Wasatch Canine Camp Newsletter

For the past few weeks I have been training some dogs for an upcoming movie called “The Kane Files.”  My dog, Jake, and another German Shepherd named Harley are the dogs I have been training for the movie.  Heather Beck (the lady that certified me) has also been training her German Shepherd, Kia, for the movie.  It’s been such a blast working with the dogs and the actors.  All of the dogs are police dogs for the movie, tracking a guy on the run from the police.  Jake has the most scenes in the movie, and has a few close ups as well.  Below are some pictures of the set, and the dogs working during some of the scenes.  Enjoy!

You’re invited to this years doggy Halloween party! Instead of having socialization class on Saturday 31st we will be partying! You are encouraged to dress up your pooch for the party. We will be having games, food, contests and more! Well behaved dogs on leash are welcome.

If you have any questions about the party, please contact us at 801-735-1978 or email bbarnes@wasatchcaninecamp.com. Please RSVP to this event so we know who to expect!

Date: Saturday, October 31, 2009
Time: 1:00pm – 3:30pm
Location: Where we have Pack to Basics
Street: 9808 N 4600 W
City: Pleasant Grove, UT

- Never adopt a puppy before they are 8 weeks old, or they will miss out on crucial development that only their mother and litter mates can teach them.

- Puppies need at least 18 hours of sleep a day until they are 8-10 months old, if they are being extra grouchy or hyper, then they need a nice long nap.

- Never expect more from your puppy than you would from a baby.

- Puppies start teething at about 4 months old, be sure to give them plenty to chew on, or they’ll find their own stuff to chew on!

- If your puppy is doing a behavior you wouldn’t want them to do when they’re older, then don’t encourage it!  I know jumping up is cute when they’re a puppy, but do you want a dog that constantly jumps on you when they get older?

- Puppies almost always poop after waking up and after eating.

- Puppies get tired after about 10-15 minutes of stimulation, and then they need a nap.

- Crating your puppy is the best way to teach them to hold their bladder, and to “go” outside.

- Never be harsh with your puppy.  Puppies need constant encouragement and positive reinforcement.

- If you are having trouble with your puppy now, chances are you will have trouble with them as an adult.  Do your research and find which puppy training class will fit you and your dog the best.

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People don’t realize it, but group dog and puppy classes actually hinder your dog from learning.  Almost 50% of my clients (mainly my puppy clients) are dog owners that need help with their dog who actually got worse after attending a group dog training class.  Why are these classes so bad?  First of all, they are based solely on high energy interaction between humans and dogs.  The humans that interact with your dog/puppy in the class are taught to talk in a high pitched voice and use many treats to keep the dog excited and focused.  The dogs involved in the class are always very excited and high energy, which then causes a ripple effect to all the dogs around it.  This high energy in the class, not only causes stress between the dogs, but also teaches each dog in the class that when placed in a situation with many distractions, they should respond with crazy, out of control energy.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I love using positive reinforcement when working with a dog, but there is a difference between calm affection (which is what I use), and high energy affection.  The former is just a better way to communicate with your dog that you want calm energy in every situation, instead of crazy, off the wall energy.

Second of all, almost all group classes revolve around “play time.”  When the group class training instructor tells the owners that it’s time for play time, what usually happens is, the dogs get let off  leash to play with one another (which is always good for socialization), but then the owners usually talk amongst themselves, or to the trainer.  This leaves the dogs to play how ever they want.  This is where the problems start.  Usually what happens is a very outgoing and playful dog will corner a very shy and uncomfortable dog and try to get it to play.  This will send the shy dog into to either shut-down mode, or into high stress mode, causing the shy dog to snap at the other dog.  This situation almost always happens and has the possibility of turning both these dogs into aggressive dogs, because they then learn to not trust other dogs.  80% of the time, a situation like that will go unnoticed, and uncorrected, which is why later in life it only gets worse turning into aggression.

