The most important part about a bite, or any unwanted behaviour, is figuring out why it happened in the first place. I firmly believe that a misunderstood action or behaviour leaves a lot of room for it to happen again, or for other symptoms to occur. This is why my immediate response to an unwanted behaviour is not how to stop it, but rather how to prevent it. When it comes to puppy biting, this is most commonly due to boredom or being overtired/overstimulated. Very few young puppies will bite for other reasons. Puppies play with their mouth, and it’s also how they can initiate play with one another. But if you want to stop and deterr your puppy from biting you, you will need to be one step ahead of him, by providing activities where he will get to burn both physical and mental energy. A mellow and relaxed puppy is not as likely to feel the need to bite. The only thing they will then feel the need to do is chew on a Kong-like toy and settle before resting. Start by being aware of the moment your puppy wakes up, as this is when energy start to build up. At this point you should be taking your puppy out for a potty break anyway, but after coming back inside, don’t let them roam free. Instead, go into a fun tug and pull game, and if your puppy happens to be very mouthy during play, you can use a towel or gloves. Puppies naturally play with their mouth, and given proper outlets, they will with time realize that there’s no actual need to use their mouth to instigate a game of any kind. Following the physical game, switch into a mental game like snuffling, or hiding your puppy’s food inside a towel. Mental games are not just great at burning brain energy, they’re also fantastic at helping your dog’s miind relax, slow down and think. All of which are critical in your dog’s development. Without these types of games you will end up with a pup that is left feeling overstimulated, not yet knowing how to self soothe. Following the mental game, provide your pup with a stuffed Kong and other toys that they can place any chewing energy towards. This should be leading to a nap. Once your puppy wakes up, rinse and repeat!

Similarly to puppies, older dogs can bite out of boredom, being overtired, overstimulated, among other reasons. You can redirect a bite with a toy, or a strong scent (like chicken, bacon, ham) however if you're worried your dog's behaviour having changed negatively, please consult with a reputable, positive reinforcement trainer so they can properly address the root of the issue, while helping you prevent future bites.

One of the most important lessons any dog should learn is to wait - to wait for everything and anything you are looking to provide for him. Whether it’s food, water, a toy, your touch, opening the door, putting the leash on, and so on, your dog is ready to wait if you simply expect him to and in turn wait while he figures out that you will reward his patience and trust. We often mistake a dog sitting down, as one that is waiting calmly. And even worse, the amount of time we expect our dog to remain in a seated position is usually no more than a couple of seconds. We need to teach your dogs to wait for as long as we require them to. This is how a dog can learn to no longer demand things but to instead trust and wait that you will let him know when it is that he will get something from you! This is the equivalent of giving your dog a kong and letting him figure out how to get the treat out. In this case, however, the treat is whatever you'd like to provide your dog with. Let your dog try barking at you, perhaps even howling or jumping. But the moment you obtain calmness after having said 'Sit', is the moment you can nurture that state of mind with the act of giving something to your dog. Then the next time, have him wait for longer. This is where the challenge lies for your dog, but the bigger the difficulty, the more rewarding it is once your dog figures out that calmness, relaxation, peace, and trust is the key to everything he has ever wanted. Always remember that waiting is something they are born knowing how to do. During puppyhood, the mother will indicate when feeding time begins and when it ends. She doesn't feed the pups because they ask her to, nor because it's a particular time or hour of the day that she follows. She simply decides when the right time to feed the puppies is, and then lets them know. This video is a good example of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHBe0jT6S3U In the video, not only is the mother of the pups making them wait, but she is also making sure that they're waiting calmly, above all. This is something we simply do not practice at home, once we bring home our puppy, but we really should!

Start with the basics and keep your training sessions short. The ideal scenario with commands or any cues you do with your dog is that they work and feel as good for you AND your dog. If your dog enjoys doing them, he/she is more likely to want to repeat them in the future. Begin with sit, down, stay, and come. These are great first practiced at home first, prior to in a social setting. When you feel ready to do them outside of your home or in a more social environment, what you want to pay attention to is just how distracting or exciting that may be for your dog, as it can add difficulty to what you normally expect from your dog's behaviour. Whether you're practicing the basics or more advanced cue, if you would like for your dog to feel encouraged to repeat them with you, do your best to avoid using them anytime you dislike a behaviour your puppy is doing. Instead, practice distracting and redirecting them with a smell/toy instead until you have them feeling good and at ease once more. One other important element to consider is what the reward is. Dogs are happy doing things with you and for you but they also have preferences as to what they enjoy doing things for, as far as rewards go. If you're working in a distracting environment, and/or working on a new exercise, using a high value, rare treat that they don't get often is more likely to secure you the response you're hoping for, and later down the line you can work towards getting the same results but with lesser value treats.

