Positive Approaches to Happier Dogs
DOG training services
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Positive Approaches to Happier Dogs
DOG training services
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Come to our new location at: 5 Copeland St. Quincy We will be offering individual training, classes, and training supplies.
Training continues for Small and Mighty Puppies and Dogs, at our new location in Quincy, MA. We will continue to provide training at the Blue Hill Riding Center on Willard street in Quincy and at K9 to Five in Hanover.
or Call for more Information call (617) 934-4955 or e-mail Wicked Good Dog Links For Information About the Alaskan Klee Kai puppies seen on this site go to www.akkma.org
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Blue’s Boy’s Letter Home I was cleaning up my computer and came across a
letter I wrote to BB’s breeder when we had only had him for ten days. I wanted
to share this with you because I think it points out how hard raising a puppy
can be, and how your puppy might view this critical 2 weeks. Enjoy.
Dear Grandma, I’ve been in my new home now for ten days and although I miss you I really like my new pack. The first day was long and scary but daddy kept his hand on me for the entire eleven hours in the plane and made me feel safe. It was kinda fun seeing all the people at the airport in Chicago. Everyone came over to daddy to ask about me and touch me. You would have been proud grandma, I had my ears up the whole time and although reserved I wasn’t shy at all. When we got home I met the rest of my new pack. Lots of new animals to check out. They have four parrots; two cats that I just love to chase and bite on the behind, two little people who I play with like litter mates and my new mama. The next day we played and mama let me sleep on her because I was so tired. I followed daddy around most of the day because he saved me so many times when I was scared in the airplane. We all went to a new doctor and I was so sure of her and my new family, and so tired that I fell asleep on the exam table while the vet talked to my mommy and daddy and petted me. I’ve learned so much since I arrived. I know where to pee and poop. Sometimes I have what mommy calls puppy accidents, especially when I’m playing with the kids I sometimes forget where I have to pee until it is too late. Mommy doesn’t scold me though because most of the time I am running to get to the paper while I’m peeing, LOL. I also learned to sleep through the night very quickly in my crate on my daddy’s night stand. Mommy and daddy help me by limiting my drinking and food after 7pm. They also stay awake until 11:30 and daddy wakes up at 5:00 so I can make it easy. I know my name is BB. My mommy is so happy to see me when she calls for me I come running. Sometimes she has a surprise treat for me but mostly I come for the lovin’ and the pettin’. I won’t come for anyone else yet but someday I might. Mommy is teaching me to sit and its been so much fun. I get really special treats just for putting my butt on the ground and my front legs down too. I used to grab for mommy’s hand but now I’m getting the hang of it. Mommy is so proud of me. Last night I sat for a treat before she even asked!!! My new family thinks I am silly, but it is good fun to make them laugh. When anyone is in the bath tub or shower I sit outside the shower doors and bark and cry until they come out. I worry that I can’t get to them if something happens. I also grab the dish towels off of the stove handle where mommy puts them to dry and play chase with my family while they try to get them back. I’m faster but I take pity on them and slow down at the end so they can catch me. When I’m awake I always play with my toys. I like tug the best and rawhide is cool. But my favorite is a stuffed dinosaur that squeaks. Mommy thinks it’s funny how I play at top speed then run over to the couch where she is watching and put my front paws on it so I can be picked up and fall asleep. I can jump up myself, but when I get tired I find the jump hard. I haven’t chewed too many things that I shouldn’t. Mostly that’s because mommy is watching me all of the time. She even ties me to her if she is going to be too busy to watch. Even then I can be fast and sneaky. Mommy knows I know I shouldn’t dig at the rug because I look so guilty when I’m caught. It’s only the all wool rug in the living room. I am getting better though. After mommy sprayed the entire rug with bitter apple I don’t pull any more fibers out with my mouth. Mommy says if she combs the spot on the rug a certain way you can hardly tell that it’s bald. And the fringe on the rug in the bedroom was already pulled out, I swear. I’ve even started making “friends” with the cats. Once the black one stopped running and stood her ground I was scared a little and ran to mommy. Now we sniff each other’s noses and can be in the same room with out my hunting them. It pleases mommy so I try hard to treat the kitties nice. The orange kitty though is just too much fun to chase. He’s slow and I can corner him so easy!! Mommy always comes to get me before the cat can get me so I guess we hunt him together! The other puppy in the house is kinda old and cranky. She was kinda mean to me at first and I was really confused when she refused to play with me. But even she greets me and wags her tail when she thinks mommy is not looking. I think she is a little jealous, but we’ve come to an understanding. She won’t growl at me if I don’t jump on her head. Sometimes she even forgets to growl when I am on her head!!!! Someday I think we even might be friends. Mommy has been worried about the other dog, Mattie because she has been sick. Mommy took her to the vet and was told that her diarrhea is probably due to nerves or