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Week 5 of 5 Weeks To A Calmer Dog- fireworks and alternative ways to calm your dog

Week 5 Replay It’s a wrap! Thank you all for joining me these past couple of weeks. I am humbled and grateful  for the response I received. Quick review   Week 1 – with the number of dogs I have worked with I find that exercise is the most effective way to calm your dog.  Combining training and exercise is a sure-fire way to calm your dog, have a more responsive dog, and receive much of the attention from your dog that you are seeking.   Week 2- we focused on a calm dog while guests come into the house (no jumping) and several management tools you can use to set both you and your dog up for success when guests come to the house. Week 3- physical exercise is the most effective way to calm your dog as well as mental exercise. There are several brain games that will

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Week 4 Replay and Summary, of our 5 Weeks to a Calmer Dog Webinar, Impulse Control

Replay Week 4 Here In week 4 of our “5 Weeks to a Calmer Dog” webinar, we focus on ways to tackle impulse control. According to CBD Dog Behavior, impulse control is your dog’s ability to control their urge or impulses in certain situations.   Strategies I implement immediately with my board and train dogs to help with their impulse control are: First and foremost EXERCISE! I walk the dogs, take the dogs to the park to smell, or take them on a hike. They also receive a lot of play time with other dogs while they stay with me. Exercise helps immensely with having a calmer dog and helping with impulse control. Long stays on their settle spots. My goal is a 20 minute stay. The first 3 minutes is the hardest I have seen that once you move past the 3 minutes the dogs seem to relax at

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5 Weeks to a Calmer Dog, Week 3 Brain Games

Week 3 replay Playing brain games with your dog is another tool to put in your dog training toolbox on how to have a calmer dog. Keep in mind that any training that you do with your dog is a brain game! You’re engaging with your dog, your dog is being stimulated and at the other end of your session can be calmer for doing so. I’ve broken this webinar into 2 types of brain games with your dog, food based and tricks. There are many products on the market that can help stimulate and engage with your dog around food. Instead of eating freely out of a bowl you can challenge your dog out of any of these brain games. Don’t forget feeding time is a great time to train your dog as well. Slow feeder Snuffle mat Popsicle Food toy dispenser I have found subscription boxes such as

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5 Weeks to a Calmer Dog Webinar, Week 2 Summary & Replay- calm greetings

Week 2 Replay During week 2 of our 5 weeks to a calmer dog webinar we focused on how to have a calm dog when you come home or when you have guests come over.  The key take away from this to to PRACTICE not only when you come home but practice when you haven’t been gone for some time. When evaluating any problem behavior you want to look at the root cause of the behavior.   Why Dogs Jump Quiet simply Dogs jump up to say hello! They don’t know how humans prefer to be greeted, and it never occurs to them that they might knock us over or ruin our clothes. Thankfully, consistent anti-jump training can quickly solve the problem for good.   Teach Impulse Control we will discuss this in much more detail in week 4 of our webinar. Some examples of impulse control include but are

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Coping After The Loss Of A Pet

The pain, emptiness, and loneliness we can feel when we lose our dog might be confusing to those who do not own a dog. Dogs are not just our pets, but they are our unconditional companions that can bring us such laughter, motivation, and sometimes tears! Unfortunately for most, there is not a quick way to get over the loss of a pet. The time it takes for you to grieve can be different from others. That is ok. First, recognize there are stages of grief you may encounter: Shock or denial Anger Bargaining Depression Acceptance Not everyone may encounter these stages, but those that do go through these stages may find solace that these are normal emotions. How can we deal with all of these painful emotions? Here are some ideas to help you cope with the loss of a pet. Talk to others about your loss, especially other

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Tips For Getting Your Dog Comfortable With Water

I believe most of us live in Hawaii for the turquoise blue ocean and the lush green mountains. I will often receive questions asking “how can I get my dog comfortable with the water?” There are many tips that I can offer on this subject. However, I do want to state that many dogs are genetically predisposed to enjoy the water, while others are not. Do some research on your dog’s breed to see which category they may fall into. If your dog is not genetically predisposed, don’t worry! Try the tips below, and your dog may learn to fall in love with the water! Tips for getting your dog comfortable with water: Your dog’s first exposure to water is critical. If the interaction is forced or if your dog is scared, this experience could determine if your dog will enjoy the water in the future. Never force your dog

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Dog Park Etiquette

After a busy day at work it’s time to toss our work clothes aside, throw on the casual wear, grab our dog’s leash, load up Fido, and head to the dog park! For many of us, this trip is not just about socializing with our four-legged friend; it’s about catching up with our two-legged friends as well.  While it’s easy to see the benefits of a dog park, sometimes we might fail to take note of things that could turn a great social occasion into a small disaster.  I want to take the opportunity to raise your awareness and, hopefully, give you a few tips to make the most of your dog park adventures. What should you be looking for while taking part in the fun and games to ensure your dog and others are having fun at the dog park? 3 Things you need to be aware of… Owners

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Recognizing Stress In Your Dog

Do you understand what your dog is telling you through their body language?  I feel it is a great disservice to our dogs if we only expect them to learn what we want through training, but not look deeper at what our dogs need through their body language. Keep in mind, behaviorally, anything our dog does is information to us.  For example, if your dog barks and lunges on their leash, they may be telling you they are scared of something in the environment or frustrated they cannot be free to say hi to another dog friend that they see. To understand if your dog is scared or frustrated in this situation, you can look at their body language. When I teach classes, I train students to recognize stress in their dogs. If your dog is stressed, it’s very hard for them to learn in that state of mind. If a dog

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Recognizing Signs Of Stress In Your Dog

Do you understand what your dog is telling you through their body language?  I feel it is a great disservice to our dogs if we only expect them to learn what we want through training, but not look deeper at what our dogs need through their body language. Keep in mind, behaviorally, anything our dog does is information to us.  For example, if your dog barks and lunges on their leash, they may be telling you they are scared of something in the environment or frustrated they cannot be free to say hi to another dog friend that they see. To understand if your dog is scared or frustrated in this situation, you can look at their body language. When I teach classes, I train students to recognize stress in their dogs. If your dog is stressed, it’s very hard for them to learn in that state of mind. If a dog

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