photo credit: cristianocani

==>>Dog Obedience Problems?
Put an End to the Stress and Annoyance of Your Dog Behavior Problems!
AND Slash Your Dog Obedience Training Time in Half by Using
Techniques That Give You Immediate Results!

There is a big movement on in North America. A movement that promotes dogs to be more than just “objects”. One blog actually came up with the idea of “petizen.com” (pet citizen). I think that is pretty cool!

And, I fully agree, our pets should be more than just “objects” and they need to be treated as living pets, with all the rights any living pet should have

That brings me to my concern. First, I live in Canada, and as a Canadian other cultures, minority cultures are treated with the same respect and rights and recognition as any other culture.
And, we do NOT try to assimilate these cultures. We do NOT want to change them to be like “us”, whoever that may be. Rather, we encourage everyone to follow and study and find out about their roots.

We need to do that with our pets. They should never have their roots as an animal, a breed a dog taken away. We should never treat them as “kids”, as “people”. We are NOT doing them a favour by treating them that way.

They love us, absolutely. We love them back, no question. But, we need to allow them to be who and what they are. A dog, or cat, or other pet. We need to not only nurture our human love for them, but also their animal side.

If we do both we will have balanced dogs/cats/pets. And, these pets will always be a part of our family. I couldn’t imagine a family without a dog.

photo credit: Lomyx

About 1 1/2 years ago we moved into a house with a Chinese couple right next door. The lady is afraid of dogs, but her husband loves my dogs. And my Nikki loves him. When she hears them talking outside she runs to the face and puts her paws up, and the neighbour comes over and pats her as he speaks with her.

==>>Dog Obedience Problems?
Stop Your Dogs Behavior Problems
Professional Dog Training Results

Today, I was walking in the park, and all of a sudden Nikki sat down and wouldn’t move. She looked down the pathway at two people (strangers) walking towards us. And, the closer these people came, the more she wagged her tail. Unusual reaction from her to strangers.

And, then they were at the same spot as my sitting Nikki…a Chinese couple, talking the same dialect as my neibours…she recognized the inflection of the language, the man and woman talking together!

They stopped, talked to her, and then she was happy to go on her way. My Nikki understands Chinese!!! How cool is that

Tags: dogs, dog

My two dogs, Rusty and Dasher, Playing with their friend, Thumper the rabbit. My two dogs were not aggressive. They were allowed to be dogs, and we did not treat them as “our babies”

“Warning: Sausage dog on premises

Long, short-legged and - according to American researchers - fierce, the dachshund has been found to be more aggressive than the feared Rottweiler or British bulldog. The so-called ‘sausage dog’ comes first on a list of the most violent breeds, followed by the Jack Russell terrier and the terrifying… Chihuahua.”

I read the above statement somewhere on the interenet. Now, I have 2 comments.

First: Are small dogs really more aggressive? Or, are they just spoiled and treated as “babies” by their owners? Most small dogs have lost their roots because owners do not allow them to be an animal, to be a dog.

It has been a pet peeve (ha ha) of mine for years, and I have written about it before “the small dog that runs and barks all over the place when my dogs are on leash”. And, the owners laugh about it. They are proud…”look at my little dog, he takes on the big ones without fear”

Well, it’s not funny. YOU made your little dog aggressive and violent, not nature.

I had two little “miniature long haired dachshunds” myself, for 16 years, and they never showed aggression. They even had a pet rabbit the gently played with.

So wake up small dog owners. Train your dog. Be a pack leader. Your little precious canine would like to be able to go back to it’s roots and become a dog, not a “girlie baby” !!!!

Aggressive behaviors (and it”s NOT acceptable just because your dog is small an cute) and signs is something that professional trainer Brian Heward explains quite well in the Dog Training DVD Series that we have put out at Kingdom of Pets. He talks a lot about establishing your role as leader. Now everyone knows how very important it is to position yourself at the top of the “pack” in your hybrid family of humans and dogs. But Brian really makes sense of why it is in fact —more— stressful for a dog who is a dominant “Alpha” dog but really does not want to be.

photo credit: Sugar Pond

Here is an excerpt of our FREE 6 day mini Training Course (at the top of this page).

“Welcome to Day 4 of our 6-Day Course, the day you get your dog to stop pulling on the lead. I’ve had so many questions sent in to me about this problem, which seems to be so universal.

In fact, just the other day I was out with a couple of my dogs in the park, and we came across a small boy who was walking - or being walked by - a boisterous and indeed obese yellow Lab. As soon as that Lab caught sight of my dogs, it sprinted towards us, and when it did it took its minder right off his feet and along for the ride, which he completed mostly on his rear. The boy was embarrassed but alright, and we shared a quick laugh about it. Pulling on the lead can sure be funny. But it’s a big problem nonetheless…”

Sign up for this course on the top of this page.

Tags: Dogs, Dog+training

photo credit: mikebaird

I was taking my two dogs for a walk this morning; it is the perfect day here. And, as I was walking I was thinking. (Yes I do that sometimes :))

Most reputable dog training courses, including Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer, will train YOU, the walker, to walk in front of the dogs, and have the dogs follow you. This makes you the pack leader, and also puts you in total control of the walk.

I have to disagree with this…for dog safety reasons! Here where I live we have had numerous dogs poisoned, even in the dog parks. Some of this poison was meant for squirrels, for raccoons, or even for cats (which of course is as bad as poisoning a dog.)

If my dogs walk behind me, even on the sidewalk, I cannot tell what he is doing. Is he sniffing something I don’t want him to sniff, or worse, is he eating something I don’t want him to eat.

I mean we know, it takes a few seconds for a dog to pick up something and eat it. They don’t even lose their stride doing this. And, if they are behind you, you just can’t protect them.

I like to see my dogs at all times. So, I do what I call my “end of leash” training and “no pulling” training. My dogs know, that at the end of the leash, no matter what the distance, no pulling allowed.

For your dog’s safety and well being this summer, and all summers following this year. Train your dog!