My whole life, I’ve been a dog lover. My parents never let me have one though; they said dogs were too much work. So, when I went away to college, I knew that I had to have a dog. I also knew that I had no clue how to take care one.

So, I joined a program called the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind. They taught me how to raise puppies that would become seeing eye dogs for those with vision impairments.

Phyllis An 8 Week Old Golden Retriever-Yellow Lab Puppy

Shortly after my training had ended, I received my very first 8-week-old puppy, Phyllis. No, I did not get to pick the name (although I do love The Office). Phyllis is a golden retriever-yellow lab mix and could not be any cuter. I fell in love with her instantly.

Day 1 with Phyllis

I quickly found out that my parents had been lying to me my entire life – puppies are a lot of work, but that is the fun in raising them! The best part about Phyllis was that she was a certified service dog. That meant she had to wear her cute yellow “dog in training” vest and follow me to class, restaurants, sporting events, movie theaters, and more.

We attended monthly training programs together so that the program could monitor her progress. She was so smart, independent and strong. She had a will of her own. 15 months passed quickly and it was time for Phyllis to head to New York for her professional training. If she passed, it was off to live with someone who has vision impairments.

Phyllis and her brother Duke, the day before heading up to NY (Phyllis on left, Duke on right)

Saying goodbye to Phyllis was one of the hardest things that I’ve ever had to do. If you’ve ever had a dog, you know how it would feel to give up a pup you love so much after 15 months together. It was heart wrenching, but I knew she was on her way to do the job she was born to do.

Ace An 8 Week Old Black Lab Puppy

Luckily, upon her goodbye, I was handed Ace, my new 8-week-old black lab puppy. It was difficult starting again from square one with Ace’s training, but I quickly fell madly in love with him. He was my buddy, my cuddler, my sweetheart.

Day 1 with Ace

Eight months into my training with Ace, I received great news: Phyllis had graduated from her training and moved to Arizona with her new owner, an elderly woman who was blind. Before I knew it, it was time for Ace to head to New York as well. I waited months to hear about Ace’s progress and finally the news came: he had graduated the program as well and was placed with a woman in Michigan.

I couldn’t be more proud of my dogs for making it all the way through the guide dog program and leading the blind with their eyes and with their hearts. Today, I’m a still pen pal with Phyllis and Ace’s owners. They send me updates and pictures each month. I also have two dogs that are my very own: Kibo (a goofy, Shepherd mix) and Kenya (an 8-week-old puppy mix). The three of us live in Denver now, where I attend graduate school.

Helping The Guide Dog Foundation

Many of my friends have rescued dogs for the animal assisted therapy program here, and I often lend a hand with training and dog sitting in exchange for donations to the Guide Dog Foundation. Each time I help someone out, I know that those donations are making their way back to dogs like Phyllis and Ace, and the people whose lives they have changed forever.

If you’d like to join me in supporting this great cause, pledge an hour of your time in my ProBueno community. I’m helping with dog-related things, but you are free to offer anything from baking cookies to offering career advice. Every time someone needs your help, they will make a donation to the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind.

Post from: Puppy Training

My Guide Dog Story

While browsing through our Facebook news feed and RSS feed the past couple days we saw DogTipper and Keep The Tail Wagging talking about the new Redbox Docmentary: Shelter Me.  We were very excited to hear that RedBox would be donating the proceeds from the Shelter Me DVD rentals (through April 29th, 2013) to the Halo Pet Foundation.

Curiosity got the better of me so I decided to take a peek at the trailer to see what this DVD was all about.  Take a look at the trailer:

Shelter Me Trailer

I was very excited to see that not only was this a documentary about shelter dogs, but also a story about how shelter dogs were helping people with disabilities.  What was even more exciting was I caught a glimpse of one of the service dog jackets during the video and it looked a little bit like this one…I mean a lot…well I mean exactly like this one!

Apache CST Puppy

In case you don’t recognize him that’s Apache proudly wearing his Canine Support Teams (CST) Puppy In Training jacket.  The very same jacket I saw in the Shelter Me trailer!  Apache was my 4th Guide Dog puppy in training and after getting dropped from the guide dog program moved on to CST and is now a working PTSD Service Dog!  Go Apache!

After seeing the CST jackets in the trailer I had to check out the full documentary.  After all by renting I was also making a donation to a good cause!

