Teaching Dogs Self-Control

December 29, 2014 by Fanna Easter

How to Train a Dog to Leave It

By far, this is my favorite behavior to teach puppies and dogs. You’re teaching them to control themselves. This is a must-have for adolescent dogs. I call this “Puppy Zen.” It teaches dogs polite behaviors while remaining still.

Teaching Self-Control

The goal of “leave it” is to have your dog ignore a chicken bone, dropped medication, previously chewed gum or a dead squirrel. “Leave it” is not hard to teach if taught in sections so I’ll explain how to teach the first part. Follow each step in order for best results.

Hold a treat in your left hand. Completely close your hand around the treat so he can’t nibble or take away the treat.
Place your closed fist holding the treat in front of your dog’s nose.
Wait until he stops licking, nibbling or nuzzling your hand. Click the moment you don’t feel him touching your hand and give him the treat.
Practice 5 times in a row.

Usually, by the fifth or sixth time, your dog will ignore your hand, meaning he will not nudge it. Click and treat. This is what you want.

Refrain from saying the cue. We want the behavior taught first, then we’ll add the cue. This will be in “Leave It Part 2.”

Homework

Practice 5 times per day. Always keep practice sessions short or your dog will get bored. Maybe take a few pieces of kibble and practice before meals.

Next Step

Practice Part 1 for 3-4 days, then move to Part 2.
In Part 2, you’ll learn how to add the cue.
Part 3 explains how to use “Leave It” for items on the ground.

Leave It Part 1 (Teaching Self-Control)

Food Puzzles For Dogs

December 22, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Dog Food Puzzles

Food Puzzles for Dogs — Feed meals from a food puzzle instead of a bowl.

Is your dog eating out of a food bowl still? Try using food puzzles instead. This extends meal times to 15-20 minutes while providing mental stimulation. What does this all mean? A tired dog! 🙂 Give food puzzles for dogs a try. You’ll thank me.

What is a Food Puzzle?

Food puzzles for dogs have become all the rage lately, but why? Food puzzles not only feed and reward dogs, but they also make dogs think, which exercises their brains. We all know how mentally tired we are after solving a complex issue. Well same goes for dogs. Plus, the “use it or lose it”saying applies to dogs’ brains too even for senior dogs.

Every morning, dogs wake up with a full tank of energy. We need to find ways to burn their excessive energy or they will find their own way. Food puzzles work perfectly. Feed morning meals in the bathroom while you’re getting ready for work. Feed evening meals while you’re cooking or eating dinner. Most dogs need a nap afterwards.

Choosing a Food Puzzle

Food puzzles range from plastic to wooden, and both have their pros and cons. Plastic is super easy to clean; wooden food puzzle toys work best for dogs with sensitivities to plastic.

As a general rule, choose an easy food puzzle for novice puzzle solvers. If it’s too hard, most dogs will give up. My favorites are Kyjen Dog Feeder and Green Interactive Feeder by Northmate. Again, as with anything, each has its pros and cons. Kyjen works great if your dog eats a raw diet. It’s easy to clean with less nooks and crannies for bacteria to grow. Also, this toy works really great for impatient eaters, as dogs are less likely to tip over the toy. Green Interactive Feeders work great for dogs with medium to long muzzles, are super easy to sprinkle kibble between the grass blades and are easy to clean.

For food puzzle wizards, give Nina Ottosson’s puzzle games a try. They vary in difficulty depending on your dog’s experience. Some of her food puzzles can hold a dog’s entire meal while others need to be refilled as needed. Either way, your dog will have a blast!

Does your dog inhale his food? Try food puzzles!

WATCH: Feeding Your Dog With Food Puzzles

You may also like: Kong Dog Toys

Free Games for Dogs

October 31, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Free Dog Games

Free Game ideas for Dogs — Make meal times into puzzles!

Is your dog still eating out of a bowl? Try these free games for dogs! Great ideas to extend feeding time, which mentally exhausts your dog–this is a good thing!

Make Feeding Time a Puzzle

Sprinkle your dog’s kibble along a shag 3′ X 5′ rug. Now your dog must sniff and search for each individual kibble! Your dog will have tons of fun searching while you’re getting ready for work in the morning and preparing dinner for the family in the evening. What a great way to incorporate mental stimulation into every activity.

Hide your dog’s kibble in a large box filled with newspapers or old towels. This works great for terriers, which are natural diggers. Want to make it even harder? Choose a large box and remove the top. At the bottom of the box, cut a hole big enough for your terrier to enter and leave the box. Now fill the box with old newspapers and towels, sprinkle treats and kibble throughout the layers of paper, and watch your dog have a blast!

