How to stop your dog from jumping: Week two of our March de-stressing tips

Do you dread people coming to your house because you don’t know how to get your dog to stop jumping? We are here to help! Continuing our March theme of giving you some helpful de-stressing tips, we are focusing on jumping.

The behaviors your dog displays when meeting another person can be just as important as the behaviors they display when meeting another dog. Before you scold Fido for jumping on people, it’s important to establish your rules for jumping. Decide what you want to allow your dog to do, and stick with it. Once you determine whether or not you will allow your dog to jump, you can begin training.

The main rule of training is just as important for you to follow as it is for your pooch: You cannot be selective about who your pup can and can't jump on. It’s no okay to praise and pet your dog when they jump on you, for example, but punish them when they jump on grandma.

The most important part of teaching your dog not to jump is to remove any type of attention when they do. Even when you tell a dog “no,” they are still getting some sort of attention from you. Your dog doesn’t care whether or not the attention is negative or positive, as long as they are getting attention. When your dog jumps, it’s best to turn your body around 180 degrees, face away from them and ignore them. This removes the attention they are used to getting and discourages jumping.  Here is a short clip of staff member Caitlyn demonstrating the 180 turn and asking for a sit before petting:

It is crucial that you do not overreact when your dog does jump. If your dog is jumping on you, sniffing and giving you love and you respond by shouting in their face or putting your knee up, you are actually rewarding the wrong behavior and giving your dog the attention they are craving. Believe it or not, this encourages the jumping! The only effective way to respond to jumping is to remove all reinforcement by turning your back, walking away, or giving the dog a time out.

If you do have a dog that you allow to jump, it’s important to take steps to prevent your dog from jumping on someone that they shouldn’t. When grandma comes to visit, ask for a different behavior out of your dog, such as a sit, or prevent them from jumping by curbing the leash. There are ways of managing the situation when you can’t do anything else. You just have to choose the one that works for you.

Morris K9 Campus works on building “no jumping” skills in our Level 02: Impulse Control class. Register your dog for a pet training membership today.

                                         

Morris K9 Campus Levels Training Information

Chew on This

Is your dog a destructive chewer, ruining everything you own? Hopefully this week’s De-Stress Fest will help relax you. It’s all too easy for your dog to be the reason you stress out. For the month of March, every week we will be taking a look at common ways that your dog can stress you out, and help solve them. This week we are taking a look at destructive chewing and ways that you can help occupy your pooch.

When a dog is chewing, one reason can be a lack of exercise. Every dog has a different energy level and therefore needs a different amount of exercise. If your dog is excessively chewing at home, getting out could do them a lot of good. It’s important to create an exercise plan that sets a minimum amount of time each week that will be devoted to your dogs exercise schedule. Consistency is key in order to keep your dog active. Just because you consistently bring your dog to the park one week, and keep them home the next because of the bad weather, doesn’t mean your dog is getting an adequate amount of exercise. Daycare can be a great option that allows your dog to be social with other dogs, while allowing them to expend their energy. 

Treats above are sold at Morris K9 Campus.

It’s important to have the proper tools for the proper situations. For example it is important to introduce your dog to toys that they are allowed to chew on, such as antlers , himalayan chews, stuffed bones or Kongs. This can keep your dog occupied and distracted from chewing on the furniture or other household items. It’s also important to make sure you have tools in place when you leave the house. Interactive toys are great, and keep your dog occupied while you are gone. However it is important to only allow your dog to have these types of things when you are not there. When you leave the house get the toy out, and when you come home put the toy away. It puts a value on the toy which can make your dog more interested in it. Eliminating your dog’s behavior that is stressful to you is crucial; it will allow you to live a better life for both you and your dog.

For more information about Morris K9 Campus's Daycare please follow this link http://morrisk9campus.com/daycare.asp

Dog Training

Wrapping up the final week of Responsible Pet Owner Month, it’s time to take a look at what Morris K9 Campus believes it one of the most important things any dog owner can do for their pooch, dog training. Whether training your dog in group lessons, or in private sessions, it is important for your dog regardless of age or breed to go through training in order for them to become an outstanding dog. With training it is important that your dog begins training before you encounter an issue. It is very common that people only bring their dogs to training once they start having an issue, but if you bring your dog before you can correct issues before they even happen.

Training can greatly improve your dog’s behavior and can dramatically improve your dog’s quality of life. When you have a dog that is well trained, it allows you to bring your dog out into situations that you couldn’t have before. Dog training is important because it puts the tools that you need in place, and they are there when you need to use them. It’s important to learn how to properly motivate your dog, to make sure that you aren’t giving anything away for free and that you know what properly motives your dog.

Morris K9 Campus offers classes multiple times during the week, where the methods that we used are designed for all breeds and age of dogs.

Being a responsible pet owner means learning the proper skills in order for your dog to have the best quality of life possible. A great life for a dog starts with a good basics of training that allows your dog to do so much more. Morris K9 Campus offers a variety of different training options for you and your pooch including, group classes, private lessons, boot camp and much more. Whatever type of dog you have the perfect program is waiting for you.

Remember that being a responsible pet owner, isn’t just about one thing. It’s a combination of skills and tools that you use in order to make your dogs quality of life as high as possible. It also means not only respecting the needs of your dog, but respecting the needs of other dogs and humans. Hopefully this month gave you tips in order for you to become a more responsible pet owner.

