Canine Hydrotherapy Training Tips

April 15, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Hydrotherapy for Dogs

Canine Hydrotherapy — “I was working out,” says Sobek.

If your dog will spend any time using an underwater treadmill, I have a few training tips for you. For the last three weeks, Sobek has been rocking hydrotherapy, but we had to make a few training tweaks so he could really love it. The week following his first hydro session, Sobek kept pulling to jump in the tank—it’s his favorite part now!

Trust your canine rehab specialist. He has successfully introduced hundreds of dogs to hydrotherapy and water tank.

These experts will guide you along the process.

Benefits of Hydrotherapy

The difference in Sobek’s gait has been remarkable every time he finishes a hydrotherapy session. He moves fluidly and really extends out his repaired knee (post TTA surgery for ACL rupture). Now, I’m not a canine rehab specialist, but I am a dog trainer. I can certainly provide you hydro training tips for your dog. Check out this link for details on canine hydrotherapy.

Getting in the Hydrotherapy Tank

Sobek walked into, sniffed around and walked away from the hydrotherapy tank before he began his first session. Our rehab guy was so patient, as Sobek sniffed each corner from top to bottom and turned around several times. Once he walked out the tank, we asked him to walk back in and closed the door.

Sound of Water Filling Up

As the tank door closed, I started clicking and treating while Sobek stood still. As our rehab expert hit the button to start filling the tank, I clicked and gave Sobek several treats since the loud rushing sound could be scary.

As water filled the tank, Sobek would pick up a front foot so I clicked and treated when all four feet were on the ground. By pairing treats with the rushing sound, he quickly learned to relax and stay calm.

RELATED: Healthy Dog Treats

Walking Forward

Once the treadmill started moving, I positioned myself directly in front of him with treats. He could easily see me through the clear door. As he started walking forward, I clicked and treated. Now, dogs are wicked smart! Within a minute, Sobek learned to stand on the side railings preventing him from walking. Basically, he was cheating. 🙂 Using a treat, I lured him back on the moving treadmill and clicked and treated steady, forward movement.

Drinking Hydro Water

For some reason, Sobek drank the hydrotherapy water when the tank was filling up, while he was walking and when the water was draining. I think this was caused by stress. To prevent, I clicked when he stopped drinking and gave him a treat. Plus, pairing really good treats with a stressful situation will eventually decrease his stress.

VIDEO: Canine Hydrotherapy Training Tips

READ MORE: Canine Rehabilitation

Dog Barks When People Approach Crate

April 10, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Dog Barking in Crate

This can be scary for both people and dogs. As with any dog behavior, the more it’s practiced, the stronger it becomes so let’s teach your dog that quiet behavior and guests bring goodies!

How to Keep a Dog Quiet in Her Crate

Provide a Food Stuffed Toy

Give your dog something else to do in her crate. Provide a food stuffed toy when someone arrives at your door. When the doorbell rings, which usually produces a barking explosion, give her a stuffed toy, then answer the door. By pairing a yummy treat with guests arriving, she’ll learn guests mean cream cheese stuffed toys!

Put Up Visual Barriers

If your dog is afraid of people, provide visual barriers along three sides of her crate. Blocking your dog’s view will usually stop barking. If dog barking in crate continues, try placing your dog’s crate in a room further away from the front door and living room, and play soft music to drown out voices. Don’t forget to give her a food stuffed toy to keep her busy.

Dogs bark for many reasons. Most are excited and others are nervous so determine the reasons why your dog barks. Check out this offensive aggression article for suggestions. If your dog is scared and she can’t get away, she’ll do what it takes to scare someone away.

Play the Toll Game

If your dog is overly excited when guests come over, play the toll game. Dogs can’t bark when eating treats–well 99 percent of them can’t. 🙂 So your dog learns to be quiet and anticipates your guests walking over and giving treats.

Give your guest a small bowl of tiny yummy treats.
Ask your guest to walk past your dog’s crate and toss a treat inside. Ask him to repeat three or four times.
Now, raise your criteria. Ask your guest to stand near your dog’s crate and toss a treat inside when your dog stops barking. Practice for one minute, then give your guest and dog a break. Pop into another room and enjoy your guest.
Before your guest leaves, ask him to pay the toll again. 🙂

If your dog becomes too excited and explodes into barking, ask your guest to leave the room. Once your dog is quiet again, your guest can pop in and give your dog a handful of treats. Don’t forget to practice with several different guests. I usually ask each guest to spend two or three minutes playing the toll game upon arrival.

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Introducing Your Dog to House Guests

April 9, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Easy Tips for Introducing Your Dog to House Guests

Guests are coming over. What should you do with your dog? Follow these easy tips on introducing and socializing your dog to visitors so you can enjoy your party.

Keep Your Dog Leashed

If your dog jumps up on people or becomes overly excited, leash your dog before opening the door. Don’t forget to reward your dog with yummy treats for keeping all four feet on the floor when greeting people.

