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Are We More Bonded With Our Dogs Now, More Than Ever?

The Dogness of Everything There’s a good likelihood you think of your dog as part of the family. More of us than ever tell researchers we do. For that reason it’s easy to assume the human-dog bond is stronger now than it’s ever been—but is it? Before we had goats and cows to herd, before we had homes to protect, before we domesticated animals of any other species, dogs were our friends and allies. Archeological finds suggest we often relied on them for our lives. With their superior senses, dogs were our hunting partners, our guards against predators, and our companions on journeys into the proverbial woods of the unknown. So deep and strong was the bond between early humans and early canids that dogs play a major part in every world mythology. The powerful symbolism of dogs—and dogness—suff uses our collective conscious. In many mythologies, dogs are guides between

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Beat The Heat

The warmest months in Hawaii are vastly upon us with temperatures reaching over 80F degrees and over 50 percent humidity.  Humans have the ability to regulate their body temperature by sweat glands located throughout our bodies.  When we sweat the evaporation of our sweat cools our body.  Unlike humans, dogs’ do not have sweat glands located throughout their body.   A dog’s sweat glands are mainly located between the pads of their feet.  A dogs’ primary way of cooling themselves is by panting and breathing. Ways to beat the heat this summer.  Always provide shade and fresh cool water for your dogs. Provide a small plastic pool for your dog to wade or lay in during the day.  Keep the pool in the shade so the sun does not heat the water. Remember to rinse the pool daily to keep clean. You can find cooling products for dogs such as bandanas, vests,

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Canine Evolution, How It Effects Your Dogs Behavior – Part 2

I feel many times we take for granted that our 4 legged friends are animals that have been domesticated and integrated into our lives over the past 130,000 years.  (Evolution of the Dog, 2001)  We take for granted that these once wild animals are now cuddling in our laps or assisting us in our daily lives.  We at times, get upset when our cuddly friend exhibits behaviors such as nipping or barking even though that is what they are hardwired to do, it’s instinct. When taking a look at the evolution of dogs Darwin speculated that the reason we have such diversity among dogs was due to breeding amongst a variety of wild dogs.  Through DNA testing it was found that Darwinwas wrong.  Dogs, are direct descendants of the gray wolf.   The reason we have such a diverse population of dogs, is due to intense and purposeful interbreeding. The key

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Canine Evolution, Recommended Reading

Dogs A New Understanding Of Canine Origin, Behavior, and Evolution By Raymond and Lorna Coppinger Domestic Dog, It’s Evolution, Behavior,  and Interactions With People by James Serpell Evolution of Canine Social Behavior, 2nd Edition by Roger Abrantes Dog Behavior, Evolution and Cognition by Adam Miklosi Wolves- Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation by L. David Mech & Luigi Boitani, Editors

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Put Your Toys Away

Put Your Toys Away Criteria– Your dog fetches their toys and puts them away. Verbal Que- ‘Put your toys away’ Visual Que- Point to their toy Steps  Teach your dog to fetch Stand behind their toy box or the desired object you want them to learn to put their toys in. Toss the toy for your dog, as they are coming back with their toy say ‘put your toy away’. When your dog comes to you trade them a treat for dropping the toy in the toy box Repeat above steps 10 times.  When your dog succeeds with the above steps 10 times in a row move to step 6. Place a toy 2 feet away from the toy box.  Stand behind the toy box. Point to the toy and say ‘put your toy away’.  Reward your dog for putting the toy in the toy box. Repeat step 7, slowly

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Going Leash Crazy

Going Leash Crazy Have you ever wondered why your friendly playful pooch off leash turns into a monster on leash, or in your home or yard?  Why is it that your dog loves to play with others and gets along with everyone when they are off leash but the moment you attach the leash they turn into a beast? If your dog is not aggressive with other dogs when they are off leash but show aggressive behaviors towards other dogs on leash or behind a barrier, your dog maybe exhibiting leash or barrier frustration.   Your dog is frustrated that they cannot get to the other dog to say hello and do their normal doggie greetings such as smell butts, ears, and mouths.  How they express this frustration to the owner is by vigorously barking and lunging on their leash or through a fence or window. I often use the following

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‘Look’

Attention  Purpose– teaching this exercise will train your dog that it is more reinforcing to pay attention to you than the distractions around him. Criteria– your dog should look at you. Visual Que– Point to your eyes.  Verbal Que– ‘Look’ Important to remember Your dog is familiar with his own environment.  There are fewer distractions at home as compared to a park.  Begin all training where there are minimum distractions.  As your dog becomes more reliable with certain behaviors, gradually work your way to a more distracting environment.  DO NOT expect your dog to respond to you as well as they would at home in this new environment. Behavior Pyramid Start in an area with no distractions Take a treat slowly wave it in front of your dogs nose and with your dog watching bring it to your eyes. Say ‘Look’ then ‘ok’ then give your dog the treat. The

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The Buzz About Reward Based Training

Traditionally dog training was primarily taught through punishment or aversive techniques.   Through time, reward based or positive reinforcement training has become more popular.   By definition, behaviors that are reinforced will increase.  This is true for various species of animals including humans.  It’s also true that both desired and undesired behavior can be increase through reinforcement. Positive reinforcement training is adding something to your dogs environment that your dog views as reinforcing.  Examples of reinforces for dogs include:  verbal praise, treats, toys, play (with the owner or other dogs, or toys), rub downs, a clicker, and more.  What your dog perceives as a reinforcer can vary from dog to dog.  Many trainers find that food, of various kinds, is a high reinforcer for dogs.  This is because food, by nature, is a primary reinforcement, which means your dog needs food to survive. The benefits of reward-based training are numerous.  What I

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A Day Of Fun With Your Dog

Obedience and Agility Fun Match Sunday, May 29th Location:  Lucky Dog Adventure Camp in Waimanalo Canine Good Citizen Evaluation Set your dog apart from the rest!  See if they can pass all 10 Canine Good Citizen test items to earn the title of a ‘Good Citizen’. Evaluation begins at 8:00 am and is $50.00 Obedience Fun Match Obedience is a fun opportunity to practice obedience behaviors such as ‘sit’, ‘down’, ‘stay’, ‘loose leash walking’, and more. Each owner handler team can participate in: Novice = 10 – 15 behaviors on leash Advanced = 15 – 20 behaviors off leash Praise & rewards are encouraged! Event is judged & timed. Everyone is a winner! Runs begin after the CGC evaluation and is $30.00 per entry. Agility Fun  Match Agility- run through an obstacle course timed.  Challenge your dog over jumps, through tunnels, up and over an A Frame and more. Each

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A dogs sense of smell…

Humans have around 5 million scent receptors.  Some dogs have have over 200 million or MORE!  Think how this can effect your training, especially while walking your dog.  I always tell students they personally have to be more motivating than what the dog smells or sees.  On your walk make it worth your dogs effort to pay attention to you.  A great way to do this is slip them a piece of steak every once in awhile.  If your dog finds that rewarding they will start paying attention to you more in hopes to get some more steak!  Yum!

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