This Sunday, February 24, Morris K9 Campus hosts a Pet Training Orientation from 5:00-6:00pm. Register at http://www.morrisk9campus.com/levels.asp.

Canine Etiquette

Responsible Pet Owner month continues and this week is a look at canine etiquette, with a focus on space etiquette and proper greetings involving your dog and other dogs. Have you ever walked your dog around the neighborhood when you suddenly encounter another dog and were not quite sure what to do?

When encountering another dog on a walk or in public and your dog is excited, usually you want to let the dogs meet. It’s important to remember that just because you have a friendly dog, doesn’t mean that every dog that you encounter will be friendly and want to meet your dog. Part of being a responsible dog owner means handling situations where your dog encounters other dogs appropriately. The biggest chance you are taking by letting your dog meet another dog on leash is assuming that the other dog wants to meet your dog.

DINOS, Dogs in Need of Space, is aimed at teaching people that it is their responsibility to ask permission before their dog approaches another dog. They also stress that just because your dog or another dog may need space, doesn’t make them a bad dog, they just need a little room. There is also the Yellow Dog Project which is an organization trying to get all dog owners to put a yellow ribbon on your dog’s leash to let other people know you have a dog that needs space.

If you do have permission for your dog to meet another dog on a walk, it is important that you take the proper steps in order for the greeting to go smoothly.

1. When meeting on leash, you have to make sure that you have a dog that responds very well to their name, as well as a command like leave it.

2. It is also good to put a command on the action of your dog being allowed to meet another dog, such as “ go say hello,” so the dog knows it’s okay to meet the other dog.

3. It’s also very important to make sure that you only allow your dog to greet another when your dog is calm. An overexcited dog is more likely to react inappropriately to the situation.

When it comes to proper etiquette while walking your dog, not only is your dog’s interaction with other people and dogs important, but also being aware of leash etiquette. It is crucial that you obey local leash laws, if your dog is off leash in an area where leashes are required, it’s not only illegal, but you are also putting the safety of everyone else in jeopardy including your own dog.

It is important that you and your dog exhibit proper etiquette when in public, and as a dog owner it is your responsibility to show them how. Check back next week for another way to become a more responsible pet owner.

Sources:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lilita/6577001349/in/photostream

http://dogsinneedofspace.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/dinos_psa_poster.jpg

http://www.theyellowdogproject.com/The_Yellow_Dog_Project/Home.html

Final Week of Pet Therapy Prep Class - How is it Going?

We practice down, stay, leave it and come!

This week is the last class before Abbie and Livvy test to become a Pet Therapy Team. This week was all about fine tuning some of the skills learned in previous classes. Abbie and Livvy are scheduled to take their evaluation test next week on January 26th.

Quickly, Abbie knew that one of her biggest challenges with Livvy was applying the command “leave it,” to anything that Livvy was supposed to ignore. “I practiced leave it a lot at home with dropping things on the floor while cooking and having treats nearby to reward Livvy when she didn’t try to eat anything off the floor.” says Abbie. It’s important to provide real-life situations as Pet Therapy teams volunteer in such places as schools and hospitals where there are certainly going to be things that are off-limits for dogs.

This week was also about building skills to be able to put multiple commends together, like in the video above, such as sit, down, stay, and come. Having a dog with an arsenal of reliable behaviors ultimately makes for a more well-rounded pet but can certainly make pet therapy visits much more enjoyable for the dog and owner. Abbie says, “I know Livvy has an excellent stay, adding distractions like people, treats, and toys was challenging but Livvy did great and I know this is an exercise that she would be able to do very well in any situation.”

We will be taking a week off so that Abbie and Livvy can continuing practicing, stay tuned for the results of their Creature Comfort Pet Therapy evaluation!

Your Invited to Our Back to School Open House!



Would your dog make a good therapy dog?

Come find out if your dog would make a good therapy dog on September 23, from 1 to 3pm at Morris K9 Campus. Morris K9 Campus will host an open house, featuring, "Creature Comfort," a pet therapy organization. Creature Comfort will answer questions you have on what your dog needs to qualify. So if you are curious, visit us on Sunday to find out more information.

Creature Comfort Pet Therapy commenced in 2011. Their mission is to “provide a network of dependable, caring volunteers dedicated to sharing their pets love by visiting people in need of comfort and company.”

The Creature Comfort program only requires a one-time workshop, which after you complete, your dog will be evaluated to see if you both qualify. Once your pooch has been accepted as a therapy dog, they are able to coordinate visits for you and your dog, at places such as hospitals, schools, senior centers, just to name a few.

Pet therapy is used to help patients with a number of different issues. It has been shown to lower blood pressure, decrease depression and anxiety, speed the healing process, as well as other great benefits. Animals are used for therapy, because they can be viewed as less threatening, and are used as a source of positive interaction. Not only does pet therapy strengthen the bond between you and your dog, it also gives your dog a very important job.

In addition to the presentation by the pet therapy program, the open house will be an opportunity to meet our staff and find out more about our obedience training, agility and dog daycare. Tours of our facility will be given as well as FREE giveaways!