If your dog becomes overstimulated during greetings on leash, put him in his crate with a food stuffed Kong. Once everyone arrives and settles in, then you can try again.

Keep Greetings Away From the Door

About five minutes before guests are due to arrive, I crate my dogs with a food stuffed toy. Once everyone arrives and settles in with a beverage, I leash my dogs and introduce them to our company. If the dogs become overly excited, we take a few steps back and wait until they calm down. Once calm, we walk back toward guests and continue greeting for a few more minutes.

After everyone has hugged and squeezed each dog, I put our dogs back in their crates. Sobek and Stella are young dogs. Once they master “I’ll say hello and then take a nap in the corner,” they will continue to practice polite greetings.

Enjoy Your Party

Once dogs are back in their crates, chewing on luscious food stuffed toys, I return back to guests and enjoy the party. Before everyone leaves for the night, I leash both dogs again and bring them back to the party, as we say good night. Some pet parents may frown at this idea because they would love their dogs to enjoy the party, but I’ve learned my lesson the hard way. During a party, a well meaning friend slipped my dog a large piece of fried chicken skin. That night and the next few days were terrible. My dog’s tummy was tore up! It’s best to keep everyone safe.

If you would like your dogs to attend your party, I recommend supervised tethering. Leash them to the chair you’re sitting in and provide a wonderful food stuffed toy to enjoy while relaxing with guests. Not only are they enjoying the party, they’re also learning to relax around a large group of people while practicing polite manners.

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4 Tips for Renting with Large Dogs

April 8, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Renting with Large Dogs

We’ve been homeowners for years so when a new job opportunity popped up, we were faced with renting a home again. But wait, we have a Rottweiler and Bull Terrier. No one will rent to us, right? Oh, it was not easy, but we found the perfect home and I learned a ton!

Check Out Rental Websites

When looking for rental property, I scoured rental websites. My favorites were Zillow and HotPads, both of which have filters that drill down pet-approved rentals while zeroing in on specific mapped locations. Check daily. You never know what will pop up, and pet-friendly rental property goes fast!

Consider Renting a Home

Many renters share their homes with dogs, and with the soft housing market, it seems many property managers are opening their doors to pets. Using property rental websites, you can view a listed home’s buying, selling and rental history, which is interesting. It seems many rental homes were listed for sale at one time, then after a few months on the market, they were removed and listed for rent. Plus, who wouldn’t want a backyard, right?

Stay Away From Large Property Management Companies

Personally, I found large property management companies discriminating against specific breeds of dogs, such as Rottweilers and Bull Terriers, so I quickly crossed them off my list. One of the frustrating parts of searching for rental homes is about half of rental listings were managed by these folks. And we all know it’s not the breed; it’s the owners of the dog. (OK, I’m off my soapbox. Grr.)

Create Doggie Resumes

When searching for rental property, I stumbled upon this darling idea. Pet-friendly landlords want to know about your dogs so this quick attachment gives them a pretty good idea of your dogs. Take this moment to brag about your dog’s accomplishments, such as graduating puppy and basic manners classes. Once completed, save as a PDF file and forward to landlord before viewing a property. Add a color photo, keep it short and address your landlord’s concerns:

Is your dog up-to-date on vaccinations?
Does your dog bark excessively?
Will you confine your dog to his crate when left alone?
Is your dog potty trained?
Is your dog friendly around people? (Have they bitten or tried to bite someone?)
References (Vet, dog trainer, dog savvy friends, etc.).

Good luck and have patience. The right house will come around!

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My Dog is a Messy Eater

April 7, 2015 by Fanna Easter

What to Do if Your Dog is a Messy Eater

Oi, some dogs insist on spilling or carrying kibble to another spot to consume and I’m not exactly sure why this happens, but it does. So let’s tidy up our dog’s eating habits.

Place Mat Under Dog Bowl

If your dog picks up and chews her food next to the food bowl, try placing an easy-to-clean mat under her bowl. Not only will a mat catch crumbs, it’ll also protect flooring from moisture.

For food-relocating dogs, try adding a floor protector over their coveted eating location to protect flooring and keep the area tidy. This works 50 percent of the time and the other relocating percent finds another area to eat in peace.

Try Food Stuffed Toys

Stuff your dog’s daily meals into a food dispensing toy. My favorites are Kongs and the Kong Wobbler. Not only will this keep things tidy, but your dog will also be exhausted after each meal.

For food forging dogs, play along and scatter their food along a rug. They’ll sniff, hunt and chew each kibble. When they’re done, pick up the rug.

Add Yummy Stuff

Sometimes, adding yummy stuff, such as canned food or yogurt, encourages your dog to finish his meal quickly, meaning eating out of his food bowl. It’s worth a try!

Feed Him in Crate