#home dog training

[northgeorgiadogtraining]

Is There a Way to Get My Dog to End His Annoying Habit of Stealing Food?

As a child, I would never want to characterize myself as a brat.  I would rather say that I would sometimes be slightly naughty in a cute and precocious sort of way.  To be honest, I just liked to bug my parents from time to time.  I would normally bug Mom more than Dad. I don’t know why, I just did.

So, what do my childhood confessions do with today’s topic regarding your dog stealing food from the table? Let me recant one of my “cute and precocious” incidents.

Mom ate lunch every day at the same time and always had the same thing. She had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wonder bread with butter and a single slice of lettuce. She also had half a sliced pear with a dollop of mayonnaise and six to ten Ruffle potato chips.

She always left the “best chip” until the end of her lunch. (You know the “best chip”. It is the biggest one that is still whole.)  Just as she was finishing and ready to have her chip, I would swoop in from behind, grab the chip, run off, and eat it just out of her reach.

In other words, I stole her chip (or food). I knew it was wrong, but then I was just “cute and precocious”.

When your dog steals food from the table, he may not know that it is wrong.  You may have set up an ongoing environment that tells him that it is OK to “take your food” and you are allowing it. The bottom line is that you don’t want your dog to steal your food. You need to let him know it is always wrong.

Robin and I have a great dog training article that will allow you to quickly teach your dog that stealing your food is wrong.  Please read our dog training blog titled “Is There a Way to Get My Dog to End His Annoying Habit of Stealing Food”.

https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/get-my-dog-to-stop-stealing-food-lawrenceville/

[refugeed-kim]

YES YES I NEED THIS SIGN IN EVERY SINGLE PARK PLEASE

This is my daily struggle, I had so many arguments with people with off-leash dogs (in a mandatory leash area!!!). Thanks to this behavior I'm struggling with Kim being anxious/aggressive with other females as she often gets involved in unpleased interactions with free females while on leash. And every single time that I ask for the dog to be at least recalled, I'm being called names and insulted of course.

Also 9 out of 10 their dog isn't really that friendly at all.

[darkwood-sleddog]

What the fuuuuck:

I’m sorry but comparing force free dog training to neglect because you aren’t willing to accept that not all dogs are behaviorally stable enough to live with people is so asinine.

The “balanced” folk will literally say anything negative against R+, force free, and other positive reinforcement heavy training methods but always they fail to do anything about actual abuse, heavy handedness, and actual aversive trainers parading themselves around as “balanced” (like I cannot take these folks seriously as balanced until they are actively doing something and speaking up).

My dogs aren’t “force free”, I’m LIMA (Least Invasive Minimally Aversive) trained but I believe heavily in R+ and that if R+ methods are what animal behaviorists are using for tigers, hyenas, and other dangerous non-domestic animals for cooperative care behaviors that this can AND should apply to dogs as well.

Dogs do not languish in shelters because of R+ and/or force free training methods. They languish there because many rescues are hoarding situations, because “adopt don’t shop” has done irreparable damage to people’s perception of ethical dog breeders, because so many dogs in shelters are BEHAVIORALLY UNSAFE for the average person, because we view euthanasia as a cruelty instead of a necessity to reduce behaviorally unstable dogs from society or a kindness from a cruel and scary life. There are worst things than dying. All the “balanced” training methods in the world will not change those things.

[abirddogmoment]

You’ve probably heard it before: “Working dogs need working homes.”

It’s a phrase that gets repeated a lot, especially when a dog is struggling in a pet home. But it ignores the reality that not every dog bred for work is suited to it. Some are too anxious. Some don’t have the drive. Some are injured, aging, or simply not a good fit for the pressures of a working environment. And the truth is, there just aren’t enough working homes for all the dogs who need them.

Right now [in the USA], there are over 8,000 Australian Cattle Dogs and mixes listed on Petfinder. There are 4,500 border collies. Not all of them are cut out for working homes. Not all of them need one. Not all of them would fail in pet homes. And there likely aren't enough working homes for all of them.

If it were true that all working dogs had to be in working homes, how is it that so many are thriving in pet homes right now? Not just surviving. Thriving. Doing scentwork in the city, hiking local trails, learning tricks, competing in sports, building relationships with the people who adopted them. Pet homes aren’t always the problem. Sometimes they’re exactly what the dog needed.

I've said it recently in other posts, but we also see gatekeeping around these breeds. There's a certain appeal, for some people, in owning a dog that’s seen as tough, intense, and too much for the average person to handle. But that kind of thinking doesn’t help the dogs. It creates unrealistic expectations and pushes away the very people who might be willing to learn and do the work.

We also tend to blame pet homes when don’t go perfectly. They’re told they didn’t do enough research, or that they don’t have the right lifestyle. But many of those same homes are the ones stepping up and taking in the dogs who weren’t placed by breeders, who aged out of working roles, or who were surrendered when things got hard. They’re filling the gap in a system that isn’t working well for anyone, least of all the dogs.

That doesn’t mean every pet home is a match for every working dog. Some dogs simply aren’t a fit for certain homes. But that also doesn’t mean there isn’t one of the 8,000-plus heelers and mixes out there who would be a match. With the right support, the right expectations, and a little honesty, a lot of these dogs could succeed.

Dogs bred for work don’t necessarily need a job in the traditional sense. What they do need is engagement. They need outlets for their brains and bodies. They need to move, sniff, solve problems, and learn new things. That might be scent work, trick training, hiking, food puzzles, or play that taps into their instincts in a safe and healthy way.

That kind of engagement can happen on a farm. But it can also happen in a backyard, a townhouse, or a city apartment with someone who’s paying attention and putting in the effort.