Now let’s think about the class from the trainer’s point of few.  Let’s say each class holds 10 dogs, whose owners paid $100 each, that’s $1,000 to the trainer for each class they hold (pretty good deal, if you ask me).  That $100 gets the owners six classes with the trainer, each class lasting an hour.  So, from the trainer’s point of view, they are getting an extremely big paycheck for six hours of work.

From the owner’s point of view they are getting a great deal on low-cost dog training, because they are getting six sessions for only $100!  That’s a steal of a deal!  But, you have to keep in mind, that each class has nine other dogs in the class, and each class only lasts one hour.  If you calculate the amount of one on one time each owner is getting per class, it’s only 6 minutes, and in the whole 6-week course, they are only getting 36 minutes of one on one work with the dog trainer.  When it’s broken down like that it doesn’t really seem like it’s worth $100 now, does it?

Now it’s time to look at private dog training for a puppy.  For my puppy training classes I offer three sessions for $200.  Each session generally lasts about 2 1/2 -3 hours, and I come to your home to work with you one on one.  Over the course of the three sessions I will have worked with you for about nine hours.  That’s nine hours of 100% one on one time with you and your puppy.  Not only that, but we would go over obedience, potty training, leash training, proper nutrition, proper schedules to keep them on, dog psychology, proper socialization, and anything that you want to specifically work on with your dog.  I bet now you’re thinking that this sounds like a much better deal then to spend a $100 on something you’ll only get 36 minutes of one on one training time with the trainer.

Basically, with group training class you’re paying a lot for a small amount of one on one work, you’re getting a potentially aggressive dog, teaching your dog to respond to every situation with excited/high energy, and accomplishing little obedience work with your dog.  With private training you’re getting loads of information, at a fair price, hours of one on one work with a certified professional, plus a happy-go-lucky, relaxed, obedient dog.

Today I would like to focus on talking about dog nutrition.  A lot of people don’t realize that their dog’s behavior has a lot to do with how they feel, and how they feel has a lot to do with what they eat.  Many brands of dog food out there are full of chicken-by-products, and corn.  Dogs can’t digest corn, it is used as a filler, and you’re basically just paying for them to poop out what they just ate.  The majority of foods that use ground yellow corn will use it as either their #1 ingredient, or their #2 ingredient, meaning, it is over 50% of what is in their food.  Chicken-by-products, according to Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), are the heads, feet and intestines.  None of those parts of the chicken are completely horrible for your dog, but they don’t have nearly as high of a nutritional value as pure chicken meat.  Basically, foods with Corn or Chicken-by-products listed in their ingredients as similar to McDonald’s.  Your dog is basically eating Mcdonald’s every single day, so you can imagine how that would make them feel.

Even if you are feeding a very popular, or highly recommended name brand of food, I encourage you to read the back of the bag and see exactly what is in your dog’s food.  Many name brand companies use these poor ingredients in their food, and then charge you over $40 for their poor quality food.  You could be buying food that is ten times better for almost the exact same price!

Foods you should stay away from:

- Any kind of dog food you can buy from a grocery store
- Science Diet
- Eukanuba
- Pedigree
- Iams
- Purina
- Beneful
- Ol’ Roy
- Or if you are wondering about you’re current food, like I said, read the back of the bag!

Foods I highly recommend:

- Natural Balance
- Wellness
- Avoderm
- Ultra
- Blue Buffalo
- Natural Choice
- Max
- Royal Canin
- Naturally Wild
- Nature’s Best
- Solid Gold
- Purina Pro-plan (in the white bag)
- Kirkland (CostCo brand food)
- Or any other holistic brand of food

Ingredients in the foods I recommend are full of real chicken, lamb, fish, rice, potatoes, carrots, peas, blueberries, and many other fresh, healthy ingredients that are way more healthier for your dog.  You could probably live off these foods, they’re that good for you!  I have seen so many dogs have behavior problems just because of the food they were eating, and once they switched food and had a bit of training, it was like they were a completely different dog!  Plus, the better kind of food your dog is on, the less they will eat, the less they will shed, and the less they will poop!  I highly recommend you consider switching your dog over to a more nutritional food, if you haven’t already done so.

