There are not too many useful, effective, and comfortable to use training products or training accessories but some definitely are. I don’t make these, and I am not affiliated with these companies in any way – but I do use these products so wanted to give some recommendations!

The better Treat Pouch

The only one that I have found to be really handy and useful is the one that has been known as Karen Pryor Treat Pouch and now been distributed by Pet Safe. It has a spring loaded hinge to it so in a slight touch it will close to keep dog noses off from poking in and avoid losing treats on the go. It will stay open if you wish while you train for quick reachout for treats. Highly recommended for the training stages where you need to have treats on you all the time. It comes in two sizes and a few colors. Price is reasonable and affordable. Good quality, washable. Keep the hinges oiled to prevent them to rust.

The Classic Kong Toy

This is a long time successful and very useful training toy, or better determined as training accessory. It is safe for all ages dogs (comes in various sizes and colors) and it is hollow.
Puppies can chew on it safely without destroying, tearing apart and swallow chunks of it, which is not true with Nylabone (see my blog “The Nylabone Scare).
You can stuff the Kong with favorite goodies, like peanut butter or even mushed dog food and freeze it. Then, use it in special occasions when you crate train or train to stay home alone to keep the dog busy working the goodies out of the Kong. The Kong is relatively cheap and I found it to be very effective in training.

Safe and effective deterrent (Citrus Magic)

Puppies must chew. Like babies, their emerging teeth are bothering them and they will chew on anything and everything in the household. Preventing your puppy from harming himself or herself, causing damages to furniture, and any reachable chewable item can be a real hassle. The Citrus magic spray is not only a natural odor eliminating air freshener, it can be used to to deter the puppies from chewing on everything. Unlike the bitter apple spray (my dogs loved licking on it) this can be safely sprayed on furniture, plants and anything that you need to keep the puppy away from. Inexpensive and very effective.

Harnesses that make training easier.

Although, there isn’t even one harness in the world that will avoid or teach the dog not to pull by itself as there is no such thing, the front buckle harness can ease training the dog not to pull and allow you to better control the pulling dog while training loose leash walking.

Premier Easy Walk is one of the better harnesses in the market and is easy to train the dog to willingly dress on. With treats it will probably take just a few minutes.

The other similar harness is Soft Touch SENSE-ation (Yes, this is how it is spelled) 🙂

Both harnesses come in various sizes and instructions for sizing. are equally effective, and with the right techniques dogs will learn to walk nicely and not pull.

DO NOT EXPECT THE LEASH TO DO THE TRAINING JOB FOR YOU. IT WILL NOT! Please, get a trainer to teach you the correct way of using it.

Have fun training!

Gil

In March 2005 I adopted a 3 year old male Australian Shepherd, named Montana. He was a double merle, meaning he was the offspring from breeding two merles. As a result he was born deaf. His eye sight was fine, except in very bright sunlight. I remember my husband’s concern with adopting a deaf dog. With positive reinforcement training, patience, and love, he flourished and reached his full potential. He turned out to be the most well-behaved and sweetest dog I have had the pleasure of having as a member of the family. I could take him anywhere with me. We made therapy pet visits to assisted living homes, presented to young children at a local preschool school and library; teaching responsible pet ownership, how to behave around dogs, and bite prevention. He was good with everyone and other animals. We had a child a year after we adopted Montana. Two years later we adopted a cat, and he was wonderful with both our daughter and cat. Montana was an invaluable training assistant, especially when working with reactive or fearful dogs, and with children who had a fear of dogs. We was very patient with all. Montana crossed over the Rainbow Bridge on August 17, 2014, at the age of 14 years.

There are many myths about deaf dogs such as they startle easily and therefore may be more likely to bite, they are not good with children, and they are difficult to train. These behaviors can exist in any dog. Deaf dogs can be trained just as easily as a hearing dog. Instead of using verbal cues, hand signals are used. Dogs are very visual, and understand body language better than our verbal languages, making training with hand signals easier for the dog to learn.

Montana was sensitive to flashing lights and shadows, so instead of using a small flashing light as a training marker, I used a thumbs up.  He barked at shadows cast on our wall from the sun. We once came home to a bloody mess. He tried to escape and had clawed his way through the dry wall right down to the wood of the wall, next to the door that leads to the garage. This caused bleeding from his nails from wearing them down to the kwik. I tried to modify this behavior but it proved to be too difficult. He made very little improvement, so management was the easier option. We made sure to turn lights on before dark and shut all shades and window curtains. We later put timers on our lights so they would go on before dark. He wasn’t walked after dark because the car lights made him nervous. He also hated having his picture taken, once he discovered that the camera flashes a light.  So we took pictures of him during the day, when a flash wasn’t needed, and while he was distracted with something else. In the picture shown here, he was in a sit and waiting for me to throw the disc for him to fetch.

Montana initially startled easily if touched. He would jump up and be nervous and confused, even if he wasn’t asleep. Although I always made sure I was in his visual periphery to announce my approach, I knew desensitizing would be important in case others didn’t know better or didn’t know he was deaf. Through systematic desensitization, I worked on reducing Montana’s reaction when startled, taking into consideration that this is an instinctive, reflexive response. I started by pairing a light touch of his fur with a food reinforcer. Gradually, I increased the pressure of the touch on his body and applied pressure with my whole hand. I touched him on his back or rump. This proved effective and he became much less “jumpy” when startled. His response was more like “hey, didn’t see you there”. When waking him up from sleep, I gently blew on his fur.

