New equipment and control

I met a lady the other day that had two greyhounds with very cool harnesses on them. I love finding new equipment for my dogs so I have ordered one and will let you all know how I like it. I also ordered a two inch collar for Luke. I have been looking for a wide collar forever and finally found it. It is not a buckle which I would have preferred but the fact that it is wide means that pressure is spread over a larger area of the neck, very good. I don't use collars often but like to try out anything that I might want to recommend to friends, family or clients first.

I was watching the show Its me or the dog lastnight; pretty funny actually, I love the accents. I am continually amazed by people who seem to have no control over their dog once so ever. The dog that they were focusing on was a lab, a very out of control brown lab who did everything from poop and eat it to grab food right out of his guardians mouth, nice. With just a little intervention the whole situation was turned around.

The idea of allowing your dog to run your life through bad behavior is a pretty bad situation. By implementing just a few rules you can be assured that your dog is not a huge hassle to have around. When I'm shooting; I am a spectator, I have nothing to do with the dogs good or bad behavior; it is a very different position for me. Often I will ask does your dog know how to sit? Know what stay means? Can they down? And often the answers are no, no, no. Trying to communicate with no verbal control can be frustrating for everyone involved.

Continual touch can be very stimulating to a dog, in a bad way. Dogs tend to become over excited, especially if this is something out of the ordinary for them. Often dogs who are not told what to do on a regular basis get stressed l during a shoot because they need to either, sit, stay or down. Training your dog is not mean, it is one of the best things you can do for them. It not only gives them boundaries but helps them to understand what you want without creating frustration.

Luke is a reactive dog which I have discussed before so if I had no words to communicate to him, I would have to rely on touch. Touch definitely over stimulates Luke when trying to communicate with him. He quickly goes from calm to jumping, spinning and basically over excited and obnoxious. Luke is a hands off dog, which is how communication should be for all dogs. Some need more hands off like Luke.

Communication verbal cues should be delivered calmly, short, descriptive and very factually. I do not ask if my dog can do what I want them to do, I tell them. This is what I want you to do, allowing your dog to do as they please and not have any boundaries at all is the start of monster creation. No one wants to live with a monster, correct?

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