I saw a very sad news article today (click the link to be taken to the article).  Basically it was about a lady and a man walking their Pit Bull next to the train tracks.  A train started coming their way and so the man crossed the tracks to the other side.  The woman, wanting to wait for the train to pass, tried to stay on the opposite side of the tracks from the man, but the dog wanted to stay with him and dragged her across the tracks.  The woman wasn’t strong enough to hold the dog back, and had her hand so tightly wrapped around the leash that she couldn’t let go.  The moment they crossed the tracks, the 70 mph train hit and killed both her and the dog.

I was so sad for her and her family when I read this article.  I can only imagine that if they had proper dog behavior training prior to this event, that this might not have happened.  Now, I’m not saying that this will happen to you if you don’t get your dog properly trained, but obviously things like this can happen.  It may not happen like this to you, but it could turn into a major dog bite, an excited dog knocking a kid over and injuring them, or even a dog dragging a kid into the street.  I just hope that everyone can be responsible and get proper training for their dog, so that things like this don’t ever happen again.

Hey guys, we now offer a new training program: Day Drop Off Training! Drop your dog off in the morning, and pick them up in the evening. While they’re here we will touch up and/or teach them obedience, treadmill training, socialization, pack walks, agility, work on manners, or anything else you want us to teach them. All previous clients of Wasatch Canine Camp will receive a FREE day of drop off training, so take advantage of it! Also, if you purchase any of our training packages you will receive a free day of drop off training. Each day after is $40. If you buy 7+ days in advance it’s only $30 a day! Each extra dog is $20 a day.

If you aren’t interested in our drop off training program, but don’t want your dog to be alone all day while you’re at work, then we also offer daycare! Daycare is pure socialization and fun for your dog. We will let them play with many other dogs, play fetch with them, walk them, etc. Daycare is $30 per day, or if you buy 7+ days it’s only $25 per day. Each extra dog is $20 per day.

Spots are limited, so contact us early before space runs out! Hours are 8am – 9pm, Monday – Friday. Take advantage of these awesome new programs! Contact us!

Today I took a nice break off and went to visit Heather Beck and her husband Ivo. They own K9 LifeLine in Salt Lake City, and Heather was also the one who certified me. I decided to just go spend the day with them to recap on what I learned a few years ago and to pick up on some new things she had to teach. We spent most of the day doing Pack to Basics ™ in her training area. She had a full day of dogs at her center, there was just a little over 30 dogs there. Along with training, Heather also does boarding, which is what almost all of those dogs were there for. It was really fun to spend the day with all those dogs. She also had a consultation today, so I decided to tag along. The dog was a pit mix that is fairly dog aggressive. The owners were extremely in denial about how bad their dog really was. It was hard for Heather to work with them because they just couldn’t understand how aggressive their dog is. They were willing to work though and seemed to be willing to follow through with what Heather told them, so hopefully their dog will start to understand how to be around other dogs.

There were a few specific things that I took away from shadowing Heather today, and I really think they will help me further my training knowledge about dogs. I applied a few of the things I learned on Harley when I got home, and he did so awesome! I am excited to see how he improves daily with these new techniques.

Well, since this is my 100th post on this blog, I have decided to write a very memorable story about each of my dogs.  All four of my dogs have taught me something, and still do teach me something every single day.  For those of you who don’t know any of my dogs, I have four: Jake (German Shepherd, age 6), Sasha (German Shepherd, age 1), Rosco (Chocolate Lab, age 3), and Daddy (Red Nose Pit Bull, age 4).  These stories I am going to share will either be something funny that they did, something they have taught me, or something I have struggled to teach them.

