What your dogs need:

• A Guardian to set clear rules and help them understand what those rules are.

• Exercise twice a day

• Enrichment

• Socialization

Being a good dog Guardian:

• Set your dog up for SUCCESS!!!

• Manage the environment. Use crates, gates and leashes.

• Stop saying NO and yelling. Start saying YES and reward your dogs often.

• Learn dog body language.

• Be consistent. Everyone in the home needs to follow the dog rules.

• Form good habits

• Think about what you want your dog to do instead of what not to do.

Socializing your dog:

• Never push a scared dog towards new things. Instead, be their supporter. Go at their comfort level.

• Make all new experiences positive.

• See and maybe meet other dogs/animals. NO dog parks. Seeing another dog is socializing.

• Sounds like fireworks, thunderstorms, baby crying, vacuum and other dogs can be played on your phone or computer while your dog has something enjoyable.

• Surfaces like sand, rocks, unsteady surface, etc.

Enrichment/Exercise:

• two 20-40 minute cardio romps a day. (AM and PM)

• Take walks after cardio

• Go on a dog walk with a 20 ft. longline and let them lead the walk/sniff.

• Feed out of food dispensing toys

• Training obedience, tricks, games, puzzles, etc.

• Satisfy the need to chew with bones like Benebone, Nylabone, Yak cheese, Bully sticks or Antlers

• Use licking toys like Topple/Kong to help calm and self sooth.

• Let them shred and destroy, while supervised, the appropriate things.

Learning Life Skills:

• Positive Interrupter sounds “Pup Pup Puppy” “Wit Wit Wit”

• Animal Husbandry: holding a paw=treat (do all 4), touching ears=treat, checking teeth=treat

• Grooming: Get your grooming supplies for your breed of dog. Show the brush/comb=treat.

• DON’T punish the growl.

• Learn about trigger stacking and Thresholds

• Teach calming behaviors with positive reinforcement.

• Touch cue: show your hand and say “touch”. When she puts her nose on your hand, YES and treat.

• Drop it: Play with a toy and tug tug tug! Then, bring a treat to the dogs nose and say, “drop it”. When they drop the toy, give the treat.

• Loving the leash: when you put on a harness or collar, give a treat. Then, take it off and repeat. Put on your walking equipment of choice and attach the leash. Treat and un-clip the leash. Repeat! Next, clip on the leash and take a few steps, treat. repeat. This should all be done inside!!!

• Watch Body Language videos.

• Take it and Leave it