Put Fido on the honor roll

Two Labrador puppies changed Cyndee Kendrick's life. The two balls of fur destroyed everything in her garage, until Kendrick thought she was going to go crazy. She decided she needed help and called in a dog trainer.

A few weeks later, her puppies were well-behaved creatures, a far cry from the biting, chewing beasts that created havoc in her home before.

The transformation started Kendrick on a quest to learn more about dog training and dog behavior. She eventually became a certified animal trainer and is now a member of the International Association of Behavior Consultants.

When people bring their unruly animals to her ranch in Edinburg to the Dog Obedience Incorporated school, she often remembers her two lab puppies and how they transformed from terrors to lovable members of the family.

Dog training is about consistency, and doing a little every day.

"It's very easy to train a dog, but you have to do it properly," she said.

Some dogs can be trained in a few weeks; others take a little more time. A dog's training begins with socialization. When a puppy first comes home, a dog owner should turn him over on his back and rub his tummy, Kendrick said. Children should also be trained to handle the new family member gently and with supervision. When the dog seems like he's had enough, it's important for the puppy to have some space.

Once initial socialization has been done it's important to start with real training - like the no bite rule, sitting, coming, and going to the bathroom outside. The key to all training is consistency and patience, Kendrick said.

For potty training, Kendrick recommends setting a timer to go off every 30 minutes. When the timer beeps a dog owner should get up and take the dog outside to the spot where she'd like him to do his business. The key is to use the same words every time - "Let's go potty." Dogs range in how long it takes them to potty train. Some learn in a little as a day, for others it can take as long as six-months, Kendrick said.

"The more consistent you are, the more they understand the rules," she said.

Paige Lauren Deiner covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4425.

------ TIPS -----

Teaching your dog to sit:

The Goal: The dog will put its bum on the floor with its head up looking at you whenever you say 'sit'.

The procedure: In a quiet room call your dog by its name and show him a treat. While the dog is standing hold the treat close to the dog's nose and then move it just above its head while moving the treat slowly backwards. The dog should naturally get into the sit position by bending its legs. As its legs are bending say 'sit'. The very second the dog sits, give it the reward and enthusiastically say 'Good dog!' and then pet him.

If the dog does the wrong thing don't give any reward and don't fret, just try again. Keep this up over time until the dog has mastered the exercise. Then continue the training varying the levels of distraction. Slowly decrease the food rewards and substitute them with enthusiastic 'Good dog!' praisings and/or pettings.

Tips:

>> Try this technique before the dog's mealtime so it is hungry and eager to work for the reward.

>> Use the EXACT same command AFTER the dog's name (e.g. Rover, 'sit' not Rover, 'sit down')

>> Be patient and never get angry. Dogs pick up on these feelings and won't want to practice with you if it's not fun.

>> It's best NOT to push the dog's bum to the floor with your hands if you are having trouble. The dog might well associate this with the actual training and wait for you to push its bum down in the future.

>> If you are having trouble with this technique then an obedience class with other dogs is a great idea.

Source: http://www.pets.ca/pettips/tips-42.htm

Panic Mode: When not to try sit, come

If your dog gets out of your house, yard, or car without your control DO NOT CHASE HIM! He will just think of it as a game and keep running. Instead, YELL his name to get his attention and TAKE OFF in the OTHER DIRECTION! Then YOU are IT in the "game" and he will chase after YOU instead. Then, pounce on him at the first opportunity. Don't bother to use COME either - you will almost certainly be ignored by your dog then. You can practice this emergency exercise in the safety of your backyard.

Source: www.dogtrainingbasics.com/come.html

Teaching "COME"

Equipment: collar, leash

1. CLEARLY call Puppy's name

2, Clearly call "COME" (or whatever word you want to mean "come to me" when you say it ("here", "come", "by me", etc.). If you want "COME" to be your word, do not use "COME HERE". That is a different word to Puppy and will confuse him.

3. Give a tug on the on the line (which should, in turn, tug his collar). Puppy should turn to look at you and start toward you.

