Make your own Dog Biscuits

Home made dog treats are easy to make and are certainly a lot cheaper than getting them at the store. You are also able to control the ingredients. Store bought dog treats are full of fillers and preservatives.

If your dog has any food allergies or food sensitivities, it makes a lot of sense to make your own dog treats. But even if your dog can eat everything, making your own treats will insure that you are feeding him the best and most nutritious treats.

Here is a easy recipe for our home made dog biscuits:

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups of oats
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese
• 1/4 cup bacon bits
• 1/2 cup chicken broth

Directions:

preheat oven to 350 F
heat chicken broth until hot
add remaining ingredients
knead dough until smooth
roll dough to 1/2 inch
use cookie cutters to make shaped cookies
arrange on lined cookie sheet
bake for 30 minutes

You can purchase your bone shaped cookie cutter here Set of 4 bone shaped cookie cutters

I hope you find the information helpful. Please share your comments below!

Until next time - Keep your Paws on the Road!

Recommendation for European adjustable dog leash

A lot of people comment on the type of leash I use for my dogs and want to know more about them. 
So this weeks blog post is about the European adjustable dog leashes  I use exclusively when traveling with our dogs. Wherever I go, I get people asking me where I got the leash. The leash looks very classy, but most of all, it is extremely versatile.


 I love these leashes, because they allow me to adjust them in so many different ways. I personally prefer the leather type, but also own a few rope ones.

6 way European adjustable Leather leash

 Here are a few ways to use the leashes:

1. You can tie up anywhere you like. 

With an easy snap, you can tie your dog to your camping chair, or a pole or whatever you like. It is also perfect for Therapy and Service dogs, as you can clip the leash at any length to a wheelchair, if needed.By using the different rings, you can adjust the length of the tether to your situation.

2. You can adjust the leash length easily from short to medium to long

Rather then gathering up the leash in your hands, which can make it somewhat difficult to carry, the leash can be adjusted to 3 different lengths. This is great for traveling. When you take you dog through a crowded street market, use the shortest to keep your dog right by your side. On another occasion, when you are out walking in the park, you can have the leash at it's full length, allowing Fido to roam freely.

3. You can wrap the leash around your body.

By wrapping the leash over one shoulder, you can have a hands-free set up perfect for biking, hiking or while out shopping. I use this option all the time when walking several dogs. I can wrap my senior dog's leash around my body and have my hands free to work more closely with the younger pup.

4. Use both ends to walk two dogs at a time.

The leash offers you the opportunity to walk multiple dogs. This makes it a great  emergency leash, when one gets lost, or you come across a dog that is without leash.

 I bought these leashes in Germany, every time I go to visit, I would bring back one more for my personal use. I recently found them online and have now created a link to them in our online Pet Store. 

To find a wider selection of different styles of these wonderful leashes, follow this link 

 MCS Pet Store 

Recondition your dog to LOVE the car

When it comes to taking your dog with you in your car, most dog owners just do it - meaning they just put the dog into the backseat or cargo area and go. For most dogs, that is no problem. In fact the “it's not a big deal” attitude of the owner is the best way to approach any training. If your dog trusts you, and you convey with your relaxed manner that there is nothing to be afraid of, the dog will quickly become accustomed to riding in the car. In fact, most dogs soon learn to love it.

There are a few dogs who are anxious and even afraid in the car. More then likely, they were in a frightened state of mind when they first were put in the vehicle and have started to associate the car with this anxious state of being. Since dogs learn by association, it is important that they are given the opportunity to experience the car in a positive and fun way. Then they can become the car-loving canine companion that can't wait to get into the vehicle and go for a ride!

Is your dog anxiously pacing around the vehicle, panting or drooling? Is he whining or even getting carsick? If any of these are the case, take some time to reintroduce the car to your dog in a positive and fun way.

1. Start by getting your dog used to the inside of the car, without the engine running or the car moving.

This is important, and you should spend some time and several repeat sessions to do this. Cover the backseat or cargo area with a blanket that smells like home and put the dog bed you use in the house in the car. Be sure your car is parked in a secure area.

Get the dog into the car. If he is really afraid, you may need to lift him into the car. If this is the case, be sure to lift him forward, not with his rear into the car first. It is best that he uses his own feet to get in, so even when you lift him up, just bring him up to where he can get in and allow him to do the last few steps. For smaller dogs, or puppies, lift the dog and then let him step out of your arms onto the car seat.

Let him explore the area. He may just lay down or he may walk around panting excitedly. Either way, don't praise him too much. You don't want to reward and reinforce the anxious behavior. Just let him be in there for a moment, let him experience that nothing bad is happening. At first he should spend only a few moments in the car, gradually increase to several minutes. Repeat until he relaxes while in the vehicle. Once he relaxes, you can pet or praise him.