A Little About The Shelter Me Documentary

Shelter Me was broken up into three parts.  The first part followed two pit bulls from the time they were picked up off the street to finding loving homes.  Two adorable dogs that goes to show you that there are plenty of wonderful pets waiting to be adopted from your local shelter.

The second part of the documentary focused on two owner surrendered dogs that made their way from the animal shelter to the Canine Support Teams Prison Pup Program.  This part focused more on the CST Prison Pup Program then it did on the two dogs, but it really gave you some insight into how much these shelter dogs impacted the lives of their trainers as well as the people they later served as working Service Dogs.

Finally, part 3 focused on another Service Dog organization: Freedom Service Dogs.  Part 3 was mainly about PTSD Service Dogs and really gave you an inside look on how these types of dogs change the lives of veterans with PTSD.

Those short summaries do not do the DVD justice, but are just to give you a brief idea what Shelter Me is all about.

My Thoughts On Shelter Me

This documentary is probably more interesting to me then it is for most other people.  First of all, I feel connected to each of these stories.

• Part I has to do with dogs rescued from a Los Angeles shelter.  I rescued my very first dog, Linus from an LA County Shelter.
• Part II has to do with shelter dogs working with Canine Support Teams in the Prison Pup Program.  My last guide dog puppy graduated from the CST Prison Pup Program just over a month ago!
• Part III has to do with PTSD Service Dogs and the organization Freedom Service Dogs.  First, a friend of mine actually volunteered at Freedom Service Dogs evaluating dogs to find if they were suitable as potential Service Dogs.  And of course, Apache graduated as a PTSD Service Dog!

Apache CST Graduate

When Apache graduated, CST changed out his Puppy In Training jacket and replaced it with a Service Dog jacket custom made using material from Apache’s handler’s military uniform.

So my review may be a bit biased, but I think this was a wonderful documentary that most animal lovers will enjoy.  By the way, I was looking for Apache amongst the other Prison Pups, but I don’t think he was a part of that group.  Apache was a bit of an over-sized Golden Retriever so I think he would have stood out amongst the other pups.

What do yo guys think?  Are you interested in watching a documentary about shelter dogs this weekend?  If so, rent Shelter Me from your local Redbox and let us know what you thought about it in the comment section below.

Post from: Puppy Training

Redbox Donating Proceeds For Shelter Me DVD Rentals

By the way, the Pet Expo was packed this past weekend with thousands of people and we came away with possibly a few new puppy raisers

Bro and Sis? BFF’s? Guide Pups?

Who are those pups pictured above?  That’s Tucker and Treacle!  Brother and sister from the “T” litter (read more about the GDA rules for naming a puppy).  Guide Dog Puppies In Training!  These two are currently in formal guide dog training and hopefully will be graduating soon from Guide Dog College.  This picture is from our outing to the Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach, CA.

What Does A Puppy Raiser Do?

So what happens at the Guide Dogs of America booth?  We try to recruit new puppy raisers and the Pet Expo filled with thousands of Pet Lovers is the perfect venue.  While our time is sometimes short with each prospective puppy raiser here are a few things I like to say and do when working the booth:

• First, bring an adorable Puppy In Training to draw in the crowd.  I had Tasha an 11 month old gorgeous female Labrador Retriever working by my side.  the Pet Expo is full of excitement and distractions so we only bring the older puppies as they can handle the stress better than the little ones.
• After you draw in the prospective puppy raisers lead with the question “Are you interested in raising a puppy?“
• Then I usually give them the basic run down of what puppy raising entails…
  • GDA provides you with an approximately 7 week old puppy.
  • You keep the puppy with you from 7 weeks until about 18 months of age.
  • During that time you work with them on basic obedience, good house manners, and socialization.
  • Most pet lovers are intrigued by puppy socialization aspect of puppy raising and love to hear how puppy raisers take their pups to shopping malls, grocery stores, restaurants, movie theaters, and most places many pet dogs can not attend.
  • At 18 months you return the puppy to the school where they begin their formal guide dog training.
  • After about 6 months of formal training your puppy gets matched with a visually impaired or blind partner.
  • After approximately 1 more month of training with their new partner you puppy graduates and begins his life as a guide dog team.
• The most common response: “I could never give up my puppy after 18 months…“
• My answer: “I understand, but once you see your puppy graduate and give his partner a new life of independence it’s all worth it.”  –Cue tears from my eyes…

That’s a very brief summary, but in reality there are so many more benefits to being a puppy raiser.  It is a large commitment, but you will receive so much more in return.  That is why I’ve raised 4 puppies and plan on raising more.  That’s why when you talk to many other puppy raisers they’ve raised 5, 10, 20 puppies over the past few decades.

