Dog training articles that offers tips and insights from your dog's point of view
Some of Our Favorite Trails
The love of hiking with dogs was what started our business back in 2013. There is no greater joy than taking your dog into nature to enjoy the sights, smells, sounds and new terrain as you exercise your dog’s mind, body and soul. We believe that any dog can become a great off leash hiking companion with time and the right training. Unless you have a solid recall even with intense distractions, we recommend staying on leash or letting your dog drag a long line on the trails.
Off Leash Trails
This was a favorite of our hiking pack. This park has a great 2.5 mile loop with some water to play in when the creek is full. We advise avoiding it on busy times, like weekends, as it can be too crowded. This park gets very muddy after a rain, so give it a few days to dry out if the weather has been bad.
Walnut Creek has many areas and miles of trails to explore, but the entire park isn’t off leash and there are a lot of mountain bikers. During busy times, we like to drop in in a neighborhood entrance instead of the main park entrance. Keep your headphones out and work on that recall so you can step aside for bikes.
This South Austin park is less trafficked and has some nice trails to explore with your dog off the main two mile loop.
Shoal Creek has a small off leash section for dogs, but the entire trail is a great walk. There are some on leash areas and some streets to cross, but this is a nice, central trail to walk that runs from 38th street all the way to the lake.
On Leash Trails
We love Bull Creek trail because there are so many different areas to explore on this trail! The water can be a bit stagnant so be sure you can call your dog off standing water. We also advise avoiding this trail for several days after a heavy rain as there is a lot of run off from 360 that can upset your dog’s tummy. Start in the lot off 2222 or up by Old Spicewood and explore the trails that weave up the hills.
This trail charges a fee on the weekends, but is free on weekdays. It’s a bit further than Turkey Creek and one of the prettiest trails in Austin. If you have two cars you may want to relay them and through-hike the 5.5 miles, or you can do a there and back from the main parking area on Big View Drive. There are a lot of steps on this trail, making it a great place for hikers to come train for more intense trails outside of Texas. We like the shaded trails and water holes.
In South Austin the Greenbelt has several entrances and 13.8 miles to explore. This park is busy on weekends and after work, especially at the most central entrances. There are some nice water holes, but we advise enjoying those on off peak hours to avoid overwhelming your dog. You can also find many quieter neighborhood entrances to this park.
Prepare to get lost in this quiet park with its many twists and turns. This is a great place to explore with your dog. I like to walk until I’m lost, then pull out my phone and plot my turns as I find my way back to the car. You can park in Longview Neighborhood Park and check out the unofficial play area there or park in the neighborhood streets off Westgate for a direct trail entrance.
This beautiful park has a great dam as well as several nice trails. Wear water shoes to cross the creek and walk the longer trail up the hill or walk down Spicewood Springs road along the creek, being mindful that some spots on this trail are close to the road.
Open Areas
We don’t advise that anyone go to a fenced dog park as these are often breeding grounds for too intense play and bad behaviors, but we enjoy some of the open areas where dogs can mix in some play with the walk.
Zilker can get very busy on nice days, but we like that there is always room to walk away from crowded areas or other dogs if your dog is overwhelmed. This park has a beautiful view of the skyline and plenty of room to spread out.
If your dog is a swimmer, be sure you are aware of the current algae status and have solid recall if you see them heading for the lake. Auditorium Shores is an area where dogs go to play off leash, but is unfenced and close to Riverside Drive, so you need to be sure to keep your dog in the grassy area. We like that this area is near the Ladybird Lake Hike and Bike trail and Palmer Events Center so you can mix play with some walking- as it should be!
Red Bud has very limited parking and short trails, but is a great spot to go during off peak hours when you are more likely to get a spot. There are some play areas as well as some tucked away spots to enjoy some quiet time by the water. This was a favorite for me on rainy days as the gravel paths didn’t get muddy and it wasn’t very busy.
Pro tips for ID tags
You know we like the Mendota Slip Lead, which doesn't connect to a collar, but for safety we recommend that dogs always wear a collar with ID tags.
While some collars have the ID information written on or sewed into the fabric, I find that I'm more likely to pull over and try to grab a dog whose tag I can see dangling so I recommend getting one of those. There is no need for your dog to have a rabies tag on so then the tag won't make any noise.
My tag reads:
“H” or Kaough
Call or text
Phone 1
Phone 2
Needs daily meds
I don't have my dog's name on her ID tag because if someone picks her up and tries to pass her off as their own, I want the vet to tell that she is confused and I want the name they give the vet to not match the name in her microchip. You can put an initial or you can put your last name instead of your dog's name.
I put two phone numbers, mine and a friend who is likely to answer their phone if a strange number calls. Ideally you have the number of the person your dog is staying with or someone local if you are out of town and not that of the person you are traveling with. Tags are cheap! Get a few.
I write "Call or text" just in case me or my friend doesn't answer. It goes without saying these days the number is most likely a cell, but it's worth adding that line to remind someone in that high intensity moment of finding a dog that text is a good option for reaching the owner.
I also write "needs daily meds" on the tag. If it's two sided, put this on the front where a name would go. Again, since my dog is so cute and I worry about someone finding and keeping her, this phrase is there to help encourage anyone who finds her to get her home.
I hope these tips help you make your tag as effective as possible at it's true job - getting your dog back to you if they get lost!
Is your dog a good houseguest?
Imagine if your friend asked if they could bring a friend over to your house. This friend of your friend barges in and immediately starts inspecting every thing you own. They open your cabinets, rummage through your fridge, jump on your bed, then go dig a hole in your yard. After that they track mud in and lay down on your couch, kicking their dirty feet up on your favorite pillow. By this point you have served food and it looks good to your new houseguest, so they reach over and grab a bite right off your plate. Meanwhile your friend is oblivious. They have a close relationship with this person and aren’t really paying attention. In fact, they assume you must like them as much as they do!
I don’t usually let people bring their dogs to my house, but this describes a porch visit this week when a friend of a friend brought her dog over. This behavior is slightly more acceptable from a dog than a human, but still rude and ultimately unnecessary.
If you want your dog to get an invite back to your friend’s houses, be sure you have covered the following skillsets at home before you venture into new environments.
Pay attention to your dog
Your dog is your responsibility. As part of our training we teach owners to be subtly tuned into their dog at all times. Just like checking your blind spot before changing lanes is an ingrained habit, checking on your dog when they are off leash in a new environment - even a fenced one - should become a habit to the tune of a glace every few seconds, especially for the first hour you are there. I recommend bringing your dog over on leash and keeping them on leash until they have time to acclimate to the environment and calm down. Then watch as they start to explore, checking in with them and maintaining the good boundaries you have at home. A light "eh-eh" command in time is worth 100 loud ’"No’"s too late.
Stay off the furniture
We teach the ‘off’ command as part of our basic training and ask that dogs stay off the furniture for a period of time. Not only does staying off the furniture change the way our dogs view our relationship dynamic and help them listen better, but we are laying the foundation for an important skill: the ability to stay off furniture when asked. This is because at some point in your dogs’ life they will encounter a couch they need to stay off of. If you can’t keep your dog off the furniture at home, you won’t be able to in a new environment. We recommend setting boundaries around your couch and bed, only letting your dog up when invited and only if they get down promptly and willingly with one "off.”
Avoid human food
We don’t recommend feeding table scraps to dogs because it creates an unhealthy association that can lead to problematic behaviors including begging and stealing food off the table. You don’t want everyone present to have to guard their plate or be mindful of where they leave food because your dog can’t help themselves from stealing it. At home keep your dog out of your space while you eat and don’t build an association between you eating and them getting a bite.
Respect personal space
We teach that your personal space bubble is about the length of your wingspan. Put your arm straight out from the shoulder and imagine a line going down to the floor around you. That is your bubble! We ask that dogs stay out of this bubble unless they are invited in. The reason we ask owners to be mindful of enforcing this boundary with their dogs at home is so dogs default to it when meeting new people and dogs. You don’t want your dog to be jumping on people, climbing into their laps, squeezing next to them on furniture or putting their dirty paws up on people’s legs. Help your dog to understand barging into people’s space is off limits with you and everyone.
Respect property
Let’s start with no digging and add no destroying things, dog toys or otherwise.
As a dog trainer, I am very picky with which dogs come over to my house. On walks I prefer to take the leash from my friends, finding it easier to work with a dog than watch my friend halfheartedly fumble through cues and commands. At home I like to relax.
The reason I prefer to not have dogs at my house is that most owners don’t have options with their dog and that is one of the most important things we teach our clients.
I want the option of keeping my dog off the furniture in case I go to someone’s house who prefers dogs stay off the couch. I want the option of keeping my dog near me instead of running around. I definitely need to stay tuned in enough to my dog so they don’t dig or steal food. I want a dog who doesn’t embarrass me or stress out my host, or, worst of all, destroy anything.
In order to be a good houseguest, make sure your dog can do the following:
-Enter new places calmly
-Potty before entering
-Politely greet humans
-Be respectful to other pets in the house
-Sit on leash inside with distractions
-Stay off the furniture
-Respond with alacrity to ’no’ or ‘off’ commands
-Be around food without counter surfing, begging, or stealing off plates or out of hands (seriously!)
-Not dig or bark in the yard
How to prepare your dog for baby
The Naked Dog has a special protocol for getting your dog ready for your newborn to arrive! If you are expecting to be expecting anytime during the life of your dog, it isn't too soon to start laying the foundation you'll need to make your dog a great big sibling!
Bringing a baby into the family is a very special time. The house is full of love and wonderment for this new tiny human. Your dog is also going to be very interested in this new addition. Its important to establish safe boundaries with your dog so they know that the baby requires respect and space. The purpose of this class is to help show you how to implement boundaries and personal space, practice calm walking with the stroller, claiming your babies scent, introducing your dog to the baby and keeping all interactions calm.
Boundaries and Personal Space
Your space is important, no sitting on you or leaning on you.
Dog must be able to back away when asked.
Have a good “go to your bed” or “place” command
No dogs in the nursery
No following you around the house when you go form room to room (anxious energy).
Must stay put in the vehicle, no running from window to window.
No jumping on you!
Making Everything on Your Terms
Showing your dog that your the leader of the pack (family unit)
“Sit” and “Wait” for; Food, Doorways in and out, Exiting the crate, loading and unloading from the vehicle.
Petting and cuddles is on your terms, no letting your dog force cuddles on you.
No jumping up on the couch or bed unless invited up, if they jump on their own they have to get down and lose that privilege for a while. This is important! Don't want your dog accidentally jumping on the baby!
Walking with the Stroller Before Baby Arrives
No Pulling on leash!
No walking in front of or beside the stroller, must stay back behind handle bars with you.
Do not clip dogs leash to the stroller, have leash looped in your hand.
Know where your stroller brakes are and get comfortable using them quickly.
The more you can practice with the stroller before baby the better! Lets your dog feel like part of the pack (family) when yall all get to go on walks together.
Claiming Your Babies Scent
Done the day before baby comes home.
Receiving blanket or swaddle blanket, something with mom and babies scent is best but at least it needs to have the babies scent on it.
Dog must be calm for this interaction and shouldn't sniff if too excited.
Sniff from a distance first, if your dog is calm than reward with a “good, ‘dogs name’” and a “good, easy” or “good, calm”
We want this to be a happy experience but not an overly excited one so the dog understands this is a good smell but calm.
Only touch sniff for a few seconds if your dog is behaving calmly and reward the calm. No touch sniff if they are pushing you to smell and especially no licking the blanket (If too hyped then go for a walk and try again for a calm sniff after).
After a minute or so then take the and put it away and out of reach of the dog, keeping the mindset of “this is mine and you must respect it”.
After they got a good sniff and behaved well for it than take your dog for a good walk or fetch session, something rewarding and that they enjoy.
The Day Baby Comes Home
Have Help for this one! - Get your dog out on a nice long walk or hike, really get them tired and relaxed before you get home. This is where a family member, trusted dog walker, or friend comes in handy.
Dad goes in to greet the dog first, keep the energy calm, let out to potty if need be, mom and baby are waiting patiently in the car.
Dad and Mom trade places so mom can greet dog alone first, this will be exciting for your dog so really try and nurture the calm energy. Your dog will realize that things have changed right away by the way you smell. (Dogs are very intuitive and have great senses of smell when it comes to pheromones)
Mom puts dog on leash
Dad brings baby inside while mom keeps dog calm by walking around dad and baby until dog shows total calmness. (This might take a little bit, and that's ok!)
Keep striving for and nurturing the calm energy
Once dog is calm then he can have a sniff greeting of babies feet while your saying “easy” and “good, ‘dogs name” nice and slow and low tone of voice.
No Licking! (especially no hands or face licks at this newborn stage)
Keep these first interactions short and peaceful. Once dog as had a good feet sniff then walk away again, showing dog that baby needs space. After a few minutes they can have another little sniff once baby is out of car seat.
Your dog can drag the leash around for a first day if that helps to be able to quickly stop any pushy greetings.
This is where having that solid “go to your bed” or “place” command really helps, ask your dog to give you and baby space and be able to watch from a distance.
Don’t Forget About The Dog
The first few weeks with baby is an especially exhausting time for mom who is recouping and recovering, have help with your dog already lined up.
Daily walks, fetch sessions, or play toys is important to help keep your dog exercised and not feeling like they have been replaced. Again this is where family or friends and a trusted dog walker can come in handy!
Once mom is up to it, a stroller walk is a great way to make the dog feel like they are part of the pack(family), and since you have been practicing with the stroller this is not a new experience for your dog so that added stress is now not a problem.
Boundaries and Personal Space for the Baby
No dogs in nursery.
No dogs between you and the baby, it should always go “You- Baby- Dog” or “Baby- You- Dog”
Watch for signs of dog taking ownership of baby; laying next to all the time and following around house, growling or being reactive to new situations or people around baby.
When it comes to photos of baby with dog; 1) Always be present. 2) Don’t force it on dog if they look uncomfortable.
Helpful Tips
Get a sign for the door, “Please do not knock or ring bell, sleeping baby, call or text if important”
Easy to order one off Amazon or Etsy, lots of cute options!
Let any company who want to come visit the baby know to text you when they arrive so you can make sure to get dog situated and calm for interaction.
If your worried your dog will bark at the sound of a crying baby try finding a video on youtube of a crying baby and play the video for your dog, correct any barking or unwanted behavior.
Lastly, Haley is available for private sessions to help with any dog issues before or after baby arrives, just reach out!
Dog Dating: How to Pick the Right Playmate
Let’s face it, socializing is harder than it’s ever been in every way. This means we have to be intentional about finding the right way to socialize our dogs.
As some of you know, dog trainers don’t love dog parks. If your only opportunity to socialize was a rave or a packed party where the guests are doing parkour off each other, I doubt most of you would be pumped to go out. I certainly wouldn’t! I’m more of a one on one quality time visit or casual walk in the park person, as many of our dogs are.
Unless your dog has reliable recall and is safe on hiking trails, in unfenced areas where dogs gather, or the unofficial neighborhood dog parks you may stumble on during one of your walks, that leaves greeting dogs on leash on walks, but that can be tricky, too! The leash can feel restrictive for a lot of dogs and, with so few dogs who are well versed in dog body language, the usual greeting I see, one that begins with stiff, statue like body language or dogs rushing towards each other, isn’t the ideal way for dogs to begin a conversation and can lead to less than positive experiences.
So, how do you socialize your puppy?
I have my clients with puppies go on dates. Dog dates! Finding the right playmate for your dog is a lot like dating. You need to set some parameters to narrow down the options, make your best selection and give a few a try before you find the right pal. In an ideal world this is a friend or someone in your neighborhood and also someone you can trade dog watching with when you go out of town so you don’t need to pay or send your dog to a boarding facility.
Step 1) What are you looking for? You want to pick a puppy that is about the same size and around the same age or old enough to know manners but not so old they aren’t into puppy play time. Every dog is different, but up to 2 or 3yr old dogs are usually very playful and would enjoy a puppy.
