“National Train Your Dog Month!” January 2011

News Release

Contact:          Rick Ingram

DogSmith Franchise Services

RickIngram@DogSmith.com

1-888-Dog-Smith (364-7648)

The APDT’s annual campaign to promote the benefits of positive training and socialization continues in January 2011 with contests to engage the dog-owning public and dog trainers.

Washington County FL, January 4, 2011 – The APDT has designated the month of January as National Train Your Dog Month to bring awareness to the importance of socialization and training, and most of all, to inform the public that training a dog can be simple and fun.  The APDT selected January as the perfect month because so many dogs and puppies are adopted and brought home during the winter holidays.

Hundreds of thousands of dogs are turned into animal shelters each year because their owners did not know how to deal with behavior problems and could not find a reliable resource to help them.  Aligned with this philosophy, the mission of The DogSmith National Dog Training and Pet Care Company is to help new pet dog owners start the New Year with their newest family member in the best way possible.

Niki Tudge, The DogSmith founder, says, “We support the APDT in the hope that dog owners, shelters, and other pet professionals will visit the event website (www.trainyourdogmonth.com), so they can learn more about how easy and fun training can be.”

The DogSmith offers new pet dog owners and shelters their ‘Canine Rescue Resources Program’ (CRRP).  The CRRP program includes monthly puppy socialization programs, dog training podcasts and telephone consultations, all at no cost.

Tudge says “The DogSmith Canine Rescue Resource Program is a two tiered approach which provides support, education and assistance to animal rescue groups and offers educational seminars and discounted training services to animal adopters in addition to our free services.  We believe by doing this we help increase the adoptability of dogs and cats from a shelter environment, help reduce the number of animals that are returned back to the rescue organization and help prevent animals being surrendered in the first place.”

The APDT believe that a better understanding of dog behavior can lead to happier, healthier and harmonious households for humans and canines.

About The DogSmith

The DogSmith Franchise Services Inc. is a Florida based company whose mission is to enhance the lives of pets and their owners by improving their relationship, and the quality of the life they share, through providing professional support and training to pet dog owners, supporting and assisting animal shelters and rescue organizations to minimize the number of unwanted animals and offering affordable and professional care to family pets so that pet ownership is never a burden. To learn more about the DogSmith or become a DogSmith Dog Trainer, visit http://www.DogSmith.com or call 1-888-364-7648.

About The APDT

The APDT has promoted education for dog trainers.  With more than 5,000 members who are willing and able to assist dog owners, the APDT is the largest professional organization for dog trainers in the world. http://www.APDT.com

Dogs Are Not Born As Shelter Dogs!

Its hard to say but how many new puppy owners without realizing  it are creating future shelter dogs. Training your puppy can be fun and can start on day one when you bring them home. The first goals are house training, socialization and a soft mouth. Then get them into a good off leash, safe & fun puppy class. They learn so much from other dogs. Teaching them puppy skills in a puppy class environment is setting them up for the real world. Dogs are not born shelter dogs, they end up there because we don’t help them to coexist in our world.

BEFORE You Get Your Puppy

This book is simply a MUST READ for anyone thinking of getting a puppy.  With a little preparation, you can raise a dog that never makes a single house-soiling or destructive chewing mistake, is calm and quiet on command or when home alone, and is gentle and confident around people.

BEFORE You Get Your Puppy.pdf

2.68 MB

After You Get Your Puppy

This book explains how to easily housetrain and socialize your puppy, starting from Day One.  It covers: crate training, house soiling, destructive chewing, socialization, preventing aggression, bite inhibition, on-leash walking, recalls, preventing adolescent problems and the importance of an off-leash puppy socialization and training class.

 

Attachment	Size
AFTER You Get Your Puppy.pdf	4.69 MB

 

 

Download two great FREE Puppy Books written by Ian Dunbar. Before you get your puppy and After You Get Your Puppy. Call your Local DogSmith for a FREE phone consultation. Lets keep dogs in homes and out of shelters.

Got Dog? Then Fetch The DogSmith!