possibly an auto immune disorder but is not contagious to me. Mattie was x rayed and her lungs have pleurisy, her kidney is not functioning correctly and has crystals in it, and her liver is enlarged. The doctor thinks she is suffering from massive internal inflammation. Maybe a thyroid problem or Addison’s disease. Mommy was crying this morning while Mattie was sleeping so I snuggled with her and licked her cheek. Hopefully the medicine will work and the blood work will come back with good news. I don’t like to see mommy sad. And it’s hard to be kept away from my new friend just in case and to let her rest. I get along with the kids too. They are very different. The little one is sweet and plays with me all day when daddy goes to work and the older girl goes to school. I do anything the little one says because she treats me nice and seems to know what I want before I do. A real dog whisperer in the making. I nipped her once a little too hard and she cried and cried. I felt so bad I put my ears back and crawled to her trying to make up. I don’t nip her anymore, I don’t want her to cry and stop playing with me. The older girl is nice too but sometimes I want to go pee or I’m hungry and she is holding me and won’t let go. Mommy is working on this for me and makes sure I get what I need. Mommy says that the only bad habit I have that she thinks is worse than other puppies she has had is my tendency to bite or nip too hard during playing or when I am very excited. I sometimes nip mommy in the neck or chin when I am excited to greet her. Mommy is very good about this, but I don’t like being put down and ignored and I don’t like when mommy yelps so I try very hard to not bite too much. Mommy’s not worried about it though because I have improved so much in the last week that she thinks I will stop mostly when I get bigger. I’m only nipping like I would other dogs after all. Mostly I love my family. Already I greet them with happiness and excitement when they come home, or when I wake up from a nap and find them still here, it makes me really happy. I even have started barking with the other dog when someone is outside. I will protect my family from now on. I love them and I know that I will be loved and spoiled forever. Thanks grandma for bringing us together. Mommy thinks I am the
happiest and most loving puppy in the world. Love and licks, Blue’s Boy Note: Blue’s Boy (BB) never did get over his nipping with age. I taught him to greet people with a toy in his mouth. At first I had to hand him one. By the time he was 9 months old he would leave his crate and look for a toy before greeting us. At 3 years old he continues the habit to this day and has even taught our youngest dog to do this.
To Click or Not to Click? By Michelle Carlin, Wicked Good Dog, L.L.C. If you have a new puppy or even an older dog, the clicker
training method might be for you. Clicker training is pet friendly and never
involves force which makes it an ideal tool in households with young children
who will want to be involved with training the new puppy. In addition, dogs
really enjoy this type of training. When I take out my clicker, all four of my
dog line up and sit to see who will get to make me click first and get a treat.
The technique was brought to Dogs by Karen Pryor who learned its power by training Dolphins. To get a well trained dog with this method takes about five minutes, twice per day. Whenever the dog is doing something you like just click and treat. Click for quiet instead of barking, for sitting instead of jumping, etc. Once the dog understands what works, the clicker and treats can fade back. My three Klee Kai are clicker trained. Are they perfect? Not really. Perfection is too high a standard for any living creature. But each has learned the basic commands and more important for our little friends, they have learned to remain calm and focused. Blue’s Boy (BB), from Heart of Texas and Barbara Williams, is just shy of two years old. Described in his puppy hood as a dog that worries too much, he is the perfect example of clicker training success. Last month we went to the South Shore VCA to have a lump on BB’s lip looked at. The male vet was unknown to BB. A stranger, especially a male stranger are big triggers for BB. The vet was kind and allowed BB several minutes to get used to him. A biopsy needed to be performed by putting a needle in this sensitive lump and twirling it around to get enough cells out to study. Even though the vet told me that BB’s heart was racing and he was surprised at how calm he appeared, we decided to let BB lay down on the table and I would help him stay while the vet performed the procedure. With one hand full of tasty treats, I put BB into a down stay on the table and draped my arm loosely over his shoulders as if we were cuddling on the couch at home. The first time the needle punctured the spot he reared his head back and we had to start again. This time, the clicker trainer in me finally came out and I used a marker word instead of a click to tell BB exactly what I wanted. The boy performed like a champ and didn’t move a muscle while the biopsy was performed. The procedure took long enough that my five year old daughter turned her chair around to face the wall because she couldn’t watch. I have hundreds of similar anecdotes about my dogs and others I have had in class. Not only has the clicker helped these dogs learn all of the basic commands, but they have learned to learn, and more importantly, learned how to understand us and what we want from them. So no matter how old your dog is, grab a book on clicker training, a clicker, and commit to the five minutes a day needed to train your dog. It could be a New Year’s resolution for the entire family.
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