Jake is the first dog I’m going to share about.  He is definitely the dog I have learned the most from.  I got Jake before I was even certified as a Dog Trainer.  When I got him I was learning how to become a dog trainer.  For he first few years of his life he was an awesome dog with no behavior problems, but once he turned about two he turned into a majorly dog aggressive guy.  I worked with him every single day trying to snap him out of his aggression, but nothing seemed to work.  Of course, I was getting extremely frustrated and would also get terrified every time I saw a dog come near.  I knew this was effecting him.  He could sense my weak energy and definitely took advantage of my poor state of mind.  When I finally got Certified by Heather Beck she taught me everything I needed to know to fix Jake’s aggression.  After about six months of very hard work with Jake, he was finally fixed.  He is now my main dog that I use for aggressive dogs.  I have taught him how to exactly handle his energy around aggressive dogs to help influence them for the better.  He has taught me so much over the last 6 years, helping me to stay calm assertive, be patient, and to never be afraid to try new things.  I will always be so grateful for everything he has taught me.

For those of you who don’t know Rosco, he is your classic high energy lab.  He needs about 3-4 hours of exercise a day, other wise he’s an insane crazy man.  This story about Rosco, is definitely a funny one.  It happened on one of the days where I just couldn’t get as much exercise with him as I usually do, so he was a lot more hyper than usual.  About a year ago, one of my clients was at my house meeting my dogs, and asked to see Rosco.  As Rosco entered the room, I could see the excitement building in him, and so my corrections followed his excitement, to keep him calm.  He did fairly well, and didn’t seem to be very excited.  He went up to my client so she could pet him, and within about five seconds the excitement exploded in him, and he couldn’t keep it under control any longer.  I did what I could to snap him out of it so he would settle… but it was too late.  He peed on my client.  I was so embarrassed, and felt awful!  Surprisingly enough, she just laughed and cleaned it off like it wasn’t a big deal.  This story is definite proof that no dog is perfect.  It definitely gives us something to laugh about now, and makes me realize that Rosco really can’t be trusted unless he gets his exercise in each day.

Daddy has been the dog that has helped teach me how to control my energy the most.  This big tough Pit Bull is probably the most sensitive dog I have ever met.  If I correct him just a tiny bit harder than usual, he completely shuts down.  He will just lay down and almost refuse to move.  We rescued Daddy about a year ago from a no-kill shelter that he had been living at for almost a year and a half.  Who knows what his life was like before, but something happened to him to make him extremely sensitive.  I have had to learn to be extremely calm and patient with this guy, because if I were to correct him like I normally would to any other dog, it would just shut him down.  We love Daddy for it though, he is such a sweet, gentle, and easy going guy.

Sasha has probably been the easiest dog for me.  Since she is still so young she really hasn’t tested me much.  She was definitely the hardest puppy I’ve had though.  As a trainer, I am extremely against people getting puppies before they’re 8 weeks old… but what do most people do?  Buy the puppy when they’re 6 weeks old.  No one realizes how crucial those two weeks are to a pups development.  They learn and experience so much, and their personality actually changes in those two weeks.  Puppies that are taken from their mom and litter mates too young are usually harder to potty train, have separation anxiety, unsocialized, can be aggressive, and are just all around harder to work with.  Knowing these things, I decided to get Sasha when she was just under 6 weeks old.  I wanted to experience having a puppy that was taken from their mom at a young age.  I could definitely tell a major difference in Sasha as a puppy.  It took her 3 months to potty train, 6 months to be able to be alone in a crate, and was a slow learner.  I am very grateful for the challenges she put me through, because now when I work with clients that have had their dogs since they were 6 weeks old, I can know exactly how to work with them.

