Q: Hi Julie,

I purchased my book at Borders book store in Montana and am enjoying your book, it is very easy to read and with it being broken down into the different chapters with specific concerns and your Q & A sections are very helpful. If you have a specific concern you can go right to that section of your book. I am only on pg 51 as I just purchased book a week ago, but I have skimmed to certain sections to get quick questions answered on how to deal with specific problems. Thank you!!! I have a problem with my 6 month old Boston Terrier, french bull dog cross. She is a poop eater. The vet has had me try Forbid powder on her food, we have tried a squirt bottle to catch her in the act, she is very fast and almost seems to scout out the yard looking for poop to eat, any training ideas to try?? SOS

Julie’s Answer: Hello,

Nice to hear from you! I’m sorry you are having this problem with your dog; I know it can be a frustrating one. Because the cause of this behavior is not fully understood, techniques to resolve it are also not totally understood and seem to depend on the particular dog. How many times a day do you feed her? It could be that she is hungry so she can benefit from increasing the number of times she eats per day. If her weight is a problem, spread out the amount of food given to several smaller portions, but not necessarily increasing the daily intake.

Some believe dogs that eat their poop do so because it is an attention seeking behavior-a way to get social interaction with their guardian-even if it is scolding-which may reinforce the behavior. If this could be your dog’s reason, then your dog would benefit from more time with you. Others think it could be a nutrient lacking in their diet, therefore changing to a higher quality dog food may help. Frustration and/or anxiety can also be the culprit and increasing your dogs daily exercise can help as well as offering more daily mental stimulation.

If 4-BID doesn’t work, try asking your veterinarian for other possible products to add to the food. What works for one dog may not work for another. Other possibilities:

1. Sprinkle cayenne pepper or a product called Bitter Apple directly on your dogs poop, so that when he eats the poop, he has a bad experience. All poop your dog can get to would need to be treated.
2. Prevention: Every time you take your dog outside to eliminate, keep her on leash and if she tries to eat the poop you can clap your hands, or shake a can with beans in it to stop the behavior and then immediate give a toy and praise for taking the toy. You’ll be redirecting the behavior, without scolding.
3. Minimize her chance to get to the poop by keeping the area cleaned up. Observe her pooping, then immediately clean it up.

Remember, punishment does NOT work. Your dog might interpret it as attention, even if it is negative. Also, punishing her after the fact is even worse. As you’ve read about in the book, she won’t understand what you are punishing her for even if it was just a couple minutes before. Instead, she’ll start to mistrust you and you don’t want that.

I think the information I provided is a good place for you to start. I look forward to hearing your response.

All the best,

Julie

Thank you Julie for your quick response, much appreciated.

Thank you for all of the other advice we will try everything and send you an update.

Q: I have three dogs that are starting to get better on leads, but I still have problems when my Great Pyrenees Angus sees another dog he wines and freaks out and flops around because he wants to go see them.  And then my Pug Babs gets Napoleon sydrome and thinks she is this tough dog when we walk by fences with dogs that fence fight. My Husky X Delia is pretty good she pulls a little on the lead but that is my fault I raised her off lead.  The other problem I have is when they see a dog they go crazy (besides my Husky X Delia) and turn on each other and growl and pick on Delia (who is very submissive)they don\’t attack to were they hurt or draw blood they just get rowdy mainly babs (Pug) and Angus (Great Pyrenees).  There is no aggression in my house over anything be it food, toys, bones and they get along with all dogs but they get stupid when on a lead.  How do I get them to focus on me and get them to \”leave it\”.  I have tried treats, with as food motivated as they are. But they go into this zone and do not even notice.  They are pretty good otherwise when on a walk besides when we get around other dogs and it is only when we walk around the neighborhoods their comfort zones.  When I bring them to events they are on their best behavior.  What can I do?

Thank You

Sara

Reno, NV

A: Hello Sara!

It sounds like what you are describing is something we call “leash frustration”. Dogs with this problem want to get to something and feel frustrated they are being restrained so problems can arise. This kind of frustration can lead to displaced aggression.  Which means because they cannot get to what they want and feel frustrated you’ll see the behaviors you described: whining, lunging and even turning on each other to “displace” the frustration into aggression.  Did you know that some trainers who do protection training and actually want to create aggression do so by having a tight collar and leash to bring out the frustration that leads to aggression? Your dog may be lunging at the end of a tight collar and leash wanting to get to something.  So, knowing this, it is EXTREMELY important that your dogs walk with a loose collar and leash.  This is one reason I highly recommend using head collars like the gentle leader and halti because this solves the problem of the tight neck collar.  These head collars are even thought to calm the dog by stimulating certain pressure points on the dog’s head.

