Way of Dog

Dog Obedience Training Workshop

Fellow dog lovers, trust me our dogs are neither stupid nor stubborn, most of the time they are simply misunderstood. Have you been wondering how to communicate with your dogs while they can not understand human language? Why not engage in a meaningful family project: obedience train the canine family member? You may be amazed of the potential of our tail wagging friends!

Around the world, dog lovers have been practicing Basic Obedience Training to build constructive rapport with their favorite canine companions. Learn to teach your dogs basic obedience commands in a dog friendly way with Pet Dog Obedience Training Instructor: Joan Li professionally certified by Animal Behavior College of the U.S.

Following American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Program’s requirement on dog obedience, basic commands are instructed through verbal description, physical demonstration and hands-on practice in class.

Class Size Minimum 3 and maximum 5 dogs per class.

Time Period Each lesson lasts for one hour

Class Schedule Saturdays at 15:00-16:00, once a week for 4 Weeks

Contact  wayofdog@hotmail.com  or 1342-633-3693

Curriculum

Lesson 1: Orientation, Etiquettes, Markers, Focus, Sit & Stationary Heel

Lesson 2: Review. Learn Come, Down &. Stay

Lesson 3: Review. Learn Loose Leash Walking, Wait & Leave-It

Lesson 4: Review. Learn Heel. Graduation

Copyright ® 2009 Way of Dog

Good Dog Upbringing

Dog lovers nowadays are seeking good temperament instead of mere intelligence in dogs. But the question is, how do human guardians foster good temperament with fellow canines?

Just like the old saying: “it takes the whole village to raise a kid”, believe me or not it takes the whole family to nurture a well behaved dog citizen. A good dog can not solely relies on Obedience Training, it is imperative to undergo collateral efforts from the “family pack” carrying out house etiquettes regulating the dog’s daily routines. They may sounds clichés, but please take time and see if reasonable doggy manners have been reinforced in your household resolutely, consistently and fairly with your dogs. Just look at a few most basics from the check list.

FEED:

How many times do you feed your dog a day? People may say we just keep our dog’s food bowl with constant supply of food. But this is not the ideal approach. Generally, for puppy younger than 6 months old, you may need to feed them 3-4 times; for puppy older than 6-month old 2 times a day. I only need to give you one main reason why you need to regulate a dog’s meal time: to regulate and keep track of potty schedule. In the circumstance of an adult dog home alone during the day, I would still recommend you to feed breakfast before you go to work and supper when you come home in the evening. Do not leave an overflowing food bowl behind, but a safe chew instead when you are out. Don’t worry I guarantee you, the dog will not starve by skipping lunch!

Feeding is the best opportunity to practice “Wait” command. Of course it takes practices for a dog to master impulse control, at the beginning the dog may lung and jump when you start to lower food bowl. Deliver your Negative Marker (such as “No”) and try body blocking his forward momentum. Provided he resumes “4-on-floor” (calmly standing or sitting), you may continue lowing food bowl bit by bit. If the dog gets overly excited, simply put the bowl out of reach within sight, leave the scene for 30 seconds and return to try again. The brief “Time Out” session constitutes a punishment. Meanwhile, the leadership is gently established without physical force.

REST:  

Dog shall not sleep in human bed nor sofa; instead he should have his own sleeping quarters; ideally a crate. Before he is house broken, the dog should sleep in a confined area with his crate door opened, so he can reach his doggy toilet set up in the same confinement. Even during the day unless he is completely house trained, the dog should be leashed under supervision. As soon as you sense his intention to jump onto sofa, you should gently tug him off furniture and lead him to his own settling spot. It is important to place a mat or a blanket at the corner of living room which is out of the family traffic but allows the dog can still be familiarized with household daily activities. In the beginning to help the dog habitualizing the designated spot, make sure you reinforce the dog if he takes initiative to settle down at his place.

