• Make coming to you the best thing in the world! Use lots of enthusiasm and praise with a happy voice tone.
• Make sure you have his attention before you use the word Come.
• Only use the word Come once then go get him right away and cheerfully lead him back to where you called him from. Give him LOTS of praise when he comes, even if you’ve had to go three blocks to get him!
• Never call him to you to punish him or do something unpleasant such as clipping nails. He will only remember that he was punished when coming to you. If you use an angry tone, he will naturally hesitate or not come.
• Only use your Come word when you are sure you can go get your dog if he chooses to ignore you.
• If your dog does ever run away, he might come back if you kneel down, flop on the ground, or run the other way.

 Teaching the Come Command

1. Make it a fun game to chase you for a few feet.
2. Turn and say Come as he approaches.
3. Praise profusely as you give 1 treat at a time for a total of 10 treats.
4. Do this exercise four times each session 1-2 times per day for 2 weeks.
5. Then maintain a reliable Come by reviewing 1-2 times per week.
6. When he comes reliably, start weaning off the treats. Sometimes he gets a couple, sometimes none, and sometimes a jackpot so he never knows when it might appear! However, always maintain by practicing 1-2 times per week.
7. If he ever ignores you, either show him what he missed out on and give it to another dog or throw it in the trash in front of him, or get him to chase you.

Sylvie Pleasant
Certified Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant
K9 Solutions LLC
www.nck9solutions.com

5. Walk at a distance that does not bring out any aggression and close in as long as all is going well. Continue to act casually and keep walking!

6. If all is well, bring them into the backyard to connect.

7. Go back to any previous step if needed.

Sylvie Pleasant
Certified Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant
K9 Solutions LLC
www.nck9solutions.com

2. Do early, early verbal corrections. As soon as the dog just looks at the cat, tell him firmly “No!” Don’t wait for the chase and then just participate yourself in the chase!

3. Practice 1-min Sits and/or Downs on a leash in the same room as the cat about 1-3 times per day at a distance that the dog can handle.

4. As the dog progresses, close in on the distance between dog and cat.

5. As the dog progresses, drop the leash.

6.  As the dog progresses, weane off the leash.

7. Practice Heels on a leash around the cat.

For most dogs, it’s just a question of allowing them to get used to the cat so the obedience training will help in making the cat not be such a “new” thing. You want the cat to become old hat and a part of the family pack.

And the rules in your house are “we just don’t chase the cat” so use your leadership skills.

Sylvie Pleasant
Certified Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant
K9 Solutions LLC
www.nck9solutions.com

I adopted Max, a Golden Retriever, many years ago. Max was a sweet, beautiful Golden Retriever who turned out to be severely thunderphobic.

The first time I walked into the house after a thunderstorm, I found my dog still in his crate but with blood everywhere, in and out of the crate, and several wires bent. I worked a full time corporate job and I admit seriously considering returning this boy to the rescue. I just didn’t know what I was possibly going to do for him with my hours. After a couple of days of pondering, I committed to his rehabbing.

The next 3 years was honestly the most difficult 3 years of my life as anyone dealing with canine thunderphobia knows. The sleepless nights holding a Golden to keep him from hurting himself, the sick feeling in the stomach as you hear him coming up the stairs after that first thunder strike knowing your sleep is over, checking the TV every morning deciding whether to board your dog, drug him, supplement him, crate him in the dark bathroom with the vent on, have your neighbor run over at lunch time with supplements, etc. We even considered soundproofing one of the closets!

I early on decided against medication after seeing his reaction to them. So I embarked on the usual desentization to sound, association with yummy treats, herbals, and yes even animal communications.

What I discovered in the process was a whole new world of alternatives. Today, I am a healthier person physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually thanks to this Golden boy. I often wonder where I would be today if I had given up on him, and I know that I would have given up a precious part of myself.

P.S. If you are dealing with thunderphobia, see Tuesday’s Training Tips on thunderphobia tips.

Sylvie Pleasant
Building Lasting, Empowering Relationships
K9 Solutions LLC
www.nck9solutions.com

Bitsy with sister Amy Beth

Hi, my name is Bitsy Dog Walker but everybody just calls me Bitsy. I was born on Thanksgiving Day in 2007 and came to live with my human family when I was 7 weeks old. My Great Grandma was a Cocker Spaniel and my Great Grandpa was a Poodle and that makes me a Cockapoo.