Step 2) Find somewhere to post. This could be your neighborhood facebook group, Nextdoor.com, a sign in front of your house (why not?), or a shout out in a social network. Use your groups! Reach out to your community! Ideally find someone with a playful dog who lives within walking distance. The post can be something like:
“Our new puppy needs some dog time! Our pup, NAME, is a WEIGHT, AGE, BREED. He loves to ACTIVITY and seems to play LEVEL. We are doing some training and daily exercise and want to be sure they have time to be a dog and play. If you have a puppy or older dog who loves puppies we’d love to set up a date and see if it’s a match!”
-If you have a fenced yard and can host, mention that. Ideally someone has one, especially if your puppy isn’t fully vaccinated. You can also buy a long line and meet in an easement in your neighborhood or quiet park. I like to check out the satellite map and look for big areas of green nearby then go investigate. And I have found some magical greenbelts that way!
-It’s best to keep dog play out of the house where they have plenty of space and the host dog is less likely to be territorial of their bed, toys, bowls or where their food is kept. There is no reason to bring the dogs inside together or let them interact near the doorway.
Getting ready for your date
Don’t be nervous! Just like in dating, the point isn’t to be liked by everyone, it’s to find the right fit. Tell your dog to be themselves, but the best version of themselves. To help the dogs out in this goal suggest that you both go for a good long walk separately earlier in the day to take off the wild edge. If you tell the other owner you will be taking your dog on a walk before the dogs meet for this reason, hopefully they will pick up the hint and do the same, but I tend to be more direct and specifically request it. Blame me! “My trainer said….” This walk will burn the top layer of energy off so your dog can use their brain instead of being full of energy as well as overwhelmed by excitement at the chance to play. Remember - play dates are not a substitute for exercise! That is part of the reason dog parks are so problematic, people use them as a way to avoid taking walks.
Start with a walk
In fact we suggest that you then begin your date with a walk. Yes! Another walk! This is how we introduce dogs to set ourselves up for success.
Don’t let the dogs greet right away, but walk in the same direction together at a 6’ or more distance.
Begin with one dog on the sidewalk and the other in the street. Have the handlers hold the dogs on the outside, far apart with the humans near each other.
Even though the dogs will be excited, keep walking forward until they calm down.
You can reward calmer energy with a greeting.
Not saying hello right away gives the dogs a chance to get used to each other before they greet, taking some pressure off that initial sniff. When we want to be sure that dogs get along, this is the way we introduce them. Think of it as a best practice.
Let the dogs greet on a loose leash (no holding pressure while they say hello!) and do a quick sniff sniff, getting back to walking before play or a power dynamic can begin. If one dog is more interested and the other starts to feel overwhelmed that isn’t ideal. We also don’t want the puppies to launch into play on leash.
Did you know that in dog culture it’s polite to sniff for no more than 3 seconds then dip your head away, giving the other dog a chance to disengage or re-engage in the interaction? No? Most dogs don’t either! We touch the leash every three seconds, applying pressure until our dog dips their nose away, then we release the pressure and let the interaction continue.
On the walk back to the house the dogs can be on the inside and the humans can walk a bit closer with COVID safety in mind. If your pup isn’t fully vaccinated you can mimic this walk process in the front or back yard.
What we really really try to avoid is greeting in doorways. That can lead to trouble, especially if the dog whose home it is feels at all protective over the space and unsure about the excited newcomer.
Either in the yard or on the street, keep the dogs on leash and keep them moving, giving them something to focus on other than each other.
Greeting this way is life changing! The dogs won’t always want to play with each other, or even get along, but you will know you did what you could to set yourself up for success every time. It is even a good way to begin future playdates, not just the first greeting. Since other owners won’t know this super pro tip, it will be up to you to take charge and lead the way. Just say your trainer told you to ;)
Curious how to guide a dog to positive play?
Check out this video of puppies getting one of their first socialization dates to see how I manage them.
Be sure to “like” and subscribe to my YouTube channel for more free dog training videos!
Socialization isn’t all about play
Socialization isn’t all about play anymore than dating is all about being physically intimate. It’s important that puppies learn to be around other dogs in many ways - interacting directly or co-playing side by side, dogs who love other dogs and dogs who don’t. Sometimes this means not playing and respecting another dog’s boundaries, but that can be just as hard as not texting someone new who you are really excited about.
A lot of people ‘leave it to the dogs’ to teach each other, but this unfortunately doesn’t work as well as we’d like it to. The same way many people struggle to be direct and assertive, especially when they are being bullied or overwhelmed, many dogs don’t have the personality or social know how to say “Hell No” when it’s needed, and that is where we as responsible owners step in. This takes us being present, reading our dogs behavior, body language and energy as well as having the courage to risk being seen as impolite when we quietly intervene. Those are some big challenges right there!
If one dog is shy or nervous, take the pressure off the interaction by playing with the other dog or having each owner play with their own dog near each other. I like to keep a nervous dog on leash because the leash gives me some control. It also gives my dog a confidence boost since we are connected and they know that means I’m in charge. This responsibility means that I will have to step in and help my nervous pup tell another dog to back off if that is necessary. A good rule of thumb is to have both dogs on leash and go for a walk or hang out, letting the nervous pup initiate a sniff when they are ready.
But it also is!
We want the dogs to play with each other to get social skills and to be a dog. The fact that play is a great outlet for energy is a bonus. Don’t forget that this is the order of importance! When we hold this perspective, it’s easier to keep things calm, take breaks and end the playdate before anything has a chance to go sideways.
What is polite play? We had a pack of up to 14 dogs go on off leash hikes with us every weekday and we learned a lot about what kind of behavior in play was prosocial and what led to trouble. You know the stereotype of telling kids “you better calm down before someone loses an eye?” What they are commenting on is that when kids get to playing too rough for too long, they go out of control and are at risk of getting hurt. The same is true for dogs.
Our rules:
Good play involves taking breaks. Dogs who play nicely have the energy of ‘romp, romp, pause. Romp, romp, pause’ instead of ‘runrunrunrurnrunrunrunrunrun.’
At first, the dogs may need to try some things and figure out where they fall. This could involve being a little rude to see what they will get away with. Dogs test their boundaries reliably and early. It’s important to allow a little bit of this, but not let it get out of hand
Displacement Behaviors mean “I need a break, or I am not interested”
Yawning
“Whale eye” looking out of the corner of their eye, instead of directly at the other dog.
Sniffing or getting a drink of water
Scratching, gator roll itching
Lip licking, their own or the mouth of the other dog
Shaking off
Uro-genital checks
Sit down
Hackles up (doesn’t always mean danger)
Warning signals mean “I’m done”
Freeze, this can include an upright stiffly wagging tail
Lip curl
Growl
Tuck tail and run
Hide
Hypersalivation
More than one correction between dogs (do not scold the dog giving the correction, call the dog receiving the correction away)
Hackles up (sometimes it does)
Our no-no’s are:
Body checking - where one dog crashes into another like a football tackle
Humping
Pawing at or putting paws on another dog
Mouth on another dog, especially the neck (parallel mouths okay, perpendicular mouths not allowed).
Herding or nipping at heels
Putting a neck over another dog’s back, standing over another dog (a dog’s airspace is part of their body! Harley doesn’t like a dog standing over her)
Pinning a dog in a corner, or under something
Running wild, while beautiful, often precedes poor decisions
If a game of chase ensues it should be interrupted after 2 revolutions
The longer dogs play, the more intense it gets. Step in to encourage breaks if the dogs don’t take them naturally
Bullying
Does it look like one dog is on the offensive and the other dog is on the defensive? I like to check in and see if the quieter dog is interested in play or if they are just doing their best to fend off a play attack by grabbing the collar of the more exuberant dog and seeing what the other one does. Do they take the opportunity to move away or do they come back and re-engage?
Treats, bones, food and other resources
When I take Harley to a friend’s house, I always ask if they free feed their dog. Whether food is in the bowl or not, Harley will immediately follow her nose and trot over to where the other dog (or cat!) gets fed to try her luck. It is natural for a dog to feel protective over their food, so I try to control Harley, asking her to come away from that area, and I watch the other dog’s body language and energy. Definitely pick up a bowl with food in it, and maybe pick up an empty bowl if the dog looks uncomfortable. Also, shoo them out of the kitchen to prevent an issue. Safe practices around resources is our responsibility to manage, not a dog’s responsibility to figure out.
Dogs can be possessive over high value toys, especially raw hides, horns, chews, bully sticks. Harley will immediately go over to the bully stick she has turned her nose up at for months when another dog comes over, not wanting them to have it. It is good practice to pick up any toys or bones when a new dog is coming over or dogs are not being monitored.
Sometimes I will give dogs a bully stick or marrow bone as a treat or a way to coplay that doesn’t involve interacting with each other. A good rule of thumb is to have one more toy on the ground than there are dogs. Ain’t it just the way it goes that another dog’s bone looks better than yours? We’ve all been there. Expect the dogs to rotate bones and tempt each other off one toy using another. Be ready to step in and say ‘eh-eh’ to a dog that is standing near another dog chewing or redirect him back to his own bone or the spare that you have laying out because you took my sage advice on this matter.
Generally, the best practice is to not have food or bones around when new dogs are getting to know each other or when they are unattended. There is no need to add that level of stress to an interaction and I consider giving dogs a treat that takes more than one bite to eat advanced. In fact, even having treats on you can make your dog possessive over you and start guarding you from the other dog, introducing a dynamic you don’t want. Leave the treats in the cupboard - being outside and enjoying playtime is treat enough.
Resource Guarding
It isn’t just bones, dogs can get possessive over their bed, ‘their’ house, a toy they love, a toy they have never shown interest in, even you! Think of it like walking up and putting your hand on your partner’s shoulder when they have been chatting to an attractive person for a while. We’ve all done that or seen it done, probably unconsciously, and it is a way of indicating ownership. Some degree of guarding is understandable, but it’s up to you to be the ‘owner’ of all things and set boundaries with your dog over what they are allowed to be possessive over, which is ultimately only their personal space, and even that isn’t always true.
When I used to board dogs, Harley would follow a new dog around the house, warning them they better stay away from certain things or areas. Harley was not just being possessive, she was laying the groundwork for setting up their relationship dynamic and correcting their excited energy. I would correct her if she was crossing the line and I later adjusted my system to have a new dog on leash in the house until the dogs established a dynamic and until they could walk around calmly.
My approach to resource guarding is that prevention is the best cure. Pick up anything your dog may guard before the other dog comes. Put away anything your dog is guarding. If that means you can’t play with balls during this playdate, that is okay. If your dog needs to be corrected, do it. Let your dog know they are out of line. This will build his trust in you and help reiterate that it’s no fun to act bigger than your britches.
Thinking of getting an E-collar? How to start out the right way
This isn’t the first training tool we recommend using. I don’t use the eCollar with most of my clients and only suggest it when my other training interventions don’t seem to be as effective as they should be. This is one of the most popular articles on my site and that makes me sad for dogs because I feel like we, as trainers, have failed to get the message out about what works.
Every training program should focus on laying a foundation of respect, trust and having the attitude of a good teammate. Most of us - me included when I got my dog - naturally engage in behaviors that contribute to how well our dog listens to us. This is anything from giving too much affection, not having healthy boundaries and not knowing how to tell a dog we really don’t like something they are doing and in order for us to have a nice life together, they have to stop.
That foundation is built in small moments that generally have nothing to do with the owner’s main complaint about their dog. The guidelines are counterintuitive because we need to see the world from a dog’s perspective instead of our own, we need to understand what the relationship needs to be before we try to make it what we wanted it to be. It has to do with how we give our dog affection and attention. It has to do with knowing how to give commands in a way your dog will listen. It’s about teaching a dog impulse inhibition in the small moments so they can access it when we really need them to. It’s about being the leader your dog needs you to be. It’s about experiencing a closeness and bond that is beyond cooing and cuddles, one that most owners never get access to.
If you are interested in learning about how to change your life with your dog and get ecollar results without using this serious piece of equipment, please check out my eCourse that shares how to apply my entire training philosophy to help you understand dogs and get support implementing my training philosophy (which is so effective I rarely need an eCollar) or sign up for my Virtual Coaching program so I can guide you through the process one on one.
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Find our full guide to getting started on the eCollar below ⤵️
If you have been working with a trainer and established the type of relationships, rules and boundaries you need, here is the best way to get started and our recommendation on how your Mini Educator ecollar should be used.
Intro on eCollars
While eCollars have gotten a bad reputation, I have found them to facilitate subtle and intuitive communication with my dogs when used properly. This isn’t the first tool I recommend to training clients, but we have found some dogs prefer this method of communication over other cues. I only use the Mini Educator eCollar from ECollar technologies because it’s high quality, water proof, consistent and the range from 0-100 means there are levels on the collar that are so gentle a human can’t even feel them.
We have found the collar to be particularly effective at teaching and reinforcing off leash recall skills as it allows me to ‘touch’ my dog from afar. If I were a bigger, stronger, faster dog, I would be able to physically catch my dog when they got too excited or roamed too far and use dog body language, such as a nip on the neck, to show them that they are not allowed to do what they are doing. The eCollar is a great way to translate that communication given the limitations inherent in the difference in our species.
First, it is important that we see the collar, like the leash: as a communication tool and not as a punishment.
As with guiding children as they grow, education involves encouraging the behaviors we want more of as well as dissuading the behaviors we want to discourage. Our goal in using the collar is to establish consistent cause and effect. These cues will be associated with our voice and body movements to facilitate us reaching the point where the collar isn’t needed.
As you begin this training, the best practice is to have the collar on consistently every day or every time you are in the pertinent situation for four to six months as a conservative estimate. To determine when to relax with your strict adherence in having the collar on all the time, I use the 90% rule.
If the collar is on 90% of the time, and 90% of the time it’s on in the situations that prompted me to use it in the first place I don’t need to use it, then I can begin to reduce the time it is used. If I find it isn’t on and I wish I had it more than twice, (yes! twice total!) I will start being more consistent again.
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Regression is a normal part of the learning process. Many dogs will achieve a level of calmness and comprehension to where they rarely require the collar. Some days, a dog may be more excited than usual or there are days their ears won’t work as well. You might need to have the ecollar changed and ready all the time because it’s best to use the collar preemptively on days like this. Being tuned in to your dog on this level is why we use the collar in conjunction with our training program, which focuses on building the relationship as well as applying training techniques.
Sometimes simply having the collar on is enough of an incentive for my dog to do the mental work of staying within the behavioral guidelines we have set. Generally, after I correct a dog three times for doing something I know that they understands they’re is not meant to do, I can say that the verbal, body language or energetic correction isn’t working and I need to put the collar on again. This is also a cue for me to change the situation, such as putting my dog on leash if they aren’t responding to recall cues. This is why we say our training is ‘dog led.’ My dog can keep the collar off if they maintain a calm and cooperative mindset and listens to light corrections. The choice is theirs!
Getting Started with your Mini Educator
We have a lot of respect for the ecollar and do not recommend using it without the help of a trainer. Since both you and your dog will be learning a new language together, it’s best to have guidance from someone who is fluent. This is also not the first tool we go to. It isn’t fair to the dog to use the ecollar as a quick fix because it worked well for a friend.
Charging
It’s important that the collar is charged and ready to go by our training session. First, open the water proof plug closures and charge the collar and remote. It will glow red while it is charging and green when it is done. Because of the lithium battery, it’s important that you avoid over-charging it by removing it from the charger promptly once it is green or allowing the battery to die once it turns red. When the battery on the collar or remote is low, the light will flash amber, and that is your cue to charge it ASAP.
Try to stay in a habit of turning the collar and remote off after each use as well as charging it before it gets low. After you remove the charger, it’s best to build a habit of putting the stoppers back in so they are flush so your collar remains waterproof.