Also, when your dogs behave that way they signal something to other dogs that they are threatening which can also escalate the problem.  So, we need to encourage behavior in our dogs that other dogs will not feel threatened by. For example, our dog should learn to approach other dogs slowly and look away which will tell other dogs it is not a threat. One way for us to do this is to have them turn their back to an oncoming dog or drop treats off to the side of the road, which will encourage the dog to look away.

Teach your dog to calm down in stressful situations. If you are out on a walk and your dog is approaching something that is their trigger and may lead to aggression teach your dog to follow you and turn away from the object. Have a treat ready and put the treat near your dogs nose and when they begin to follow the treat make a turn so that you will be turning away from the object you want to avoid. Use your let’s go command at the same time. Give your dog the treat lure after they have completed the turn. So here you will be getting your dog to avoid the object by following you and turning themselves in the opposite direction. Then you may choose to continue walking in the opposite direction or you may put them in a down stay for example with the threat behind them so they are not focused on it. Continue this for several minutes until you see your dog’s body begin to relax. This also teaches a dog they can learn control near stressful situations.

You can teach a “Find it” command where essentially you are training your dog to look away from the object that may lead to aggression (in this case, another dog). Drop a treat on the ground and tell your dog to “find it”! After they eat the treat and come back over to you, give them another treat. The goal is to have your dog looking down for the treat and then focusing on you so that your dog’s focus would not be on the distraction you are trying to avoid. Do this several times until the dog is very focused on you then throw the treat down, say “find it”, and then walk away. Do this several times until the dog is quickly running back to get to you then add a command like, “let’s go”. Keep this up so that your goal is to have your dog either focused on the treat or you and then walking with you on leash. It is very important that your dog does not feel tightness on the collar so keep the leash loose. Practice this command a lot before you will actually need it in a real life situation.

-The aim of these exercises are to teach your dog to turn their attention off of oncoming dogs which in turn signals the other dog that your dog is not a threat.

-You as the leader should feel relaxed and calm when your dog is approaching another dog and your dog’s leash should be loose so they do not feel pressure on their neck.

Some forms of leash frustration aggression can be neutralized with some of these techniques, good obedience and a dog learning its proper role in the family, etc. and some forms of aggression need special attention. If your dog has ever bitten anyone or you or others fear your dog then it may be time to seek a specialist’s help, who has a lot of experience with this.

Fence fighting should be approached in the same way.  When you walk with your dog and you notice them focusing on the fence they normally fight at, use the same steps described above with the treats and turning their attention off of the dogs on the other side. 

To be successful you need to plan ahead and change their focus way BEFORE they get too escalated.   So, initially you will want to practice all of this from quite a distance away from the distraction and then eventually work closer to the distraction.

Over time you can be successful with this I know it!

Good luck!

Let us know how it goes!

Julie

A:

Hi Cody’s parents!

Glad to hear how well most things are going for you. 

It sounds as though he might know when you are tired and tend to give in.  When you are sitting trying to relax…so often it is easier to give in to his attention in those moments and he is smart and knows it.  It isn’t that he is a “spoiled brat”- it is that he is VERY smart! ha.  So what is the answer? 

Since jumping on you is the problem you need to let him know that he will not get any of your attention when he jumps.  You mention that he “knows” when you are cooking or standing that he doesn’t get any attention.  How do you think he “knows” that?  You taught him!!  With consistency you probably taught him over time that he wouldn’t get attention in those moments because you were busy, so he learned he wouldn’t get attention which is why he doesn’t jump on you seeking attention in those moments.  But when you give him chew bones and attention for jumping on you when you are sitting he learned that he would get attention when you sit!  So basically you have taught him he won’t get attention when you are up and about but he will when you are sitting and trying to relax!  See how smart he is?!  J

You basically have to do the same thing you did to teach him to leave you alone when you are working-remember what you did?  Probably ignore him.  Here are some suggestions:

1.      I would suggest doing “practice sits”-meaning you sit down and pretend you are going to drink your coffee or relax but with the intention you are really going to do some training setups with him.  He just needs to have some practice for what your expectations of him are in those moments so you are going to set up some practice for him!  Once you do teach him what your expectations are of him you are going to have to be consistent for it to work in the long run.  If you give in occasionally then he’ll forever keep pestering you to find out when you’ll give in. If he learns from today on it NEVER works, then he’ll stop. 

