Dog Fences and Other Containment Devices

When the weather is nice outside, it is tempting to let the dogs run. Actually, it is a really good idea to let them get off-leash exercise if you have the proper place to for this sort of activity. Our pack loves to be outside in the sun!

The Lovely Shane and I have a backyard that is enclosed with a 4 foot high chain link fence here at the Dog Trainer Shack. This is certainly not in any way an adequate containment system for an unsupervised Beagle. However, it is adequate for supervised romps. Copper just loves to track and chase chipmunks, squirrels feral cats, grizzly bears and whatever other interesting critters make their way inside the fence. Well perhaps I exaggerated the grizzly bear thing :).

I mentioned that this 4 foot chain link fence is not an adequate containment system for a Beagle that is unsupervised. Many of you new Beagle buddies or those of you who have never had a Beagle buddy in your pack may think that I am overly cautious here. I have been around Beagles most of my life. One should never, ever, ever, ever underestimate a Beagle's ability or determination to escape. It is not that your little guy or girl is not happy living with you, it is that the Beagle has a very strong instinctual drive to track game. If he/she is on the trail of something the focus of the little brain is very narrow. All he/she is thinking about is following the trail. This is one thing that makes them wonderful hunting dogs. A Beagle with its relatively short legs can follow a trail with its nose to the ground without slowing down to sniff.

I went into the house for just a couple of minutes the other day and one of our pack (not sure which member, I am not convinced that it was not a group effort) was on the trail of something and began digging under the fence. I have temporarily filled the hole with brick and concrete block until I can make a more permanent repair. Under is not the only way a Beagle will try to escape either. I once had a very smart guy named Boomer. When he was about 4 years old, he once climbed over a 6 foot chain link fence! He looked a lot like the guy in the picture here scaling the privacy fence. If you need to leave your dog unattended outside for short periods of time (please do not do this for extended periods) there are some options. You can build or buy a kennel type chain link enclosure. some of these have tops that will keep out rain and sun.

If you anchor these enclosures to a concrete slab the dogs will be unable to dig out.

The Lovely Shane and I are planning to, one day, install a 6 foot privacy fence on at least one side of the back yard. Perhaps we will install one or two of these cool portholes. This will allow out pack to look out. Besides, I think it looks really cool :).

Okay, now I am going to mention something that is a little controversial.  The devices that utilize shock collars to make a so called "underground" or" invisible fence". What I am about to write is my opinion as an electronic engineer and a dog trainer. To call these devices "fences" fosters a false sense of safety and security and, in my opinion, borders on fraudulent. These devices sometimes use a buried wire and sometimes use RF (Radio Frequency) transmissions. When the dog gets near the "border" he receives what is sometimes called a static correction. I have studied electronics for many years. It was a career for me. I am now an FCC Licensed Amateur Radio Operator and it is also a hobby of mine. Please, let us not sugar coat this matter. I have never, other than from the manufacturers and advocates of these devices, heard the correction that they provide called "static". I suppose in the academic electrical sense this is technically accurate. But, my friends and readers, in a strictly scientific, electrical sense, lightning is static. Static does not, in any way, co-notate safety. What the collars that come with these devices do is administer a high voltage, low current electrical shock to the dog in the guise of "correction". To some extent it is effective. It does get the little guy or girls attention. However, do they really understand why they are being "corrected" ? I am not convinced that they understand.

A dog can and in many cases will learn that if he/she runs hard and fast enough the "border" can be crossed. He will only get a short and painful electrical shock. The really bad thing about this is if the dog tries to return he will get the shock at the border again. Also, my friends, these collars are in no way foolproof. Batteries can get weak or die. The collar can slip off. The control unit can lose electrical power making these things completely and utterly useless. The underground wire can be accidentally broken. An adjacent transmitter could possibly interfere with the signal from the wireless transmitter rendering its performance unpredictable. Many things can happen to make these devices even less effective.

I am also not at all convinced that these collars are safe. Because of the way the heart works (remember I am not a doctor, don't even play one on T.V.) electrical shocks, even non-lethal ones, can be dangerous to dogs and people.

It is very rare that I find myself in agreement with PETA. They are generally much too radical for me. However, I have to agree with most of their position on shock collars when used as a "fence" or containment device


If you use Google or the search engine of your choice, there is no shortage of images and stories of dogs who were reportedly hurt or killed by shock collars. By the way, just because a product has the word "safe" and "pet" in the name does not mean that it is absolutely safe in all respects to all pets in all applications.

Please understand I am not stating that there is no legitimate use for these devices. In some very extreme cases of aggression, these shock collars with a remote (not as a so called fence) can sometimes be effective as a last resort only. However, this should be done under the supervision of a professional ( a dog trainer, canine behaviorist, or veterinarian).