Off and on
The Mini Educator can be a little tricky to turn off and on. The remote has a large, circular button on the back. To turn on, push and hold till the display turns on. To turn off, push and hold till the display reads ‘OF’ then release. This button is also connected to the night light on the collar so you can check if the light was activated and press again to turn off.
To turn on the collar, align the red dot on the side of the collar with the one on the side of the remote. Swipe the two dots against each other till the collar flashes green for on. If you swipe it twice it will flash red for off. Sometimes the collar can switch off and on in one swipe, so I test the collar by vibrating it while it’s in my hand before I put it on my dog. Vibrating them for no reason is not cool - try not to do that.
Collar
The strap for the collar in the box is very long and will need to be trimmed down. In order to be effective, the stimulation points need to touch the skin on your dog’s neck. The collar should fit like a belt. Too tight and it will not be comfortable, too loose and it won’t do its job. Find the right hole for your dog and cut the collar about 3-4” longer for an adult dog or 6” for a puppy that is still growing. Having extra room will make the collar easier to put on and give you the option of using it on another dog who may be bigger. We like to cut the tip into a point instead of flush across so it’s easier to thread through the buckle.
Using the night light
The night light on the collar is perfect for walking, camping, or keeping track of your dog in the yard at night. To turn the night light on, press the on/off button on the back of the remote. One push and the light will pulse, two pushes and the light will be steady, three and it will turn off. If you turn off the collar, the light turns off as well.
Wearing the remote
The collar comes with a clip on lanyard that we recommend you immediately clip on to the remote. When I work with dogs on the hiking trails or in training sessions, I always wear pants with a belt loop. I clip the remote around a belt loop and keep my hands free to signal my dog with hand motions or to hold a leash. You might trade out the lanyard for a caribeaner and choose to clip it to a fanny pack. It’s important that it stays in place and doesn’t slide around because you will need instant access to it when you do need it. I have found wearing it around my neck leads to uncomfortable bouncing so I don’t do that.
As you learn to use the collar, clip it on and practice moving your hand to it so you can trigger the collar correctly in a split second, like in an old western shoot out. I recommend doing this sitting on the couch with the collar off your dog, but you can also do it carefully while on walks.
Without pressing the buttons, move your hand down and feel where your fingers hit them, saying which is which as you touch them (vibrate/stimulation/stimulation plus 10). It’s also good to practice twisting the level control so you know how to get the collar close to the number you want, limiting the number of times you have to look down in that pivotal training moment. You can try to hit a certain number (+25) or twist and guess what number you landed on. The faster you twist the higher it jumps so this takes some practice and you won’t have time to mess with it while you are using it so this is your homework to do while your dog is napping.
Your fingers should know:
Vibrate (T button alone on the right)
Stimulate (black and red buttons on the left)
Twist up (we usually do a quarter twist for 10-20 points when we need to up the stimulation)
Twist down (again, a quarter twist to lower 10-20 points)
Testing the levels
What is great about the Mini Educator collar is that it has levels that are so gentle you or your dog can’t even feel them. The collar goes from 0-100 and we generally start at level 3-8 and bump in increments of 5-10. Try this and the vibrate setting on your forearm to see how it feels. Humans can usually feel the sensation between levels 12-20. You’ll notice it feels like an uncomfortable stimulation and not a painful shock. We like the Mini Educator because the cheaper collars are often more painful. When it comes to dog care, the ecollar is not somewhere to try and save money.
The collar should always be used respectfully and responsibly, never using more pressure than is necessary. The ecollar sensation mimics the nip that one dog would give another when they are misbehaving. Be careful using your ecollar when other dogs are close to your dog, especially before your dog is very familiar with the feeling on their body and it being related to a communication from you. If your dog feels the collar when they are near another dog, particularly if there are group dynamics taking place or if your dog is very excited, it’s likely that they could mistake the collar for a bite and start defending themselves against the closest dog.
We always attempt to stay in the lightest levels that are effective for that dog in that moment on that day, but even if you accidentally use the collar over threshhold, you will never physically injure a dog with collar stimulation. This is why when our leash corrections aren’t effective as a communication tool or behavior deterrent, we suggest trying the collar as a more powerful and subtle approach.
Teaching the collar
Put the collar on and let your dog wear it around the house so he can get used to the way it feels before it is used. When you begin to teach your dog using the collar, make sure the collar and remote are on and the stimulation level is set at 3-5. The level number only applies to the electronic pulses, not to the vibrate, which is consistent. We like to start by using the collar for the ‘come’ command when your dog is on a longline. This will help your dog associate the use of the stimulation with their choice to ignore you.
We have found the collar to be particularly effective at teaching recall and deterring behaviors such as hunting on hikes, counter-surfing, barking, and jumping as well as reinforcing general obedience.
Throughout our training, we will show you how to use the collar in a way that is the most gentle and effective, laying the groundwork from the beginning to achieve the same level of focus and responsiveness whether it is on your dog or not.
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How to go on a great walk
Going on a walk is one of the most quintessential parts of dog ownership. Walks are usually a dog’s only source of good exercise and we at The Naked Dog prefer walking in a neighborhood or on a trail to running wild at a dog park.
Walks expose dogs to the sights and smells of the world. Dog’s get to sniff around and check up on what is going on in the neighborhood since their last pass by that area. The yard can create a fishbowl effect, ramping dogs up even more and encouraging instinctive behaviors like squirrel chasing, alarm barking and fence fighting. A walk allows a dog to go on a journey and return home.
Walks are also amazing training opportunities! When owners call us with an issue, we always recommend more walks and exercise as part of the training solution. On a walk, a dog gets the opportunity to enjoy the world, but also has to be a good teammate by staying tuned into the handler and exercising patience when asked to, such as when walking out of the door, past another dog, or when they are asked to stand still during a poo clean up, or while chatting with a neighbor.
If we have not shown our dog what is expected from them on a walk, they will default to behavior that comes naturally to them. Not knowing how to guide a dog to be a wonderful walking companion, many people waterski behind a dog that is pulling, barking, dragging to smells or losing his mind with excitement when passing another dog. This behavior can be unpleasant for us and the result is that they get walked less. By becoming a good teacher to your dog and guiding them towards the behavior you want and away from the behavior you don’t, you can make your walks enjoyable and use them as a learning experience.
WALK GUIDELINES
Going for a walk should be your idea: If your dog is soliciting a walk, wait until they are calm to initiate the walk routine. This includes tasks such as putting on my shoes or getting the leash.
Don’t chase your dog: If they can’t sit calmly while you put on the leash,put the leash down and try again once they calm down. Take a deep breath and wait. Once your dog sees that jumping around isn’t working, they will get their brain in gear and try something else, like sitting or standing still. Then that behavior can be rewarded by the leash moving closer. The patience will pay off and your dog will realize being calm is the way to get out of the door.
The Mendota Slip leash: The leash we recommend must be positioned properly. The leash should be as high as possible on your dog’s neck, right behind the ears and right behind the back of the jaw. Pull down any extra neck skin or long hair to make sure the leash is flush on the neck. Tighten the leather stopper so only one finger can fit into the loop to ensure the leash doesn’t have room to slip down.
Leash Technique: Because the leash is positioned on a sensitive part of the neck, be diligent to not hold steady pressure. Default to having slack in the leash so it looks like a letter J or a sloppy S. If the leash is straight, apply ‘pulse pressure’ on it until your dog moves closer or stops pulling on the leash. This does two things, it makes it uncomfortable for your dog to pull, and it engages their brain making it easier to hold their attention.
Touches on the leash should always be used in conjunction with your voice, body language, movement, sounds, and your body position. The leash is one tool in our toolbox and should be part of a bigger conversation.
The moment the leash goes on, the walk begins! You should walk calmly to the door without your dog pulling you. It’s okay to walk back and forth a few times in the hallway to get it right. You are setting the tone for the walk and every step, even inside, counts towards your total distance.
A dog who pulls to the door won’t be able to get there since pulling will be met with a leash correction or change of direction. After a few tries, your dog will become mentally engaged, changing the tone of your walk before it begins!
Set a boundary at the door: Position your dog so you are between them and the door, say ‘wait,’ once, and then open the door. I can ‘pulse’ with the leash, but not hold, otherwise you are doing your dog’s work for them. Wait in front of an open door until your dog relaxes. When you do step out,ask your dog to wait again near the doormat. You want to be able to close and lock the door without being pulled on and you want to make sure your dog does not lose focus and mentally start the walk without you.
Project Leadership: From the beginning of the walk. Have a vision of the route you want to take, how you want your dog to behave. Exude a calm, confident energy, walking with a sense of purpose and direction instead of wandering aimlessly or letting your dog guide you. Picking visual points to walk to will help you stay on target and give you confidence that your dog will feed off of.
The great thing about having plans is that they can always change! Adjust as you go as your circumstances change.
Stay Present: Remain attentive and continuously scan the environment for possible distractions. This has the benefit of giving you a chance to see a potential distraction before or at the same time that your dog does.
Inwardly, you want to remain very aware of my dog, watching your dog in your peripheral vision and feeling your dog through the leash. Outwardly, you want your dog to be glancing up to you and witnessing you observing the environment.
Enforce the ‘Heel’ command: Ask your dog to stay within one foot of your knee or ankle, ideally keeping their nose or ear in line with your leg. It’s very important to give your dog the job of staying in a heel,showing them where you want them. You can do this by applying pressure if they go out of the heel zone.
If your dog pulls on the leash, swing your foot out to block them in front or ‘touch’ their rump in back.
Do the lightest leash correction you think will get a response, or use ‘weird walking’ techniques (changing direction, walking in circles, going backwards, changing pace, stopping and starting).
Dealing with Distractions: If you see a distraction (dog, bike, jogger, child) coming or sense your dog is getting distracted or activated, I do a light ‘pulsing’ correction, taking the slack out of the leash or using a ‘bouncing’ pressure to bring their attention back to you. The earlier you can catch a distraction, the lighter touch you can use. This tells your dog ‘I see that too and it isn’t a problem’ so you can walk on.
If your dog starts being reactive: Stay calm and continue walking, applying a variety of corrections to see what combination of cues at what pressure will yield a result. These include sounds or commands, touching the leash, foot taps, my voice, body language, movements, and energy. If you were to stop walking, your dog would have time to focus on what is distracting them and therefore become more reactive.
This is counterintuitive so you will need to retrain yourself to always keep moving if something starts to go wrong.
Greeting Others: This only happens if your dog is willing or able to calmly walk past. Early in the leash training process, if your dog is able to walk by calmly, you may want to wait until you completely pass the other dog and then loop back, or ask the other owner to wait.
If your dog can stay calm on the approach and both dogs (and owners) look willing to allow a greeting, approach the other dog only if your dog can do so calmly and without pulling. Read our article on reading and greeting another dog for more on this.
Stopping to Smell: Our dogs have amazing noses! They do not need to drag their nose as they walk or dive-bomb a smell to get a good whiff. If your dog drags you towards a smell, do not reward this behavior by stopping. You want your dog to sniff and enjoy the world, but at a time that is good for both of you and when they have politely indicated they’d like to. This is possible! I know it can be hard to believe.
Throughout the walk, note when your dog seems like he wants to pull over. First ask them to continue walking nicely, then offer them a spot to ‘sniff sniff’ or ‘go potty’. You want your dog to enjoy nature and the world outside my house, but make sure your dog is not dragging you during the sniff time, and instead you can walk together nicely to find a spot of interest. If he doesn’t seem interested in sniffing, we pick up the leash, go back into a heel, and walk on.
Back to the house: The same as leaving the house, your dog should be calm before you let them off leash. Ask your dog to sit and wait at the door and allow you to remove the leash before you release them and the walk ends. Getting back home can be exciting, too!
Walking in this way gives your dog the job of staying tuned into you and in a heel, even with distractions. This calm, slow, mindful kind of walk will be more tiring than a fast, impulsive, distracted one because it provides mental exercise in addition to the physical - just like how a long day at work with little movement can be exhausting. It also reinforces a calm, respectful mindset and creates opportunities to practice impulse inhibition. It isn’t about preventing your dog from enjoying what the world outside the house has to offer as much as being sure that we are practicing good manners and reinforcing a calm, obedient mindset instead of an impulse driven one.
Happy trails and get your dogs out there! Any dog can walk nicely, we swear, but part of the trick is instilling good manners at home.
How to politely greet guests at the door
Comings and goings are exciting times for dogs. When a dog barks and runs up to the door, barges up to, or jumps on our guests, while smelling them and asking to be pet we usually say ‘oh, that’s just what dogs do!” In a sense, that is true. I call that the standard package. Unless you teach your dog otherwise, that is how they are inclined to behave in such a moment.
This behavior is so ubiquitous that people consider it the norm. We even think the dog is excited to see us personally and take it as a compliment. However, guests with children, with injuries, who are scared of dogs, who are not dog-people or who are dog trainers (ahem) will not look forward to coming to your home if they are bombarded in this way. Guests with dogs who don’t do this will judge you for not having training or controlling your dog and being oblivious to the problem. Some poeple will never come back. Honestly. People tell me stories about friends whose houses they refuse to go to because of an annoying dog.
Cassie waiting patiently for me to open the door from out of the entry way
It is possible for your dog to be excited, but still be polite. You can teach your dog how to do this by guiding them in the exciting moments, showing them what you want from them, and ensuring that becomes the norm through repetition and correction. This also provides a perfect opportunity to practice two important concepts ‘impulse inhibition’ and ‘down regulation.’ This means that your dog will be asked to exercise the muscle of self control in order to help them resist engaging in undesirable behaviors and be asked to go from a very excited state to a calm one. Practice makes perfect so if it’s hard or messy at first don’t give up.
Usually, when the doorbell rings, we are in such a rush to get to the door we don’t think about using this moment as a training opportunity. While you work on your dog’s door manners, I recommend that you put a sign on your door that says, “please give us a moment to answer, we are training our dog.” The more consistent you are, the less time it will take to establish a new norm for greetings.
When I hear the doorbell, I call out “one moment” and put my attention on my dog. When you start out teaching good door manners, you will need to have your dog on leash. Holding your dog’s collar means holding your dog back and preventing the behavior in that moment, but it doesn’t deter that undesirable behavior in the future or show your dog what you do want. Fussing at your dog when you haven’t explained what you are looking for isn’t a fair training approach. Read over these instructions so you will have a plan in place before someone comes over.
Print out this sign!
Tape it on your door and breathe a sigh of relief. Now you don’t need to rush to open the door before your dog is calm and under control.
Here is your step by step guide for when guests arrive
Ask for a heads up from guests: Talk about your training plan to get guests on board before they arrive. Ask them to let you know when they are on the way and then give you another call or text when they park. When your company is 5-10 minutes out, put the leash on and chill, as if you don’t know something is about to happen. Make sure your body language an energy is very ‘chill at home’ and not ‘guest prep.’ The house is clean enough, I promise. Putting the leash on after the doorbell rings or picking it up once your dog is already activated sets you up for failure, especially early in the training process first.
After you get the ‘we have arrived’ text, don’t let on to your dog that something is happening until the doorbell rings. We are trying to mimic life without the prep work so if you head to the door before someone knocks that is very ‘never going to happen again’ so it isn’t useful as a training strategy. Let’s be real, you are just trying to short cut the barking, you cheater you! I get it, but I also go you. Let’s fix it together.
Immediately take charge: Bring that boss energy!! Let your dog know that you have GOT THIS. Know what behaviors you want (dog quiet in a heel on leash behind you waiting to take cues) and what you don’t (barking, pulling, whining, excitement peeing, rushing to the door, running in circles).
Deter barking: Verbally or with touches on the leash, let your dog know they are not to bark at the sound of a knock or the doorbell. At first you may need to become bigger and louder than you’d like, moving in to their space and gesticulating, but it’s all an act, a strategy to shift your dog’s focus off the door and on to you, because damn, you looking ferocious. (Disclaimer: no ferocious actions need to be taken, this is performance art for the purpose of dog training.)