4. Back up and work the long line and tell the Puppy what a great puppy he is WHILE HE IS COMING TO YOU! Once he has reached you the praise will be too late to convey the concept properly.

5. If Puppy has not looked up at you and continues sniffing the tree, or whatever, give a firmer tug on the line as you call again: "Puppy, COME!" Any time he slows down or appears distracted, give another tug with cheerful encouragement.

Source: www.dogtrainingbasics.com/come.html

Teaching your dog to stay

Procedure - Get a short leather or nylon leash and attach it to your dog. Tell your dog to sit and praise it with a treat. Then hold your palm out facing the dog and slowly walk backwards. As you are walking backwards, say the dog's name followed by "stay". If the dog doesn't move, immediately praise the dog lavishly and give it a treat. If the dog moves don't give it praise or a treat. Just bring it back to its original spot and start again. Gradually move back 2 steps, 3 steps etc. Say the dog's name, "stay" and reward. Once your dog seems to be catching on, remove the leash and back up 8 -15 steps. Again say the dog's name, give the command and reward. Then using the same sequence, walk around the dog and reward if the dog doesn't move.

The last part of the exercise involves increasing the time between the command and the reward. First try a 1 minute delay, then 2 then 3 then 4 then 5. Once you've mastered this indoors try the same exercise outdoors in a fenced area. Teach this command until the dog has completely mastered it.

Tips

-Don't overload the dog especially on the first day. On day one practice this exercise for 5-10 minutes only. It should be a fun exercise for your dog. The SECOND your dog seems like it's not having fun, end the exercise.

-LWAYS end every session on a positive note.

-Even after the dog has mastered this technique it should be practiced regularly.

-Eventually you can try to phase out the food reward in exchange for lavish praise.

Source: http://www.pets.ca/pettips/tips-68.htm

Stopping the Jumping

l Persistent attempts to jump can be corrected by saying, "OFF," walking your dog briskly in a circle, then telling him to sit (followed by a reward). Repeat the exercise as needed. Unlike pushing, petting or begging your dog to "get down," this exercise is unambiguous and rewards an alternative behavior - sitting. Your chances of success will be far greater if you work with others who can "provoke" your dog by entering the house or passing you on the street, time and time again. You should set up the training.

At each pass, tell your dog to sit and reward this preferred behavior. In time, shift the control from yourself to the "visitor," who supplies attention only when your dog sits. Before you know it your dog will earn your heartfelt praise by sitting calmly instead of jumping up.

Source: www.petplace.com/dogs/teaching-your-dog-not-to-jump/page1.aspx

1. You're going to first start with socialization. Turn him over on his back and rub his tummy. Want to start with house breaking. He's going to be teething no biting rule. Not even gently - lot of chew toys. Nylenody bone . Supervision is really important it's like having a new baby in the house. Pick a quality food and stick with it. Meat as the main ingredient - not a corn product. Plenty of fresh water. don't feed them table scraps. Children properly handle the puppy - handle them gently. Not playing tug of war with the puppy - they think it's ok to chew tug.

3. Leash training. make things. Put the leash. Use ther name in a positive manner. Interrupt them. - Uhn-Uhn, No. Interrupt them and then. No has to be more harsh. No is emphatic. Bend down and then reward them to you. Very gently, no rough house. Alpha dog boss - but your gentle. Never hit them. Don't rub their nose if they go potty.

4. Then you can try walking with the leash. Have to walk backwards for a while. Real sappy voice,

5. Sit and stay. Very beginning commands. Safety commands. Just to sit first. Hand signals right away.

6. Depends on the dog and how consistent. Couple weeks really well trained. Transfer back to the dog. Associating authority with the owner.

7. Your taking out your own frustration, on the dog because you don't know how to correct it. It pays to have some good knowledge. Very easy to train a dog, but you have to do it properly. Five or ten minutes each day.

8. Barking - spray bottle. Squirt them between the eyes - unh, un no bark. Associate that with the spray bottle. Uhn-uhn no bark.

9. We don't do treats. We use our hands with treats. SOmetimes they don't want a treat, but they always want treats. They work for praise praise praise. 16 years. A lot of work with the animal shelter.