2.      So, we have learned that we need to teach him that he won’t get the attention at those times you are trying to relax.  The best way to go about doing that is to ignore him when he is trying to get your attention.  But, if he jumps up on you for attention you simply stand up, fold your arms, don’t move, and look away.  You are now telling him he won’t get your attention when he is jumping on you.  Now, I would give him a location you do want him to be in, like a mat or bed. 

3.      Bring him to that mat and say, “Go to your mat”.  When he gets there and lays down, praise him and pet him.  That might also be the time he gets his chew bone.  Then, sit back down and try again.  It shouldn’t take too many times for him to understand.  Occasionally when he is on his mat like that it would good to give him attention and praise so that he isn’t ignored completely when he is doing a good job.  The idea here is that he gets your attention when he is having good behavior and ignored when he is having unwanted behavior.

4.      Now you have taught the “go to your mat” command as well and can use it when you want him to go lay down and have quiet time.  Do not use it as a punishment place though.  It should be a place he feels good to be in and receives praise for being there.

5.      For any of this to work it needs to be done EVERY TIME.  This is why I have you do practice sits when you are not feeling too tired to do them so you are prepared and ready for the training.

6.      You mention he gets a good amount of exercise.  That is wonderful and completely necessary.  Depending on his natural energy level you might have to change your routine a little and exercise him a bit BEFORE your morning coffee.  It just depends on how much energy he has stored up in the night but you might relax a little better if he is able to rest calmly after a walk.

I have a lot of faith in you because you have been doing a great job so far with him.  He is still a puppy at 6 months so it is challenging I know.  Keep up the good work and let me know how it goes or if you have any other questions!

All the best,

Julie

Fear of thunderstorms

A: Hi,

I live in Louisiana & have been working with a sheltie named Maggie to overcome her severe thunder phobia & anxiety. She has been on Clomicalm, Reconcile, Valium, Xanex & Prozac. Now the latest the vet is trying is Phenobarb.

Maggie is 5 years old & was given to us in July 2007. Her owners (2nd set) said she would bark at thunder & run along their fence. Well, that was really sugarcoating her reaction. She charges towards the sound barking & trying to \”attack\” the noise. She seems to be totally focused on going after it. What we have finally done is conditioned her so when we see a storm coming or hear thunder we quickly try to crate her with the radio on & a chew bone to distract her. This is pretty successful but I worry for the times we aren\’t home. We live in a rural area & she is outside unfenced. It never is a problem until thunder comes. She is not aggressive to people or other animals.

The other issue she has is unexplained nervous behavior. For no reason she will run towards a plant & jumps to tear pieces off it. She also twirls , paces & appears agitated. This isn\’t constant & you never know when it\’ll happen. She has been on the Phenobarb for almost a month now & I do see an improvement in that but I hate to think she\’ll need medication all her life to be semi-normal acting. It does nothing for the thunder.

Do you have any suggestions on how we can help her? We are used to her routine & so are our neighbors. I just feel sorry for Maggie.

Thanks for your help!

Diane

A: Hello Diane,

It sounds like you have done a lot to help Maggie already, so that is wonderful you have made that effort, thank you for all your hard work!  It’s great that you have found something that is starting to work for her in terms of crating her with the radio on and a chew bone.  Since the crate has been successful for you, is it an option to crate her with the radio and chew bone when you are away from home and expect a storm?  Or perhaps leave her in a room with no windows and the radio on?  I would highly suggest you don’t leave her outside during the storm if she is so fearful of it.  Also, here is a list of things to try in addition to what you are already doing:  

Your attitude can influence the severity of the fear of the storm.  If you are nervous during storms for example it is more likely to occur in your dog.  Or if you comfort the dog through petting, or saying it’s ok in a soft voice, etc. then the dog interprets that they are correct for having a fear of the storm and it reinforces the negative behavior.  Plus, it is natural as a human to feel sorry for her but try not to display that to her because she interprets that as though you think something is wrong with her and that will only make her feel worse.  You also would not want to punish your dog or this may increase her anxiety.

It is not certain that you can resolve it completely but there are some steps to take to help manage it through behavior modification, changing the environment and possibly medications.

