A Busy Dog is a Safe Dog.

Stop the chewing!

I think the most asked question among my viewers and followers is; “How can I stop my puppy from eating and chewing on everything in my house?”. Please don’t pay a dog trainer to fix this issue.

Well my friends, it is quite simple. you need to go back to your old fashioned RAW beef meat bones. It is the best, safest and most effective way to protect your home from your dog.

It is also a great way to avoid costly vet bills. if your dog is chewing on shoes or wood and they swallow a piece it can cause a blockage in the intestines. a splinter of wood could cause a hole in the intestine. These can be deadly and very costly to repair the damage assuming you will have caught it in time.

Never feed cooked bones to your dogs

Remember that bones are only safe to feed to your dogs when they are raw. It is the way they would be eating them if they were in the wild. They should also be cut to accommodate your dog’s size. I often see people buying a 16 inch bone for their dog because they want the biggest and the best for their dogs. In this case bigger is not better.

For my German Shepherd dogs I ask the meat department to cut the bones no longer than 3-4 inches. For my smaller dogs I ask them to cut them 2-4 inches. Some places will not be able to cut the smaller than 3 inches because it is a risk to injure their fingers using their equipment.

The reason you want to cut the Raw bones in smaller sizes is so that they can clean the bone marrow out thoroughly and enough that is doesn’t have time to fester, especially in summer time.

 

 

 

Your dog will keep busy and he will chew these beef bones like they are candy until he falls asleep. I recommend that meat bones be thrown away when they begin to become brittle and cracked.

Dog Trainer Tip

The rule of thumb is this; When your puppy is caught in the process of chew something you don’t want him to chew don’t scold him. Simply say not good or phooey and offer him the bone in exchange and when he accepts the bone say good boy. Then pet him and walk away like nothing ever happened.

I will sometimes refill the bones with peanut butter or beef flavored paste to keep them busy and I am out of fresh bones. Having access to the raw bones will keep them away from your furniture and shoes among other things. This reduces the risk of your dog getting into something that might cause injury to them. It will keep their teeth healthy and help them through the teething months.

Share this post with your friends to help them save their furniture, remote controls, shoes and their dog.

Angie Taylor

 

 

The Importance of Temperament Testing

Is canine temperament testing is the beginning of k9qc?

Let me clarify the importance of canine temperance testing. While it is not an exact science, it offers guidance in choosing a dog’s path. Regardless of choosing a family companion or a patrol dog the tests are reliable. Canine temperament testing determines what that dog’s strengths and weaknesses are.

Canine temperament testing is done in a series of tests. For each test done using a variety of stimulation techniques specific drives (instincts) will be dominant. Only the dogs who have the instinct pertaining to the test at hand will exhibit a reaction. We also need measure how intense that drive is.  Each dog has several drives combined. I read once that in a litter of 10 pups only 2 on average would potentially qualify as a law enforcement working canine.

I believe in temperament testing because it is based on (drives) instinct. Instinct becomes more or less intense depending on individual situations but never changes. Stimuli stems from sight, smell and sound. Intensity depends on temperament, state of mind and the handler’s reaction in a given situation.

Pup showing dominance behaviour.
Pup showing dominance behaviour.

What are the benefits of temperament testing for the family looking for a puppy?

Canine temperament testing can typically be done at 6 weeks of age. Trainability, vengeful, playful, or guarding traits will show as a result of these tests. For family you want easily trained and playful personalities. If you have children now or plan to  in the future you certainly don’t want a vengeful, fighter, hunter combo. Competent training with emphasis on those results is as important as the testing itself.

Select your breed by researching its personality traits. Pay attention to what the breed has been used for historically.  Customers can easily find a breeder online. Finding a breeder who does temperament testing can be hard. If that is the case I suggest finding a knowledgeable trainer. Trainers will also go to the breeder with you to select your pup using temperament testing.

Learn more about how I train in harmony with their instinct here. Using temperament testing combined with this form of training will essentially eradicate the BSL.