Ohhhhhh, dogs love guests!!!!

Guests are exciting!

Your dog probably hardly ever “truly” gets in trouble when guests are over visiting!

The same goes for kids and guests.

I remember when I was a kid, I looooooved having company over for dinner.

Usually, whoever it was, would fawn over us kids and we could talk and entertain and show off, and the dinner guests would love us.

Even as I got to be a teenager, for the most part, I loved having new people over and getting to know them.

Sure, we had to show good behavior, but our rules were also a little lax.

However….

However, the big difference is that we, as children, had the mental capacity to understand that if we really screwed up and showed bad behavior of some kind, we would be harshly punished later when the guests had gone home.

Let’s say, for instance, I wanted to go to a party at the end of the week at a friend’s house, and so I asked when guests were over. When my parents deny me, I cuss and tip the table and storm out of the room.

At my house, as a kid, this would have been a death sentence. I could have written my own memorial easier.

Because I knew my parents were strict, this never would have happened.

I also had respect for them.

And, 30 years ago, they would have backhanded me in front of guests.

I had the mental capacity to know that if I made a horrific mistake or showed terrible lack of judgment, I would be dealt with either then or later, or probably both.

Your Dog

Your dog doesn’t have that mental capacity.

You could correct him until you are both black and blue after an initial mistake and the dog would never put two and two together to come up with four.

He would think you are mean and insane and beat him for no reason or for whatever he had just done (like coming over to you).

Dogs live in the moment. Dogs do not live in the past!!

Dogs are not capable of planning into their future, and they are not capable of remembering a behavior that was done several minutes before.

So, What Must We Do?

We must train our puppies and dogs!!!!

We must teach them how to visit and interact with our guests!

What is more important than learning how to act, and react, when people come into your home?

And, how do you expect your dog to know your expectations if you have never taught him?

Would you expect a child to know without learning?

Certainly not!!!

However, children understand and speak our language, so communication is easier with them.

Let’s say you had a child from another country visit who didn’t speak our language; would you expect him or her to know exactly how to act and react appropriately? Probably, not.

You would likely take this child by the hand and teach him what your expectations of him were in those moments.

You would also likely do so with gentle, caring, compassion and patience. After all, the child doesn’t know, and you want him to learn.

Then why do we expect our dogs to simply spring from the womb knowing our expectations and why do we think losing our temper or ignoring bad behavior is acceptable? Either expectation is as detrimental.

How Do You Get Control of Your Dog When Guests Are Over?

So, how do you get control of your dog?

How do you take him for a walk?

How did you teach your dog the things that he knows?

Many of you will say, “I put him on a leash.”

BINGO

Put your dog on a leash for training, and learning manners and impulse control in the house!!!!

Reward him for good behaviors (sitting calmly, laying down, calmly paying attention to you and not your guest), allow him to be rewarded for the good things he chooses to do. Just like you would reward the exchange student or child with praise or something he wants.

Shape His Behavior

Take this opportunity to teach him to sit or lay down to be petted.

Show him what you want him to do.

At my house, I like my dogs to lie at my feet when I have company. They are close to me, and I have ultimate control of their behavior.

Plus, if they are lying at my feet, they are not jumping on or sniffing my guests, much less showing aggressive or protective behaviors that might get my guests bitten.

In the beginning, and likely for many months, my dog remains on a leash when company visits.

My dog is conditioned that when we have company, I like them to lay at my feet, and reward them (with tasty treats) when they do.

Eventually, my dog simply understands when guests come over to ignore them and to lie at my feet.

It is simple. I shape the behavior I want. Jumping on my guests and lying at my feet are incompatible behaviors.

#1 Mistake

What is the #1 mistake that you can make, and 99.9999 percent of people make?

The biggest mistake is allowing your dog to think that your guests are cooler, and more fun and important than you!!!!

DO NOT FALL PREY TO THE MYTH

There is a myth out there: give your guests treats to give your dog.

Okay, okay. I do this with dogs that have social anxiety, but I have a rule.

Give your guests bland treats to give your dog, so the dog will think people are good… but you are better. Keep the steak in your pocket.

I want my dog to know I am in control of the best things.

Sure, I want him to like and accept my guests.

But I want him to CARE most about me!

I want to be the BEST thing in his life, and his world.

I don’t want him performing for my guests; I want him performing obedience for ME!!!

I want him to show good behavior.