I live in a two story house and Montana often retreated to our upstairs level to sleep or rest. He learned that when I flicked the upstairs light on/off a few times, I was calling for his attention. He would come to the top of the stairs to find me at the bottom of the stairs waiting for him to come downstairs.

Montana learned many hand signals including those for sit, down, stay, come, spin right, spin left, settle, walk, car ride, play frisbee, play tug, paw, and kiss. He learned to walk off leash without wandering too far off from me. During our off leash outings, he frequently checked in with me, by stopping and turning around to make sure I wasn’t too far behind. He learned to stay within the boundaries of our property. Many friends and neighbors would comment on how well behaved Montana was despite his deafness. They were especially impressed that an Aussie would stay within his boundary, even if another dog was going by.

If anyone has any experience with a deaf, blind, or deaf & blind dog, please share. I am sure it will be helpful for anyone who is considering adopting a dog with these limitations, or who already has such a dog and would be interested in what others have experienced.

Writer: Susie Petitti, B.Sc, MBA, CPDT-KA®, CBCC-KA®, AKC CGC® Evaluator

How to treat an animal who is not breathing or has no heartbeat and is not conscious?

A = AIRWAYS

Is the animal’s throat and mouth clear of foreign objects? If yes go to Breathing.
If No:
1) Lay the animal down on one side.
2) Gently tilt the head slightly back to extend the neck and head.
3) Pull the tongue between the front teeth.
4) Use your finger to check for and remove any foreign material or vomit from the mouth. Read More

Hi Dog lovers,

Don’t let the cold winter weather stop you and your dog from enjoying the outdoors.

Outerwear

Short-coated breeds such as Greyhounds, Boston Terriers, Chihuahuas, Min Pins, Boxers and Dobermans are vulnerable to cold. Outerwear in the form of a sweater or a coat is recommended for protection. Choose one with a high collar that covers the dog from the base of the tail to the belly. Read More

Hello all dog lovers,

You might have innocently bought Nylabones to your lovely chewers and it never occurred to you that Nylabone could be a life-threatening product so here is a true story:

Bruno, my 16 months old Lagotto Romagnolo is a notorious chewer so, I bought him a “nice” Nylabone at the nearest Petco store. Read More

Hello dog lovers,

It has been long debated whether or not dogs with fear aggression could be rehabilitated and turned around. Many would say that a dog that has been growling, showing teeth and nip, even if it hasn’t harmed anyone yet, will eventually bite thus, needs to be euthanized, and sooner the better.

Me and Susie belong to the ones that will think it over several times and rather give a dog a chance, or to be more precise, will give it a chance if in proper hands. The handling, the love and patience with rehabilitating dogs is the profound key to success and as long as an aggressive dog has not gone beyond the point of no return, there is always a good chance for recovery. Read More

Hi folks,

I have not been writing for a while and Bruno, my Lagotto is now 9 months old. It is a harsh winter here in NH and he loves the snow and the cold weather and will not let me rest before his one hour run in the snow at 7:30 in the morning. The fact that it is 10 degrees out there doesn’t seam to bother him at all, I am the one to suffer. Yeah I know, there are some nuts in this world, and I am among them that will do everything for their dogs :-). Read More

You can find Lagotto general information on the web. That is not why I wanted to write about this dog. Although, if you have found the general description about Lagotto you must have noticed the comments about the dog’s traits in finding truffles deep in the ground. This dog has an unbelievable nose and retrieving natural skills.

Bruno, my Lagotto puppy is only three months old and already showing his sniffing skills. 10 days ago he started to nibble on my foot in a very particular spot and came back to it over and over again. I thought he is just playing a puppy game but, two days later I have developed an eczema in this exact spot. Two days ago he did the same thing on my other leg’s toe and guess what, this morning another eczema showed up right there. I was stun. Read More

Hello puppy owners,

Puppies are fun aren’t they? But are you really up to the task and commitment? Are you ready to put in the extra work for the next few months? Will you give your pup a hug when he wakes you up crying to get out of the crate and go out to eliminate or will this drive you nuts? If it does, do yourself and the pup a favor, DO NOT GET ONE!!!

But if you can wake up with a loving smile on your face twice a night, a puppy is for you and I am sure you will have a lot of fun making a new life time friend who will pay you back ten folds for all the love you have invested. Read More

Hi puppy admirers,

Can a 9 weeks old puppy be “aggressively dominant”? Is there such a thing or is it owner’s ignorance and lack of socialization issue?

A recent incident has made me bring this issue up to current and future puppy owners’ attention.

I have been called for behavior evaluation of a 9 weeks old gorgeous little pup. The owner claimed that the puppy was growling and snapping at kids and mainly when presented to a large group of them. Read More

Hello dog friends,

I have been asked by a few of my website visitors about their dog’s behavior that looks to them like he/she was trying to dominate the house and the available books and articles by old school trainers suggest that all dog owners should take the bull by the horn and show the dog who is the BOSS and any bad behavior on your dog’s part is due to him trying to dominate you.

Now, you wonder if you have got the right answer? Well, let me surprise you, YOU HAVE NOT!

Dogs have never ever tried or will dominate you. This myth is just not true. Read More

A tribute to a gorgeous Husky girl named Daisy

Daisy’s story has ended sadly on one of the main roads in the town of Hollis, New Hampshire where she was hit by a car still wearing her electric shock collar that supposed to confine her to the “fenced” yard. The system tested aftermath was working fine…

Hello dog lovers,

So, as you understand from visiting my website, I am a great fan of Positive Reinforcement. I will never punish a dog by any means, no hitting or kicking, no yelling or screaming, no yanking on the leash and will never use electric shockers of any kind. Read More