Many dogs do not respond well to negative reinforcement but prefer a more positive approach to behavior modification.

With this audio clip, I will teach you how to modify any bad behavior that your dog may have.

Enjoy this information, and as always, if you have more questions, you can always send me an e-mail about your particular dog.

They come in a 13 inch and a 15 inch height and many would love to argue which one makes the best hunter.

Beagles are great family dogs, but they do require some special handling. They are very stubborn and require an owner as stubborn as they are. They will work for you, but only if you can make it a game.

They were bred to track rabbits for their owners.  Their sense of smell is legendary and they make excellent scent detection dogs.  They can find a single mouse in a one acre field in less than a minute.   This is the main reason why they should always be on a leash or in a secure area.  They will quickly become distracted by a scent and in an instant, they will be following their nose.  Many a Beagle have ended up in shelters due to their nose!

They are actually very good at agility and other related sports; however, getting them to ignore their nose so they don’t get distracted is a difficult thing to do.  If you don’t plan on entertaining this breed, then be prepared for trouble.  They need to be stimulated or they will find something to occupy themselves, and it’s probably not what you want them to do!

They are very even tempered and are great with children.  They are not a good guard dog; however, they have a very distinctive howl that has the tendency to drive neighbor’s crazy.  This howl was very useful during a hunt, but tends to annoy those in a city setting.  The best way to keep them quiet, is to keep them well exercised.

Because they are bred to hunt in packs…Beagles usually like the company of other dogs.  So other dogs in the household are a good thing.

Be careful..they also tend to eat  a lot!  Watching the intake of your Beagle is very important so they don’t quickly get themselves into trouble.  Because of their appetite, give them plenty of exercise and you shouldn’t have any issues with weight.

Beagles are wonderful companions for the right family who is active, has a secure yard and won’t give up in when training.

Leon and I like to play a game called “find it”.  I put him in another room at a “down-stay”, while I hide treats in a different room.  Then I call him to come “find it”.  He uses his nose to find all the treats in the room.

We started out slow by first placing treat in the middle of the room so he could easily find it, then we slowly moved it to a more and more difficult place.

Try this game with your dog and you’ll see how happy they are to use all their senses!

One of the best ways to be a more successful trainer in your dog’s eyes, is to project a can-do attitude.  It helps if you first visualize in your mind what you want your dog to do, and then know she will do it.

You can’t expect your dog to do what you are asking, unless you truly believe he will do it!

Believe in your self and believe in your dog.    Also, NEVER attempt to train your dog if you are upset, angry, anxious or fearful.  If you are attempting to socialize your dog, or teach your fearful dog to be more confident, then YOU need to exude that confidence…and she will follow your example.

Training and working with your dog should be a happy, fun experience for both you and your dog.  If you find yourself getting frustrated, then it’s important to take a break until you feel calmer.  Otherwise, your dog will fight the excercise all the way.

Every time I take my Chihuahua, Leon, in for a check up a the vet, he always marvels at Leon’s clean teeth.  He says he’s never seen a small dog with such beautifully kept teeth.

Well, I have a little secret…I don’t clean Leon’s teeth…he cleans them himself!

Leon loves to chew on his little Curly Q’s and they seem to clean his teeth right up!  In fact, my sister gave these to her recently adopted dog and his teeth cleaned up like magic!  I’ve heard many stories of these little chewies cleaning teeth, so if you don’t want to brush your dog’s teeth, let him clean them himself!

Now, these little teeth cleaning wonders are not that hard to find.  They are actually beef tendons that are dried into a little curly stick. They are better for your dog than rawhide, because it won’t upset their stomachs, and they have one ingredient!

I usually give Leon one of these a month to keep his teeth sparkling…and it usually takes him about one hour to eat it down.  If you have bigger dogs, you can always get fatter ones that take longer to chew.

If you have a high energy dog, then you know how difficult it is to keep your dog out of trouble.  Dogs that aren’t kept busy enough will usually find their own things to do…and it’s usually not what you wan them to do!

Activities such as digging, barking, tearing up the living room are all signs that you’re dog is bored.  Getting your dog into a sport will keep your dog happy and tired and it’s fun for you as well.  One of the best sports for a very high energy dog is flyball.

Flyball is an amazing sport…perfect for dogs that need lots of exercise…dogs that like to RUN!

I started working with Leon doing flyball when he was one years old because he LOVES to run up and down the hallway.  He also loves to jump.

If your dog is ball crazy…this is the sport for him!

The main premise of flyball is a relay race with four dogs on a team.  Each dog takes their turn running down the track, while jumping four jumps.  They grab a ball off of the platform while turning around.  They run back down the track and over the four jumps and hand off to the next dog.

This is a timed event and they usually race side-by-side with another team.

This is the perfect sport for Border Collies, Aussie’s, little Rat Terriers…any dog that is ball crazy and HYPER!
Flyball is perfect for dogs that need a mental workout as well as a physical workout.  And don’t think it’s just for large agile dogs.  The height of the jumps for your team are determined by the smallest member…so Leon was welcomed with open arms because his small size brought the jumps lower for the rest of his team….and that made them faster.