Get into the vehicle with him. You may sit in the front seat and just be there. Your quiet and calm presence will reassure him everything is fine. Do not leave him in the car on his own.

2. Find a fun game to repeatedly get in and out of the car.

Once the dog is becoming relaxed inside the parked car, you want to make the association of car and fun. Offer some treats or a chew bone and let her associate the car with it. Remember, you do not want to reward anxious behavior, so only use the treats or food when the dog is in a relaxed and calm state of mind.

Bring the favorite dog toy and start playing with your dog inside the car. Create a fun game of getting in and out of the car. Most dogs can get in and out of a vehicle on their own. Let the dog figure out what the best way is, by letting her get out on her own several times. Smaller dogs may hop into the foot space area first and then jump out. If the dog cannot get in and out of the car on her own, consider a ramp, especially if the dog is to big for you to lift.

3. Start with short rides that will have a fun destination.

Now that you are going to drive someplace, take a few moments to make a permanent spot for your dog. Is he going to be on the backseat of your car, or behind it in the cargo area? I used to fold down my rear seat to create a nice flat area in my vehicle. If you have a very energetic dog, that bounces around the vehicle, be sure to use a crate, or tie down to prevent the dog from jumping around the car, while you are driving.

In the beginning, it would be good to have someone else drive while you sit and supervise the dog. If this is not possible, it is very important that your dog is in a place where he cannot interfere with your driving.

Make the first few car rides short and go someplace fun. Drive only a few minutes and then stop and go for a nice long walk. The short ride home will be another opportunity to reinforce the car ride.

Your goal to reconditioning your dog is to have a calm and relaxed dog. Keep this in mind and do not move forward unless your dog is in a calm state of mind. Conditioning takes repeated experience of the wanted behavior. So take your time and have fun with the first two steps, before taking your dog on the road.

I hope the information provide is helpful to you. Please share your experience or comments below.

Until next time: Keep your Paws on the Road,

Bee

Are you (unintentionally) reinforcing your dog's bad behavior?

Many of our dog training clients have dogs with behavior problems. The dogs are annoying the neighbors with their excessive barking, chewing up the family's shoes and socks, lunging on the leash or stealing food off the counters, to name just a few.

To help correct these issues, we recommend in home training. By coming to the clients home, we can see how the dog owner interacts with the dog. 9 times out of 10, it is the owner that enables and reinforces the bad behavior. Now to be fair, they mostly do this unintentionally.

Dogs like attention, especially from their owners. Behavior problems often stem from the dog not getting enough exercise or mental stimulation. People often don't realize that their dogs are simply bored and are looking for something to do. When the animal is acting out with unwanted behavior, it is often times the owners that will reinforce the bad behavior by giving it attention. Let me illustrate with a few examples.

If the family pet is stealing shoes and socks, and chewing on them, the owners will often times go after the dog, as she runs around with the shoe in her mouth. The dog loves the chase-me-game and will not understand the owner is chasing her because they don't want her to destroy the expensive footwear.

Next time, instead of chasing after the dog and trying to pry the valuable item out of her mouth, try this approach:

Stand still and find an item that the dog should be chewing on. Without paying any attention to the dog, pick up the item, like the rawhide bone, or even a squeaky toy. Start paying a lot of attention to the item you are holding. You can squat down and squeak the toy, or waive the rawhide. The dog will lose interest in the shoe she is currently holding and will come over to investigate what you have. If she hasn't dropped the valuable item you are after, don't try to take it from her, that will only start the game of tug of war again. Offer the item you have to her. Since she cannot hold two items in her mouth, she will drop what she has and take the toy or treat you are offering. Praise her and remove the item you want.

Here is another example. If the dog is lunging on the leash, jumping and barking at cats, other dogs or other people, owners often try dragging the dog back, holding it very tight and frantically telling the dog to stop. The owners are either embarrassed or frustrated or even afraid. All this is actually increasing the behavior. So if your dog tends to act out while on the walk, next time try this approach instead:

Always make sure that you are calm and relaxed. Do not tense up and hold the leash tightly. You should always have your arms down and relaxed, holding the leash loosely. At the first sign of lunging or jumping, give the dog a correction and tell him “no”. If he is already escalated to were he is fixated on the cat, dog or person, change direction and get him to focus back on you. You can walk a few feet in the other direction, and then get better control of him. Give only short corrections with the leash, but do not let it be tight. As you walk past the distraction, make sure you are not fixated on it. If you pay no attention to the distraction, your dog will be less likely to as well.

This of course only works, if you have control of your dog on a normal walk, with a loose leash. If your dog always pulls you on the leash, you need to work first on having him walk on a loose leash. Being in control of your dog on leash is the most important thing to teach your dog. If this is something you and your dog still need to work on, you may find my blog on leash training of interest. 