HOUSE MANNER:  

Try to recollect the first time your puppy arrive your home, how was he introduced to the brand new environment? The correct way is leading him touring the house on leash. As long as he ventures into an off-limited place (master bed room for example) or starts to investigate a forbidden object (garbage can or expensive leather shoes), you immediately stand still and clap your hand or tap your lap to get his attention, reward him if he taking initiative to veering back to you. When Obedience Training advances, you can incorporate “Leave It” into his daily exploration.

PLAY:  

Behind every well behaved pet dog, there is always a happy owner! Most dog owners underestimate their pets’ need of energy consumption and mental stimulation until bad habits surface themselves. The problem can be easily prevented by simply playing with the dog properly. 

Before actually start playing, let’s survey from dog’s eyes view of the house. Are there any forbidden objects easily accessible within the play area if we set the dog free? If we don’t want our dogs establish habit chewing our clothing, let’s do not leave laundry or towels on the floor. Besides, we need to check the material of the toys we have gotten for our dogs. Do those toys anyway resemble household items? Can our dogs differentiate between rawhide and leather shoes? How to make better judgment between kid’s fuzzy plush toy and doggy plastic squeaky? Are we setting our dogs up to succeed or fail? Ideally appropriate dog chew toys shall be made out of thick rubber. In fact, there are some smart and safe products with hollow center to house tasty treats; that is perfect to keep our canine friends mentally stimulated while home alone. Besides material, please investigate carefully the toy before giving to our dogs, make sure it is not small enough, flimsy or containing parts that can be “killed and swallowed” easily; such as a tennis ball.

Once we have identified proper toys, let’s get moving! Trust me “a tired dog is always a good dog”, because exercise helps our dogs release beneficial hormones and reduce stress level. But more often than not we underestimate our dogs’ need to expand energy. Let’s face it, most dogs need routine physical exercise such as two 20-minute brisk walks a day. On a raining or snowy day, we still need to play constructive games such as doggie-ping-pong (two persons on far ends taking turns calling the dog with 2 toys) and hide-and-seek; as they are preparatory for recall command.

Last but not the least, while we can never have enough fun in play with our dogs, please avoid play slapping, tug-of-war, rough housing, vigorous petting, or wrestling at anytime as they escalate arousal, we may actually reinforce play bite, jumping, snatching, and creating an over-sensitive dog. Love them and love them right!

Copyright ® 2008 Way of Dog

Why My Dog Peck On My Kid?

Recently came into several cases that share similar behavior problems. Out of perfect intention, kind and caring parents get a puppy (mostly small breeds) for young children as a companion or for educational purpose. Although there was light incidents of nipping or scratching during puppy hood, no serious damages should be sounding alarm with. But “out of the blue”, the cute adorable canine sibling who has grown up with the kid starts treating the youngest human family member with unfriendly and unforgiving attitudes one day; such as:

-- Guarding toy or food

-- Rubbing toy or food

-- Growl, snarl or even lung at the child

-- Inflict serious nipping marks

One incident after another left the whole loving family shocked and confounded. However, from a dog’s point of view, this is the absolute consequence of letting nature taking its course!

Canine domestication has created a total new genetic evolution environment for dogs. But descending from wolf, the fact that dogs are pack animals hasn't changed. Strict social system is well imbedded in canine genes. Ever since they were born, dogs are seeking leadership and pecking order all through their lives. While with their littermates, puppies are sensitive with individual social hierarchies through conflicts over who gets fed first, who gets on top of another or who gets the best nap spot..etc. In canine world, the concept of “equal” doesn’t exist, the stronger gets all and first. So please don’t be surprised your young toddler or even the one who pampers the dog the most is always the “pecking” target of your lovely family pet.

You may reckon that there can’t be any serious damage done by allowing your puppy just nips, chews, barks, and jumps only a little bit. Be advised that the principle of Positive Reinforcement goes two ways. The more you positively reinforce certain behavior the more likely the dog will repeat that behavior with or without your presence. Not surprisingly, every unwanted behavior starts from somewhere.