During my time working at Petco, I saw many of these shock collar devices sold. Some of them for bark control, some of them for containment, and some with the remotes were sold for "training" purposes. They were almost never sold to be used as a last resort in a difficult case. Many times people bought them expecting them to be a magic bullet for behavioral issues. Many times, at the store where I worked in Peachtree City, GA they were bought to be used as "fences" so that the people in deed restricted communities did not have to put up an "unsightly" real fence. I always explained how these devices really worked to customers. But in many cases they bought them as "quick fixes" because of the way these things are miss-marketed. These things are promoted by Petco as "training aides" look at their website there is really no explanation of exactly how these devices work and the inherent dangers of them. I guess there is a great deal of profit to be made here. I suppose that is the real focus at the place "where the pets go".


Well, as always if you have any dog training questions or concerns, please contact me. Also I do, as many of you know, operate a Handyman business. If you have any questions about proper fences or need one installed or repaired also please contact me.

Till next time
-William -

William Moore
William Moore Canine Training
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com
678-702-4791

William Moore
William Moore Lawn and Handyman Services
fayettelawnmoore@gmail.com
678-702-4791

Why does my buddy eat grass?

Our newest addition to the pack, little Cody the Beagle, was eating grass earlier today. All of the reasons that dogs eat grass do not seem to be fully understood. A quick Google Search on "dogs eating grass" or something similar will yield many speculations however, I have found little in the way of empirical scientific fact.

All of our happy little pack here (pictured in their den at bedtime) do, from time to time, eat grass.  I am not a Veterinarian, Doctor, or Biologist (nor do I play one on T.V.) so my knowledge is a little limited but here is what I do understand:

Dog's are not strict carnivores. They are, like us, omnivores. This means they need meat and plant matter in their diets. Modern dog foods provide this pretty well. However, sometimes a dog will nibble on grass for the plant material (roughage, etc.). Grass is pretty plentiful outside and is easy for the dog to reach so, the dog may eat grass to provide needed plant material in his diet. However, I do not think this is why our pack eats grass from time to time.

Sometimes when dogs are bored outside, they will eat grass. This is generally more of a grazing than a nibbling. Our pack usually has plenty of interesting things to do when they are outside so this is not why they occasionally nibble on grass. I would certainly discourage this sort of grass eating. It would be much better to provide something else to occupy the dogs time and perhaps even exercise their mind. If you need help with this, please contact me and I will be happy to offer suggestions and work with you and your little guy or girl.

I really believe that the reason our pack members occasionally eat a little grass is to help them with upset stomach. There are usually other symptoms as well that lead me to this conclusion. Typically there will be other signs of stomach distress. Copper, for instance will sometimes loose interest in food or treats before he eats grass. This is a definite sign that his tummy hurts. He never turns down food unless his stomach is upset. Cody has been a little less active today and seems not to feel as good as normal. He also has vomited at least once today after eating grass. He is using the grass to help induce vomiting. I tend to think this is instinctual. However, I really have nothing scientific to back this up it is simply a hunch.

Again, I am no expert here. This is simply my opinion based upon many years of observing the members of my pack.

Till Next Time

-William-

William Moore
William Moore Canine Training
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com
678-702-4791

Cleaning your buddy's ears

Copper is contently and comfortably sleeping on the couch under one of his favorite blankets in this picture. In order for him to be comfortable it is important that his ears are clean and healthy. Ear cleaning is an important grooming task for all dogs. It is particularly important for dogs with long floppy ears like my buddy Copper here.

I clean his ears regularly. I make it part of his bath day. After he has a bath, he gets his ears cleaned. This cleaning removes excessive wax and deters infection.

Our newest pack member, Cody came to us with a yeast infection in his ears. I suspected an infection because I detected an odor coming from his ears. The inside of the ears also looked really black and dirty. Only your Veterinarian can diagnose an ear infection. Cody's is a yeast infection. He is getting special drops in his ears twice a day for a couple of weeks in an attempt to clear up the infection. He does not mind the drops because he gets a little chunk of cheddar cheese after each cleaning.

Cleaning the ears is an easy task and only takes a few minutes.

There are many different brands of ear cleansing products available at you local pet store. They are all very similar. Remember, these are not really intended for dogs with ear infections or ear problems, they are preventive in intent. If you suspect your dog has an infection or similar problem see your veterinarian.

All you really have to do is squirt a little of the ear cleaner in the ear. I then hold the ear down and rub the ear gently near the head. Then I let the little guy shake his head and move on to the other ear.

I strongly suggest praising the dog and giving him a high value treat as a reward after the ear cleaning. This makes it a positive experience for them and makes it easier the next time.

If your dog is scratching his ears or if the ears smell funny, he likely has some sort of infection and a trip to the veterinarian is needed.

The ASPCA also has some good information on their website about ear cleaning.

Some dogs do not like to have their ears cleaned at all. If you need help getting your dog comfortable with ear cleaning or grooming please contact me. There are desensitization techniques that I can show you that will help your dog.

Till Next Time

-William-

William Moore
William Moore Canine Training
678-702-4791
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

What sort of harness or collar is good for a dog who pulls on the leash?

