I don’t know about you, but I’ve been wondering about the answer to “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” for years. What a question, right? Well, here’s the answer! The straight dish. By Helen Verte Dog Trainer and Behavior Modification, Broward County Google +
The Brilliance of Dogs
June 7, 2014 by
Here’s a video of a Lurcher who was spending time at the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in Great Britain waiting for his chance for adoption. He got it, but before that, he was a bit of a Robin Hood in his kennel block. He shared the goods with his preferred doggy buddies. This boy has got quite a bright light bulb on over his head. (Or someone’s trained him well.) By Helen Verte Dog Trainer and Behavior Modification, Fort {Read More}
Water Availability When Housetraining Your Pup or Dog
June 1, 2014 by
Housetraining puppies is a big job. Their bladders are small, and they have to eliminate much more frequently than their adult counterparts. This chart is a guideline of how long puppies can generally last between one elimination period to the next. Each puppy is different, and some may have lesser or longer holding stamina. Age/Weeks 8–10 11-14 15-16 17+ Maximum Elimination Span 30–60 minutes 1-3 hours 3-4 hours 4-5 hours I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to have {Read More}
Suddenly It’s Different
May 31, 2014 by
Suddenly it’s different. I’m cutting chicken up for a client’s dog and everyone’s there, but you. You’re in the other room, lying down on the futon. Alone and in another world. I’ve never known you to skip a family event especially one involving food preparation. When I can no longer see the knife, I have to stop and wipe away the tears. You’ve been on the planet 12 years and 3 months. Except for the first of those years, you {Read More}
Brush Your Dog’s Teeth
May 30, 2014 by
You’ll find a lot of people who say they love puppy breath. But the buck stops there. Adult dog breath doesn’t get the same accolades. Could it be that as a dog grows up, his teeth desperately need brushing, but most dog owners don’t brush their dogs’ teeth? Primarily because they don’t know how. Or why they should do it. Treat and dog food manufacturers would have you believe that all your dog has to do is eat hard food {Read More}
Dog Play
May 18, 2014 by
Play is an important part of a dog’s life. Having toys and playful times with people and other dogs is a way a dog expresses his drives and lets off steam. Some dogs, though, are reluctant to play and need help with the process. There are ways to encourage a dog to play, and once play is enjoyable, it can be used as a reward. Having options to reward your dog is a benefit. There are many types of play. {Read More}
Full Moon Fun With Your Dog
May 13, 2014 by
Tomorrow night is a full moon night. Why not do something special with your dog? Do you have a fenced-in back yard? If your dog loves to play fetch, imagine his surprise when you invite him to play a moon lit game of fetch. (Make sure your dog’s had at least an hour to digest his dinner first before any vigorous exercise.) The glow from the moon usually gives off enough light for fetch to be possible and fun. There {Read More}
A Chewed Baseball Cap
May 7, 2014 by
I have a baseball cap from a Dobermann Rescue group I just loved. They have a new style and don’t make the old design anymore. So when I found that part of the bill had worked out nicely as a chew toy for my newly adopted Dobie Pippin way back when, I was disappointed. That was years ago, and I lost my Dobie Pippin in February of this year. I still have the cap, and it’s taken on a different {Read More}
Dogs Learn From Our Habits
April 27, 2014 by
Dogs live in the now and that’s one of the many things I love about them. I also love how dogs learn from associations. The key components of our daily routines help dogs learn how to adjust their behavior to best suit their needs. When I get ready for bed each night, I take the barrier to the bed away. I keep an ex-pen panel on the bed during the day because one of my dogs urinates on the bed {Read More}
Bunny Ears on Your Dog
April 18, 2014 by
Would you like to put bunny ears on your dog, so you can take a few memorable Easter pictures? There’s a first time for everything, and this was the first time this adolescent Elkhound wore bunny ears. You can almost hear him howling, “Help me!” So how do we help him? There’s a little trick to this. And it works. Contact me if you’d like help with teaching your dog to get used to bunny ears, or any other head {Read More}
Cows Jump For Joy
April 13, 2014 by
It’s hard to watch this without wondering. Just because we have the upper hand in the way things are run on this planet and just because they don’t, is it really appropriate how we treat them and use them for our benefit? There’s more to cows than meat, milk, and leather. Apparently, they love life as much as we do. By Helen Verte Positive Dog Trainer in Broward County Fort Lauderdale
Walks With My Dog
April 8, 2014 by
I love going on walks with my dogs. Not taking them for walks, but going on walks with them. They have a say on what we do as much as I do. Why shouldn’t they? They’re part of my life, and I want them to enjoy their time on planet earth, too. One of the things dogs love to do is sniff. This is Dudley and he could take an hour-long walk in a 100 square-foot area if there were {Read More}
Dogs and Destructive Chewing
April 5, 2014 by
We call dogs who chew our stuff destructive chewers, but in reality, they really don’t know the difference between their stuff and ours. They have an internal program running that makes them want to chew, shred, express themselves. And sometimes the target of their behavior can get them into really big trouble, through no fault of their own. They were only doing what their hardwired dog brains told them to do. With management and training implemented, however, the behavior of {Read More}
Aggression
April 2, 2014 by
Dogs who are displaying aggression with teeth showing, snarling and barking, are unnerving to most of us and can be embarrassing if we’re out in public with a reactive, teeth baring pet. After all, dogs are our companions and we sometimes forget that they also have a powerful set of teeth that they can call upon when threatened. Dogs display aggressive behavior to create space. Either they want someone to leave, or they are willing to leave. Whichever the case, {Read More}