Here’s a few pictures I took today before I fed all five dogs.  Notice how patient and calm they are as they wait for me to call them up or their food.  As they wait, I watch for the calmest dog (today it was Rosco), and call them to eat first.  I slowly go down the line, waiting for each dog to relax.  Harley was fed last today, and was being pretty pushy, so I had to back track with him before he could eat.  He still has up and down days, but he is still getting better each and everyday.

Remember that no dog is perfect.  Every dog makes mistakes, just as everyone of us makes mistakes.  Don’t get frustrated if your dog makes simple daily mistakes, because there are things you can do to help stop those mistakes from happening.  Since most of every dog’s mistakes usually has something to do with the owner, the best thing I can do is give some advice.  Here is some basic dog behavior training tips:

- Don’t ever use your dog’s name as decepline
- Always get at least one structured walk a day in with your dog
- Always feed them after the walk, and don’t give them the food until they’re calm-submissive
- Make sure they are crated while alone, dogs that are given the chance to do whatever they want, will do whatever they want!
- No matter the situation, make sure you stay as calm and confident as possible.  Dogs don’t follow aggressive, nervous, lovable, scared, excited, or pushy leaders.  They follow people that stay calm and confident in every situation.
- Never let your dog on the furniture unless you invite them first, and make it a once a week privilege.  It’s not their couch, it’s yours.
- If your dog seems bored, don’t let them wander the house, put them on a down/stay and give them a chew.  If they don’t know stay, tie their leash to a door nob and give them something to chew.  Bored dogs that have free reign will only cause trouble.
- Besides the one walk a day, try and get in at least 15 minutes of mental activity daily (ex: teach a new trick, try to get them to stay for a long period of time, walk them on the treadmill (if you walk on a slow speed it makes them concentrate harder which makes them use mental energy, instead of physical energy), put on a doggy backpack and have them carry stuff for you around the house, etc.)
- Never play tug-of-war or wrestle with your dog.  Dogs practice these activities strictly for dominance, if they win the game over you it will only cause more dominance in your relationship.

If these simple tips don’t solve some problems with your dog, you definitely need professional dog behavior training help with your dog.  Putting off getting help can only make your situation worse, so get help as soon as possible!

Practicing "stay" is a really good mental activity

For those of you who know my boyfriend Alan, know that he has cancer right now.  Not only does he have cancer, but this is his second time having cancer, and he’s barely 21.  At the moment he has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, and ten compressed fractures in his spine.  When he first had cancer he had Lymphoblastic Lymphoma, and it lasted two years, making him graduate from high school a year late.  Since he can’t work, he is running extremely low on cash to pay for his treatment bills.  One of my amazing clients did hold a benefit concert for him, it went extremely well and made $1,000 for Alan!  We are so Thankful for Nate and Amanda Maughan (owners of Frank, Newfoundland, and Sky, American Bulldog) for putting that together, and the money will be extremely helpful to ease some of the bill burden.  If anyone else is willing to give donations to him to help him out click here.  Any amount will be extremely helpful to him, and I know he will be eternally grateful!  Thanks in advance, and Merry Christmas!

P.S. – You don’t have to have a PayPal account to donate

Wasatch Canine Camp recommends feeding holistic dog food.  Why?  Well, first we have to look at other brands of food that aren’t holistic.  Non-holistic brands include, but aren’t limited to: Science Diet, Iams, Pedigree, Eukanuba, Beneful, Purina, Ol’ Roy, etc.  These brands have their first ingredients listed as: Ground Whole Grain Corn (dogs can’t digest corn, this is used as a filler), Chicken By-Product Meal (heads, feet and intestines), Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Dried Beet Pulp, Soybean Oil, Dried Egg Product  (these first five ingredients are taken from Adult Science Diet).  So, basically you’re feeding your dog hardly any protein or vitamins at all when feeding this food.  I like comparing this food to Chinese food.  When you get completely full from Chinese food, what happens an hour later?  You’re hungry again!  It’s also like you’re eating McDonalds everyday of your life.  Now, what happens when you eat fast food everyday?  YOU feel like crap!  Can you imagine how your dog must feel when eating this stuff?  This is exactly what causes most behavior issues in the world: a poor diet!  Your dog feels horrible from his lack of nutrition, so he’s acting out to TELL you that he needs something better!  I have seen so many client dogs of mine almost completely change once they’re put on better food.  Of course, your dog will most likely still need training if they have an extreme behavior issue, but most of the minor ones can almost be cured by feeding them better.

