The Dog Chicks

Em & I are both Happy to announce the release of our first Dog Training DVD called Ask Receive Celebrate Dog Training, it features Karen Lanoue-Lambrecht. Karen is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer; she started out working under a well known Behaviorist at Angell Memorial Hospital in Boston MA. Karen has her own business called Pawsitively Obedient which she started back in 1995 over the years she has help many pet dog owners with their dog?s. Karen?s experience and knowledge of dog?s made her an excellent choice for our DVD?s and after seeing the first DVD I?m sure you will agree. Even if you have had dogs for years you will learn something new, dog training is always evolving with new and inventive ideas. In our DVD we introduce you to Ask Receive Celebrate a simple technique that makes working with your dog fun. Karen will show you training aids like a head halter and harness along with a leash and collar. By using positive reward base training Karen will show you how easy it is to have your dog Sit, Stay Come and Down. Karen also shows you how to gain better control of your dog with attention training. This Dog Training DVD is packed full of basic dog training techniques that will have you watching over and over again. If you would like to order our DVD please go to http://www.arcdogtraining.com . We?re currently working on a new DVD for puppies which should be released this spring.

Bringing home a new puppy or adult dog can be a fun and rewarding time, the one thing that everyone will face will be housebreaking your new dog. Even adult dogs that may have already been housebroken can still have accidents in a new environment. There are a few steps you can take to make the transition as easy as possible.

• Take your puppy out on a leash or if you have a fenced in area watch him you need to know whether or not your pup goes potty or not.

• Keep to a Schedule; Make sure you are consistent when you take your new puppy or dog out to go potty. Feed you new puppy or dog at the same time each day, most puppies will need ot go potty shortly after eating so be sure to take them out soon after eating. Give your puppy at least 10-15 minutes to go potty if they don?t bring them in and either crate them or keep them under close supervision and try again in 10-15 minutes. Keep doing this until your puppy does go out side. Many people make the mistake of not staying outside long enough only to come in and have the pup have an accident. This is not the puppies fault but the new owners for not staying out long enough.

• Young puppies should go out at least every 2 hours, keep in mind their bladders are small and the nerves that maintain bladder control don?t develop until they are at least 12 weeks of age. Expecting a young puppy to hold it longer is unfair and setting the puppy up to fail.

• ?Don?t encourage accidents by leaving newspaper down or using piddle pads around your home. These items send the wrong message and will confuse your puppy.

• Crate training is one of the best way?s to potty train your new pup, most dogs do not want to defecate where they sleep. Keeping your pup crated when you?re your not able to watch him will keep your puppy from having accidents in the house.

• Use a command when you take your puppy out eventually they will learn what you want them to do. When your pup does go potty use the command and then praise them. You puppy will soon understand what you want and will be quicker to respond to what you want once he understands.

• If your pup has an accident in the house don?t rub his nose in it, this is an old wives tail and has no training value. The only time you can reprimand for an accident is if you catch the puppy in the act of going potty. At this time a short ?No? is enough and then take the puppy out side to finish going potty.

• Be Patient it takes a time for your new puppy to learn the schedule and to figure out what?s expected of him. He/she will soon catch on, as your puppy gets older you can lengthen the time that he will need to go out.

• Housebreaking an adult dog is very similar to housebreaking a puppy, you need to keep to a schedule and be consistent with potty breaks. Some adults can be harder to housebreak because they have old habits to let go of, if you have a male dog that marks you may want to consider a belly band. In most cases adult dogs will housebreak quickly once they have figured out what is expected of them.

Crate training your puppy or dog is one of the best and safest things you could do for him or her. Crates offer your dog their own space or as I like to call it their own bedroom in your home. Crates replicate the den like environment that the dog?s ancestors and current relatives the wolves use. It can offer protection from other animals in the home or young children but in most cases it?s just a good place to sleep. Crate training your dog makes it easier to housebreak your dog or puppy and will also make it less stressful if your dog is ever hospitalized. There are 2 main types of crates, plastic and wire, each has it?s own pluses and minuses. If you?re dealing with an adult dog you may find a wire crate easier to acclimate your dog too, the open feel of them makes the dog more likely to enter them. Wire crates are easy to store most of them fold down for easy storage or transporting and have a tray that pulls out for easy cleaning. The down side to wire crates is if your dog has an accident it could seep out side of the crate and wire crates are not allowed on airlines.

Plastic crates are more enclosed and if an accident occurs it will contain it, they can be harder to clean and to store as they are only in 2 pieces and can be cumbersome to move. There are some plastic crates that fold down but they are limited by size. If you have small children you may want to opt for a plastic crate as hands, fingers and toys are less likely to get put in the crate. There is a 3^rd style of crate which is a soft sided but I only recommend these crates for dogs that are already crate trained and don?t try to escape the crate.

Which ever style of crate you choose make sure it?s big enough for your dog to stand up in and turn around. If your buying for a puppy make sure the crate will fit you pup once grown. When you are housebreaking a puppy you want to limit the space they have in a crate if they have too much room they are more likely to have an accident. Many wire crates have panels that allow you to limit the space in the crate and you can move it as your puppy grows. It?s harder with plastic crates as a panel won?t work, I?ve used cardboard boxes as a substitute and just replace them as needed.

To get your dog use to the crate start off by putting some treats in the crate, don?t close or lock the door just allow your dog to retrieve the treats. If your dog won?t go in just give him a little time, you may have to up the anti with the treats by using something he can?t resists. Do this for a couple of days, once your dog feels comfortable going in and getting the treats put some treats in let your dog go in and get them and close the door. Leave the door closed for 10-30 seconds, you want the dog to know it?s ok in side the crate but that you will also let him out. Continue to do this over several days while you increase the time in the crate. You may find using a Kong filled with a treat helpful to lengthen the time in the crate. Don?t give in to your dog?s wining this will just teach him that you will let him out any time he cries, but if your dogs should panic or appear to hurt himself let him out immediately. It may take several days to a couple of weeks to truly acclimate your dog to the crate, puppies do adjust faster. Put the crate in an area of the home that still gets traffic, dogs are social animals and even if they are in a crate they don?t want to be away from their family.

For quick cleaning use baby wipes to clean the inside of plastic crates or the tray for wire crates and if for some reason you plastic crate needs major cleaning try the foam bathroom cleaner to remove any dirt or soil.