10. WE do private sessions only. Lifetime Obedience - unlimited sessions. 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. - $150.

11. Keep them out of the shelter, keep them from giving it away.

12. 638-5964, 533-5718 - we offer a potty training school - $18.50 per day. Potty pads ,outdoors.

13. 16 years ago to Lab puppies - going crazy, distroyed everything in the garage. Called a dog trainer, started International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. Cyndee Kendrick, owner and trainer of Dog Obedience incorporated

Understand your puppy's capabilities and be realistic, keep in mind you are dealing with a very young animal. Young puppies can only hold on for so long before they need to go, they don't have much control early on. As a general rule a puppy can hold on an hour for every month of his/her age, plus another hour. This means that a 2 month old puppy can be expected to hold on for three hours and at 3 months old this same pup could be expected to hold on for four hours at a time.

Develop a food and water schedule. Each day feed at the same time (never close to bed time) and take away your dogs water bowl before you go to bed (don't forget to put it back first thing in the morning!). You'll develop a routine this way and "what goes in on schedule comes out on schedule", if you know what I mean...

1. Your going to first start with socialization. Turn him over on his back and rub his tummy. Want to start with house breaking. He's going to be teething no biting rule. Not even gently - lot of chew toys. Nylenody bone . Supervision is really important it's like having a new baby in the house. Pick a quality food and stick with it. Meat as the main ingredient - not a corn product. Plenty of fresh water. don't feed them table scraps. Children properly handle the puppy - handle them gently. Not playing tug of war with the puppy - they think it's ok to chew tug.

2. It's just a real supervision thing. Always say the same words. Let's go poddy.Set a timer and every 30 minutes. ZIt's how consistent and the dog - one day and as long as one month. More consistent you are the more they understand the rules.

3. Leash training. make things. Put the leash. Use ther name in a positive manner. Interrupt them. - Uhn-Uhn, No. Interrupt them and then. No has to be more harsh. No is emphatic. Bend down and then reward them to you. Very gently, no rough house. Alpha dog boss - but your gentle. Never hit them. Don't rub their nose if they go potty.

4. Then you can try walking with the leash. Have to walk backwards for a while. Real sappy voice,

5. Sit and stay. Very beginning commands. Safety commands. Just to sit first. Hand signals right away.

6. Depends on the dog and how consistent. Couple weeks really well trained. Transfer back to the dog. Associating authority with the owner.

7. Your taking out your own frustration, on the dog because you don't know how to correct it. It pays to have some good knowledge. Very easy to train a dog, but you have to do it properly. Five or ten minutes each day.

8. Barking - spray bottle. Squirt them between the eyes - unh, un no bark. Associate that with the spray bottle. Uhn-uhn no bark.

9. We don't do treats. We use our hands with treats. SOmetimes they don't want a treat, but they always want treats. They work for praise praise praise. 16 years. A lot of work with the animal shelter.

10. WE do private sessions only. Lifetime Obedience - unlimited sessions. 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. - $150.

11. Keep them out of the shelter, keep them from giving it away.

12. 638-5964, 533-5718 - we offer a potty training school - $18.50 per day. Potty pads ,outdoors.

13. 16 years ago to Lab puppies - going crazy, distroyed everything in the garage. Called a dog trainer, started International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. Cyndee Kendrick, owner and trainer of Dog Obedience incorporated

Monday - 1 p.m.

Expressway 281 North.

Exit 2812 - north on frontage 3 thenths/ JEA Tire Shop. 5 feet - Caballo Lane, going to take a right, first house on right, white brick dog obiedience

SIMPLE SOLUTIONS FOR BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS

What would you give to make your pet's behavior problems disappear? Believe it or not, most issues can be resolved in three simple steps. Follow along, and your pet will be humming "Ain't Misbehavin'" in no time!