Let’s stop saying all working dogs need one specific kind of home. Let’s start asking what the individual dog actually needs and who’s in a position to meet that.

A repost from a suggested page that popped up on Facebook, Wild at Heart Dog Training and Behavior Consulting (x)

[elvenferretots]

Sometimes the casual sexism in the dog hobby drives me insane. Your bitch is not less affectionate than your dog because she's a bitch. She might be less affectionate because of her bloodline or breed, or your expectations placed on her, or very likely because she was your second dog and had to split attention with your male dog from the time she came home.

Your male dog is not inherently more loyal, or less intelligent, or more aggressive just because he's a male. Sexual dimorphism does exist, but it affects things like how much your dog wants to mark during a walk, not their entire social structure and way of learning and interacting with you.

[july-19th-club]

love neal and el they're both sexy young brunette things with charm and adventuresomeness to spare and what they've chosen to do with it is be obsessed to death with the world's most regular man

[northgeorgiadogtraining]

What Steps Can I Take to Have Thanksgiving a Great Time for Everyone, Including My Dog?

Holidays are always great times.  Although most holidays mean that “we get a day off from work”, there are a lot of other things that go on besides that.  Different holidays mean different things. On the 4th of July, we usually gather with our friends outside somewhere, fire up the barbeque, and watch fireworks. 

On Easter we normally go to church and then look for Easter eggs with our kids.  On Memorial Day we remember the sacrifices that so many American soldiers gave so that we could live in the land of the free and the brave. 

Many of our holidays are based on the premise that we will be sharing it with our family.  Many of our family could be the ones we live with every day, and many could be the ones that have traveled across the country to share that time with us.  Although most of these holidays are still only one day long, the activities and conditions related to these holidays could last for several days or more.

Holidays are special and there are often unique activities that take place on them.  Since they are “our holidays”, we understand this and are prepared for the day.  The problem is that our dog normally has no idea what is taking place.  On top of that, we probably haven’t adjusted our “holiday action plan” to include their participation and natural reactions.  Thanksgiving is such a holiday.  We know what is going on, but our dog doesn’t have a clue.  This could be bad.

Robin and I have a great dog training article that explains what to do to prepare your family, your family guests, and your dog for the events and conditions surrounding the celebration of Thanksgiving.  Please take a moment and read our dog training blog titled “What Steps Can I Take to Have Thanksgiving a Great Time for Everyone, Including My Dog”.

https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/have-thanksgiving-a-great-time-for-my-dog-norcross/

[zooophagous]

Moving comes with some pains unfortunately. I was hoping to stay in my current house and be able to buy a home later this year but things are going too quickly for that. My bunnies, finches, mice and most of my reptiles are going to go live with various friends of mine. They tell me I can reclaim them when I'm ready, but I consider it permanent given the advanced age of many of my smaller animals and the length of time it will take for me to get a property of my own.

I'll be bringing 3 snakes and 2 lizards, as well as the crayfish and axolotl tanks. Beyond that my lesser tenrec is the only small animal in attendance.

I hate to see them go, but it's already hard enough trying to move dogs and cats on short notice. Maybe ultimately it will be easier on me overall anyway. Still hurts though.

[sskk-manifesto]

Bones this episode:

[mewvore]

I went on a trip and I felt so happy and cute in this outfit

[shannonsketches]

Why is the anime so weird, it's not even the same series dude?? It's like,

Anime:

GOKU: I have a great idea to bring peace to the universe, and my leadership and compassion alone will unite us all. I have No Flaws and am A True Relatable Everyman :)

VEGETA: NO! I AM THE BEST AND I WILL CAUSE PROBLEMS UNTIL I AM RECOGNIZED AS SUCH!!!!

Manga:

GOKU: Vegeta what's cornmeal made of? I know it's what the corn eats, but what's it made of? VEGETA: Hey Kakarot let's play the quiet game until one of us dies.

[vaguely-concerned]

I must admit it exhausts me a bit when people compare the interactions between the companions in da2 and veilguard and complain that the veilguard crew don't argue viciously enough or don't have enough fundamental unbridgeable ideological differences. like yeah it's almost like dragon age 2 is a game specifically about implacable human discord in all its forms and that's the theme the companions also build up under and provide a lens to look at. and perhaps. just maybe. veilguard is doing something different and also interesting thematically if you look at it for what it actually is, and its companions are playing into those themes instead (come become beside me my friend none of us have this figured out but at least we have each other along the way. you must struggle with who you are. despite the high high stakes on paper, veilguard (sometimes to its detriment, often to its advantage once you realize this is what it's doing) is really not that interested in outward conflict, between ideas or groups or individuals -- most of the real meat and potatoes is in the internal struggle of the characters with themselves and their identities, the ways they've been changed and also stay the same, it's weirdly deeply trans all the way to the depths of the narrative that way, as well as fundamentally being about trauma recovery. again, what you're ultimately fighting is not actually in the realm of elgar'nan and ghilan'nain at all, it's on the level of solas' despair and his regret over what he's done and who he's become).

tl;dr why are we pitting two bad bitches against each other etc. they're literally both pretty and I love them

[frogcabbage]

Untitled - J Winters.

[fjordfolk]

i really like going to pages of breeders who label themselves 'preservationist' to see what they're preserving exactly. and a lot of the time it's the 70s

[kazoosandfannypacks]

This holiday season, I am BEGGING you guys to be aware of and kind to the guests at your house who are afraid of /uncomfortable around / allergic to animals.

[tea-time-terrier]

Such a nice morning with the girls!