When your dog stops barking and brings their attention to you, take a deep breath as you shift back into your normal energy and body language. If they go back, you go back, but if they stay calm, then you can start navigating towards the door.
It’s also going to be good for you to try and differentiate if your dog is barking because they are excited or if they are protective. What this article describes is ‘spot correcting’ by just addressing this one training situation, but my training approach is successful because it’s holistic. If your dog is excited, you want to do lesson 5 of my eCourse on impulse inhibition. If they are protective, focus on lesson 2, which addresses the foundation of your relationship and how your dog sees you. Everyone will benefit from lesson 3 and 5! Both of these states are stressful for your dog and teaching them to be good for company doesn’t address the root cause.
Move slowly: Approach the door slowly, ideally in a heel with a loose leash, keeping yourself between your dog and the door. If your dog is pulling, turn and walk away from the door until they come willingly, then try again. If you are dragging your dog or if their focus is on the door, you aren’t ready to turn around and move towards it again. I don’t care if you need to walk circles around the couch or literally go into your backyard. They decide when it’s long or far enough, not you.
Once your dog is mentally with you, start moving towards the door again. At first this may take a while, but every time you stick with it and get your dog truly chill before moving forward, it will go faster and faster in the future.
Set a clear expectation: Don’t go on autopilot and get in a hurry when you are close to the door! Let your dog know to stop a few feet back from the door with a verbal cue like ‘stay’ or ‘wait’ and a little pulse on the leash like you are tapping the breaks. Don’t hold tension on the leash to keep your dog in place. That’s cheating.
If you don’t make it clear to your dog that you want them to stop, it is natural that they will keep following you all the way up to the door, so this is an important communication to give. You want your dog to stop far enough back so you can open the door, but don’t ask them to stop too far back so the leash doesn’t reach when you move forward to grab the handle. If you have a rug as a marker, that is great. Also consider some painter’s tape so you both have a visual marker of where your dog has to wait.
You also 100% need to practice this every time you go out a door and not just when company comes over because this is a terrible moment to introduce this skill. Luckily you all walk your dogs once to twice a day (right?) so you can get plenty of practice. Heck, practice every hour on the hour if you want! You’ll be surprised how quickly it will become normal.
Opening the door
With your dog locked in place, take a step forward towards the door, never letting your dog enter the space between you and the door
Fully expand your wingspan with one arm open back towards your dog and the other arm open to the door knob, ‘pulse’ on the leash and say ‘wait’ again since you know that hands on door knobs are exciting. Sometimes I’ll do a little test turn so the door makes the sound and see if that causes my dog to jump out of place. If so, back them up and start over. If not, continue.
Slowly open the door, closing it again if your dog barges forward. Once the door is open, wait a beat with no pressure on the leash, but keep it short enough to not give your dog room to get closer to your guest if they do get over excited and try to lunge.
After a beat (don’t try to beat the clock, but also don’t wait too long and over challenge your dog) walk into the house and ask your guest to let themselves in, close the door and follow you in to the living area or wherever you want to visit.
The start of your visit
The work isn’t done yet! The entry process is complete when your dog is calm, not when your guest comes inside. If you are reading this article, you know exactly what I mean.
If I wanted to open the door, I would ask these sweet pups to back up so I could address my company and keep them calm
Stand far enough away to where it’s physically impossible for your dog to jump on anyone given the length of the leash, which you will also be holding shorter than where the handle is, but not so short that there is tension. If there is any tension on the leash, you are physically holding your dog back. That is cheating and they aren’t learning. Correct, don’t restrict.
Ask your guest not to look at, talk to, or touch your dog until they are ready (ie till your dog doesn’t care anymore).
Have your guests sit far enough away to not over challenge your dog and you sit on the end of a couch or on a chair where your dog can lie on the floor near you, but not be on you. No dogs between couches and coffee tables and definitely 1000% not on the furniture.
Don’t ask your dog to do anything but stay in a space bubble you set that is close enough to not strain the leash, but not so close they are on you. You will see them sit, down, then fully relax on their own. Giving commands is a cheat - just ask them to not pull, bark, whine or climb on you. It doesn’t matter what position they are in.
When your dog finally fully regulates (sigh, fully down with flopped hips and head on the ground, relaxed muscles, falling asleep) then you can ask your guests if they would like to greet your dog. Have them put their hand down with their arm straight so the dog has no reason to enter their personal space. Let your dog smell their hand, but not get closer to them or flip their hand for more pets, and pull back if their energy and excitement escalates. After a quick scratch (10 seconds tops. Seriously.) call your dog back to you and ask them to stay in the bubble again.
Once back in their spot will regulate faster now that they know their job and you can try dropping the leash. If they immediately perk up and head for the guests, no big deal! Grab the leash again and keep them on the rest of the visit or try again later.
If your dog is really struggling, stand up to have a more ‘in charge’ body position, walk back and forth or practice commands to give your dog a task, get their bed to put by your chair as a cue that you want them to relax in that spot, grab a toy to give them an outlet for their excited energy (not to play with, nothing squeaky), walk out of the room and back, take them to potty and come back, crate them if you really have to and take them out again once they have time to relax (this will not be a good plan if your dog is in the crate whining, barking and freaking out.)
If a mistake happens along the way, that is no problem! Learning happens over time and mistakes are great opportunities for reminders and clear communication. Learning what ‘calm’ looks like is a process and you won’t get it right away. After 15 years I still get it wrong sometimes! Our eCourse covers how to lay the foundation for a calm dog that you can communicate with. You will find life will be so much easier when your dog can calmly greet guests, and I guarantee your company will be impressed as well.
How to unload from the car
If you follow us on social media, you know that our business began by taking a pack of dogs hiking on the trails every day for seven years. In order to keep a group of dogs calm and set the right tone for the hike, we are very deliberate about the way we unload our dogs when we get to the trail. This is just as important for your smaller pack or single dog.
Here is a guide for you to practice at home with your dog.
Dogs in the back: Whether in the backseat or the very back of a hatchback, your dog should always sit in the back of the car. This is for self regulation, and impulse inhibition, as well as safety. Your dog needs to feel safe, be given the job of being calm, and have the self control to not jump up to you in the front seat.
Hooking a leash around a headrest can help teach your dog to stay put while you are driving.
Put yourself first: Part of being a good leader is putting yourself first. When you arrive at your destination, it doesn’t matter how excited they are, your dog needs to wait while you get yourself situated. You don’t want to let an excited dog out of the car and reward that frantic and impatient energy with the reward of launching into a new place.
While you get yourself ready to go, say ‘eh-eh’ if your dog is excited, pacing, whining or barking in the car.
Your dog needs to learn that it is okay to be excited, but those are not okay ways of expressing that excitement.
Opening the Door: Once your dog is calm enough, start to open the door.
You want your dog to wait at the threshold so you can get their leash on
Look around to make sure it’s a good time to exit, and be ready to ask them to sit and wait on a loose leash once they hop out.
Say ‘wait’ as you open the door. If they look like they are about to pounce or if they make any movement towards the door, close it, just enough to make your dog hesitate, and think to themself, “Wow! This door is SO weird! Whenever I move forward, it closes! I wonder if that is related? Jeeze, maybe I’ll try sitting still and see if it opens all the way…”
Don’t Repeat: I don’t like to talk to my dog more than is necessary, but try to keep tabs on your dog and only say “wait” when it looks like the thought of moving forward is starting to cross their mind.
- It’s always easier to correct a thought than an action!
Your dog with my eye contact: You do not want your dog to believe that once you break eye contact they are allowed to break and jump.
- Try to look between your dog and the door instead of at your dog directly.
Don’t block the opening: If you are simply in the way, your dog isn’t doing the work. They are not using self control to hold themself back.
- If that is the case, then the moment you move they will launch out. Instead it’s important to step forward to block when your dog starts to move and try to ease away when you feel your dog is locked in place.
Picking up the Leash: When you have the car door open and feel that your dog understands they are meant to wait, pick up the end of the leash or step forward to put the leash on.
Again, you want your dog to be calm during this process.
If your dog loses composure, start by pulling your hands away or turning away. Making your dog thing to themself:
“When I don’t hold still I don’t get my leash put on! This leash is funny!… Oh no, now they are turning away because I’m too excited! Please, turn back! I’ll settle down!”
This is how we teach our dog what type of energy gets rewarded and what energy moves them further from their goals and desires.
Getting out of the car: Once the leash is on properly and in your hand, step away from the car door, giving your dog room to see if they are staying just because you are in their way. This is a great moment to exercise your dog’s self control muscle and you don’t want to miss out on it.
If they look like they are about to break or if they have that ‘race horse in the starting gate’ energy, sigh, cock your hip to show you are relaxed, and give a little ‘touch’ on the leash.
It isn’t enough to pause, see that your dog’s body is still, then let them launch out.
Pay close attention to their energy.
Hold the space so your dog can do something that we call ‘down-regulating’ which is learning to build the skill of calming themself down. We go from extremely excited, to excited, to alert, to somewhat calm, to fully calm. The goal is to get to the bottom landing of that excitement staircase where your dog sighs and says “gosh, we could be standing here forever!”
That is a great energy and the one to wait for before you reward your dog by exiting the car.
Only calm dogs get the good stuff. Really, calming down isn’t too much of a price to pay for the wonderful experiences you regularly go out of our way to give your dog.
Imagine how different your outing would be if you took a moment at each threshold to wait for your dog to be totally calm?
Waiting when the leash goes on, at the front door, before loading into the car, before unloading from the car, then waiting again on a loose leash after unloading, allows you to close the door and lock your car before you start your walk. It helps to set the tone for a calm walk as well as building a balanced, obedient mindset in general.
The more you ask your dog to be in their thinking brain instead of their impulsive and instinctive brain, the easier it will be for your dog to get to that place in the future.
Contrary to what you may think, this isn’t a waste of ‘exercise’ time.. The mental exertion it takes to engage the thinking brain and hold themself back is exhausting, just like when you have a long, hard day at work and come home tired. Unlike running wild at the park, this exercise is geared towards building the balanced dog you want.
The calmer my dog is, the more tuned in and sensitive they will be. This is where the term ‘dog whisperer’ came from! If you take the time to ask your dog to down regulate, your dog will have the ability to respond to incredibly subtle cues, such as a jingle on the leash, a sound like ‘shhh-shhh,’ a stern glance, or a movement in their direction. It’s amazing!!
Having a picture in your mind of how you want those thresholds to look, holding strong to your boundaries, asking your dog to follow cues to figure out what you are asking for in those exciting moments, and rewarding a calm mindset are all ways that you can shape your dog’s mentality and create the dog you want.
Summary
My dog sits in the back seat
I get ready to go before attending to them
I ask my dog to wait in front of the open car door on a loose leash
I ask my dog to sit and wait after we unload
How to read and greet other dogs
We are lucky enough to live in a city that has plenty of places for our dogs to hike on trails. While taking advantage of this we encounter a lot of dogs. One of the great parts about being out in public, is the chance to meet, play with, and walk away from a lot of dogs. The trails are great because they are more self selecting than a dog park and usually full of dogs that have the level of training in which they can be trusted to be off leash without running away. Hiking also makes it easy to walk away if play is getting too excited or too rough.
Look at these good, calm pups! Listening and obedience off leash is on point.
Out in the wild, you are going to see a lot of different dogs. Unfortunately, many dogs have poor social skills or bad dog manners. Many owners, simply, do not know what they are seeing. Many dogs, simply, have not been taught to develop the self control necessary to hold themselves back and be polite in exciting moments such as approaching another dog.
Do your best to keep your dog calm and in a heel: Say a light ‘eh eh’ or call your dog by name if they are locking on with their gaze or amping up with their energy. It’s important that you show your dog how to handle that exciting moment with manners and obedience. Do your best to be polite on the trails.
The moment you see a dog, check in on your dog as well as the dog approaching. You want to avoid any issues, so when you see a certain posture or behavior, you may turn and go the other way, or pull off the trail to let them pass.
What to look for:
If a dog runs up to you full speed. That isn’t a polite way to introduce themselves and shows a lack of self control.
You want your dog to know that you are on it and managing the situation. Show this by getting out in front of your dog and saying ‘EH-EH’ or ‘Off’ to the other dog waving your arm, and snapping or clapping to say ‘I need your attention’ or ‘you better back off, bud.’
The dog likely isn’t used to this kind of direction or correction during greetings, so that surprise and curiosity will help disrupt their fixation on your pup and calm things down a bit.
They could be okay once they calm down, or they could be a bit pushy, so you want to watch and see.
If a dog has tense body language in their ears, neck and back, a stiff gait, raised hackles on their back, or a still, slow, methodically wagging tail, that also won’t make for the best greeting.
Try to loosen the energy up by saying ‘easy’ in a sing song, then a more stern voice or snap your fingers to break the tension. Then watch what they are going to do next.
Try to keep your body loose and your energy calm so the dogs know you are not worried. You want to project to your dog that you’re on it and they don’t need to be concerned or step in to regulate the situation.
If your dog starts to display this energy, snap, say ‘eh eh’ or their name, tap the leash if they are on one, or swing your foot their way, whatever you need to do to get their attention, break the tension, or disrupt the hard stare.
If you do that repeatedly over time, they will understand that when they behave that way they get corrected, so they should stop doing that.
Pablo is asking Willa to play, but it looks like she is trying to take a breather in the shade. Either he will read her and turn away, or ignore her body language and push her to engage.
When a dog lays down or goes into a play bow upon seeing another dog, a lot of owners find it cute so they stand still and let it happen.
It’s important to keep on moving, no matter what
If your dog does that, keep walking and say ‘let’s go’ or ‘easy,’ or do some snapping to let your dog know that isn’t the best way to have a polite greeting.
A dog who does that isn’t calm, they are expressing excitement!
When you get close, they tend to launch, which has the same end result as the first dog described.
Think of it as a compressed coil waiting to pop. You don’t want to be preemptive, but do get in front of the pack and be ready to correct that dog if they spring.
This is not the best. These siblings are way too amped for my taste. We were probably fussing at them while we snapped this photo.
If a dog is jumping, barking, or lunging, that is also a no no. Imagine if you passed by or were approached by someone on the street who was yelling at you. You would not be in a good place to be receptive toan interaction.
As much as possible you want to keep on moving forward here. If you stop, your dog will focus on the other dog’s behavior and, understandably, start to get on their level.
This is a ‘hustle by’ situation, on leash, or a ‘step between, snapping your fingers, and keep moving’ situation, off leash.
You can say whatever you need to say to owners. Let them know you need them to be stepping in and controlling their dog. Most think these behaviors are normal or don’t know how to correct them so they usually stand by watching.
In a sweet voice, you can say ‘oh, my dog isn’t always friendly’ or ‘he is a little older/coming back from an injury’ or ‘hey, would you mind calling your dog back?’ I Always start sweetly, while asking the owner for help. At the same time work to get your body between the dogs so you can back the other dog off a bit or distract them..
Tune into the owner as soon as you see a dog. Do they tense up? Are they calling their dog back in a nervous or frantic way? Working to get them on leash? Trying to pull over into the woods or loop away to avoid you
If that is the case, try to be polite as well. Maybe they are in training or the owner can’t quite manage them yet. Maybe they aren’t always friendly. Who knows.
If someone looks like they are nervous about the greeting. Keep your dog in a heel. A dog behaving oddly attracts the attention of other dogs and sparks their curiosity. ‘What is going on with that guy? Let me investigate….’
If you don’t feel you have solid control say ‘Let’s go’ or ‘Come Come’ and start running forward, glancing back to be sure your pup is coming.
Also verbally correct them with a ‘Hey’ or ‘Eh Eh’ or ‘Let’s go’ if they aren’t coming, get distracted, or attempt to go check the other dog out.
Running is usually effective because a) it is exciting and b) they think ‘uh oh, there goes my ride!’