Canine has developed subtle sensitivity for social communication. Most obvious is the height of the body position, this is one of the reasons why; no matter how gentle and sweet, your pet dog should not establish habbit of getting onto your bed, sofa or table. Simply recollect images in natural documentary, Alpha Wolf always perches at the highest point of the pack in the wild.

Puppies only learn what they can do to different pack members through exploration of the give-and-take boundary to identify their social relationship with another. Moving to a new family pack from canine brothers and sisters, individual puppy will test limits with your family members and find out his/her own place in the new pack. Meanwhile at this juncture, puppy is seeking the essential role in life: the Alpha. Throughout the daily interactions, if puppy can not recognize the Alpha, he/she is forced to assume this role; all sorts of problems are looming then.

Obedience training exercise always involves 3 consecutive procedures: command delivery, compliance, reward or command delivery, non-compliance, no-reward. Through repetition of patterns between behavior and consequence, we are not only teaching specific behaviors to our dogs, we are establishing positive rapport between two species. Positive dog training doesn’t require physical punishment, but your firm, fair and consistent attitude. So if you are not ready to take up the benevolent Alpha role, I sincerely suggest you to think twice introducing a canine member to your family. I can not stress enough the impact of proper leadership and early socialization on a dog’s individual personalities. All efforts are for the best interests of your canine companion, shouldn’t true love comes from respecting the intrinsic qualities of the one?

Puppy Socialization

Regardless generations of selective breeding for physical desirability and mental workability, no efforts have been placed on sociability of dogs. Our canine pals are left to develop their social skills on their own. Canine socialization actually starts at 3 weeks of age, peaks at 7th weeks and last through juvenile till adulthood. Ideal environmental stimuli are for puppy to familiarize with human handling and littermates interactions during this developmental period. The 7^th week starts the Optimum Bonding Period when puppy is most impressionable and open to bonding to other dogs and human friends, so this is the best timing to bring a new puppy home from original birthplace. However, that is not an accountable norm in current canine husbandry. To lend our canine pals a positive head start to minimize future behavior concerns, we may expose them to adult doggie affairs as early and safely as possible before the end of General Socialization Period ends on 16 weeks of age.  

Puppies learn the dog-way through play bow, bark at, lung, paw, mock fight, chase, catch, nip and bite littermates; consequentially develops doggie communication through body and vocal languages. Before confrontation in adult dog society, we can provide a controlled environment granting our dogs their social developmental practice. As dog’s social etiquettes are carried out through subtle manifestations; such as approach angle, position level, bite strength, eye contact and facial expression intensity, can only be learned through dog-to-dog encounters. Group setting is required; for example, our dogs can learn what is the appropriate angle to approach another dog, how low the body position shall be to express good intention, how much the bite strength will incur yelp, and very important the strange looking four-legged barking creatures are their canine fellows. Meanwhile on the other hand, through interaction with other canine fellows, we can distinguish our dog’s personality and take reactive precaution. As we maximize puppies’ exposure to possible future circumstances, our dogs are less likely to develop avoidance, fearfulness or offensiveness toward strange dogs and people.

 Copyright ® 2008 Way of Dog  wayofdog@hotmail.com

Way of Dog Business Profile

I am a dog lover turned dog trainer. We may all love dogs for different reasons, but one thing we share undoubtedly is that we always recover our genuineness through interaction with dogs. Dog lovers may easily find the pure joy connecting to nature. Consider this, besides indulging yourselves with dogs, the closest contact with live animals is to dive into ocean, but how often can you hug a fish or teach them to sit?