If you’re interested in puppy raising leave me a comment or shoot me an email though our contact form.

How about you guys?  Are you already raising a puppy?  If so tell us a little bit about some of your experiences and the benefits you find raising a puppy.  If not, what’s holding you back from starting your journey as a puppy raiser.

Post from: Puppy Training

Are You Interested In Raising A Puppy?

Last week Tony and his guide dog, Sam visited our monthly Orange County Guide Dogs of America monthly meeting.  We were lucky to hear all about Tony’s life with Sam and how much Sam has changed his life.  Stories ranged from comical to happy to sad to inspirational.

As a guide dog puppy raiser it’s great to hear how much a working guide dog changes a blind or visually impaired persons life.  It really does help them regain their independence and Tony and Sam are just one of the reasons why we (puppy raisers) continue to raise puppies for our great organizations.

Puppy Raising And Training Tips From Tony And Sam

Sam, Guide Dog.  He’s a Labradoodle!

So what’s up with the title?  Why is this Guide Dog Puppy Raising 201?  Quite honestly as I mentioned earlier it really isn’t all that advanced and the 2 tips Tony shared with us are really quite logical.  The reason why I say it’s advanced is because it’s the first time I’ve heard these kind of tips from an actual guide dog team.

Puppy Training Tip #1

If you’ve been following the blog for a while then you probably remember me talking about puppy names and how we name our guide dog pups.  If not, take a look back at our post on puppy names.  There are some basic rules to naming our pups, but at our meeting Tony told us his story about Sam’s name and gave us a good reason why and how we should name our pups.

Now that you’ve had the chance to refresh by reading our Puppy Names blog post (I’m sure you read the related links and comments as well) then you know that it was recommended to us by the GDA puppy department as well as other puppy raisers that we try to name our dogs with 1 or 2 syllable names and occasionally a 3 syllable name is allowed.

Back to Tony’s story about Sam.  Sam’s original name was Sylvio…A 3 syllable name…Tony tried to use the name Sylvio to issue commands, but he said it just didn’t work out and after about 1 day he told his trainer that his name is “Sam”.

Once your puppy in training goes to his new handler they have the right to change the puppy’s name.  Tony said a 1 syllable name is preferred by most guide dog users and urged us to strongly consider 1 syllable names when naming our puppies.  A 1 syllable name just makes it easier especially for guide dog users who have to use their guide dog name more frequently then the average pet.

So far, I’ve failed at the 1 syllable puppy names, but I have kept it at 2 syllables for the most part:

• Stetson – 2 syllables
• Derby – 2 syllables
• Dublin – 2 syllables
• Apache – 3 syllables – I wasn’t involved when naming Mr. Apache, but I like the name   By the way, Apache is on the verge of completing his Team Training!

Even if you are not a puppy raiser it’s important to think about your puppy’s name.  Is your pup’s name easy to say when you’re using it with commands?  If not, maybe it’s a good idea to consider a nice 1 or 2 syllable name.  After all, you’re just making your life more difficult if you choose  a 4 syllable name like “Serenity” (a name I really like) and try to issue obedience commands.

Puppy Training Tip #2

While I had heard about the importance of keeping puppy names short this was the first time I had heard anything about puppy training tip #2.

We do a few things differently when we potty train our guide dog puppies.

• We teach our puppies to potty on command by saying “get busy”
• We pet our puppies while they potty.
• We teach them to potty on many different surfaces.

Tony’s puppy training tip for potty training was to keep the leash short when taking our pup’s out to potty.  The leashes we use for guide dog training has a short and long attachment.  Our leashes can usually be clipped in at about 3 feet or 6 feet.  The reason why Tony recommended the short leash was because if puppies are only used to going potty on the long setting then it makes it much more difficult for a visually impaired or blind person to pick up poop.

I always made sure to keep my puppies from not wandering or sniffing too much when going potty, but this was the first time I had heard the importance of keeping your pup on the short leash setting to keep them close by for the purpose of picking up poop.  This is definitely one I will be doing with my future guide dog pups.

So that’s it!  Did you learn something new about guide dog puppy raising?  or hopefully you learned something new that will help you when raising and training your own puppy.

