Announcement: Dog Training Nation Joins ABC

February 16, 2018 by Fanna Easter

I’ve got some amazing news!

Dog Training Nation will be joining forces with Animal Behavior College.

Animal Behavior College offers certifications in the pet services industry. They have programs in dog training, veterinary assisting, pet grooming and cat training.

A lot of my subscribers have been asking for more pet grooming and veterinary care content in addition to my dog training articles. While I can cover dog training no problem, I’d love to provide you helpful content from other industry experts, such as professional pet groomers and veterinary technicians. This is why I think merging with ABC will be beneficial to you.

The quality and resourceful content of mine that you love to read isn’t going away. I will continue to share my positive dog training advice and insights on the ABC blog. In addition, you can find my old and new videos on ABC’s YouTube channel.

Thank you SO MUCH for being a loyal reader of Dog Training Nation! I hope you join me in my new home at ABC hosted by kinsta!

Follow the links below to join me at ABC! You can also check out their blog here
https://www.animalbehaviorcollege.com/blog/ and YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/AnimalBehaviorColleg/.

High Tech Dog Toys To Keep Your Dog’s Brain Busy

January 25, 2018 by Fanna Easter

Dog Gadgets to Entertain Your Dog

As a professional dog trainer, I’m always scanning the dog world for new mental enrichment ideas for dogs, especially when dogs are left alone all day. Thankfully, technology is advancing and now new gadgets and apps are being created for dogs as well.

Food stuffed toys and puzzles are excellent ways to keep your dog entertained. And when they’re combined with technology, your dog will be exhausted when you arrive home from work. Check out my favorite high tech dog toys. Your dog will thank you!

Dog TV Channel

Believe it or not, dogs now have 24-hour access to their own cable channel. For $5 a month, Dog TV will keep your dog entertained for hours. Dog TV was created with the help of several leading dog behavior experts, and it continues to research new sound and visual ideas.

This channel can calm stressed dogs and provide mental enrichment with different sounds. It’s also a great way to introduce a variety of sounds to a puppy, such as a baby crying or meowing cat. Now, some dogs might dislike certain sounds, so it’s best to watch Dog TV with your dog first.

Automatic Dog Treat Dispensers

This is easily my favorite dog gadget ever! There are a number of automatic dog treat dispensers that allow you to visually check in on your dog and dispense treats. Additionally, some automatic dog treat dispensers have timers and can dispense treats throughout the day or during short treat sessions. Pairing this gadget with food stuffed toys is a fantastic way to keep dogs mentally enriched all day long. Check out these automatic treat dispensers; my favorite is Pet Tutor and Furbo dog camera is pretty good too.

iFetch

For dogs that love playing fetch or chasing a ball, they can now play this game alone in the comfort of their home. iFetch is an amazing automatic ball dispenser that will toss balls through a kitchen or down a hallway for endless fun. Dogs learn how to drop the ball back inside the dispenser to continue the game—no human needed! This dog game will keep your dog’s brain busy while providing her physical exercise. This is especially helpful for dogs that need to lose a few extra pounds. Of course, if your dog is obsessed with fetch and obsessively chases balls for hours on end, then I would not recommend this game.

How To Start Volunteering For Dog Rescue Groups

January 18, 2018 by Fanna Easter

Becoming a Dog Rescue Volunteer

Everyone wants to help a dog in need, but many are not sure of how to get involved or even where to start. Take it from a fellow dog lover and dog rescue volunteer: All dog rescue groups need manpower. Yes, donations to rescue groups are wonderful, but rescue groups need boots on the ground to assist in transporting dogs, fostering and interviewing potential adopters. It’s a new year, so get involved with dog rescue. Here are a few tips to becoming a dog rescue volunteer.

Find a Dog Rescue Group Near You

With the Internet, it’s much easier to locate a local dog rescue organization within seconds. On Google, search for a dog rescue in your area and type in “dog rescue (your city and state).” Most reputable dog rescues will pop up on the first page. You could also use the Petfinder’s website, as that is a well-known and trusted organization.

If you have a favorite breed of dog, you can find a local breed rescue by searching “(name of breed) rescue (your city and state).” Most links, including Petfinder, will redirect you to a rescue’s webpage or offer a contact email. Trust me, rescue organizations follow up quickly with emails sent to them, especially those offering help. If you don’t hear anything back within a week, send another reminder email with “volunteer” in the email subject line. Persistence is key, and much appreciated by overworked rescue folks.

Complete and Submit Online Volunteer Forms

Once a rescue group reaches out to you, they will send you a dog rescue volunteer form. Thoroughly complete the form and send it back within a week. Every volunteer must complete some type of paperwork before volunteering. Some rescue organizations have volunteer form links on their website. If so, complete the form online and send an email to their contact person informing them of your desire to volunteer.