You don’t want to teach your dog they should be afraid of other dogs, so keep walking, and try to keep your energy calm. Look forward while keeping tabs on your dog as well as the other dog to know if any action on your part or change of course is required.
It’s your responsibility to help other owners be comfortable as well.
When training your pup to have good dog manners, you first need to be able to walk by other dogs without your dog exploding with excitement, reactive barking or lunging to greet every dog they see. -
Use verbal, energetic, and leash touches or corrections to show them ‘hey, I know other dogs are exciting, but you need to keep it together. When I say walk we are walking. You don’t get to say hi to every dog you see!’
Don’t reward very excited energy with a greeting. Only calm dogs get to say hi.
Think about what is normal for us. If you ran up to someone and got all up in their business, they would likely be defensive and not very excited about meeting you. The rule of thumb is “you can look as long as you keep your energy calm, keep walking with me, and are willing to pass by even though you really, really want to go say hello.”
You also don’t want to get tense, jerk your dog away, cross the street or send signals to the other owner that you are worried or that your dog is uncool.
Try to stay calm, give corrections, make a plan in your mind as you approach, and keep your eyes fixed ahead of you while stealing glances at your pup and the other dog.
Pawblo is looking a bit pumped here, we will probably do a lap and chill out before we try to engage with another dog to set the dogs up for the calmest greeting we can have.
After you can reliably pass other dogs, loop back.
Call out to the owner, ‘hey, is your dog friendly?’ If the dog is, say, ‘I’m doing some training, would you mind standing still so we can walk by you a few times?
Or, if you are pretty sure your dog can keep it together on the approach, say ‘would you mind if we let them say hi?” Usually the answer is yes.
Be shameless about asking other owners for help. What a great opportunity to meet your neighbors and interact with other dog owners! -
Channel your inner Allegra and just ask. The worst that will happen is they say no. It’s not personal.
On the approach, your dog needs to stay calm and collected.
If he is getting too excited, barking, pulling, lunging, holding a dead stare, or scrambling to get to the other dog, NOPE.Turn and move in the other direction.
Make your dog think ‘Gosh, whenever I act like that, we move away from the thing I wantIs a connection there?’
Do whatever you have to do to get your dog’s attention back on you. Let them know that they are on the clock, and that what they just did isn’t going to allow them to greet a dog.
Once your dog is calm and you are giving those leash touches to remind them to stay cool, try the approach again.
Talk to the owner here. ‘Sorry, just a moment, we are trying to work on some manners.’ Because most people simply don’t know, this can be a cool learning moment for them, too! You are helping to make the world a better place for dogs.
Try not to offer any unsolicited advice about their handling or their dog.
If the other dog is looking super excited, then that isn’t the right pup to try this with.
If you didn’t catch it early or the excitement builds, say ‘oh well! I guess my dog just isn’t ready. Thanks anyway! Have a great day!’
You can also throw in a ‘cute pup!’ People love that.
Once you get that calm, thoughtful, controlled approach, switch from your working leash position to keep your dog in a heel to your greeting grip, pinching the tip of the handle of your leash.
Your dog needs room to display the body language dogs use to communicate with each other.
If your dog does a ‘no no’ like putting their paws on another dog, jumping, barking, doing a hard sniff, or getting into a play bow, do a verbal ‘eh eh’ and briefly take up contact on the leash.
If you need to, take up your working grip again and take a step or two backwards to get your dog out of there. Making your dog think, ‘Weird! If I start acting that way, I don’t get to say hello.! I wonder if that is related?’ Your dog learns over time the way to get to say hi is to be calm.
Hard sniff there, Willa! Cora isn’t thrilled.
Porter the GSP doesn’t seem into it, huh?
Remind your dog that even though you are having some pup time, you are still on the clock. Don’t pull on me or drag. Don’t make the other dog uncomfortable. Don’t get too amped up.
-It is polite in dog culture to ‘disengage’ every few seconds. Looking down or away or pausing and giving the other dog a little room gives the dog a chance to exit the interaction if they aren’t into it. Every three seconds, take up a light contact in the leash, increasing the pressure slowly until you achieve your goal of getting them to give the dog a little space, or, ideally, turn away for a second to see what the dog does. Do they want to keep interacting or not?
If the other dog is the one going hard, ‘pulse pulse’ on the leash and guide your dog away and out of the reach of the other dog. If they are off leash, step in between, snap and say ‘easy’ or ‘eh eh’ in a sing-songy voice to get their attention off your dog so they can get away.
This happens a LOT with my sweet little Harley. Other dogs think she is a toy or sniff her intensely and to their hearts content. If I see Harley standing frozen and looking uncomfortable, I’m going to step in to back the other dog off and give her a chance to escape. The reason she needs my help there is that if she were to move while the other dog is fixated on her, they would chase her and the situation would escalate.
If you are sweet, light, calm and sing songy, other owners usually don’t mind. If you were to get frantic and yell, they would get surprised and defensive.This usually isn’t necessary unless the other dog bats at, mounts, humps or pins your dog. Even then, stay calm and try to use your voice or body to break them up. If you are really worried, you can grab the other dog’s collar and pull them off as gently as you can. Usually if a big ‘no no’ is happening, the other owner will understand why you would do that.
Because there are so many accidentally naughty dogs out there, it’s important that you do what you have to do to encourage your dog to have manners as well as keep your dog safe. If your dog has a bad experience or gives another dog a bad experience it can make them fearful or defensive in their future interactions, adding to the problem and not the solution. Other owners may think you are wacky for having all these rules, but just like we need to teach kids what is socially acceptable and how to control their impulses, it is important we teach our dogs this as well.
Keep doing your thing, do it as gently as possible but as firmly as necessary and your dog will become a refined citizen of the dog world.
Tips on adopting the right rescue dog
Try to find balance between a dog that is calm and curious, but also not totally at ease in that environment. It can be smart to do a foster to adopt so you get a sense of how the dog will be in your home. When I did that, I was able to determine that a very shy dog who was scared of men that I loved the look of wouldn't have a happy life with me, who wanted a dog I could take anywhere. There is a perfect home for every dog, and for that one, mine wasn't it.
Rescuing a dog is a wonderful thing. There are many dogs that are in shelters because the owner moved, had a baby, didn’t have time or money to train the dog, the dog made one mistake or had one scary moment with a human or animal. Most of these dogs are very trainable and it is wonderful to give them a good home. When people ask what my favorite breed of dog is, I always say “a good dog,” but my real favorite dog is a good old fashioned mutt. With bad breeding abounding, my experience is that mutts are generally healthier and it’s fun to see the unique looks that come from accidental breedings.
Rescue organizations are not all as wonderful as they seem. Before I got Harley, I tried to adopt several dogs from different rescues and I was turned down over and over again. I was between jobs so I had the time, I was living with a dog trainer and studying dog training and I had carefully researched every breed so I knew exactly what I wanted and what kind of dog would be the best fit for me and my lifestyle. I got turned down because I had never owned a dog before, because I wasn’t working so I couldn’t afford one, because I was renting a room in a house and there was no assurance I wouldn’t move and return my dog if my new accommodation wasn’t dog friendly. Eventually I got on Craigslist and bought the most wonderful Miniature Dapple Dachshund from a backyard breeder in a trailer park outside of Phoenix, AZ.
My tips for beginning the adoption process:
Don’t take the first dog you look at and like. I have experienced love at first sight, as I’m sure you have, and how often did that last? Finding the right dog is a process where you have to be smart and use discernment. When emotions lead, we may bite off more than we can chew, then both the owner and dog suffer. Tell the rescue you will be back later and sleep on it or loop back at the end of your search day.
I have had clients and friends find incredible dogs through Facebook, Craigslist, Next-door and other community websites or message boards or their personal social network. Tell your friends what you want and ask them to keep and eye out for you. This article focuses on shelters, but many of the same tips apply wherever your dog may come from.
Drive out of the city you live in. As far as you can. On my hunt for the right rescue I looked up all the shelters in the surrounding 50 miles, created a route to hit all of them in order, and spent a day looking at dogs. There are amazing dogs at shelters in the country! Urban rescues can be picked over and more expensive. Dogs are often misrepresented in their description, claiming to be friendly with kids, cats, other dogs, when they are not. These overfull rescues can care more about moving dogs out than about finding the right fit. Country shelters likely won’t have the resources to create these descriptions, forcing you to do these evaluations for yourself. My experience is that these shelters have amazing dogs who were dumped or just wandered out of an unfenced farm and no one came for them. This is the dog you want! A dog whose only fault was escaping a yard or slipping out of a property.
When you arrive, remember that shelters are a really intense and stressful environment. A dog who is comfortable in that environment isn't the dog you want. It's easy to be seduced by the one dog who is happy and playful, wagging their tail and willing to fetch. Try to find balance between a dog that is calm and curious, but also not totally at ease in that environment.
Think about what you want in terms of care throughout the dog’s life:
Long hair needs brushing and requires you to pay a groomer at regular intervals.
Young puppies require starting from scratch with housebreaking, crate training, and will need more exercise for the first few years of their life.
Working dogs and very intelligent breeds should only be adopted by experienced owners and need more activity and training.
Did you know cattle dogs, Border Collies and Australian Shepherds, among others, really should get out 4-6 hours a day! That’s why they are perfect for ranch or farm work. Do you have time for that? Even I don’t! Not to mention they were trained to herd! That is their job. Do you have small children or other pets who will not appreciate this behavior?
Be realistic about your lifestyle and what you can do day in and day out.
If you already have a pup, it can be a good idea to come back for another visit with your dog to see if they get along. Dog’s don’t have to be best friends right away, but their temperaments should be moderately compatible.
A puppy and an older dog can be a mismatch, just as having your aging grandmother watch your toddler every day wouldn’t be very pleasant.
Two dogs that are status seeking or anxious won’t make life easier. A good rule of thumb for getting a second dog is to pick a dog with equal or lesser energy than the first dog.
Set yourself up for success in the first greeting by walking them together in the same direction on leash for a few minutes before letting them greet or sniff each other. This will help them acclimate a bit and create a calmer greeting than setting them loose in a pen.
It's okay to like a certain look in a dog! I knew I wanted a Hound dog with short hair and floppy ears. I happened to find the right one at the right age and size. Remember, I went to about 10 shelters and fostered two dogs before I found her. Take your time, look around, don't go home with the first dog you see.
Get a dog that is just smart enough. Everyone wants a very, very smart dog, but I can assure you it isn't fun having a partner that questions your every decision or works to intentionally manipulate or circumvent you. My favorite dog is juuuust smart enough to learn the rules, but doesn't have a strong desire to break them. Find a dog that is eager to please versus one that is more aloof and independent.
It can be smart to do a foster to adopt so you get a sense of how the dog will be in your home. When I did that, I was able to determine that a very shy dog who was scared of men that I loved the look of wouldn't have a happy life with me, because I knew I wanted a dog I could take anywhere. There is a perfect home for every dog, and for that one, my home wasn't it.
Know that it takes a few weeks or months for a dog to settle in and get comfortable enough to show their true colors, so what you see the first day isn't always what you get.
I recommend most people adopt a slightly older dog. 2-3 is a great age! It's a wonderful thing to adopt an adult dog (5+). These dogs sit longer in the shelter and can still share many good years with you. Don't worry about an older dog having baggage, many dogs are in the shelter through no fault of their own and adjust very quickly in a new situation with the right guidance.
Speaking of guidance, hire a dog trainer! I LOVE clients who call me in the week they get a dog so they can get out on the right foot. It's easier to prevent mistakes than to fix them.
For instance, when you first bring your dog home, don't shower them with attention and stay home with them 24/7. Get a crate the day your dog comes home and leave for at least a few minutes, if not longer, the very first day. That is what life will be like, with you coming and going, so best to start out showing your dog what is normal and letting them acclimate to that.
I like to let a dog do their own thing the first few days in my home and not put too much attention on them while they explore and get comfortable. A good rule is that I want my dog to look to me more than I look to them, even though I am keeping tabs on them pretty much all the time with my peripheral vision. I don’t force a dog to interact or immediately be my best friend. In fact, too much attention or letting my dog on the furniture right away can set the wrong tone.
This is explained more thoroughly in my training sessions!
Much of dog training is counter-intuitive. Dog culture is different from our human culture and what is polite or impolite in each of these cultures can be the reverse, leading to miscommunications and sometimes, larger and more serious issues.
Be sure to take your time once your dog comes home. Many new owners are in a rush to get their dog out of the crate, take their dog to a patio, a dog park, or teach them to go off leash. All of this should wait a few weeks, months, or even years! You will have many, many great years together. I have never gone wrong going too slow with a dog, but I have definitely made mistakes going too fast.
If the dog you brought home ends up not being a good fit and is making your life unmanageable or causing you stress, you should not feel guilty about bringing them back or working to rehome them. Calling a trainer can help, but sometimes it truly isn’t the right fit. Let this dog find their right owner versus having both your and their quality of life diminished. People feel very very bad about this and end up living in what I see as a truly awful situation for both dog and owner. This stigma makes me sad. There are a lot of ridiculous reasons to give away a pet, but there are some really good ones. Some of the dogs in our pack had been rehomed and their personality, as well as their lives, changed for the better.
Good luck in your adoption journey! With so many dogs needing homes, it is a really wonderful thing.
How to correctly put on the Mendota slip lead
The Mendota 4’ x 3/8” slip lead is the only leash we use with our dogs and our clients. This leash is soft but strong, comfortable to hold, and, most importantly, can be positioned on a part of our dog’s neck that they will be most responsive to.
Most of us have tried a leash clipped to a collar, but dogs are comfortable pulling from the base of their neck and it can be harder to communicate with them through the leash. On the trails, or where there are high distractions, and possible threats, we don’t like fumbling around looking for the clip and hoping we don’t accidentally clip the leash to the ID tag ring.
We also don’t like using a harness because those aren’t really designed for walking dogs. Think of the animals that wear harnesses - they all do the same job. Carriage horses, plow oxen, and sled dogs all pull! Then we put a harness around our dog’s body and can’t understand why they pull on us. It is called opposition reflex, and well, we just made it comfortable for them! A harness also offers very little control over my dog. If something were to go wrong, my only move is to back up as quickly as I can because everything in front of my dog’s shoulders are in front of my realm of influence.
How about ‘no pull’ chest or face contraptions? They can help because they make it uncomfortable for my dog to pull. If I tied your shoelaces together, you would have a hard time walking. Once we put them back, you would go back to walking as you used to. Same with these devices. They may help in the moment, but instead of teaching a dog not to pull they simply temporarily disable them.
The Mendota Slip Lead
Enter Mendota! We are not sponsored (I wish we were!), we just really love this leash. The 4’ leash is the perfect length - we don’t really want our dog more than 4’ from us in situations that require a leash and the 3/8” width is comfortable in our hands and allows us to talk to our dog because of the limited surface area. This leash is a game changer when it comes to teaching dogs the skill of loose leash walking or dealing with reactivity. We used to encourage our training clients to buy one, now we give them out at the first session! The slip lead design gives us the security of knowing that there is no way for our dog to slip out of it the way they can with some collars and harnesses. The best part is supporting a great company. If the leash needs repairs, you can send it back to Mendota and they will repair and return it at no cost.
CORRECT PLACEMENT
To begin, make sure your dog is calm before you leash them. It takes a moment to get the leash positioned while you are still learning to put it on. Make sure the loop is large enough to fit comfortably over your dog’s head and hold the ring and leather stopper in one hand to be sure it doesn’t slip down and change shape as you are putting it on your dog.
Slip the loop over your dog’s head and keep it above the ID collar at the top of their neck.
*Some dogs don’t like the motion of a hand going into their blindspot, so you may want to hold their collar with your other hand, helping to keep them still.
*If you dog doesn’t love having the loop put on. Hold the loop in front of them and give them a treat as you move it towards them. One or two sessions of that and they will love the leash!
When I put the leash on, I make sure it is at the very top of their neck. Right behind the ears…
And right behind the jaw. The top of the neck is the most sensitive and I want to be able to touch lightly and get a response.