Dogs that pull on the leash is the second most common thing that people ask me about. Second only to housebreaking. If you have a dog that pulls on the leash there are loose leash walking techniques that you can learn. I will be happy to teach you how to train your dog to walk properly on a leash using these techniques.

For a dog that is really bad about pulling, in addition to the loose leash walking techniques, I also suggest a no-pull harness.

There is a difference between a no-pull designed harness and a traditional flat harness.

The green and black and the orange and black harnesses pictured above are both flat harnesses. The orange and black one is a mesh comfort harness. Both of these are good for their intended purpose which is to distribute the pull from the leash across the body rather than at one point on the neck ( as with a flat collar). They do prevent choking. However they offer no resistance to pulling. They actually tend to encourage pulling because the dog gets no resistance.

There are a couple of options that I recommend for no-pull harnesses:

The Petsafe Easy Walk is a very good solution. The handsome Labrador in the picture is sporting an Easy Walk harness. It has a D-ring in the front of the collar. The d-ring in the  front is attached to a buckle that pulls the two nylon pieces in the front tighter when the dog pulls, thus giving the dog resistance. When adjusted properly, the harness does not really squeeze the dog it simply gives him resistance. The Easy Walk is the harness that I used to teach Copper proper loose leash walking technique. It is a really good product however, my experience has been that it does not fit all dogs properly. The other caution I will give you for this harness and pretty much any no-pull type harness is that they are only for walking. After the walk they need to come off because the dog can easily chew them up. Copper chewed up two of the Easy Walks because I neglected to remove them after walking.

The Beagle in the picture is wearing a typical no-pull harness that is available in many different brands at your local pet stores. It has a little bit of mesh in the front but it is different than the mesh flat harness. Notice the padded strings that attach to the mesh and go behind the little beagle guy's front legs. These strings are attached to the d-ring to which the leash is attached. When the dog pulls, he feels resistance on the strings. When adjusted properly, this does not hurt him, he simply feels resistance. This is the type of harness that I am using now to train Cody, our newest addition to the pack. This harness is generally about half the price of the Easy Walk and seems to fit a wider range of dogs. The Easy Walk is a little easier to get on and off the dog, however.  I will give you the caution again that this harness needs to come off  the dog after a walk. They will chew this one too!

The brown collar here is a martingale collar. These are very popular with people who own sight hounds (or greyhounds). The reason they are popular is that they do not easily pull over the head. This is important with the sight hounds because typically the neck is wider than the head. After your dog stops pulling as much, you may want to transition him to a collar for walking. The martingale is a good choice. When adjusted properly, the martingale fits snug when the leash is pulled but does not choke the dog. I have a martingale on Copper. I have the leash connected directly to the martingale most of the time when we walk. It took a while to make the transition.

These are the products that I have used in training many times and I know that they work. There is a new product that I have heard nothing but good things about from people I respect. That product is the Walk-in-Sync harness. It is a little more expensive but seems to have the advantages of the Easy Walk while fitting a wider variety of dogs. If you are interested you can find more information at http://dogwalkinsync.com/ . At some point later on, I will test this product and post the results on this blog. The black lab in the picture is wearing a Walk-in-sync.

If you have a dog that pulls on the leash and/or is not well behaved on walks, please contact me at any time. I will be happy to help you!

Till next time

-William-

William Moore

William Moore Canine Training

678-702-4791

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

This Friday is Take Your Dog to Work Day!

In 1999 our friends at Pet Sitters International created Take your dog to work day. Their website explains it like this: "Take Your Dog To Work Day® (TYDTWDay®) was created to celebrate the great companions dogs make and to encourage their adoption from humane societies, animal shelters and breed rescue clubs. This annual event asks pet lovers to celebrate the humane-canine bond and promote pet adoption by encouraging their employers to support TYDTWDay. Employers are encouraged to open their workplace to employees' four-legged friends on this one special day."

It is a really great idea! If your job is conducive to it and your employer will allow it, I encourage you to take one of your little guys or girls to work with you this Friday (June 21, 2013). I always encourage people to spend more time with their dogs. Dogs bond with their people and need interaction with them. It is also a lot of fun for you and your dog!

Many of you know that in addition to Dog Training, I also do Handyman work and Lawn Maintenance work . Since starting my business, I have always taken my canine buddies to work with me as often as possible. If the conditions are right (i.e. they will not have to be in the hot sun all day, etc.) I take one or maybe two of my buddies with me. I even have some business cards with my dog's names and titles (i.e. head of security, customer relations, etc.) on them to give customers. Many of my customers think it is really cool that my dogs have business cards :) .
The dog sitting in the truck is one of my buddies from years ago named Critten. She helped me on many jobs in the Tampa Bay Area back before  I relocated to Georgia. Critten was a pit bull and lab mix. She was one of the sweetest dogs I ever had! For those car and truck folks out there, yes, that is a 1969 Chevrolet C/10 Pickup. It was a great every day work truck for me in those days!

Use common sense about taking your dog to work though. If you are not self-employed, make sure it is okay with your employer first. If you have a job that puts your dog in a dangerous situation or if the dog would distract you to the extent that it would put you in a dangerous situation then not participating in Take Your Dog to Work Day is a no-brainer.