I have received Animal Behavior College Pet Dog Obedience Training Instructor Certificate from the U.S. and started practice in Beijing. To achieve ABC Certified Dog Trainer status took me approximately 60 weeks of study and 3 months externship in the U.S. (working as teaching assistant for professional obedience instructor near Denver Colorado and volunteering at local shelter), as well as having to successfully pass nine written examinations, 3 practical exams and a final examination. My mission is to help you and your dogs enjoy life together!

My training philosophy

Any organism may learn in the matter of time, but what I care the most is how do they learn. I also believe that dogs' temperament is the sum of their life-time experiences; therefore their human companions make greater impacts than genetic fingerprints. Thus dog training should start with human learning how to communicate with their dogs appropriately. 

My training methods include

• Motivational techniques because they render the best learning attitude.
• Non-confrontational interactions as they generate pleasant dog human relationship.
• Operant Conditioning has proven to be most efficient for inter-species communication.

My services include

• Private lessons of Basic Obedience Commands: Focus, Sit, Down, Come, Stay, Wait, Leave It, Loose Leash Walk, Heel.
• Problem Solving Consultation: Jump, Chew, Nip, Dig, Bark, and Potty Training.

My e-mail address: wayofdog@hotmail.com

Copyright ® 2008 Way of Dog

Why Dogs Can Not Eat Certain Food?

As a lot of clients have come up with various of questions regarding puppy diet, below is the most comprehensive information I find. Please read them carefully. (This information comes from veterinarians, the American Veterinary Medicine Association, and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.)

Avacados are toxic to dogs. Avocados (fruit, pit, and plant) are toxic to dogs. Avocados contain a toxic component called persin, which can damage heart, lung and other tissue in many animals. They are high in fat and can trigger stomach upset, vomiting and even pancreatitis. Symptoms of toxicity include difficulty breathing, abdominal enlargement, abnormal fluid accumulations in the chest, abdomen and sac around the heart. The amount that needs to be ingested to cause signs is unknown. The effects on dogs and cats are not completely understood. GI signs are commonly seen and should be treated symptomatically. In addition, the animal should be monitored closely for other clinical signs related to the cardiovascular system.
Onions contain bisulfide can be fatal to dogs. Onions destroy red blood cells and can cause anemia, weakness and breathing difficulty. Even small amounts can cause cumulative damage over time. This includes onions or chives - raw, powered, dehydrated or cooked.  

Garlic contains bisulfide too; which can cause anemia, weakness and breathing difficulty. However, garlic contains only a small amount of the problematic substance that is in onions. Just as with people, moderation is the key.
Grapes and raisins can be fatal to dogs. Grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure in dogs. As little as a single serving of raisins can kill him. If the dog doesn't eat enough at one time to be fatal, he can be severely damaged by eating just a few grapes or raisins regularly.
Tomatoes can be fatal to dogs. Tomatoes (plant and fruit) contain tomatine, an alkaloid related to solanine. As the fruit ripens, the tomatine is metabolized. Therefore, ripe tomatoes are less likely to be problematic for animals. Clinical signs of poisoning include lethargy, drooling, difficulty breathing, colic, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, widely-dilated pupils, paralysis, cardiac effects, central nervous system signs (e.g., ataxia, muscle weakness, tremors, seizures), resulting from cholinesterase inhibition, coma and death. (All parts of the plant except the tomato itself are poisonous to humans, although some people are sensitive to the ripe fruit also.) Tomatoes also contain atropine, which can cause dilated pupils, tremors, and heart arrhythmias. The highest concentration of atropine is found in the leaves and stems of tomato plants, with less in unripe (green) tomatoes, and even less in ripe (red) tomatoes.

Nutmeg can be fatal to dogs. Nutmeg can cause tremors, seizures and death.