Do you have any unusual puppy training tips that you use with your puppies?  Tell us about it in the comment section below.

Post from: Puppy Training

Guide Dog Puppy Raising 201

I’ve raised 4 guide dog puppies in training, worked with and trained countless other 7 week to 18 month old guide pups, and also fostered more than a dozen young puppies.  Believe me when I tell you I know a little bit about mouthy puppies and their little dagger teeth.

I’ve suffered a few puncture wounds in my time.  However, every little nip has really just been a normal part of puppy behavior and there are a few things I’ve learned to do to help minimize the damage to my hands and feet.

Puppy sitting Toby a yellow Lab puppy in training.  Just like all of our pups he liked to bite and nip.

How To Stop A Puppy From Biting And Nipping

We hear this question all the time.  How do I get my puppy to stop biting my hands?  My puppy is great, but he’s always biting me.  How do I get him to stop biting?  My puppies teeth are so sharp!  What do I do to get him to stop his mouthy behavior?

Here’s an exact quote from one of our readers:

…My wife and I just adopted a beautiful female yellow lab. Stella is 8 1/2 weeks old and we’ve had her just over a week. I want to bounce some questions off you from what I’ve read on your site, as Stella is driving us crazy…Biting. To go along with the chewing, she’s gotten more than a touch nippy. Heck, she’s snapped at my face while I was holding her a couple of times. Again, no corrections or ignoring is helping…

–Stella’s Dad

That was actually just one of a laundry list of questions Stella’s dad had about Stella the bouncy 8 1/2 week old Labrador Retriever puppy.  So the question is how do you stop puppy biting.

A mouthy, bitey, nippy, puppy is perfectly normal and I would actually be surprised if you were not experiencing some growing pains with a nippy puppy.  As I said earlier I’ve been raising puppies for a while now and some of the others in my group have been puppy raisers for 25+ years and raised a dozen or more puppies in the guide dog program.  Every time I see them with a new puppy I inevitably see little dagger like puncture marks on their hands and wrists.  Even a seasoned puppy raiser usually ends up with some collateral damage from these playful guide pups.

There is some good news.  Most puppies can be trained to regulate and minimize their biting pretty easily.  You can teach your puppy how to have a soft mouth and work on teaching him bite inhibition.  Here’s some tips on things you can do to minimize the amount of puncture wounds you receive from your little vampire…I mean bundle of joy

Tips On How To Stop Puppy Biting

One of the reasons why puppies stay with their litter mates until they are 7-8 weeks old is so they learn bite inhibition.  If you’ve ever observed a litter of puppies playing you probably noticed that some puppies will get a little too playful with biting and nipping.

When puppies are playing, biting, and nipping each other play time stops when one of the puppies lets out a yelp and walks away.  Over time puppies will learn that biting too hard ends playtime and will learn to soften their mouths.  After all puppies don’t ever want play time to end…do they…

This brings us to our first tip on how to stop a puppy from biting:

1. Make your puppy think he is hurting you when he bites by letting out a puppy yelp!  Basically you are trying to replicate the same behavior as one of the other puppies in the litter.  So, let out a nice yelp to briefly startle your puppy and stop playing with him.  This will teach your puppy that when he bites to hard playtime ends.  Ending playtime is key when you do this because I’ve seen and experienced puppies that think the yelp is just part of the game and if you continue handling or playing they sometimes get more excited and come back with an even harder bite.
2. Redirect your puppy biting by slowly removing your hand from his mouth and replace with one of his dog toys.  This is probably our favorite technique.  Whatever inappropriate item your puppy is biting whether it be your hand, arm, feet, or face (like in the example from our reader) slowly remove the item from your puppies jaws and replace with his favorite dog toy or chew then leave him alone to play with his toy for a while.  We have found that it’s a good idea to have lots of different textured toys as your puppy will most likely get bored if all he has is a bunch of plush toys.  Our collection consists of plush toys, nylabones, various KONG toys, bully sticks, sterile bones, and other dog toys and chews.
3. Try using Bitter Apple Spray. So how would you use Bitter Apple Spray to deter a mouthy puppy?  If your puppy is in that nippy mood then spray a little bit of Bitter Apple Spray on your hand and then let him put his mouth on your hand.  Most puppies will usually take a few bites/licks of your hand then start smacking his chops licking his jowls trying to figure out where that horrid taste came from.  After doing this a few times your puppy will figure out that putting his mouth on your hand results with an icky taste in his mouth.  Most pups hate the taste of Bitter Apple Spray, but some actually like it so this will not work with all pups.  One more word of caution…if you’ve already received a few puncture wounds from your pup’s little vampire teeth then you might not want to get Bitter Apple in the sores because I know from experience that it stings like heck!
4. Give your dog a command.  If you’ve been working on basic obedience then giving your puppy a command will sometimes get him to stop biting and go into obedience mode.  We teach our guide dogs puppies “Leave it” pretty early on and once they know what it means a quick “Leave it” will get them to stop.  However, even just telling your puppy to “sit” or “down” (if they know these commands) could easily break their nippy mood.