The first time Dad took me to the doctor she said that I was so smart and confident that I needed a job. That was a polite way of saying I had waaaay too much energy. So Dad called Sylvie at K9 Solutions and started taking me to school and I loved it! When I graduated I heard people say I was the youngest dog that they ever known to graduate from dog school.

I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I grew up, but Dad knew I liked people so after a while he took me to back to school with Sylvie where I learned to be something they called a therapy dog. After I got out of that school we started going to places where people sit around and wait for me to come visit them. Boy, that’s cool! People talk real sweet to me and hold me and rub my fur and I show my appreciation by doing tricks for them.

A little later we got into a program called “See Spot Read” where children read to a dog named Spot. Spot must be real busy because he never has shown up so the children read to me! That’s like heaven because children are my favorite people! And that’s how I came to have my job!

My favorite pastimes when I’m not working are spending quite time with Mom while she reads, taking long walks with Mom & Dad, playing games and doing dog agility training with Dad.

1. Don’t allow your dog access to the entire yard where he can practice barking, lunging, etc. at passerbys. This behavior can eventually turn into territorial aggression. Fix your fencing so your dog is unable to practice the behavior, or only place fencing in the back where he can’t see passerbys, or cut off the sides of your house so you control both the front and the back of your property.

2. Use shrubbery to block off vision and prevent constant barking/lunging.

3. Allow your guests to be able to drive up and walk up to the front door without being greeted by an overexhuberant or problematic pooch. Some humans are terrified of any dog, even calm or small ones.

4. Don’t leave your dog unsupervised with underground fences. Anyone can walk up and steal your dog or tease your dog. And other dogs can access your yard.

5. If you have a fence jumper, you can place an underground fence a few feet before your actual fence,  install coyote rollers at the top http://www.coyoteroller.com/see_how_it_works, and/or get a professional trainer to help you prevent the behavior.

6. Place chicken wire fencing stapled into the fence and dug into the ground for dogs who dig out of fences.

7. Install springs on the gates so they close automatically to prevent lost dogs.

Sylvie Pleasant
Certified Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant
K9 Solutions LLC
www.nck9solutions.com

I felt so much joy just watching her in her bliss over my coming home and wondered at how we forget those simple moments of seeing one another–our own family members, friends, most coworkers , etc. She’s been with me 2 years now and it’s amazing that she can still exhibit so much happiness at seeing me. What a lesson in finding joy in simply meeting each other.

Sylvie Pleasant
Certified Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant
K9 Solutions LLC
www.nck9solutions.com

I had one Beagle who pawed at a window and door, but the owner did not go out that door. However, it was a wooded area. Beagle + squirrel = damaged door/window.

Here are some quick tips on hopefully preventing separation anxiety from rearing its ugly head in your household.

1. Don’t be dramatic when you leave. Tell your buddy to have a good day and walk out.

2. Don’t have a party for 5 min after you walk in. Take your dog out and allow him to sniff/potty, then have a party! And away from the front door or crate!

3. Leave a really yummy stuffed kong with your dog. You leaving = yummy kong. You want your dog to look foward to you leaving!

4. A tired dog is a good tired. Exercise, exercise, exercise. Period.

5. Provide mental stimulation throughout the day such as Sit for Everything, alternating with Down for Everything.

6. Provide mental stimulation with interactive toys that contain toys to pull out or treats to get out.

7. Hone in on your leadership skills in a way that dogs understand so your dog will have confidence in your decisions.

Sylvie Pleasant
Certified Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant
K9 Solutions LLC
www.nck9solutions.com

During our early weeks of practice, as we were walking past a dog and he was having a difficult time keeping it together, I blurted out “this is your own species!”

As we continued walking, I thought about my own words and contemplated at how myself don’t always like my own species. When exposed to some of the neglect and abuse stories that we are, it is easy to get hard feelings toward humanity and sometimes even cynical.

I choose daily to focus on the good I see in others and I do always find it. The folks who drop everything to help a stray, the folks who foster, the ones who work tirelessly in shelters and rescue to find homes for their protegees, the ones who feed strays, spend hours talking to adopters, discount training and health services, build fencing for chained dogs. The goodness of humanity is indeed endless when you stay focused in the right places.

Sylvie Pleasant
Certified Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant
K9 Solutions LLC
www.nck9solutions.com

Of course, much as dogs do when they smell a deer, raccoon, or poop, we have to be careful to not get distracted and go further off the path .

Enjoy your journey!

Sylvie Pleasant
K9 Solutions LLC
Certified Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant
www.nck9solutions.com