I want my guests’ minds to be reeling about how my dog is so well behaved when they leave.

I want, when I visit my friends’ houses for vacation and ask to bring my dogs, that they have no hesitation.

I want my guests to think my dogs are the coolest things on the planet while my dog KNOWS I am!

If I give my guests the steak and allow my dogs to jump wildly on them, I am teaching my dog that other people are more important.

I am teaching my dogs to ignore me and reward themselves with bad behavior directed toward my guests!

I want the opposite.

I want my dogs to think I am the most amazing thing to walk the earth.

I control the best food, I play the most fun games, and I stimulate their mind through obedience!

At that point I have not only won the battle; I have won the war!

 

via Whisker Therapy

Need a reason to justify that next cup of coffee? Look no further.

A new line of coffee called “Every Cup Feeds a Pup” makes a striking promise: Every single cup you drink provides a meal for shelter dog.

Teaming up with charity partners GreaterGood.org and RescueBank, iHearDogs donates a full 25 meals to animal shelters with each bag sold, corresponding to one meal per cup of coffee (it’s a 12 oz. bag of beans).

And if you think this is all marketing just to sell a mediocre cup of joe, think again. We’re talking single-origin, Colombian Supremo beans.

I would describe the taste as very balanced and smooth. The roast is not too light, and not too dark or burnt tasting. On the bag the tasting notes describes the flavor as “smooth chocolate, caramel, and red berries.” I personally can’t taste these flavors, but it’s still one fantastic cup of coffee.

And knowing I am playing a small part in helping shelter dogs? Even better tasting!

Currently, the coffee is only sold on iHeartDogs, but it may be available in select coffee shops soon.

via Whisker Therapy

There are more than 75 million people who own dogs in the United States, according to the Humane Society of the United States and the ASPCA. Most of those people walk their dogs on a regular basis. Therefore, they probably know their neighborhoods better than most and are more apt to notice when something – or someone – is out of place and potentially causing a problem.

That’s the idea behind Dog Walker Watch programs that are springing up around the country. About a thousand communities around the country have signed up for Dog Walker Watch programs already, and dog-walking citizens are working hand in hand with their local police departments to help reduce crime in their communities by calling the police to report suspicious activity that they may encounter while on their daily walks.

When people sign up for a Dog Walker Watch program, they attend a training session with members of their local police department who teach them what sorts of things to watch out for and the importance of looking around on a walk instead of being absorbed in your phone or music. Basic safety measures are included in the training as well. The training session takes about an hour.

The National Association of Town Watch created the Dog Walker Watch program in order to utilize the people who know their neighborhoods best by teaching them what to look for and how to report suspicious people, activity, or behaviors to their local police department.

Many people walk their dogs in the morning as children are waiting for school buses. The children get to know the dog walkers and their pets and learn that they have a safe person to talk to. The dog walkers can help keep an eye on the kids and watch for any suspicious figures lurking around.

People who walk around their neighborhoods regularly are also apt to notice things like a window, door, or fence that are ajar that shouldn’t be.

The idea is not for the dog walkers to stop a criminal in their tracks, but to provide enough information to the proper authorities so that they can prevent crime, or at least catch the criminals after the fact.

To learn more about the Dog Walker Watch program, click here.

(H/T: Pet Guide, NNO, NBCDFW)

via Whisker Therapy

When a rescue group took a lost pup into their care and told her family she needed medical treatment before being released, the owners described it as a “hostage” situation. However, the Korean K9 Rescue says it was a matter of responsibility and following the law.

The Cipia’s dog, a 4-year-old Shiba Inu named Lily, got loose and a pair of good Samaritans turned her in to the Korean K9 Rescue (KK9R) in Queens, New York. From there, the group posted the pooch’s photo on social media in hopes of finding the pup’s rightful family.

A couple days later, the owners commented on the Facebook post, saying that the pup was theirs. After getting in touch, the KK9R was happy to see that the Cipias could provide Lily’s correct microchip ID number – proof of ownership. However, after following up on her medical records, they discovered that she was not only unspayed, she was also unvaccinated. They also discovered that she had a rotting tooth.

KK9R said that as per New York City law, they had to treat and spay Lily before releasing her, and asked the family to cover the costs. However, according to the New York Post, the family wished to breed the Shiba Inu and wanted her to stay intact.

