Category Archives: Dog Behavior

Housebreaking – Teach Dog WHERE You Want Dog To Pee & Poop

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Young woman cleaning after dog in yardHousebreaking & Potty Training for Your Dog
by Ann Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
Phone: (573) 443-0716 or Email: Contact Us
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No matter what you call it – housebreaking, puppy potty training, toilet training, house training, Number One or Two,  Want to go out – we all want our dogs to learn to pee and poop outside.. We can help.

Your task is to teach your dog where the dog’s toilet is. Simple as that.

If the dog pees or poops in the house, you have not yet taught the dog where the toilet is.  Follow these steps for help with housebreaking. Also, register for training classes with us. How to teach housebreaking and other important lessons is a central part of our curriculum. See Puppy Kindergarten or Level 1 for older dogs.

  1. Find a place in your yard that you want to designate as the toilet.
  2. Routinely take the dog to that place on the leash and collar. Stand there. Do not interact. The dog can explore to the length of your Woman walking beagle dog to toilet area in yard leash but not farther.
  3. When the dog squats to go, praise and bring the dog immediately back inside. When they get inside, you can give them another praise.
  4. For housebreaking, I suggest you take them out each hour. If you can, keep a log of what the dog does on those each hour trips out.  In three or four days you will begin to see a pattern of the dog’s peeing and pooping.
  5. As part of potty training, when the dog is in the house you must keep the dog with you; the dog is restricted to the room that you are in just then. Keeping the dog with you is part of teaching the dog where you want them to pee and poop. When you are not able to keep the dog with you room to room, put the dog in the crate.
  6. A bell or other noise maker is an essential tool in housebreaking. I suggest you get a bell or some other noise maker that you can put near the door . Initially, each time you take the dog out, you raise the dog’s paw to hit the noise maker. It will become the noise the dog makes to tell you they have got to go out, but you need to teach the dog hit the noise maker to go outside to the toilet. If you just let the dog out when the dog rings the bell, the dog will learn that the bell gets them to go outside, not necessarily to toilet. You will not have taught the dog WHERE their toilet is, and the dog will still think that in the house is where.Old dog being scolded beside it's urine on the floor
  7. When the dog does ‘make a mistake’ and relieves themselves in the house, you must not call and correct for that. Too late. You will be correcting the dog for coming to you.
  8. When you want to take the dog out for a neighborhood walk or out to play, do not ring the bell.  But if the dog rings the bell you must take the dog immediately to the toilet area.
  9. I believe it does not take very many days to succeed in potty training  – teaching the dog where you want the dog to pee and poop if you are consistent with this process. See this American Kennel Club article on the importance of creating routine for your puppy.

 

Put Your Dog’s Nose to Work – Great Fun

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g their sense of smellAnn Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
Phone: (573) 443-0716 or Email: Contact Us
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The scent discrimination work at our school begins in Levels 3 and 4 with dog’s finding treats inside  identical metal boxes. Later the dogs identify boxes their owners have touched among the other boxes.  Later the training moves to metal, wood, leather and cotton items.

Conservation Employs Dogs to ‘Find It’

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small dog follows a track in autumn - Jack Russell TerrierAnn Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
Phone: (573) 443-0716 or Email: Contact Us
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To find the hard-to-find, dogs are increasingly assigned that task in conservation projects around the world.  That is the conclusion of a study published in the Methods in Ecology and Evolution – by the British Ecological Society.  https://bit.ly/3sd2Y6h

While you and your dog may never be asked to search for an elusive lizard or the like, you can have fun putting your dog’s nose to work in the search exercises we teach.  https://bit.ly/3sbS14T

Researchers examined reports of 2,464 search cases, most of them (1,840) scientific projects.

They found “WDD (wildlife detection dogs) usually worked more effectively than other monitoring methods. For each species group, regardless of breed, detection dogs were better than other methods in 88.71% of all cases and only worse in 0.98%.”

Canine tasks vary widely from locating seedlings of invasive plants, the scat of endangered species or animal parts the product of poaching. See Working Dogs for Conservation, a non-profit organization with headquarters in Missoula, MT https://wd4c.org/about-us

 

Bone Cancer More Likely in Large Dogs

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Little black dog standing under great Dane with blue sky (Adobe Stock Photo_Ann Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
Phone: (573) 443-0716 or Email: Contact Us
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This round up of research identifies dog breeds more susceptible bone cancer. UK researchers found that “larger, heavier dogs and those with longer legs and skulls are typically at a greater risk of developing osteosarcoma.” http://bit.ly/3tMagOR

Our connections to this report are the exercises we teach about the dog’s health and wellbeing. Here are two.