At about 4-5 months our puppies lose all of their tiny dagger teeth and they are replaced with adult teeth.  It’s also around this time that our pups usually stop their mouthy, biting behavior.

One more word for the wise.  NEVER SLAP OR HIT YOUR PUPPY!  Your puppy will probably think one of two things:  1. You are playing and he’ll come back trying to bite you even harder.  or 2. He will learn to fear you and your hands.  Hitting your puppy will most likely lead up to even bigger behavior problems down the line.

If you think your puppy is being overly aggressive or none of these tips are helping with your puppy you should seek a local professional dog trainer and set up an in-home training session so the trainer can experience your puppy’s behavior first hand.

Always remember when raising and training your puppy to be consistent, persistent, and patient.  Puppies can be a lot of work, but the work you put in now will show when you’re pup becomes a well-behaved full grown dog.

I hope those tips on how to stop your puppy from biting helped.  What about you guys?  Do you have a puppy who likes to bite?  What have you done to help keep his biting at bay?  Tell us all about your experiences in the comment section below.

Post from: Puppy Training

The Ultimate Guide: How To Stop A Puppy From Biting And Nipping

It reminds me of my first meeting with Stetson over 6 years ago!  He wasn’t our first puppy, but we certainly learned a lot about how to train a puppy with Stetson.  In fact Stetson taught us a lot about crate training puppies as he was by far the most difficult puppy to crate train…he cried for nearly 4 weeks straight and didn’t let me sleep for more than 2 hours in a row during that first month.

Black Labrador Retriever Puppy In Training

Stetson A Former Puppy In Training

Stetson never made it as a guide dog, but he has had many adventures since his start as a guide dog puppy in training.  He’s achieved his Canine Good Citizen, he’s become proficient at finding Birch in his K9 Nosework training, and he’s great at keeping my feet warm late at night.  Of course Stetson is also a great product tester for the many doggy product reviews we do right here on the puppy in training blog.

Not all of our guide dog puppies in training will become working guides, but those that do not still have a great career ahead possibly as Search and Rescue Dogs, Service Dogs, Therapy Dogs, or as someones trusted pet just like Stetson.

What about you guys?  Have any of you raised your puppies to do a job?  Tell us about what your puppy is up to in the comment section below.

Post from: Puppy Training

Black Labrador Retriever Puppy In Training!

Before we brought home our first puppy we read several books about how to train puppies.  We wanted to learn as much as we could about puppies before diving into puppy ownership.  Now over 8 years later we continue to read books about puppies and dog training.

We rescued Linus from the shelter, fostered dozens of puppies and dogs, raised 4 guide dog puppies, and puppy sat countless dogs and puppies.  Maybe we’re not experts, but we do think we know a little more than the average bear.

We get hundreds of questions every month about puppies, dogs, and training.  Over the years we’ve kept the answers in the comment section, but starting this year (2013) we’re going to highlight questions and answer it right here on the blog!  Our hope is to build a resource section and help answer some of the most common puppy training questions.

So without further adieu…

How Can I Get My Dog To Stop Peeing In Her Crate?

Dublin didn’t have any potty problems during crate training

We hear this question several times a month in it’s different variations.  Maybe your dog is peeing in her crate or maybe your dog is pooping in her crate either way your question is probably what can I do to get my dog to stop having accidents in her crate.

The original crate training question we received this week is below:

Question

“Hi I am crate training my 9 week boxer puppy. She is peeing and pooing in the crate overnight and then whines to be let out. what should I do if she doesn’t cry when she has to go?”

Answer:

You have to remember that a puppy as young as yours (around 9 weeks of age) probably does not yet have full control of her bladder.  She may not always know when she has to potty, but there are some things you can do in your situation.