Keeping the leash in place, slide the leather stopper down. The stopper is supposed to be tight so it stays in place. You will get the hang of sliding it up and down.
Tighten the loop almost all the way, then circle your finger around your dog’s neck, making sure that all their hair is flush and any extra neck skin has been pulled down below the leash.
Now you can tighten the leash. After nudging it back up into position, high up on their neck, and right behind their ears and jaw, slide the stopper so it is snug. You want to be able to fit only one finger in the loop.
If your dog is uncomfortable, you may have made the leash too tight. Pull the stopper back a fraction of an inch. Think of this leash like a belt, if it’s too loose it won’t do its job. You may have to stop along the walk to readjust, but putting it on properly is the best way to start.
When you are ready to take your leash off, pinch the leash on the far side of the ring. You don’t want to pull against your dog’s neck while you slide the stopper back.
Position your finger about 1” down from the ring to give yourself a little room to get your other hand between the ring and stopper. Sometimes it can help to fold the leash backwards on itself, exposing a bit of space to pinch.
Once you have your finger between the ring and leather stopper, drag your fingers backwards, towards the handle of the leash. The stopper is tight, so pinching on the other side will keep your dog comfortable. I like to put my fingers in front of the stopper, but you can also put them on the stopper or drag it with your fingernails.
In our training series we cover the cues we give to teach loose leash walking. Ideally, we can walk our dog with slack in the leash, keeping our dog’s attention and having them do the job of staying in a heel.
Dogs that are fun to walk get walked more! It’s worth taking the time to teach this important skill.
You can order your Mendota leash and check out a few of our other favorite products here.
Dog's Bill of Rights
In my training sessions, I teach owners the difference between privileges and rights. Dogs today are impulsive and entitled because we treat privileges as if they are rights - getting on the furniture, getting treats, jumping on anyone they want to greet or over sniffing dogs they encounter. Some of these things are just bad manners. Other times it is our dog thinking that they should get exactly what they want when they want it. We are so desperate to give our dogs the best life, we have conditioned them to think this way..
Every dog’s Bill of Rights
Food
Water
Shelter
Exercise
Socialization
Mental stimulation
That is it! Those six things will give your dog the best life possible. I didn’t include leadership, boundaries and a job to do, but these are also an important part of creating a calm, mentally balanced and happy dog.
Why would more rules make for a happier dog? This is a little counter intuitive! Imagine if your friend had a meltdown every time they had to wait at a red light. Or if someone you knew wouldn’t take no for an answer when trying to flirt with someone. Or if your partner demanded that they go where they wanted to go exactly when they wanted to go there? We wouldn't tolerate that kind of behavior from another person. Ultimately that person would be stressed and unhappy because they never learned the sad fact of life that we can’t always have what we want exactly when we want it. Learning patience, compromise, acceptance and how to deal with disappointment is an important part of raising children and it should be a part of dog ownership. Dogs are social animals and as such they need to learn that “No” is an answer, and they have to learn how to be ok with that.
The best way to love your dog is to feed them the best possible food and change their water daily, put down a few comfy dog beds or blankets or set up a crate to give them their own space, get plenty of exercise every day, create a balance of interaction and focus, and give them the job of being polite and responsive , rewarding their good behavior.
Most of this is activity and relationship based! Notice we don’t mention treats. Did you know that our dog’s are not designed to graze? Most adult dogs, especially those that are raw fed, do best when they are fed just once a day. Treats can be used as a reward when teaching something new, ideally close to a meal time, but they are not an expression of love and are bad for dogs stomachs when fed intermittently. Dogs are opportunistic eaters and will always take a treat, but just because you want to have ice cream or french fries every day doesn’t mean you should.
We are passionate about enabling you to go hiking with your dog because it meets so many of your dog’s needs. There is no better way to satisfy a dog’s natural drive for activity, novelty and adventure. The sights and smells on the trails stimulate your dog’s senses. Climbing, swimming and running on uneven terrain exercises your dog’s brain as well as all their muscle groups. Your ‘pack’ and the dogs you meet along the trail provide socialization without the closed in feeling that can make dog parks wild. Being asked to remain responsive in a stimulating natural environment reinforces the calm, obedient mentality you want your dogs to maintain at home. The natural challenges that arise on the trail are wonderful learning experiences! It’s incredible to watch a dog’s confidence grow as they learn to navigate the great outdoors and face their fears with your guidance.
Love your dog by getting them out of your neighborhood and to a park or hiking trail so they can enjoy nature and live their best life! If you want to learn more about training your dog to be safe off leash, check out our group classes. The next one will run in the Fall and you can join the waitlist today!
Summer in Austin (used to be) the perfect time to go for a swim!
UPDATE: Since this article was written Austin’s lakes, creeks and waterways have developed a toxic algae that can be deadly to dogs. This algae is most common in warmer months, but swimming in or drinking from Ladybird Lake should be avoided at all times.
Before allowing your dog to be in any water in Austin check the City of Austin’s algae report. Even if algae isn’t present on the test samples doesn’t mean it isn’t in the water.
Check out these lists from DO512 and Tomlinsons for ideas on where to take your dog swimming, buy a kiddie pool for the backyard, walk before sunrise and after sunset where the air and pavement is coolest and make sure you explore Austin’s many greenbelts and trails to find the shadiest spot near you.
Here are some great spots we love:
Commons Ford is my favorite place to swim. The ramp into the water, while slippery, makes it easy to lead hesitant pups in and I love that you can stand while your dog paddles around you, allowing you to help support their torso if needed. They also know where the ramp to exit is if they get tired or nervous.
Red Bud is a great place to wade in the water at and have your pup swim out to you. There is a good woodsy spot downhill to the left from the big flat play area if you are facing the tip of the isle.
The Lake has a few parks with easier parking and less people, although some are rocky or have a small fee, they can be worth exploring when you are feeling adventurous.
Secret Beach, which you can now find on Google Maps, is a great place to wade if you time it right with the dam opening. Sometimes the current can be so strong it will sweep a dog away, other times it's so low you can only sit in it. Be prepared to run into quite a few others with off leash dogs. Either way, it is still a wonderful spot.
While the creeks are running, we like the damn at Bull Creek just north of the Lakewood or Laurelwood Dr entrances.
Lost Creek is my my favorite spot on the Greenbelt, while not legally off-leash, it can also be a fun place to swim,
Extra tips:
Do your best to beware of glass or food that has been thrown on the trail, especially any bones.
For good karma, bring a plastic bag to pick up trash or forgotten poo bags.
On busy times like the weekend, be careful! Unfortunately there are a ton of bad dogs out in the wild whose owners don't know better.
Keep your dog in your sight so he doesn't bother anyone, steal food or get into a bad spot with other pups.
Be ready to jump up and step in, shooing other dogs away who are showing tense body language, chasing too intensely or barking.
If needed, take a break by going back on leash for a bit. If it's a bad scene or too crowded, move on down the creek to a quieter spot.
My dog doesn't want to meet your dog
My dog is 10 years old, she weighs 11lbs and her back is longer than she is tall. If you have a rambunctious puppy, larger dog or dog with poor greeting skills (you may not know! Most dogs these days do), my tiny dog doesn’t want to meet them.
I have talked about how our dogs have a culture of instant gratification. We love them, they are naturally impulsive, and more often than not they get what they want, but just as I can’t speak to everyone I want to, just as I am not always in the mood to have everyone who wants to, speak to me, dogs have the right to not be into it.
When I read Harley’s body language and can see she isn’t into it, I ask people to move along with their dog. Some dogs can’t handle it! They pull back, lunge at her, bark or balk. Yowza! What a stressful life to have a meltdown when your every whim isn’t met.
How to know if your dog isn’t into it:
They move away from the dog or try to stand behind you-They cower or show stiff body language
They anticipate rude behavior so they look poised to defend themself if needed
They roll over, but isn’t wagging their tail and look like they are being held hostage
They pin their ears and leap at the other dog because they have already done something rude or disrespectful and they want to get in front of a potentially dangerous situation
How to know if your dog is the one being rude:
They barge up to another dog, pulling on the leash and not pausing a foot away to display polite body language and determine if the other dog wants to have the interaction
They put their body over another dog, usually their neck, somewhere above the other dog’s body or a paw on the dog’s back.
They look like they are going to hump
They have stiff body language, raised hair,perked ears, an intense stare and their tail is raised and wagging like a metronome, also stiffly
They sniff the other dog to their heart’s content, beyond when the other dog looks uncomfortable (A good rule of thumb, is asking your dog to disengage after 3 seconds of sniffing)
They don’t disengage - an important part of any greeting is to pull back, look away, or in some way see if the other dog wants to continue the interaction or move away
They bark at another dog out of excitement or frustration - not a great introduction!
When your dog goes to greet, glance at the human, but mostly have your eyes on the dogs to read the vibe and their body language. Be ready to step in or pull your dog away at the slightest sign of anything going awry.
Granted, being an expert in reading dogs, that is more intuitive for me than most people. By watching dogs and seeing what behavior or postures lead to what outcomes you will start to know when it’s better to pull out or pass on an interaction.
If you get a bad feeling or you are unsure, don’t be afraid to be rude! Your dog’s comfort and safety should come first.. I don’t be afraid to, as nicely as possible, tell someone that your dog is older, unpredictable around other dogs, doesn’t like puppies, is tired, or just not in the mood to greet another dog.
If someone doesn’t understand that, that is on them. It’s a reasonable ask! You may hear “oh, he just wants to say hi” or even, worst case scenario “why do you have him out, then?” It would be uncool, if for instance,they were to ask why you are in public, when you went to a coffee shop to work, but didn’t want strangers distracting you - if then The truth is most owners just don’t know any better.
Unfortunately bad behavior is most of what you will witness out in ‘the wild.’ With a lack of knowledge and rose tinted glasses, it’s hard for anyone to believe that their beloved dog is anything short of perfect. That’s okay! But still get outta there.
Your Definitive New Puppy Shopping List
This is your first dog as an adult. What the heck do you need? The ethos of The Naked Dog is that you don’t need much. Dog stores will try to sell you the world. When I was a new dog owner I went wild buying things. It’s fun! Who doesn’t like shopping. Enjoy the bounty of offerings. OR save your money for hiring a good trainer and get only the essentials.
After I got a call from a soon to be puppy owner, I wrote up A Definitive Puppy Shopping List. See below for why I feel these are the essentials (and what you can get cheaper off Amazon.)
Crate:
This is 10000% essential. It’s essential for house breaking and for safety. Your dog will be in a crate at the vet, at the groomer, on a plane and they should be crated when you aren’t home until they are 2-3 years old to keep them safe and comforted. The only people who don’t like the crate are the ones who move too fast in the training process, which is why you should follow my guide. Get one in your local “Buy Nothing” group, FB marketplace, craigslist, a thrift store or a neighborhood message board. I recommend using a sheet from Goodwill to cover it, not a blanket - keep it breathable while still giving your dog a comfy closed in feeling - like a hug! I also recommend putting Goodwill towels in instead of a dog bed. A dog can push towels aside if they are hot and they are easy to wash if they are soiled or throw out if they get chewed up.
Dog bowls:
I like metal over ceramic because they won’t break!
Dog Beds:
Beds are earned - not given. Remember dogs have been sleeping on dirt for thousands of years and some adult dogs grow up to prefer carpet or tile. Harley loved the round fluffy bed, and I find dogs also love beds with a raised edge they can rest their chin on to a flat one. If your puppy is chewing beds, keep a good eye on them and pick beds up when you can’t watch them.
Grooming:
The time is now to start introducing your dog to how they will be handled. Check out my 1 hr puppy video or instagram highlights to see how I desensitize. Move slowly, but work on it every day. You will want a brush or grooming gloves, nail clippers, a tooth brush and shampoo.
Chews:
Puppies chew!! Give them a toy to chew on and make sure you always have something handy in each room in case you see they need to let some energy out and have accidentally grabbed something of yours. I like Nylabones, Bully sticks and puppy chews. Beware anything with stuffing or go for a very solid Kong toy that is harder to destroy.
Collars and leashes:
Get a collar with an ID tag on your puppy right away and start using the leash in the house - not on the walk. You can use string and let your puppy drag it so they are always easy to grab. If your puppy isn’t housebroken, use the bells to hear if they suddenly trot off to relieve themselves in another room. Be sure to keep sizing up as your dog grows! You can also ping a Buy Nothing group or hit up a thrift store for collars that won’t be hard to part with.
That’s it! Start minimal.
Training is a far better investment and one that will last the lifetime of your pup.
That tiny nose though. I die. BRB getting another Dachshund puppy….
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Choosing the right breeder
When choosing a breed, it’s important to do your research. Some breeds have a lot of energy and exercising them can be a full time job, especially in the puppy years. A very intelligent dog is appealing in theory, but can be very challenging to own and train versus a dog who is smart enough to learn and obey commands, but doesn’t need a job to be happy or require mental stimulation on a daily basis in addition to exercise. Even my most active clients have enlisted our hiking service because their working dog has more energy than it’s possible for them to drain with a full-time job - even my ultra marathoner couldn’t run her Pointer enough to keep him happy and sane.
A breed that becomes very popular quickly is easily capitalized on and attracts non-reputable breeders who are looking to make money and not to produce healthy or mentally sound dogs because of their lack of experience or simply not caring. Often, you get what you pay for. The cheapest dog available may be prone to health problems.
If your goal is to have a pet or companion, a working breed, however attractive, may not be the best fit. Picking the right breed will ensure you both have the happiest life possible. If you chose to buy from a breeder, which is the right choice for some people, we have some tips on how to pick the right one.
Our guest expert, Annie Angello, knows dogs. She has rescued in the past, but competes in several disciplines and has worked with many breeders to find the right dogs for her. I asked her to share her process to give you the best chance of picking a reputable breeder so your dog has the health and temperament they need to be a great pet for you for years to come.
Initially, there are three things to consider.
Bloodlines: Is your chosen breed one where there's a distinct divide between show and working line? What are your goals with this dog? What do you consider important or desirable? What are your deal breakers?
Distance: If you want a dog from a particular type of bloodline, there may not be anyone local. Are you willing to travel to pick up or work with the breeder to ship the puppy?
Health testing: Every breed will, through the CHIC (Canine Health Information Center) program will have a battery of health tests which run through the known issues in the breed. Examples include PRA in the Collie breeds, Wobbler's in Dobermans, and congenital heart defects in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.
From there, begin the interview phase. For me this is basically emailing/facebook messaging/otherwise contacting a series of breeders, requesting information based around:
If they feel their dogs would be a good fit for what I'm trying to accomplish
What health testing they perform on their breeding stock
Do they trial or show their dogs and if so in what venues
What the goals are of their upcoming litter/what are they intending to produce (for example, working line GSDs come in a pretty wide array of levels of drive - a dog that is suitable for a pet home would probably not be the best dog for high-level IPO competition),
What do they like to see in the people who are considering one of their puppies
Asking for referrals and speaking to owners who have bought dogs from that breeder before is a good idea to be sure you know what other owner’s experiences have been.
Does the breeder have a policy on returning a puppy/dog if he has health problems for some reason you cannot keep it?
What's the long-term relationship like? Many good breeders stay in touch with clients for years to come if not the lifetime of the dog.
Make sure your breeder hits all of these bullets:
Health test their breeding stock
Acquisition of dogs that meet their criteria and breeding to complementary bloodlines
Showing in whatever venues they choose
Prenatal care...... this isn't cheap and neither are the puppies
Other questions you may want to ask:
Do they have any particular puppy raising protocol (like Puppy Culture) they follow?
What can I expect my puppy to have been exposed to or learned by the time they come home.
A breeder who hits all these points would be a perfect scenario but the right breeder for a given person might not meet ALL those criteria. It's important to decide what's most important to you as a puppy person and then do the research to find someone who lines up with your needs and values.