Does your dog drag you around, body tackle visitors or is generally out of control?  Do you have to be away from home for an hour, a day or a month?  The DogSmith is your answer providing you with the unrivaled dog training and pet care that you need now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whether your dog is a new puppy or just acts like one.  We have the customized dog training and behavior-counseling you need to bring out the very best in your dog.  We help you make your pet part of the family.  And you’ll never be torn between the demands of your busy life and the needs of your pet.  We offer a wide range of Pet Care programs to fit your lifestyle and budget.

Learn More About How The DogSmith Solves Canine Problems One ‘Woof’ at a time, Satisfaction Guaranteed:

• Dog training
• In-home pet care
• Dog walking
• Pet sitting
• Pet nutrition

Call The DogSmith today at 888-DOG-SMITH (364-7648) for your FREE Telephone consultation.

Dog training Pet Care Florida, Alabama, Texas, West Palm Beach, Panama City, Pensacola, North Tarrant County

Join The DogSmith® Become a Dog Trainer!

In today’s economy, owning your own DogSmith business may be the best investment you can make. Take it from the likes of J. Paul Getty (who said the only way to make a great deal of money is to own one’s own business) and Warren Buffet (who prefers owning a business to passive investments). We believe that you can be successful in just about any business if you are willing to work hard enough but because of our mission, vision, ethics and values, and our unique DogSmith pledge you will be proud to be a DogSmith. The DogSmith is synonymous with quality and expertise in the pet care industry. We help pets become family! ®

 

Join The DogSmith® Team and become:
A Professional Dog Trainer & Behavior Counselor, plus learn the skills to be:

• A Professional Pet Care Provider
• A Member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers
• A Certified Dog Trainer
• An AKC “CGC” Evaluator
• A Business Owner
• A Pet Nutrition Expert

The DogSmith ® Offers Unrivaled Pet Care!
We Provide:

• On-site training in learning theory
• One-on-one training & business support
• The DogSmith® proprietary marketing program
• Weekly marketing support and accountability calls
• Weekly financial training and support
• Peer group support from the DogSmith team
• Purchasing system
• Website, toll free call access & business management software
• Continuing educational units for DogSmiths
• Web seminars
• Media and Public Relations support
• Practical Dog Training Skills

Learn more about how to become a dog trainer

Contact us today for a FREE phone consultation
DogSmith Franchise Sales
FranchiseSales@DogSmith.com
1-888-Dog-Smith (364-7648) ext 2

DogSmith Franchise Operations
Rick Ingram
RickIngram@DogSmith.com
1-888-Dog-Smith (364-7648) ext 3

DogSmith Founder
Niki Tudge
NikiTudge@DogSmith.com
1-888-Dog-Smith (364-7648) ext 3

What You Need To Know Before Hiring A Dog Trainer!

Your local DogSmith® provides In-Home Pet Care, Group Training, Private Training, Dog Day Care, Canine Slumber Parties, Dog Walks, Pet Sitting, Pet Nutrition & Pet Waste Cleanup Services. The DogSmith® offers concierge pet care services tailored to meet the individual needs of your pets and your family. We are the only call you will ever have to make. Helping Pets Become Family! 1-888-Dog-Smith (364-7648) The DogSmith® is recommended by clients, veterinarians and animal rescue facilities We guarantee your pet’s satisfaction. Before Hiring a Professional Dog Trainer –   Read this FREE report on what you must know about dog training methods

The DogSmith Offers FREE Phone Consultations

Request Your FREE phone consultation

Sign up with The DogSmith for a FREE telephone consultation.

We are happy to spend a few minutes with you on the phone so you can learn more about The DogSmith® and we can learn more about you and your pets. We can create a dog training program or a personalized pet care program tailored to meet the needs of you and your pets.

Fill out the form on this link and a DogSmith® will contact you.

Hurry Up! It’s not too late

Help make a difference in the fight to end animal cruelty and get a last-minute tax deduction. Your gift today will help us continue our efforts to provide the life-saving medical care and much-needed protection that abused, abandoned, lost and homeless pets desperately need. Plus, with your contribution of $25 or more, you’ll receive a full ASPCA membership and subscription to our quarterly magazine, ASPCA Action.

Animal lovers like you, who care passionately about protecting our beloved companions, give us hope. Your commitment brings us one step closer to ending all forms of animal cruelty and finding permanent loving homes for America’s adoptable animals.