On their Facebook page, the rescue posted the following email exchange with Associate Public Health Sanitarian at New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Bernard Zicherman:

KK9R also posted:

“We were unable to immediately release Lily to her owners because, under New York City law, any dogs that come into the possession of a shelter or rescue must be sterilized, licensed, vaccinated for rabies, and microchipped. There were concerns from the owners regarding the medical procedures and whether the procedures were truly required. This caused a delay for an additional two days in completing the procedures and releasing the dog, which is why we remained silent about the situation.

Despite the way the statute is written, the Health Department places the obligation on both rescue groups and shelters to the procedures mentioned previously.”

According to a story by the New York Post, Cipia’s son, Axel, commented on the situation by saying, “We’re angry and upset… It’s like holding a kid hostage.”

The rescue received some backlash about the situation, but eventually, KK9R came to an agreement with the family. They posted:

“Our rescue became cognizant of the owner’s financial situation and will be covering the expenses for Lily to be sterilized, licensed, and vaccinated at a private vet’s office for the family’s convenience. We will also cover a dental procedure for Lily’s rotting tooth.”

Lily is now back with her original family, and KK9R has decided to cover her vet care costs, since they feel it’s in her best interest.

What do you think: do rescues have a right to hold lost pups until their spay/neuter and medical records are up to date? Or should that be up to the discretion of the owners? Let us know in the comments below!

via Whisker Therapy

Joey, a 9-year-old Beagle/Australian Shepherd mix, has such bad separation anxiety that a German airline twice refused to board him on a plane home to the United States. They were afraid that he would hurt himself during the flight after he had already destroyed 2 airline-approved dog carriers and lacerated his nose in his attempts to escape and find his family. Now, Joey’s dad is back in Germany with no idea how to get him back to the United States.

John and Dawn MacEnulty, originally from St. Louis, Missouri, had lived in Germany for the last year with Joey, their cat Molly, and their 20-year-old daughter until John’s mother recently passed away. The family booked a flight home on United Airlines, thinking that Joey and Molly would be able to join them. Unfortunately, United Airlines had suspended their pet cargo program, PetSafe, a few days prior due to a week’s worth of incidents involving dogs.

United recommended that the MacEnultys use Gradlyn Petshipping to send Joey and Molly back home to the United States. Molly arrived at O’Hare International Airport on a Lufthansa flight about half an hour after the MacEnultys arrived on their United flight last Thursday. Unfortunately, when they turned their phones on after landing, they discovered that Joey hadn’t been put on the same flight. John told the New York Post:

“I turned my phone back on and an urgent email pops up from Gradlyn saying Joey was pulled off the Lufthansa flight. They said it was because he was acting anxious in the kennel.”

Gradlyn attempted to fly Joey home again yesterday, but pulled him from the flight for the same reason. Gradlyn CEO Kay Wissenbach sent an email to John saying that Joey damaged two airline-approved crates and that he was exhibiting “dramatic behaver [sic].” The email continued:

“… No airline will fly Joey back to USA. All person at Frankfurt tried the best that Joey could fly, but it is too danger and high risk to fly him, as you probably know and understand.”

A veterinarian in the United States had prescribed Joey Xanax to help him relax for his flight from the United States to Germany last year, but German vets refuse to do the same, saying that the safety risks outweigh the potential benefits.

Now, Joey and John are holed up in a hotel trying to figure out how to get Joey home. John said:

“He’s an anxious dog to begin with. He hates being in the kennel, he hates being separated from his people. The problem is is that, that’s a situation that doesn’t improve the longer you keep him away — it can only get worse.”

In a recent Facebook post, John said:

“So here’s the current situation: I picked up Joey today from a kennel in the Frankfurt airport. We drove to a hotel that allows pets, and we’re here regrouping. There is currently no plan in place for us to come home. As per usual I’m hearing lots of conflicting information, but no one here has offered assistance. I have a car that I can drive to wherever I need to go, and we still have Joey’s kennel to load him as cargo if need be. I want to thank everyone for their support. It’s a great help to me psychologically as this whole ordeal has been emotionally draining. You all have helped keep me going.”

Gradlyn CEO Wissenbach didn’t offer any helpful suggestions on how to get Joey back to the United States. In her email, she suggested to John that he should hire TV dog trainer Cesar Milan to train Joey to tolerate the crate and charter him back to the US.

(H/T: New York Post)

via Whisker Therapy