If you’re familiar with my take on dog training, you probably aren’t shocked if I start this blog post off by saying that to fix this issue, we first need to understand why it’s happening in the first place. That said, food is something that sometimes even humans can’t control their impulses over. But for most pet parents facing this issue, let’s first dig into how we can prevent the unwanted behaviour before providing the alternatives, that will help manage it as well. To start, why a lot of dogs even feel the need to come anywhere close to the dinner table is not actually to get food, but rather to get attention. Thus meaning that if we’re able to get to the point where a dog isn’t at all bothered to get your attention at all during dinner time, we can then altogether avoid the issue of stealing food. How do we get to that point? Mental and physical enrichment of course! Very simply put, if dinner time is at 6 pm, and we want our dog to be relaxed by 5:30-6 pm, what should/do we need to do by around 5 pm to get there? Start with some fun tug-and-pull, and/or fetch games to drain some of that physical energy. Followed by some food puzzles and snuffle mats, or even some obedience training tricks to get that mental energy out of the way (using your dog’s meal). And perhaps top it all off with a quick little walk around the block to decompress. As you walk back in and begin serving dinner, bring outside of the freezer a delicious stuffed kong that’ll encourage your dog to remain calm and occupied, while you get started on your dinner. If this doesn’t help at all or perhaps just for a little bit, as you see your dog approach the table, this is where you will want to guide them back towards their bed or place of rest (with the leash as needed) and give them a few seconds before they settle on their own, which is when you will bring out a few small pieces of their treat to reward this waiting behaviour. It’s important to continue and practice doing this, even after we’ve done everything to prevent this scenario, because we’re still working on preventing on the behaviour of your dog making his way all the way to the table, while also showing them a new behaviour of waiting away and being rewarded for that. Eventually, combining both proper physical and mental stimulation outlets with ongoing guidance to avoid unwanted outcome will help your dog find joy in the new steps you’ve laid in front of them and start to forget the previous habit.

It's a misconception that neutering/spaying a dog will make them calmer. Most dogs will feel slightly different, more mellow and less active immediately after a treatment or surgery at their vet. However with time each dog will start behaving and feeling like their old selves again. Instead of relying on this procedure to hopefully calm or relax your dog, look for safe and fun games and activities for them to do on a daily basis. Everything from dog food puzzles, snuffle mats, tug and pull toys to agility training will help ensure you have a calm and relaxed dog at home!

Most commonly, your dog will come and lick you to show you their affection and trust. As well as grow your bond while licking is also a calming and relaxing activity dogs do for themselves and one another. The key thing is that your dog is choosing to come to you. Otherwise, if you find your dog often licks you mostly during interactions initiated by you, it could be more an appeasing behaviour, potentially. So with all healthy behaviours toward you, it's definitely best if it's mainly initiated by your dog.

Dog walks are amazing! They're the primary enrichment and socialization outlet for the majority of pooches and make for a great bonding activity with their pet parents. But are dog walks enough to fulfill a dog's physical, mental, and social enrichment needs? Let's start with your dog's feeding habits/rituals. If they're not into their food, they may be counter-surfing or even begging for other food because it's a means to eat something they prefer. You can read this article if your dog isn't into their food. If your dog does eat his food but would rather try to get to the food you're having or anything that's being left on the counter, one way that you can help manage the environment to help them keep all four on the ground is to provide them with food puzzles or snuffle mats that'll further engage their attention. Tried the above and your dog is still counter-surfing? Consider the following: 1. Is your dog feeling bored/does feeding time = getting attention time? Counter-surfing, begging or whining can be signs that your dog has found in those activities a little bit of a 'problem' or a game to take on if they're feeling bored or understimulated. It can also be something they practice when they're too tired and don't know how to rest (see the second point for more details) on their own. And so what you will want to do is plan accordingly, to set yourself and your dog up for success by doing physically, mentally and even socially-stimulating activities not too long before lunchtime or dinner time, to help your dog feel more mellow and relaxed. A dog that's feeling more mellow is one that's more receptive to training or receiving your guidance, as opposed to one that is feeling very energetic, and simply looking for some engaging outlets to put that energy towards! 2. Provide your dog with an alternative. If your dog doesn't know what to do, simply confronting and telling them to not jump or counter-surf will likely not work. Instead, you will want to provide your dog with an alternative that feels just as good, or even better, for them to practice instead of counter surfing. If you've practiced the first point above, then it should be doable to guide your dog with their leash towards their bed, wait for them to lay down, and reward them with a special treat before dinner time, as to let them know that they have something they can do on their own end WHILE you focus on dinner. Each dog will respond to this differently. Dogs that have learned this type of relaxation exercise in class may have an easier time staying in that position/feeling on their own. If your dog keeps getting up you will want to gently guide them back to their bed. With enough practice and repetition, your dog will learn that what you're asking of them is to wait on it (and ensure it pays off with a high-value reward, especially the first times you try this.). If your dog has a really hard time staying away from you and the action, you may need to consider the point below as well. 3. If being away and giving you distance is something that's very difficult for your dog, then it's going to take some time. While your dog is learning that it's enjoyable and rewarding to give you space during dinner time, you will still want to ensure that you're preventing counter-surfing altogether. Because even if your dog isn't yet doing the behaviour you want (waiting elsewhere while you eat) you want to make sure that you practice making it so they can't practice the unwanted behaviour. And you can do so by assigning a member of your household that will help walk your dog away as he gets closer to the table or kitchen area. Walking away ensures that your dog doesn't get to jump or counter-surf and it's eventually the action that you will want your dog to do all on their own (especially if it's difficult for them to simply stay and wait somewhere else) so be sure to make it fun and rewarding for them to walk away from the table with you. Simply repeating this exercise of walking, in combination with the first two points will create for a little bit of an exercise that burns any extra mental or physical energy your dog may have, which can then encourage them to naturally want to take a break and not feel the need to counter-surf.