Donate and save lives

 

 

 

 

 

Here are a few of my favorite no-kill, non profit animal rescue groups that i feel comfortable giving my  money too. If a particular breed is your ‘cup of tea’ then think about donating to a breed rescue group.

New Spirit 4 Aussie Rescue

Don’t want to adopt but do want to help?

Donate

We depend on donations to supplement our adoption fees.

Sometimes, the cost to rescue a dog far exceeds our adoption fee.

We accept checks or Paypal.

You’ll receive a letter acknowledging your gift for your tax records.

You can also help by visiting our Paws To Shop section.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Donate with PayPal

(You don’t need to have a PayPal account yourself.)

Volunteer

You can do a little or a lot:

no experience necessary!

Make reference check phone calls, do home visits, help with transporting dogs, fundraise, maintain webpages, help at rescue booths, or become a foster home.

Your fellow New Spirit volunteers will be there to help every step of the way!

 

 

When 4 Senses Have To Make Up For 5 – Living with a blind dog.

I was reading over Christmas, The New Spirit 4 Aussie December Newsletter and came across a great article about living with blind dogs, When 4 Senses Have To Make Up For 5.

This article interested me as just recently i had helped a Aussie Rescue Group transport some blind and deaf dogs to their new homes. Over the years I have been involved in training deaf dogs and blind dogs but had not really stopped to think about some of the things you would need to know if you shared your home with a blind dog. The full newsletter can be found here.

December Newsletter – New Spirit 4 Aussie Rescue

In our last newsletter, we had a great article about how to work with your deaf Aussie or other deaf dog. This time we’d like to talk about blind dogs. Now blindness can come from old age or juvenile cataracts. In those cases, the vision degrades slowly and the dogs make their own adjustments to their environment. Most do very well as it is a slow process and often you might not even be aware of the diminishing vision until the dog can’t find its way back to you during off leash obedience or agility training or you vet informs you of what is happening. With cataracts, surgery is an option, depending on how advanced it is and how much work you are willing to do to help your dog heal. With Aussies, there is another and sneakier source of blindness. This is a recessive gene associated with the gene that gives us merles. When 2 merle dogs are bred, every pup in the litter has a 25 percent chance of being born blind or deaf or blind and deaf. This is why reputable breeders do not breed merles to merles. But the issue isn’t quite as clear as that because your tri or bi colored Aussie might have had a merle parent. Again, reputable breeders know the pedigree of the parents and the grandparents of the dogs they breed to try to prevent this problem. Once a merle/merle pup is born, they can be partially deaf or partially blind, in which case training is the same as for seeing/hearing dogs. We’ve talked about the deaf dog so now I’ll give some hints about working with a blind dog. First understand this: blind or not, deaf or not, what you have is an Aussie….smart, energetic, loyal and loving. He doesn’t know he has a ‘handicap’ and therefore you shouldn’t treat him as handicapped or feel sorry for him. Of course, you’ll want to keep an eye on him if he’s playing in an unfenced area. He’s not going to see that play bow from your other dogs or the lifted lip that says ‘back off’. So monitor your pup until the resident dogs figure out that yes, he’ll bump into them and no, he won’t see a visible warning or an invitation to play.

When evaluating a blind dog to add to your family, take time to watch its reactions to activity around it. If you sneak up behind and rub his butt, he should just turn and look for more attention. If he spins and snaps, go find another dog. That dog is going to be too reactive to take to a family environment. Walk him around the area, particularly outside and watch reactions. Is he courageous, walking everywhere, bumping into things, then figuring out how to back up and try a different route, is he listening to people coming and going, cars passing? Then you have a smart, curious, energetic pup. Take him home and be prepared for the most devoted, loving dog you’ll ever have. In the house, on the first day, it might be helpful to walk him on a leash through the house to figure out where the doors are. Then let him wander. Yes for a few weeks he’ll be like a bumper car, bouncing off cabinets, door frames and furniture until he’s memorized everything. The one thing that takes a bit of extra training is stairs. Put him on a leash and walk him up the stairs, counting the steps out loud. Let him visit the rooms then take the leash firmly in hand and make him walk slowly down the stairs, counting them out loud. Do this a couple of times and he’ll soon be flying down the stairs with the rest of the pack as if they were racing the Indy 500. If you have to move, be sure to do the stairs thing again. I went from a 12 step contemporary home to a 15 step old farm house. We heard a crash when my Aussie counted to 12 and stepped off…Oops