An ironic thing is that when I worked as a Dog Trainer at Petco in Peachtree City, GA, for a brief time, I used Copper as a demo dog. He helped me with classes and for prospective customers, he did demonstrations of the behaviors that we taught in our classes.  Not long after I started using Copper in that way, our district manager informed me, in no uncertain terms, that I was not allowed a demo dog under any circumstances. I was told that this was a corporate policy. It is very ironic that professional trainers at Petco are not allowed to have their own animals at work but any customer can bring a dog into the store. So, I am really curious if Petco will allow their Dog Trainers to participate in Take Your Dog To Work Day this year. I suspect not. I guess Petco is not where Petco Dog Trainers' pets go.

I now use Copper as a demo dog again. At some point little Cody may also become a demo dog. So, if you take classes with me you will see the behaviors that I teach demonstrated with at least one demo dog :) .

If you feel that your dog is not well behaved enough to take to work, please contact me. I will be glad to help you train your dog to be a well behaved and polite dog. Maybe next year you can take your dog to work!

Have fun with your canine buddies at work!

Till Next Time

-William-

William Moore
William Moore Canine Training
678-702-4791
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

Another Local Dog Rescue Hero

I felt it appropriate to tell you all about another local hero that I met today. Dan Gault is a local hero working with Love a Pet (a rescue organization based in Hampton, GA).

The Lovely Shane and I made a trip to Ben's Flea Market in Fayetteville today. Love A Pet was setup outside. They have a lot of very good looking and sweet dogs that need new forever homes. There are some puppies and some adult guys and girls. I had the pleasure of talking with Dan for a few minutes. This is a new location for them on the weekends. It is a convenient location and I hope it works out well for them!

If you are looking for a new addition to your pack, as always, I strongly encourage you to consider adoption. Dan and some of the others I mentioned in my previous Local Heroes of Dog Rescue post are excellent resources for you. They are all great people with a single mission of saving the lives of these precious creatures of God's creation.

Also if you are thinking of adding a new guy or girl to your pack take a look at my previous post on welcoming and adopted dog to your pack for more information. I would also be happy to answer any questions you may have. As always, feel free to contact me at any time regarding your dog training needs. By the way, I always discount my services for adopted/rescued dogs.

Till next time

-William-

William Moore

William Moore Canine Training
678-702-4791
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

The importance of nail trimming

If you look closely in the picture above, you see that our little Cody had very long nails when he was at the shelter. When we picked him up to bring him to his forever home, one of the first things we did was to have his nails trimmed.

Properly trimmed nails are important for more than cosmetic reasons. Nails can break if they are too long and this is painful for the little guy or girl. If the nails are too long they also affect the gait of the dog. This can, in some cases, lead to stress on the joints.

I keep a close eye on our little friends' nails. I usually have them trimmed about every couple of weeks.  I am not very good with nail clipping, so I usually take them to a professional groomer to have it done. It only takes a few minutes and is well worth the effort.

If you want to do it yourself there are two options. You can use clippers or a rotary tool.

Clippers come in two different types. There are guillotine and scissor types.

The blue handled trimmers in the picture are scissor type and the green handled are guillotine type. When I worked a Petco, we sold both types and it was sort of a personal preference thing. However, the majority of the groomers that I know use the scissor type. 

There are also some trimmers that have electronics built in to them to detect the quick. The idea is that this keeps you from accidentally cutting too deeply. 

If you decide to trim the nails yourself, be sure to have some styptic powder on hand. This stuff will stop the bleeding if you accidentally cut to the quick.

 This picture shows the rotary nail trimmer. A rotating stone grinds the nail. This is more comfortable for some dogs and sometimes easier for the person doing the trimming. However, again, most professional groomers that I know use scissor type clippers.

Regardless of the method you use or even if , like me, you prefer to let a professional do it, it is important that your dog's nails are trimmed regularly!

The ASPCA has some good information on their website about nail trimming.

Many dogs are anxious about getting their nails trimmed. It is important with these guys that you make it as positive an experience as possible for them. Try not to get frustrated with them. In cases where the dog is very anxious, there are desensitization training techniques that can be used to get the dog more comfortable with the clippers or the rotary tools. Some dogs are very scared or anxious when any sort of grooming is done or when they are at the veterinarian's office. If you have one of these dogs, please contact me. I can help you work with your dog to make grooming or the vet's office a much more pleasant experience for the dog and the people!

Till Next Time

-William-

William Moore
William Moore Canine Training
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com
678-702-4791

Identification Tags for your dog

I always suggest identification tags for your dogs. Even if you have a microchip,  an identification tag is a good idea. Since it is readable by a human, if the collar stays on the dog, it is a great way for someone to identify your lost dog and get him home again!

When I adopted Copper , I also worked at Petco in Peachtree City, GA. I used the fancy new tag machine to make him a really nice military style id tag. The retail cost of it was $11.00. My employee discount brought it down to about $9.00 plus tax.