For instance: I got Leon when he was only eight weeks old and we were told he was a Chihuahua.  As he grew, I was confident that it was mostly true; however, some things about him didn’t quite fit the Chihuahua breed.

Although he had bonded very closely with me, he also enjoyed meeting new people-something the Chihuahua is not suppose to enjoy.  He is also very intelligent and loves to learn new things.  The Chihuahua is a very stubborn breed and doesn’t necessarily enjoy doing parlor tricks, unlike Leon.  One DNA test later and my suspicions were justified.  Although Leon is 3/4 Chihuahua, he is also 1/4 Poodle.

The fact that Leon is not a pure breed doesn’t bother me, but knowing where his genes came from help me to be able to understand him better.  Luckily, he got the best of the Poodle which has made him an easier companion for me.

Why does this matter?

Watch this video of the different breeds and learn how their original purpose can affect their behavior.

The importance of understanding the breed or breeds that make up your dog should be clear. These important genes determine ease of training, need for exercise and the desired activities for the dog.

Taking the time to understand you dog’s breed will help you in understanding the behavior of your dog and will also help you have a closer relationship with her.

If your dog is a mixed breed, and it’s genes are difficult to determine, you may consider gettting a DNA test kit that can tell you exactly what breeds make up your dog.  We got a DNA test kit on the Internet for about $50  and the test was very easy to perform by taking a cotton swab of Leon’s mouth.

Just as Dr. Pomerance explained, crate training is important if you would like to help your dog feel safe and secure while you are away, or if you would like the dog to have a safe place to sleep at night.  Crate training is a great way to ensure your dog doesn’t get into anything dangerous while you are away and can even help alleviate barking.

We go over crate training your new Adopted Dog in the first month of the Adopted Dog series.

Leon at a Therapy Gig with a New Friend

Many of you know that my little Chihuahua, Leon, is a registered therapy dog with the Delta Society and involved heavily with our local group LAPP.  Leon and I have been to many different facilities, meeting all different types of people, but the therapy facilities we like the best involve children.

We recently had the pleasure of visiting a behavioral health facility that houses teenagers ages 13-18.  The staff has recently begun to really take advantage of our visits by turning them into group sessions.  We were visiting that day with an Aussie and a Chocolate Lab.

The group session was about fear and how you relate to that fear; do you face it or run?  The Chocolate Lab faces her fears, but the Aussie avoids them….and Leon tends to run from his fears…well, when you’re only five pounds!

Each teenager evaluated themselves against the dogs and then we all had a healthy discussion about what we fear the most and how we handle it.  Leon didn’t like vacuum cleaners so I encouraged him to face his biggest fear (with lots of his favorite treats), so that he would learn that it wasn’t going to hurt him and that it’s alright to be in the same room with a loud piece of equipment.

One thing I did notice was how willing each teenager was to relay their fears to us and the dogs and how they all nodded in agreement with each other…and how we did as well.  No matter how old you are, or how old your dog is, we all still fear some things, but it’s how you learn to deal and face them that matter.

Dr. Pomerance talked with us about what you need to be thinking and what you should consider before adding a new canine member to your family.

Dr. Diane Pomerance

We were lucky enough to sit down and chat with Dr. Pomerance about how to choose the best dog for you and your family and how to integrate that new dog into your home.

Dr. Pomerance has many years of experience dealing with dogs and working with their owners.  Listen as we talk about her own dogs and her experience.

Dr. Pomerance created and established the Pet Grief Counseling Program for the SPCA of Texas which incorporates grief support groups, one-on-one counseling, telephone counseling, volunteer education and training, etc. She has also written the highly acclaimed children’s nonfiction book on pet loss, “When Your Pet Dies” which teaches children how to cope with and recover from not only the loss of a beloved companion animal but the inevitable losses all of us experience. She is also the author of “Animal Companions: Your Friends, Teachers & Guides”, “Animal Companions: In Our Hearts, Our Lives & Our World”, “Animal Elders: Caring About Our Aging Animal Companions”, “Finding Peace After the Loss of a Loved Animal Companion”, and her most recent book “Pet Parenthood: Adopting the Right Animal Companion for You.”

Dr. Pomerance is an active volunteer for the SPCA of Texas, K-9 Friends Visiting Therapy Dogs of GTDOG, and the Alaskan Malamute Assistance League. She lives in North Texas with her husband and eighteen canine “kids” they have rescued and adopted.

Hello.  My name is Jennifer Andrade and I started A Dog for Life to help others achieve a close and healthy relationship with their canine companions.

My first dog was Oso, a Labrador/Husky mix.  I soon discovered that he was all wrong  for me and our relationship was limited because of it.  He loved the now and cold weather, I loved the sunshine.  I preferred indoors, he preferred out…you get the idea.

