you get home.
3. Anticipate your puppy needing to eliminate before they even think they need to go. If you know your puppy just ate and drank, and normally it takes about 30 minutes before they have an accident, then you need to take your puppy outside 20 minutes after they eat or drink. Take them out before they even think about going in the house and they won’t even have the opportunity to go inside. Over time you will be able to extend the time as they learn to hold it but still stay on top of it. If 3 hours go by and they haven’t asked to go out and haven’t had an accident, then take them outside anyways. And when they go out and the eliminate, throw them a party!
4. Crate Train – If you are not crating your puppy already, go out and get a size appropriate crate. There are crates that adjust to make them bigger as the puppy grows. You want there only to be enough room for the puppy to get up and turn around in the crate. If you get it any bigger they will eliminate in one side of the crate and go lay in the other side. Moving forward, if you are not home or cannot have your eyes on the puppy, crate them. If you need help crate training you can check out our “How to Crate Train” article or please give us a call at 905-869-1170 or email us at info@caninesinbalance.ca to set up a training appointment.
If you need further help for house training your puppy please give us a call for a FREE evaluation at 905-869-1170 or info@caninesinbalance.ca
Happy Training!
Katherine Vooys-McDonald
Canines In Balance
Hamilton, Ontario