Caffeine is harmful to dogs. Caffeine (from coffee, coffee grounds, tea, or tea bag) stimulates the central nervous and cardiac systems, and can cause vomiting, restlessness, heart palpitations, and even death within hours.
Xylitol sweetener can harm dogs. Diet products containing the sweetener Xylitol can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar, resulting in depression, loss of coordination and seizures. Unless treatment is given quickly, the dog could die.
Macadamia nuts can harm dogs. Macadamia nuts can cause weakness, muscle tremor and paralysis. These symptoms are usually temporary.
Walnuts are poisonous to dogs. When dogs eat the seed hulls, they can get an upset stomach and diarrhea. The real problem is the fungus or mold that attacks walnuts after they get wet (from rain or sprincklers), which produces toxins. If the fungus or mold is ingested by your dogs, they can become very illed and possibly die. Signs that should alert you to walnut poisoning are vomiting, trembling, drooling, lack of coordination, lethargy, loss of appetite, and jaundice indications such as yellowing eyes and gums. Severely affected dogs can produce blood-tinged vomit or stools. Dogs can take several days to exhibit serious signs of illness.
Chocolate can be fatel to dog. Theobromine in chocolete can cause seizures, coma and death. Baker’s chocolate is the most dangerous. The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is. But any chocolate, in large enough amounts, can kill a dog. An ounce of chocolate can poison a 30-pound dog, and many dogs will happily consume more than this. The symptoms may not show up for several hours (and so might make you think all is well), with death following within twenty-four hours. A dog can consume milk chocolate and appear to be fine because it is not as concentrated, but it is still dangerous.
Fruit pits are toxic to dogs. Apple seeds, cherry pits, peach pits, pear pits, plums pits, and apricot pits contain cyanide, which is poisonous. While a few apple seeds may not cause a problem, the effects can accumulate over time if they are given to dogs regularly. Dogs should not be allowed to chew on fruit pits, as chewing allow ingestion of cyanide or cause dogs to choke.  

Too much salt is harmful to dogs. Too much salt can cause kidney problems. Also large breeds of dogs that eat saulty food tend to drink too much water and develop bloat (twisted stomach) which is fatal unless emergency treatment is given quickly.   

Too much fat is harmful to dogs. Too much fat or fried food can cause pancreatitis.  

Ham and bacon are bad for dogs. Ham and bacon contain too much fat and too much salt, and can cause pancreatitis. Also, large breeds of dogs that eat salty food may drink too much water and develop a life-threatening condition called bloat. This is where the stomach fills up with gas and within several hours may twist, causing death.   

Too much liver is harmful to dogs. Raw liver or too much cooked liver (three servings a week) can lead to vitamin A toxicity. This can cause deformed bones, excessive bone growth on the elbows and spine, weight loss and anorexia. Check the label of your canned dog food to be sure that it does not contain liver if you are giving your dog liver already.
Wild mushrooms can be fatal to dogs. Wild mushrooms can cause abdominal pain, drooling, liver damage, kidney damage, vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, coma, or death.
Raw egg whites alone are bad for dogs. Raw egg whites contain a protein called avidin, which can deplete your dog of biotin, one of the B vitamins. Biotin is essential to your dog’s growth and coat health. The lack of biotin can cause hair loss, weakness, growth retardation, or skeleton deformity. Raw egg yolks contain enough biotin to prevent the deficiency, so this is not a problem with raw whole eggs. Raw egg yolks could contain salmonella, so you should get your eggs from a reliable source or cook the eggs thoroughly.
Large amounts of grains are bad for dogs. Grains should not be given in large amounts or make up a large part of a dog’s diet, but rice is generally safe in small amounts.
Cooked bones can kill dogs. Cooked bones can splinter and tear a dog’s internal organs.
Dogs need their vegetables cut up. Dogs can't digest most vegetables (carrots, green beans, lettuce, potatoes or yams) whole or in large pieces. Potato peels and green potatoes are dangerous.
Dairy products can be harmful to dogs. Dairy products are high in fat, which can cause pancreatitis, gas and diarrhea. A small amount of non-fat, plain yogurt is usually safe.
Pennies can be fatal to dogs Pennies made from the 1980s to today contain zinc, which can cause kidney failure and damage to red blood cells. A dog that consumes even one penny can become quite sick, or even die, if the penny is not removed.  

