K9 TEACHER-TRAINING TIPS AND TRICKS

Are you trying to teach your puppy to play fetch? Instead of using one ball or giving your dog a treat to bring the ball back, try using two balls or two frisbees. Throw one ball, then show your dog the other ball. Immediately throw the second ball when your dog comes to you and drops the first one.

Do you have plants in your home? If they’re real, I hope you have checked to make sure the plant is not toxic to your dog. That said, real or artificial, dogs like to pull at the leaves, moss, pebbles, or soil in the pot.  Try wrapping aluminum foil over the top of the planter. Dogs really don’t like aluminum foil.

Try this trick if you’re trying to keep your dog off the furniture. Place a disposable aluminum tray on the seat of a chair or couch. You can also use them on the counters to keep dogs from counter-surfing. Do you take your shoes off at the door? Put your shoes in a large aluminum pan to keep your puppy from playing with them. It’s definitely worth a try!

This is a large squeaker I removed from a stuffed plush toy. Try keeping one in your pocket the next time you take your dog for a walk. Squeak the squeaker if your dog is distracted on walks and stops constantly to sniff the ground. If your dog is barking at other dogs in the street, squeak it to get your dog’s attention, and try to walk away.

Hydrogen peroxide is available everywhere and is very inexpensive. You probably have a bottle of hydrogen peroxide in your home already. It’s also an easy, convenient, quick, no-mess way to remove urine, feces, vomit, and blood from floors, carpets, and other materials. It will also remove the odor. A bottle of hydrogen peroxide and some paper towels, and you’re good to go!

Two (2) door crates are worth a few extra dollars. Leave both doors open when trying to get your puppy accustomed to going into the crate by themselves. Just toss a toy into the crate and let the puppy go in and out for a while. When your puppy is comfortable with that, close one of the doors.

If you have a large-breed dog that rushes out of its crate when you unlock it, always unlock the bottom first, then the top.

Does your puppy refuse to eat from her food bowl?  Is the bowl in the corner of the room or up against the wall?  Try pulling the bowl away from the wall or the corner and then place a tiny bit of food on the floor next to the bowl. Puppies are more comfortable eating from a bowl closer to the center of the room. Once the puppy is comfortable eating out of his bowl, you can gradually move it closer to where you want it. You can also try putting the bowl on a mat. Sometimes, a flat dish works better than a bowl. Ceramic bowls may work better than metal bowls.

Even if you never intend to use puppy-training pee pads, they might come in handy. Pee pads are more absorbent than paper towels and help clean up urine accidents on carpeting much quicker. Simply turn a clean training pee pad upside down over the urine stain on your carpet, step on the pad, move the pad, and repeat.

Then, use a urine clean-up product or hydrogen peroxide and another clean training pad.

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