Hide a handful of kibble behind furniture (inside) or logs/outdoor furniture (outdoors). Bring your dog inside, so your dog doesn’t watch you hide his food. When done hiding food, let your dog outdoors to find treats. If your dog does not understand the game, bring him to a few spots where kibble is hidden, so he understands to search. 🙂 Add a cue, such as “Find,” to cue your dog to begin searching.

Find additional puzzle ideas here and here.

VIDEO: Free Games for Dogs

Share your doggie game ideas here. We would love to hear from you!

Kong Dog Toy Review

October 20, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Kong Dog Toys

Kongs make the best dog game ever. I love Kong dog toys and my dogs love Kongs—all dogs must have a Kong! Seriously, they’re that wonderful. Learn all about the Kong as well as my favorite Kong dog toy recipe below!

What is a Kong?

Kong dog toys are made of non-toxic rubber, so they bounce, making them fun for your dog. The best part of the Kong toy is the hole on the inside, which can be stuffed with dog food, such as canned dog food, peanut butter, cream cheese or other luscious treats! When your dog is done, pop Kongs on the top rack of your dishwasher and they’re clean!

Pro tip: Freeze a food stuffed Kong overnight, so it lasts longer.

When Should I Give My Dog a Kong?

Anytime! This is the ONLY dog toy I leave with my dogs when I’m not home. They know when I open the freezer, they run into their crates, as it’s Kong time! You can give your dog a Kong dog toy:

During group dog training class if your dog is a barker
During car rides, so he learns road trips are really fun
On rainy days
During mealtimes

My Favorite Kong Dog Toy Recipe

While I’ve experimented with many Kong recipes, my dogs love this one the most!

Ingredients

1 large can of yams
2 cups oatmeal (soaked in water overnight)
1/4 cup of blackstrap molasses

Directions

Mash the yams into small chunks in a large bowl.
Mix soaked oatmeal and 1/4 cup of blackstrap molasses into the yam mixture.
Now, using a large spout funnel, fill each Kong until full. (Personally, I use my fingers, but my hubby swears by the funnel method.) If some mixture leaks out, add peanut butter to the bottom and top hole (think of this as glue).
Freeze overnight.

Molasses is rich in minerals plus oatmeal and yams are vitamin powerhouses, making this the perfect meal! If your dog is on the chunky side, decrease molasses to 1/2 teaspoon and his waist will thank YOU!

Don’t forget to decrease your dog’s regular meals to keep him nice and slim!

WATCH: How to Use a Kong Dog Toy

What is your favorite Kong dog toy recipe? Comment below! I want to hear from you!

Indoor Games for Dogs

October 3, 2014 by Fanna Easter

The Perfect Dog Chew

It’s raining buckets outside and your excited puppy is bored. What should you do? Provide him with the perfect dog chew, which provides hours of indoor fun during a rainy day — it’s the ultimate game for dogs! 🙂

With all the interactive food puzzles on the market, we’ve forgotten one of the basic games: a good long-lasting dog chew. Don’t be fooled. It takes lots of energy, concentration and exercise to chew on something for hours. Plus, dogs crave chewing, especially puppies — it’s a natural behavior. Also, giving your dog a chew teaches him to happily remain in one spot, which most puppies and adolescent dogs need to learn.

Perfect Dog Chew Size

It’s vital to find the perfect chew size for your dog or puppy. As a general rule, if a chew fits in a dog’s mouth, meaning when he closes his mouth, you can’t see it. It’s too small. When in doubt, choose a larger size. There’s nothing worse when a dog swallows the entire chew toy — yikes!

My Favorite Dog Chews

There are a bunch out there and my dogs have tried them all. When I worked as a vet tech, I assisted in many surgeries to remove large knots of rawhide stuck in the intestinal tract. We called it the zipper surgery (that was scary stuff).

I have three requirements for dog chews:

Easy to digest, will not break into large pieces (will not get caught in the intestinal tract), and dogs must love them.

Before I tell you my fav dog chew, you must understand, my dogs are power chewers. This means they are furry termites and could chew through dry wall if allowed. 🙂

Fanna’s Favorite Chew: Bully Sticks

Yes, those stinky bully sticks are my fav chews for dogs! My dogs love them. They pass through the stomach and intestinal tract with minimal issues (maybe a bit of gas here and there), usually will not cause diarrhea and the stick remains intact even with power chewers. While many rawhides are compressed in stick form, large chunks can be chewed off and swallowed. A bully stick is whole, meaning it’s not compressed and nature made it this way. If you want to know what bully sticks are made of, then Google “What are bully sticks made of?” I won’t discuss that here, as we’re a G-rated blog!

I know there are vegetable-based chews out there, which work the same way as bully sticks. You’re more than welcome to try them. My dogs don’t love them so we stick to bully sticks. 🙂

Don’t forget to always supervise your dog when he’s chewing any type of chew.

In this video, I explain what chew supervision looks like:

I want to hear from you! What’s your dog’s favorite chew toy or indoor game for dogs?