I give you these prices because when we adopted cute little Cody the Beagle earlier this week, The Lovely Shane and I went to our local Wal-Mart. They have a machine that is very similar to the fancy one we had at Petco. However the identical tag only cost me $5.00 tax included.  The only difference is that the machine at Petco allows engraving on both sides of the tag and the one at Wal-Mart only allows one side engraving. This was not a big deal for us because there was plenty of room for the following to be very visible:

Cody the Beagle
678-702-4791
I'm microchipped

The tag has the dog's name, my phone number and indicates that he is microchipped. This way in the unlikely event that my phone number is incorrect or for some reason does not work, the microchip will provide my name, address, correct phone number, etc.

If you can wait for shipping, there are even better Internet deals to available.

Our entire pack (Cuddles the Corgi Mix, Copper the Beagle, and Cody the Beagle) all now have identification tags on their collars. This gives the Lovely Shane and I a little more peace of mind.

I encourage you to get your little guys and/or girls identification tags if you do not already have them.

As always, please feel free to contact me at any time with dog training or general dog related questions.

Till next time

-William-

William Moore
William Moore Canine Training
678-702-4791
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

Microchip 101 - Should I Microchip My Buddy?

A microchip is a very good safeguard in case your dog is ever lost. The microchip is actually a passive RF device. For those of you that are not former engineers, what this means is it is effectively a tiny radio transmitter. The microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and is injected under the dog's skin. This is done  on the back of the dog's neck. A hand-held scanning device is used to activate the radio transmitter. When activated, the transmitter sends identification information to the hand-held scanner. The scanner has to be very close to the dog's neck when this is done. Most animal shelters and veterinarian offices have these handheld scanning devices. Once the dog is scanned the information on the microchip is used to look up information on the dog's owner. Information like your name and telephone number.

The microchip is not really a replacement for a collar id tag. An ID Tag is actually human readable and the microchip has to be read by a scanner. The obvious advantage is that the microchip will not fall off the dog.  The microchip itself is actually very affordable. Copper and Cody both have microchips the cost of the microchips was included in their adoption fee.

The microchip is useless however, if the registration information is not updated. The microchips that Copper and Cody have are both from Home Again. We have them registered nationally with Petkey. It was about $45 for lifetime registration.

The microchip is a really useful device but it is not a GPS or LoJack device. It can not locate your dog. The dog has to be found and taken to a location that has a scanner (i..e a veterinarian or a shelter). It is a very good tool but it is not a fool-proof way to get your dog back. You must keep the registration information up to date (accurate phone number, etc.).

The engineering of the microchip is pretty cool. It is designed to have a lifetime of about 25 years. While it may move around slightly after implantation, it will not get lost in the dog. Aside from the needle stick, the implantation is pretty much painless.

In my opinion, the microchip is very much worth the cost.

When it comes to my little guys pictured on the left, I think it is well worth the cost for the peace of mind.  But, I also have ID tags for them.

If your dogs do not have microchips, I strongly encourage you to talk to your veterinarian about this soon! Particularly if the dogs are scent hounds. As I have said many times before, the scent hound breeds (i.e. Beagle, Basset, Bloodhound, etc.) really love to follow a trail and can get away from you easily while on the trail.

I also think it is pretty cool that when discussing  the technology of microchips two of my favorite things Ham Radio and Dogs sort of overlap. I am a recovering engineer, ya know :) If any of you are also Techies, Nerds or recovering engineers like me, there is some really interesting technical information about how these chips work at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microchip_implant_(animal).

If you have any questions about identification for your dog or if you have any training questions or issues, please contact me at any time.


Till next time

-William-
William Moore
William Moore Canine Training
678-702-4791
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

Welcoming an adopted dog into your pack

The Lovely Shane and I are pleased to welcome Cody to our pack!  As I mentioned in a previous post, we adopted Cody from the Coweta County Animal Control Shelter. He arrived yesterday afternoon. He is adjusting to his new forever home very well!

I thought it may be a good occasion to write a blog entry about welcoming an adopted guy or girl to your pack.

If this is your first dog it is important that you dog-proof your home. Take a look at my blog entry about dog-proofing for more information.

Remember to be patient. This can be a stressful time for the dog. If he is a housebroken adult, it is possible that due to the stress he may have accidents. Make sure to take him out very quickly after you get him home so that he knows where he should go. If you need to reinforce or teach housebreaking take a look at my blog entry on housebreaking.

If you have other dogs in your pack, slowly introduce the new guy or girl. Make sure he is not trapped in a corner. If you pick a dog with similar temperament to your existing pack members this transition will be much easier.

If possible, find out what sort of food the dog was eating at the shelter. To eliminate the possibility of an upset stomach, get a bag of the food that he is on. If you want to transition him to a new food, mix his current food with the new food. For  more information on Dog Food, take a look at my blog posts on Nutrition and Corn.