Rule Out Medical Problems Be careful not to confuse a behavior problem with a health issue. For instance, cats with feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) often urinate outside their litter boxes. Prescribed medications can also have behavioral side effects. Consider the commonly prescribed medicine prednisone, an anti-inflammatory steroid. Side effects include increased water consumption and, as a result, increased urine output. Some of the cleanest dogs I know have house-training lapses when taking prednisone, unless their guardians provide additional elimination walks. Whenever medication is prescribed for your pet, ask about the side effects so you can be prepared.

Watch Your Reward Process To paraphrase Thorndike's Law of Effect, rewarded behavior is likely to increase in frequency and unrewarded behavior is likely to decrease in frequency. Take Miss Puss. Each morning, she taps you on the face at four o'clock, letting you know that she'd like a can of kitty morsels. She seems in dire need of a meal, so you do her bidding-and unwittingly reward her behavior. You can bet she'll be back the next morning! She has learned that tapping yields tasty treats. However, if you had turned a cold shoulder to her early-morning pleas, Puss would have had no reward and no reason to try that tactic again.

What to do? You resolve to hang tough and ignore Miss Puss's entreaties from now on. But be warned: what started out as a gentle love tap may now escalate to a forceful, extended-claw swat. This worsening behavior is called an "extinction burst." The animal throws everything she's got into the behavior that once netted her a reward, testing what it may take to garner a payoff before she gives up and moves on. Her poor guardian must remain unmoved in order to extinguish the misbehavior. Giving in teaches the animal that a concerted effort just might work.

Sometimes, figuring out what rewards an animal can be tricky. Consider canine greeting behavior. You walk through the front door, and Bouncing Betty greets you with a well-placed slam to your solar plexus. You double over in pain and holler a few choice expletives. Is this rewarding to Betty? Yes-you have lowered your face closer to her, and she has your attention. Dogs are like children-both prefer negative attention to no attention at all. Withdrawal of attention (walking back out the door or turning to face the wall) whenever her paws are off the floor would remove Betty's rewards. To encourage appropriate behavior, teach her to sit, or pay attention to her only when she has all four paws on the floor. Note: Sometimes we are so believed when bad behavior has stopped that we don't acknowledge good acts. Don't forget to add a quiet "good pup" or slip Betty a tidbit to celebrate a job well done.

Consider Environmental Management

Some guardians are training junkies-in the best sense. For them, resolving problems by teaching alternate behaviors is a pleasure. Others are less committed to training and more interested in keeping things simple. If that is your philosophy, environmental management may suit you better. Does one really need to spend countless hours creating setups to teach Snoopy to stay out of the garbage, when just keeping the trash can out of reach would suffice? Don't want the cat on the bed? Close the bedroom door. Hate it when the puppy eats the kids' toys? Put the toys away when the pup is out and put the pup away (in a crate or gated area) when the toys are spread all over the living room. It's quick and easy and may be just what the overscheduled guardian needs to resolve certain problems. Note: Please make sure not to abuse this solution by socially isolating your companion animal in a crate, garage, yard, or basement for long hours every day.

These three steps can make most perplexing pet problems vanish. But if yours persist, contact a Certified Pet Dog Trainer or an applied animal behaviorist to learn what other tricks they have up their sleeves.

How to Teach Your New Puppy to Sit

From your Dogs Guide

One of the very first, and easiest things to teach a puppy to do, is "Sit" on command.

Difficulty Level: Easy

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's How:

Grab a handful of soft, chewy treats, or whatever your new pup likes best.

Get your puppy's attention.

When he comes closer, hold one of the treats over nose.

Say "Sit".

Draw your hand forward so that the treat is almost directly over your puppy's head. He'll have to sit dowwn to reach it.

Don't hold the treat too high.

As soon as his bottom hits the floor, praise lavishly with a high, squeaky, "excited" voice, and give him the treat.

Repeat often, always say the word "Sit" as he starts to sit down.

Remember to treat and praise.

Repeat.

Tips:

Keep training lessons short, and repeat often. Five minute sessions, four or five times daily will keep the knowledge fresh in his mind, but will also keep him from being bored.

Always end session on a successful note. After the fifth ssuccessful "Sit" is a good time.

Keep soft and tasty training treats in abundant supply.

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