Weekend Get-Away....

Getting on my plane... missing my little knuckle head already! How could I ever leave this puppy face??

Sit, and say "PLEASE!"

In my never ending research on dog ownership, I came upon one method of training that I have found to be very beneficial. The term is "NILIF". This acronym stands for "Nothing In Life Is Free". For everything that your dog would like to do, he has to say please. She has to pay you something in order for you to satisfy whatever need she has. For instance: When Roxy approaches me and obviously is seeking my attention, I make her sit. A simple "sit!" will tell her that she has to say please before you pet her. she is not allowed to dictate when I give her attention. She does not get to demand my attention. She must aske for it!

I can call Roxy to myside as many times a day as I like to, as long as she says "please" first. Roxy has this one down. When she wants my attention, she comes to me, sits and gives me eye contact. I ALWAYS reward this sit because she is approaching me calmly and saying please. Occasionally when new people are around or I am just getting home, her puppy energy gets in the way of her sitting. I ignore her until she does sit down (say please).

This sit (or whatever command I want to use) is her token for the thing she wants. I use this with food, treats, going outside, and toys. For more information on this training method you can read this article:

www.paws-shelter.com/education/behavior_docs/nilif.pdf

This is a video of Roxy saying "please" and waiting until she is given the cue to eat!

Dog Communication

Communication is an essential part of human interaction. And just like us, dogs have their own ways of communicating different messages. As a dog owner, I have found it to be paramount to understand our dogs' communication. This can ensure a more harmonized relationship between you and your furballs.
Dogs have different methods of communicating. In raising Roxy and Guinness, I have found that body language and physical cues can tell you a lot about what your dog is thinking, feeling, and experiencing.
There are several definite cues that Roxy and Guinness give us, that we were able to interpret and learn to respond to. For instance, when Guinness ducks his head and cowers with his tail between his legs, we know that he did something he wasn't supposed to. This body language is also shows submission. He is potty trained... but hey, no one's perfect :) When Roxy knows she did something wrong and I approach her, she lays down and rolls on her back. This is Roxy communicating her submission to me; she is acknowleging that she did something wrong, and that I am the alpha.

I spoke in earlier in  "Potty Training" about body language and getting to know your dogs cues. I think doing this is essential for raising a dog. You can learn a lot about them! :)