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"Speak dog"

Please email me questions that you may have for your dogs. I will do my best to answer your questions and put it on this page.
jwdogtraining@gmail.com

Q: Someone asked me why their dog was timid and shy of just about everything. "I've done everything I could for this dog. She was rescued and I've done everything to give her the life that she never had. I think that she was abused or something by her previous owners," she said,"What can I do?"

A: I surprised her when I said what the solution would be. I told her that she needs to try to forget that her dog has a past. The present is that the dog is now living with here, a person who loves and cares for her dog. The more you focus on her past, the more likely you are to respond to a situation in the wrong way and encourage this behavior. Timid behavior is almost the same as aggression. Aggression is caused mostly by insecurities just as timidness is, they are both a bad behavior. We correct aggression by correcting the dog. In the same way, timidness must be corrected to allow the dog to respect you enough to make the decision. On a walk, if a dog reacts with fear from something and you do not, it doesn't respect you enough to make the decision. 
OUTCOME:
   The dog is now very confident. Through a few sessions in learning how to train the fear out of her dog, the dog has finally learned to rely and respect the owner enough to be more confident.

Q: "I am afraid that my dog is going to be afraid of my grandchildren and may bite, do I put the dog away in a kennel or do something else." 

A: I am very happy that you have asked this question. A lot of people have worries about their dogs being around children, especially if they have had little or no contact with kids. The best way to decide how your dog is going to react is to actually place the dog in a kennel and watch first how it responds to the children. If the dog seems to be doing fine and reacts well, then you may leave the dog out of the kennel but be sure to have a leash and collar in case you need to react. Watch the dogs behavior, if it seems to be getting anxious, put it back in the kennel and let it settle down and become familiar with the atmosphere of having children in the house. If you assume that the dog will bite or growl right of the bat, do not even attempt to let the dog have contact with the children! Seek professional help.

Q: "My dog will not stop barking, especially when I try to leave him in a kennel. What should I do?" 

A: This is a behavior that is probably one of the most common complaints. I recommend first that you get a spray bottle and fill about half of it with vinegar and the other half with water. Each time the dog barks, spray him in the face and tell him,"NO BARK!!". If this does not work, try filling the spray bottle with a quarter of lemon juice and the rest with water. Let me know how that works for you!

Q: "If I hit the quick on my dogs nails, what should I do? It's bleeding all over the place!"

A: Hitting the quick while clipping the dogs nails isn't the worst thing that can happen. So don't worry to much. When doing your dogs nails be sure to have either corn starch or a product known as Quick Stop. Take a pinch of either powder and push it up the quick's canal. It should stop the bleeding almost instantly!

Q: "What do I do if my dog tries to attack every dog he sees while taking a walk?"

A: Dog aggression can be a quite serious behavior. Usually the dog is reacting towards another dog because it does not respect you enough to obey and respect your lead. I recommend that you seek professional help and begin starting obedience classes. 

Q: "How do I tell if my dog is over or under weight?"

A: Keeping a dog at the proper weight is very important. I am happy that you have asked this question because many dog owners are unsure of how to keep their dogs at a proper weight. However this is easily attained by running your hands down the side of a dog. If you can't feel any of their ribs, the dog is overweight. If you can see every rib just by looking at the dog, then the dog is underweight. When trying to put your dog on a weight management diet. Be sure to keep the dog on the same food that you were feeding it, do not put the dog on diet food. The problem with a lot of diet foods is that the diet food looses protein and has to many carbs. Instead, give the dog about a quarter less than what you had been feeding him. Watch the weight for about 2 weeks. If nothing changes then decrease a little more.

Q: "My 2 year old shepherd pulls me every which way every time I take her on a walk!!! Please help!"

A: I recommend that you find a trainer that knows the correct way of using a pinch collar. After learning the correct method of using a pinch collar, begin taking obedience classes so that the dog learns to obey and respect you.