It is not uncommon for adopted dogs to experience separation anxiety. I encourage you to be prepared for this possibility. If you see that the new guy or girl is being destructive when you leave him at home, consider leaving something to occupy his time. A great idea is to buy a Kong toy and fill it with peanut butter and crushed treats. If you freeze this it will work even better. He will spend a lot of time trying to get the peanut butter and treats out of the toy and this will occupy his mind. You may also consider leaving a TV or Radio on so that he hears the voices this may soothe him. See also my blog posting on Dogs and TV.

It is very important that the dog get plenty of exercise. I recommend walking him on the leash at least once a day. If the weather is rainy, take a look at my blog posting about places to walk your dog when it is raining for ideas about dry places to walk when it is raining.

I strongly recommend that you make an appointment with your veterinarian as soon as possible. Even if the dog is healthy, you need to make sure his shots are current and that you start heart worm preventive and flea and tick preventive as soon as possible. I would also have the vet do a wellness check examination just to verify there are no health issues.

If your dog is not micro-chipped I strongly recommend that you have this done. This is particularly important for sent hounds (beagles, bassets, bloodhounds, etc.) because they are ruled by their noses and will get lost on the trail of something interesting. It is important for any breed ! It is important because the microchip will identify the dog even if he loses his collar. The microchips can be read at veterinarian offices and shelters. I will write a post soon that will go into detail about microchips

I also recommend that you get an engraved name tag for his collar. This way he is very easily identifiable if lost.

The Lovely Shane and I wanted to make sure Cody was clean before we brought him into the dog trainer shack with the rest of the pack. We stopped by Petco in Peachtree City and used the self-service bath. This is really nice because it is set-up for dogs and you don't have a mess to clean up when you are finished. We think it is well worth the $10.00. I also had Whitney ,in the grooming salon, clip Cody's nails while we were there. The nails had grown to a very long length. Nail trimming is a very important part of grooming. I will write a blog entry later that explains this in more detail. But, I strongly suggest that you maintain the nails.

Just so that you know I practice what I preach (so to speak) I am taking Cody to the veterinarian in the morning.

You should start training as soon as possible. This will ensure that your new little guy or girl is polite and well behaved. Contact me at any time and I will be glad to discuss training options with you!

Till Next Time

-William_

William Moore
William Moore Canine Training
678-702-4791
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

The Local Heroes of Dog Rescue

I have been promising for a while to write a blog entry about some of my friends at the local canine rescue agencies. In the title, I call these people heroes. To the dogs that they help, and to me, they really are heroes.
These people volunteer their time to help provide forever homes for some of God's most innocent and precious creatures. In most cases, they literally save these dogs lives by removing them from local animal shelters before the dogs are euthanized. These wonderful volunteers, the foster parents, open their homes to these dogs until they are adopted.

These heroes work many hours on the weekends at various events around town (pet stores, etc.) to show these beautiful animals to potential adoptive parents. In addition to that, they constantly are raising funds to provide food and other essentials for the animals that are in their care.

During my time working at Petco in Peactree City, GA, I was blessed to meet a few of these wonderful heroes. I hesitate to mention names because I know I will leave many good people out. I will tell you about a couple of them here. My apologies to the others that I do not mention. I am sure that I will have occasion to write about your work in the future.

Based in Douglasville, GA ,BullyWag is a organization dedicated to saving the lives of dogs and finding them forever homes. They concentrate primarily on Pit Bull Breeds. Michelle Crampo brings a van load of dogs to Petco in Peachtree City every Saturday.She fosters many of these guys in her home. Many of these dogs find their forever homes as a result of the work that she does. She also has a soft spot for Beagles and Great Pyrenees. I adopted Copper from Michelle in January 2013. He has been a great addition to our pack! You can meet this hero on almost any Saturday afternoon at the Petco in Peachtree City. She will be more than happy to help you select the perfect dog for you and help you provide a forever home to one of these beautiful dogs!

Southern Crescent Canine Rescue

Based in Milner, GA Southern Crescent Canine Rescue saves the lives of many dogs and finds them forever homes.

Sandra Bray and Lew are two of the heroes at Southern Crescent Canine Rescue. They both do great work fostering dogs in their homes and almost every Saturday you can find them at Petco in Peachtree City.

Southern Crescent has a great variety of breeds of dogs.  Sandra and Lew and any of their volunteers are always happy to help you find the perfect little guy or girl for your family!


As always, if you are looking for an addition to your pack, I strongly recommend both of these organizations. If you are outside the Fayette County/ South Metro Atlanta Area, check Petfinder to find a rescue group near you!

Once you choose a little guy or girl to add to your pack, I will be happy to provide you with guidance on transitioning him/her to your home. I will also be happy to help you train your new pack member to be a well behaved and polite addition to your family. Please feel free to contact me at any time.

Till Next Time

-William-
William Moore
William Moore Canine Training
678-702-4791
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

Coming Soon... Cody the Beagle!

The Lovely Shane and I would like to announce that we are adding a new little guy to our pack. Cody is a small beagle that we are adopting from Coweta County Animal Control. Cody is a handsome tri-color, approx. 7 year old Beagle. He has a very laid back and easy going personality. He was found by animal control wandering around without a collar or identification. He has been at Animal Control since May 12 and was scheduled to be euthanized on June 12.