Whatever the behavior issue, be aware of your reaction or your actions. Are you giving attention to the very thing you wish the dog to stop doing? To correct behavior issues, you need to show the dog what behavior you want. Dogs don't understand “don't do this”,they need you to show them what to do.

For more FREE dog training advice, see our website: Modern Canine Services

I hope you find this information helpful, you may also like to read my previous blog easy exercise for calming your super excited dog.

Until next time – Keep your Paws on the Road!

Bee

Jack Russell and Mini Aussie puppy play inside tree

If you been wondering why there have not been any posts in the last few days:

We got a new puppy!

 

 

Three Reasons to Crate-train your Puppy

Crate-training is something we highly recommend to our clients. Especially when you first get a puppy, it can be one of the most versatile tools in early training and greatly aids potty training. Some of our clients don't understand the benefits of the crate and think of it as a mean cage. One of the main reasons is that many dog owners make the mistake of using the crate as a form of punishment, rather then a safe place. If used correctly, dogs see the crate as a comfortable and safe place to relax. Here are three reasons why you should crate train your puppy.

1. The crate is the best way to keep your puppy save when you cannot supervise him.

In the beginning stages of training your new puppy, it is important to supervise him at all times. Pups like to explore their new surroundings and will use their teeth on carpets and furniture, if they are not redirected.

It is a good idea to secure the pet in the crate when you cannot supervise him. Whether you want to take a shower, or need to go to get groceries at the store, leaving the pup in the crate keeps him out of trouble. He can't chew up electrical wiring or your rug. Give him a nice bed inside the crate and a few chew toys to keep him busy. Then you can leave him for short periods of time without having to worry about him getting into something he shouldn't.

2. The crate is the fastest way to house train the dog

The crate is a very effective tool to potty train your pet. Using the crate at night is the fastest way to house-train a puppy, as it prevents accidents in the house at night. Make sure that you get up about every 3 hours during the first few weeks to let the puppy out to do her business. Gradually extend the time in the crate to 4 or 5 hours. Once she gets older, let her tell you when she needs to go out, and pretty soon she will sleep through the night.

3. The crate gives the pup a safe place of his own.

The crate quickly becomes the pups den, where he feels comfortable and safe. He can get away from other pets or from children. During the day, place the crate in an area where you and the family hang out the most. Let the door remain open, and you will see the pet going into the crate to take naps, or just to lay down and chew on his bone.

Once the pet identifies the crate with safety, you can further use it to train him. As the puppy grows, and needs to go places with you, use the crate in the car. He will have a familiar place, he already associates with quiet and calmness, so the car ride won't seem so scary.

If you travel with your dog, having him crate trained is optimal, since you can bring the crate into any new and unusual surrounding and provide the pet with a place of his own.

I hope you found the information helpful, please share or comment, I love to hear your feedback.

For information on how to properly crate train your new puppy, look for my upcoming post on the subject. Until then: Keep your Paws on the Road!

Thank you,

Bee

Saturday Nov 05, 2016 - Dogs' Day in the Garden

Don't miss  this weekends' special opportunity to bring your dogs to the Desert Botanical Garden on 1201 North Galvin Pkwy, Phoenix, AZ 85008 from 8 am to 2pm ONLY!

Here is a great opportunity to socialize your dog and enjoy the beautiful November weather in the Valley! Explore the many Garden trails, mingle with other dog lovers, and pose for photo opportunities. You can also learn about local dog-related nonprofits, shop for dog stuff and enjoy some samples with Fido. There are also several canine-themed activities. Don’t miss this tail-wagging good time!

General Garden admission (Adults: $22 Children: $10) and $4 per dog. The admission fees for the dogs are going to benefit the Arizona Humane Society

Garden admission includes:

• All ages craft activity
• Samples of dog treats
• Special presentations from behavioral solutions to local activities for you and your dog
• Doga (dog yoga) spaces limited
• Before you enter the Garden, visit the Arizona Humane Society Waggin’ Wheels Mobile Adoption Vehicle near the Garden Entry | 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Special Dog etiquette, please read:
All dogs must be on a leash and remain on marked trails at all times.
Dogs must be up-to-date on all vaccinations and licenses.
Handlers must pick up after their dogs and properly dispose of their waste.
Desert Botanical Garden reserves the right to refuse entry to or remove any dog thought to be dangerous to other dogs or visitors.
Dogs will only be admitted to the Garden between the hours of 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Dogs will not be allowed in Gertrude’s or the Garden Shop.
Programming subject to change.

For more information go to the Facebook events page at:
Dogs' Day in the Garden Event


We hope to see you there! Please take a picture with your dog and share here on our blog. Thank you for stopping in and as always - Keep your Paws on the Road!