Yes, at the top of the list is your dog loves you because you ARE their whole world! So that’s one of the reasons. Let’s tackle the other 2: Anxiousness This likely isn’t a big surprise, as your dog may have been displaying this behaviour for some time and likely has other ways of showing signs of uncertainty or anxiety, even separation anxiety. This could be due to your dog not having yet learned the best practices (relaxation, reinforcing calm behaviour) with you that help him or her understand that time and distance apart is not a bad thing, but something everyone can look forward to, even for just a little and build from there. Anxiety is of course different for every dog and many different triggers may cause this, which is why it’s important to seek our a dog trainer’s support and knowledge in helping you understand how to guide your dog before, during, and after moments where he or she feels as though the best and only option they have is to continuously follow you around your home. Until then, the next reason is one you can Begin putting into practice sooner than later and likely start seeing a major difference in your dog’s behaviour, in many ways! Boredom One of the biggest reasons we love dogs is because they have the will to do what it takes (for us and themselves) to move forward! But when it comes to relentlessly moving as your shadow as you walk around inside your house, one major reason for this may be due to a lack of proper stimulation outlets. This doesn’t mean your dog isn’t getting enough exercise, or that he or she needs more walks. But rather, this means that your dog following you around could be their way to let you know that they’ve still got a bit (or a lot) of energy left to put to good use! Most commonly it’s mental energy that our average household dogs tend to store inside their mind, on a daily basis, until they feel as though the time has come to find an outlet that will do the job! And that’s where following you around comes in! But recognizing this could be the reason behind it, opens up a whole new world for you and your dog as you can then begin exploring fun activities you can put into place on a daily basis! Lookup nose games to challenge your dog’s mind, as well as food and snuffle puzzles that can and should replace your dog’s bowl for further daily enrichment. For physical activities, continue going on your walks but supplement them with a fun flirt pole toy that you can use both indoors and outdoors! This toy is one of the quickest and most fun ways to get your dog’s physical energy out! There you have it! Don’t forget that your pup loves you, and that potential anxiety is something you can get dog training support but what can help a lot is practicing fun, daily enrichment activities! Did you learn something new from this post? Let us know at info@pmez.ca.

Prong collars are meant to cause dogs physiological harm (on purpose), not only physically, but mentally as well. They can be very detrimental to your relationship with your dog, just like all other aversive training methods. Prong collars are designed to stun your dog by piercing your dog's neck the moment you pull or tug on their leash. Doing this makes it so your dog is more likely to stop what they're doing in order to avoid feeling that pain again. And so, to avoid inflicting physical pain to your dog and instead of using a prong collar, you should consider using either a flat collar or even better a harness, as well as the support of positive reinforcement training to instead work on guiding your dog towards success in a fun, encouraging, and harm-free way. In addition to keeping your dog away from an aversive tool like a prong collar, another reason to not use prong collars is that it's not a tool that is designed to help you and your dog better understand one another, particularly when your dog is struggling in a social setting. Aversive methods like prong and shock collars aim to simply stun your dog, regardless of how they're feeling or why. Needless to say, although you might find those types of results using this tool, you might also find that other behavioural issues may appear as a result of not having addressed the problem as a whole, by understanding why it's happening in the first place and providing your dog with a new 'replacement' behaviour that you're both happy with.