We went to meet him on Saturday. We could not leave without adopting this little guy! I think he wagged his little tail the whole time we were there! And, like all beagles, he loves treats! One of the guys on staff gave him a treat while we were there.

I have enjoyed raising Beagles most of my life. Now I have a real compassion for older adult Beagles. These guys and gals have a difficult time finding a home because everyone seems to want puppies. I urge you to consider adopting an older adult the next time you would like to welcome a new pack member to your home!

He is now going to the the veterinarian to get his rabies vaccine and to be micro-chipped.  Once that is done he will come home with us. We expect that to be done no later than Wednesday.

I will keep you all updated on the progress.

Again, as always, I encourage you to consider adoption when you decide to add a new dog to your pack. If you are in the Coweta County area, take a look at http://www.shelterrescueinc.org. I also always recommend petfinder as an excellent resource http://www.petfinder.com.

I will be posting an entry in the future about some of the wonderful local rescue organizations and their dedicated volunteers.

Till Next Time

-William-
William Moore
William Moore Canine Training
678-702-4791
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

Should the dog sleep in the bed with me?

There is really no consensus among trainers about the subject of dogs on the bed. There are varying opinions and pros and cons on both sides of the issue. However, in my opinion, it ultimately is about two things: Do you want the dog on the bed and is the dog well suited to be on the bed.

If you do not want the dog on the bed, that is the end of the story. It is your bed. It is your resource to control. If you never allow your little buddy on the bed, he will not expect it.

The lovely Shane and I allow Cuddles and Copper on the bed with certain limitations. As long as they behave they can stay. If they start moving around too much, barking at each other, etc. it is time for them to get down.

Some dogs do not enjoy sleeping all night on the bed. Copper, for example will nap on the bed as he is doing after a long day of work in the picture on the left.  However, at night, he sometimes will jump on the bed to get petted, then lay on the foot of the bed for a few minutes, then he will make his way to his bed on the floor.

Cuddles, on the other hand, will sleep, most of the night, on the bed with us.

There are trainers who are concerned that the dogs see sleeping on the bed as a sign of the dog being dominant over the people. My thought is that if you have a dog who is aggressive or is guarding the bed then, obviously, it is time for the dog to get off the bed. However, from a training/behavioral perspective I do not see a need to ban dogs from the bed across the board.

There are also health concerns. I am not a doctor. I do not even play one on TV :). That being said, if you have allergies or medical issues that are impacted negatively by the dog sleeping with you, I think that is a so-called, "no-brainer" decision.  In that case I would not let the dog sleep with me.  I think what it all comes down to is that it is your bed so you decide if the dog can sleep with you.

I really like having the dogs close by when I sleep. If I did not allow them in the bed with me, I would want them at least in the bedroom. My reasoning is that if they need to go out to potty in the middle of the night they can (and do) bark to wake me.

Now , what I have written about thus far is adult dogs. If you have a puppy, I think you should seriously consider keeping the little guy in a crate at night. This will keep him from getting into trouble while you are sleeping (chewing up things, etc,) and will aide with housebreaking. It will also be safer for him. As a little guy, it would be easy for you to accidentally hurt him by rolling over on him in your sleep.

However, once the puppy is housebroken and has gotten a little older and bigger, if you are comfortable that he will not get into trouble, I see no issue with allowing him to sleep with you on the bed. He has to also be obedient enough to get down when you  give the command.

Well, I hope this has been helpful to you. Remember, the bottom line is that it is your bed if the dog is well behaved and you want him there it is fine, if he misbehaves or you don't want him there, that is fine too.

Remember if you have any questions about your dog's behavior or about training, please feel free to contact me at any time!

Till next time

-William-

William Moore
William Moore Canine Training
678-702-4791
fayettedogtraining@gmail.com

How to Beagle Proof (or Puppy Proof) your home

Look at the cute little guy on the left. He is so relaxed and angelic looking lying on the office floor in the dog trainer shack.

It is difficult to believe that only moments ago he made a huge mess in the kitchen. The lovely Shane and I went out to run an errand. We were only gone for about an hour. When we came home we found that he had discovered some sort of way to get the pantry door open. Trash and a few food items were scattered all over the house.

It appears that we are going to have to install a latch on the bi-fold doors. I have owned beagles for many years. you would think that I would know better. We recently added the pantry to the kitchen when we moved the washer that was there to a new laundry room area. I beagle proofed the house shortly after Copper's arrival to our home but I did not think a latch was necessary on the pantry door. It closed pretty tightly without the latch.  Well, beagles of any age and pretty much all puppies are very persistent when they smell something that they like. Of course the food and the trash proved to be a huge temptation to our beagle friend.

Copper was simply doing what was instinctual to him. He was very proud of himself when we got home. He could not understand why the lovely Shane and I were not as enthusiastic.