Your goal is to not allow your puppy to potty in the crate anymore.  At some point in time she learned that it was okay to potty in the crate.  If she’s having accidents in the crate during the day and at night you need to make sure you reduce the amount of time she spends in the crate and over time incrementally extend the amount of time she spends in her crate.

Lets start off by speculating as to why your puppy is peeing/pooping in her crate.  There could be several reasons why a puppy has an accident while in crate:

• Crate size is too big.  If you’re crate is too big then your puppy will often times use one side to potty (her bathroom) and the other side to sleep (her bedroom).  A crate should only be large enough for your puppy to stand up and turn around any bigger than that and you might have a few potty accidents.
• Before you brought home your puppy she learned to potty in her crate.  In general puppies will not potty where they sleep, but there could be reasons why your puppy learned to do this before you brought her home.  If you bought from a pet store (please don’t buy from pet stores as the majority of these puppies come from puppy mills) your puppy probably learned to potty where she sleeps.  The same could be true if you purchased from an irresponsible breeder.  Responsible breeders will often times start potty training their pups before they go home with their new families.  If you adopted your puppy may have learned to potty in there kennel or other sleeping area.  You never really know, but sometime in her past she may have learned to potty in her crate.
• She has a bladder infection or some kind of health issue.  A trip to the veterinarian may be in order.  You might want to consider this as an option if your puppy is having unusual potty accidents.

Basic Crate And Potty Training

Make sure you read through these two articles:

• How To Potty Train A Puppy
• Crate Training Puppies

Since your puppy is peeing/pooping in the crate overnight without any whining to alert you then you should consider setting your alarm clock 2-3 times spread out through the night, wake up, take your puppy to her potty spot, have her potty, then take her right back to bed.

Another thing you should do to help avoid future puppy potty accidents in crate is thoroughly wash your crate using an enzymatic cleaner like Nature’s Miracle (aff link).  Puppies like to potty in the same place where they went before.  If she can smell the urine in the crate then she might go there again.  Moving forward, anytime she has an accident make sure you thoroughly clean the crate again.

If you’re putting blankets or towels in the crate I would consider removing these.  Puppies usually like going potty on soft surfaces as opposed to hard surfaces.

As mentioned earlier make sure you have the right size crate.  If you bought a large crate to allow your puppy to grow into it I would either purchase a smaller, proper sized crate or use a divider to make the crate the correct size.

Keep your puppy on a consistent feeding schedule.  Try to make sure you feed your puppy at the same times every day.  You’ll notice a consistent feeding schedule = a consistent potty schedule.

You should start keeping a daily puppy potty schedule to keep track of every time your puppy pees, poops, eats, and drinks water.  You’ll notice that your puppy is very predictable as to when she potties in relation to the times she eats, drinks, plays, etc.

Make sure you feed your puppy at least a couple hours before you put her to bed for the night.

Make sure you take your puppy out to potty (and make sure she goes) right before you put her in her crate for the night.

Talk To Your Veterinarian And Local Dog Trainer

It’s always a good idea to speak with your local professionals.  If you don’t already have a local veterinarian or dog trainer then you should start doing some research to find some good ones in your area.  Having a good vet and trainer will be a great resource for you and your dog today and in the future.

You should also consider enrolling in a puppy kindergarten which will give you a chance to socialize your puppy, learn basic obedience, and have a professional dog trainer to ask questions.  Not only that, but you’ll find that you may be experiencing similar frustrations with your puppy as others in the group.  It always feels better when you realize that you are not the only one experiencing these puppy training and behavior problems

I hope this helps to answer your puppy training question.

What about everyone else out there?  Have you had any problems with your crate training?  Did your puppy used to potty in her crate?  If so, tell us what you did to solve the problem.

Post from: Puppy Training

How Can I Get My Dog To Stop Peeing In Her Crate?

Every year we try to support our local animal rescues and shelters by visiting, donating, and volunteering our time at the large pet adoption events.  We’ve volunteered as fosters for puppies and dogs for Cuddly Canines Rescue.  And of course we always like to share pictures here on the blog and at our Facebook page of adoptable pups and dogs from the adoption events we attend.

There are a lot of misconceptions about rescuing a dog or puppy.  Here are a few we hear all the time.

A Few Misconceptions About Rescue Puppies

Looks like a black Labrador Retriever mix rescue puppy!