On a rare occasion, if you don’t hear back from your chosen rescue, send a reminder email. If you still don’t receive a response, contact another local rescue in your area. Rescues are non-profit and run by volunteers that are probably overloaded with surrenders.

Change Your Schedule to Accommodate

When rescue groups need a foster home or transportation, it happens quickly. As an example, within a 24-hour notice, I drove 3 hours one way to pick up a mama dog and her 8 newborn puppies. Each transport volunteer had to change her schedule immediately since a young mother was in the process of having puppies in 15-degree weather outside. Think about it this way: Carving out 2-3 hours to help a dog in need means a new life for this dog. Be flexible. 🙂

Please volunteer for a dog rescue group. They certainly need your assistance and donations.

Introducing A Kong Toy To Your Dog: Part 3

December 22, 2017 by Fanna Easter

Making Kong Toys More Challenging For Your Dog

Make Kongs More Challenging — eldadcarin/Adobe Stock

Food stuffed toys make for fantastic mentally enriching puzzles, and all dogs should be able to enjoy them every day. If your dog will approach and dig out loose treats stuffed into a Kong (part 2), then it’s time to make Kong toys more challenging for your dog.

Tightly Pack Kongs With Food

Packing food tightly inside a Kong toy makes the puzzle more difficult to solve. Start slowly by placing a Greenie inside a Kong, then press bananas or cooked sweet potato around the Greenie to keep it in place. Place the food filled toy on a soft mat and walk away. If your dog empties her Kong, it’s time to experiment with different food stuffers and also try feeding your dog her meals out of the Kong.

A few stuffers you can fill your Kong with include:

Stuff the toy with kibble and add layers of canned food to keep them in place.
Press and fill a Kong toy with sweet potatoes and molasses.
Press bananas and blueberries inside a Kong.
Firmly pack cooked oatmeal with honey inside a Kong.
Stuff hard treats inside, such as fish skins, inside the toy.

Advanced Kong Filling

This Kong stuffing idea is difficult. Stuff a slice of bread deep within a Kong toy. When bread mixes with your dog’s saliva, it sticks inside the Kong and your dog must really work hard to remove all bits of bread. 🙂

Freeze Overnight

Once your dog is able to empty different types of food from Kongs, it’s time to make the game even more challenging. Now, some dogs dislike licking frozen food stuffed Kongs. If that’s the case with your dog, stick with tightly packed Kongs.

However, if your dog becomes a master puzzle solver, stuff Kong toys with a few fillings listed above and freeze overnight. Licking a frozen Kong toy takes a bit longer to solve, and it’s a wonderful crate game when dogs are left alone.

Now, toss out your dog’s food bowl and feed all meals out of Kong toys!

WATCH: Making Kong Toys More Challenging

Introducing A Kong Toy To Your Dog: Part 2

December 20, 2017 by Fanna Easter

How to Introduce a Kong to Your Dog Part 2

Introducing Kong to Dog — eldadcarin/Adobe Stock

Keeping your dog mentally and physically enriched is important, and Kong toys are an excellent way to fulfill that need. Most dogs are unsure of Kong toys until they’re properly introduced, which can take a few days. If you’ve already read our guide to choosing the right Kong size for your dog and started to introduce a Kong to your dog, then let’s go over step 2!

Is Your Dog Ready for Step 2?

During step 1, we slowly introduced your dog to a Kong with a bit of peanut butter smeared on the outside rim and a few loose treats inside the toy. If your dog will happily lick away at the smeared peanut butter outside of the Kong, then it’s time to move onto step 2. Now, it’s time to make this food stuffed toy a bit more difficult for your dog. Remember, food stuffed Kongs are like puzzles, and your dog needs to solve it before getting all the treats out.

Digging Treats Out of a Kong

Smear a bit of peanut butter or cream cheese inside the outer rim of the Kong, so your dog must lick inside of the toy to get the food. Toss a few treats inside the Kong, such as bits of cheese, diced hot dogs or blue cheese crumbles.

Place the food filled Kong on a soft mat and walk away. Now, your dog is thinking, “Oh, this weird rubber toy smells really good and I must dig out all the goodness!” Practice twice a day for 2-3 days.

Multiple Dog Households and Kongs

When offering food stuffed Kongs to several dogs at once, it’s best to separate all dogs. Toss the dog toys inside secured crates or behind baby gates to prevent resource guarding among your dogs. Even the very best of friends will squabble over a peanut butter filled Kong, so prevention is key every time.