Most of the time, I strongly encourage my students to crate train their puppies and to put the dogs in their crates when you are not home so that incidents like the one Copper experienced today do not occur. There is an exception to this, however. You may remember that when I first adopted him, Copper exhibited very bad separation anxiety. With extreme cases of separation anxiety, the dog will get so scared that he will hurt himself attempting to escape confinement. Copper turned his crate over, pushed out the mat and bent the bars in just an hour or so. When he is not confined, he usually does fine.

If you have a puppy or any breed of scent hound (basset, beagle, bloodhound, etc.) you really need to puppy/hound proof your house. It only takes a brief moment of them being out of your sight  for them to really make a mess. And it can be dangerous for them as well if they get into household chemicals or insecticides.

The picture above shows a childproof lock that I installed on the bottom cabinets in the shack kitchen. This slows them down. I would not put food or trash behind them though because, given enough time and motivation, the little guys can get into them.

The cleaning fluids and household chemicals must be stored out of their reach. We store ours in a laundry room that is behind a closed door just off our back porch. All medication also must be out of the pup's reach. We store ours in a drawer out of reach.

When dogs get bored they love to shred paper. So any paper items need to be stored away. Trash cans need to be in areas not easily accessible to the little guys. This is especially true of the kitchen trash!

In the case of puppies, be particularly cautious of electrical cords that are within their reach. Secure them or remove them because it can be really dangerous if they chew these live cords.

This is sort of an ongoing process. Some folks advocate getting on your hands and knees and looking for any thing that may be a temptation to your dog and moving it. Things like remote control units, cell phones, shoes, etc. anything a puppy would like to chew on should be secured or removed.

Remember, even if you crate train, there are times when you are home and busy that the puppy may get to something faster than you can react. So, please puppy proof. This is another reason that I advocate keeping a young puppy where you can see him at all times when you are at home. You may have to buy a baby gate or two to accomplish this but it is well worth the investment.

If you have a little guy or girl with severe separation anxiety like Copper, and you can not confine or crate, a good option to keep their attention for a while is a Kong brand toy. You can take one of these rubber toys, fill it with peanut butter and treat pieces and freeze it. It will keep the little guy occupied and out of trouble for quite some time. I know some of you who have been around me awhile may get tired of reading and hearing this but: Exercise will help as well. A well exercised dog is much less likely to get into trouble like this than a dog who has not had enough exercise.  Copper and I did not walk as much today as we normally do. This may have been a contributing factor to his misbehavior.

If you have any questions about puppy/hound proofing your home, please contact me.

Till next time

-William-

William Moore

William Moore Canine Training
678-702-4791
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

Oh no it is raining .... Where will I walk my dog?

It looks like those of us in the Atlanta area are in for some rain over the next few days. As I type this the rain is coming down outside the Dog Trainer's shack. Copper is sound asleep and Cuddles is getting attention from Mommy so, I guess all is right at the shack, here :) .

Well, if you are like me and prefer to avoid getting wet, and don't really want to dress your little guys or girls like the one on the left here, there are other alternatives.

There are many retail businesses that allow well behaved dogs. The obvious are the pet supply retailers (i.e. Petco, Petsmart, etc.). I have also found that The Home Depot and Lowe's are excellent places for indoor walks due to their size.  Both Lowes and Home Depot have signs indicating that pets are not allowed but they really do not seem to mind if the dog is well behaved. Also, our friends and Bed Bath and Beyond welcome all pets. The lovely Shane and I have even taken Copper shopping with us at Anna's Linens in Fayetteville.

One interesting note however for anyone reading this is southern California: I am not sure that I understand the reasoning here, but apparently Petco Park where the Padres play only allows service animals with the exception of certain special events. Sort of ironic, I suppose, that Petco paid many millions of dollars for naming rights to a space that does not allow dogs when dogs drive so much revenue for Petco. Just an observation in passing :). I don't suppose it is really a good place for walking in the rain anyway.

Copper and I often walk in and out of all the isles at Petsmart in Fayetteville then we go into The Home Depot next door and make three or four laps around the perimeter inside the store. This has become or rainy day routine. Petsmart has a scale and we get weighed when we are there. Copper also really enjoys getting attention from the staff there.

When I was employed with Petco in Peachtree City, it was always interesting to me that very few people took advantage of our indoor space to walk their dogs on rainy days. I always suggested it to my Dog Training students and many of them took advantage of it. I am not certain why the retail pet stores don't advertise and encourage customers to walk their dogs on rainy days in the store. It seems like it would be an excellent opportunity to market products to them.

Earlier I wrote about the importance of walking with your canine buddy. I have also written many times about how important routine is to dogs. I strongly encourage you to maintain the routine of walking with your dogs even in the rain. You don't even have to get wet doing it!

Now remember, have fun walking your buddy! If you have a guy who pulls on the leash Copper and I will be happy to teach you how to teach your buddy to stop pulling and behave properly. Feel free to contact me at any time!

Till Next Time

-William-

William Moore
William Moore Canine Training
678-702-4791
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com