Do all your normal obedience training. He should, first and foremost, learn to come when called. This is absolutely vital, especially when you start letting him play off lead. He should learn the basics of sit, stay, down, leave it and drop it. Even without vision, his nose will lead him to the most interesting things and you might want to call him off from the activity. Blind dogs excel at obedience as they are not distracted by people walking by or balls rolling past. Of course it also means this won’t be your frisbee or flyball companion. That’s when you get your second Aussie! Blind Aussies are not handicapped; blindness is not lethal as long as you keep the dog out of the street or dangerous areas. They are courageous, fun, loving pets. My blind Aussie Tyson is a major fundraiser for New Spirit, attending events, walking among the crowds and rolling over for tummy rubs. Go ahead and adopt one if you are willing to do the same basic training you’d give your seeing Aussie. Oh…and don’t rearrange the furniture without warning your
dog.
~Martha MacDonald ~

New Spirit 4 Aussie Rescue

Click to access New_Spirit_News_V2_I3_December_2010.pdf

Does Your Dog Grab Treats From Your Hand a Little Too Roughly?

Here is a good tip to help change your dog’s behavior if it gets a little too grabby about getting treats from your hand. Remember The DogSmith® way is to teach your dog an alternative or if possible an incompatible behavior. Some times by saying ‘ouch’ or just pulling your hand back your dog can become frustrated. When dogs become frustrated they can get pushier to acquire their goal.  Teach your dog that if it approaches the situation in a different way it will get the treat.

1.      Break a nice treat into small pieces and place one piece between your fingers so the dog can smell the treat but there is nothing to grab.

2.      Let your fingers curl up so that the treat is hidden between your fingers and your palm

3.      When your dog sniffs at your palm with its nose and starts to move the nose around looking for the treat he should begin licking at the hand

4.      Let his licking and sniffing gently unroll the hand until he can access the treat.

5.      Teach your dog that to get the treat he needs to gently investigate the hand and not grab it or make contact with the teeth

6.      Don’t allow pushy or gobbling behavior, your dog will learn what works and what does not, to access the treat.

This is an exercise I am always reminded of when the weather gets cold. Some pushy or gobbling dogs that sit on the threshold of what I consider an acceptable way to take treats may get away with it in the warm weather. BUT in very cold weather when you, the trainer, have cold hands and a big nose and a set of teeth make a tiny amount of contact with your frozen fingers it can be very painful!

You can also try the ‘take it’ and ‘leave it’ DogSmith MTR e-card, this can also work well with food treats. Download a FREE copy from our home page on The DogSmith website

 

A Dogs New Years Resolutions

I will not play tug-of-war with Dad’s underwear when he’s on the toilet.

The garbage collector is NOT stealing our stuff.

I do not need to suddenly stand straight up when I’m lying under the coffee table

I will not roll my toys behind the fridge.

I must shake the rainwater out of my fur BEFORE entering the house.

I will not eat the cats’ food, before or after they eat it.

I will stop trying to find the few remaining pieces of clean carpet in the

house when I am about to throw up.

I will not throw up in the car.

I will not roll on dead seagulls, fish, crabs, etc.

I will not lick my human’s face after eating animal poop.

Kitty box crunchies are not food.

I will not eat any more socks and then redeposit them in the backyard after processing.

The diaper pail is not a cookie jar.

I will not wake Mommy up by sticking my cold, wet nose up her bottom end.

I will not chew my human’s toothbrush and not tell them.

I will not chew crayons or pens, especially not the red ones, or my people will think I am hemorrhaging.

When in the car, I will not insist on having the window rolled down when it’s raining outside.

We do not have a doorbell. I will not bark each time I hear one on TV.

I will not steal my Mom’s underwear and dance all over the back yard with it.

The sofa is not a face towel. Neither are Mom & Dad’s laps.

My head does not belong in the refrigerator.

I will not bite the officer’s hand when he reaches in for Mom’s driver’s license and car registration.

Author Unknows