My e-mail address: wayofdog@hotmail.com

Final Phase of Externship

After completing the 2^nd Phase: hands-on training, I am entering the final Phase of the externship program: teaching assistance in class. To accommodate the instructor’s schedule, I have to attend 2 classes in one night. In fact I prefer this way, which means less driving back and forth  2 hours on the road for me. The first class of the night is Basic Obedience (for 6 months and older) and the later is Puppy Socialization Class.
In Basic Obedience, I basically act as the instructor’s assistant. After instructor breaks the whole class into individual practice group, I go to the groups who seem struggling with the newly taught commands. As I have already kept all the commands and related know-how in my head, this is actually more relax for me; I usually manage to chat with owners about the dog’s problems at home and provide solutions.
On the contrary, the Puppy Socialization Class requires more concentration though. Picture this: 8 puppies (all about 3-month old) of different breeds  and sizes running free in the classroom doing play slapping, wrestling, body slamming, nipping and sniffing each other. Sometimes it is hard to tell how many dogs are in the clump of fur! (Warning:don’t try this at home! Please be advised that all these behaviors can only be allowed under supervision of dog training professionals). Sometimes they will all chase in one entourage, sometimes breaking into 2-3 commotions.
Instructor and I are watching over them very carefully; even though instructor looks like chatting with owners casually. We are constantly watching puppies’ mouth shape, ears and tails positions, barking pitch...etc. Whenever the “mock fights’ get too intense, any over- charged puppy will get a squirt of water inconspicuously. Just like their ancestor wolfs cubs, puppies learn the very precious lesson of canine communications and their social hierarchy during play and “mock fights". The proper and polite attitude to approach another puppy is heading toward the side of another dog without direct eye contact and better yet with lowered head as it communicates "my teeth are out of action and you are safe". You may question "why sideway'? Ok, if head-to-head is a taboo for dog to dog greeting, the other options are appraoching from the rear or side. But rear ends is more vulnerable than side as long as a dog is less reactive to to protect if engaging into a fight. This is why a fearful dog will get tail out of the way first by tucking it under whenever a threat presents itself. 

Good social manner has nothing to do with sizes or ages. In the Puppy Class, there is an extremely fearful Chihuahua; he has been hidden underneath the owner’s chair ever since entering the classroom. A playful mixed Labrador puppy tries more than 10 times inviting (including all the rituals: play bow, jump and bark) him to join the playing gang; he refuses with defensive barks and threatening postures. He was so irritated, stressful indicators let me know that he is about to attack. However, there is this Bernese Mountain Puppy (BMP) about 5 times larger than the Chihuahua; he is the most confident, calm, and good natured puppy I have ever met. He seems fully aware of his large size; he never plays rough with the other puppies during chase and fight. Most of the time, he will stops and let the other puppies approach and sniff. Toward the end of the class, BMP has enough exercise and was resting on his belly. Instructor lures him to the front of the Chihuahua. Without any dog/human communication, BMP starts jumping left and right and play bowing at the Chihuahua about 3 inches away. Whenever Chihuahua reacts, BMP sits or lies down at the exact distance; not an inch closer. Back and forth, the rituals repeat more than 10 minutes. Bit by bit, the Chihuahua; who has been stressed out in the past hour, moves closer to BMP, until finally he moves completely out of the owner’s chair and starts playing with the BMP alone. Most of the time BMP simply stands still allowing Chihuahua to sniff him. But whenever the other puppies approach, Chihuahua dashes back under the chair again.
Consider this, nobody has taught the Bernese Mountain Puppy anything on proper canine communication; his patience originates totally from his nature. I would say that patience, consideration and perseverance prove him a borned leader!

My contact: www.wayofdog@hotmail.com

Copyright ® 2008 Way of Dog