The long term effects of training your dog!

Training your dog is more than just a duty - it's a lifestyle! Often folks will call with naughty dogs, and when I ask how many obedience classes they have done with their dogs they either say none, or one. And usually it's been years since the dog was in a class.

If you want your training to stick, per se, you MUST keep it up. A nicely trained dog for the house has done a minimum of two classes, and their owners practice and keep up the work once classes are done. The mistake folks make is they'll take one 8 week Beginner class and stop. It's silly because for dogs, learning obedience and good behavior is like us learning a new language. I took two years of Russian in high school. Once I graduated I never spoke it again, and it didn't take many years for it to all be gone. Today I can remember about 5 words.

Your dog is in the same situation. Folks will tell me "in class he was so good, but now he's doing this or that". Well, if the owners didn't do "continued ed" with their dog, the 8 weeks of training is not going to stick!

I find that dogs who owners have kept up their obedience past the classes, are much calmer dogs. They generally don't have any phobia's, fear or aggression because they know they can count on their owners to tell them what to do, and they know how to do it! I always tell folks that a nice down stay is like an emergency brake. If your dog is heading in the wrong direction, or acting up, simply telling them what to do instead, in a simple manner, can turn that dog completely around.

So keep up your training - do more than one class and keep practicing speaking "training" to your pup! Maybe even take a fun class now and then with your pup just for the enjoyment of doing something with him. You'll find years down the road that your dog is still one, very nice pup to live with!

Deb S
Everee, Eli and Corky

Been A While!

Wow, been a while since I blogged here ! sorry for being gone so long!

Have been very busy getting a new lease done on our existing building. We've been there ten years and it was time to renew. We negotiated a nice ten year lease with a ten year option on the end, plus we are getting AIR CONDITIONING in both of our buildings! Very exciting as this has been one long, hot summer, and I know you all already know that. This should be going in soon, like the next week or so. It means we won't have to close down next year when it gets so hot. Can't believe I went ten years without it! We are also getting a new heat system with it, so no more loud blowers going in the building - nice forced air! I'll take that in a paw print!

Hope everyone is hanging in there. It's been as hard on our dogs as on us this summer. I saw some people walking their dogs when it was so hot and humid (the day it got up to 116 with the humidity!) and I just wanted to shake them. I always tell folks, take your shoes off and walk around on the hot pavement in the sun - does it hurt? Well then it's too hot for your dog too!

So, when it's too hot to play outside, get the games going inside! Find it, doggy puzzles, obedience practice - use those brains. Also more chews to gnaw on to help work out stress and energy!

Today it's 74 degrees and I'm actually able to get out into the garden and weed for the first time in over six weeks. My border collie Everee loves to help (she actually pulls on weeds for me, no kidding!). Enjoy your day everyone and .... I'm baaaaack!

Deb S.
Everee, Corky, Eli and our newest additions Harry and Truman (baby parakeets!)