So, what are better dog foods that you can buy for your pooch?  I highly recommend anything made by Nutro: Ultra, Natural Choice, or Max.  Nutro’s guarantee is that your dog will eat less, shed less, and poop less.  They have no chicken-by-products, corn, or other fillers.  They have high doses of Omega 3 & 6 to keep the coat shiny.  Plus, they’re an 80-year-old company, so you know you can trust them!

These are the first few ingredients for Max: Chicken Meal, Wheat Flour, Ground Whole Wheat, Corn Gluten Meal (corn gluten is different from ground yellow corn, dogs cant digest the yellow part of the corn, but the corn gluten is the little white thing found in corn, and that is high in protein), Rice Bran, and Poultry Fat. $30 value for 35 lb bag.

The first few ingredients found in Natural Choice are: Lamb, Ground Rice, Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Whole Brown Rice, Lamb Meal, Potato Protein, and Poultry Fat.  Lamb is usually a better ingredient to dogs than Chicken, just because it helps with alergies, plus they like it better!  $40 value for 35 lb bag.

The first few ingredients of Ultra are: Chicken Meal, Whole Brown Rice, Lamb Meal, Sunflower Oil, Salmon Meal, Oatmeal, Tomato Pomace, Alfalfa Meal, and Cranberry Powder.  I recommend Ultra out of all of these brands of food, because it has three proteins, highest levels of Omega 3 & 6, plus the different veggies that are packed with vitamins.  $45 value for 35 lb bag.

This awesome dog food can be found in many stores such as: Petsmart, Petco, Cal Ranch, and more!  Checl them out and make the switch today!  Your dog will thank you for it!

If you make the switch:

70% old food + 30% Nutro for two days
50% old food + 50% of Nutro for two days
70% of Nutro + 30% of old food for two days
100% of Nutro for life!

Switching them over slowly like this will keep them from having diarrhea or throwing up.

Always remember, no dog is perfect!  In order to have a happy and balanced dog you need to work with them every single day!  Whether you’re doing dog behavior training, agility training, walking them calmly on leash, teaching them new tricks, working on distractions, or anything else you can think of, anything helps to keep them calm, relaxed and happy!  My dogs aren’t perfect either.  For example, Daddy, my three-year-old male Pit Bull, struggles almost every day with potty training.

We rescued Daddy in the spring  of 2008 from a no kill shelter.  He lived at that no kill shelter for almost a year and half, peeing, pooping, eating, and sleeping all in the same place.  Now, whenever we crate him he struggles to not go in the kennel whenever he feels he needs to.  We have to keep him on a very strict feeding, watering, and potty break schedule to make sure he doesn’t have accidents.  If we slack off at all he will pee.  It can be frustrating, but it’s just a good example of a great dog having a bad problem that needs to be worked on every day.  For those of you that know Daddy know that he is a very good, balanced dog that I use during Pack to Basics ™ as the “fun police.”  He keeps dogs in line that I am unable to correct if they’re too far away from me.  He is just a very good, calm, and relaxed dog with just a small little problem that needs work.

So, if your dog has a problem, don’t get frustrated!  Keep being consistent to help your dog stay as happy as possible, and you as happy as possible too!  If the problem is serious enough, don’t hesitate to contact a dog behavior training trainer to help you get the problem under control.