• There are only mixed breeds at rescues and shelters: The Humane Society estimates that 25% of dogs in shelters are purebred.  We love our Aussie, Lab, Husky, Chow mix breed (actually that’s just a guess) Linus, but there are plenty of breed specific rescues out there too.  Just go to PetFinder.com and search for your breed of choice.
• They don’t have puppies – Linus was an adorable 10 week old puppy when we picked him up from the Carson Animal Shelter.  Check him out: Linus the Aussie mix puppy.  Cuddly Canines rescues puppies and has adoptable puppies all the time.  Check out their page: Cuddly Canines
• They don’t have purebred puppies – While it may be more difficult to find a purebred puppy of your choice we do see them all the time at rescues and shelters.  I’ve seen litters of purebred Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherd puppies recently up for adoption.  I also saw a litter of Labradoodles (technically not a purebred, but a very popular hybrid cross) up for adoption at PetFinder.com a few days ago.

So now that you know that there are puppies even purebred puppies available at animal shelters and rescues what are the 7 reasons why you should adopt a rescue puppy?

7 Reasons Why You Should Adopt A Rescue Puppy!

A rescue puppy will change your life!  Every day I see the popular paw print bumper sticker “Who Rescued Who?”  It’s so true!

Who Rescued Who? Adopt a rescue pup and you’ll know what it means…

#7 – They Will Make You More Social

First of all, a puppy won’t just make you more social it will make you the most popular person amongst your group of friends, family, neighbors, and even strangers.  Trust me, as a puppy foster and guide dog puppy raiser everyone becomes your best friend.

A second benefit is as your puppy gets old enough to go on walks through the neighborhood you’ll notice that you talk to your neighbors a whole heck of a lot more than before you had a puppy.

#6 – They Will Help Reduce Your Stress

Check out this study on stress relief and pets.  Just in case you don’t want to click through to that article recent studies have shown that spending time with your pet may be a better stress reliever than talking your problems out with a friend!

Recent research shows that, when conducting a task that’s stressful, people actually experienced less stress when their pets were with them than when a supportive friend or even their spouse was present! (This may be partially due to the fact that pets don’t judge us; they just love us.)

Linus and Stetson are great listeners!

#5 – Your Future Jogging Partner

A new puppy will help get you more exercise.  When they are puppies they probably won’t make great jogging partners, but as they get older they will make at least a good walking partner.

Of course as puppies you’ll probably be walking them back and forth to their potty spot in the backyard…also great exercise!

#4 – You Are Saving A Life

Some people have told me that this isn’t necessarily true because who wouldn’t have adopted that adorable puppy?  I do agree that an adorable puppy will get adopted, but the longer he stays at the shelter or rescue the more likely other puppies and dogs will not be able to occupy his space in foster care or at the shelter.

That’s right I said other puppies may not have a place at the shelter.  Did you know that some shelters will euthanize puppies if they are too young (under 8 weeks of age).  This is because even though the pups would easily get adopted the shelter does not have the resources to care for a young litter of pups and if a rescue cannot come in and save these little guys the animal shelter is forced to euthanize

#3 – You Won’t Be Supporting Puppy Mills or Unethical Breeders

Please, please, please do not purchase a puppy from the pet store!  I’ve heard and read that 99% of puppies at pet stores come from puppy mills.  While I’m not sure where this statistic comes from I do know that the percentage is very high.  So please, please, please, do not purchase a puppy from the pet store.

#2 – You Save Money

Adoption fees for a puppy from the animal shelter or rescue are much less than going to a breeder.  Many breeders will charge thousands of dollars for their puppies.  However, rescuing a puppy like Linus from the animal shelter cost us $37 and that included microchip and his first set of vaccinations.  When I fostered for Cuddly Canines the adoption fee was $350 (a bargain in my books), but that included spay/neuter, de-worming, first round of vaccinations, grooming, and microchipping.

#1 – Puppy Breath!

YES!  The Puppy Breath!  It’s kind of a stanky, skunky smell, but if you’re a puppy lover I’m sure you already know and love the PUPPY BREATH!

There you have it!  7 reasons why you should adopt a rescue puppy!  We adopted Linus just over 8 years ago and we haven’t regretted it one bit.  Linus is a unique, one of a kind Australian Shepherd, Chow Chow, Labrador Retriever, Siberian Husky, and who know what else mix.  We wouldn’t give him up for the world!

So how about you?  Are you looking to adopt a rescue puppy or have you adopted a rescue puppy in the past?  If so, tell us your story in the comment section below.