A good resource for locating reputable breeders are the parent club for the breed, sporting clubs for whatever you're interested in, and rankings. For instance if you wanted to get a Border Collie to do agility with, you might take a look at the USDAA or AKC agility rankings to see if there was any one breeder who has had dogs show up in the rankings there over the years. Know that it's different for every breed and sport. Show-line dogs tend to have lower drive and more likely to be ideal for pet-centric owners vs those looking to show. Also be aware that the AKC focuses on look more than temperament, so that shouldn’t be an endorsement for your pet as breeding for appearance can lead to health problems.
What kind of dog are you creating?
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all.
One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
Time and time again, I think of how this story applies to dogs and the training philosophy I teach. In horse training they say, in every moment you are either training or un-training your horse. I want to approach in a way that is respectful, calm and confident, an approach that is likely to be successful in my mission of catching them from the pasture or putting a halter on in the stall. This involves reading their body, adjusting my pace and body language, and moving in a way that indicates I will achieve my goal, sometimes blocking or leaning to show I’m able to anticipate their intention if they are going to try to evade me.
From the moment I walk into a client’s home, every action matters. I know some clients are taken aback when I ask them to leash their pup to prevent them from barking or jumping on me. I don’t greet the dog while they are excited that a new person has entered. I don’t let the dog approach me or put their nose on me to have a sniff. When we sit, I ask that the dog sits nicely next to, but not on top of the owner. In fact, I pretty much ignore the dog unless I’m giving them a command to indicate where I want them, a correction when they engage in an undesirable behavior, or a reward for relaxing into the behavior I want.
All these small moments matter because I need to get out on the right foot with a dog. I need to create a dog that will listen to me, respect me and trust me. I need to encourage the dog to be calm, aware, and respectful of boundaries. When I ask for all this, the dog settles down, tunes into me and looks to me for cues on what to do. All the while I’m seemingly ignoring them, but actually guiding and correcting them.
In each moment, in each small interaction, I’m creating the dog I want. While we are dealing with a problem behavior, it is essential to be crystal clear about the hierarchy in the pack (who gets their way, who listens to who), the expectations and boundaries I have, and my dedication to achieving or enforcing them. There are still rewards, but it is more subtle than most people are used to. Just like the friend who rarely gives you compliments, my rewards carry more weight because they need to be earned and aren’t given freely.
If I reward a dog that jumps with attention, if I reward a dog that pushes to the door with opening it, if I reward a dog that barks with attention or affection, I’m creating more of just that, a dog that is excited, a dog that is pushy, and a dog that is demanding. It feels good to provide and receive instant gratification, but just like eating rich, fatty food, that instant gratification isn’t good in the long term. Don’t you appreciate that chocolate cake or those french fries more if you mostly abstain?
When new clients embark on their training journey, I describe what we do as a behavioral elimination diet. There is something in our dog’s lives that is making them think it’s okay to do that undesirable behavior, that they don’t need to listen to us or that they don’t need to exercise the self control required to resist temptations and not react to certain stimuli. When we shift our perspective, adjust our behavior, and have clear expectations, our dogs respond. The same way a dog is immediately responsive to me because of the way I enter the home, your dog can be more responsive to you if I can teach you to act like me.
Once we get back to basics, get on that bland diet, and your dog’s behavior begins to stabilize, then we can start playing with the different elements of our lives together, relaxing some rules and boundaries, and adding in privileges, but all one by one so we can tell what it is that tips the scales for our pup.
When I did this with my dog, Harley, pulling back allowed her true personality to come out. I discovered she didn’t like being pet as often or in the way I was petting her. By abstaining, she was able to show me when she wanted attention, and because her attitude was cooperative and respectful, I could choose when I wanted to meet her desire for affection and when I wasn’t able without her becoming pushy or demanding. I found that talking to my dog as much as I was was confusing and stressful for her. She never knew when I was going to disturb her with my voice and attention, and when I did, it wasn’t clear if I wanted anything or was just, essentially, bothering her.
When I started pulling back, Harley settled, became more confident and more responsive. She developed a sense of self and safety after a lifetime of separation anxiety. Her interactions with other dogs changed. She relaxed, listened to me better, and trusted me more. All by shifting my behavior and the manner in which we had our interactions! The changes in Harley astounded me and improved her life exponentially. That is why I’m so excited to share this method and knowledge with my clients, because it works. It is practiced in small moments instead of taking out 20 minutes a day to rehearse a routine of tricks. In every interaction ask yourself “which dog I am feeding: a calm, responsive dog or an excited and impulsive one.”
How to potty train your dog: a very thorough guide to housebreaking
Taking the time to properly housebreak your puppy is one of the most important things you can do! Whether from a breeder or from a shelter, it’s likely your dog has only had the experience of going potty inside or on man made surfaces. Transitioning to a new home is the perfect opportunity to change where your dog understands they are meant to use the bathroom. As is always my feeling with dogs, it’s easier to get out on the right foot than to make mistakes and spend time undoing them.
In the style of potty breaking I teach, if your dog has an accident, think of it as your fault versus theirs. Your puppy has no idea where they are supposed to eliminate. All they know is that when they have to go, the emptying of their bladder or bowels feels great! Mission accomplished. They walk away happy, leaving the mess behind where it doesn’t affect their life. Because housebreaking is something you need your dog to learn, it’s up to you to take the time and give your dog the guidance they need to get with the potty program.
How We Do It
-My program involves three different stages: Free time, Restricted time and Lock Down. After your dog potties, they get some free time in the house. When enough time has passed and I’m no longer positive that they are safe from potential accidents, I put them on restricted time.
Restricted time can look like:
-Being in a puppy pen
-Tethering a leash to a heavy piece of furniture
-Looping a leash around your foot or wrist or clipping to a belt loop - known as an umbilical leash
-Being in a room with you if you can actively watch them - really watch them, not just sort of watch them while you focus on something else
-Or, going in their crate
Depending on where you are in building your dog’s bladder control, they can go out after free time or after a little while of restricted time. We are trying to build their bladder control, but not allow it to go past capacity. Having your dog in your sight while on restricted time will allow you to notice the signals of having to go and get your pup outside right away.
If you are unable to watch your pup, go straight from free time to lock down in a crate until the next potty break! Two hours tends to be a good guide for most puppies, but adjust the timeline in accordance with their feeding schedule, water intake, vigorous play or waking up from a heavy nap. You should take your pup out after every big shift in energy.
How Do You Know If Your Pup Needs To Go?
A puppy won’t be able to cue you the way an adult dog may, so don’t expect a formal invitation from your dog to go outside. With puppies, start to go on alert when your dog:
-wakes up from a nap
-stops play
-starts to sniff or move towards carpet
-circles
-goes into a squat
-wanders into another room or around a corner
Do your best to preempt an accident by bringing your dog outside before anything can go wrong. Usually, if your dog does have to go and you bring them outside and cue the potty, they will go within a few minutes.
How Long To Stay Outside
It can be tempting to stay outside until your dog goes, but this can be trouble in the long term. You want your dog to know that they only have a short window to use the bathroom instead of holding their bladder as leverage to stay outside longer. This can really get you in trouble when you are in a hurry to leave the house and need your pup to go so you can go.
Limit each potty break to 5 minutes and keep poty walks under 15 minutes. If your dog doesn’t go, they can hang out in their crate and you can try again in 10 to 30 minutes. By keeping each break short, your dog learns that they need to take this chance to go or else they will be stuck with a full bladder.
Getting With The Program
Potty training begins first thing in the morning. When you wake up, immediately take your dog outside. This will be known as zero hour.
If possible, try to have your pup walk instead of being carried. This can be tricky in apartment complexes or anywhere that they will have a chance to squat and potty along the way.
Leashing from the crate to the yard is a good idea to help your dog hustle outside without squatting in the house. You should always try to use the leash in pulses, giving your dog the opportunity to follow along of their own volition instead of dragging them with steady pressure. This will help your dog figure out that when they trot along with you, the pressure goes away and therefore encourages more of that behavior in the future.
Cue The Potty
Go outside with your dog and use your cue word to indicate this is the time to eliminate. I like ‘go potty’ because it has a unique cadence and can be said in a sing-song voice.
Have your dog on leash, even in a fenced yard, because then you can touch the leash to encourage your pup to stay focused on the task and keep sniffing around to find a spot instead of looking around or sniffing the air or playing with a leaf or chasing a butterfly - you get it, puppies are cute. When you are on a potty mission, pinch the very tip of the leash handle and follow along with your dog, keeping the leash slack. You want them to have the space to explore and find that perfect potty spot, as long as don’t drag you or dive bomb into a smell,
How Much Is Enough
Your dog will likely pee first. Over time you will get used to how much your dog pees so you can tell if it’s a mark, a partial pee or a full bladder empty. Ideally, first thing in the morning, you get the full bladder. After the pee, reward your pup, but do it in a way that will allow them to stay focused on doing a full system empty and get a poo in, too. Not every dog wants to poo first thing in the morning. Give your dog 5-10 minutes of walking and sniffing around to have a chance to go.
When you go back inside, you should be pretty sure your dog is empty and won’t eliminate while you are feeding breakfast. If you suspect that your dog isn’t empty, keep them on restricted time when you come back in. This could mean being on the leash, in a crate or in a sectioned off part of the house, ideally without carpet. If you feel confident your dog is empty, they can have free time! You want your dog to start associating going potty outside, with being free to have fun inside.
A Sample Schedule
7:00am Wake up
7:00-7:10 Outside, ideally pee and poo
7:10 Feed breakfast at this time
7:15 Take a trip outside right away
7:30-7:40 Another potty break if your pup didn’t go
7:40-8:40 Free time if empty or restricted time if he didn’t
8:40 Potty break - record when he goes and what in your potty journal!
8:45-9:30 Free time
9:30-10:30 Restricted time
10:30-10:40 Potty break
10:40 - If he goes, free time, if not ask him to kennel up
10:55-11:00 Potty break, no potty
11:00-11:15 Kennel with water
11:15-11:20 Potty break, potty!
11:20-12:30 Free time!
Hopefully this gives you an idea of what to do. After a potty, your dog gets free time. When they are not 100% safe, they go on restricted time or go escorted outside. If they potty, great! Back to free time. If not, they should go in the kennel. We want your pup to associate not going potty when taken outside with being put in the kennel and going potty with getting to be free to have fun in the house!
Learning Your Pup’s Timeline
It takes time to learn your dog’s body language, cues, schedule and preferences. Don’t worry that it takes some time to get to know them. That is totally normal! The potty schedule will help you stay on track so you are giving your pup plenty of chances to go,and you are keeping them contained when you are worried they need to go, but haven't yet.
Keeping a potty journal will help you see how often your pup is going so you can adjust your schedule to their current bladder capacity. Luckily, as your dog grows, so will their bladder and the space between potty breaks gets longer and longer. For your adult dog, you should try and get them out every 4-6 hours, after a nap, or after getting home if they exercised and drank while you were out.
Rewarding Potties
It’s a great idea to use treats, physical affection, and verbal praise to make going potty outside as fun and exciting as possible. This is a place where you can throw your dog a parade! Make going outside the BEST thing.
It can be hard to grab a treat on the way outside, especially if you are in a hurry, so keep a sealed and hard-sided container of treats by the door. Ideally, you are putting a treat in your dog’s mouth within 3 seconds of when they finish going. If you don’t have a treat, praise, pet, and play with your voice, touch and energy. Getting low, making high pitched sounds, and running around while they join in are all happy and exciting.
Punishing Accidents?
Dogs do not understand punishment, but dogs do understand an in-the-moment consequence. If you find an accident, do not rub your dog’s nose in it or bring them over and spank them. They won’t be able to put together that the bad part was before, when they created that mess. This is where your schedule with free time and restricted time comes in! It’s on you if they sneak off and got an accident in.
The best thing is to prevent any accidents and teach your dog right away going potty happens outside. The next best thing is if you can catch your dog in the act. If you see your dog going potty inside, you want to make it unpleasant and a little scary. The association with going potty inside should be a bad one. You want to run up on my dog quickly and loudly yelling “NOOOOOO” then scoop them up or lead them outside by the collar as fast as you can. If you were fast enough, they should still have some pee left and finish going outside, for which you will then reward them.
Preventing Accidents
Your pup waking up, stopping playing or walking out of sight are all things that should set your alarm off to go watch them, call them back, or get them outside. It takes time to develop that sensitivity and sixth sense.
Having a collar with a bell or a thin leash on in the house will help get your attention when your pup is on the move.
Don’t leave your dog alone out of the crate.
Pick up all rugs that can come up for at least a month or until your pup is pretty solid on being able to hold his bladder and knowing where the bathroom is. Rugs are great to go on because they absorb the urine, whereas hard floors splatter and spread onto your pup’s toes.
Cleaning Accidents
The same way we know where the bathroom is because it’s the tiled room with porcelain furniture, your dog knows the bathroom by scent. This is why it’s important to clean pee stains by fully sopping up as much urine as you can with paper towels then soaking the area with an enzyme dissolving cleanser like Nature’s Miracle. It is very important to erase the potty smell so your dog doesn’t start to associate that spot with bathroom activities. Even poo stains need a scrub with Nature’s Miracle. Antibacterial spray is good, but it won’t dissolve all those enzymes and our dogs have much more sensitive noses than we do.
Using the Crate
Most crates come with a puppy divider to gradually increase the size of your crate as your dog grows. This is so your puppy doesn’t have a mansion of a crate where one corner can be the bathroom and they can walk to the other side to get away from their mess.
Most dogs won’t want to mess where they sleep, so being in just enough space to spread out and lay flat is a good way to dissuade them from going in their crate.
Again, if you find an accident after the fact, it’s too late to correct them for it. Just take them outside and wash the bedding. Dog bedding is a privilege, not a necessity. It can be a good idea to start with a cheap towel instead of jumping in with a luxury sheepskin crate pad right away. If you dog messes in the crate a few times, leave them in there with no bedding so there is nothing to absorb the pee. Just like how your dog happily naps on the floor, they won’t find a plain crate as offensive as we do. Bedding is a privilege they can earn by holding theri bladder in the crate.
Limiting Water
It’s a good idea to monitor your dog’s water intake. For new puppies, limiting water in the evening to help them sleep through the night is very helpful.
I advise doing a 3-meal schedule where dinner is fed around 5/6pm. Dogs need water to hydrate their kibble, so be sure that as your puppy eats they have full access to water for about an hour to an hour and half. After that, pick up the water, giving them three chances to drink before bed. Only let them have a few sips, the way you drink when you go on a road trip.
While your puppy is housebreaking and crate training, you have to do what you can to help them gain bladder control. If your dog doesn’t know they will be contained for 6-8 hours while you sleep, they will drink to their heart’s content then need to go in the middle of the night. Limiting water will help them have a manageable amount in their bladder so they can start to sleep through the night.
If you are worried they aren’t getting enough water, lifting the skin on the back of their neck is a good hydration test. If the skin quickly slips back into place, they are well hydrated. If it stays peaked and is slow to slide down, they need more water. Water restricting at night should not be dehydrating. Be sure you are finding the balance between enough water and too much water.
Visiting Friends
When going over to someone else’s house, it’s a good practice to ask your pup to go potty before going inside. An empty dog is a safe dog. It’s easy for a pup to sneak off in a new space. When you go somewhere new, close all the doors and keep your dog on-leash for a while. Your dog will learn that the way to get inside a new place is to go potty outside- then we go right in. This is a great association to make! We don’t go inside till you squeeze out a little potty.
Be careful of rugs, blind corners or hallways, and, as always, food, cat food, and litter boxes.
If your pup doesn’t potty outside before going in, keep them on a leash in the house so they can’t wander off then go back out after 10-15 minutes. Just like with the crate at home, the way you earn your freedom is to go potty in the right place.
Bringing your pup over to a friend’s house with a healthy and polite dog who enjoys or tolerates puppies can be a great double hitter for socialization and potty breaking. Dogs will instinctively want to pee on another dog’s pee, so if the dogs play then go for a potty together, your puppy will likely copy the older, housebroken dog and go outside.