“Stay calm-assertive!” — Cesar Millan

Today I will be evaluating a little dog that is about the size of a Corgi.  I may end up fostering this dog so I can find him a new home.  While I have him I will be doing major training with him.  According to his current owners, he is a major biter to children.  They rescued him off the streets, and they think he was abused.  They say he has major separation anxiety, is very destructive, and can’t be crated.  I think this guy majorly needs a new change of scenery, a consistent home, and lots of work.  I definitely think I will be able to get him to the point that he can be adopted out, as long as he goes to a very dependable home that will follow through with what I will be teaching him.  He sounds like he just needs patience, consistency, and good role model dogs to follow.  He will take a lot of dog behavior training, aggressive dog training, socialization through Pack to Basics ™, crate training, work with the electric dog training collar, and just a better life-style overall.  I am sure his current owners are taking extremely good care of him, but they have told me they just don’t know how to handle and work with him and his behavior issues.  I look forward to working with and learning from this guy.  I will keep everyone posted with his progress as time goes on.

Dogdeals.info is now open for business!  With the economy how it is right now, everyone needs cheaper pet supplies and food.  We have created Dog Deals for all of your dog toys, crates, leashes, food, dog behavior training, and grooming needs!  Check it out, start shopping, and save today!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I know it’s tomorrow, but hey, I can get a jump on things, right?  Remember to keep your dogs safe during the holidays, there’s a lot more people out on the roads, so don’t let them roam free!  Try to keep them away from the food, we don’t want them getting into anything that can hurt their stomachs.  It will probably start getting cold soon as well, so make sure they’ve got a nice shelter if they need it and a place to keep warm under the shelter.  If you feel you need professional help to keep your dog happy and under control for the holidays, don’t hesitate to contact Wasatch Canine Camp for advice or training!  Have a good Thanksgiving everyone!

As of November of 2008, Wasatch Canine Camp has trained and rehabilitated over 100 different sizes and breeds of dogs.  From Great Danes to Shih Tzus, aggressive to nervous dogs, we’ve done it all.  Traveling as far as Fillmore or to Ogden, we’ve taken our knowledge across the state.  Clients have traveled from places as far as Pocatello, Idaho and Manti, Utah to work with us.  We have worked with anywhere from one dog to fifteen dogs at a time.  We are always looking to increase these numbers by helping out our furry friends!  Do you have a friend or family member looking for dog behavior training?  Our experience will give them the confidence they need to get their canine companion under control so they can get their life back.

Be the pack leader!  Use dog beahvior training correctly to become the pack leader!  Be in front on the walk, eat first, go through doors and up stairs first, take charge of every situation, invite them on the couch, dont let them get on couches/beds without your permition!  These simple dog behavior training ideas will help your relationship with your dog more than you can imagine!  of course, they won’t solve every behavior issue, that’s when you get professional help, especially when your dog needs aggressive dog training, anxiety training, dog leash training, and more.

I recently found out that Sandy city wants to ban certain breeds of dogs (pit bulls, rotties, mastiffs, and who knows what else).  This is going to greatly effect many people that have sweet dogs that are these breeds.  The lady that certified me, Heather Beck, has three of her dogs that will be effected by this.  I just wish that people would educate themselves enough to know that it’s not the dogs we should be banning, it’s people.  We should be banning irresponsible people that neglect their dogs and don’t take action when they do have a dog that needs dog behavior training or aggressive dog training.  Heather will be making a very hard case for them so that she, and everyone else that will be effected by this, will win and be able to keep their dogs that aren’t even the problem.  The city of Sandy should be talking to the people that, like I said, are irresponsible and don’t keep their powerful breed dogs under control.  I’m very sick of the stupid people that live in this world that every time something goes wrong with anything they try to go WAY over board to fix it, when all that needs to be done is to talk to the actual people that the problem is starting with.  Do me a favor, so that your dog doesn’t get black listed for being “out of control” make sure you are getting proper dog behavior training and aggressive dog training to fix it, rather than this happening in your town.