1. Exercise your dog daily and even more on the days that you think a storm is likely.  The exercise will help tire out your dog and is even thought to increase the seratonin levels, which can have a calming affect on your dog.
2. Do not comfort or punish your dog during storms.
3. Provide a safe place for your dog to be.  Some dogs prefer to be in an enclosed space like a bathroom, bathtub, closet or a crate.  If your dog feels comfortable in a crate you can even cover the crate with a blanket.  Be sure to leave the crate door open though. 
4. You can try to block the noise level of the storm by running a fan, TV or radio.  Sometimes having them be in a room without windows can help too.
5. Maintain your strong, calm leadership attitude and try not to feel scared or nervous yourself.  Use a happy voice and it would be great if you could get your dog to play during a storm!
6. Try some behavior modification techniques to help change your dog’s response to the storm.  You can provide the dog with his favorite treat, toy or game just prior to a storm and that is the only time he gets it. 
7. Or try desensitizing the noise of the storm by using a cd of storm.  You should play the sound at a lower level at first and try gradually increasing the sound until the dog gets used to it. Try some obedience training and reward the dog when it does something well.  Do not reward when the dog is anxious or scared.  If you are successful then the next day increase the volume and try again. If your dog starts to get scared decrease the volume. Try it in different rooms too and if successful play it sometimes when you are not in the room with your dog.  When your dog is successful and not showing signs of fear you can repeat once a week or so.  Then, when there is a real storm you do the same thing with the same obedience or tricks and rewards that you did for the cd noise.  It is usually a good idea to practice the desensitizing when you will not be having a real storm yet, so try to do it before storm season so you have a chance to practice before the live event.
8. Work with your Veterinarian to talk about medications if needed.

Try different things and see what works for your dog.

In regards to the nervous behavior and attacking the plants…is she getting exercised enough?  Often dogs that display this sort of behavior feel better when they are REALLY tired out more than once a day.  Exercised to the point that she has to lay down to rest she is so tired.  This helps to drain energy that is stored up, release her bodies natural hormone-seretonin to help her relax and generally offers her mind and body what she may need. 

Additionally you might want to try diverting her nervous behavior with some positive obedience.  When you notice signs of nervousness work on some positive obedience so she can be distracted and refocused onto something constructive. 

If you add the intensive exercise routine and positive obedience training program to her daily life there is a good chance you both will feel calmer and happier. 

It’s great to hear updates so let me know how it all goes!

Julie

 You are welcome!  Good luck with it!
Julie

Hi Julie,
Thanks so much for the fast reply! It’s good to know that what I’m doing is not hurting or making it worse. We are calm around her & have gotten her to the point where she can be outside & if we call & tell her to go to her quiet place she goes inside straight into the crate. She gets lots of exercise since we’re on 5 acres & she has the run of it. We have 6 other shelties & 2 are her play pals that run & chase with her. She is our largest one (38 lbs) but doesn’t seem to realize it. She runs like the smaller guys & it’s so funny to see them. They actually try to herd her when she starts getting distracted by noise!

I’ll try some of the other things you suggested & let you know what happens. I have been amazed to see how many people have similar issues with their dogs & thunder. Most I’ve met have dogs that are fearful & drool, etc. I have suggested they try Melatonin & all have reported excellent results. Too bad Maggie isn’t fearful in that way!

Thanks again-

Hi Diane,

You are welcome!  Good luck with it!

Julie 

Dear Julie,

I recently rescued Attley from continuing her job as a puppy mill mom for the past 4 years.  She is a Gorgeous Golden Retriever that is leery of everything and everyone other than my boyfriend and me. I understand this is a result from the breaking of her spirit at the mill and I understand that she doesn’t know she is a dog. We have had to teach her to walk on a leash and eat out of a bowl and not be scared of the tv or the rain or other daily occurrences that you wouldn’t think to be traumatizing. She is content to lie around all day and as much as we try we can’t get her to interact with us using toys.  Josh and I take her on about 7- 10 walks a day each averaging 20 mins minimum.  We do not have a yard so several of these double as potty breaks.  Attley can get spooked very easily…leaves blowing down the street can send her running.  Josh and I were just walking her this evening.  It is quiet and a beautifully warm night. We passed by a couple of kids and they said hello and Attley began to pull. This happens all the time when she gets scared. However, this time she (all 74lbs) pulled me completely off my feet and tore about 6 blocks heading for traffic. She ripped a nail out of her rear paw and by the time Josh caught her she was ready to stop and just get home.  This is the second time this bolting has happened in a week.  What can I do to help her trust her surroundings on a walk and let her know that she is completely safe with us.  I love my dog to death and want nothing more than to show her the world the way it can be with her as a functioning dog. But, I feel like I am failing her when the simplest thing can terrify her so badly that she will run into oncoming traffic.