Just like exercise, play gets the pipes moving, so be sure to take your pup out more often, especially if they are drinking more than usual.
Dog Doors
Dog doors are convenient, but often create a dog that isn’t fully housebroken. Just like a baby in diapers, a dog with a dog door never learns to hold their bladder because they can go potty whenever they want. If you move, if you board your dog, or if the dog door is closed, your dog likely won’t be able to hold their bladder.
Dog doors also prevent you from knowing if and when your dog has gone. When first potty breaking, I recommend not using dog doors so you can go out with your pup every time and make note of what they do and when. There is always time to add on extras like dog doors later on, but for the initial potty training process, it’s important to avoid them.
Pee Pads
Pee pads are tough! Unless you live in an apartment and plan on using pee pads throughout your dog’s life, it’s better to not use them at all.
When you bring your dog home, it’s important to create a distinction from the breeder or kennel they came from and their new life, where they only potty outside.
While potty pads can be an easy option at first, they are a hindrance for long-term house breaking as it will be another hurdle weaning your dog off them when you eventually pick them up.
They are unsightly, smelly, and, unless your dog has perfect aim, are prone to having pee spill off the edges.
Pee pads are too similar to rugs, which we don’t want our dogs to potty on and create too much nuance between going ‘here’ inside, but not ‘there.’
Free Feeding
The way that dog’s stomachs are designed, grazing is particularly bad for them. Instead of leaving food down all the time, offer oury puppy 3 meals a day. Put the food bowl down for 15 minutes, saying “are you hungry?” then pick it up until the next meal. This will teach your dog to eat when food is down or else they will go hungry.
Feeding on a schedule will also help you estimate when your pup is likely to poo. If your puppy can free feed, it’s hard to know when they will need to go out since you don’t know how much they ate and when.
Health Risks
It’s hard to balance the advice of your veterinarian and trainer. A vet will say that the risks of exposing your not fully vaccinated dog to the diseases that can be passed through the environment or contact with other dogs is not worth the risk. A trainer will say that the socialization and potty training dogs get in those first four to eight weeks at home is invaluable. Having a yard is a huge help in keeping your dog safe from environmental diseases. If you don’t have a yard, try to pick a quieter out of the way area where you can take your dog to potty.
Picking the best food for your dog
Try on this perspective on today’s dog food industry. Imagine if you woke up 50 years from now and your child was feeding your grandchild something called 'kid food,’ essentially cereal. Like today, there are many brands of cereal with different flavors and recipes and claims to nutrition and quality. So your child asks you what is the best 'kid food' to feed your grandchild, because the Kashi of kid food is the healthiest, but his child prefers the Frosted Flakes of kid food, which claims to have daily vitamins, but is full of sugar. You would think, “what the heck! Don't feed your kids that and only that. That isn't all kids are supposed to be eating!” This is the current state of dog food. Dog’s are not designed to eat a diet of only cooked food and all kibble is cooked. It also is augmented with filler ingredients other than animal protein that are not healthy for dogs to have a daily basis. While some people argue that they can digest it, therefore it’s an appropriate diet, to that I reply that just because I CAN digest McDonald’s, doesn’t mean I should, and certainly not on a daily basis.
Zoe switched to raw right after Haley joined the team and she never looked back
The modern concept of dog food began after World War II, before which dogs ate a combination of table scraps and scraps from the butcher. During this period, many pet dogs were put out during the day and allowed to wander, therefore, kill small prey or scavenge to supplement their diet. During WWII, tin was rationed, which put a stop to dog food canning. In an effort to keep factories productive after the war, dog food made from meat byproduct and cheap fillers that could be dried and bagged was the perfect answer to meet this commercial and industrial need. This type of feeding was easier and more palatable for pet owners, who traditionally don’t enjoy handling the raw meat and organs that dogs need. The smell of kibble has actually been scientifically balanced to find the perfect balance between a rancid enough to entice dogs and a palatable enough for humans to stomach and to keep in their homes.
The design of dog food has evolved to meet the desires of dog owners, which is now gravitating towards people’s limited knowledge of the benefit of raw food. Unfortunately, this lures owners with limited education into a false sense of doing what is best for their dogs. Unlike what the salesman at even the best pet store will tell you, raw food and kibble utilize very different digestive processes and should never be mixed. Not in the same day, not in the same diet, not ever. A proper diet must be only raw or only kibble, with canned food only being fed when prescribed by the vet for short term treatment of digestive issues or not at all.
How to tell if your food is good
Just like humans, a dog should be regularly having healthy, solid bowl movements. A dog’s stool is the best indicator of the quality of their food and how well it is agreeing with them. You don’t want your dog’s poo to be too large for the size of your dog, fluffy or soft (like frozen yogurt), uniformly shaped (like a sausage), stinky, acidic, frequent or too light or dark in color. The more fillers a dog food has, the more metabolically expensive it can be for your dog - the energy that it takes to digest and process their low quality food can negate it’s limited nutritional benefits. When nutrition is limited, a dog’s body will stop nourishing the less essential organs, such as eyes, ears, skin, and coat. When your dog has abundant nutrition, you will notice that their coat becomes incredibly soft and shiny, their ears cleaner.
Rules of thumb for buying kibble
Start at a pet store. If you can buy dog food at the grocery store, price will be cheap and the quality will be poor. Pet food should only be purchased at a pet store, ideally one that will take back a partially full bag as you try to find a food that is the right fit for your dog. Don’t be seduced into buying treats or raw toppers, those don’t align with my understanding of the canine digestive process. I don’t feed my dog any food outside of a full meal. Dogs are not designed to snack and one bite of food produces a meals worth of acid. Instead, dogs are designed to fast, eating only when they are able to kill or scavenge instead of on a regular feeding schedule. At all costs avoid any food with food coloring. Science Diet is the lowest possible quality and not only should you not purchase it, but you should avoid doing business with any vet who sells it as they value brand funding over your animal’s health. It is important to know that vets, just like pet store employees, do not receive a comprehensive education in nutrition. They will often caution against feeding raw because of the potential liability. To that I would counter that dog foods have had many recalls over the years, but how many recalls have there been for human grade chicken or other meats? While humans are protected from parasites and bacteria in meat by cooking our food, our dogs have stomach acid that is 10 times stronger than ours. The same way they can eat carrion that is beginning to decay and not get sick, they can eat raw meat in a way that isn’t safe for a human to do.
When feeding dry food, it is important not to free feed, leaving a bowl down all day and giving your dog a choice about when and how much to eat. Our dog’s stomachs are not designed to snack, but rather eat and fast. Because kibble isn’t an ideal food source, it make’s your dog’s stomach too acidic, requiring them to eat twice a day to keep their stomach bile at bay. We have all had a dog puke up foul smelling yellow foam if a meal is late. When you free feed, you create a stomach environment that is consistently far too acidic. There is nothing wrong with a dog skipping a meal and waiting until the next one! It’s natural for dogs to self fast and can be very healthy, the same way I skip meals or eat light some days. Free feeding has even been linked to a shorter life span. This is why I recommend leaving food down for 15 minutes then picking it up until the next meal, regardless of how much my dog eats. If your dog is chronically disinterested in their food, they don’t like it or it doesn’t make them feel good and you need to find a different one. Imagine if you had to eat a brand of cereal you hated for every meal and couldn’t communicate with your owner how much you didn’t like it? Best to err on the side of caution and transition to something different.
Kibble Recommendations
Open Farm (This is my number one choice and the brand I ask everyone to switch to if their food isn’t working)
•Instinct
•Merrick
•Merrick wild freeze dried raw infused
•Canidae
•Wellness
•Wellness Core
•Fromm
•Natural Balance
•Zignature
Dehydrated
Fresh Food
Switching foods
When you try a new dry food, it is important to switch foods slowly. Some dogs with iron stomachs can tolerate a quick switch, but it is safest to switch slowly. Feeding each for two days: 1/8th, 1/4th, 1/2th, 3/4th of the new food until your dog is fully switched over. Your dog’s poo may be less that ideal during the transition if they are very sensitive, but ideally should balance out within a week to solid, contoured, and healthy looking.
When selecting a brand, do research online, but know that there is an evolution in quality within brands over time. Orijin and Merrick were two of my favorite foods until their popularity led to one of them being purchased by Purina, who promptly raised prices and lowered quality to the point where I stopped recommending them. How could I tell? The poo of the dog’s who were on those foods degraded to a level where I could tell their stomach were unhappy and the food was being padded with fillers. Fillers are nutritionally costly to a dog and can use more metabolic energy to push through the digestive process than is offset by the limited nutrition contained in the food.
Feeding Raw
Frozen pre-packaged raw food has become a popular option for owners who understand the benefits of going raw. These foods are expensive, easy and not quite completely sound from a raw perspective. These prepackaged bags can be a part of raw food, but are not a complete diet as they lack the bone that is an important source of fiber, jaw exercise and teeth cleaning that dog’s need. Raw bone, unlike cooked, is incredibly healthy for dogs and an essential part of the raw diet. Cooked bones, as most of us know, are dangerous for dogs as they are apt to splinter when being chewed and can even puncture their intestines. Raw bones, on the other hand, are healthy, safe and they provide natural exercise for a dog’s jaw and even help to keep teeth clean!
When transitioning, I fast my dog for a full 24 hours and make the switch completely, not feeling kibble again unless I am fully switching back. Begin by feeding one meat source only. I like to start with a chicken drumstick, thigh or back as chicken is easily digested and the bones are soft and easy to chew. After a day of fasting, most dogs are happy to be presented with raw meat for the first time in their life. They will start by licking it to begin breaking down the muscle, then chewing it, intuitively knowing how to consume whole meat. Some owners are concerned about giving their dog such a primal food source, but watching a dog eat their first piece of chicken is amazing and exciting. In a life that is mostly civilized, it is a rare opportunity to see your dog’s animal nature in action.
Porter never had a normal poo in his life till he got on raw food. Now he is healthy and can run all day to his hearts content!
How much to feed
Picking the amount of food per day is trial and error. Shoot to feed 2-3% of your dog’s ideal body weight. My 12lb Dachshund eats a drumstick or one puck consisting of a bone, red muscle meat, organ combination that I get from the farmers market with enzymes and probiotic sprinkled on top. A 50lb dog who is getting substantial exercise will eat two chicken quarters a day, fed at once or split into two meals a day. I alternate between the bone in meat and pucks, feeding more when my dog looks skinny and less when she starts to lose her hourglass dip near her hips.
For raw, each meal should ideally be 65% muscle meat, 20% bone, 10% heart, 5% liver. Their general diet also contains 65% boned meat, such as chicken legs, backs and lamb necks for example. Suggested meat progressions when starting out on raw are chicken backs, chicken drumsticks or quarters, turkey necks, pork, fish canned in water such as salmon or mackerel or raw fish, lamb and beef. After a month, add in some organ meat like organic hearts, livers and kidneys. It’s important to get livers organic as they process what the conventionally raised animals are fed, which are not chemicals we want in our pets. It is also a good idea to introduce egg including the shell, garlic, apple cider vinegar, yogurt and leftovers from the fridge that you would eat yourself, not scraps of overly fatty meat, as well as some cooked or raw vegetables.
Raw poo
After an initial adjustment in their digestive process, your dog’s poo should be smaller, denser and break down into a white powder, unlike the poo of conventionally fed dogs, which do not break down over time, another red flag on their quality that even the flies don’t want to eat it. If your dog’s poo is too loose, add more bone. If it’s too dry or your dog is straining to get it out, add more muscle meat. Too much bone can cause constipation and the surplus of calcium can block the absorption of other nutrients. When my dog was on kibble I needed to pay to have her anal glands expressed and they now express naturally in the process of moving her firm, raw bowels.
Types of bones
Raw meaty bones (RMBs) that are large, inedible and have a small amount of meat, marrow and cartilage on them are a great form of recreation for your dog. I always have a bag in my freezer that I rinse under water and throw outside for my dog to enjoy. These bones are best purchased from a butcher, ethnic market or raw feeding cooperative as they will be much cheaper from those sources than from the pet store. These bones can be marrow, soup or knuckle. RMBs are gnawed on, not consumed and have little meat. Bones that can be fed and consumed include chicken necks, backs, and leg quarters; turkey necks; lamb breast and necks; pork breast (riblets) and necks; and canned fish with bones, such as jack mackerel, pink salmon, and sardines (packed in water rather than oil).
The bones that can be consumed should make up 30 to 50 percent (one third to one half) of the total diet, or possibly a little more if the parts you feed have a great deal more meat than bone (e.g., whole chickens or rabbits). The natural diet of the wolf in the wild contains 15 percent bone or less, based on the amount of edible bone in the large prey they feed upon. While a reasonable amount more won’t harm an adult dog, it’s not needed and reduces the amount of other valuable foods that can be fed.
Transitioning
This philosophy of feeding is referred to as the Whole Prey Model and is designed to mimic the experience of eating a whole animal that was caught and killed. While it may seem intimidating at first, feeding raw is quite easy and intuitive for both owner and dog. While your dog may have an initial ‘healing crisis’ that involves a dip of health now that they have a stable and nutritious diet and can address some chronic by minor health issues. After three months, your dog will show signs of abundant nutrition in their coat, eyes and ears. When strangers remark on how soft their coat is you will know you are there!
Big dogs eat raw too! It’s worth every penny to see your dog vitally healthy.
There are very few dogs who do not do well on a raw diet, or even more rare, don’t like it. It is important to approach it exactly the way I describe and not be seduced into going back to kibble as your dog adjusts their palate. For the first three days, offer a drumstick or bowl of meat mix twice a day, trying to find their preferred protein and favorite time to dine. If they don’t eat, simply pick it up and wait till the next meal. No dog will let themselves starve and the more stubborn pups need a bit more incentivizing to try something new. If after 3 days of fasting your dog still refuses to eat, try a different food source or go back to the best quality kibble you can find.
After a few months you should have a good sense of how much your dog eats, what types of proteins agree with them and what cuts of meat they prefer. This will help guide you in what and how much to purchase, but does take time to figure out. Utilizing the freezer helps ensure that nothing goes bad, although dogs can safely eat meat that is slightly beyond consumable for a human.
Feeding raw in Austin
I like to start out with a package of drumsticks or chicken quarters from the grocery store. I put 3-4 in a baggie, leaving one bag out in the fridge and freezing the rest. If you would like to buy in bulk, place an order with East Side Poultry. I let the box of meat defrost then separate and freeze it in baggies. Then I don’t have to worry about it for another month or two. For dogs, defrosting and refreezing meat is no problem as they will not turn their nose up at the texture.
For the pucks, I order from Jake and Blue, which now has home delivery as well as a stall at a farmers market. Be sure to get ground bone as the pucks can create loose poo and need that extra fiber to be added. We also order marrow bones from them to feed as a treat. I love the quality and these pucks seem to keep my dog more full than the grocery store brands, although some clients are happy on brands like Northeast Naturals available at Bark and Purr or Hollywood Feed.
There is another delivery service called Texas Tripe that drives through Austin once a month so owners can collect bulk amounts of meat. I used to buy their tripe and meat mix tubes, bulk boxes of chicken parts and bones.
There is a local raw feeding collective, ARF, but they require a monthly volunteer shift in order to have access to their collectively purchased meat sources so be ready to jump in with both feet!
Lucy loving raw life
I’m excited for you to start your dog food journey! Remember to move slowly when changing and supplementing your dog’s diet and follow my recommendations as closely as possible. This isn’t an area where there is much room for creativity. Imformation available from vets, pet stores and online articles will be confusing and contradictory, but after a decade of feeding my dog raw and helping owners transition to the raw diet, this post is a comprehensive guide for what I know to be true and effective. Just ask Harley! She is going strong after a decade and gets compliments on her soft coat and vitality all the time.
Like a dog with a marrow bone