Our very own Dog Blog for training and the State of the Trade in The Age of Wingnuts and Zealots.
A collection of articles written by Linda Kaim on the State of Dog.
All comments are moderated, but open, intelligent discourse is welcome. Posts MUST be signed with a real name. Anonymous, unsigned comments will not be published. Inflammatory, troll-like behavior will not be rewarded by inclusion, nor will profanity, threats to my person or other nonsense. Spam is welcome in some parts of the world, I guess, but not here.
If you are still with me, read on…
Socializing your new puppy
It helps that our son Conor doesn't go back to school until Wednesday. He was also very enthusiastic about being Zwei's caregiver overnight for his very first night in his new home. We organized Conors' room to accept his new guest much to the dismay of Goth Cat. She...
Houndawg Homecoming; Puppy comes home
Little guy has been here for about 4 and a half hours and he's konked out in his crate after a pretty busy afternoon. All of his party guests left and there wasn't much left to do besides pass out from exhaustion. I imagine he's pretty happy, we made good and sure he...
Making plans; the importance of proper puppy socialization
It's always a good idea to think about not only why you want a dog, but what your plans are for your dog once you bring him home. Everyone has high aspirations for their new dog. Intentions run wild with possibilities as you and your new pup get acquainted, but even...
Preparing for a new puppy
Well, in less than 40 hours, our house will be welcoming our new puppy. An 8 week old Pointer pup will be setting up housekeeping here and we are thrilled to have him. Having a medium for bragging about his exploits is always wonderful, and I am sure there will be...
Purebred Dog Dilemma: Beautiful dogs vs Healthy Dogs
I thought this was a topical discussion considering the Samantha Brick article regarding the purported disadvantage of being attractive and a comment on FaceBook about the deliberate, planned breeding of mix bred dogs. My mind works in funny ways, I agree, but bear...
The Laws of Social Attraction
A lot of potential client contacts include some form of "My dog won't come when I call him". It says a lot about the relationship they are currently experiencing with their dogs when they initiate a conversation with that statement. It isn't too difficult to figure...
Why people DON’T train their dogs:
People don't train their dogs because they are misguided in the belief that "(s)he is a puppy and will 'grow' out of it". People don't train their dogs because their spouse/son/daughter/mother/father/neighbor/casual acquaintance "is a dog trainer" and will "help them...
What are the benefits of training your dog
Because training your dog is less of a burden on either you or the community in which you reside. Because training your dog makes him a welcome asset in any environment and sets a positive example for the general public, many of whom may not even like dogs. Because...
Using an electronic dog training collar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh6FGF9dfTk In the second video of the set, the same conditions apply with the additional application of an electronic dog training collar. The electronic dog training collar is used as a conditioned reinforcer that enables the dog to...
How dogs learn: Applying leash pressure in dog training
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSyurPPXhB8 Using a buckle collar and a leash in a fixed position, watch carefully how the puppy learns to make eye contact without auditory input. Articulating my physical position and fixing the leash length in opposition to the...