Please Help

Thank You So Much

Hi Courtney and Josh,

Wow, thank you for rescuing Attley!  Puppy mills are a horrible place and I am glad she no longer has to suffer there.  I can imagine how emotional this must be.  First of all give yourself a pat on the back and do not feel you are failing her.  It sounds like you have already given her a great gift and you have done a lot to help her already so be proud of that.  Take one day at a time and celebrate the small achievements.  You may reach your goals with her or you may never get her to be exactly where you want her to be, we don’t know yet.  What we do know is that you can try your best.  It is important to remove your feelings of guilt or worry or even feeling sorry for her.  Dogs can be “retaught” and so it is important that you do not confuse her by feeling sorry for her.  Try to take deep breaths before you go on these walks and be as calm as you can be.  She will sense when you are nervous and feel sorry for her and that will make her feel like you are not in control which will make her more nervous.

You can definitely begin a desensitizing routine with her as well as a positive only training program.  The training program can build her confidence and the desensitizing can help her adjust better. 

Desensitizing requires a lot of time and patience and is sometimes a very slow process but it can be successful if you have the patience to do it.  One of the first steps is to:

1. Identify what triggers her fear.  Write all the things down that you can think of.   Loud noises, bicycles, kids, etc…
2. Then, begin to expose your dog to whatever is scaring them at a very low level.  For example, if she is afraid of a bicycle, then begin to introduce her to a bicycle by having the bicycle be very far away and still.  If she is calm when she sees it then she can be rewarded with treats and praise for being calm.  Gradually move the bicycle closer to her all the while praising and treating for calm behavior that does not show fear.  If the dog begins to show fear you need to move the bicycle farther and start again. 
3. When your dog is getting comfortable with the bicycle you can now move it back far away and have someone ride it very slowly.   If your dog is remaining calm you can have the bicycle go faster and then eventually closer. 

So what you are doing is slowly increasing your dog’s ability to handle the fearful object.  This process may take days or even months and needs to be done very gradually to be successful. 

**An important tip:  When your dog is showing signs of fear, you must NEVER praise, pet or treat in that moment or you are rewarding fearful behavior.  It is in a human’s nature to coddle and hug when someone is scared but if you do that to a dog you can actually make it worse for her by telling her it is OK to be scared. 

Another option that works well is to practice some obedience while your dog is being desensitized.  For example, you are introducing your dog to the bicycle that is far away; have them practice a sit and reward for the sit.  This obedience will get the dog to focus on something other than the fear and soon the reward of doing a good sit will replace the fear.  So the dog will begin to associate the site of the bicycle with feeling good, proud, and happy that they got a treat and praise for performing a sit well.

Positive Obedience does wonders for fearful dogs.  You should not use corrective obedience for fearful dogs but instead use only positive motivators like treats and praise.  It will increase your dog’s confidence and lessen their fears.

This process will take time and can feel frustrating, but it is important to not get frustrated by your dog and never punish or force.  It can help to work with a dog behaviorist if needed.  I am happy to work with you and can offer you a coupon for a membership to my training site,  And it includes email support with me 7 days a week plus tons of good information for teaching positive obedience well and behavior modification.  I am happy to work with you through this process if you like, I especially like to help out rescues.  There is no obligation and I am here to help so if you need any more advice let me know.

I would love to hear how things are going.   

Keep in touch!

Julie 

We tend to think that having a backyard is enough exercise for them. But it isn’t! When a dog doesn’t have enough exercise or enough “energy drained” as I call it, they will experience many different kinds of problems. Think of it like this, each dog has a certain amount of energy and when that energy is not drained, it will come out in ways we do not want; like aggression, separation anxiety, and generally being too much to handle, along with many other behavioral problems. If you want to have a well-trained dog or at least a dog that will listen to you and behave in a way you want, then the very first step is to drain their energy on a daily basis. It is absolutely essential. Every single dog that has come to me with behavioral problems is a result of having too much energy stored and not enough of it released!

-Dogs also like to leave the house.

Can you imagine what you’d feel like if you never got to leave the house? You’d go a little crazy too! If you look at their history they were travelers! They need to get out of the house and experience life with you! A walk down the street and back is not enough. So, we’ve learned the very first step you need to take in order to have a dog that can become well trained is to drain their energy. How do we know how much energy our dog needs drained?

-Expect to take the dog on about a 30-45 minute walk twice a day.