When I had to make the decision to put 14 year old Oso down because of old age, I was devastated.  But soon I started to look forward to a different relationship with a dog.  One in which we shared our lived together because we like the same things.

After doing a ton of research on dog breeds and really being honest about what I wanted, I discovered that the Chihuahua breed would be best for me…I know what you are thinking…A Chihuahua!  I thought the same thing.  But no matter how many times I looked at dog breeds, the Chihuahua was the best choice for me.

When I brought my little one pound baby home, I was very careful to ensure that Leon would not grow up to be a yippy, bitey, monster.  I immediately started socializing him and training him whenever I could.  He went EVERYWHERE with us and he quickly learned to relax in any and every situation he was in.

At 8 weeks of age, he learned how to sit and by the time he was four months old, he knew down, stay and come.  He walked beside me every day on our walks and he attracted attention everywhere.

Now, at 3 years of age, Leon is a calm, happy Chihuahua.  And believe it or not, he’s also a therapy dog and a former flyball participant.

No matter where I take him, people tell me that if they were promised a dog like Leon, they would get a Chihuahua in a heartbeat…the funny thing is that I know that ANY dog can be like Leon.  All it takes is a little time and a lot of patience and the know how to create a confident, well adjusted dog.

Let me show you how Leon was raised and how you, too, can have the wonderful companion that I get to share my life with.

1.) Chihuahua

For more information on the best five breeds for senior’s, read my article on the same subject.

2.) Chinese Crested

3.) Pug

4.) English Toy spaniel or King Cavalier Charles Spaniel

5.) Poodle

I have a friend from school that decided to get a Bichon Frise  puppy.  He couldn’t resist…it was a little fluffy white ball of fur.  When I found out my friend had gotten a Bichon, I knew how it would end up.

He worked all day outside the house and he had two little children-I knew it would end badly because Bichon’s don’t like to stay home alone and they prefer older children.

Well, one year later, poor little Simon ended up in the shelter with severe seperation anxiety and a history of biting children.  The likelihood of him getting adopted is very slim with his issues…and if he is, he will probably be brought back after the new adoptive home discovers his problems.

Obviously, this could have easily been avoided with some research and honesty as what one really wants in a dog.  Please, don’t let your dog end up like Simon-use all the tools available to you to find the right dog.  Read all my blog posts and don’t forget that I wrote a book to help you choose the right dog for you.

Good luck!

This quiet moment looking out the door is brought to you through careful socialization

It’s so important to socialize your dog or puppy that not doing so will definitely result in behavior issues later on, but most people don’t realize that the reasons are different for different breeds.

For instance, people comment all the time that they would love a Chihuahua, if only they were guaranteed of getting one just like my little Leon, but people don’t realize I put in a lot of time to get Leon to the happy and well adjusted Chihuahua that he is now.  He wasn’t born to love strangers and other dogs…I had to work on it with him.  Because they are natural watch dogs, it’s difficult for them to feel safe in unfamiliar environments, that why socialization can mean the difference between a yippy, biting Chihuahua and a well mannered, calm one.

The same is true for other breeds, but for different reasons.  Any of the guarding dogs, for instance, need to be well socialized to accept strangers and unfamiliar dogs into his or her space.  Many Spaniels lean towards being very timid, if not introduced to different types of situations and people.  Even Labradors need to be well socialized in order to learn “manners” like, not jumping up on people…especially children.

So, if you are looking to adopt a dog or a puppy, remember that one of the most time consuming, and most rewarding parts of having a well adjusted dog, is socializing.  Take the dog everywhere that you can and get him or her used to being a part of the community.  Your dog will be much happier, and she will become a good ambassador for her breed.

Barking continuously while their owner is away is a mild (unless your a direct neighbor) form or separation anxiety and is usually caused by boredom.

One of the easiest ways to combat boredom is by ensuring the puppy or dog is tired when you leave them all day.  You can take them for several walks…hire a dog walker for the middle of the day.  You can put them on a treadmill while you are getting ready for work in the morning.  You can take them to a doggy day care a couple times a week.  Anything you can do to ensure the dog is good and tired, and I almost guarantee, your neighbors won’t hear a peep out of him again!

The amount of exercise needed will depend greatly upon the breed of dog and it’s temperament, but when you find the perfect amount…you’ll know it!  And your neighbors will love your dog as much as you do!  A bored dog is a stressed dog and a dog that has enough exercise on a daily basis will be much more happy and balanced.

WHY?

Well, for one thing, it may take a while to find the right one, and you want to be able to take your time and be sure your choice is right for you.  You wouldn’t want to just take the first trainer or behaviorist that seems alright, just because you are desperate for some problem to be solved.

You should also just accept that you are going to need one or the other, whichever dog you end up choosing.  If you get a puppy….training should be your number one priority.  If you end up with an older dog, then a behaviorist will probably be needed to help ease the transition and help the dog adjust to it’s new life….and leave it’s old life behind.

So, before you even find the newest member of your family….start building a network of professionals that will help your new member become a trusted and well-behaved companion.