The team analyzed health data on 906,967 dogs for this study. This Daily Mail report includes an impressive list of dog breeds and their likelihood of the bone cancer.

‘Daily Exam’ exercise essential

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Part of socialization -- A daily exam for the puppy.

Ann Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
Phone: (573) 443-0716 or Email: Contact Us
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There are at least five reasons why the ‘daily exam’ exercise is essential in early dog training and periodically for the dog’s well being there after.

Place you dog on his/her back between you legs belly-up.  In this position, you and your dog will be telling each other who is in charge and that the dog trusts you as the leader.  Of course, if the dog resists assuming this position, the dog may be telling you the dog does not accept you as leader and does not yet fully trust you.

After your dog lies quietly, exam the dogs parts — ears, teeth and gums, legs, feet and toenails, belly coat.  This is part grooming introduction and part physical exam.  In this process, you will be reducing the probability of a dog bite by getting the dog used to human hands in the dog’s mouth and handling the dog’s other primary tool — the feet.  Finally, the exercise teaches the dog to remain on task — in this case lying between your legs.

 

How Do Lost Dogs Find Home?

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Cartoon black and white puppy dog in 3d with a magnetic compassAnn Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
Phone: (573) 443-0716 or Email: Contact Us
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How about a bred-in compass?  This story from the American Kennel Club describes what researchers know of the ‘find home’ options including an internal compass. https://bit.ly/3r9K0fC

Of course, first on the list would be the dog’s tracking capabilities. The dog ‘simply’ retraces the dog’s own scent.  In an experiment described in this article, researchers reported dogs that appeared to use compass-like abilities returned faster to home than the sniffer dogs.

The researchers point out that other species – fish, birds among them – appear to use compass navigation. The article also includes reminders of several famous return to home dog stories.

Regardless of your dog’s capabilities, we can help you build a bond with your dog so the dog will want to be home with you. https://dogschooling.com/virtual-dog-training/

 

‘Daily Exam’ – essential in early training

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Examine teeth in the 'exam' position

Ann Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
Phone: (573) 443-0716 or Email: Contact Us
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A must exercise for early in training is the ‘individual daily exam.’  Do it if you had time for no other training activity.  When the dog wiggles in this position, correct.  When the dog is  quiet, praise. The exercise teaches your dog who is in charge, demonstrates the dog’s trust in you, enables you to examine the dog for health issues, introduces your dog to grooming, reduces the probability of a dog bite by handling the dog’s mouth and feet, teaches your dog time-on-task behavior.  After you complete the daily exam, put your dog in the position we call ‘relax’.  Examine the dogs parts in this position, too. These exercises lay the foundation for excellent visits to the vet. Your dog becomes accepting of having its parts examined.

From this position, the handler can conduct a physical exam of the dog and begin the grooming and hygiene processes.

From this position, the handler can conduct a physical exam of the dog and begin the grooming and hygiene processes.

With the dog at rest on its side, you can conduct a physical exam.

With the dog at rest on its side, you can conduct a physical exam.

What dog breeds have the longest life-span?

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Jack Russell terrier pull small wagonAnn Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
Phone: (573) 443-0716 or Email: Contact Us
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Newsweek puts Jack Russell terriers at the top of its list at 14 years.  It also has wonderful pictures that represent the top 25 breeds. https://www.newsweek.com/25-dog-breeds-longest-life-spans-1575093

We can he help with the exercise part of a healthy dog’s life and with creation of the bond between you and your dog. https://dogschooling.com/training/

 

This Newsweek article summarizes information from the American Kennel Club and the Dogs Longevity website set up by Dr. Kelly M. Cassidy.

You Expect Us to Celebrate St.Pat’s Day?

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Two Border Collies and German Shepherd pose with St Patrick Day costumesAnn Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
Phone: (573) 443-0716 or Email: Contact Us
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Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day for the Irish? Not for us Scots as Border Collies, Moss (right) and Miste (left) testify.
Let us help you have fun with your dog while training to have the dog pay attention to you, regardless, do as you say, and stay on task. See these Drill Team pictures for inspiration.  You and your dog can do it, too. We can get your started now.

Dogs Make Us Healthier? They Might.

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Puppy Sits on Chair with glasses and stethoscope around its neckAnn Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
Phone: (573) 443-0716 or Email: Contact Us
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This research says just looking into your dog’s eyes for a while can help.

We can help you build a wonderful bond with your dog. Join us for our spring classes including one-on-one coaching and video critiques for your dog at work.

This article in a Belfast published Newsletter presents substantial round up of research on the human/canine relationship regarding our health.  http://bit.ly/2ONCyZX