Your goal is to get the dog tired out. You need to base the intensity of your exercise on your own dogs energy needs. Some dogs are high energy and take a lot to tire them out and some dogs will need less. How do you know if it is enough? When you are on your way home from your walk, does your dog drag a bit behind you? When you get home, does the dog immediately lay down? Then you know they’ve been tired out. Success! If you are on your way home and your dog has as much energy as they did at the start of the walk then you know it isn’t enough. You should expect that the dog would feel tired out when you get home and go lay down.

-What if you don’t have the energy or time to tire out the dog?

There are some other possibilities for draining your dog’s energy that go beyond the walk. But, remember, the walk is not to be substituted by anything else. The walk is an important way for you to establish and maintain yourself as pack leader. We will talk more about that in later articles. If you can only make yourself do a minimum of a 20-minute walk, there are some things you can do to make the dog more tired.

-Buy a doggie backpack!
It is a backpack specifically designed for dogs. They carry it on their back and it has two straps, one strap wraps in front of their chest and the other under their belly. The goal here is to add weight to the backpack that the dog will carry and thus, feel more tired out because they are carrying the extra weight. A doggie backpack has 3 huge benefits; the first being, a 20-minute walk can feel more like a 40-minute walk to a dog carrying the extra weight. You can put about 10-20% of their body weight by pounds into it. So for example a 50 pound dog can carry anywhere from 5-10 lbs, depending on their energy level and age. Gauge it by your particular dog and talk with your Veterinarian to approve it for your particular dog. Have the weight evenly distributed on either side of the backpack, so if you want to add 10 pounds, make sure you add 5 pounds on each side. You can use anything you want to add the weight from bags of dried beans to canned goods.

There are two other added benefits to using a doggie backpack. Dogs love to feel like they are important and have a job to do in their life. When a dog is wearing a backpack they feel like they are performing a job and it gives them a sense of pride. I’ve had a lot of clients comment on the fact that they feel their dogs are almost prancing when they have the backpack on, like they are happy and proud. It is similar to when we’d see Guide Dogs wearing their harnesses or Search and Rescue dogs wearing their packs. These dogs that have jobs feel important and proud and the backpack is a symbol to the dog in the same way, that they have a job and it is important! I can still remember when I would visit the homes of blind people with Guide Dogs; the dogs would get so excited, wagging their tails, when they would see the harness was about to be put on them! It was a beautiful sight to see! They were performing an essential duty and they loved it!

The third benefit, besides the draining of energy and making them feel proud is that dogs usually can only concentrate intensely, on one thing, so when they wear the backpack they tend to have a more focused walk. A dog that generally tries to sniff and pull on a walk will be more likely to walk in a controlled manner when wearing a backpack. They are focused on that extra weight they are carrying and balancing the pack so you’ll see that it helps them be more composed.

Some dogs feel a little odd when you first put the backpack on and may show physical signs that they feel uncomfortable, like balking or laying down. Don’t worry. The most important thing for you to do is be positive about it and just start moving. Getting them walking right away will make them forget about it and just get used to it. They should be fine within a couple minutes. Just encourage them to get moving. If needed you can add the weights later after your dog has become accustom to wearing the pack for a while.

-Another thing you can do is put a dog on a treadmill to drain more energy than you have the ability to give them.

Remember, your walk is still important and a treadmill should not be a substitute but only an addition to the energy drain. When introducing a dog to a treadmill there are some important things to consider. First of all, you want to put their leash and collar on them and guide them up onto the treadmill when it is NOT moving initially. Do this several times until the dog feels totally comfortable standing up on it. Then when you’ve accomplished that goal you can start the treadmill VERY slowly while they are standing on it. It is important to do it very slowly initially until they get the idea they need to walk on it. Try to support them and not allow them to jump off. If they jump off, lead them back onto it. Eventually when they get very good at it you can increase the speed. It is common for dogs to even enjoy this and when introduced properly they will jump right on it!

-Other ways of draining energy

There are many other ways of draining a dog’s energy in addition to the walks. You can throw a ball or Frisbee for them. Or you can even go running, roller-blading or biking with your dog too. Or if you have a motorized type wheel chair or something similar they can run along beside you. All of these types of exercises are possible to do in a controlled manner. Just to be safe, check with your Veterinarian to approve all exercise for your particular dog.

So, as we’ve learned, throughout this guide there are some important steps you can take to ensure your new life together is a happy and fulfilling one.

Having a well-trained dog will be a very wonderful experience! Enjoy!

Imagine life with a well-trained dog…

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