If you are looking to adopt a rescue puppy and you don’t know where to start might I suggest checking out PetFinder.com?  That’s how we found our little Linus

Post from: Puppy Training

7 Reasons Why You Should Adopt A Rescue Puppy

A soon to be new puppy owner found our site and had several questions for us about bringing home a new puppy.  We think that’s great because the more questions you get answered before you get your puppy the better off you are.

So without further adieu…introducing:

Clover The Golden Retriever Puppy

Are Golden Retrievers pups like Clover the cutest?

So what do you think?  Is she the cutest little thing ever?  Not sure yet.  Well take a look at this overhead shot:

Clover cute Golden Retriever Pup

Yep, she’s pretty darn cute.  We’ve been raising and training Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers for our guide dog school over the past 6 years.  We even had a Golden Retriever growing up.  A few years ago we compiled a list to try and figure out which dogs make good family dogs and once again Golden Retrievers rose to the top of the list!

Of course without teaching your puppy basic obedience, socialization, and good house manners  it doesn’t really matter what breed you bring home.  So make sure to start your training from day 1 (or even start reading up before you bring home your puppy like Clover’s family did) and stay consistent, persistent, and patient when training your puppy.

How about you guys?  We’d love to see pictures of your puppies!  If you’d like to share a picture of your puppy please feel free to post to our Facebook Timeline or upload one through our contact form.

Do you think Golden Retriever puppies are the cutest?  Tell us about it in the comment section below.

Post from: Puppy Training

Are Golden Retriever Puppies The Cutest?

Just in case you’re joining us late we started working on Linus’ dog leash aggression at the beginning of the month and posted our goals and first week results here:

• Solve Your Dog Leash Aggression Problems In 30 Days
• Solving Linus’ Dog Leash Aggression Problems In 30 Days – Week #1

So how did our week go?  Did the Thundershirt help with Linus’ leash aggression?

Does The Thundershirt Really Work With Dog Leash Aggression?

Linus wearing his Thundershirt next to his pal Stetson.

Last week we did a day-by-day journal, but I wasn’t too keen on that kind of post and found that it got a little bit wordy and repetitive.  This time around I’m just going to give you the updates on how we progressed or regressed with Linus.

We actually made 3 changes in this weeks walking routines:

1. As we mentioned earlier Linus wore his Thundershirt (aff link) on all walks this week.
2. Instead of walking both Linus and Stetson I took Linus out on his own.
3. I did not use Linus’ head collar on his walks and just attached the leash to his regular flat collar.

First of all we did a great job keeping up with my 30 day challenge of walking the dogs 30 minutes every day this past week.  The problem was the time we went for our walks.  5 out of 7 days this past week we didn’t get out until after 10pm and therefore encountered very few dogs on our walks.

Here’s what I observed on our walks:

• Linus did a great job focusing on me and his walk rather than the other dogs we saw while out and about.  GOOD BOY!
• Linus didn’t chase any squirrels, rabbits, or ducks, but then again I don’t think we saw any either.  GOOD BOY!
• Linus seemed a little more stressed on our walks this past week.  That’s unusual considering he was wearing his Thundershirt, but I wonder if it has to do with one of the other changes specifically walking on his own rather than with his pal Stetson.  I may have to test that theory out next week.
• Linus was at the front door with my gf and started barking, lunging, and whining at the neighbors dogs.  Major regression!  This is another problem that needs to be addressed.

Overall it was an uneventful week mainly because I didn’t get Linus out during the daytime.  There were mixed results with the Thundershirt (aff link), but we’ll continue to use it on Linus’ walk…if anything it probably keeps him a little bit warmer during this cold spell.  So I guess the answer to our original question: Does The Thundershirt Solve Dog Leash Aggression Problems?MAYBE…we need more data for a more conclusive answer.

I’m going to try a few different things on our walks next week.  I’m going to alternate bringing Stetson out on our walks.  When I walk both boys I have to use the head collars because when Linus decides to chase a squirrel Stetson follows and I get dragged along for the ride.  I also plan on introducing a no-pull harness to see if I like that better than the head collar.

That’s about it for week #2 of Linus and his adventures in dog leash aggression training.  Not too much progress this week, but hopefully we’ll improve by leaps and bounds in week #3!

So how about you guys?  Any progress in your dog leash aggression training?  Tell us about it in the comment section below.

Post from: Puppy Training

Does The Thundershirt Solve Dog Leash Aggression Problems?