Transition to College Life

Hey everyone! 
I've been truly honored by all the interest I've gotten in the last few weeks from potential clients, but sadly I am not currently working. I have taken a break to attend the University of Texas at Austin. While I am super excited about my freshman year I greatly miss all my dogs. (If anyone would like to have a bring your dog to campus day I will gladly play babysitter while you work!). For all of you that have asked for referrals I always endorse Taurus Dog Training and Doggy Play Day http://www.taurusdogtraining.com/. Quoted from a response I recently made to a client -    
"A day at taurus can really tire most dogs out for the week and it is great for socialization with other dogs. The people that work there are amazing and I have sent my own dog there for boarding for the past 16 years. Many of my client's more energetic dogs go there when I am not around. The employees all really care - I can catch up with the owners of Taurus and they will always know whose dog's are doing what. Just the same employees who I have never met will stop me on the street to greet and play with a dog I'm walking and always know the dogs name and owners even though the dog is out of context walking with me in my own neighborhood". 
As to my plans I am currently pursuing a psychology B.A. and a dual major in Spanish Studies (a general Spanish language bachelors). I am hoping to add a business certificate from the McCombs school of business. I was lucky enough to come into college with almost 40 credit hours I am already enjoying many upper division classes and have ample time in my 4 years to complete multiple majors or explore more minors. As always I am hoping to use my new knowledge to open a training, boarding, shelter, or service business for dogs. I am hoping to return to volunteering at the local shelters and to find an internship, job, or research position with dogs soon. 
Wish me luck! Elissa

Summer 2011!

Now that summer has started I am ready to take on new clients and am excited for all the new families to join our little crew. If you have any questions feel free to contact me or ask around on the listserve and see what people say. Thanks so much for looking at us!
And for the inquiring minds - after a busy senior year I am off to the University of Texas at Austin in the Liberal Arts Honors Program (don't worry, I'm still planning on starting a career in dog training!). I would like to thank all the wonderful clients who congratulated me and inspired me through the admissions process (including begging me to stay in Austin so they would have someone to call on). I would especially like to thank the amazing dogs that inspired my final college admission essay which got me into my top choice school and earned a spot in the top ten essays of my high school.
Hope everyone is having a great summer!

Flying through the Seasons...

Now that summer is here I will be able to update the site a little more, but for now we will just play catch up on the year...

We've come so far! From those first crazy walks, to snow days (in Texas!?!), and then, before I could believe, we were sniffing wildflowers and panting our way through the start of another summer! We had a couple of major celebrations along the way, a first birthday (and a million other just as wonderful ages), some serious canine weight loss, a ton of new friends, and a lot of baby steps towards becoming better dogs and people. For all the accomplishments this year we would like to thank the people (4 and 2 legged) who joined us and made this FIRST year of business fun, congratulations, and welcome to another summer!

Dogs and Children

In the spirit of valentines we will discuss one the greatest types of love - the one between man, and man's best friend. Much like PB&J dogs and children have gone together since time immemorial - this does not guarantee your child's safety. In order to protect everyone involved it is imperative that parents teach their children respectful ways to treat animals. The following rules are a good start:
1. Always have the child ask the owner and you (the parent) before they approach or pet a strange dog
2. Teach and practice gentle contact with a friendly dog - make sure the child understands how to pet softly and avoid pulling on the dog or making loud noises or sudden movements
3. If the owner says anything uncertain about their dog such as "he is nervous", "she doesn't have much experience with kids", or "he is a puppy and can be wild" do not encourage your child to approach the dog or argue with the owner - they know the dog best, so no matter how good your child is with dogs or how crazy the dogs your child is used to are, allow the owner to make the choice and give your child something else to do
4. Respect that any dog owner is being gracious with their time when they stop and let your child interact with their dog - do not take advantage of this, a dog owner is not a babysitter

5. Teach children as they get older how to understand dog behavior - how to tell when dogs are angry, what to do when approached by an aggressive dog, and how to interact with dogs in ways that are enjoyable to everyone

Training Tip: Choosing Commands

When you choose a command word (the word you will use to ask for the behavior you are training) you will want to keep two rules in mind. First, short one or two syllable words are most easily recognized by dogs - this is something you should also keep in mind while naming a dog. Not only will keeping the commands simple help your dog learn the command, it will also make your life easier. For example, every time your dog tries to pick something gross off the ground you don't want to be caught trying to get out "please relinquish that" when "no" would elicit the same response. The second rule is to acknowledge that dogs comprehend hand signals better than words. To accommodate this it is often easier to teach the dog a hand signal and then add the command word. The final tip is to remember that any word will do, you don't have to always use "sit", so be creative and have fun choosing your dog's commands.

Take Care in the Cold Weather!

Even though it is rarely truly cold in Texas being prepared for inclement whether is still important. Though many dogs (such as "Scruffy" - image on the right) are naturally prepared for the colder months others need a little help. If you own or walk short haired dogs make sure to have coats or sweaters on hand as hypothermia is a real risk, especially when the temperature is below freezing.
If you feel it is demeaning to put clothes on a dog keep in mind that there are many reasonable coats that act much like a blanket and stay secure with a strap around the dog's stomach (see the image on the left) - staying warm does not mean making your dog uncomfortable.
For more information on hypothermia in dogs, follow this link.

Training Tip: The "Go" Command

One of my favorite commands that I often use with my own dogs and the dogs I walk is the "go" command.
Go is a great versatile command that enables you to point your dog in a direction and send them off with the word "go". This allows you to send your dog in and out of doors, cars, and rooms. Go is also useful for getting your dog out of your way, and sending them away from things you don't want the to be playing with. I love the "go" command because it can save you trouble, help your dog literally understand where you need him or her to be, and send your dog away from dangerous situations.
I stumbled upon the "go" command when teaching my own dog to run through the common tubes on playscapes (similar to agility tubes) for fun. This is still my favorite way to teach this command but a hallway or other similar one direction space will work.
To teach this command follow these steps:
1: Place the dog in front of the tube or other area you will be using(ensure that this is a place they are already used to), place a treat, toy, person, or other encouragement at the opposite end
2: Point to the opposite end so that your dog can see and say go, then allow them to run to the other side
3: Reward them with their favorite encouragement when they have reached the other side
4: Continue to repeat this process until they can reliably perform the "go" command in this environment
5: Slowly introduce the command into new environments in the same way, returning to the original environment periodically to reinforce the command
As always be patient and use your own creativity and knowledge of your dog to make training successful and enjoyable!